From 12 to 16 October, African Energy Week (AEW) 2025 convened government officials, business leaders, and development financiers in Cape Town to reaffirm Africa's growing weight as a global energy hub. Taking place just days after the Cape Town-hosted African Mining Week, the summit highlighted how the continent's vast critical mineral reserves are central to both the world's clean energy transition and Africa's own sustainable development ambitions.

By emphasising investor confidence and ESG-aligned extraction, AEW participants laid a strong foundation for the Invest in African Energy Forum slated for April 2026 in Parisa major opportunity for striking strategic investments and partnerships. Crucially, as African governments work to harness their mineral wealth, a new cooperation model with international investors is emerging, grounded in shared value creation and lasting local impact.

Industry analysts increasingly warn that the 'extract-and-exit' approach is no longer viable, rightly asserting that mining companies must contribute to broader socio-economic growth. Encouragingly, forward-thinking mining groups operating in Africa are already adopting this model, helping to usher in the industry's promising new era.

Momentum Building for Responsible Mining

At African Mining Week, industry experts focused on the role of the continent's critical minerals, noting that demand for these resources would need to surge by nearly 500% in order to meet the world's 2050 climate goals. Published in October, a new UNEP report mirrors this sense of urgency, highlighting that minerals essential to solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries surged between 8% and 15% in 2023 alone, with lithium demand projected to rise ninefold by mid-century.

As the report's authors state, "the demand for minerals and metals needed for the energy transition requires a mining industry that contributes to sustainable development, while respecting human rights and the environment," with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Africa, and Zimbabwe identified as countries seeking to finance this agenda with mining-generated revenue. African governments need stronger investment support from mining companies to offer "public goods and services that increase productivity across the non-extractive sectors," while expanding local processing and manufacturing.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) offers a clear example: minerals account for 12% of its GDP and 86% of exports, underscoring the urgency of both retaining more value from mining and diversifying beyond extraction. The country's new Battery Council aims to establish a regional electric battery value chain, linking mining to technology and industry. Similarly, South Africa's 'Hydrogen Valley' initiative seeks to leverage its platinum group metals to manufacture fuel cells and export green hydrogen.

CMOC's Holistic Growth Agenda in the DRC

Echoing his government's vision, DRC Mines Minister Louis Watum Kabamba declared during his keynote address at African Mining Week that the continent "is rising," and that "we must take control of our resources." Crucially, Kabamba warned that to power the world's green transition, "we'll have to find, and then mine, more copper than has ever been mined in history before."

With its soaring copper production in the DRC and firm support for the government's industrial ambitions, Chinese mining giant CMOC is at the centre of this national undertaking. On the back of a record-breaking 2024, CMOC broke into the global top 10 in copper production and posted over 350,000 tonnes of copper output in the first half of 2025 alone. Moving forward, the company is advancing major projects like KFM Phase II to reach its medium-term copper goal of one million tonnes annually.

To ensure this output surge aligns with sustainability goals, CMOC is investing heavily in renewable infrastructure, including the 200 MW Heshima Hydropower project. The facility will supply clean, stable electricity to both mining operations and surrounding communities, reducing emissions and supporting local development. Meanwhile, CMOC's DRC subsidiary, TFM, recently called for greater public-private collaboration to accelerate the creation of a domestic EV battery industry and other green industrial projects, embedding value-added activities within the country.

Reflecting UNEP's mining vision, CMOC is heavily investing its rising copper profits in human capital and community infrastructure to help build diversified, resilient local economies. Earlier this year, TFM launched the 146-hectare Mumena Integrated Agropastoral Center, designed to strengthen local food security, entrepreneurship, and youth employment. Combining livestock farming, aquaculture, and training with reforestation and organic fertiliser production, the centre will create cross-sector opportunities that illustrate mining's potential as a catalyst for broader sustainable development.

Valterra Platinum Driving South Africa's Green Hydrogen Bid

If the DRC is set to play a decisive role in meeting global copper demand, fellow critical minerals powerhouse South Africa has an equally vital contribution to make as the world's top producer of platinum group metals (PGM). In recent years, South Africa's government has sought to leverage its mineral wealth by linking platinum mining with green hydrogen production, transforming its raw resources into high-value, soaring-demand exports.

As the world's largest platinum producer, Valterra Platinumpreviously known as Anglo American Platinumis at the core of South Africa's green hydrogen gambit. Speaking at African Mining Week, CEO Craig Miller highlighted Africa's growing role in strengthening global PGM supply chains and positioning Valterra as a cornerstone of that effort. Global demand for PGMs continues to risepowered by EVs and clean energy technologiesmaking Valterra's role more pivotal than ever.

Valterra operates several of South Africa's largest PGM assets, including the 5.8-million-ounce Tumela Mine, the 310,000-ounce Mogalakwena Mine, and the 217,000-ounce Kroondal Mine, alongside Zimbabwe's Unki Mine, producing 64,000 ounces annually. For 2025, the company targets up to 3.4 million refined ounces across its portfolio, supported by major expansion and new investments across its African operations to strengthen production and sustainability.

Beyond output, Valterra has been instrumental in advancing South Africa's green hydrogen ambitions from day one. Since 2021, it has partnered with French energy company ENGIE to develop the Hydrogen Society Roadmapa framework for a just, inclusive net-zero economy by 2050. The company is also advocating for greater investment in the Hydrogen South Africa programme to unlock government-funded R&D, foster SMEs, and develop local skills, laying the foundations for a competitive hydrogen economy that benefits all South Africans.

The Bottom Line

Africa's energy and mining transformation is no longer a distant prospectit is already taking shape. The challenge now is to turn ambition into execution by aligning public and private efforts behind projects that secure global supply chains and deliver tangible value for local communities. As investors prepare to gather in Paris next year, the task is clear: forge partnerships that build the foundations of a resilient, inclusive, and African-led energy future.
KABUL, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan has exported nearly 22,000 tons of pomegranates from the southern region of Kandahar so far this year, Provincial Director of Agriculture Aimal Hakimi said Sunday.

Last year, only 7,000 tons of pomegranates were exported from Kandahar, while so far this year, 21,870 tons of pomegranates have been exported, the official said, adding that the main markets for Kandahar's pomegranates are Malaysia, Russia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan this year.

Known by many Afghans as the "pomegranate hotbed," Kandahar is one of Afghanistan's leading pomegranate-producing provinces. According to the official, the surge in pomegranate exports has been attributed to increased orchard production, improved post-harvest handling, and stronger trade ties with foreign buyers.

Pomegranates are regarded as one of the main items of Afghanistan's exports, especially among fresh fruits, contributing around 35 million U.S. dollars annually to the national budget of the post-war nation.

Local authorities, according to the official, would continue supporting pomegranate growers and traders to sustain exports of the valuable fruit and increase annual earnings for local farmers. 
Israel's full implementation of truce deal key to talks on Lebanon's security strategy: Hezbollah

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 6:38 AM

A senior Hezbollah official says any discussion about Lebanon's national security strategy is only meaningful when Israel completely stops its near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon and honors the terms of last year's ceasefire.

"Until the enemy fulfills its obligations, Lebanon is not obligated to present any new steps or adopt a new agenda. The start of any discussion on the national security strategy hinges upon the full implementation of the November 27, 2024, agreement," President of the Executive Council of Hezbollah, Sheikh Ali Damoush, said at a ceremony in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday.

He added that the Israeli regime, with the support of the United States, continues to launch near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon and simultaneously tries to weaken Hezbollah's social base and domestic support through pressure and siege.

The senior Hezbollah official noted that the Israeli aggression on Lebanon came to an end on November 27, 2024, with an agreement reached with the Beirut government, and Hezbollah has rigorously adhered to it.

"The Zionist regime has, on the other hand, reneged on its commitments from the very first day, and over five thousand violations have been recorded so far. Nonetheless, these assaults have not managed to break the Lebanese nation's spirit of resistance and their resolve to defend their homeland and dignity," Damoush said.

He also criticized the performance of some Lebanese officials, emphasizing that the government must assume full responsibility for implementing the agreement and following it up through the ceasefire monitoring committee.

Israel and the Hezbollah resistance movement reached a ceasefire agreement that took effect on November 27, 2024. Under the deal, Tel Aviv was required to withdraw fully from the Lebanese territorybut has kept forces stationed at five sites, in clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the terms of last November's agreement.

Since the implementation of the ceasefire, Israel has violated the agreement multiple times through repeated assaults on the Lebanese territory.

Damoush also pointed to the humanitarian situation and extensive damage in southern Lebanon, stressing that Hezbollah is engaged in reconstruction in two ways.

"The resistance movement is directly assisting the process, and has helped repair about 370,000 housing units and the resettlement of thousands of families in the region.

"It is also pursuing reconstruction through state institutions, irrespective of political pressure and US sanctions that have hampered international aid," the top Hezbollah official added.





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U.S. forces, Republic of Korea Navy conducted bilateral exercise CSGEX 2025

Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet

NEWS | Nov. 15, 2025

By Commander, Task Force 70 Public Affairs

AT SEA -- The U.S. Navy and Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) concluded the bilateral exercise Carrier Strike Group Exercise (CSGEX) 2025 on Nov. 14, 2025.

The four-day exercise was led by the U.S. Navy in collaboration with ROKN to focus on alliance-enhancing U.S. Navy and ROKN bilateral maritime communication tactics, anti-submarine warfare operations, air warfare operations, replenishment-at-sea, and more. CSGEX 2025 follows Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) and Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5's visit to Busan, ROK. The previous CSGEX, held in June 2022, also featured CSG-5, represented by Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76).

"Carrier Strike Group 5's success during this exercise underscores the strength of our alliance and the trust that exists between the U.S. Navy and the Republic of Korea Navy," said Rear Adm. Eric Anduze, commander of CSG 5. "Training side-by-side enhances our combined readiness and ensures that, together, we can respond decisively to maintain stability and uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific."

Participating units included the U.S. Navy George Washington (CVN 73), flagship of CSG 5, embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62), the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Milius (DDG 69), Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, the ROKN Sejong the Great-class destroyers ROKS Seoae Ryu Seong Ryong (DDG 993), ROKS Yulgok Yi I (DDG 992), Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyers ROKS Wang Geon (DDH 978), ROKS Gang Gam Chan (DDH 979), Cheonji-class fast combat support ships ROKS Cheonji (AOE 57), and ROKS Daecheong (AOE 58).

CSG 5 is underway in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. George Washington is the U.S. Navy's premier forward-deployed aircraft carrier, a long-standing symbol of the United States' commitment to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region, while operating alongside allies and partners across the U.S. Navy's largest numbered fleet.

U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

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Saudi Arabia Welcomes the Signing of the Doha Framework for Peace Agreement Between Democratic Republic of the Congo and Congo River Alliance 'M23 Movement'

Saudi Press Agency

Saturday 24/05/1447

Riyadh, November 15, 2025, SPA -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's welcoming of the signing of the Doha Framework for Peace Agreement between the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Congo River Alliance "M23 Movement."

The Kingdom looks forward to both parties committing to the provisions of the agreement, which contribute to addressing disputes and conflicts through comprehensive national dialogue. It also looks forward to fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the restoration of security, stability, and prosperity across all regions of the country. The Kingdom further stresses the importance of protecting civilians and ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to areas affected by the conflict.

The Kingdom values the diplomatic efforts exerted and the constructive role played by the State of Qatar in achieving this agreement.

-- SPA

20:45 Local Time 17:45 GMT

0024

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Israel Builds Concrete Wall Crossing Into Lebanese Territory - UNIFIL

Sputnik News

20251115

The Israeli army has built a concrete wall along the border near the Lebanese village of Yaroun, crossing the Blue Line, blocking access to more than 4,000 square meters (43,000 square feet) of Lebanese territory, the United Nations Interim Force in Southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Friday.

"In October, UNIFIL peacekeepers conducted a geospatial survey of a concrete T-wall erected by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) southwest of Yaroun. The survey confirmed that the wall crossed the Blue Line, rendering more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the Lebanese people. UNIFIL informed the IDF of our findings and requested that they move the walls," the statement read.

In November, peacekeepers recorded the construction of another similar wall in the area. Footage showed that part of this new structure, southeast of Yaroun, also crossed the Blue Line. UNIFIL announced plans to officially inform Israel of these findings. Another new wall between the villages of Aitaroun and Maroun El Ras is located south of the line and contains no violations, UNIFIL said.

"Israeli presence and construction in Lebanese territory are violations of Security Council resolution 1701 and of Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We again call on the IDF to respect the Blue Line in its full length and withdraw from all areas north of it," the statement said.

Lebanese authorities have repeatedly said that Israel continues to systematically violate Lebanon's sovereignty, despite the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024. The Israeli military maintains a presence at five strategic points in southern Lebanon, including the northern part of the village of Ghajar, which the Lebanese authorities consider to be a continuing occupation and a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

The IDF claims that its strikes on Lebanon are targeting the assets of Lebanese movement Hezbollah and its military leaders. Israel has repeatedly emphasized that it will continue to hit Lebanon in order to eliminate the threat posed by the Shiite movement.

 Sputnik

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Navy to commission future littoral combat ship, USS Pierre (LCS 38)

US Navy - Press Release

15 November 2025

PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- Independence-variant littoral combat ship, the future USS Pierre (LCS 38), will be commissioned, Nov. 15 at 10 a.m. CST in Panama City, Florida.

Pierre will be the 19th and final Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) and the second U.S. Navy ship to bear the name.

The Honorable John Phelan, Secretary of the Navy, will deliver the commissioning ceremony's principal address.

"Reflecting upon the strength of American shipbuilding and national commitment, the commissioning of USS Pierre marks an important moment for the Fleet. President Trump is committed to restoring our shipbuilding capacity because he knows that to be a superpower, one must be a seapower," said Secretary Phelan. "This ship represents the skill, dedication, and craftsmanship of the builders, yard workers, and industry partners who brought her from concept to keel commissioning. The leadership and crew of USS Pierre carry forward the pride of their namesake with a steady course and clear purpose. They are backed by the Navy, the Nation, the shipbuilders who brought her to life, and the families whose support and sacrifice make service possible."

The ship's sponsor, Larissa Thune Hargens, a native of South Dakota, graduated from Bethel University in Saint Paul, Minn., with a bachelor's degree in political science and history. The call to serve runs deep in Hargens' family. Her grandfather was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight in Fighting Squadron 18 (VF-18) on the USS Intrepid (CV-11) during World War II, and her father is South Dakota Senator John Thune. Hargens has continued that tradition by serving with a non-profit incentive program.

Hargens has expressed confidence in the future of the USS Pierre and the role the ship and its crew will play in our nation's history.

"The USS Pierre is more than a ship," said Hargens during the ship's christening ceremony. "It is a vessel of protection and safety, of hope and freedom, carrying the collective values of honor, courage, and commitment of those who built it and of those men and women who will serve on it - the very same qualities exhibited by my late grandfather. It is a privilege to be a part of this legacy in such a meaningful way, and it is humbling to stand up here among our heroes in uniform who defend and protect our freedoms each and every day."

The littoral combat ship class consists of two variants, Freedom and Independence, designed and built by two industry teams. Lockheed Martin leads the Freedom-variant team, the odd-numbered hulls, in Marinette, Wis. Austal USA leads the Independence-variant team in Mobile, Ala., for LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls.

Littoral combat ships are fast, optimally manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. LCS integrates with joint, combined, manned, and unmanned teams to support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe. The ceremony will be livestreamed at https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/36761. The link becomes active approximately 10 minutes prior to the event at 9:50 a.m. CST.

Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342.

More information on the littoral combat ship program can be found at: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/article/2171607/littoral-combat-ship-class-lcs/

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Ecuador - Referenda 2025

Ecuadorian voters cast ballots on November 16, 2025 in a four-question referendum that could fundamentally reshape the nation's political system and security architecture. The referendum, convened by President Daniel Noboa amid an unprecedented violence crisis that has transformed Ecuador into Latin America's most dangerous country, asks citizens to authorize foreign military bases on Ecuadorian soil for the first time since 2009, eliminate state funding for political parties, reduce the National Assembly from one hundred fifty-one to seventy-three members, and potentially trigger a constituent assembly to replace the progressive 2008 constitution. The voting occurs against a backdrop of over seven thousand homicides already recorded in 2025, producing a projected homicide rate of fifty per one hundred thousand inhabitants as rival drug trafficking organizations Los Choneros and Los Lobos wage territorial wars that have overwhelmed state security forces. Pre-referendum polling suggested sixty-one percent support for allowing foreign bases, which would likely facilitate United States military return to the Manta airbase along Ecuador's Pacific coast. Results are expected within forty-eight hours, with first preliminary counts anticipated by 6:30 PM local time. The referendum represents the fifteenth national consultation since Ecuador's return to democracy in 1978, and potentially the most consequential since former President Rafael Correa's 2008 constitution that prohibited foreign military installations and enshrined expansive social and environmental protections.

The Security Crisis: From Island of Peace to Continental Murder Capital

Ecuador's transformation from one of South America's safest nations into a violent narco-state occurred with shocking rapidity over the past five years. In 2020, Ecuador's homicide rate stood at 6.7 per one hundred thousand inhabitants, among the lowest in Latin America and earning the country designation as an "island of peace" in a region plagued by drug violence. By 2025, that rate exploded to a projected fifty per one hundred thousand, surpassing Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras to become the highest in Latin America and among the most dangerous rates globally. The country has already recorded over seven thousand homicides in 2025 as of mid-November, with national police projecting this year will prove the deadliest in Ecuador's history.

The violence concentrates particularly in coastal provinces including Guayas, Esmeraldas, Manabi, and El Oro, which serve as critical nodes in cocaine trafficking routes connecting Colombian and Peruvian production zones to international markets. The city of Duran, adjacent to Guayaquil's port facilities, exemplifies the crisis with a homicide rate reaching one hundred forty per one hundred thousand inhabitants in 2023, ranking it among the world's most violent municipalities. Massacres, once confined to Ecuador's notoriously overcrowded and corrupt prisons, have spilled into civilian areas with gangs conducting systematic attacks on bars, restaurants, and neighborhoods to assert territorial control and intimidate populations.

Children and youth face particularly acute victimization, with child homicides increasing six hundred forty percent since 2019 according to United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants reporting. Criminal organizations actively recruit impoverished youth, particularly fishermen in coastal communities, offering salaries vastly exceeding legitimate employment options. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated recruitment as economic dislocation left many families desperate for income sources. Some schoolchildren face extortion and robbery from gang members, while others find employment in criminal networks that have embedded themselves within community structures.

Ecuador's strategic position between Colombia and Peru, the world's largest cocaine producers, combined with weak state institutions and the country's use of the United States dollar that facilitates money laundering, created conditions ripe for criminal expansion. The demobilization of FARC forces in Colombia following 2016 peace agreements initially created power vacuums that various groups rushed to fill, with some dissident FARC members relocating to Ecuador. Mexican cartels, particularly the Sinaloa organization and Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, established partnerships with Ecuadorian groups beginning in the early 2000s, bringing sophisticated operational techniques and international networks that transformed local criminal organizations from regional gangs into components of transnational trafficking infrastructure.

Criminal Organizations: Los Choneros and Los Lobos

Two principal criminal organizations dominate Ecuador's criminal landscape: Los Choneros and Los Lobos, whose violent rivalry drives much of the country's bloodshed. Los Choneros, described by security analysts as one of Ecuador's oldest and most powerful criminal syndicates, established early partnerships with Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel beginning around 2003. The organization controlled significant portions of Ecuador's drug trafficking infrastructure, prison system operations, and territorial holdings along the coast until December 2020, when longtime leader Jorge Luis Zambrano, known as Rasquina, was assassinated shortly after his prison release in what authorities characterized as a hit ordered by Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion seeking to displace Sinaloa's Ecuadorian partners.

Zambrano's murder triggered the first major wave of criminal fragmentation, with several subgroups including Los Chone Killers, Los Lobos, Los Pipos, and Los Tiguerones separating from Los Choneros to wage war against the organization's remaining leadership. Los Choneros itself split into two factions: Las Aguilas led by Junior Roldan, known as JR, and Los Fatales led by Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, known as Fito. The resulting territorial conflicts manifested particularly in prison massacres, with February 2021 riots at multiple facilities leaving seventy-nine inmates dead, followed by increasingly deadly clashes throughout 2021 and 2022. Prison violence proved so intense that security analysis in 2022 determined that if Ecuador's prison system constituted a city, it would rank as the country's second-most violent after Guayaquil.

Los Lobos emerged from this fragmentation as Los Choneros' principal challenger, growing from a splinter faction into a formidable criminal network with thousands of members operating both inside and outside prisons. The organization demonstrated its reach and operational sophistication through involvement in the August 2023 assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio, who had campaigned on anti-corruption and organized crime platforms. United States authorities designated both Los Lobos and Los Choneros as foreign terrorist organizations in September 2025, reflecting assessment that these groups posed threats extending beyond Ecuador's borders.

The second wave of criminal fragmentation commenced in late 2024 and early 2025 with the arrests and deaths of additional gang leaders. The assassination of Benjamin Camacho, known as Ben 10 and leader of Los Chone Killers, in December 2024 split that organization into at least five factions. The arrest of Negro Willy divided Los Tiguerones into Los Fenix and Los Igualitos factions. Most significantly, the July 2025 extradition of Fito to the United States severely weakened Los Choneros' operational cohesion, triggering revenge massacres, power struggles, and targeted killings particularly concentrated in the port city of Manta. These leadership vacuums created increasingly atomized criminal landscape with numerous groups lacking stable hierarchical structures, producing more frequent and unpredictable violence as factions compete for control of lucrative illicit economies including drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and illegal mining.

The prison system remains critical to criminal organizations' operational capacity, providing controlled environments where gang leaders coordinate trafficking operations, recruit members, and access multi-million dollar illicit economies. Corruption pervades the system, exemplified by Los Lobos leader Fabricio Colon Pico's release from jail on six separate occasions, each time by the same judge who authorities suspect accepted bribes. Budget cuts to the national penitentiary system worsened overcrowding and facilitated growth of prison-based criminal enterprises, with some gang leaders maintaining luxury accommodations complete with exotic animals and sophisticated communications equipment before President Noboa's military interventions beginning in 2024. Over five hundred inmates have died in prison violence since 2021, with the November 9, 2025 riot at Machala Detention Center killing thirty-one inmates including twenty-seven from the Sao-Box faction who were asphyxiated in retaliation attacks by Los Lobos members.

President Daniel Noboa and the Militarized Response

Daniel Noboa Azin assumed Ecuador's presidency in November 2023 at age thirty-seven following snap elections triggered by predecessor Guillermo Lasso's unprecedented invocation of the muerte cruzada constitutional mechanism that dissolved the National Assembly and terminated his own presidency to avoid impeachment. Noboa, heir to a prominent banana-exporting fortune and owner of Ecuador's largest banana operation, campaigned as a law-and-order candidate promising iron-fisted approaches to organized crime. He won a tight runoff against left-wing candidate Luisa Gonzalez, completing the final eighteen months of Lasso's term before winning reelection to a full four-year term in April 2025 elections.

Noboa's security strategy, branded as Plan Fenix, emphasizes militarized responses deploying soldiers to streets and prisons, launching raids on gang strongholds, and declaring repeated states of emergency that expand security force authorities. In January 2024, following televised hostage-taking of broadcast journalists by cartel members and prison riots, Noboa declared an internal armed conflict enabling sustained military intervention against designated terrorist organizations. The government mobilized one hundred eighteen thousand military and police personnel for the November 16 referendum voting, reflecting massive security apparatus deployment that has become routine across the country.

The president secured constitutional authorization for expanded security measures through an April 2024 referendum that approved extradition of Ecuadorian citizens, military assistance to police operations against organized crime, and enhanced weapons controls. Noboa claims Plan Fenix achieved forty-one percent reduction in homicides, though neither national statistics agencies nor police have provided verifiable data supporting this assertion, raising questions about actual effectiveness. Independently collected homicide statistics show violence continuing to escalate in 2025, with the Interior Ministry reporting forty percent increase during the first seven months compared to the same 2024 period, totaling 5,268 killings between January and July 2025 versus 3,753 in 2024.

Critics including human rights organizations argue that militarized approaches without addressing underlying causes of violence prove counterproductive and facilitate serious human rights abuses. An October 2025 International Crisis Group report concluded that militarization of streets and prisons has neither reduced drug flow through Ecuadorian ports nor suppressed territorial wars between criminal groups that have regrouped following government operations. The report noted that security forces have failed to prevent youth recruitment into gangs despite expanded authorities. A law passed in April 2025 granting security forces enhanced powers including lethal force authorization and warrantless raids drew particular criticism from Human Rights Watch for dispensing with crucial protections.

Noboa's presidency has encountered additional controversies including extended disputes with Vice President Veronica Abad, whom he suspended and ultimately replaced by decree with Cynthia Gellibert in violation of Constitutional Court rulings. The president failed to properly notify the National Assembly when assuming campaign activities, blurring boundaries between presidential and candidate roles according to European Union election observers. Energy shortages producing blackouts in late 2024, gasoline subsidy removals, and value-added tax increases damaged Noboa's approval ratings, though security concerns remain his administration's central focus and principal political vulnerability.

The Four Referendum Questions

The November 16 referendum ballot presents four questions divided into three constitutional amendments requiring voter approval and one popular consultation on national interest matters. Approximately 13.9 million Ecuadorians were eligible to vote, with participation mandatory for citizens between ages eighteen and sixty-four. Voting concluded at 5:00 PM local time, with preliminary results expected to begin appearing around 6:30 PM.

Question A proposes eliminating the constitutional prohibition established in the 2008 constitution against foreign military bases or installations with military purposes on Ecuadorian territory, and against ceding national military bases to foreign armed forces. The current Article 5 states: "Ecuador is a territory of peace. The establishment of foreign military bases or foreign installations for military purposes shall not be permitted. It is prohibited to cede national military bases to foreign armed forces or security forces." The proposed amendment would simply state: "Ecuador is a territory of peace," removing all restrictions on foreign military presence.

This question represents the referendum's most geopolitically significant element and the issue attracting greatest international attention. Approval would reverse policies implemented under former President Rafael Correa that expelled United States forces from the Manta airbase on Ecuador's Pacific coast in 2009. American military personnel had operated from Manta between 1999 and 2009 as part of counter-narcotics efforts, conducting surveillance flights and supporting interdiction operations throughout the region. Correa famously stated the United States could maintain its Manta base if Ecuador could establish a military base in Miami, framing the issue as a matter of sovereignty and rejecting permanent foreign military presence on national territory.

United States Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Ecuador on November 5, 2025, just eleven days before the referendum, touring the Manta airbase and meeting with President Noboa. The high-profile visit, which critics characterized as colonial officials inspecting potential future holdings, signaled strong American interest in returning to Ecuadorian facilities. Ecuadorian officials confirmed to media that discussions with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed potential base arrangements. If voters approve the constitutional change, Ecuador and interested foreign governments would need to negotiate detailed agreements specifying operational parameters, force levels, legal jurisdictions, and duration before any deployments could occur, requiring additional approvals through respective national legislative processes.

Question B asks whether to eliminate mandatory state allocation of Presupuesto General del Estado resources to political organizations. Ecuador currently provides political parties and movements funding through the Fondo Partidario Permanente for activities including formation, publications, training, and research, along with the Fondo de Promocion Electoral supporting campaign activities. The Consejo Nacional Electoral administers these funds with amounts determined by electoral performance and other statutory formulas.

Proponents argue public financing facilitates corruption as parties divert funds from intended purposes, cite examples of misuse, and contend that political organizations should self-finance through private contributions rather than taxpayer resources. Opposition voices including former presidential candidate Andres Arauz warn the change would make politics unequal by advantaging wealthy candidates and parties with access to private financing while disadvantaging those with popular support but limited resources. Critics note Noboa himself, son of Ecuador's richest individual, would benefit from system favoring privately-funded campaigns, while parties representing working-class and indigenous constituencies would face severe disadvantages. The measure would not affect existing rights of parties or alter campaign finance regulations beyond eliminating state funding streams.

Question C proposes reducing the National Assembly from one hundred fifty-one members to seventy-three through constitutional amendment establishing stricter representation criteria. The reduction would concentrate legislative power while reducing regional and demographic representation breadth. Current composition includes one hundred sixteen members elected by plurality vote in single-seat constituencies, fifteen elected by proportional representation in a national constituency, and six representing Ecuadorians abroad. The proposed system would maintain general structure but dramatically reduce overall membership.

Supporters contend smaller legislatures prove more efficient, reduce public spending on salaries and operations, and facilitate more decisive lawmaking without unwieldy debates among excessive representatives. Opposition argues the reduction would diminish representation of diverse regional interests, indigenous communities, and political minorities, concentrating power among dominant parties while reducing voices for marginalized populations. The change would particularly impact provinces with smaller populations that currently maintain dedicated representation but might lose seats under revised allocation formulas. Critics note Noboa's National Democratic Action party would likely benefit from reduced legislature size given its urban middle-class support base, while Citizen Revolution movement and indigenous organizations could see representation diminished.

Question D, structured as popular consultation rather than constitutional referendum, asks whether citizens agree to convene a constituent assembly that would draft an entirely new constitution to replace the 2008 document. Representatives to this assembly would be directly elected according to attached statutory provisions, and any resulting constitution would require subsequent referendum approval before taking effect. This represents the referendum's most potentially transformative element, as constituent assembly processes can fundamentally restructure political systems, alter power distributions, and redefine rights and state responsibilities.

Noboa has deliberately maintained secrecy regarding what specific constitutional changes he would propose, stating he will reveal his constitutional vision only after referendum approval. This opacity generated intense criticism from opposition sectors who argue citizens cannot provide informed consent without understanding proposed changes. Government spokespeople have suggested potential reforms including hourly employment contracts replacing current labor protections, eliminating free public university education, removing rights of nature provisions, and facilitating foreign investment through reduced environmental and social regulations. Critics characterize these as neoliberal policies that would dismantle progressive achievements enshrined in the 2008 constitution.

The 2008 Constitution and Correista Legacy

The referendum fundamentally challenges the constitutional framework established by Rafael Correa's Citizens' Revolution movement through the 2008 constitution approved by sixty-four percent of voters. That document, drafted by a constituent assembly elected in 2007, represented the culmination of decades of social movement organizing and incorporated demands from indigenous organizations, environmental groups, labor unions, and left-wing political parties. The constitution achieved international recognition for pioneering provisions granting rights to nature itself rather than merely regulating environmental exploitation, establishing the first constitutional framework treating ecosystems as subjects possessing inherent legal standing rather than as resources for human use.

The 2008 constitution mandated that strategic economic sectors including energy, telecommunications, water supply, and natural resources remain under public ownership or strict state control, preventing full privatization of essential services. It prohibited foreign military bases and installations, enshrined comprehensive social rights including free public education through university level, expanded healthcare access, strengthened labor protections, and created mechanisms for direct citizen participation in governance through referenda and popular consultations. The constitution recognized Ecuador as a plurinational state acknowledging indigenous peoples' collective rights and autonomy within defined territories.

Correa governed Ecuador from 2007 to 2017, utilizing substantial oil revenues and Chinese financing to fund extensive social programs, infrastructure development, and poverty reduction initiatives. His administration reduced poverty rates, expanded healthcare and education access, and invested heavily in roads, hospitals, schools, and other public facilities. However, Correa's tenure also involved confrontations with indigenous movements over extractive industries in Amazon territories, conflicts with media outlets, centralization of power in executive branch, and allegations of corruption that have produced ongoing investigations and prosecutions of former officials.

The Citizens' Revolution movement remains politically potent through Correa's successor party Citizen Revolution, which placed Luisa Gonzalez in competitive presidential races in 2023 and 2025, winning sixty-seven National Assembly seats in 2025 elections. The indigenous confederation CONAIE maintains significant mobilization capacity demonstrated through repeated national strikes and road blockades when governments pursue policies threatening indigenous rights or environmental protections. Together, correismo and the indigenous movement constitute principal opposition to Noboa's agenda, viewing the referendum as dismantling the 2008 constitution's protections in favor of neoliberal economic policies, weakened environmental standards, and subordination to United States geopolitical interests.

Correa himself has campaigned against the referendum from exile in Belgium, where he resides following corruption convictions he characterizes as political persecution. He described foreign base authorization as "an insult to our public forces and an assault to our sovereignty," arguing Ecuador needs better governance rather than foreign soldiers. Environmental organizations warn that constituent assembly could eliminate nature rights provisions to facilitate expanded oil extraction, including Noboa's promotion of the largest oil auction in decades in areas including Yasuni National Park, one of Earth's most biodiverse regions where a 2013 referendum called for leaving oil reserves underground.

Political Dynamics and Expected Outcomes

Pre-referendum polling suggested mixed support across the four questions, with the foreign military bases proposal showing strongest backing. Surveys indicated approximately sixty-one percent of voters favored allowing foreign bases, reflecting widespread frustration with violence crisis and belief that international cooperation provides necessary tools that national forces lack. Middle-class urban voters, business elites attracted by efficiency discourse, and coastal populations directly experiencing violence appeared most supportive of Noboa's agenda. Opposition concentrated among correista supporters, indigenous communities represented by CONAIE, environmental activists, and left-wing political organizations who view the referendum as facilitating neoliberal restructuring and American military domination.

The constituent assembly question generated particular polarization as implications remain deliberately vague. Noboa presented the issue as necessary to combat criminals, stating "When the YES vote wins, criminals, thieves, and murderers will no longer have anywhere to hide," framing constitutional change as security measure rather than political restructuring. Critics countered that constitution writing serves as distraction from addressing violence's root causes including poverty, inequality, institutional corruption, impunity rates approaching ninety percent, and inadequate investment in prevention rather than punishment.

Electoral observers from the Organization of American States deployed sixteen experts to monitor the process, focusing on electoral organization, technology, justice mechanisms, campaign finance, and direct democracy procedures. The mission, Ecuador's thirtieth OAS electoral observation and third in 2025, aims to provide comprehensive reporting with recommendations for strengthening democratic processes. European Union observers monitored February and April 2025 presidential elections, noting concerns about Noboa's failure to properly separate presidential and campaign roles but determining that overall processes were free and fair.

Noboa mobilized government resources extensively to promote referendum approval, utilizing official communications channels, appearing at campaign events, and directing supporters to vote YES on all questions. Opposition accused the administration of employing millions in public funds for what they characterized as political rather than informational campaigning. The president expressed optimism about outcomes while acknowledging that partial approval remained possible if different questions received varying support. Simple majority determines each question independently, meaning voters could approve some proposals while rejecting others.

Regional and International Implications

The referendum's outcome carries significant implications for regional security architecture and United States influence in South America. Washington has pursued enhanced military cooperation with multiple Latin American governments in recent years as part of counter-narcotics efforts and strategic competition with China. Ecuador's potential authorization of American military bases would represent the first permanent United States installation in the region since Correa's leftist wave expelled foreign forces from multiple countries during the 2000s. The development could encourage other governments facing security challenges to consider similar arrangements, potentially reversing two decades of regional sovereignty assertions.

Critics within Ecuador and across Latin America characterize American military return as neocolonial imposition that subordinates national sovereignty to Washington's geopolitical agenda. Progressive International, a global left-wing organization, described the referendum as the latest front in Washington's war on Latin America, arguing that attention focused on Venezuela's political crisis obscured Ecuador's parallel subjugation to American interests. Analysts note United States Strategic Command's interest in Pacific installations for projecting power toward Asia amid great power competition with China, suggesting counter-narcotics justifications may conceal broader strategic objectives.

The referendum occurs as Ecuador also negotiates potential defense pact with the United States similar to the agreement recently concluded with Qatar, whereby Washington would treat armed attacks on Ecuador as threats to American interests requiring military response. Such security guarantees, combined with base access, would fundamentally reorient Ecuador's security posture toward integration with United States military structures rather than maintaining the non-aligned positioning Correa pursued. The changes could affect Ecuador's relationships with other regional powers including Brazil, which has emphasized South American security autonomy, and with extra-hemispheric actors including China, which maintains substantial economic presence through infrastructure investments, commodity purchases, and financial flows.

For other Andean nations facing similar violence challenges, Ecuador's experience will provide important demonstration effects. Colombia already maintains extensive security cooperation with the United States including base access agreements, though these generate ongoing domestic controversy. Peru has recently experienced political instability and security deterioration that could prompt consideration of enhanced foreign military cooperation. Conversely, Bolivia under President Luis Arce maintains leftist government hostile to American military presence, while Chile's left-leaning administration pursues cautious engagement focused on intelligence sharing rather than installations.

Historical Context: Ecuador's Referendum Tradition

The November 16 referendum represents Ecuador's fifteenth national consultation since return to democracy in 1978, demonstrating that direct democracy mechanisms have become routine political instruments rather than exceptional measures. Since that constitutional transition, eight of sixteen presidents have called twenty-two referenda comprising eighty-one total questions according to Center for Research on Direct Democracy databases. Notably, despite the 2008 constitution including provisions enabling citizen-initiated consultations, only one such grassroots referendum has occurred, the 2013 Yasuni National Park vote. The overwhelming pattern shows executives deploying referenda as political tools rather than citizens exercising bottom-up governance rights.

Presidents have pursued referenda for several consistent objectives: gaining strength during periods of weakness or confrontations with congress, legitimizing themselves following crises or institutional breakdowns, mobilizing political bases by using consultations as campaign tools, and pushing fundamental changes to constitutional rules particularly through constituent assemblies. Recent presidents including Lenin Moreno in 2018, Guillermo Lasso in 2023, and now Noboa in 2024 and 2025 have all employed referenda to circumvent legislative opposition and appeal directly to voters over congressional heads.

Historically, presidents have achieved reasonable success rates, with approximately seventy-two percent of submitted questions approved by voters. However, referendum victories have not necessarily translated into sustainable political gains or effective governance. Multiple presidents who won referendum approval subsequently faced impeachment proceedings, early terminations, or political collapse, suggesting that direct democratic endorsement provides temporary legitimacy but cannot substitute for institutional capacity, coalition building, or policy effectiveness. The pattern indicates referenda function more as escape valves during political crises than as mechanisms for genuine participatory governance or conflict resolution.

Assessment and Future Trajectory

The November 16 referendum constitutes a pivotal moment that could reshape Ecuador's political trajectory for decades. If all four questions gain approval, the combination of foreign military presence authorization, reduced legislative representation, eliminated party financing, and constituent assembly convocation would fundamentally restructure the political system established through the Citizens' Revolution. The changes would likely facilitate neoliberal economic reforms, weaken left-wing and indigenous political opposition, reduce environmental and labor protections, and integrate Ecuador more thoroughly into United States-led hemispheric security architecture.

Conversely, if voters reject some or all proposals, Noboa would face significant political setback undermining his claimed popular mandate and potentially emboldening opposition forces. The president staked considerable political capital on the referendum, framing it as essential response to security crisis and promising that approval would provide tools necessary to defeat criminal organizations. Rejection would raise questions about whether militarized approaches without broader social investment and institutional strengthening can effectively address violence's root causes including poverty, inequality, corruption, and impunity.

The security situation will likely continue deteriorating regardless of referendum outcomes unless comprehensive strategies address underlying factors driving violence. Criminal organizations have demonstrated remarkable adaptability, regrouping following leadership removals and military operations. The fragmentation creating numerous competing factions has intensified violence rather than facilitating state control, as atomized groups prove more difficult to negotiate with or suppress than hierarchical organizations. Extraditions of gang leaders to United States custody has removed some organizational capacity but also created succession conflicts and revenge dynamics that fuel additional killings.

Economic factors including limited legitimate employment opportunities, particularly for youth in coastal communities, ensure continued criminal recruitment pipelines unless alternatives emerge. The projected five and a half billion dollar fiscal deficit for 2025 coupled with International Monetary Fund-imposed spending constraints limit Noboa's capacity to fund prevention programs, social investment, or institutional strengthening even if political will existed. Violence costs Ecuador up to ten percent of GDP annually, approximately nineteen billion dollars, creating devastating economic drain that perpetuates the poverty and weak institutions enabling criminal expansion.

International cooperation will prove essential regardless of base authorization outcomes. Drug trafficking constitutes inherently transnational phenomenon requiring coordinated responses across production, transit, and consumption jurisdictions. Colombian, Peruvian, and Ecuadorian coordination on interdiction, Mexican and United States cooperation on destination market demand reduction, and European engagement on consumption patterns and financial flows all contribute to comprehensive approaches. However, whether such cooperation requires permanent American military bases in Ecuador or whether alternative arrangements including intelligence sharing, equipment provision, training partnerships, and joint operations could achieve similar results without sovereignty compromises remains contested.

The constituent assembly process, if approved and implemented, will determine how profoundly Ecuador's political and economic structures change. Assembly composition, procedural rules, timeline, and scope will all require negotiation and could produce outcomes ranging from modest adjustments to revolutionary transformation. If Noboa's supporters dominate assembly membership, resulting constitution could eliminate progressive provisions, facilitate privatization of strategic sectors, weaken labor and environmental protections, and centralize executive power. If opposition forces win significant representation, constituent process could produce gridlock, social mobilization, or compromise documents maintaining core 2008 provisions while updating specific elements.

For Ecuador's indigenous populations, Afro-Ecuadorian communities, environmental movements, and organized labor, the referendum represents existential threat to hard-won constitutional protections and political representation. These constituencies will likely respond to adverse outcomes through sustained mobilization including strikes, roadblocks, and demonstrations that could generate additional instability. CONAIE has repeatedly demonstrated capacity to paralyze the country through coordinated actions, and indigenous communities in Amazon and highlands possess leverage through control of strategic infrastructure including roads and oil facilities.

The broader question remains whether Ecuador's violence crisis stems primarily from insufficient security force capacity and inadequate international cooperation, as Noboa argues, or whether it reflects deeper failures of governance, justice, economic opportunity, and social cohesion that military responses cannot address. The referendum effectively tests hypothesis that expanded coercive authority and foreign assistance can suppress organized crime without confronting underlying conditions enabling criminal expansion. Evidence from El Salvador's militarized gang suppression under President Nayib Bukele, which temporarily reduced violence but through massive human rights violations and without addressing root causes, suggests limits to purely security-focused approaches. Similarly, Mexico's long militarization of counter-narcotics efforts has generated hundreds of thousands of deaths without defeating trafficking organizations that continually adapt and regenerate.

Conclusion

Ecuador's November 16, 2025 referendum represents the convergence of multiple crises: unprecedented violence driven by fragmenting criminal organizations, political polarization between neoliberal and progressive forces, economic constraints limiting state capacity, and competing visions of national sovereignty and international engagement. The four questions on the ballot, while presented as technical governance reforms and security measures, in fact constitute choices about fundamental political economy orientations and Ecuador's relationship with hemispheric power structures.

President Noboa has framed the referendum as necessary response to existential security threat, arguing that traditional approaches have failed and that extraordinary measures including foreign military assistance and constitutional restructuring provide the only path toward restoring peace and order. Opposition voices contend that militarized responses without addressing poverty, inequality, corruption, and institutional weakness perpetuate conditions enabling violence while dismantling protections that benefited vulnerable populations. The 2008 constitution, whatever its limitations, represented effort to construct more equitable and sustainable development model emphasizing social rights, environmental protection, and democratic participation rather than market fundamentalism and security state approaches.

Results expected within forty-eight hours will indicate whether Ecuadorian voters accept Noboa's security-first logic or resist what critics characterize as neoliberal restoration and American military subordination. Regardless of outcomes, Ecuador confronts profound challenges requiring sustained commitment to institutional strengthening, economic opportunity creation, justice system reform, and regional cooperation. The referendum itself cannot resolve these underlying dilemmas, but it will determine the framework within which Ecuador pursues solutions and define the country's trajectory for coming decades.

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Royal Saudi Air Force F-35

President Trump said 18 November 2025 "I will say that we will be doing that, we'll be selling F-35s, yeah," the day before he was set to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House. Trump said the Saudis "want to buy" them, and they've "been a great ally." The 18 November 2025 White House summit between President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman represented a pivotal moment in Middle Eastern strategic realignment, with the potential sale of forty-eight F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters to Saudi Arabia emerging as the central bargaining chip in negotiations over the kingdom's accession to the Abraham Accords. The meeting, which includes a formal Oval Office session, black-tie state dinner, and follow-on investment summit on November 19, comes amid competing pressures from Israeli demands for normalization conditionality, Pentagon intelligence warnings about Chinese espionage risks, and Saudi insistence on a credible pathway to Palestinian statehood. The multibillion-dollar fighter deal, which cleared initial Defense Department reviews in early November, would make Saudi Arabia the first Arab nation to operate America's most advanced combat aircraft, fundamentally altering regional military balance while potentially advancing Trump's signature foreign policy achievement from his first term.

The White House Summit and Diplomatic Context

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington marks his first trip to the United States capital since March 2018, arriving during what administration officials characterize as a warming period in bilateral relations following Trump's May 2025 visit to Riyadh. The elaborate reception underscores the Trump administration's prioritization of Saudi engagement, with the president describing the gathering as more than a meeting but rather an event to honor Saudi Arabia. The timing appears strategically calculated to capitalize on what Trump perceives as fundamental shifts in Middle Eastern power dynamics, particularly the weakening of Iranian proxy forces in Gaza, Lebanon, and Yemen following two years of sustained conflict, as well as damage to Iran's nuclear program from joint United States-Israeli strikes conducted in June 2025.

The summit agenda encompasses defense cooperation, technology partnerships particularly in artificial intelligence and semiconductor sectors, and economic agreements building upon the $142 billion memoranda of intent signed during Trump's May visit. However, the centerpiece negotiations revolve around Saudi Arabia's potential accession to the Abraham Accords, the normalization framework Trump brokered during his first term that established diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan in 2020. Trump expressed optimism aboard Air Force One on November 15, stating his hope that Saudi Arabia would join the accords fairly shortly, though administration officials speaking anonymously indicated that near-term Saudi participation appears improbable despite restrained confidence that agreement might emerge during Trump's second term.

The diplomatic complexities center on irreconcilable positions regarding Palestinian statehood. Saudi Arabia maintains that normalization with Israel requires guaranteed Palestinian state establishment, a condition King Salman has articulated as non-negotiable. While Crown Prince Mohammed has reportedly signaled potential flexibility beyond his father's stance, he continues to demand a credible, irreversible, and time-bound pathway to Palestinian statehood. This directly conflicts with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fierce rejection of any Palestinian state commitment, a position that became more entrenched following Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and triggered the subsequent Gaza conflict. Administration officials suggested that optimal outcomes from the November 18 discussions would involve Saudi recognition of Trump's twenty-point Gaza peace plan as providing the foundation for Palestinian statehood, coupled with public commitment to considering Abraham Accords membership, though such positioning risks provoking Israeli anger and withdrawal of cooperation.

The F-35 Fighter Deal: Specifications and Strategic Significance

Saudi Arabia's request for forty-eight F-35A Lightning II aircraft represents a quantum leap in the kingdom's air combat capabilities and would fundamentally reshape regional military balance. The F-35A, Lockheed Martin's conventional takeoff and landing variant, entered operational service with the United States Air Force in 2015 following development that began in the mid-1990s. The aircraft belongs to the exclusive fifth-generation fighter class, characterized by stealth characteristics, advanced sensor fusion, and network-centric warfare capabilities that distinguish it from all fourth-generation platforms currently in regional service.

The F-35A's combat effectiveness derives from integration of multiple advanced subsystems into a cohesive operational platform. The aircraft employs carefully engineered shaping combined with radar-absorbent composite materials to achieve extremely low radar cross-section, allowing penetration of defended airspace that would prove lethal to conventional fighters. The AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array radar provides simultaneous air-to-air and air-to-ground targeting while maintaining low probability of intercept characteristics. A Distributed Aperture System comprising six infrared cameras provides spherical situational awareness, detecting and tracking aircraft and missiles in all directions simultaneously. The electro-optical targeting system, integrated into the fuselage rather than carried in external pods, enables precise target identification and weapons delivery while preserving stealth characteristics.

Perhaps the F-35's most significant advancement lies in its sensor fusion architecture, which automatically correlates data from onboard sensors, datalinks, and off-board sources to present pilots with a synthesized tactical picture rather than requiring manual interpretation of individual sensor feeds. This transforms the aircraft into what defense analysts describe as an airborne intelligence engine, capable of detecting, identifying, and sharing threat information across networked forces. The Pratt and Whitney F135 engine produces over 40,000 pounds of thrust, incorporating classified heat signature management technologies critical to the aircraft's stealth envelope while providing sufficient power for future directed-energy weapon integration.

For the Royal Saudi Air Force, whose current backbone consists of advanced F-15SA strike fighters acquired through Foreign Military Sales and Eurofighter Typhoons obtained from the European consortium, F-35 acquisition would add genuine first-night-of-war capability designed to survive against modern integrated air defense systems. The aircraft's two internal weapons bays accommodate air-to-air missiles and precision-guided munitions in low-observable configuration, while external pylons can carry additional ordnance when stealth is less critical, pushing total payload capacity beyond eight tons. The unit cost ranges between $80 million and $101.5 million depending on variant and configuration, suggesting the total package value including aircraft, training systems, maintenance infrastructure, and initial logistics support would likely exceed $10 billion to $15 billion.

Operationally, Saudi F-35s would transform Riyadh's ability to conduct strikes against Iranian strategic targets, including ballistic missile launch complexes, nuclear-related infrastructure, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval facilities around the Persian Gulf, and command nodes. The aircraft's stealth characteristics would enable penetration of Iranian airspace without telegraphing approach on legacy radar networks, while mission data files tailored to Iranian order of battle would allow automatic threat recognition and prioritization. Additionally, the F-35's ability to detect low-flying cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, then share tracks via secure datalinks, would significantly strengthen Saudi defenses against the kind of drone and missile attacks launched from Yemen and Iraq in recent years.

Pentagon Intelligence Assessment: Chinese Espionage Concerns

The proposed F-35 sale confronts substantial opposition within the United States intelligence community, crystallized in a classified Defense Intelligence Agency assessment that warns China could acquire the aircraft's sensitive technologies through Saudi Arabia's extensive security and economic partnerships with Beijing. The intelligence report, portions of which leaked to the New York Times on November 13, 2025, outlines scenarios whereby Chinese access to F-35 technology could occur not through overt technology transfer but through more subtle pathways including embedded technicians in joint industrial projects, exploitation of vulnerable digital infrastructure, and intelligence collection against Saudi telecommunications networks and air bases.

The intelligence concerns center on specific F-35 subsystems whose compromise would directly benefit Chinese military aviation programs. Stealth coating formulations and application techniques remain among the most closely guarded secrets in American aerospace, with the specific materials and manufacturing processes that give the F-35 its radar cross-section advantage representing decades of research investment. Chinese engineers working on the Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-35 programs require precisely this kind of detailed understanding of how to achieve and maintain very low radar signatures across multiple frequency bands. Similarly, the F-35's electronic warfare architecture, which enables the aircraft to detect, identify, and counter enemy radars and communications while minimizing its own electromagnetic signature, represents technology China seeks for its own fifth-generation platforms.

Perhaps most concerning from the Defense Intelligence Agency perspective are mission data libraries and the Multifunction Advanced Datalink system. Mission data files contain detailed electromagnetic signatures of threat radars and communications systems, along with optimal countermeasure techniques, essentially providing a roadmap of how to defeat specific air defense systems. If Chinese intelligence gained access to F-35 mission data configured for operations against Russian-designed surface-to-air missile systems widely deployed throughout Asia, it would significantly enhance People's Liberation Army understanding of both the threat systems and American electronic warfare techniques. The Multifunction Advanced Datalink, meanwhile, enables secure high-bandwidth communication between F-35s and other platforms, and any Chinese breakthrough in understanding this system's encryption or waveform characteristics could compromise American and allied tactical communications across multiple theaters.

The intelligence assessment grounds these concerns in Saudi Arabia's deepening ties with China across multiple domains. Riyadh purchased Chinese DF-3 intermediate-range ballistic missiles in the 1980s and more recently acquired DF-21 systems, with satellite imagery suggesting Chinese technical assistance for Saudi solid-fuel missile production at facilities near al-Dawadmi. Chinese-manufactured Wing Loong and CH-4 armed unmanned aerial vehicles already serve in Saudi military operations, filling capability gaps Washington proved unwilling to address. China ranks among the largest purchasers of Saudi crude oil, and President Xi Jinping's December 2022 visit to Riyadh produced thirty-four agreements valued at approximately $30 billion spanning cloud services, digital infrastructure, transportation, and construction sectors.

Particularly problematic from the American intelligence perspective are Saudi partnerships with Huawei Technologies on cloud computing and data center projects. Similar concerns about Huawei-managed 5G networks near F-35 operating bases contributed directly to the United Arab Emirates suspending its own F-35 purchase negotiations in 2021, after American officials warned that Chinese telecommunications equipment could enable passive collection of aircraft electromagnetic signatures, maintenance procedures, and operational patterns. More recently, United States intelligence alleged that an Emirati artificial intelligence firm's cooperation with Huawei helped China improve the range of its PL-15 and PL-17 long-range air-to-air missiles, weapons specifically designed to challenge American and allied fighters in Indo-Pacific scenarios. Defense analysts cite this case as demonstrating how dual-use technology partnerships can inadvertently feed into Chinese military advancement, suggesting similar risks would exist with Saudi Arabia given Vision 2030's explicit goal of localizing fifty percent of defense spending through joint ventures and technology partnerships.

However, some defense officials and analysts question whether the intelligence assessment overstates risks given that China has already obtained substantial F-35 information through cyber espionage. The 2014 conviction of aerospace executive Su Bin revealed that Chinese hackers stole tens of thousands of documents related to the F-22 Raptor and F-35 programs, including details on stealth coatings, avionics architecture, and manufacturing processes. Additionally, the People's Liberation Army has actively recruited American and allied F-35 pilots to gather operational insights, suggesting Beijing already possesses significant understanding of the aircraft's capabilities and limitations. Critics of the intelligence assessment argue that marginal additional Chinese access through Saudi channels would provide little beyond what Beijing has already acquired through extensive cyber operations, though defenders counter that even incremental intelligence gains could help China refine countermeasures or improve its own programs.

Israeli Position: Qualitative Military Edge and Normalization Conditionality

Israel's approach to the proposed Saudi F-35 sale reflects careful calibration between preserving military advantage and advancing strategic realignment with Sunni Arab states against shared Iranian threats. Israeli officials informed the Trump administration that Jerusalem does not oppose F-35 sales to Saudi Arabia in principle, but insists any transfer must be conditioned on Saudi normalization with Israel and formal accession to the Abraham Accords. This position contrasts sharply with Israel's vehement opposition to potential Turkish F-35 acquisition, which Jerusalem views as an unacceptable security risk given President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increasingly hostile rhetoric toward the Jewish state.

The Israeli position stems from concerns about maintaining qualitative military edge, a longstanding security doctrine that has framed United States arms transfers to the Middle East for decades and received formal Congressional codification in 2008 legislation. The concept holds that Israel must possess the capability to defeat any credible conventional military threat from regional actors without incurring prohibitive damage or casualties, essentially ensuring decisive superiority against any combination of potential adversaries. Israel currently operates forty-five F-35I Adir fighters, with thirty additional aircraft on order, making it the only Middle Eastern nation with fifth-generation combat aircraft and the first country outside the United States to receive the platform when initial deliveries commenced in December 2017.

Israeli military officials emphasize that F-35 flight time from Saudi territory to Israeli airspace measures in minutes rather than hours, fundamentally altering threat calculations if relations deteriorate or if the Saudi government fell to hostile forces. One Israeli official noted that it takes minutes for an F-35 to fly from Saudi Arabia to Israel, adding that Jerusalem would likely demand strict geographic restrictions preventing Saudi F-35s from deployment at western kingdom air bases near Israeli borders. The concern extends beyond immediate military balance to encompass scenarios where internal Saudi instability or regime change could place advanced American fighters in hands of extremist elements, a risk Israeli defense planners consider unlikely but not impossible given regional volatility.

Nevertheless, Israeli officials indicated they view Saudi F-35 acquisition within the context of Abraham Accords normalization as qualitatively different from other potential regional transfers. A second Israeli official stated that unlike F-35 supply to Turkey which Israel strongly opposes, Jerusalem is less concerned about such weapons systems in Saudi Arabia if part of regional security cooperation under the Abraham Accords framework, similar to arrangements with the United Arab Emirates. This suggests Israeli acceptance that normalization would create sufficient strategic alignment and intelligence sharing mechanisms to mitigate risks associated with Saudi fifth-generation fighter capability.

The Israeli position received articulation from Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, who characterized normalization with Saudi Arabia as Israel's top national interest that would change the Middle East for generations, while simultaneously insisting any agreement must uphold principles vital to Israel without recognizing a Palestinian state that would endanger security. Zohar argued that Israel operating as a security superpower together with Gulf powers represents the great nightmare of Israel's enemies, suggesting Jerusalem views potential Saudi partnership as worth the qualitative military edge considerations if conditioned properly. However, this position places Israeli officials at odds with much of the political right, including settler leaders and far-right coalition members who vehemently oppose any Palestinian statehood pathway as part of normalization negotiations.

Israeli lobbying efforts apparently intensified following reports that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth planned to approve the F-35 sale before interagency review, prompting Israeli officials to press their case directly to the Trump administration. One Israeli official characterized providing F-35s to Saudi Arabia without securing normalization as a mistake and counterproductive, warning that unconditional arms sales would forfeit leverage for achieving the broader strategic realignment Trump seeks. Israeli media reporting suggested that Netanyahu appears willing to accept erosion of qualitative military edge in exchange for removing prospects of Palestinian statehood from negotiation tables, though this characterization remains disputed and may oversimplify Jerusalem's complex positioning.

Saudi Strategic Calculations and Regional Implications

Saudi Arabia's pursuit of F-35 acquisition reflects broader modernization efforts aimed at establishing the kingdom as the preeminent military power in the Arabian Peninsula and broader Middle East. The Royal Saudi Air Force currently operates a mixed fleet that includes eighty-four F-15SA strike fighters acquired through a $29.4 billion Foreign Military Sales package announced in 2010, along with seventy-two Eurofighter Typhoons obtained from the European consortium. While these fourth-generation platforms provide substantial air superiority and strike capabilities, they lack the stealth characteristics and sensor fusion architecture that define fifth-generation operations. Saudi procurement strategy also encompasses substantial Chinese and European systems, including the Chinese-manufactured Wing Loong II and CH-4 armed unmanned aerial vehicles that have seen combat employment in Yemen operations.

The kingdom's interest in F-35s intensified following observation of Israeli combat employment against Iranian and proxy targets, including strikes that reportedly employed stealth fighters to penetrate Syrian air defenses and the June 2025 attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Saudi defense planners assess that F-35 capability would provide decisive advantages in potential conflict with Iran, enabling strike packages to approach high-value targets without early warning that would allow dispersal or increased alert postures. Additionally, the F-35's advanced sensors and networking capabilities align with Saudi efforts to develop integrated air and missile defense architecture capable of countering the cruise missile and unmanned aerial vehicle threats that have repeatedly penetrated kingdom airspace from Yemeni and Iraqi launch points.

However, Saudi pursuit of normalization with Israel faces substantial domestic and regional political constraints that complicate straightforward transaction of F-35s for diplomatic recognition. The kingdom's population remains broadly sympathetic to Palestinian aspirations, and the Gaza conflict that killed tens of thousands of Palestinians generated widespread anti-Israel sentiment across the Arab and Muslim world. King Salman's explicit linkage of normalization to Palestinian statehood reflects both personal conviction and political calculation about managing domestic opinion, particularly among religious conservatives who view abandonment of Palestinian claims as unacceptable betrayal of Arab and Islamic solidarity.

Crown Prince Mohammed's reported flexibility suggests possible willingness to accept something less than full Palestinian statehood in exchange for normalization, perhaps accepting a time-bound pathway or interim arrangements rather than immediate state establishment. However, the crown prince's public positioning continues to demand credible, irreversible, and time-bound commitments from Israel, language that Netanyahu has categorically rejected. The October 13, 2025 Sharm el-Sheikh peace conference, where Trump brokered a Gaza ceasefire, apparently included American pressure on Saudi Arabia to move toward normalization, with Trump subsequently telephoning bin Salman to express expectation of diplomatic progress. One senior United States official characterized the administration message bluntly, stating that Washington did all the things Riyadh requested and now expects reciprocal movement on normalization.

Regional implications of Saudi F-35 acquisition extend beyond bilateral Saudi-Israeli dynamics to encompass broader strategic competition with Iran and Turkey. Iranian officials would likely interpret Saudi fifth-generation fighter capability as further evidence of Washington's construction of an anti-Iranian alliance structure, potentially accelerating Tehran's own military modernization efforts and deepening security cooperation with Russia and China. Turkey's concurrent lobbying for return to the F-35 program, after expulsion in 2019 following acquisition of Russian S-400 air defense systems, creates additional complexity. Turkish F-35 acquisition would profoundly concern Israel given Erdogan's hostile rhetoric, while Turkish exclusion while Saudi Arabia receives the aircraft could damage NATO solidarity and push Ankara further toward alternative security partnerships.

Historical Precedents and Political Obstacles

The proposed Saudi F-35 sale recalls previous controversies over advanced American weapons transfers to Arab states, particularly the 1981 sale of five E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft and the 1986 sale of F-15 fighters to Saudi Arabia. Both transactions generated intense Congressional opposition based on concerns about Israeli qualitative military edge, with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Congressional supporters mounting sustained campaigns to block or condition the sales. In each case, the Reagan administration prevailed but only after agreeing to restrictions that included American personnel operating sensitive systems, geographic deployment limitations, and compensatory arms packages to Israel. The F-15 sale eventually proceeded with Saudi crews flying the aircraft but key systems remaining under effective American control for extended periods.

More directly relevant precedent comes from the F-35 sale to the United Arab Emirates negotiated during Trump's first term as part of the Abraham Accords normalization in 2020. That agreement called for fifty F-35A aircraft, eighteen MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles, and advanced munitions in a package valued at approximately $23 billion. However, the deal stalled during the Biden administration after Abu Dhabi refused American demands to remove Huawei telecommunications equipment from proximity to planned F-35 operating bases, with United States intelligence officials warning that Chinese-manufactured 5G infrastructure could enable passive collection of aircraft signatures and operational patterns. The UAE ultimately suspended negotiations rather than accept these conditions, instead ordering eighty Dassault Rafale fighters from France in late 2021, demonstrating that regional partners will pursue alternative suppliers when American conditions become unacceptable.

The current Saudi request confronts a political environment complicated by Crown Prince Mohammed's role in journalist Jamal Khashoggi's October 2018 murder in Istanbul, an incident that generated sustained Congressional opposition to Saudi Arabia and arms transfers to the kingdom. Although Trump maintained close relations with Mohammed bin Salman during his first term and again prioritized Saudi engagement upon returning to office in January 2025, substantial Congressional skepticism persists. The Defense Intelligence Agency assessment warning of Chinese espionage risks provides additional ammunition for Congressional opponents who could invoke qualitative military edge concerns, technology security imperatives, or human rights considerations to delay or block the sale.

Legislative mechanisms provide multiple avenues for Congressional intervention in major arms sales. The Arms Export Control Act requires the executive branch to formally notify Congress of proposed Foreign Military Sales exceeding specified thresholds, triggering a review period during which legislators can introduce joint resolutions of disapproval. While such resolutions require Presidential signature or veto override to take legal effect, making them difficult to enact in practice, the notification and review process creates opportunities for Congressional pressure and public debate that can complicate administration diplomacy. Additionally, annual defense authorization and appropriations legislation provides vehicles for restrictions on specific sales or conditions requiring certifications about technology security or human rights compliance before transfers proceed.

Alternative Outcomes and Strategic Options

Multiple alternative outcomes remain possible if the F-35 sale proves politically or technically unworkable due to Chinese espionage concerns, Israeli opposition absent normalization, or Congressional resistance. The most straightforward fallback involves expanding Saudi purchases of F-15EX Advanced Eagle fighters, the latest evolution of the F-15 platform that incorporates modern avionics, radar, and weapons systems while lacking stealth characteristics. Boeing designed the F-15EX specifically for Foreign Military Sales customers seeking advanced capability without the technology transfer sensitivities associated with fifth-generation platforms. While the F-15EX cannot match F-35 stealth performance, it offers superior payload capacity, longer range, and lower operating costs, potentially making it attractive for Saudi missions emphasizing air superiority and long-range strike rather than penetration of sophisticated integrated air defenses.

Another option involves a degraded F-35 configuration that restricts Saudi access to the most sensitive subsystems while providing genuine fifth-generation capability. This approach would limit mission data file sophistication, constrain software-defined capabilities, and potentially exclude certain advanced munitions or external systems integration. The United States employed similar approaches with early F-16 exports, providing capable fighters while withholding the most advanced avionics and weapons that equipped American variants. However, this strategy confronts Saudi expectations of receiving frontline capability comparable to other F-35 operators, and Riyadh might reject a noticeably degraded configuration as failing to address operational requirements or justify the high unit costs.

A more intrusive approach would embed permanent United States technical teams within Saudi F-35 squadrons, essentially replicating the arrangement employed for early Saudi E-3 and F-15 operations where American personnel supervised sensitive systems and maintenance procedures. This would provide continuous monitoring to prevent unauthorized technology access while building Saudi expertise over time, though it raises questions about operational sovereignty and creates sustained deployment requirements for American technicians. Some defense officials have reportedly discussed even more coercive options including embedded kill-switch capabilities that would disable mission-critical F-35 systems without American authorization, effectively maintaining United States veto over aircraft employment. However, such arrangements would likely prove unacceptable to Saudi Arabia and could undermine the trust normalization agreements aim to establish.

If F-35 sales remain linked to normalization but normalization proves unachievable in the near term, the November 18 summit might produce interim arrangements that advance normalization processes without final agreement. These could include establishment of direct three-way negotiations between the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel on normalization terms, perhaps with agreed timelines for resolving outstanding issues including Palestinian questions and security arrangements. Saudi Arabia might commit to considering Abraham Accords membership contingent on Israeli acceptance of specific Palestinian statehood benchmarks, while Israel could agree to formalized discussions about future territorial arrangements without immediate concessions. Such interim outcomes would allow Trump to claim diplomatic progress while deferring the most difficult decisions to subsequent negotiations.

Alternatively, the summit could produce substantial agreements in other domains while setting aside both F-35 sales and normalization for future consideration. The November 18-19 agenda includes economic and technology partnerships, defense cooperation beyond F-35s, and regional security architecture discussions, any of which could yield significant announcements. Saudi Arabia reportedly seeks a formal United States defense pact similar to the agreement recently concluded with Qatar, whereby Washington would treat armed attacks on the kingdom as threats to American interests and respond with military force. Such a defense treaty would require Senate ratification but would substantially enhance Saudi security without the technology transfer concerns that complicate F-35 sales, potentially satisfying Riyadh's core security objectives even absent fifth-generation fighter acquisition.

Strategic Assessment and Future Trajectory

The convergence of F-35 sale negotiations, Abraham Accords expansion efforts, and the November 18 summit represents an inflection point in Middle Eastern security architecture, with outcomes likely to reverberate across regional alignments for years. Trump's ambition to expand the Abraham Accords to include Saudi Arabia reflects recognition that sustainable regional stability requires Saudi-Israeli strategic partnership against common Iranian threats, while the economic and technological cooperation that normalization would enable could accelerate development across participating states. However, achieving this transformation requires navigating deeply entrenched positions on Palestinian statehood that have defied resolution for decades, while simultaneously managing legitimate security concerns about technology transfer and military balance.

The Israeli position linking F-35 sales to normalization creates an elegant diplomatic structure that aligns military and political objectives, using Saudi desire for fifth-generation capability as leverage to achieve the strategic realignment Trump prioritizes. If successful, this approach would address Israeli qualitative military edge concerns by embedding Saudi F-35 operation within Abraham Accords security cooperation framework, potentially including intelligence sharing, joint exercises, and coordinated planning against Iranian threats that would transform fighter acquisition from military threat into alliance capability. The precedent of United Arab Emirates F-35 inclusion in original Abraham Accords negotiations demonstrates the viability of this model, though the UAE sale's subsequent collapse under the Biden administration illustrates implementation challenges.

However, Palestinian statehood remains the critical obstacle that could prevent agreement regardless of F-35 conditionality. Netanyahu's categorical rejection of Palestinian state commitments reflects both ideological opposition and political calculation about maintaining his governing coalition, which includes far-right parties that view territorial compromise as existential betrayal. Trump's twenty-point Gaza peace plan might provide sufficient ambiguity to bridge positions if Saudi Arabia accepts vague language about pathways and processes rather than demanding concrete statehood timelines, but such compromises risk satisfying neither party while generating domestic opposition in both Jerusalem and Riyadh. The October 7 attacks and subsequent Gaza conflict hardened positions on all sides, making near-term breakthrough unlikely absent dramatic diplomatic creativity or changed circumstances.

Chinese espionage concerns add another dimension that could independently derail F-35 sales regardless of progress on normalization. The Defense Intelligence Agency assessment reflects genuine intelligence community anxiety about protecting stealth and electronic warfare technologies that underpin American military advantage in great power competition. While some analysts dispute whether Saudi Arabia poses materially greater technology transfer risks than other F-35 operators given China's existing cyber espionage successes, the political reality is that leaked intelligence warnings will fuel Congressional opposition and create bureaucratic resistance within the Pentagon. Overcoming these concerns would require either unprecedented security arrangements that Saudi Arabia might reject as infringing sovereignty, or political decisions to accept risks in service of broader strategic objectives.

The November 18 summit's immediate outcomes will likely fall short of comprehensive agreements on either F-35 sales or normalization, instead producing incremental progress in the form of continued negotiations, additional economic agreements, and perhaps preliminary understandings about future security cooperation. Trump's public optimism notwithstanding, the complexity of reconciling competing interests suggests extended negotiations will be required before final resolution. The summit may nevertheless prove significant by establishing direct high-level dialogue channels, building personal relationships between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman that could facilitate future compromises, and demonstrating continued American engagement in Middle Eastern security architecture despite competing priorities in Indo-Pacific and European theaters.

Longer-term trajectory remains highly uncertain and dependent on variables including Iranian behavior, Palestinian political developments, Israeli domestic politics, and American Congressional attitudes toward both Saudi Arabia and Middle East engagement more broadly. If Iran's regional position continues weakening through proxy force degradation and nuclear program setbacks, Saudi threat perceptions might moderate sufficiently to accept less robust American security guarantees without F-35s. Conversely, Iranian military modernization or aggressive regional posture could intensify Saudi determination to acquire fifth-generation capability regardless of normalization progress. Palestinian leadership transitions or unexpected developments in occupied territories could either create openings for diplomatic progress or further entrench opposition, while changes in Israeli government composition following future elections might produce leadership more amenable to territorial compromise.

The fundamental question remains whether the Trump administration possesses diplomatic creativity and political capital to engineer compromises that satisfy minimum requirements of all parties, or whether contradictions between Saudi demands for Palestinian statehood commitments, Israeli rejection of such commitments, and American concerns about technology security prove insurmountable in the near term. The November 18 summit will provide initial indications of whether productive middle ground exists or whether the gap remains too wide to bridge absent changed circumstances. Regardless of immediate outcomes, the negotiations themselves demonstrate the continued centrality of American diplomatic and military engagement in shaping Middle Eastern security architecture, with the F-35 platform serving as both military capability and diplomatic instrument in pursuit of strategic realignment.

The F-35 Fighter Deal: Background

As of 2017 the most significant Saudi air force modernization effort remained unmentioned in public. Saudi Arabia was one of the world's leading military powers. In 2015 Saudi Arabia overtook Russia for third place in military spending, partially due to its engagement in the Yemen conflict and the depreciation of the Russian ruble. The Saudis coveted fifth-generation stealth fighters, the coin of the realm for air combat.

Initiallly it seemed the United States would not sell the F-35 stealth fighter to the Saudis. At some point in the 2020 timeframe, Saudi Arabia will turn to China, which has previously supplied the Suadis with long-range ballistic missiles. China is perfectly willing to sell their J-31 Stealth Fighter, along with no complaints about Saudi human rights practices. China needs Saudi oil, and the Saudis need a major security partner, now that the United States has decided to withdraw from East of Suez.

Initially there were projections that the Saudis might acquire as many as 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. This would have been in line with prior acquisitions of the F-15, even though the Israeli Air Force also operated the F-15. The Israeli F-15s had capabilities that the Saudi F-15s did not, preserving Israels qualitative military edge (QME). The US has no committment to preserve a Saudi qualitative military edge. In late 2015, the Obama Administration made numerous statements that Israel would be the only recipient of the F-35 in the region.

The United States had served as the primary arms provider for Saudi Arabia until Britain supplanted it in 1988. Following the Gulf War, however, the United States again emerged as Saudi Arabias primary arms supplier. In 1998 US military exports to Saudi Arabia totaled US$4.3 billion, making Saudi Arabia the leading importer of US military goods.

When questioned on what the likely effect of British arms sale to the Saudi Arabia would mean to US marketing efforts, US-Saudi relations and the Middle East military balance, Richard Armitage, Assistant Secretary of Defense answered 13 July 1988:

"In my view there are four principal outcomes resulting from the replacement of the U.S. by other suppliers in major arms transactions with moderate, pro-Western Arab states. Israeli "worst case" contingency planning becomes complicated by the delivery and deployment of advanced systems (aircraft and missiles) over which the United States has no residual control in terms of basing, configuration, and follow-on support, The United States loses political influence with moderate Arab states when a third party assumes the role of principal supplier of defense equipment, US contingency planning, based as it is on the necessity of regional friends to take the lead in their own self-defense, becomes complicated by the loss of systems interzperability. The loss of income and jobs to U.S. industry and American labor is a gratuitous, self-inflicteI wound which has absolutely no compensatory aspects."

Experience demonstrated time and again that when the US. is unable to respond, other governments are more than ready and able to do so-whether it be with British Tornado fighter bombers, which Saudi Arabia bought when it could not get additional US F-15 fighters, even without ground attack capability, or the Soviet handheld SA-7 and SA-l4 antiaircraft missiles supplied to certain Gulf states when the US was unwilling to provide portable antiaircraft weapons, such as the Stinger.

If the Saudi government asked to buy the F-35, the question facing the US would not be whether the Saudis would acquire such weapons systems, but from which country they would buy it, and which country would have a dominant position in the Saudi military planning for several decades. While the American technology is superior, the US does not have a monopoly on high technology. Both China and Russia would be eager to take the place of the US as the principal supplier to the Saudi military, a position that had already been seriously eroded in the past decades.









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Ukraine - Corruption

Ukraine was rocked by the largest corruption scandal of Zelenskys term. Decision-making was concentrated in the President's Office. A network of businessmen and politicians used illegal control over the countrys nuclear utility Energoatom contracts to fleece anyone who wanted or had to do business with the strategically placed enterprise. As Ukrainian prosecutors explained, the power of this Energoatom mafia permeated the company, ensuring control over personnel decisions, procurement processes, and financial flows. In fact, the management of a strategic enterprise was carried out not by state officials, but by third parties who had no formal authority, [but] took on the role of overseers or shadow managers.

The corruption probe centered around the state nuclear power company Energoatom is turning into one of Ukraine's largest political scandals on record. Ukraines National Anti-Corruption Bureau on 11 November 2025 charged seven people, including Zelenskys former longtime business partner Timur Mindich, with kickbacks and embezzlement in the energy sector, which is heavily funded by Western aid. The scandal has led to the resignation of two government ministers and damaged Zelenskys image at home and abroad, especially because he won the 2019 presidential election on an anti-corruption platform. He already faced a backlash over the summer when he tried to restrict the independence of the two leading anti-corruption bodies, NABU and SAPO, only to relent following protests in Kiev.

Long-standing opponents of Zelensky  including former president Petr Poroshenko and Kiev mayor Vitaly Klitschko  intensified their criticism, seeing the scandal as an opportunity to reduce Zelenskys influence over parliament and the cabinet. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Western governments were increasingly realizing the scale of corruption in Ukraine and that a significant portion of the funds provided to Kiev were being stolen by the regime.

Russian political scientist Bogdan Bespalko believes that pressure on Mindich may be part of a broader effort by the United States to influence Zelensky and the structure around him, noting that NABU has long been viewed as a pro-American institution. According to Bespalko, Washington may be using the corruption scandal as leverage  not to remove Zelensky outright, but to constrain his room for maneuver and force political concessions.

When Vladimir Zelensky rose to power, he did so in a role that blurred fiction and reality. Ukraine was not simply electing a politician  it was electing the protagonist of a television series. In Servant of the People, Zelensky played Vasily Goloborodko, a humble history teacher who accidentally becomes Ukraines president and sets out to wage war on entrenched corruption. Throughout the series, the creators hammered home one theme: the rot begins when the people closest to the president use personal access to build corrupt networks of their own.

That message became the backbone of Zelenskys 2019 campaign. He accused then-leader Petr Poroshenko of surrounding himself with oligarchs, promised to dismantle corrupt patronage networks, and championed the independence of Ukraines anti-corruption bodies. Back then, he insisted he would never interfere with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau or Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office (NABU and SAP)  the very institutions now driving the case against his closest associate. Six years later, everything changed.

In July 2025, Zelensky moved to strip both NABU and SAP of their independence, pushing to place them under a loyal Prosecutor General. At that same moment  as is now known for certain  NABU was conducting secret surveillance against his longtime friend Timur Mindich. Thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets, not against Russia, but against their own governments apparent attempt to neuter institutions that Western partners had helped build. Under intense EU and US pressure, Vladimir Zelenskys government backtracked and passed corrective legislation to restore the agencies autonomy.

Timur Mindich was Zelenskys closest confidant. He knows everything. If interrogated seriously, he will talk  and he will talk fast. Mindich is aware of how the financial flows around Bankova worked, how influence was distributed, and how members of Zelenskys entourage allegedly enriched themselves during the war. Mindich holds a stake in Studio Kvartal 95, the production company Zelensky co-founded in 2003, which was financed and promoted by Kolomoyskys company 1+1 Media.

Mindich has not been not detained. He left Ukraine shortly before the November 2025 raids and, according to open sources, remains outside the country. On 13 November 2025, Zelensky imposed sanctions on Mindich and his business partner Aleksandr Zukerman, both of whom hold Israeli passports.

Mindich began as a media entrepreneur. He co-founded Kvartal 95, the production studio that transformed Vladimir Zelensky from comedian into a national celebrity. For years, Mindich handled business deals, contracts, casting agencies, and spin-off ventures. He was not merely a colleague  he was part of the tight inner circle that built Zelenskys career long before he entered politics. He also had another powerful connection: Igor Kolomoisky. Ukrainian media long described Mindich as the oligarchs trusted fixer  a man who arranged everything from logistics and personal errands to business negotiations. Ukrainian media noted that Kolomoisky sometimes called him a would-be son-in-law, a reference to Mindichs past engagement to his daughter.

After Zelensky took power, this relationship deepened. Mindich gradually moved out of Kolomoiskys orbit and into Zelenskys. He became one of the few people the new leader fully trusted. Their families were close; their business interests intertwined. Ukrainian journalists noted that in 2019 Zelensky even used Mindichs car. In 2021, at the height of coronavirus restrictions, Zelensky celebrated his birthday in Mindichs apartment  a gathering that raised questions at the time, and far more now. The two men also owned apartments in the same elite building on Grushevskogo Street, a residence filled with ministers, MPs, security officials, and politically connected businessmen. They lived, worked, and socialized within the same ecosystem.

Mindich held no government post. He was not a minister, a deputy, or an adviser. He wielded influence not through office, but through proximity  a gray cardinal of the system Zelensky built around himself. Opposition figures began calling him the wallet  the man who handled the money flows tied to Zelenskys entourage. Some Ukrainian MPs alleged that informal decisions about appointments, tenders, and budgets were made in Mindichs apartment, not in government offices.

On 10 November 2025 the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) detained five people and notified seven people of suspicion, including a businessman alleged to be the leader of the criminal organisation, a former adviser to the energy minister, and the executive director for physical protection and security at Energoatom, Ukraine's nuclear power company. "NABU and SAPO [the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office] have uncovered and documented the activities of a criminal organisation involving serving and former officials from Ukraine's energy sector, a businessman well known in the media, and other individuals. Its members built a large-scale corruption scheme in order to exert influence over strategic state-sector companies, including Energoatom. Five people ha been detained under Article 208 of Ukraine's Code of Criminal Procedure (lawful apprehension by a competent official) and seven members have been served with notices of suspicion." These individuals include the businessman alleged to be the ringleader, Energoatom's executive director for physical protection and security, and a former adviser to the energy minister. Four other suspects were described as back-office operatives who laundered funds.

The group's main activity was to extract unlawful gains from Energoatom contractors amounting to 10-15% of the value of contracts, NABU reports. Trump and his allies had been highly critical of the amount of assistance that the Biden administration has sent to Kiev. Ukraine did not receive as much foreign aid as claimed by the administration of US President Joe Biden, and a lot of whatever help it did get was embezzled, a former Polish deputy minister claimed without proof 21 November 2024. Up to a half of the funds that reached Kiev was stolen by Ukrainian officials, Piotr Kulpa alleged. The political commentator previously held several posts in the Polish government, serving as deputy labor minister in the mid-2000s, and is currently a regular contributor on Ukrainian online shows. Kulpa is a vocal supporter of US President-elect Donald Trump, as evidenced by his remarks to Ukrainian journalist Lana Shevchuk.

Everyone understands that war-related corruption is linked not only with Ukraine, but also the supplier nation, he said. Who would ever believe that the US burned through $2 trillion in Afghanistan? Its delusional! US aid programs are a mechanism to write off large sums of money that finance shady systems under the Democratic Partys control, he alleged. The incoming Trump administration could review government finances and discover the truth that Ukraine got very little compared to the amounts mentioned in public statements, Kulpa claimed.

But they will also find something else: that a huge portion of the funds was stolen in Ukraine. From 30% to 50%, regardless of the nature of the aid, he added. If Kiev were to recover all the embezzled money for the Ukrainian budget, the country would have enough for a year, Kulpa said. He denounced senior Ukrainian officials, whose regular salaries and bonuses he believes are outrageously high. Its a spit in the face of every Ukrainian, the former minister asserted. To every European and American taxpayer. This system is criminal from start to finish.

Mindich also lobbied suppliers and contracts inside the Ministry of Defense. The most telling episode involves Ukraines Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov. After meeting Mindich, Umerov signed a contract for a batch of bulletproof vests with a supplier promoted by Mindich. The armor turned out to be defective, and the contract was quietly terminated. Umerov later admitted the meeting with Mindich took place. Some Ukrainian journalists have alleged that Mindich may have controlled or influenced companies producing drones for the Armed Forces, selling them to the state at inflated prices. These claims remain unproven, but prosecutors note that Mindichs name appears repeatedly in connection with defense tenders, lobbying, and private suppliers. Ukraine has numerous laws to combat corruption by public officials, and following the Revolution of Dignity in 2014, the government launched new anti-corruption institutions, including the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), to investigate corruption by public officials, the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office (SAPO), the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption (NAPC), and the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC).

In 2023, officials of the Ministry of Defense devised a super-profitable scheme and transferred more than a billion hryvnias [a bit more than $25 million] from the Ukrainian budget to a shadow account. According to the law enforcement officers, the company "Lviv Arsenal" received full state payment for ammunition, which it later transferred to a foreign company. Ukraine did not receive a single projectile. Instead, the funds were transferred to a shadow account in the Balkans. The Ministry of Defense calls this case "particularly cynical". There were five suspects in the case. Among them are the former head of the Department of Military and Technical Policy of the Ministry of Defense Oleksandr Liev, who, by the way, was captured while trying to cross the border, the current head of this department Toomas Nakhkura, as well as the commercial director of the Lviv Arsenal company Yuriy Zbitnev, and a representative of a foreign company. All of them faced up to 12 years behind bars with confiscation of property.

The IMF's requirement is to create a single body in Ukraine to combat economic crimes. Will the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine be up to the task? One of the few MPs' amendments supported by the Verkhovna Rada during the first reading of the draft budget for 2024 was a proposal to reduce funding for the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESBU) by UAH 409 million and limit the maximum number of its employees from 4000 to 1400. And this is not the only unpleasant news for ESBU employees: it seems that there are more and more supporters in the political and business communities for the idea of rebooting the law enforcement agency that was created only the year before last.

The need for a reboot is explained by the fact that the Bureau has not become a primarily analytical structure that prevents and counteracts economic crimes. Instead, it operates by force, no different from the former tax police with its pressure on business and "mask shows." According to the supporters of the new reform, one of the key reasons for this is the formal approach to personnel competitions (or even their complete absence for many vacant positions), which resulted in the backbone of the new Bureau being former officials of the same liquidated tax police.

At the same time, the agreements with the IMF provide for the creation of a single body in Ukraine that will combat economic crimes against the state and tax evasion. By definition, it should be the ESBU. But will the Bureau in its current form be able to perform this function? Many doubt it.

Claims to the activities of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine began to appear almost from the very first days of its work. Even the appointment of the former head of the State Fiscal Service as the first head of the Bureau was taken with a grain of salt by many, despite the fact that Vadym Melnyk had won an open personnel competition.

However, there were also those who believed in the future success of the new structure, which, according to the law, should focus primarily on analytical work. So they expected quick results from the ESBU. When this did not happen, the army of critics naturally began to grow rapidly.

"The ESBU is the most important body in controlling the use of the funds they (the partners) are providing us now and will provide for the recovery. It is the number one authority. And it is impossible to leave this area in the state it is in now. Tax police officers should not make up 80% of the staff," explained Danylo Hetmantsev, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy.

In particular, the topic of ESBU is reflected in the Letter of Intent and the Memorandum with the IMF on Economic and Financial Policies on a new Extended Fund Facility for Ukraine of March 24, 2023. As noted, the fight against tax evasion and strengthening of governance in the tax system require a powerful supervisory authority that can not only investigate financial and economic criminal offenses against the state, but also provide independent analytical support to identify tax evasion schemes and facts.

"With this in mind, we are preparing amendments to the Law and reorganization of the ESBU to clearly define its functions in line with the best practices in this area, strengthen its analytical component and make it subordinate to the Ministry of Finance. To begin with, we will revise the legal framework for the ESBU and develop transparent processes for selecting staff and management on a competitive basis. We will also tighten the requirements for the selection committee and introduce a clear competitive selection process, as well as streamline the activities of the Public Control Council at the ESBU. We will develop a mechanism for staff certification and introduce a contractual system for employees," the Letter of Intent states.

The dismissal of the first head of the ESBU, Vadym Melnyk, on 11 April 2023 and the appointment of first one and then another acting director of the Bureau did not help much either. This did not affect the agency's personnel policy: vacant positions were filled sluggishly and mostly by people from the "system" - former tax police and other security officials. The ESBU management did not ensure timely formation of the staff, which is staffed by only 20.6% of the staff (as of September 1, 2023, the staff consisted of 827 employees out of the required 4000).

"Contrary to the position of the President of Ukraine that all "economic" offenses should be investigated by a single pre-trial investigation body, 80% of criminal proceedings under the ESBU's jurisdiction continue to be investigated by other bodies, which discredits the main idea of the Bureau's creation," the MPs conclude.

The European Business Association is in favor of the adoption of the ESBU's draft law: "The EBA supports the main idea of the draft law that ESBU employees should be selected on a competitive basis in several stages without giving any preference to candidates who are currently working in law enforcement. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to ensure proper representation of the public in the ESBU competition commissions and to provide for effective mechanisms of public control over the selection and dismissal of ESBU employees, including integrity checks."

Similar assessments are contained in the appeals of other influential business associations - the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Business Council, the Association of Taxpayers of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council. The same support is promised by the leading economic think tanks - CASE Ukraine, Institute for Tax Reforms, Center for Economic Strategy, Institute for Social and Economic Transformation, Center for Economic Strategy, Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, Institute for Analysis and Advocacy, DiXi Group and others.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the holding of a "broad meeting" with representatives of law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Prosecutor General. "Similarly, there are other challenges in our state - we have to implement all other elements of justice for our citizens, because this is our promise to Ukraine both in the fight against the external enemy and internal daily threats and challenges. This concerns both the protection of our national security and the final cleansing of oligarchic and corrupt influence in Ukraine. And preventing any establishment of new oligarchic or similar clans. Therefore, we need a concept of fundamental measures, measures of state policy, which will allow to ensure a real sense of justice, not even a sense, but the realization of justice in Ukraine," he said in a video released in Telegram.

On 27 August 2023, President Zelenskyy proposed to equate corruption in Ukraine with high treason and transfer all cases of top corrupt officials from the and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine [NABU] and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office [SAPO] to the the Security Service of Ukraine [SBU]. "I have set a task. Legislators will be presented with a proposal to equate corruption with state treason during times of war. I understand that this cannot be a permanent measure, but during wartime, I believe it will be beneficial... I don't know if lawmakers will support it, but I will certainly put it forward. Because we are developing a democratic society, and it's crucial not to tighten the screws each time in response to specific, sensational cases but to implement systemic changes".

On 30 August 2023, the European Parliaments Foreign Affairs and Budget Committees met to discuss the European Commissions proposals to support Ukraine. Michael Gahler, rapporteur on Ukraine in the European Parliament, said: "I think it is inappropriate to shift responsibility for fighting corruption from existing institutions, such as NABU and SAPO, to the SBU during the war by renaming corruption as high treason. On the other hand, it is good that the complexity of the problem of corruption in time of war is recognized on a par with high treason, but it is up to the existing authorized institutions to overcome this challenge. We must avoid the impression that the purpose of such an initiative is to enable the authorities to control corruption cases and determine their fate, especially when it comes to cases involving high-ranking officials".

Ukrainian state security officials named powerful businessman Ihor Kolomoisky as a suspect in a fraud and money laundering case, the SBU security service said 02 September 2023. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who rose to prominence as a comedian and played the role of president on a show aired on a Kolomoisky-owned TV channel, has denied having personal ties to Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's richest men.

Casey Michel wrote 13 March 2022 in The Specatator that Volodymyr Zelensky "would not be where he is today without Kolomoisky. As an actor and entertainer, Zelensky had worked for Kolomoiskys media network  which then gave him form support when he stood as a candidate. Zelensky was seen as the Kolomoisky candidate: he appointed one of Kolomoiskys lawyers as an adviser, and held meetings with the controversial oligarch even as he campaigned as the anti-oligarch. In early 2021, Zelensky reportedly breached his own Covid lockdown rules to have a birthday party in Kolomoiskys Kyiv apartment."

In the 1959 film Ben-Hur, Messala, a Roman officer, condemns his childhood friend Judah Ben-Hur to the galleys, and Ben-Hur's mother and sister were also imprisoned. Messala explains that "By condemning without hesitation an old friend, I shall be feared." He says, "I asked for your help Judah, and now you've given it to me". Or as Machiavelli asked  whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? One should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved.

Kolomoisky was a former owner of leading Ukrainian bank PrivatBank, which was nationalized in late 2016 as part of a major clean-up of the country's banking system. He also owned an array of assets in the energy, banking, and other sectors, including one of Ukraine's most influential television channels. "It was established that during 2013-2020, Ihor Kolomoisky legalized more than half a billion hryvnias (roughly $13.5 million or 12.5 million at the current exchange rate) by withdrawing them abroad and using the infrastructure of the controlled banks," the SBU said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

In August 2020, the United States filed two actions in the Southern District of Florida alleging that commercial real estate in Dallas and Louisville, Kentucky, was acquired using funds illegally obtained from PrivatBank in Ukraine as part of a multibillion-dollar fraudulent loan scheme. It filed a third suit in the same district in December 2020 alleging a property in Cleveland, Ohio, was similarly involved.

The four complaints allege that Ihor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Boholiubov, who owned PrivatBank, one of the largest banks in Ukraine, embezzled and defrauded the bank of billions of dollars. The two allegedly obtained fraudulent loans and lines of credit from approximately 2008 through 2016, when the scheme was uncovered and the bank was nationalized by the National Bank of Ukraine.

The United States sanctioned Kolomoisky on 05 March 2021. "In his official capacity as a Governor of Ukraines Dnipropetrovsk Oblast from 2014 to 2015, Kolomoyskyy was involved in corrupt acts that undermined rule of law and the Ukrainian publics faith in their governments democratic institutions and public processes, including using his political influence and official power for his personal benefit." US authorities also alleged Kolomoiskiy and a business partner laundered stolen funds through the United States. Kolomoisky steered one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in world history. Kolomoiskiy has denied any wrongdoing.





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Russo-Ukraine War - 15 November 2025 - Day 1361

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A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to withhold the pressure of the Russian occupation troops.

So far, there have been a total of 164 combat clashes.

Today the Russian state made 39 aviation strikes, dropped 89 controlled bombs. In addition, the Russian zombies engaged 2659 kamikaze drones and carried out 3355 shelling positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements.

In the North-Slobozhansky and Kursky directions, one confrontation with Russian zagarbnikami took place. The Russian enemy carried out 150 shelling, including 10 - from reactive systems of zalpovogo fire.

Today, the Russian enemy attacked six times in the south-Slobozhansky direction in the Vovchansky district and in the direction of Dvorichansky. One fight is still going on.

Five times the Russian aggressor tried to go ahead on Ukrainian positions in the Kupyans komu direction in the area of Boguslavka, Kupyanska and towards Pi any and Novoplatonivka. One enemy attack is ongoing so far.

In the Lyman direction for today Ukrainian defenders repelled seven Russian attacks. Russian forces attacked in the areas of the settlements of Yampolivka, Derylove, Kolodyazi and towards the settlements of Druzhelyubivka, Drobisheve and Borov. One battle is still going on.

Ukrainian soldiers repelled 11 Russian attacks in the Slovenian direction. Units of the Russian occupiers tried to advance in the areas of Serebryanka, Verkhnyokamansky, Pereiznogo and in the direction of Zvanivka. One fight is still going on.

In the Kramators komu direction, there were three clashes with the Russian opponent in the areas of minkivka and predtecynogo.

In the Konstantinivka direction, Ukrainian troops today repelled 17 Russian attacks near Ples yivka, Konstantinivka, Rusynoy Yar and towards Sofiyivka.

In the Pokrovsky direction during this day the Russian aggressor 52 times attacked Ukrainian positions in the areas of the population of Red Lyman, Road, Rodins ke, Novoekonomicne, Mirnograd, Pokrovsk, Rivne, Novopavlivka, Kotline, Udacne, Molodec ke, Filiya, Dachne. Four clashes are currently ongoing.

According to preliminary calculations, today on the Pokrovsky direction the Russian occupiers lost 94 people killed and injured. Ukrainian warriors destroyed 19 BPLAs, one motorcycle, two BPLAs control points, two Automobile and two special equipment units, six unmanned aircraft and one Russian personnel shelter; struck a cannon, an automobile unit and 21 enemy personnel shelters.

In the Oleksandrivsky direction, Ukrainian defenders repelled 16 Russian attacks near the settlements of Yalta, Sosnivka, Privilne, Vorone, Verbove, Cherry and Green Grove. Two more clashes are still ongoing. Pokrovsky suffered an air strike.

In the direction of Gulyaipil, Russian forces carried out 10 assault actions, Ukrainian defenders repelled attacks in the direction of Varvarivka and Zatishya. Two combat clashes are still ongoing. Under the airstrike of the enemy was Zaliznycne.

In the orihivs komu direction the Russian opponent stepped four times: near stepnogirs ka, plavniv and stepovogo. One fight is still going on. The Russian enemy caused air strikes on primors komu and malokaterinivci.

In the Pridniprovsky direction, the Russian enemy three times attacked the positions of Ukrainian defenders in the area of the Antonivskogo Bridge. Odradokamaanka was hit by Russian unkekorovanih aviation missiles.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.

As a result of resolute actions, the Sever Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Russian units engaged a mechanised brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a territorial defence brigade near Volfino and Sadki (Sumy region).

In Kharkov direction, Russian troops hit units of two territorial defence brigades near Volchansk and Rybalkino (Kharkov region).

The AFU lost more than 210 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, 18 motor vehicles, an artillery gun, and an electronic warfare station. Three ammunition dumps and two materiel depots were neutralised.

The Zapad Group of Forces improved the situation along the forward edge. Russian forces inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades and an assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Ostrovskoye, Shiykovka, and Boguslavka (Kharkov region).

Assault detachments of the 6th Army continue to inflict fire damage on the encircled enemy's group close to Kupyansk (Kharkov region).

Over the past 24 hours, two counter-attacks launched by units of the 143rd Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 1st National Guard Brigade in order to release enemy units, have been thwarted near Kutkovka and Petrovka (Kharkov region). Ten militants were neutralised.

In Kupyansk direction, up to 50 troops, 15 units of armament and military hardware have been neutralised, including a UK-made Snatch armoured fighting vehicle, two mortars, three electronic warfare stations, five pickup trucks, and three motor vehicles.

In total, up to 220 troops, eight armoured fighting vehicles, 21 motor vehicles, and three field artillery guns including the Western-made, eight electronic warfare stations have been neutralised. Three ammunition depots were wiped out.

The Yug Group of Forces took more advantageous lines and positions. Two mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a territorial defence brigade were damaged near Kramatorsk, Varvarovka, and Ivanopolye (Donetsk People's Republic).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 230 troops, four armoured fighting vehicles including a German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle, eight motor vehicles, and six field artillery guns, one of them was Western-made. One electronic warfare station and three ammunition depots were neutralised.

The Tsentr Group of Forces continued advancing to the depths of enemy defence. Russian troops inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of two mechanised brigades, an air assault brigade, an assault brigade, two infantry brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a marine brigade, and two national guard brigades close to Rusin Yar, Sergeyevka, Sukhetskoye, Artemovka, Krasny Kut, Rodinskoye (Donetsk People's Republic), Ivanovka, and Novopavlovka (Dnepropetrovsk region).

Close to Krasnoarmeysk (Donetsk People's Republic), assault detachments of the 2nd Army continued to launch attacks on the surrounded enemy group in the western part of the city, in the north-western and eastern quarters of the Central District as well as in the western industrial area. Furthermore, assault detachments began to mop up Rovnoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

In addition, seven attacks of the 32nd Mechanised Brigade, the 425th Skala Assault Regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were repelled from the area of Grishino (Donetsk People's Republic). Ukrainian troops attempted to releasing their encircled group.

In Dimitrov (Donetsk People's Republic), units of the the 51st Army continue to advance in the Vostochny neighborhood, in the southern part of the settlement. They came close to the Zapadny microdistrict.

Over the past 24 hours in Krasnoarmeysk direction, up to 270 troops, 11 units of weapons and military hardware have been neutralised including three armoured fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, three field artillery guns, one electronic warfare station, and a radar.

In total, up to 495 troops, six armoured fighting vehicles, six motor vehicles, four field artillery guns, and an electronic warfare station were neutralised in the Tsentr Group's area of responsibility.

As a result of resolute actions, the Vostok Group of Forces liberated Yablokovo (Zaporozhye region).

The Group's forces hit a mechanised brigade, an assault regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and a territorial defence brigade near Ternovatoye, Gulyaypole, Zatishye (Zaporozhye region), and Pokrovskoye (Dnepropetrovsk region).

The AFU losses amounted to more than 265 troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles, and one artillery gun.

The Dnepr Group's units inflicted losses on manpower and hardware of a mechanised brigade of the AFU and a coastal defence brigade near Orekhov (Zaporozhye region) and Pridneprovskoye (Kherson region).

The enemy lost up to 85 troops, a tank, an armoured fighting vehicle, 11 motor vehicles, and nine electronic warfare stations. Three ammunition dumps and two materiel depots were neutralised.

Operational-Tactical Aviation, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have hit a military airfield, an energy facility that maintains the Ukrainian defence industry, a workshop for the production of uncrewed surface vehicles, assembly and storage areas of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, communication facilities of the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence, temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 152 areas.

Air defence systems shot down four guided aerial bombs and 247 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.

In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, the enemy has lost 668 aircraft, 283 helicopters, 96,796 unmanned aerial vehicles, 636 anti-aircraft missile systems, 26,044 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,611 MLRS combat vehicles, 31,314 field artillery guns and mortars, and 46,725 support military vehicles.

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Project Firewall

Project Firewall, sometimes referred to as Operation Firewall in public discussions, is an enforcement initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on September 19, 2025, aimed at protecting American workers by cracking down on fraud and abuse in the H-1B visa program. "Firewall" refers to three distinct government initiatives. A 2025 Department of Labor (DOL) enforcement initiative focused on H-1B visa employer compliance. A long-standing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation started in 2005 targeting bulk cash smuggling. The Secret Service Operation Firewall began in July 2003 as an investigation into access device fraud.

On September 19, 2025, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced the launch of "Operation Firewall" as a broad initiative aimed at H-1B employer compliance. This operation involved expanding the DOL Secretary's authority to independently initiate investigations into H-1B employers without a formal complaint. DOL would increase coordination with other agencies, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), focusing on strict enforcement of existing H-1B regulations, such as ensuring proper Labor Condition Application (LCA) notices are posted and public access files (PAFs) are complete and timely.

In a span of just days, the Trump administration unveiled three major policy initiatives targeting the H-1B visa programand together, they left many in the global talent mobility and immigration community , employers, law firms, and workers wondering what might come next.

First came the headline: a $100,000 H-1B visa fee for large employers. Announced via presidential proclamation, the proposal sparked immediate backlash and a wave of legal challenges. Second, the Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule to prioritize H-1B cap selection based on wage levels, This wage-based lottery reform could significantly reduce access for entry-level roles and early-career professionals, especially international graduates of US universities. Third, and most consequential, the Department of Labor (DOL) launched a directive known as Firewall, a broad enforcement initiative aimed at H-1B employer compliance.

The program focused on ensuring that employers prioritize hiring qualified U.S. workers for high-skilled jobs before turning to foreign labor, aligning with broader efforts to safeguard wages, job opportunities, and the "American Dream" for domestic talent. Key Objectives

Prioritize American Workers: Employers must demonstrate efforts to hire qualified Americans first, preventing the displacement of U.S. talent by lower-wage foreign workers.

Combat Fraud and Abuse: Root out misuse of H-1B visas, such as undercutting wages or bypassing local hiring, particularly in tech and high-skilled sectors.

Protect Wages and Rights: Ensure fair pay and working conditions for both U.S. and H-1B workers, addressing concerns like outsourcing and corporate exploitation.

DOL conducts targeted investigations into employers suspected of non-compliance, marking the first time the Secretary of Labor personally certifies such probes when reasonable cause exists. This includes sharing information and coordinating with federal partners like the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Actions include adits, compliance assistance, and potential criminal referrals for severe violations. Resources for reporting issues include a toll-free hotline (1-866-4-US-WAGE). Within the DOL, the initiative was led by the Office of Immigration Policy, Employment and Training Administration (ETA), and Wage and Hour Division (WHD).

Employers found in violation face recovery of back wages owed to affected workers and debarment from the H-1B program for a set period, barring future participation. This could extend to broader implications like discrimination charges or USCIS petition denials. As of late October 2025, the DOL ramped up awareness through a social media ad campaign, including a video posted on October 30 highlighting how H-1B abuse has "stolen the American Dream" from young U.S. workers, with visuals of laid-off Americans and calls for accountability. The ad accuses corporations of exploiting the program, noting that 72% of H-1B visas go to workers from India, and promises stricter enforcement under "America First" policies. Public discourse on X (formerly Twitter) has been mixed: Supporters praise it as overdue reform against outsourcing giants like Infosys. Critics argue it's a "do-nothing platitude" or insufficient, merely signaling action without real change, especially amid ongoing layoffs and foreign hiring preferences. Some tie it to broader issues like federal overreach or preferential hiring for foreign labor in government roles.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer stated: The Trump Administration is standing by our commitment to end practices that leave Americans in the dust. As we reestablish economic dominance, we must protect our most valuable resource: the American worker. Launching Project Firewall will help us ensure no employers are abusing H-1B visas at the expense of our workforce.

Firewall Disambiguation

The term "firewall" originated in the 18th-19th centuries from architecture and engineering, referring to fire-resistant walls in buildings to contain fires. It derives from "fire" (destructive flames) + "wall" (barrier), with early uses in German "Brandmauer" (brand = fire, mauer = wall) influencing English by the 1760s. In computing, it was metaphorically adopted in the late 1980s (first documented around 1988 in networking papers) to describe digital barriers that "contain" cyber threats, much like physical ones stop fire spread. This analogy highlights containment and separation.

A cyber firewall is a security system in computer networks that acts as a barrier between trusted internal networks and untrusted external ones, like the internet. It monitors, filters, and blocks unauthorized traffic based on rules, preventing threats such as hackers, malware, or data breaches. Types include hardware (e.g., dedicated devices), software (e.g., on operating systems like Windows Firewall), or cloud-based solutions.

The Secret Service "Operation Firewall" had taken a lead role in the emerging area of cyber crime and, through a nationwide network of 15 electronic crimes task forces, established working partnerships in both the law enforcement and business communities to address such issues as protection of critical infrastructure, internet intrusions and associated fraud.

Operation Firewall began in July 2003 as an investigation into access device fraud. The case evolved into a highly technical, transnational investigation involving global credit card fraud and identity theft over the internet. During the course of the investigation, computer underground criminal groups were identified as Shadowcrew, Carderplanet and Darkprofits. The criminal organizations operated websites used to traffic counterfeit credit cards and false identification information and documents. These websites not only shared information on how to commit fraud, but also provided a forum by which to purchase such information and tools.

These groups are highly organized international criminal enterprises that use websites to promote and facilitate a wide variety of criminal activities including electronic theft of personal identifying information, credit card and debit card fraud, and the production and sale of false identification documents. After initial contact via the internet, the suspects exchanged stolen information and counterfeit documents such as credit cards, drivers licenses, domestic and foreign passports and birth certificates.

Beginning in early 2004, data obtained through court authorized intercepts revealed internal communications, transactions and practices of the previously identified groups and other criminal organizations. The amount of information gathered during the investigation is approximately two terabytes  the equivalent of an entire universitys academic library.

The assistance of international law enforcement  particularly the United Kingdoms National Hi-Tech Crimes Unit, the Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada) Police Departments Financial Crimes Section, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Europol  has been and will continue to be critical to the success of Operation Firewall. In addition, specific support was provided by Secretary General Boiko Borisov of Bulgaria as well as police agencies in Belarus, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Ukraine and the U.S. Department of State.

The ICE "Operation Firewall" was a separate, long-running operation led by ICE (under the Department of Homeland Security) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The bulk cash smuggling (BCS) initiative, Operation Firewall, began in August of 2005. This operation was a joint strategy, utilizing the historical interdiction expertise of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in conjunction with the historical investigative expertise of ICE to address the BCS vulnerability. This enforcement operation has addressed various smuggling techniques, including commercial and private passenger vehicles, commercial air cargo shipments, commercial airline passengers and pedestrians transiting the U.S. border. ICE and CBP conducted Firewall training operations with law enforcement partners in Mexico. During this training, ICE and CBP, utilizing their historical expertise, provided hands-on training to our law enforcement partners on passenger analysis and investigative techniques proven effective in the United States. Investigations of seizures that occurred in Mexico have resulted in the dismantling of significant Colombian organizations based in Mexico.

Firewall operations in Mexico alone resulted in the seizure of more than $37 million. Mexican authorities seized $760,000 in U.S. currency destined for Costa Rica. Costa Rican officials advised that the funds were 14 directed to an individual who heads a major alien smuggling organization.This alien smuggling organization is involved in providing fraudulent passports and paperwork used to obtain U.S. visas that can be exploited by terrorists or other criminal organizations that intend to do harm. In 2006, ICE expanded its foreign Firewall operations to include Panama, Colombia and the Philippines. Since then, all foreign Operation Firewall activity has accumulated a total of $44 million in seized U.S. currency.

This currency had been successfully smuggled out of the U.S. and was intercepted en route to criminal organizations.These seizures are attributed to the training ICE and CBP jointly provided abroad. Since its inception, Operation Firewall resulted in the seizure of more than $82 million in U.S. currency both domestically and abroad, as well as negotiable instruments and the arrest of 225 individuals.

The DHS-led Operation Firewall was a comprehensive law enforcement operation targeting criminal organizations involved in the smuggling of large quantities of US currency. The Obama Administration on March 24, 2009 announced the Administrations comprehensive response to the situation along the border with Mexico. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative agency in the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is charged with enforcing a wide array of laws, including those related to financial crime, trade fraud, counterfeiting, cash smuggling and others.

In recent years, the smuggling of bulk currency has become a preferred method for drug dealers and other criminals to move illicit proceeds across our borders. Congress criminalized the act of smuggling large amounts of cash as part of the USA PATRIOT Act. Specifically, Title 31 U.S.C. 5332-Bulk Cash Smuggling makes it a crime to smuggle or attempt to smuggle over $10,000 in currency or monetary instruments into or out of the United States, with the specific intent to evade the U.S. currency-reporting requirements codified in 31 U.S.C. 5316.

ICE took a leading role in combating bulk cash smuggling, teaming in 2005 with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to launch Operation Firewall, a comprehensive law enforcement operation targeting criminal organizations involved in the smuggling of large quantities of U.S. currency.

Operation Firewall targeted the full array of methods used to smuggle bulk cash, including commercial and private passenger vehicles, commercial airline shipments and passengers, and pedestrians crossing U.S. borders with Mexico and Canada. ICE and CBP partner to combat cash smuggling at U.S. ports-of-entry. In the U.S. interior, ICE works with state and local partners to identify and intercept smuggled bulk cash shipments being transported along domestic interstate highways.

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LANZHOU, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The China Dunhuang Grottoes Conservation Research Foundation has received 210 million yuan (about 30 million U.S. dollars) in donations over the past 30 years. These donations have been crucial for the preservation of the UNESCO World Heritage site in northwest China's Gansu Province.

Donors include individuals, enterprises and groups from home and abroad, reflecting growing public enthusiasm for protecting Dunhuang's heritage, Yang Xiuqing, director of the foundation, said at a forum marking the foundation's 30th anniversary held on Sunday.

Notably, Fan Jinshi, honorary president of the Dunhuang Academy, donates 10,000 yuan from her salary each year. In 2023, she made a significant contribution of 10 million yuan from an award she received.

The foundation has funded nearly 100 projects in cave conservation, archiving, environmental protection and digital documentation. It has also sponsored international academic exchanges and research in Dunhuang studies.

In recent years, it supported Silk Road research, helping send Chinese scholars to countries like Afghanistan and Iran. Afghan conservators were invited to study in China, while exhibitions were held in Germany, France and Uzbekistan.

"The foundation connects the public with Dunhuang culture. We hope more people will appreciate Dunhuang culture and support its preservation," said Su Bomin, director of the Dunhuang Academy. 
Board of Governors' resolution won't change Iran's safeguards status: Iranian envoy

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Nov 15, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- Iran's permanent representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has criticized the United States and three European countries for submitting a new draft resolution to the IAEA Board of Governors, saying the move would only complicate the current situation without affecting Iran's safeguards implementation.

Reza Najafi made the remarks on Saturday ahead of the Board of Governors (BoG) meeting scheduled for November 19-21. The US along with Britain, France, and Germanycollectively known as E3 plan to table a resolution against Iran over its cooperation with the IAEA, during the upcoming meeting.

The Iranian envoy said that Washington and the E3 are once again attempting to "exploit international mechanisms to impose their illogical and coercive positions on the Iranian people."

"Forcing the [IAEA] Director General to report on the basis of expired UN Security Council resolutions is not only entirely unlawful and unjustified, but in practice, will also add to the existing complexities and deliver yet another blow to diplomacy," Najafi said.

He added that the push by the US and the E3 would not alter the current status of safeguards implementation in Iran, which he said had been affected by the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran in June this year. He was referring to the cooperation process between Iran and the IAEA, which Tehran scaled back under a parliamentary law passed after the agency declined to condemn US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites in June.

The Iranian envoy called on all member states of the BoG to oppose what he described as destructive unilateral actions of the US and its European partners.

He also reaffirmed Iran's right to take appropriate measures in response to any "illegal and unjustified" moves.

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Iran warns against Western attempts to 'politicize' IAEA Board of Governors

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Nov 15, 2025

London, IRNA -- Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna has warned the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) against adopting a new resolution targeting Iran under Western pressure, saying the move would represent a fresh attempt to politicize the Board.

The mission made the remark in a post on X late on Friday, ahead of the Board of Governors (BoG) meeting scheduled for November 19-21.

"The United States and the E3 intend to table a resolution against Iran at next week's meeting of the IAEA BoG," the Iranian mission said in its post. The E3 refers to Britain, France, and Germany, all of which were parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which expired on October 18 this year.

The mission said the decision by the US and the E3 to table the anti-Iran resolution is "another major mistake after so-called snapback," and "constitutes yet a new deliberate attempt to politicize the Board."

"These confrontational tactics are misguided and will yield no advantage whatsoever to them. Should this draft resolution be adopted, it will unavoidably and adversely affect the positive course of cooperation between Iran and the IAEA," the Iranian mission warned.

In late August this year, the E3 triggered the snapback process, which ultimately restored UN Security Council resolutions previously lifted under the JCPOA.

The trio alleged that Iran had been non-compliant with the JCPOA. Iran rejected the allegation and said the snapback of sanctions had no legal basis because it had fulfilled its commitments under the JCPOA.

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Iran rejects Canada's unfounded allegations

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Nov 15, 2025

London, IRNA -- Iran has rejected recent accusations by the head of Canada's domestic security agency, with the Foreign Ministry's assistant to the minister and director-general for the Americas describing the claims as completely baseless and fabricated.

Zahra Ershadi has condemned Canada's continued support for Israel as well as Ottawa's complicity in the genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Ershadi said the ridiculous accusations by Canadian security officials aim to divert attention from Israel's ongoing lawlessness and crimes in West Asia and Canada's support for them.

She also criticized Canadian obstruction of routine consular services for Iranians and urged Ottawa to revise its irresponsible and unjustified approach toward Iran.

Earlier, Daniel Rogers, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), has said that the agency had to reprioritize operations to counter actions by Iranian intelligence services and what he called their proxies, who allegedly targeted individuals they perceived as threats to the Islamic Republic.

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Anti-Iran resolution at IAEA Board of Governors will not alter safeguards status: Envoy

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 11:02 AM

Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the anti-Iranian resolution at the IAEA Board of Governors will not change the country's status of safeguards implementation.

Reza Najafi made the remarks on Saturday, ahead of the upcoming Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, which is set to take place from November 19 to 21 at the agency's headquarters in Vienna.

The US, together with Britain, France, and Germany  collectively referred to as the E3  are preparing to introduce a resolution against Iran over its cooperation with the IAEA at the forthcoming event.

Najafi argued that Washington and the E3 are once again trying to manipulate international mechanisms in order to impose their unreasonable and coercive positions on the Iranian nation.

Forcing IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to base reports on expired UN Security Council resolutions is not only completely unlawful and unjustified but will also, in practice, increase existing complexities and deal another setback to diplomacy, the Iranian envoy said.

He noted that the push by the US and the E3 is unlikely to change the existing state of safeguards implementation in Iran, which has been affected by the 12-day US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic in June.

Najafi urged all BoG member states to stand against the harmful unilateral measures taken by the US and its European allies.

The Iranian envoy also underscored Iran's right to take necessary actions in retaliation to any unlawful or unwarranted measures.

On June 25, merely a day after Iran's retaliatory strikes concluded the 12-day US-Israeli assault, the parliament decisively voted in favor of suspending all cooperation with the IAEA.

Legislators contended that the decision was driven by concerns that agency resolutions, especially the Board of Governors' June 12 directive, had set the stage for the Israeli attacks.

Despite the resumption of discussions with the IAEA in September, Tehran warned that the decision by Britain, France, and Germany to activate the UN snapback mechanism after the Cairo agreement had imposed "new conditions," effectively rendering the framework null and void.

The agency, however, has refrained from criticizing the E3's decision and has instead maintained its focus on urging Iran to fulfill its safeguards obligations in all situations.

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Iran rejects Canada's baseless claims of foiling 'lethal plots' by Tehran

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 6:01 AM

Iran has strongly dismissed allegations of sabotage operations raised by the head of Canada's domestic Security Agency against the Islamic Republic, calling the claims baseless and fabricated.

On Thursday, Dan Rogers, director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, claimed that the agency this year foiled potentially lethal threats by Iran directed against people whom Tehran sees as enemies.

He claimed that the agency countered actions by Iranian intelligence services and what he called their proxies, who allegedly targeted individuals they perceived as threats to Iran.

Rogers also alleged that his agents had blocked attempts by Russia to illegally acquire Canadian goods and technologies. He also levelled some accusations against China and India for espionage and transnational repression efforts against Canada.

Zahra Ershadi, Iran's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said in a statement on Friday that the allegations were aimed at shifting attention away from Israel's ongoing actions in West Asia and Canada's role in supporting them.

"The ridiculous accusations of the Canadian Security Organization against Iran have no purpose other than to divert attention from the ongoing violations and crimes committed by the Zionist regime in the West Asia region and Canada's support for it," she said.

Ershadi also criticized the obstruction of consular services for Iranians living in Canada, urging the Canadian government to reverse "irresponsible and unjustified" policies toward Tehran.

During the genocide in Gaza, Canada and several other Western countries continued to supply lethal weapons to the Israeli regime despite the enormous human toll in Palestinian territory.

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Naturalized Kazakhs From Afghanistan Rendered Stateless After Astana Revokes Citizenships

By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service November 15, 2025

Aynuddin Muradi has been a citizen of Kazakhstan for years, but he now faces deportation to his country of birth, Afghanistan.

Kazakh authorities in May stripped the 27-year-old of his citizenship on the grounds that he is not ethnic Kazakh, a claim he denies.

Muradi, who is appealing the decision, gave up his Afghan nationality when he gained Kazakh citizenship in 2019. Citizens of the Central Asian country are not allowed to hold dual nationality.

Now, Muradi -- whose child was born in Kazakhstan -- is effectively stateless.

"I will not give up on my country [Kazakhstan]," Muradi, who speaks fluent Kazakh, told RFE/RL's Kazakh Service. "I will not move to another country."

He is not alone. Dozens of ethnic Kazakhs from Afghanistan have been stripped of their citizenship by Astana in the past two years over doubts about their ethnicity.

Resettlement Program

Kazakhstan offers citizenship to ethnic Kazakhs who emigrate from abroad. Over 1 million ethnic Kazakhs from neighboring countries have moved to the oil-rich Central Asian country since the 1990s.

According to official figures, some 13,000 ethnic Kazakhs from Afghanistan have immigrated to Kazakhstan since the country gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Kazakh authorities say there are only several hundred ethnic Kazakhs remaining in Afghanistan. But ethnic Kazakhs in Afghanistan estimate the number is much higher.

Many members of the ethnic Kazakh community speak Dari or Uzbek and live among ethnic Uzbek communities in northern Afghanistan. Most of them reside in rural areas and are engaged in livestock farming.

'Not A Kazakh'

Muradi is a native of Afghanistan's northern province of Kunduz. He moved to Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, in 2016 to attend university. Muradi, who lives in central Karaganda Province, later got married in Kazakhstan.

Last year, he was informed by the authorities that his citizenship was being revoked because the Kazakh Embassy in Kabul determined that he was "not Kazakh but Uzbek," without offering details. In May, a local court upheld the decision.

Muradi is appealing against the decision but faces an uphill battle to prove he is ethnic Kazakh.

Bakhyt Sarai, director of the nongovernmental Elsana Amanat Foundation, which helps Afghans trying to reclaim their Kazakh citizenship, said Astana has revoked the citizenship of some 250 Afghans in recent years.

In 2023, she said, the Kazakh Embassy in Kabul shared with Astana a list of Kazakh citizens originally from Afghanistan whom it suspected were not ethnic Kazakhs.

Sarai said many of those whose citizenship had been revoked have married in Kazakhstan and their children were born there. Many have become stateless and are likely to be forced to return to Afghanistan, she said.

"They are afraid of returning to Afghanistan because their children cannot study or integrate into society," Sarai told RFE/RL.

In comments to RFE/RL, Kazakhstan's Interior Ministry said it had received information "from authorized bodies" that those stripped of Kazakh citizenship "did not belong to the Kazakh nationality" and that these individuals "presented false documents confirming their Kazakh nationality."

The ministry added that these individuals must return to Afghanistan to obtain a passport and legalize their stay in Kazakhstan.

Among those who lost their Kazakh citizenship is Abdul Khalil Najibullah.

The 56-year-old said he lost his farm and business in Kazakhstan after he was stripped of his citizenship in 2021. He said he was accused of lying about his ethnicity, which he denies.

Najibullah first moved to Kazakhstan in 2000 from the northern Afghan province of Faryab, where he was born. He has appealed against the decision and is fighting his case in court.

"I have repeatedly asked how I can live without any documents," Najibullah, who still resides in Kazakhstan, said of his appeals to the Kazakh authorities. "I was told that this is my problem [not theirs]."

Written by Abubakar Siddique based on reporting by RFE/RL's Kazakh Service

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-afghan-kazakhs- naturalization/33591897.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Russia says has no plan to strike NATO but will respond to any attack

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 8:01 AM

Spokesperson for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Moscow has no intention to strike NATO members, but is prepared to answer any aggression from alliance countries.

At a press briefing in Moscow on Friday, Maria Zakharova stated, "We will repeat over and over again that we have no plans to attack NATO countries."

"However, Russia is already taking all the necessary measures to ensure security as the alliance is building up its military presence near Russian borders ... In short, we are prepared for any developments, but we prioritize peace, friendship, and equal cooperation," Zakharova noted.

Zakharova's remarks were in response to German Lieutenant General Alexander Sollfrank, who said earlier this month, without providing evidence, that Russia has the intention and the "capabilities and combat power to kick off a small-scale attack against NATO territory as early as tomorrow."

According to the diplomat, the statements issued by officials from NATO member states are part of an orchestrated campaign to condition their own populations, sow fear, and make people accept the idea that a conflict with Russia is unavoidable.

The aim, she said, is to justify their own miscalculations, failures, and even crimes, while explaining away the disastrous economic processes currently underway in their countries and evading any responsibility.

"If NATO strategists are crazy enough to decide to attack Russia, they should have no doubt that we will respond using every capability we have, something the Russian leadership has said repeatedly," she warned.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said late last month that Moscow is ready to give a non-aggression guarantee to NATO and EU countries.

"We have repeatedly stated that we do not and have never intended to attack any of the current members of NATO or the EU," Lavrov said at a Eurasian security forum in Minsk, Belarus.

"We are ready to stake this position on future security guarantees for this part of Eurasia," he said, according to a transcript provided by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said that meaningful dialogue with EU leaders is impossible because they refuse to offer "genuine collective security guarantees," that is, guarantees not only against Russia but with Russia, after the conflict in Ukraine ends.

The conflict in Ukraine began in 2022, after years of Western political and military interference in Kiev, which resulted in regional instability along the Russian border, forcing Moscow to intervene to preserve its national interests.

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Press release on the adoption of the resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism by the Third Committee of the 80th UN General Assembly

15 November 2025 12:16

1916-15-11-2025

On November 14 in New York, the Third Committee of the 80th UN General Assembly adopted, at the initiative of the Russian Federation, the resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism, and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

Forty-four states representing all regions of the world co-authored the resolution.

One hundred and fourteen states voted in favour adopting the document; 52 delegations voted against, and 11 states abstained. The resolution condemned the glorification of the Nazi movement and exoneration of former SS members, including the Waffen-SS, that were found criminal by the Nuremberg Trials.

Serious concern was expressed about the war against memorials to liberators and fighters against Nazism that continues in some countries and has become part of their national policies in recent years. Concurrently, deep outrage was expressed at the marches glorifying Nazis and their facilitators, and neo-Nazis' and radical nationalists' torch marches.

In a similar trend, memorials are unveiled, streets, schools and other facilities are renamed after those who fought for Nazis or collaborated with them. Concerns have been expressed about attempts to grant national hero status to those who fought against the Allies during World War II, collaborated with Nazis and committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. It has been particularly stressed that these acts dishonour the memory of the numerous victims of fascism and adversely affect the younger generation while being absolutely incompatible with the UN Charter commitments of the UN member states.

Another reason making Russia's initiative rather topical is that we continue to witness more attempts to deny our shared history, with racist and xenophobic rhetoric becoming more common. Many states are experiencing incidents of Islamophobia, Christianophobia, Afrophobia, Arabophobia, Russophobia, and anti-Semitism.

The collective West and primarily the European Union, where all the above mentioned violations are systemic, has once again opposed the international efforts to counter the aggression of racism and xenophobia. We are particularly concerned about the stance taken by Germany, Italy and Japan, whose pandering to the dangerous tendencies  in view of their dark 20th century history  provokes consideration of the further trajectory pursued by the collective 'democratic' West.

The outcome of the vote is indicative of the unwavering and hefty support that the international community offers to the annual Russian initiative at the UN General Assembly.

This is particularly symbolic in the year when we mark the 80th anniversary of Victory over Nazism in World War II, the establishment of the United Nations, and the launch of the Nuremberg Trials.

Moscow is convinced that the adoption of this topical resolution will substantially contribute to the eradication of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.

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Taiwan calls on Beijing to stop 'hybrid coercion' against Japan

ROC Central News Agency

11/15/2025 07:18 PM

Taipei, Nov. 15 (CNA) China should cease its "hybrid coercion" against Japan, said Taiwan's Presidential Office on Saturday after Chinese authorities advised against traveling to Japan and announced a live-fire exercise in the Yellow Sea.

Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo () said Beijing's "inappropriate unilateral actions" against Japan threaten the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region, and she called on Beijing not to become "a troublemaker in the global community."

China's Maritime Safety Administration said on Saturday that the naval exercise will run from Monday through Wednesday.

Its Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the travel advisory on Friday, citing a rising number of criminal cases involving Chinese nationals and safety risks following Japan's "provocative" statements regarding Taiwan.

Those "statements" referred to comments made by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7.

She said a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, a condition that would allow the nation to mobilize its armed forces under its security laws, according to an Asahi Shimbun report.

"If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival-threatening situation," Takaichi was quoted as saying in the report.

Under Japan's security legislation, such a situation allows it to exercise "collective self-defense" if an attack on an ally -- such as the United States -- or a country closely related to Japan is deemed to threaten Japan's survival, even without a direct attack on Japan.

On Nov. 8, Xue Jian (), China's consul general in Osaka, reposted the Asahi report on Takaichi's remarks on social media and wrote "that filthy head that intrudes without permission should be cut off without hesitation" in Japanese.

The post has since been deleted.

Since then, the two countries have issued formal protests against the other. Beijing condemned Tokyo for not retracting Takaichi's "profoundly wrong and dangerous" remarks, while Tokyo demanded that Beijing "take appropriate actions" regarding Xue's comments, according to statements from the two sides' foreign ministries.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu () criticized Beijing in a social media post Saturday, writing in Japanese that China "continues to engage in humiliating rhetoric and military intimidation toward Japan" instead of reflecting on the "insulting" remarks made by Xue.

(By Wen Kuei-hsiang and Hsiao Hsu-chen)

Enditem/ls

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U.S. arms package to help keep Taiwan's military hardware operational

ROC Central News Agency

11/15/2025 02:12 PM

Washington, Nov. 14 (CNA) The latest announcement of a potential US$330 million arms sale to Taiwan shows Washington's commitment to helping the country's military hardware maintain high operational readiness, the head of the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) said on Friday.

In a USTBC news release, Rupert Hammond-Chambers welcomed what would be the first arms sale to Taiwan since President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year.

"Bolstering the sustainment of legacy equipment shows our ongoing commitment to helping the Taiwan military achieve high operational rates," Hammond-Chambers said.

The proposed package, announced on Thursday, includes nonstandard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support for F-16, C-130, and Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) aircraft.

According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), it has delivered the required certification notifying Congress of the sale, after the proposal was approved by the State Department.

Hammond-Chambers noted that sustainment packages have long been a part of U.S. security assistance to Taiwan, with 27 such Congressional Notifications issued since 2001.

"It will be important for Taiwan to receive a mix of U.S. support that includes the maintenance of legacy equipment, coupled with expanded magazines of legacy munitions as well as missiles and mobile platforms for ground to air, ground to sea, air to air, and sea combat," he said.

On Friday, several U.S. experts said the parts and equipment are critical to Taiwan's military readiness amid China's gray-zone coercion, noting that as a result of the Chinese military's frequent activities near Taiwan, Taiwan's Air Force fighter jets require more maintenance than usual.

In an email to CNA, retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery described the arms package as important to Taiwan and "vital to military readiness."

Michael Hunzeker, an associate professor at George Mason University, said the proposed package seems eminently reasonable.

"The Taiwanese Air Force is bearing the brunt of intercepting and monitoring China's gray-zone provocations," he said. "Its aircraft are therefore wearing out faster than usual and need more maintenance than usual."

Hunzeker said Beijing will likely overreact to the arms sale announcement, potentially leading to a rise in gray-zone activity after a relatively long period of calm.

Meanwhile, John Dotson, director of the Washington-based Global Taiwan Institute, said the arms sale to Taiwan looks to be one of a fairly straightforward nature.

"During the first year of Trump 2, the arms sales process for Taiwan appeared to be on hold, likely due to political considerations in the U.S.-China relationship," he said, noting that the timing of this latest announcement was likely not a coincidence as it came after the important meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping () on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea last month, during which the two leaders agreed to ease mutual trade restrictions and bilateral tensions.

"Arms sales to Taiwan were likely on unofficial hold until after the Trump-Xi meeting at APEC in October. But with that milestone passed, it appears that this sale was cleared to go forward," Dotson added.

(By Elaine Hou and Ko Lin)

Enditem/cs



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DAR ES SALAAM, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania Chen Mingjian on Friday honored 133 Tanzanian teachers and students for their outstanding achievements in Chinese language teaching and learning, highlighting the rising interest in Chinese language studies across the country.

The awardees were selected from the Confucius Institutes at the University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Dodoma, the Confucius Classrooms at the State University of Zanzibar, and the Muslim University of Morogoro, as well as Chinese language programs in 21 secondary schools nationwide.

Speaking at the ceremony held at the Chinese embassy in Dar es Salaam, Chen praised the recipients for their dedication and creativity over the past academic year. She highlighted the growing proficiency of learners, noting that 1,703 Tanzanians took the HSK Chinese proficiency exam in the past 10 months.

She also emphasized that tens of thousands of African graduates of Chinese language programs have become important contributors to local education and key bridges for China-Africa and China-Tanzania cultural exchanges.

Representing the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, Nelson Boniface, deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Dar es Salaam, said learning Chinese improves access to economic and business opportunities while strengthening cultural understanding. He encouraged young Tanzanians to seize opportunities emerging from deepening China-Tanzania cooperation.

Among the awardees was Asha Fum Khamis, a Chinese language teacher at the Confucius Institute at the University of Dar es Salaam. She said her studies in China profoundly shaped her perspective and motivated her to teach the language upon returning home.

Khamis added that over the past four years, many of her students have received scholarships to study in China or secured jobs using their language skills, reflecting a growing demand for Chinese-speaking talent in Tanzania. 
U.S. voices concern as China investigates Taiwanese lawmaker for 'secession'

ROC Central News Agency

11/15/2025 02:31 PM

Washington, Nov. 14 (CNA) The U.S. Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern after a Chinese public security agency recently announced it was investigating Taiwanese lawmaker Puma Shen () for "secession."

"China's actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-Strait status quo for decades," a State Department spokesperson told CNA.

The response came after China's Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau in late October listed Shen as "wanted" and launched an investigation into his alleged "secession-related" criminal activities in Taiwan, including his founding of Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that tries to prepare Taiwan's interested civilians on what to do in the event of an invasion by China.

On Sunday, a Chinese legal expert said on China's state-run CCTV that Shen should be pursued through the International Criminal Police Organization and other mutual judicial assistance agreements with foreign countries.

The statement on CCTV raised public concern in Taiwan about whether Shen could be arrested and extradited to China if he traveled abroad.

The State Department spokesperson said the U.S. was "deeply concerned" about the Chongqing bureau investigating Shen under China's "draconian judicial guidelines" aimed at prosecuting so-called "Taiwan independence die-hards."

"We urge China to engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan to resolve differences. Continued threats and legal pressure will only undermine the peaceful resolution of issues that Beijing claims to seek," the spokesperson added.

Speaking at a hearing of the Bundestag's Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid in Berlin, Germany on Wednesday, Shen said, "As a brave Taiwanese, I will never draw back in fear."

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, meanwhile, said China has no judicial authority over the country and that it will coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international partners on possible countermeasures.

(By Elaine Hou, Joseph Yeh and Ko Lin)

Enditem/cs





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The crazier "Taiwan independence" separatists become, the sooner they will perish: mainland

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:48, November 15, 2025

BEIJING, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- A mainland spokesperson on Friday responded to "Taiwan independence" separatists' provocations, saying that the crazier they become, the sooner they will perish.

Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks in response to a media query about the notorious Shen Pao-yang, a Taiwan separatist who recently travelled to Germany and published a video footage saying that "we will never back down."

Chen said separatists had "reached a dead end," adding that the farce involving Shen and Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities only revealed their anxiety as "the sword of punishment for separatism hangs over their heads."

He said that "the crazier 'Taiwan independence' separatists become, the sooner they will perish," warning that they face the judgment of justice and a disgraceful end.

Shen, a Taipei native in his 40s, was put on the list of obstinate "Taiwan independence" separatists by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council last year.

In late October this year, police in Chongqing Municipality announced that a criminal investigation had been launched against Shen on suspicion of secession.

The case was opened to resolutely combat Shen's criminal acts of secession, including initiating and establishing the separatist organization, the Kuma Academy.

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Mainland's top Taiwan affairs official meets KMT vice chairman

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 15:46, November 15, 2025

SHANGHAI, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Song Tao, Chinese mainland's top Taiwan affairs official, met with Chang Jung-kung, vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, and his delegation in Shanghai on Friday.

Song, head of both the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said at the meeting that based on the common political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," the mainland is ready to work with the KMT to oppose secessionist activities and crush any attempts by Japan or other external forces to interfere in affairs related to Taiwan.

He called for efforts to strengthen cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation, advance peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait, and strive for national reunification and rejuvenation.

Chang said people on both sides of the Strait are all Chinese, sharing the same bloodline, culture and history, and cross-Strait affairs should be decided by people on both sides.

He expressed hope that the CPC and KMT would continue to build on the common political foundation of upholding the 1992 Consensus and opposing "Taiwan independence," deepen exchanges and cooperation, and safeguard peace and stability across the Strait.

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China says 'seriously concerned' over Japan's military, security moves

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 7:14 PM

China has expressed serious concerns over Japan's recent military threats, warning that Tokyo's military moves could destabilize regional peace and security.

In a post on X, Lin Jia, spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, warned the administration of Japan's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, over her ambiguous statements regarding Japan's Three Non-Nuclear Principles and possible efforts to develop offensive capabilities, including nuclear submarines.

"These fully reveal that Japan is making a major negative policy shift, sending a dangerous signal to the international community," Lin wrote.

He highlighted Japan's militarism during World War II, recalling how Japanese militarists' aggressive campaigns inflicted "untold suffering on the region and beyond."

Lin added that Japan's military policy in recent years has "drastically readjusted," citing increased defense spending, relaxed arms export restrictions, and efforts to develop offensive weapons.

He also warned about Takaichi's recent threats on the possibility of deploying forces in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, describing them as particularly provocative.

Takaichi told the Japanese parliament on November 7 that use of force against the self-ruled island, which is claimed by China, could warrant a military response from Tokyo.

Lin further said that Beijing urges "Japan to repent for its history of aggression, stick to the path of peaceful development, stop finding excuses for its military buildup."

In a related development, China summoned Japan's ambassador on Friday and urged its citizens to avoid travelling to Japan.

In an online post, the embassy in Japan said on Saturday that "Japanese leaders have made blatantly provocative remarks regarding Taiwan, severely damaging the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges."

The situation presents "significant risks to the personal safety and lives of Chinese citizens in Japan," it added.

Tokyo, in turn, summoned China's ambassador. It also reiterated that its position on Taiwan is unchanged.

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PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

ROC Ministry of National Defense

2025/11/15

PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan

1.Date

6 a.m. Nov. 14 (Fri.) to 6 a.m. Nov. 15 (Sat.) (UTC+8)

2.PLA activities

20 sorties of PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN ships operating around Taiwan were detected as of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 17 out of 20 sorties crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response to detected activities.

1141115_PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan [Open a new window]

1141115_PLA air activities in the vicinity of Taiwan [Open a new window]

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The President Defined Key Priorities for Ukrainian Ambassadors and Consuls in the Near Future and for the Coming Year

President of Ukraine

14 November 2025 - 22:53

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a videoconference with representatives of all Ukrainian diplomatic missions.

The Head of State thanked the diplomats for their efforts and for representing Ukraine's interests with dignity around the world; he also outlined the main priorities of their work in the near future and for the coming year.

The President noted that last night, Russia carried out another massive missile and drone strike against our country. That is why it is crucial to continue working on strengthening air defense - Ukraine needs both air defense systems and missiles for them.

"This is a signal to all embassies - you need to act. Many NATO countries have Patriots in their arsenals; most NATO countries have them. Regarding, for example, NASAMS, I want to thank both the United States and our friends from Norway. I also thank the German direction - we received additional Patriot systems; well done to the entire embassy team. This was very important," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The discussion also focused on expanding the PURL initiative, which enables Ukraine to acquire weapons for its defense. The President instructed ambassadors and consuls general to intensify efforts to involve countries that have not yet joined the program and to increase contributions. Additionally, the Head of State emphasized the need to develop the SAFE instrument, which is vital for the security of Ukraine and all of Europe. It is important that each country participating in SAFE has funding provisioned for co-production with Ukraine.

The online meeting also addressed the next steps in diplomatic work on UN resolutions supporting Ukraine. The discussion included the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia and the protection of human rights in temporarily occupied territories.

"The resolution I want to highlight concerns Ukrainian children who were abducted by the Russian Federation during this war. It is very important for us that this resolution receives broad support from countries around the world," the President stressed.

Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha noted that the diplomatic team is making, and will continue to make, all necessary efforts to advance a just peace and to achieve the priority objectives set by the President.

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Ukraine and the United Kingdom Begin Practical Implementation of the One Hundred Year Partnership Agreement

President of Ukraine

14 November 2025 - 22:03

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Brusyl participated in the first session of the strategic dialogue on the one-hundred-year partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom, co-chaired by Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

The parties discussed military and financial support for Ukraine, ensuring resilience during winter, and the restoration of Ukraine's energy infrastructure. They also addressed strengthening sanctions pressure on Russia and providing Ukraine with reliable security guarantees. Special attention was paid to the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia and cooperation with partners of Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the dialogue covered coordination with the United States and allies within international security formats and enhancing support for Ukraine among Global South countries.

During the session, the participants developed a joint position on foreign policy, peace initiatives, and stabilization, marking one of the key stages in preparing for the meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer.

Ihor Brusyl also took part in the meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, members of the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, and the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Jonathan Powell, and his team.

"The United Kingdom plays a leading role in all multilateral platforms supporting Ukraine: the Coalition of the Willing, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, and the Joint Expeditionary Force. In all meetings, our British partners consistently emphasized that Ukraine's security is the United Kingdom's security, and Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression is a fight for the future of all Europe," noted the Deputy Head of the Office of the President.

Additionally, Ihor Brusyl met with the team of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), which is working on analyses to increase Ukraine's capabilities, weaken Russia's war machine, and strengthen sanctions.

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Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General - on Ukraine

United Nations Secretary-General

14 November 2025

New York, UN

Statements | Spokesperson for the Secretary-General

Delivered by Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General

The Secretary-General strongly condemns today's large-scale missile and drone strikes by the Russian Federation on several Ukrainian regions, reportedly killing at least six people in the capital Kyiv and two people in the city of Chornomorsk. The attack is also reported to have caused many injuries among civilians and damage to residential and energy infrastructure, as well as damage to the embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Kyiv.

Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law. They are unacceptable, wherever they occur, and must end immediately. The Secretary-General recalls the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic premises.

The Secretary-General reiterates his call for a full, immediate and unconditional ceasefire, as a first step towards a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace in Ukraine, one that fully upholds Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, in line with the UN Charter, international law and relevant UN resolutions.

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Russia Hits Ukraine With Overnight Attack As Fighting Intensifies in Pokrovsk

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service November 15, 2025

Fighting intensified in eastern Ukraine around the frontline city of Pokrovsk as Russia carried out another overnight attack targeting civilian infrastructure.

Ukrainian authorities said that three missiles and 135 drones were fired overnight, with the country's air defenses taking out all but one missile and 41 drones. No casualties have been reported.

The attacks came after an even more intense barrage the previous night, with 430 drones and 18 missiles that injured at least 35 people targeting the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv military administration head Tymur Tkachenko said that the death toll rose to seven people on the morning of November 15.

In response, the Ukrainian military said it has struck facilities inside Russia that it considers key to its adversary's war effort. The statement added the strikes targeted an oil refinery in Russia's Ryazan region and a military contingent in the occupied part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya region.

The Battle For Pokrovsk Intensifies

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that 265 clashes had occurred over the last 24 hours between Russia and Ukrainian forces along the front line. Nearly half of those took place in the villages and area surrounding Pokrovsk, which holds crucial road and rail junctions and has been under threat of encirclement by Russian forces for most of the year.

There were other clashes in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhya region, where Russia's Defense Ministry claimed on November 15 that its forces captured the village of Yablukove. The claim could not be independently verified by RFE/RL.

But attention remains on Pokrovsk.

Ukrainian troops have come under more pressure there in recent weeks, with General Oleksandr Syrskiy, Ukraine's top military commander, visiting units fighting to hold the city in the eastern Donetsk region.

Syrskiy said Ukraine's key goals were to regain control of certain areas, protect supply and evacuation lines, and create new ones.

"There is no question of Russian control over the city of Pokrovsk or of the operational encirclement of Ukraine's defence forces in the area," Syrskiy said during his November 13 visit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is not opposed to withdrawing from Pokrovsk amid the "very difficult" situation, but it was a decision for commanders on the ground.

"No one is forcing them to die for the sake of ruins. I will support our soldiers, especially the commanders who are there, in how they can control the situation, or if it's too expensive for us. The most important thing for us is our soldiers," Zelenskyy told Bloomberg during a recent interview.

Earlier this week, Russia's Defense Ministry said that its forces had pushed Ukrainian troops out of surrounding towns and villages to the south of Pokrovsk, which is still home to about 7,000 inhabitants -- down from more than 60,000 prior to Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Pokrovsk is strategic to Moscow as taking the area can provide a foothold to launch further attacks north toward Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, the two largest remaining Ukrainian-controlled cities in the Donetsk region.

In an analysis of the latest battlefield maneuvers around Pokrovsk, the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said that Russian forces are continuing to advance in the area, but how Ukraine decides to counterattack and move back its forces will determine how strategic of a gain Pokrovsk will be for the next phase of fighting in eastern Ukraine.

"Russian forces will likely collapse the pocket around Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, but the significance of seizing these towns will depend on the circumstances and conduct of the Ukrainian withdrawal," the report said.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pokrovsk-ukraine-russia- war-drone-missile-battlefield/33592483.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Ukrainian Businessman Embroiled In Massive Corruption Scandal Fled To Poland In Luxury Taxi

By Olya Ivleva and Schemes November 15, 2025

Summary

Tymur Mindich, a businessman implicated in Ukraine's major energy corruption scandal, fled to Poland hours before police raids using a luxury taxi service.

Mindich used a luxury transportation company called TimeLux to cross the border legally, raising questions about possible insider assistance.

The corruption investigation, involving high-profile figures and millions in alleged graft, has shaken Ukraine during its war with Russia.

Tymur Mindich, a prominent businessman and the alleged ringleader of a massive corruption scandal in Ukraine's energy sector, used a luxury taxi service to leave the country for Poland hours before authorities launched raids in connection with their investigation, RFE/RL has learned.

Reporting by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, shows that Mindich used TimeLux, a luxury transportation company based in the western city of Lviv, and left Ukraine at 2:09 a.m. on November 10 in a Mercedes-Benz S 350 registered to one of the firm's owners.

Schemes learned the license plate number of the car from law-enforcement sources with access to data about Mindich's border crossing and then tracked the car through social media posts to determine its owner.

Mindich's departure from Ukraine in the hours ahead of raids launched by investigators has sparked controversy. Ukraine's anti-corruption watchdog has said it has found a "large-scale operation" exposing tens of millions of dollars of graft in the energy sector in the midst of Russia's full-scale invasion. Mindich's involvement has also led to uproar due to his past connections to leading political figures, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The use of the luxury taxi service offers new details about how Mindich, a 46-year-old well-connected businessman in Ukraine, left the country shortly before his home was searched by police on November 10 as part of one of the largest corruption scandals in the country since Moscow's February 2022 invasion.

What Does The Luxury Taxi Company Tell Us About How Mindich Left Ukraine?

The Mercedes-Benz S 350 belongs to 38-year-old Lviv-based entrepreneur Maksym Vovk, who records show is the director and lead owner of TimeLux.

When contacted by RFE/RL, Vovk said that "the company does not check passengers' documents" and that this responsibility rests with Ukraine's border authorities.

"I do not have the information to comment on your question," he said and when asked whether he knew Mindich, he replied: "Thank God, no."

Another co-owner of TimeLux is Eldar Asadulayev, who previously worked in the western regional department of Ukraine's State Border Guard Service. He is also listed in one of the license plate verification applications as "head of the anti-smuggling department of the Border Guard Service."

Contacted by phone, Asadulayev replied only briefly when asked by RFE/RL whether he knows Mindich and is aware that he used TimeLux to leave the country.

"This is the first time I've heard about it," Asadulayev said, and then hung up.

TimeLux was only registered in May of this year. The company does not own any real estate for a physical office or have any vehicles registered to its name. The firm holds a valid license for domestic and international passenger transportation, and its social media posts show that it began providing services even before its formal registration.

The company's website says that it offers customers premium transportation to Poland, Moldova, and Romania and in advertisements it promises "fast border crossing," "full support," and "customized routes based on the client's wishes."

Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said previously that they had conducted their own official investigation to establish the circumstances of Mindich's crossing of the border.

"According to the results of the inspection, we note that the border crossing by this citizen was legal. He was issued a border-crossing permit to leave Ukraine at one of the checkpoints in accordance with the norms of current legislation," the agency said in a statement. "All documents that give the right to cross the border during martial law were available. We would like to separately note that no restrictions were imposed on him prohibiting him from leaving Ukraine."

Mindich has not commented publicly on the corruption allegations or on his departure from Ukraine in the early hours of November 10.

What Is The Corruption Scandal That Implicates Mindich?

Several people have been implicated in Operation Midas, an ongoing investigation that was launched by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) as a joint operation with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

They announced that they had found a plot involving "a high-level criminal organization" aimed to "influence strategic enterprises in the public sector, in particular JSC 'Energoatom,'" a state-owned nuclear energy company.

The case has rocked Ukraine not just for the scale of corruption as the country is at war with Russia, but for the well-connected individuals involved.

Mindich is a co-owner of the Kvartal 95 comedy troupe that Zelenskyy also co-owned before he ran for office.

The business was an important vehicle for Zelenskyy to gain popularity as a comedian and actor before entering politics. Mindich was also a business partner with billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskiy, who backed Zelenskyy's 2019 presidential campaign and who has been in pretrial detention since 2023 on fraud and money-laundering charges.

Another high-profile figure involved in the case is Herman Halushchenko, who was suspended from his position of justice minister on November 12. He previously served as energy minister.

Halushchenko said he would defend himself in court from claims he had received "personal benefits" from Mindich in the alleged kickback scheme.

Former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who is currently secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, and former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, are also implicated in the case.

Umerov has denied involvement. Separate corruption charges were brought against Chernyshov in June.

Zelenskyy has lauded the anti-corruption investigation, which involved more than 70 raids, saying that "all and any steps against corruption are very necessary."

On November 12, Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk tendered her resignation, following a call by Zelenskyy for her to go. She insisted she had not broken the law.

But how Mindich knew to leave the country ahead of the raids remains a central question for investigators moving forward.

Viktor Chumak, chief military prosecutor in 2019-20 and acting prosecutor-general in 2020, previously told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that "it is absolutely impossible, unless you are helped by law enforcement officers" to exit the country quickly amid Ukraine's wartime travel restrictions.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-mindich-corruption- scandal-zelenskyy-war-russia/33592550.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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BEIRUT, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Hezbollah official was killed Sunday evening in an Israeli airstrike targeting a car in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese officials and security sources.

The Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported that a drone attacked a car in the town of Al-Mansouri in the western sector of southern Lebanon, and flames were rising from the targeted location.

The Lebanese Health Ministry's Public Health Emergency Operations Center said in a statement that the strike led to the killing of a citizen.

The National News Agency said that the person killed in the strike was the principal of the town's public school. A source in the Lebanese Army Intelligence told Xinhua that "the victim, in addition to being the principal of Al-Mansouri School, was also a Hezbollah official," without providing further details.

A ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since Nov. 27, 2024, largely ending their clashes that erupted after the outbreak of the war in the Gaza Strip.

Despite the agreement, the Israeli army occasionally carries out strikes in Lebanon, saying they are aimed at removing Hezbollah "threats," and it has maintained forces at five main points in the Lebanese border area. 
Russian Forces Liberate Yablokovo in Zaporozhye Region

Sputnik News

20251115

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian military has taken control of the Yablokovo village in the Zaporozhye Region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.

"As a result of resolute actions, the Vostok Group of Forces liberated Yablokovo (Zaporozhye region)," the ministry said in a statement.

Russian forces destroyed a large number of Ukrainian troops and motor vehicles during the operation to free Yablokovo, the ministry said.

"In the battles for the settlement [of Yablokovo], Ukrainian armed forces lost a large number of manpower and more than a dozen motor vehicles," the statement read.

The Russian forces have also taken control of Ukrainian defensive fortifications spanning more than 6 square kilometers (2.3 square miles) in the Zaporozhye region, the ministry added.

Meanwhile, Russia's Tsentr Battlegroup has eliminated up to 495 Ukrainian soldiers over the past 24 hours.

"Over the past day, Russian forces eliminated up to 270 Ukrainian soldiers, 11 pieces of weapons and military equipment, including three armored fighting vehicles, three motor vehicles, three field artillery guns, an electronic warfare station and a radar station in the Krasnoarmeisk [also known as Pokrovsk] area. In total, the losses of the Ukrainian armed forces amounted to up to 495 military personnel, six armored fighting vehicles, six motor vehicles, four field artillery guns and an electronic warfare station," the ministry said in the statement.

Over the past 24 hours, Russia's Zapad Battlegroup has eliminated up to 220 Ukrainian soldiers, eight armored fighting vehicles, 21 motor vehicles and three field artillery guns, including a Western-made one, as well as eight electronic warfare stations, the ministry said.

Russia's Vostok Battlegroup over the past day has eliminated over 265 Ukrainian servicemen, two armored fighting vehicles, 12 motor vehicles and one field artillery gun.

In battles with Russia's Sever Battlegroup, Kiev lost over 210 troops, two armored fighting vehicles, 18 motor vehicles, an artillery gun, an electronic warfare station, three ammunition depots and two materiel depots over the past 24 hours.

Russia's Yug Battlegroup has eliminated up to 230 troops, four armored fighting vehicles, including a German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicle, eight motor vehicles, six field artillery guns, including a Western-made one, an electronic warfare station and three ammunition depots over the past day.

Russia's Dnepr Battlegroup has eliminated up to 85 Ukrainian troops, a tank, an armored fighting vehicle, 11 motor vehicles, nine electronic warfare stations, three ammunition depots and two materiel depots over the past day, the statement read.

 Sputnik

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Russian Forces Tighten Encirclement at Kupyansk as Ukrainian Losses Mount

Sputnik News

20251115

The Russian military continues to attack an encircled Ukrainian grouping near the key city, its Defense Ministry reported.

"In the area of the settlement of Kupyansk in the Kharkov region, assault units of the 6th Army continue to destroy the enemy forces trapped in the pocket," the briefing stated.

Over the past 24 hours alone, the Ukrainian Army has lost up to 50 soldiers near Kupyansk, along with 15 pieces of weaponry and military equipment, including a British-made Snatch armored vehicle, two mortars, three electronic-warfare stations, five pickups, and three other vehicles.

Kupyansk is one of the key cities for the Ukrainian Armed Forces' defense in the eastern Kharkov region. It sits on the Oskol River, which divides the town into two parts. Its capture would allow the Russian Army to continue its advance westward. On Tuesday, the Defense Ministry reported the liberation of the eastern part of Kupyansk.

Fighting for Kupyansk

By the end of October, Russia's Zapad Battlegroup had seized the crossing over the Oskol River and encircled the town, where around 5,000 Ukrainian troops remain.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian units are in a critical situation: they have no chance of survival except to surrender. Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelensky is either trying to conceal the real situation on the front or has completely lost touch with reality.

Russian soldiers are regularly thwarting attempts by Ukrainian forces to break through and relieve the encircled units.

 Sputnik

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Ukraine Attacked Critical Infrastructure Facilities in Zaporozhye Region - Governor

Sputnik News

20251115

SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) - The Ukrainian armed forces attacked critical infrastructure facilities in the Zaporozhye Region, Governor Yevgeny Balitsky said.

"Due to another attack by the Ukrainian armed forces on critical infrastructure facilities, power outages are possible in settlements south of Dneprorudnoye, Malaya and Velikaya Belozerka," Balitsky wrote on Telegram on Friday.

The Dneprovskaya power line at the Zaporozhzhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been disconnected from the Ukrainian side, and the reason is unknown, ZNPP spokeswoman Yevgenia Yashina told Sputnik on Friday.

The Zaporozhye Region is a region of Russia located in the lower reaches of the Dnepr. It became part of Russia after a referendum in September 2022. Kiev does not recognize its results and continues to shell the area. More than 70% of the region is now under Russian control; the rest, including the regional center, the city of Zaporozhye, is held by Ukrainian troops. Since March 2023, the city of Melitopol has been the temporary administrative center of the region.

Russia has been conducting its special military operation since February 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime." According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is to completely liberate Donbas and create conditions that guarantee Russia's security: Ukraine must undergo demilitarization and denazification.

 Sputnik

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Denys Shmyhal evaluates the activities of the Unmanned Systems Forces units

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

15 November, 2025, 10:08 AM EET

The Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, visited the units of the Unmanned Systems Forces.

In particular, the Minister of Defence inspected the command post of the Unmanned Systems Forces. He received a briefing on the performance of the Unmanned Systems Forces grouping since its establishment.

"We focused on the key development issues for the grouping for next year and discussed options for increasing personnel and strengthening support for service members," stated Denys Shmyhal.

He thanked the warriors of the Unmanned Systems Forces for their professionalism and their daily efforts to defend our country.

Denys Shmyhal also examined the operational situation within the area of responsibility of the 59th Separate Assault Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces.

The Minister of Defence discussed the actual situation and the issues requiring further attention with the command and the heads of direction.

"I received specific proposals on enhancing support systems, boosting combat effectiveness, and improving conditions for the personnel. I thanked the warriors for their professionalism, determination, and cohesive actions," the Minister of Defence concluded.

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Zelenskyy Vows Sweeping Energy Sector Overhaul Amid Corruption Scandal

By RFE/RL November 16, 2025

Summary

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced a major overhaul of the energy sector amid a corruption scandal involving state-run companies.

Zelenskyy has called for leadership changes at Energoatom, Naftogaz, and Ukrhydroenergo.

Zelenskyy has imposed sanctions on former business partner Timur Mindich and sought to distance himself from implicated figures.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to overhaul the country's scandal-ridden energy sector as he looks to stem outrage following accusations of wide-spread corruption that have included an old friend and former business partner.

Zelenskyy on November 15 said the leadership of at least three state-run energy companies would be sacked and quickly replaced and that other changes were in the works.

"We are beginning an overhaul of key state-owned enterprises operating in the energy sector," Zelenskyy said on social media.

"In parallel with the full audit of financial activities, the management of these companies should be replaced. Today, together with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Economics Minister Oleksiy Sobolev, we determined the procedure."

It remains to be seen whether the changes will be sufficient to ease pressure Zelenskyy and satisfy Kyiv's Western allies, who have urged the Ukrainian leader to do more to stem endemic corruption as it continues to battle against Russia's full-scale invasion.

Politico quoted an unnamed EU official as saying the "corruption" alleged in the probe is "revolting" and won't help Ukraine's reputation with international partners.

Ukraine's anti-corruption watchdog on November 10 announced a "large-scale operation" alleging tens of millions of dollars of graft in the energy sector in the midst of Russia's full-scale invasion.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), in a joint operation with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), said it found the scheme involves "a high-level criminal organization" aimed to "influence strategic enterprises in the public sector, in particular JSC Energoatom," a state-owned nuclear energy company.

Changes To Come 'Within A Week'

Zelenskyy called for a new supervisory board at Energoatom "within a week" that would enable a "complete overhaul of the company's management."

He also set changes atop Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned gas company, and at Ukrhydroenergo, the state-owned hydro power generator.

"In a week, all conditions should be provided for the formation of a new and professional supervisory board of the company, and thanks to this, a complete reboot of the management board of Energoatom."

"At Ukrhydroenergo -- [there will be] an urgent tender for a new head of the company and additional formation of the supervisory board."

Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned gas company, "should announce and hold a competition for work on the company's supervisory board so that this new composition can start working in January 2026.

"In other large state-owned energy companies, the renewal of state representatives on supervisory boards should take place," he added.

Fleeing To Poland

The list of suspects in the anti-corruption probe includes people at the highest levels of government and other high-profile figures, with much centered around Timur Mindich, a longstanding close collaborator of Zelenskyy's.

Reporting by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, showed that Mindich fled Ukraine for Poland hours before authorities launched raids in connection with their investigation, prompting some critics to allege he had been alerted ahead of the action.

Mindich's involvement also led to uproar due to his past connections to leading political figures, including Zelenskyy. Mindich is a co-owner of the Kvartal 95 comedy troupe that Zelenskyy also co-owned before he ran for political office.

The business was an important vehicle for Zelenskyy to gain popularity as a comedian and actor before entering politics. Mindich was also a business partner with billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskiy, who backed Zelenskyy's 2019 presidential campaign and who has been in pretrial detention since 2023 on fraud and money-laundering charges.

Zelenskyy has moved to distance himself from Mindich and the other seven people formally suspected in the investigation. On November 13, he signed a decree imposing sanctions including asset freezes on Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman, who is also charged and also left the country

The probe has been carried out by anti-corruption institutions that Zelenskyy tried to muzzle before the biggest street protests since Russia's full-scale invasion forced him to back down in the summer.

High-Profile Figures

Another high-profile figure involved in the case is Herman Halushchenko, who was suspended from his position of justice minister on November 12. He previously served as energy minister.

Halushchenko said he would defend himself in court from claims he had received "personal benefits" from Mindich in an alleged kickback scheme.

On November 12, Energy Minister Svitlana Hrynchuk tendered her resignation, following a call by Zelenskyy for her to go. She insisted she had not broken the law and has not been implicated.

Former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who is currently secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, and former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, are also implicated in the case.

Umerov has denied involvement. Separate corruption charges were brought against Chernyshov in June.

Zelenskyy praised the anti-corruption investigation, which involved more than 70 raids, saying that "all and any steps against corruption are very necessary."

Ukraine's Western allies -- who have provided billions of dollars in military and financial assistance -- have urged Zelenskyy to do more to fight longstanding corruption in the war-torn country.

Politico quoted an unnamed EU official as saying the "corruption" alleged in the probe is "revolting" and won't help Ukraine's reputation with international partners.

In a statement on X, Group of 7 (G7) ambassadors on November 15 said they "welcomed Zelenskyy's cooperation and support for NABU/SAPO's independent investigation. We count on Ukraine's leadership to continue its anticorruption efforts, which is key to Ukrainne/Euro-Atlantic integration.

"As Russian attacks persist, we continue to support Ukraine's energy resilience."

The scandal comes as Ukraine's energy sector has struggled with power outages and damages caused by nearly nightly Russian drone and missile attacks on crucial civilian infrastructure sites.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, AFP, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-zelenskyy-energy- sector-scandal-mindich/33592648.html

Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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US Will Conduct Nuclear Tests 'Pretty Soon' Trump

Sputnik News

20251115

US President Donald Trump said that the United States will conduct nuclear tests because other countries are carrying out such testing.

"We're gonna have nuclear testing because other people test, we have other countries that test, we have more nuclear weapons than any other country, I am the one that renovated them and built some and I hated to to that, but I had no choice, because they had it," Trump told reporters on board Air Force One on Friday.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that US President Donald Trump's promise to resume nuclear testing was aimed at verifying the safety of weapons.

"We'll do nuclear testing like other countries do. We have more nuclear weapons than any other country and we have to test," Trump told reporters on his way to Florida on Friday.

The US president did say, nonetheless, that he was interested in denuclearization.

"We have more [nuclear weapons]. Russia's second, and China is a distant third, but within four or five years, they're going to be up with us. What I would like to do, is I would like to go denuclearization," Trump told reporters on board Air Force One.

Last week, Trump said that he had instructed the Department of War to immediately resume nuclear testing. He then specified that his order was due to "others doing testing" and it was "appropriate" for the US to keep up.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that a US nuclear weapons test, if conducted, would mean the end of a long-standing ban on nuclear testing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that if other countries conduct nuclear tests, Russia will act accordingly, the spokesman added.

 Sputnik

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Richmond, California's leaders approved on Wednesday morning a plan for the city to become the first in the nation to acquire mortgages with negative equity in a bid to keep local residents in their homes.The power of 'eminent domain' allows governments to seize private property for a public purpose. Critics say the plan threatens the market for private-label mortgage-backed securities.Richmond's city council voted 4 to 3 for Mayor Gayle McLaughlin's proposal for city staff to work more closely with Mortgage Resolution Partners to put the plan crafted by the investor group for the city to work.Richmond can now invoke eminent domain if trusts for more than 620 delinquent and performing "underwater" mortgages reject offers made by the city to buy the loans at deep discount pegged to their properties' current appraised prices to refinance them and reduce their principal.A mortgage is under water when its unpaid balance is greater than its property's market value.MRP has failed to get similar plans approved by local governments elsewhere - most recently in North Las Vegas, Nevada and earlier this year in San Bernardino County in Southern California - as the mortgage industry and local real estate businesses rallied against them.
by Mahmoud Fouly, Yao Bing

CAIRO, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Egypt is stepping up efforts to attract more Chinese investment in key industrial and technology sectors, building on the country's dynamic economic partnerships with China, Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Hassan El-Khatib said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

El-Khatib said Egypt and China share a "strategic and historic partnership," noting that China has become one of Egypt's most significant development partners. He highlighted Chinese involvement in major national projects, including the Central Business District in the new administrative capital and the high-speed electric rail network.

He said last week's China-Egypt Investment Forum in Cairo served as a key platform for linking the two countries' private sectors and identifying new investment opportunities. He also pointed to the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone as "a successful model" of bilateral economic cooperation.

The minister said Egypt's Vision 2030 strategy aligns closely with the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, particularly in areas such as regional integration, industrial connectivity, and cross-border trade, reinforcing long-term cooperation.

Despite global economic headwinds, Egypt has made "significant progress" over the past decade, El-Khatib said, citing new urban developments, expanded road and port networks, and large investments in renewable energy, power, and water infrastructure.

He said Egypt aims to boost its competitiveness through greater stability, transparency, and digital transformation, along with streamlined procedures and increased private-sector involvement.

El-Khatib said Egypt offers investors strategic advantages, including a location bridging three continents, a young and cost-competitive workforce, and access to more than 70 global markets through an extensive network of trade agreements.

He said Egypt is particularly keen to attract more Chinese investment in priority sectors such as labor-intensive industries, automotive manufacturing and components, batteries, engineering industries, and renewable energy. To support this, Egypt has created a dedicated China unit within the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones to assist Chinese companies operating or expanding in the country.

El-Khatib said Egypt-China relations have evolved into a "comprehensive partnership" grounded in decades of trust. With the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties approaching, he said Egypt looks forward to deepening cooperation.

"Egypt is your home. Come and invest in Egypt. We offer a very attractive investment environment," he said, adding that Egypt should serve as "a major connector and a bridge between China and the rest of the world" under the Belt and Road framework. 
Amazons Black Friday Week starts on Thursday, but the retailer is already offering early deals  and its not the only one. Earlier this week, we looked at deals from Samsung US.

Now Amazon is matching at least some of those. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ is $838 (or $850, depending on which color you want), which is the same price as on Samsung US with the instant discount. The Samsung offer has an alternative option  trade-in credit instead of a discount.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge continues to be cheaper than the S25+, even though their MSRPs are the other way around. The Edge just has a massive discount and it works out to $240 cheaper if you go for the 512GB models. For an in-depth comparison check out this article.

Amazon beats Samsung US offer on the Galaxy Z Fold7  you get a 512GB variant for the price of a 256GB one. Samsungs trade-in offer is better, though, with credit going up to $1,000 (compared to up to $600 from Amazon).

With no interesting offers on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 (you can get up to $600 trade-in credit from Samsung US, but thats about it), we turn to Motorolas flip foldables.

The whole 2025 lineup is discounted, starting from the Motorola Razr 2025. Theres only a $100 upcharge for going up to the Moto Razr+ 2025, though, and it may be worth it. You get a much more powerful chipset (Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 vs. Dimensity 7400X) with more RAM to boot (12GB vs. 8GB). The battery is smaller but the more efficient hardware lasts longer (10:12h vs. 9:28h Active Use Score) and charging is faster (45W/15W vs. 30W/15W).

Theres also the flagship Motorola Razr Ultra 2025, but thats a bigger jump in price. It has the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with even more RAM and storage (16GB and 512GB), plus a larger 4,700mAh battery with even faster charging (68W wired and 30W wireless).

We looked at M5-powered iPad Pros a couple of weeks ago and those are still very much worth a look. But also consider the M4 models, which are a year older. The chipset is just about the only difference worth mentioning (unless you have a Wi-Fi 7 router), so you might be better off saving some cash with the older M4 models.

Speaking of older tablets, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ is from last year. It has a 12.4 120Hz OLED display and is powered by the Dimensity 9300+. iPadOS has made some strides in improving multitasking in recent versions, but DeX is still better overall.

The Garmin Venu X1 is Garmins attempt to take on the Apple Watch. If it wasnt clear from the square-ish shape (Garmins are usually round), the slender 7.9mm build should be a clue (the Apple Watch Series 11 is 2mm thicker). The Venu X1 has up to 8 days of battery life, easily outlasting even the Watch Ultra from Apple and offers a 2 OLED display with a sapphire lens.

The Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e over-ear headphones feature 24-bit DSP processing and custom 40mm drivers. They are equipped with 6 microphones for active noise cancellation (ANC).

For TWS buds, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) are on offer this week. They offer great ANC and are comfortable to wear. For the sake of convenience, they have multi-point connectivity and wireless charging.

We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
Robert Pocaigue, 59, has been living in a broken van with his wife.

At the 4th Annual Housing and Homelessness Summit at the University of Guam on Friday, he shared his frustration with the housing and employment services offered to the islands homeless and formerly incarcerated.

He talked about his daily struggles re-entering society and the job market after he was released from incarceration in 2014, revealing weaknesses in public assistance.

I go to the Department of Labor, and theyre only offering work for four hours (daily)...Im not disabled. I am able-bodied. I can work, and I want to work, Pocaigue said, addressing summit panelists representing the Judiciary of Guam, Department of Youth Affairs, Residential Substance Treatment Program, Micronesia Legal Services, and more.

He said he would rather work and earn his wages for food and other essentials rather than deal with SNAP, especially with the recently added qualifications for proof of employment and the $6 million reduction in funds for Guam.

Pocaigue also shared that his age and criminal history limit employment opportunities, and the employment resources at the Department of Labor have yet to direct him to a suitable position.

Additionally, employers often rescind job offers once they learn of Pocaigues record.

They tell me Im supposed to work at a hotel, but Im not a cook. I can do outside work, and I can do maintenance, Pocaigue said. I took a lot of classes when I was [incarcerated]. I went to therapy and got certificates from psychiatrists saying I completed it, but they still call me a danger to society.

Moreover, even under the DOL standards for homeless and senior citizen employment, individuals are unable to find adequate jobs to support themselves or their households.

As an attending resident pointed out, minimum wage or side jobs cannot afford rent in todays economy.

Panelist Heidi Simpson, from Micronesia Legal Services, said Pocaigue could appeal for legal assistance if his next employer denies him on account of his record.

Employers cannot use your criminal record to make a hiring decision, so the way that is structured still allows them to [rescind] an offer, because theyre not allowed to ask until after they make the offer, Simpson said. The trouble is there are not a lot of opportunities in Guam for expungement.

Dignity

Panelist Renee Carpela, representing the Guam Medicaid Program, said Pocaigue brought up important points about individuals not wanting to rely on public assistance and having the ability to go out and work.

[They] dont want to be put and categorized into a population that maybe one of our programs would classify [them] under, Carpela said.

Carpela added that most public assistance programs are temporary, not something youre meant to depend on for your lifetime, and only supposed to be there to provide a boost in times of need.

What she recognized from Pocaigues story is that he and other individuals are asking for their dignity.

Theyre saying they want some of the program to avail of, but just because theyre in that certain age category, they dont want to be put into a situation, Carpela said.

All the paperwork...and then nothing

Pocaigue shared with the Pacific Daily News more about his housing struggles.

He said his application for housing under the Manelu organization and housing opportunities from other programs fell through.

All the paperwork they asked for, I gave it to them, and then nothing, he said. Theres a price range, how much will give you, a limit of $13,300, so when you get a studio one-bedroom, it looks more like a storage unit, Pocaigue said. The landlord inspection and key never happened. We saw pictures of the unit and were told to wait two weeks, because I guess the bosses were off island. They never reconnected.

He added that many of his friends also experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity applied under the same programs and saw the same results.

No sense of identity

Another issue Pocaigue brought up to the panel was the renewal and application for identification documents for incarcerated people.

Pocaigue said peoples Real IDs, drivers licenses and other certifications expire while they are incarcerated.

Once they are released, they dont have proper documentation.

Panelist Robert Dames, representing the RSAT program, told the PDN that the Department of Corrections dont do anything to address documentation renewal or security.

They only address it when people are exiting, Dames said. It sucks because every minute counts. If they dont have any documentation on hand, parole will provide a certificate ID. Little is done within corrections [apart from] education or work release.

Robert San Agustin, panel mediator and Guam Homeless Coalition vice chair, added that IDs are often lost or discarded during arrest and processing.

Identification services and housing security are a common issue for incarcerated individuals, particularly among youth, according to panelist Corrine Buendicho, a social worker with DYA.

They have no sense of identity. We find that a lot of them dont even have a birth certificate, so we try to have a social worker work to obtain a Guam ID and Social Security card and hope and pray they dont come back, Buendicho said. We want them to be on the same playing field as other youths in Guam. Individuals are stuck between adult and juvenile court because they lack a safe place through relative placement.

Process

Dames said parolees have to undergo a lengthy process to get a temporary ID from the Department of Revenue and Taxation to get a new Social Security card, and then go back to DRT for their new Real ID.

Some services are available for parolees, such as trades education, GED certification, vocational schooling, and drivers classes for recertification, provided and paid for by the Judiciary of Guam, according to panelist John Ulloa, a probation officer.

The main obstacle, though, is parolees being unable to access additional programs and assistance due to a lack of reliable transportation or secure housing.

Once released from jail

Ulloa added that a lot of individuals cannot or choose not to stay with family once released.

The family may not want them back, or they are aware of the situation at home and are afraid of falling back into the situation that got them in trouble, Ulloa said. They want another place that will help them without any distractions.

He said the problem could be solved with a proper halfway house or transitional housing facility, but the Guam Judiciary, DOC, or DYA has yet to develop one, despite efforts and advocacy from Ulloa and other individuals.

In-kind contributions

Another issue brought up at the summit was in-kind contributions, a form of assistance from the community where odd jobs and services are exchanged for temporary housing.

Panelists and attendees agreed this was unreliable because individuals could be kicked out at any time, especially when family from off-island returns.

We exist because thats the problem that were facing, [and] housing is always going to be an issue. As long as we keep the conversation going, we can figure out how to get resources out, San Agustin said.
KABUL, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Afghan counter-narcotics police seized a quantity of illicit drugs, including crystal meth, and arrested 21 suspected smugglers in separate operations across multiple provinces, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.

The seizure included 86 kg of raw hashish, 5 kg of crystal meth, a quantity of methamphetamine, stimulant tablets, and some other types of narcotics. The drugs were discovered during a series of routine police operations, said the statement.

Twenty-one individuals were arrested in connection with the cases, it noted.

The police will not allow anyone to produce, purchase, or smuggle illegal drugs in the country, the ministry stated, reaffirming its commitment to combating the narcotics trade. 




Haiti - Insecurity : U.S. Marines exchanged fire with gang members





U.S. Marines deployed to Haiti to protect the US Embassy exchanged fire this week with suspected gang members, US military officials said on Saturday (November 15).



The incident occurred Thursday evening, said Capt. Steven Keenan, Marine Corps spokesman. In a statement, he said that "Marines supporting embassy security operations were fired upon" in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and then returned fire. None of the Marines were injured, he added.



"U.S. Marines are committed to the safety and security of U.S. embassies worldwide and respond to all threats with professionalism and swift, disciplined action," Keenan said.



The State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Haiti and the U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in the region, did not respond to requests for comment.



This previously unreported incident comes after the Pentagon increased security at the Embassy in Haiti last year, when it was plagued by gang violence https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41832-haiti-flash-marines-deployed-in-haiti.html



In August, the U.S. Embassy in Haiti said in a statement that a contingent of U.S. Marines had arrived to "provide security for our diplomatic post and coordinate an eventual rotation of Marines" previously deployed to reinforce embassy security. This deployment, the embassy said, allowed the American diplomatic mission to continue its assistance to the Haitian police and a multinational security mission.



The embassy remains open for emergency services. In previous security updates this year, it reported incidents involving heavy gunfire nearby.



In March 2024 the State Department evacuated non-essential U.S. government personnel from the Embassy. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41848-haiti-flash-night-military-evacuation-of-non-essential-personnel-from-the-american-embassy.html



"Haiti has been in a state of emergency since March 2024," the State Department said in a travel advisory issued in July. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-41800-haiti-flash-american-citizens-called-to-leave-haiti-as-soon-as-possible.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Royal Brunei Airlines has been honoured with the 2026 APEX Four Star Major Airline and 2026 APEX Best in Seat Comfort Award for East Asia.

The airline, in a press release issued on Thursday, said Royal Brunei Airlines's achievement underscores its commitment to delivering an exceptional and comfortable journey for every guest, reflecting ongoing investments in cabin design, product refinement, and service consistency across its network.

The award serves as a testament to the dedication of RB's cabin crew, engineering teams, and product development specialists who work collectively to enhance the guest experience.

Colonel Norsuriati Haji Sharbini, Royal Brunei Airlines's interim chief executive officer, said the airline is deeply honored to receive this recognition, which reflects the trust and confidence its guests continue to place in Royal Brunei Airlines.

Established in 1974, Royal Brunei Airlines is the national carrier of Brunei. 




Haiti - Croix-des-Bouquets : The Haitian National Police (PNH) deals a decisive blow against the 400 Mawozo gang





On Friday, November 14, 2025, specialized units of the Gang Supression Force (GSF), the Haitian National Police (PNH), and the Armed Forces of Haiti (FAdH) conducted a large-scale, coordinated, intelligence-led security operation against the leaders and members of the 400 Mawozo terrorist gang, who had blocked and fortified several sections of National Road 3 (RN3).



The assault on Friday, November 14, 2025, dealt a decisive blow to the criminal gangs and led to the seizure of a significant arsenal of weapons and ammunition, as well as a substantial increase in police presence in areas previously under the complete control of the criminal groups.



Among the equipment seized was the gangs armored bulldozer at the intersection of Rue Grande Plaine and RD-303, a vehicle used to erect road barricades and destroy State infrastructure. Among the seized weapons, the Haitian National Police (PNH) recovered a .50 caliber American Barrett rifle, a high-precision, large-caliber sniper weapon with an effective range of 2,800 meters, capable of penetrating a 2 cm thick steel plate at a distance of several hundred meters using armor-piercing ammunition, which was the subject of intense propaganda by the gang. The neutralization of this critical equipment demonstrates the PNH's operational capacity to strike at the heart of the gangs' logistical resources and put an end to their reign of terror. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46211-haiti-flash-terrorists-killed-and-wounded-weapons-and-ammunition-seized-pnh-helicopter-set-on-fire.html



This major breakthrough marks an unprecedented setback for the terrorists. Several were killed in the clashes, and others, wounded, were forced to flee in the face of the security forces' determination and firepower. No casualties were reported among the security forces.



IH/ iciHaiti






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





APN : Blockade of the Varreux Container Port

An internal source at the National Port Authority (APN) has responded to allegations made by David Ware, representative of Africa Global Logistics (AGL), during an interview on a Haitian radio station. Ware claimed that the Haitian government has not granted an operating permit for the Varreux container terminal for the past five years, despite a $60 million investment ( https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46167-haiti-news-zapping.html ). This source asserts that the Haitian government has not granted a construction permit for the infrastructure and has been presented with a fait accompli, stating, "Without a construction permit, we cannot issue an operating permit. There is a clear procedure to follow..." It should be noted that this information does not originate from an official APN document.



Checks for former CNE employees are ready

The Ministry of Economy and Finance informs former employees of the National Equipment Center (CNE) that checks for the final settlement of their salaries and compensation are now available. Checks will be distributed at the Ministry's offices located at 5 Avenue Charles Sumner, in accordance with established procedures, and upon presentation of identification. Those concerned are asked to strictly follow the instructions given by the authorized agents responsible for distribution.



Elections August 30, 2026

According to the Provisional Electoral Council's (CEP) electoral calendar submitted to the executive branch, the first round of the legislative and presidential elections is scheduled for August 30, 2026. The second round will take place on December 6, 2026, and the final results will be announced on January 20, 2027. Access the detailed calendar : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46218-haiti-flash-official-calendar-of-upcoming-elections.html



Taiwan provides funding for Rice Production

Cheng-hao Hu, the Ambassador of Taiwan (Republic of China) to Haiti, presented funds to the Haitian Ministry of Agriculture for "Rice Production Improvement Projects" to help local farmers increase their productivity. Taiwan reaffirms its support for and commitment to Haitian agriculture; this cooperation will contribute to strengthening food security and social stability in Haiti.



SPNH-17 Commends the Valiant Police Officers

The SPNH-17, the Police Union, "commends the courage and determination of the valiant police officers mobilized in Mirebalais, Croix-des-Bouquets, and throughout the rest of the country to send a clear message to the gangs. The officers of SWAT, UTAG, BRI, BIM, UDMO, and all other units demonstrate that when the State and the Police Directorate provide the resources, motivation, and sound guidance, the results speak for themselves."



See also:

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46222-haiti-croix-des-bouquets-the-haitian-national-police-pnh-deals-a-decisive-blow-against-the-400-mawozo-gang.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46211-haiti-flash-terrorists-killed-and-wounded-weapons-and-ammunition-seized-pnh-helicopter-set-on-fire.html



What Haitians want

In the latest episode of the Post Cast "Coffee Break" from the U.S. Mission in Port-au-Prince, Ambassador Henry Wooster discusses what Haitians want.







See also ::

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-46218-haiti-flash-official-calendar-of-upcoming-elections.html



HL/ HaitiLibre




















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Network equipment provider Nokia plans to close its Munich site by 2030. According to the IG Metall, over 700 employees in Munich alone are affected by the decision. The layoffs are to take place in two waves: over 300 jobs will be cut nationwide as early as 2026, and further jobs in Munich will be lost by 2030. Nokia confirmed the closure when asked by heise online. It was a difficult decision to ensure Nokia remains competitive in the long term.

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According to IG Metall, Nokia currently employs around 2500 people in Germany and is considered one of the few European network equipment providers. The union views the withdrawal as a problematic signal for Germany's and Europe's digital sovereignty. "Especially in times of geopolitical challenges, it is a fatal signal when a key company scales back its presence in Germany," said Daniele Frijia, managing director of IG Metall Munich and member of Nokia's German supervisory board.

Nokia explained that as part of its global site strategy, the company wants to concentrate its investments on key sustainable hubs in Germany and worldwide. "This will strengthen our capacity for long-term growth and customer loyalty, while ensuring that our teams have the framework conditions necessary for their success."

The decision comes at a time when the EU Commission is increasing pressure on member states to exclude Chinese network equipment providers like Huawei and ZTE from critical infrastructure. Alongside Ericsson, Nokia is one of the few European alternatives to the Chinese providers. The partial withdrawal from Germany "could paradoxically increase dependence on non-European suppliers."

Union criticizes strategic error

Frijia described the withdrawal from Munich as a strategic error that jeopardizes the company's competitiveness and technological leadership. With its infrastructure, universities, and proximity to research institutions, the Munich site offers ideal conditions for innovation. "Instead of cutting jobs, Nokia should invest in the future," said Frijia.

According to IG Metall, in addition to Munich, the Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Ulm, and Nuremberg sites are affected by the nationwide wave of layoffs in 2026. Carsten Riedl, chairman of the works council at the Munich site, was appalled: "Employees have delivered top performance over the years. We demand that Nokia takes responsibility for its employees."

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Nokia itself did not provide any figures to heise online but stated that it would maintain its other sites: "Nuremberg remains an important site for research and development in optical networks, Ulm remains an important site for research and development in mobile networks, Stuttgart remains an important site for Nokia Bell Labs and optical networks, and Bonn and Dusseldorf remain important customer contact sites."

Munich as a source of patents and standards

Clemens Suerbaum, chairman of the general works council, warned of the consequences for Nokia's entire German presence. "If in Europe's high-tech and AI city of Munich, Nokia senselessly dries up its own main source of patents and standards, then the other German sites in Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, Ulm, and Nuremberg will also know what their future holds." The employees had brought Nokia to success with great effort. "Now the shock runs deep, not just in Munich."

IG Metall calls on the company to take responsibility for its employees and to consider alternatives to a complete closure. Nokia announced that it wants to support all affected employees during the transition phase.

(mki)

Don't miss any news  follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Mastodon. This article was originally published in German. It was translated with technical assistance and editorially reviewed before publication.
Shabana Mahmood , the Home Secretary, is expected to confirm the plans on Monday. Under the changes, automatic access to housing and financial aid for asylum seekers will end. Instead, assistance will be granted on a discretionary basis by the Home Office.

The British government has announced the most extensive overhaul of asylum policy in decades, removing guaranteed support for claimants and significantly tightening pathways to permanent settlement.

The reforms will affect those who are able to work, own assets, or have broken immigration laws. Support can also be withdrawn from those found guilty of criminal behaviour or who fail to comply with removal directions.

Mahmood said the current system encourages irregular migration across the Channel.

This country has a proud tradition of welcoming those fleeing danger, but our generosity is drawing illegal migrants across the Channel, she said.

The pace and scale of migration is placing immense pressure on communities.

More than 111,000 asylum applications were recorded in the year to June 2025, the highest figure ever registered in the UK. According to the Home Office, over 39,000 people arrived illegally this year, most crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Polls show immigration has surpassed the economy as the publics primary concern. The Labour government is facing increasing pressure from the populist Reform UK party, which has seen a steady rise in support amid concerns about border control.

The Home Office said the new rules aim to deter irregular arrivals and prioritise those contributing to the economy and integrating into local communities.

Those granted asylum will no longer receive five years of refugee protection. Under the new measures, refugee status will last 30 months and be subject to regular review. The government will also have the power to revoke protection and repatriate individuals when their countries of origin are considered safe.

Applicants will now need to wait 20 years before they can apply for permanent settlement, replacing the current five-year period. The changes apply to new arrivals only.

A Home Office spokesperson said the UK will match and in some areas exceed the policies of European states where refugee protection is temporary and linked to integration.

Support will no longer be a given, the spokesperson said. It becomes a discretionary power. This means the Home Office can deny assistance to those who can work, have assets, fail to comply with removal directions, engage in criminality, disrupt accommodation settings, or work illegally.

The government added that each case will be assessed individually, with mitigating circumstances considered.

The new policy follows a Home Office visit to Denmark earlier this year. The Danish system has sharply reduced the number of asylum approvals and removals of rejected applicants are at their highest rate in four decades.

Denmark grants temporary protection for two years, reviews refugee status regularly, and can return individuals to their countries if deemed safe. It also limits family reunification and excludes residents of neighbourhoods classified as parallel societies from bringing relatives to join them. Danish authorities are also allowed to confiscate valuables from asylum seekers to offset costs.

The UKs reforms have drawn criticism from more than 100 charities and human rights groups. In a joint letter to Mahmood, they accused the government of scapegoating migrants and fuelling discrimination.

The Home Office estimates around 100,000 people in the UK currently receive asylum-related support, including accommodation and a weekly allowance. Roughly one-third remain in hotels, despite Labours pledge to end the use of hotels by 2029.

Only a minority of asylum seekers are allowed to work. This includes individuals who arrived on visas and later claimed asylum, and a limited number whose cases remain unresolved after one year and who qualify for work in shortage occupations.

HT
Organisers called the protest the Great Peoples March. Activists carried three symbolic coffins marked Coal, Oil, and Gas, accompanied by figures dressed as grim reapers.

Demonstrators gathered outside COP30 to demand the end of fossil fuel use, protection of the Amazon, and recognition of Indigenous rights.

Over 50,000 people marched through the streets of Belem, Brazil, on Saturday in the largest protest seen at a UN climate summit since 2021.

Some wore black to signify a funeral for fossil fuels, while others donned red to honour murdered environmental defenders.

Indigenous groups, youth movements, and international activists joined the march. A giant inflatable globe covered in black paint moved through the crowd as people chanted, sang, and played samba music.

Security forces in riot gear guarded the summit venue. Two UN security staff were injured earlier in the week when Indigenous protesters pushed past barriers in a separate action.

The Belem summit, hosted by Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is the first UN climate meeting since 2021 to allow public protest. The previous three COP meetings were held in Egypt, the UAE, and Azerbaijan, where demonstrations were restricted.

On Saturday, marchers walked 4.5 kilometres through the city under intense heat. Indigenous banners read The Answer is Us and Demarcation Now, calling for legal protection of ancestral lands. Many called attention to the risks of deforestation and commercial exploitation in the Amazon.

The demonstration coincided with the halfway point of the two-week climate summit. COP30 negotiators are working to implement previous commitments and secure funding for poorer nations facing climate-linked disasters.

Protesters also called for reparations from governments and corporations responsible for historical greenhouse gas emissions. These funds, they say, should be directed to vulnerable communities and nations that have contributed the least to climate change but suffer its worst impacts.

The Brazilian government has faced criticism for allowing new oil exploration near the Amazon River mouth shortly before the summit. Environmentalists argue that such moves contradict the message of COP30 and threaten one of the worlds most vital ecosystems.

On Tuesday, a group of Indigenous protesters breached summit security lines with banners and flags. The UN confirmed minor injuries and property damage.

The United States has not sent a delegation to COP30, marking the first time it has been absent from the talks. President Donald Trump previously called climate change a con and has reversed several environmental policies during his current term.

Earlier this month, the UN Environment Programme warned that current national climate plans fall short of the Paris Agreements goals. Projections suggest global temperatures could rise between 2.3 and 2.5C by the end of the century, exceeding the agreed 1.5C threshold.

HT
SEOUL, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The United States revoked the exemption of arms non-recurring costs for South Korea, raising Seoul's burden for U.S. weapons purchases, Yonhap news agency reported Sunday, citing multiple unidentified sources familiar with the matter.

The U.S. administration notified the South Korean government around August that it will abolish the non-recurring costs (NC) waiver granted to its key allies, including South Korea, when selling U.S. weapons through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, or a government-to-government contract.

The NC refers to non-recurring costs incurred by U.S. defense contractors when developing and producing weapons, such as development, design and testing costs.

The NC exemption allowed South Korea to save about 5 percent on its U.S. weapons purchases, but with the recent abolition, Seoul's cost burden of importing U.S. military equipment will increase, the sources were quoted as saying.

According to the sources, a similar notification was sent to other countries, including Japan, Australia and NATO allies.

Yonhap noted that the U.S. policy change reflected U.S. President Donald Trump's transactional approach to alliances and his perception that allies had long enjoyed excessive surpluses in trade with the United States.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung held a press conference in the presidential office on Friday to announce the "joint fact sheet," which finalized South Korea's tariff and security agreement with the United States.

According to the fact sheet, South Korea will spend 25 billion U.S. dollars on U.S. military equipment purchases by 2030. 
LONDON, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A search for a missing British Royal Navy crew member off the coast of the Republic of Ireland has been called off with no success, local media reported Sunday.

A search and rescue operation was launched on Saturday, immediately after the Irish Coast Guard was notified of the missing Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Tidesurge crew member, who was last seen Friday night, according to local media.

"After an extensive search, it is with deep sadness that we confirm the missing crew member of RFA Tidesurge has not been found," British Secretary of State for Defense John Healey said on Sunday.

The large-scale, multi-agency search took place in the sea off the north-west coast between Tory Island, County Donegal, and Eagle Island, County Mayo.

No further details have been given about the crew member, and their family has requested privacy. 
HAVANA, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Hongting Forum: Seminar in Havana has been held recently in the Cuban capital, bringing together journalists, scholars and diplomats to discuss China's development outlook and China-Cuba cooperation.

Co-hosted on Wednesday by Xinhua News Agency, the Institute of Party History and Literature of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Cuba's Institute of Information and Social Communication, the forum offered a platform to reflect on China's modernization process and its global relevance.

Ricardo Ronquillo, president of the Cuban Journalists' Union, said that China's people-centered development model and continuity in socialist modernization serve as "an example of strategic planning and perseverance."

While China and Cuba have different national contexts, Ronquillo said, China's experience provides valuable insights for improving Cuba's socialist model, especially in planning and public participation.

At the forum, Xinhua representatives presented key outcomes of the fourth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, saying that participants deliberated over and adopted the Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development.

Eduardo Regalado, researcher at the International Policy Research Center of Cuba, said that modern planning in China uses flexible indicators that adjust to social and economic dynamics, which has been key to its sustained success.

Jorge Leganoa, president of Prensa Latina news agency, praised China's approach to global cooperation. "China does not extend its hand from a position of superiority, but from a genuine will to build together and face common challenges such as hunger, climate change and hegemony."

Valia Marquinez, a journalist at Cubavision International, shared impressions from her recent visits to China, describing it as "a country advancing daily with rising living standards."

She highlighted China's progress in digitalization, clean energy and biotechnology, noting that Cuba is cooperating with China in these fields through the Belt and Road Initiative. 
Geneva, Switzerland (PANA) - Ukraine is facing what has been described as an unprecedented housing crisis three and a half years after the full-scale invasion of the Eastern European country by Russia
The cast and crew of Chinese opera The Monkey King answer curtain call after the premiere of the opera in San Francisco, the United States, on Nov. 14, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

Running about 2 hours and 20 minutes, the production combines centuries-old techniques with modern innovation. Traditional Chinese shadow-puppet methods appear alongside digital mapping projections, creating a visual language that connects historical forms with contemporary stage design.

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- A new opera based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West made its world premiere Friday evening at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, presenting the Monkey King to audiences through a blend of Eastern and Western artistic traditions.

"Monkey King," with music by composer Huang Ruo and a libretto by playwright David Henry Hwang, was commissioned by San Francisco Opera in partnership with the Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota. The opera will run through Nov. 30.

Adapted from the opening chapters of Ming Dynasty writer Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West, the opera chronicles the early exploits of the Monkey King, or Sun Wukong. Performed in both English and Chinese, it weaves opera, dance and puppetry into the story of the stone-born monkey who challenges the gods of the seas and heavens in his pursuit of immortality.

Chinese Opera The Monkey King holds its final dressed rehearsal in San Francisco, the United States, on Nov. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

Running about 2 hours and 20 minutes, the production combines centuries-old techniques with modern innovation. Traditional Chinese shadow-puppet methods appear alongside digital mapping projections, creating a visual language that connects historical forms with contemporary stage design.

Costumes also reflect this fusion: several chorus outfits draw from traditional patterns while incorporating street-art elements made possible through 3D printing. The score mirrors this blend by pairing Western symphonic instruments with traditional Chinese ones such as the pipa, Chinese opera gong and small crash cymbals.

Calling the Monkey King "Asia's supreme superhero," Huang Ruo said the character's appeal reaches far beyond China.

"The Monkey King's adventures awaken in him an understanding of true power which leads to his self-enlightenment," he said, voicing hope that the new opera will always appear in any "turbulent" time as "a positive light."

Chinese Opera The Monkey King holds its final dressed rehearsal in San Francisco, the United States, on Nov. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)

San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock said the production continues the company's long-running commitment to cultural exchange. "I am so proud that San Francisco Opera is bringing this operatic 'Monkey King' to life," he said, calling it a privilege to present "one of the great stories of Chinese literature on the American opera stage."

To deepen audience engagement, San Francisco Opera and community partners are hosting a range of cultural activities during the performance run. The opera house features hands-on experiences and an art exhibition showcasing works inspired by the Monkey King legend, along with opportunities for traditional Chinese calligraphy and themed photo sessions.

Additional events -- including panel discussions, puppetry workshops, film screenings, exhibitions and an outdoor public marketplace -- extend the world premiere beyond the stage and into the wider community.
Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley reads out a declaration in Burnaby, Canada, Nov. 15, 2025. Canada's Burnaby city has made an apology to Chinese Canadians over "historic discrimination" and repealed discriminatory bylaws that impacted them. "I stand before you on behalf of the City of Burnaby to acknowledge and apologize for our historic discrimination against people of Chinese descent," Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley declared on Saturday. (Photo by Wan Bin/Xinhua)

OTTAWA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Canada's Burnaby city has made an apology to Chinese Canadians over "historic discrimination" and repealed discriminatory bylaws that impacted them.

"I stand before you on behalf of the City of Burnaby to acknowledge and apologize for our historic discrimination against people of Chinese descent," Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley declared on Saturday.

"Today, we shine a light on the historic wrongs and systemic racism perpetuated by Burnaby's municipal government and elected officials between 1892 and 1947 and commit to ensuring that this dark period of our City's history is never repeated," he said.

The city denounces the discriminatory policies and actions of the past that targeted people of Chinese descent and is committed to recognizing their contributions to the city's shared history, the mayor added.

Three major discriminatory bylaws enacted between 1892 and 1947 by the city were formally repealed Saturday.

Burnaby Councilor James Wang, who played a key role in the city's reconciliation effort, reflected on the process in an interview: "This apology comes after years of collaboration between the city government and the Chinese community. In the reconciliation process, we discovered many historic discriminatory policies."

"Over the past two years, we set up an advisory group and held more than one hundred community events to gather feedback, ensuring that this apology truly meets the needs of affected families," Wang added.

Since 2005, the Canadian federal government, the British Columbia provincial government and the Vancouver city government, among others, have apologized for their past discrimination against Chinese Canadians. 
IE Tower campus, one of the few vertical college campuses in the world.

When you think about business schools that are genuinely leaning into the AI era, IE Business School comes forward in a big way. It isnt just adding a module here or thereits making AI part of its very identity. IE recognized early that we had to embrace AI.

One of the more striking moves: a university-wide collaboration with OpenAI to roll out ChatGPT Edu for its full communitystudents, faculty and staff alike. That kind of scale in an AI rollout is rare, and it speaks to IEs intent to embed AI across every level of learning and leadership.

On the curriculum side, IE has woven AI into core programs rather than isolating it. In their Master in Management program, students now take courses such as Big Data & Machine Learning, Chatbots & Intelligent Interfaces. For the Master in Finance, theyve added Deep Learning in Python.

Beyond that, through their AI for Functions initiative, IE offers short-intensive executive programs aimed at how generative AI reshapes domains like finance, marketing, legal or HR. One example: a 3-day in-person program on AI-Powered Finance in Madrid, with hands-on tool demos, case studies, and personalized implementation roadmap.

Its not just about tech and tools. IEs approach emphasizes leadership, ethics and governance of AI. Their foundational modules in AI for Functions include strategic transformation frameworks, ethical governance and change-management for AI-driven workflowsnot simply how to use the software.

At the faculty level, IE boasts a strong roster. For example, associate professor Konstantina Valogianni was named among Poets&Quants Best 40 Under 40 MBA Professors for her work teaching AI and machine learning technologies at IE. That level of recognition reflects the institutions depth in this area.

What sets IE apart too is the combination of agility and scope. In the P&Q article, their dean Lee Newman is quoted saying IEs governance structure lets them move faster than many traditional business schools. That kind of positioning gives IE an edge in the fast-shifting AI world.

IE is also thinking about how students engage with AInot just using it, but understanding its societal impact. Their AI manifesto covers assessment reform, academic integrity in an AI-rich environment, and helping students adopt the right mindset for what the article calls a mindset divide in AI.

For students and executives alike, IE offers concrete programs that match the rhetoric. The AI-Powered Finance course, for instance, includes modules like generative AI tools, workflow design, and real-world case studies from institutions like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan. That bridges theory to action.
Nuthawut Somsuk / iStock via Getty Images

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If youre thinking about retiring or know someone who is, there are three quick questions causing many Americans to realize they can retire earlier than expected. take 5 minutes to learn more here

I'm of the view that passive and active investors alike can find value in owning exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Because there are more ETFs on the market today than individual stocks, there's a fund for every kind of investor.

These highly diversified investing vehicles allow investors to purchase a stake in a wide range of companies, with portfolios that are automatically rebalanced based on certain criteria. The upside for investors is that they often are charged only a few basis points for the portfolio creation and rebalancing/turnover activity that takes place within these ETFs. Indeed, thinking back to the 1980s and 1990s where fund managers would often charge much higher fees for such services, that's an overall win for the investing public.

Why? Well, compounding one's returns year after year is great, but fees can eat into a significant percentage of overall gains in the long run. Thus, such funds allow for excellent portfolio diversification and risk management at a rock-bottom cost, and that's a factor that's led to trillions of dollars flowing into such ETFs today.

Of course, the question is which ETFs are the best options for investors to consider right now? Here are my three top picks, personally.

Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF (VPU)

I think the utilities sector is among the top spaces investors should be honing in on right now. In this space, the Vanguard Utilities Index Fund ETF (VPU) is one of the best such options for those looking to invest in this sector, but don't know where to start.

This ETF tracks the entire utilities sector, deriving all of its revenue and earnings from companies providing electricity and natural gas utilities to commercial and residential customers in various locales. As such, for investors looking to take a bite out of the AI trade, and who believe investing in the back-end power generation capacity required to support next-generation chips and the compute required to power these applications, this would certainly be the direction I'd go in.

I think the utilities sector is one that actually could be among the biggest long-term winners from the rise of AI, electrification trends more broadly, and technology usage. As we consume more data and compute, utilities companies which already have strong and stable balance sheets could outperform by a wider margin.
Brought together by the Nordic designation, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland have all been experiencing a major tourist boon over the last five years.

The 6.2 million international visitors who came to see the fjords and picturesque fishing towns of Norway are a record for a nation with a population of just 5.6 million while, once passed over by all but the most seasoned travelers, Finland is also emerging as a new tourist hotspot in large part from travelers who seek to avoid crowded destinations and discover something new  the country also saw a 14% increase in international visitors in the first half of 2025.

Amid this demand, Finnish national airline Finnair is significantly expanding its network from its hub at Helsinki Airport (HEL) with 12 new flights to different cities across Europe and the Nordic countries in particular: the new routes include direct flights to smaller cities such as Kuressaare off the coast of Estonia and Stavanger in southwestern Norway.

New routes to "connect new markets to our long-haul network," Finnair says

The other new flights include routes from Helsinki to Luxembourg, Thessaloniki, Turin, and Tirana in Albania) and Umea in Sweden. According to Finnair, many of these destinations were also designed to serve American travelers who are using Finnair to fly into Helsinki on the way to the smaller destinations that many are increasingly looking to explore.

"We are excited to tap into growth opportunities in the market, further strengthening our broad network of direct connections from our Helsinki hub," Javier Roig Sanchez, Finnairs North American general manager, said in a statement. "The new European destinations also connect new markets to our long-haul network, providing improved connectivity to popular destinations for US travelers such as Greece, and to our expanding network of Nordic countries."

Related: This airport has a sauna right on its runway

The 12 new European routes will start running right before the peak summer travel period in 2026 while for the upcoming winter Finnair will also add frequencies on routes to its northernmost province of Lapland. Often dubbed "Santa Claus Village" for its festive atmosphere in a snowy surrounding, the town of Rovaniemi in the Arctic Circle sees its highest number of tourists during this time of year.

Finnair is the flag carrier and national airline of Finland.

In time for Christmas, Finland is also upping its flights to Santa Claus Village

The flights to the Lapland city of Kittila from Brussels (BRU) and Zurich (ZRH) will now run twice a week up until March 2026 alongside with the direct flight to Rovaniemi from Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG).
Alibaba is developing a deposit-token payment system designed to streamline global commerce while working within the increasingly strict stance Beijing has taken toward stablecoins, according to new reporting and comments from company executives.

The effort reflects a broader push among Chinese firms to modernize cross-border payments without triggering regulatory backlash as authorities tighten control over digital currencies.

The initiative comes from Alibabas fast-growing cross-border e-commerce division, which on Friday also announced a new AI-powered subscription service meant to boost revenue.

As China Shuts Down Stablecoin Ambitions, Alibaba Shifts to Tokenized Bank Money

Kuo Zhang, president of Alibaba.com, told CNBC the company is preparing to use tokenized versions of the euro and U.S. dollar to settle international B2B payments more efficiently.

These tokens, often referred to as deposit tokens, are issued by regulated banks and backed directly by customer deposits, distinguishing them from privately issued stablecoins that regulators in Beijing have repeatedly warned against.

Zhang said Alibaba expects tokenized payments to reduce settlement times, cut intermediary fees, and allow funds to move simultaneously across markets such as the U.S., Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore, and mainland China.

He added that Alibaba.com plans to partner with global banking firms, including JPMorgan, whose own tokenization system, JPMD, officially launched this year for institutional clients.

The timing has drawn scrutiny. In July and August, Chinese firms, including JD.com and Alibaba affiliate Ant Group, lobbied to issue yuan-based stablecoins in Hong Kong.

Their goal was to counter the overwhelming dominance of U.S. dollar stablecoins, which account for more than 90% of the $304.9 billion market.

Source: DefiLlama

However, by October, both companies abruptly paused those ambitions after the Peoples Bank of China and other regulators privately instructed major tech firms to halt any plans to issue or back stablecoins, even in Hong Kongs newly regulated environment.

Officials showed concern that privately issued fiat-backed tokens could erode the states monetary authority.

Regulators have since doubled down, warning companies not to publish stablecoin research or hold seminars on the topic, citing risks of fraud and illicit finance.

The PBoC governor, Pan Gongsheng, last month called stablecoins a growing threat to global financial stability and reaffirmed Chinas zero-tolerance policy toward private digital currencies, even as the digital yuan continues expanding.
Alibaba Group Holding (NYSE:BABA) is one of the best blue-chip stocks to buy now. On October 22, analysts at Mizuho reiterated an Outperform rating on Alibaba Group Holding (NYSE:BABA) and raised the price target to $195 from $159.

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA) Price Target Hiked at Mizuho amid Xpeng Robotaxi Partnership

The price target hike comes amid expectations that the company is on track to deliver a strong summer, with an extremely high volume of delivery orders. The research firm expects the company to benefit from increased incentives. Additionally, Mizuho expects Alibaba to gain market share in the banking sector due to its full-stack artificial intelligence offerings.

In addition to pushing for growth in the banking sector, Alibaba is also expanding its footprint into the robotaxi business. On November 5, Chinese EV manufacturer Xpeng announced it will partner with Alibabas mapping unit Amap to roll out a new robotaxi service. The two are joining forces to launch three self-driving robotaxi models ahead of trial operations next year. The integration of driverless cars into Amaps platform will also pave the way for the development of a global robotaxi service network.

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) is a technology company that operates primarily in e-commerce, cloud computing, and online payment services.

While we acknowledge the potential of BABA as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: Top 9 Undervalued Asset Management Stocks to Buy and 13 Best AI Stocks to Buy Under $20.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Clark Art Names Inaugural Curator of its Aso O. Tavitian Collection

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Clark Art Institute announced that Lara Yeager-Crasselt has been appointed to serve as the first Aso O. Tavitian Curator of Early Modern European Painting and Sculpture.

Yeager-Crasselt is currently the Curator and Department Head of European Painting and Sculpture at the Baltimore Museum of Art, where she oversees the museum's collection of fifteenth- through eighteenth-century painting and sculpture, including its research, exhibition, loans, acquisitions, and publication. Prior to her current role at the Baltimore Museum of Art, she held prestigious curatorial and research positions at The Leiden Collection in New York and at KU Leuven, Belgium, among others. From 20152017, Yeager-Crasselt served as the Clark's Interim Curator of Painting and Sculpture.

"We are delighted to welcome Lara Yeager-Crasselt back to the Clark and we feel incredibly fortunate to be able to entrust the Aso O. Tavitian Collection to her stewardship," said Olivier Meslay, Hardymon Director of the Clark. "She is an ideal person to manage this collection, and we feel confident that Lara will play a major role in shaping the many ways in which we share these remarkable works of art with our visitors in the years ahead."

Yeager-Crasselt's curatorial experience includes a rich array of international exhibitions including Watershed: Transforming the Landscape in Early Modern Dutch Art (Baltimore Museum of Art); Exchanging Words: Women and Letters in Seventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting (Timken Museum of Art, San Diego); Rembrandt, Vermeer, and the Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection and the Musee du Louvre (Louvre Abu Dhabi); The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer: Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection (Pushkin Museum, Moscow and The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia), and Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes from the Prado at the Clark.

"Lara is an exceptional scholar and curator and is well-regarded for her expertise in early modern painting and sculpture," said Esther Bell, the Clark's Deputy Director and Robert and Martha Berman Lipp Chief Curator. "Her deep knowledge and curatorial acumen will be a phenomenal addition to our team and will be so important to her research on the Tavitian Collection. Lara will also work with the Clark's full collection of fifteenth- through eighteenth-century paintings and sculpture, and I know that her prior experience with our existing collection will be particularly important as she integrates this transformative gift and develops the plan for its installation in the new Aso O. Tavitian Wing. I look forward to collaborating with Lara on our summer 2026 exhibition An Exquisite Eye: Introducing the Tavitian Collection, which will provide the first opportunity for our visitors to see some of the magnificent treasures in the Tavitian Collection."

An Exquisite Eye opens on June 13, 2026, and will showcase works by many of the most acclaimed artists of the early modern eraJan van Eyck, Andrea della Robbia, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Peter Paul Rubens, Jean-Antoine Watteau, and Jacques Louis David, among others. The exhibition will remain on view at the Clark through February 21, 2027.

The Aso O. Tavitian Collection was gifted to the Clark in 2024 from the foundation of the late collector, philanthropist, and connoisseur, Aso O. Tavitian. Between 2004 and 2020, Mr. Tavitian assembled the most significant private collection of European art assembled in North America in the twenty-first century. Representing one of the largest gifts in the Clark's history, the Tavitian gift includes 331 works of art from Mr. Tavitian's personal collection and more than $45 million to endow two new positions on the Clark's curatorial staff to oversee the collection; provide necessary support for its long-term care; and fund construction of the Aso O. Tavitian Wing at the Clark, which is slated to open in 2028. The gift of art includes 132 paintings, 130 sculptures, thirty-nine drawings, and thirty decorative arts objects, creating an important addition to the Clark's holdings and more than doubling the size of its sculpture collection.

"It is a tremendous honor to represent Aso O. Tavitian's collection and his legacy at the Clark, as well as a great privilege and joy to be able to care for these extraordinary objects in my new role," Yeager-Crasselt said. "I am truly thrilled to be returning to the Clark after these many years, and eager to join the team there in realizing the new Tavitian Wing and the first presentation of the collection this summer."

In addition to her curatorial activity, Yeager-Crasselt has published widely on the art of the Netherlands, particularly its cross-cultural and artistic exchange with Italy, among which are studies on Michael Sweerts and Francois Duquesnoy. She is also a dedicated teacher, having taught art history to students at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore; Vassar College; George Washington University, Washington, D.C., the University of Maryland, College Park; and The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. She holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Maryland and a bachelor of arts degree in History from Vassar College.

Yeager-Crasselt will begin work at the Clark in December 2025 and will immediately join the Institute's cross-departmental team planning the construction of the Tavitian Wing. Designed by Selldorf Architects, New York City, the building project will get underway in early 2027 and will provide a permanent home for the Tavitian Collection.
Amazon is taking a major step toward cleaner energy with plans to build a new small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) facility in Richland, Washington, reported Interesting Engineering.

The project, known as the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility, aims to supply carbon-free power for Amazon's operations, including the rapidly growing energy demands of artificial intelligence, and to contribute clean electricity to the regional grid.

In partnership with Energy Northwest and X-energy, Amazon plans to build up to 12 reactors using X-energy's Xe-100 design.

Construction is expected to begin by the end of the decade, with operations starting sometime in the 2030s. The initial output is expected to be approximately 320 megawatts, sufficient to power hundreds of thousands of homes, with the potential to expand to 960 megawatts.

"This project isn't just about new technology; it's about creating a reliable source of carbon-free energy that will support our growing digital world," said Kara Hurst, Amazon's chief sustainability officer. "I'm excited about the potential of SMRs and the positive impact they will have on both the environment and local communities."

The Cascade project is expected to create more than 1,000 construction jobs and over 100 permanent positions in nuclear operations.

It will also support local education. Columbia Basin College plans to open an Energy Learning Center featuring a simulator modeled after X-energy's control room, training the next generation of clean energy workers.

Nuclear energy's role in the climate conversation is both promising and complex. It produces large amounts of electricity without releasing carbon dioxide, helping countries and companies meet their climate goals.

It can also complement renewable sources like wind and solar by providing steady, reliable power. Yet, nuclear power comes with challenges; radioactive waste management, high construction costs, and public safety concerns remain key issues.

Balancing these factors is critical as the world seeks sustainable energy solutions.

For Amazon, the Cascade project represents more than a power upgrade; it signals a shift toward exploring new technologies that could redefine how data-driven industries power their operations.

Whether this move sparks wider change across the tech sector remains to be seen, but it marks an important experience in the evolving story of clean energy.
MassDOT Launches Community Culvert, Unpaved Roads Grants

BOSTON - The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Highway Division is announcing updates to Grant Central, a one-stop shop for MassDOT's municipal grant programs.

Updates include launching two new grant programs and implementing a Fully Integrated Application (FIA), an all-in-one funding request application used for all of the MassDOT Highway Division's competitive grant programs. Municipalities may now apply for design support and up to $1,000,000 in construction funding for a single transportation project. Multiple grant programs can be used to fund a single project based on size and scope. Applications are accepted twice per year.???

"Grant Central is a game-changer for municipal leaders. It's a one stop shop for leaders to find out what grant programs they have available to them and as a former mayor, I'm thrilled that we're making it easier for municipal leaders to deliver for their communities," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. As an administration, we're committed to ensuring our 351 cities and towns can thrive, and these new grants and this application system will give them the resources and tools to do that."

Grant Central will now accept applications for two new programs, the Community Culverts Program, and the Unpaved Roads Program. The Community Culverts Program provides funding to municipalities and Tribal governments for culvert modernization, reconstruction, removal, repair, replacement, and resiliency and biodiversity improvements. The Unpaved Roads Program supports the maintenance, repair, and improvement of locally owned dirt and gravel roads across Massachusetts.??

Grant Central is a streamlined portal that manages MassDOT Highway Division's eight municipal grant programs including the Chapter 90 Program, Complete Streets Funding Program, Shared Streets and Spaces Program, Municipal Pavement Program, Municipal Small Bridge Program, the Local Bottleneck Reduction Program, Community Culverts Program, and the Unpaved Roads Program.??

The new FIA combines the applications of all Highway Division competitive grant programs into one easy to use application. By utilizing unique logic, the application only asks relevant questions based on user inputs. Using the project scope, MassDOT matches the request to the appropriate funding program(s) for consideration.?With FIA, municipalities no longer need to research which grant program to apply to or manage various program deadlines.???

Design is now an eligible expense for all FIA programs. Municipalities may apply for design funding up to $150,000 (unless working with a MassDOT-led designer through the Local Bottleneck Reduction, Community Culverts, or Small Bridge Programs, where design is fully funded). FIA also introduces an increased construction grant limit of $1,000,000 per award, regardless of funding source(s). Finally, equipment and materials grants are available through FIA up to $250,000.??

Applications will be accepted beginning November 6, 2025, and will close January 9, 2026, for the 2026 Fiscal Year.???

Grant Central streamlines MassDOT Highway Division grants, having all information for the eight municipal grant programs in one location at an organized, user-friendly, online portal. Municipal officials who visit the grants portal can read specific details about what each grant program requires for the application to be considered, along with grant contract amounts, deadlines for applications, and MassDOT contact information should officials have questions. This portal also introduces a public-facing grant award tracker, showcasing all grant awards on a map for greater transparency than ever before. Grant Central revolutionizes grant management for MassDOT and municipalities statewide.???

For more info on Grant Central and all MassDOT municipal grants, please visit:?https://madothway.my. site.com/GrantCentral/s/??
Clemente Marzullo, the 47-year-old entrepreneur from Acerra, had recently begun the process of obtaining Colombian citizenship when he was cold-bloodedly shot by two hitmen in Cali, Colombia, on Tuesday. However, the detail that emerged from the investigations regarding Marzullos desire to become a citizen of the South American country does not significantly aid the investigation of this murder, shrouded in deep mystery from the start. Nonetheless, this citizenship aspect clearly illustrates the level of integration Marzullo had achieved in the city that ultimately led to his demise. The only certainty that solidifies by the hour about the dynamics of the murder is that the businessman involved in import-export was the planned target of a true mafia-style execution. According to what has leaked so far, it is now established that Marzullo was not the victim of a robbery attempt. The 47-year-old was shot dead by five gunshots fired at close range by a professional hitman who got off a motorcycle driven by an accomplice. The assassin acted while Marzullo had exited his car to unload food in front of his home in the upscale El Limonar residential neighborhood. Investigators are trying to clarify this murder, the latest in an unprecedented wave of violence in Cali, the epicenter of drug trafficking cartels. Clemente Marzullos family has requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to repatriate the body to Italy, to Acerra. However, it is still necessary for an autopsy to be performed in Colombia. Subsequently, the Rome prosecutors office, responsible for murders of Italians abroad, might order a second autopsy in Italy. But there remains a thick fog over this case, which occurred amidst a terrible wave of violence. Consider that on the same day Marzullo was killed, seven other people were murdered in the same manner in different parts of the city. Regarding a possible Italian connection behind this murder, nothing has emerged so far. Marzullo had no criminal record. He was also registered with the Cali Chamber of Commerce. Colombian newspapers speak of an import-export company owned by the entrepreneur from Acerra, who was specialized in the trade of all sorts of products, particularly in real estate transactions. Meanwhile, in Acerra, many people are remembering the entrepreneur by posting a flood of condolence messages on social media. 'I remember you from the times at the teaching institute,' wrote an old friend. 'He was an honest and decent worker,' others who knew Marzullo affirm, 'lets leave the insinuations to the malicious and now rest in peace.' Clemente Marzullo left Acerra twelve years ago to live and work in Colombia, directly in Cali. Here he had a partner and no children. But his move abroad was not driven by pressing economic issues. Marzullo came from a well-off family. In Acerra, he left behind his mother, devastated by grief, and two sisters.

 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This article is automatically translated
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Thousands of people gathered in Manila on Sunday for the start of a three-day rally called by a religious group to demand accountability over a flood-control corruption scandal involving powerful Philippine lawmakers and government officials.

It is the latest show of outrage over accusations of corruption in flood-control projects in one of the world's most typhoon-prone countries. A series of protests were held in recent months after it was discovered that thousands of flood defence projects in the country were substandard, incomplete or simply did not exist.

Government engineers, public works officials and construction company executives testified under oath in hearings by the national senate and a fact-finding commission that lawmakers and public works department officials took bribes from construction firms to help them receive lucrative contracts and avoid accountability. Most denied the allegations.

Police estimated that nearly 130,000 members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, or Church of Christ, had gathered in Manila's Rizal Park by mid-afternoon ahead of the rally, many wearing white and carrying anti-corruption placards.

Other groups were scheduled to hold a separate protest later in the day at the People Power monument in suburban Quezon city.

Iglesia is an influential group that votes as a bloc and is courted by politicians during elections.

Police, backed by the military, went on full alert and deployed thousands of personnel to secure the weekend rallies, although the government expected them to be peaceful, according to a confidential security assessment seen by the Associated Press.

During a 21 September anti-corruption demonstration, a few hundred black-clad protesters threw rocks, bottles, and firebombs at policemen near the presidential palace in Manila, injuring over 100 officers. Criminal complaints were subsequently filed against 97 protesters.

The presidential palace went on security lockdown over the weekend, with all major access roads barricaded by anti-riot police, cargo containers, and barbed wires.

National police chief Lt Gen Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr ordered law enforcement to exercise maximum tolerance at Sunday's rallies.

Flood control is an especially sensitive issue in the Philippines, one of the countries most prone to deadly typhoons, flooding and extreme weather.

Two typhoons left at least 259 people dead this month, mostly from flash floods and landslides, and forced millions to evacuate.

An anti-corruption protester kicks the shield of a policeman during clashes in Manila, Philippines, on 21 September 2025 ( AP )

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has been trying to quell public outrage and street protests sparked by the scandal, saying last week that many of the lawmakers and wealthy businesspeople implicated would be in jail by Christmas.

Marcos said an independent fact-finding commission that he created had already filed criminal complaints for graft and corruption and plunder against 37 suspects.

Criminal complaints had also been filed against 86 construction company executives and nine government officials for allegedly evading almost 9 billion pesos (116m) in taxes.

Among the accused are lawmakers opposed to and allied with Mr Marcos, including former House of Representatives speaker Martin Romualdez, the president's cousin and a key ally, and former Senate president Chiz Escudero. Both deny any wrongdoing.

Senator Bong Go, a key ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte, is also accused of involvement in the scandal and denied the allegations.

Mr Duterte, a harsh critic of Mr Marcos, was detained by the International Criminal Court in the Hague in March for alleged crimes against humanity over his anti-drugs crackdowns.

Mr Dutertes daughter, the current vice president, argued that Mr Marcos should also be held accountable and jailed for approving the 2025 budget, which set aside billions for flood control projects.

There have been isolated calls, including by some supporters of Mr Duterte, for the military to withdraw support from Mr Marcos, but Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen Romeo Brawner Jr has rejected those calls.

With full conviction, I assure the public that the armed forces will not engage in any action that violates the constitution, he said. Not today, not tomorrow and certainly not under my watch.
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The grieving family of a grandmother killed by a motorcyclist escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh through London have said they are suing the Metropolitan Police after he was acquitted.

Helen Holland, 81, died two weeks after she was sent flying through the air while after being struck by a police outrider at a pedestrian crossing in West Cromwell Road, west London, on 10 May 2023.

PC Christopher Harrison, 68, was travelling at between 44mph and 58mph as he approached the crossing, despite a 30mph limit.

A jury found him not guilty of causing her death by careless driving on Thursday after almost two and half hours of deliberating.

After the verdict was returned, one of Ms Hollands ten grandchildren shouted from the public gallery of the Old Bailey: You ruined our family with no consequences.

open image in gallery Helen Holland, from Birchanger, Essex, was visiting her sister in London when she struck as she crossed the road ( Family handout )

Now the family has revealed they plan to sue the force  not because they want any money  but to acknowledge that the grandmother did nothing wrong. The green man was illuminated, signalling it was safe to cross the road, when she was struck as she made her way home from visiting her sister.

Ms Hollands son Martin, 59, described her as the heart and glue of their family.

He told the Sunday Times: We are suing them just to make sure its recognised. Were not in the slightest bit interested in compensation  its about proving that mum did nothing wrong. She would never take a risk. Certainly crossing a road was one of the big risks that was important to her. She knew how to cross a road.

On the day of the incident, PC Harrison was among the team of convoy motorbike outriders that was escorting Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, as she left the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office in King Charles Street just after 3pm.

PC Harrison, who had 21 years of experience in the specialist escort group, was the main outrider in front of the hearse at Queen Elizabeths funeral in September 2022.

He told the court he couldnt put it into numbers how many times he had undertaken the journey and that he was very familiar with the route.

open image in gallery PC Christopher Harrison, who was part of a convoy escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh, was cleared of death by careless driving ( PA Archive )

Ms Holland was 2.9 metres onto the crossing when PC Harrisons motorbike hit her. She suffered a skull fracture, bruising to her arms, legs and body, plus fractures to her lower legs.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as complications from a severe head injury.

PC Harrison told jurors the collision was a tragic accident which occurred in circumstances that he had no control over.

Under cross-examination, he accepted he forgot to switch on his body-worn camera and did not use his whistle as he approached the pedestrian crossing but insisted he had not been complacent that day.

She was just there in front of me, he told jurors. She just appeared, between the kerb line and the point of collision. At no point did I see her on the island, Im sorry.

open image in gallery Jurors at the Old Bailey took almost two and half hours to acquit the Met officer ( PA Archive )

Ms Hollands sister, Dorothy Phillips, 91, who attended every day of the Old Bailey trial, has been left too scared to cross the road in the wake of tragedy.

Now nobody can go across any green crossing with any security at all, she said. I wont. Im too frightened to even cross the road.

PC Harrison is still likely to face disciplinary proceedings after a 12-month the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation found there was sufficient evidence to indicate he may have breached the police standards.

In a statement released after the trial, Commander Adam Slonecki said the Met are deeply sorry, adding: While nothing we can say or do can make up for this loss, we have worked to safeguard against future tragedies regardless of todays outcome.

Escort riders now have bullhorns fitted to their motorcycles to ensure public safety. They use these in addition to their whistles to warn people they are approaching. We will now consider any misconduct matters for PC Harrison as soon as possible.
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Two men have been arrested after a mobile phone was planted in the House of Commons to play sex noises during Prime Ministers Questions.

The device, discovered near the front bench, is thought to have been hidden there to deliberately disrupt the weekly showdown between Sir Keir Starmer and the opposition.

It had been taped to the underside of a table but had lost its grip and fallen on the floor, according to reports.

It later rang twice during PMQs with a sexually explicit ringtone, but had already been discovered during a routine security sweep on 3 September.

Scotland Yard launched an investigation into the prank, which is being treated as a major security breach.

A man in his 30s and a man in his 60s were arrested on suspicion of attempting to intentionally cause a public nuisance and bailed later that month, it has now emerged.

open image in gallery The device was found near the front bench, it is understood ( House of Commons )

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: At 10.25 on Wednesday 3 September a mobile phone was found during a routine search of the House of Commons chamber by Met officers.

Enquiries led officers to believe that the phone was purposely placed in a location with the aim of causing disruption to business in the house.

A man in his 30s was arrested on Friday 5 September on suspicion of attempting to intentionally cause a public nuisance.

Another man in his 60s was arrested on Tuesday 30 September on suspicion of the same offence. Both have been bailed to return at a later date.

Heightened security measures were introduced in the Commons after the phone was found. Audio and guided tours were cancelled and there was reduced access to the Commons chamber.

The House of Lords took the same decision to reduce access to the Lords Chamber as a precautionary measure.

open image in gallery Heightened security measures were brought in after the phone was found ( PA )

The incident occurred while hundreds of parliamentary security staff were on strike over pay and conditions, meaning visitors were banned from the parliamentary estate.

A UK Parliament spokesperson said at the time: Parliament is a public building and we facilitate the visits of thousands of people to the estate each week.

The safety and security of everyone who works or visits here remains our top priority, and we have robust and proactive security measures in place  this includes ensuring that visitors and their belongings are security screened, along with monitoring and routine searches of areas that are open to the public.

Whilst we cannot comment on the detail of our processes, we can confirm that a mobile phone was removed from the Commons Chamber on 3 September  demonstrating the effectiveness of the security measures we have in operation."
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Sending BBC licence fee money over to Mar-a-Lago would not be a smart thing to do, the shadow home secretary has said after Donald Trump threatened to sue the corporation for up to $5bn.

Chris Philp said he believed the president is the wronged party in his battle with BBC, but that he did not think that using licence fee money to settle the matter would be a good idea.

Mr Trump told reporters on Air Force One over the weekend that he would sue the corporation for anywhere between $1bn and $5bn probably sometime next week.

His comments followed an apology from the BBC on Thursday in which it said the Panorama edit of Mr Trumps Capitol speech on 6 January 2021 had given the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action.

The broadcaster apologised and said the splicing of the speech was an error of judgment but refused to pay financial compensation after the US presidents lawyers threatened to sue for $1bn in damages unless a retraction and apology were published.

open image in gallery Donald Trump has indicated that he will speak to Keir Starmer about the potential legal action ( PA )

Asked whether licence fee payers money should go towards the White House, Mr Philp told the BBCs Laura Kuenssberg: No, I dont think so.

So look, we all work hard and pay our licence fee. I dont think sending some of it over to Mar-a-Lago would be a smart thing to do. The historic Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, is owned by Mr Trump.

Speaking earlier about the edit, Mr Philp said that we expect a lot higher standard than that of our national broadcaster.

It comes after Mr Trump indicated he would speak to Sir Keir Starmer over the weekend about the matter.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood declined to comment on conversations between the PM and the president, but told the same BBC programme that the government supports the corporation.

She urged the broadcaster to get your house in order and added: But we are supporting the BBC and we believe it has an important role to play in our national life, and standing for impartial news in an ever more contested world.

open image in gallery The BBC apologised for an error in judgement but refused to pay compensation ( PA )

The BBC said on Saturday that it had not yet had any further contact from Mr Trumps lawyers.

A spokesperson said: We have had no further contact from President Trumps lawyers at this point. Our position remains the same.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey suggested licence fee payers would be shocked that Donald Trump is coming to pick their pocket.

Mr Trump has a history of suing news organisations in the US, and settled a legal dispute with CBS News over an interview it broadcast on its 60 Minutes programme with former vice-president Kamala Harris.

The Panorama scandal saw the resignations of two of the BBCs most senior executives: director general Tim Davie and news chief Deborah Turness.

The programme, broadcast a week before the 2024 US election results, spliced two clips together so that Mr Trump appeared to tell the crowd: Were going to walk down to the Capitol and Ill be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell.

The BBC has said it will not air the Panorama episode Trump: A Second Chance? again, and published a retraction on the shows webpage on Thursday.
Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) (BRK.B) revealed a new position in Google parent Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL) in its third-quarter 13F filing, released on Friday, Nov. 14.

According to the filing, Berkshire has a new position of 17,846,142 shares, worth nearly $4.4 billion.

More News from Barchart

This comes as the tech giants shares are up more than 46% in the year to date, and more than 12% in just the past month, making it the top-performing Magnificent 7 stock.

According to Barcharts 13-indicator Opinion rating system, Buffetts Q3 move makes sense. GOOGL has a 100% Buy rating currently, and has had the same opinion over the past week and month. That trend is only strengthening, per the same system.

www.barchart.com

For traders and buy-and-hold investors alike, theres comfort in GOOGL stock trading above its 20-, 50-, 100-, and 200-day moving averages. Shares have dipped below the 5-day at the $284 level, but are climbing in after-hours trading toward that level again.

Plus, Google shares have a Trend Seeker Buy signal intact. Since Trend Seeker issued that Buy on Oct. 15, shares have already gained 10%.

www.barchart.com

Wall Street agrees with this bullish view. Analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating with an average price target of $315. This implies roughly 14% upside potential over the next 12 months.

Traders also reacted favorably to the companys Q3 earnings report. Revenue of $102.4 billion beat estimates for $99.85 billion, and its cloud segment grew revenue a massive 34% in Q3. Plus, despite its increasing capex to support growing artificial intelligence infrastructure, its earnings per share swelled from $2.12 to $2.87 year over year.

What Else Is Buffett Buying?

Berkshires Q3 13F also revealed larger positions in Chubb (CB), Sirius XM (SIRI), Lamar Advertising (LAMR), and Dominos Pizza (DPZ).

The conglomerate trimmed positions in long-time holdings Apple (AAPL), Bank of America (BAC), and DaVita (DVA) in the third quarter as well.

This comes as the nonagenarian is preparing to step down from his role as Berkshires CEO. In the new year, he will be handing the reins over to Greg Abel. Investors should also note that Berkshires investment managers Ted Weschler and Todd Combs each manage a portion of the companys equity portfolio, and are believed to be responsible for several smaller positions. It is unclear what role they will play in a post-Buffett Berkshire, and what role they played in individual Q3 transactions.

On the date of publication, Sarah Holzmann did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com
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A cross-party group of MPs has warned that the government risks missing both its housing and nature targets under proposed reforms.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) found measures in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, currently before Parliament, are insufficient to meet either goal.

The EACs report, published on Sunday, argued nature is not a blocker to housing but essential for resilient neighbourhoods.

The committee also concluded that without addressing skills shortages in ecology, planning, and construction, the government will miss its housebuilding goal.

The Bill overrides existing habitat and nature protections, which the government has suggested to be a barrier to its target to build 1.5 million houses by the end of this Parliament as well as wider economic growth.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have previously argued that current nature rules have gone too far, often citing the example of a 100 million bat tunnel for the construction of the HS2 railway route.

The government wants to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament ( Getty/iStock )

The draft legislation, if passed, would instead allow developers to make general environmental improvements and pay into a nature restoration fund that improves habitats on other sites.

Toby Perkins, chairman of the Environmental Audit Committee, said: The Governments target to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament is incredibly ambitious.

Achieving it alongside our existing targets on climate and sustainability  which are set in law  will require effort on a scale not seen before.

That certainly will not be achieved by scapegoating nature, claiming that it is a blocker to housing delivery.

We are clear in our report: a healthy environment is essential to building resilient towns and cities. It must not be sidelined.

Mr Perkins said issues that stand in the way include skills that do not exist at the scale needed, with staff at local authorities and regulators already stretched to their limit.

He also argued that ministers should introduce better incentives for people to build and live in carbon-friendly homes, or to retrofit existing ones.

It is possible to build the homes we need while protecting a resilient and healthy environment, and allowing nature to thrive, he said.

Some major changes might be needed, but nature is not the enemy.

In the report, the committee outlines a series of recommendations aimed at boosting manufacturing viability of green construction products and alter the tax burden to support eco-friendly homes.

The MPs welcomed the governments acceptance of an amendment to the Bill that would mean large-scale water projects could be considered nationally significant infrastructure.

Another amendment to ensure that electric vehicle-charging points are accessible for those with disabilities was replaced with a Government revision of the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018, which could see regulations used to impose accessibility.

But the EAC said these changes are not enough on their own to ensure the government can meet its environmental targets alongside housing targets.

The government must not veer down the path of viewing nature as an inconvenience or blocker to housebuilding, the report noted.

At worst, this approach could lead to the degradation of the natural world, preventing the achievement of legally-binding climate and nature targets, upon which our society and economy depend.

A government spokesperson said: The government inherited a failing system that delayed new homes and infrastructure while doing nothing for natures recovery.

We are fixing this with landmark reforms, including the Nature Restoration Fund, that will create a win-win for the economy and the environment.

This will get Britain building the 1.5 million homes we desperately need to restore the dream of homeownership, and not at the expense of nature.
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Chinese spies have been accused of posing as headhunters on LinkedIn to target MPs as part of a widespread operation to access information about the UK government, MI5 has warned.

The Security Service issued a new alert over Chinese espionage after it found that two recruiters were using online profiles to contact people working in Westminster on behalf of the Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS).

In a letter to MPs about the issue, Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said Chinese state actors were relentless in their attempts to interfere with our processes and influence activity at parliament.

He said that profiles under the names of Amanda Qiu and Shirly Shen were being used to conduct outreach at scale on behalf of China, while similar profiles were also acting as fronts for espionage.

Responding to the new alert, security minister Dan Jarvis said the government would not tolerate covert and calculated attempts by Beijing to interfere in the UKs sovereign affairs, as he vowed to disrupt, degrade and protect against Chinas dangerous and unrestrained offensive cyber ecosystem.

open image in gallery Lindsay Hoyle has described Chinese state actors as relentless in their attempts to interfere with our processes ( PA )

But Beijings embassy in the UK hit back, branding the allegations a charade and claiming that they are pure fabrication and malicious slander.

The allegations have reawoken serious concerns about the threat China poses to the UK, after the scandal surrounding the collapse of the trial of two men accused of spying for China, which led to days of questions about whether the government had intervened to undermine the prosecution of the pair, one a former parliamentary researcher and the other an academic.

The latest warning follows previous concerns around Chinas influence in the UK. Previously, there was controversy over the Chinese company Huawei being allowed to build and control the UKs 5G network, and there have also been arguments about whether to allow China to build UK nuclear reactors, and Chinese investment in British universities.

Ofcom withdrew the operating licence of CGTN (China Global Television Network) in 2021 following accusations that it was producing propaganda, and there have also been concerns about China stealing UK intellectual property.

Addressing the Commons on the LinkedIn allegations, Mr Jarvis said the government would take all necessary measures to protect our national interests, our citizens and our democratic way of life.

He said parliamentary staff, economists, think tank employees and government officials had all been targeted, as he warned that China has a low threshold for the sort of information that is useful, as it attempts to build a wider picture.

The latest effort follows the targeting of parliamentary emails in 2021, and attempted interference by Christine Lee, a lawyer accused by MI5 in 2022 of working for the Chinese government, Mr Jarvis told the Commons.

Sir Lindsay claimed that the Chinese MSS is actively reaching out to individuals in our community, warning that the ministry is seeking to collect information and lay the groundwork for long-term relationships, using professional networking sites, recruitment agents and consultants acting on their behalf.

open image in gallery Security minister Dan Jarvis said parliamentary staff, economists, think tank employees and government officials had all been targeted ( House of Commons )

Mr Jarvis announced plans to coordinate a new Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan to disrupt and deter spying, which would see the intelligence services deliver security briefings for political parties and issue new guidance to election candidates to help them to recognise, resist and report suspicious activity.

The intelligence services will also work with professional networking sites to make them a more hostile operating environment for spies, while ministers will tighten rules on political donations through a new Elections Bill.

Some 170m will be invested in renewing the sovereign and encrypted technology that civil servants use to safeguard sensitive work, the government announced on Tuesday.

A further 130m will be put into boosting Counter Terrorism Policings ability to enforce the National Security Act, as well as funding the work of the National Cyber Security Centre and National Protective Security Authority with critical businesses to protect their intellectual property.

Mr Jarvis said the recently introduced Cyber Security and Resilience Bill would provide safeguards, and he did not rule out the use of sanctions as a penalty against those involved in spying.

But MPs also heard that China is the UKs third-largest trading partner, as the minister said it is in the UKs long-term strategic interest to trade and work with China on shared priorities, including the environment, research and crime.

It comes after the collapse in September of a case against two men accused of spying for China, which sparked a row over Britains links with Beijing.

open image in gallery Christopher Berry (left) and Christopher Cash were accused of passing secrets to China  both have consistently denied wrongdoing ( PA )

In April 2024, Christopher Cash and Christopher Berry were charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) with spying under the provisions of the Official Secrets Act. They were accused of collecting and communicating information that could be useful to an enemy. Both denied the charges.

But in September this year, the CPS said the case could not progress because the governments deputy national security adviser, Matt Collins, was unwilling to classify China as an active threat to national security  raising questions about Britains willingness to confront China as Sir Keir Starmers government looks to build closer ties with Beijing.

In the wake of the collapse of the trial, there were growing calls for China to be classed as an enhanced-tier threat within the governments Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.

The scheme is designed to give Britain better tools to counter threats from hostile states, but currently only Russia and Iran have been designated as presenting a particular risk on the enhanced tier  which requires those working on a states behalf to declare any relevant activity.

Tory MP Alicia Kearns, who previously employed Mr Cash as a parliamentary researcher, wrote to ministers to urge them to put China on the enhanced tier, while the Liberal Democrats said the higher tier has a China-shaped hole.

Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Mr Jarvis said: We are looking closely at whether it is necessary to make further additions to the enhanced tier, but I can say to [Ms Kearns] that no decision has yet been made.
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At least four people were killed after a pair of boats carrying migrants capsized off Libyas coast, the countrys Red Crescent said.

One boat was carrying 26 people from Bangladesh and four of them died when the vessel overturned late Thursday, the Red Crescent said in a statement on Facebook.

The second boat was carrying 69 people, including two Egyptians and dozens of Sudanese nationals, among them children. The status of this vessel was unclear.

Images released by the Red Crescent showed bodies in black plastic bags laid out on a floor while volunteers administered first aid to survivors nearby.

They also showed the rescued migrants wrapped in silver thermal blankets, sitting on the ground as emergency workers moved among them.

The incident took place off the coastal city of Al Khums, about 118km east of the capital Tripoli, according to the Red Crescent.

Red Crescent rescuers worked alongside local authorities to pull bodies from the water and assist the survivors.

The charity said members of the Coast Guard and the Khums Port Security Agency took part in the operation and that the bodies recovered from the first vessel were later handed over to the relevant authorities on instructions from the citys public prosecution.

At least four people were killed after boats carrying migrants capsized off the Libyan coast ( Facebook/Libyan Red Crescent Society )

Libya has been a major transit hub for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and Asia since a Nato bombing campaign helped topple longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 and plunged the Arab nation into chaos and lawlessness.

The latest incident came just weeks after the International Organization for Migration said 42 migrants were missing and presumed dead after a rubber boat sank near the Al Buri oilfield off the Libyan coast.

In October, a wooden migrant boat that had departed Al Zawiya in northwest Libya capsized due to high waves, killing 18 people, according to the organisation. Another 64 people from Sudan, Bangladesh and Pakistan survived.

The latest shipwreck adds to the rising death toll in the Central Mediterranean, where more than 1,000 people have died since the beginning of 2025, including over 500 lost off the coast of Libya, according to the IOMs Missing Migrants Project.

European authorities have repeatedly urged Libya to improve monitoring and safety conditions along its coastline but rights groups say the situation for migrants remains precarious as departures continue despite the risks.
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Alice Wong, the acclaimed disability rights activist and author whose work profoundly inspired others, has died aged 51.

Wong passed away on Friday at a San Francisco hospital due to an infection, confirmed Sandy Ho, a close friend who had been in touch with her family.

Ho hailed her friend as a luminary of the disability justice movement.

She said Wong envisioned a world where disabled people, particularly those from marginalized demographics such as people of colour, LGBTQ individuals, and immigrants, could live freely with full autonomy.

The daughter of Hong Kong immigrants, Wong was diagnosed in childhood with a progressive neuromuscular disability.

She used a powered wheelchair and an assistive breathing device.

On social media, Ho shared a statement Wong wrote before her death in which she said she never imagined her trajectory would turn out as it did, to writing, activism and more.

It was thanks to friendships and some great teachers who believed in me that I was able to fight my way out of miserable situations into a place where I finally felt comfortable in my skin. We need more stories about us and our culture, Wong wrote.

She advocated getting people out of institutions and remaining in the community, Ho said.

Wong's works  including books she authored and edited and the Disability Visibility Project blog she started  shared her writing and voices and the perspectives of others, Ho said.

Wong was a funny person and a hilarious writer, not an easy skill, Ho said. Her memoir Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life is filled with humorous snippets but also humanizes disability, Ho said.

The legacy of Wong's work is that people with disabilities speak for themselves and that nobody speaks for us, Ho said.

Wong was among the 2024 class of fellows of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, recipients of the genius grant.
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In the polarized world of American politics, there's one subject at least finding common ground among Republicans and Democrats: Data farms.

More than 5,200 of these massive facilities  hubs for digital infrastructure that process data needed to run websites, apps, and much of the rest of the Internet  are spread across America, from large cities to tiny towns. And tech giants like OpenAI, Oracle, Google, and Amazon are racing to build more farms to fuel their computation-hungry AI research and development.

While data farms promise jobs and local investment, they can also require millions of gallons fresh water to operate, gobble up fossil fuel power and create a huge amount of noise.

In many areas, utility bills are going up to help offset data farms enormous energy demands. Ratepayers in 13 states and Washington D.C., where PJM Interconnection operates the regional power grid, are expected to see up to $70 increases, each month, on electric bills by 2028 due to the projected needs of data farms, according to Maryland State Senator Katie Fry Hester.

In response to the forecasted rate hikes, Hester created the PJM State Legislators Collaborative, a collection of lawmakers across the region to address the issue. Her first call was attended by 75 lawmakers.

open image in gallery Protesters in Indianapolis gather to demonstrate against a data center planned for the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood in October. While data farms promise jobs and local investment, they can also require millions of gallons fresh water to operate, gobble up fossil fuel power and create a huge amount of noise ( screengrab/WTHR )

"All of us legislators are dealing with our little piece of the puzzle right around electric rates and what we can control at the state level," she told The Independent. " But the billion dollar decisions are being made really high up. And if we didn't jump in and try to influence those decisions, then we were going to miss our opportunity."

Hester, a Democrat, said that she and many other legislators are not opponents of data farms, but are against regular people footing the bill for tech giants energy needs. And it's a message that has found rare bipartisan agreement.

"Some of us are red, some of us are blue, some of them are purple. But everybody thinks that it's not right for the average rate payer to be lining the pocket of Amazon or Google ... these big Fortune 500 companies should be paying for their business," Hester said.

PJM is currently considering 14 data center proposals but only a few include protections for ratepayers from ballooning energy costs, according to the lawmaker.

The company said, in an email to The Independent, that as a grid operator it is acutely aware of the challenges that higher energy prices pose to the people and businesses of any state or jurisdiction we serve.

We are doing everything we can to bring more generation supply onto the system. We have made substantial progress in reforming our process for connecting generation resources to the grid, and through our recently announced partnership with Google/Tapestry, we are working to use artificial intelligence to further streamline and potentially shorten the study process.

open image in gallery A data farm owned by Amazon Web Services, front right, is under construction next to the Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Berwick, Pennsylvania. U.S. data farms used approximately 17 gigawatts of power in 2022. A large nuclear power generator produces 1 gigawatt of energy, which can power between 300,000 and 750,000 U.S. homes ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Similar stories are playing out around the country.

DTE, Michigans largest electric utility provider, has said ratepayers wont see an increase in their bills related to data farms. But Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel filed an affidavit as part of a notice of intervention which stated that DTEs contracts with data center operators would entail hundreds of millions of dollars of capital commitments which will affect customer utility rates over at least two decades, Planet Detroit reports.

The Independent has requested comment from DTE.

When residents of Michigans rural Saline Township learned a vast $7 billion data farm was going to be built near their homes, they made their opposition clear, leading to a 4-1 vote by township's Board of Trustees to reject the rezoning request for the new build.

But the victory was short-lived. Dallas-based firm Related Digital  leading the build project for tech behemoths OpenAI and Oracle  sued the township over its decision, and the trustees reversed course, agreeing to a settlement rather than a prolonged court battle with well-funded opponents.

The data center project is now back on track. Just leave us alone out in the country. We dont want it," local resident Ed Robinson, 60, told MLive.

Rolling out the welcome mat

The rapid expansion of digital technologies, crypto-mining, and AI, paired with the increased density of modern processors and the heat they generate, has seen an explosion in the demand for larger and more efficient data farms.

Todays warehouse-sized buildings are specially designed to provide optimal airflow and heat management  often via water or air cooling  to prevent the equipment from overheating.

open image in gallery A server room. The rapid expansion of digital technologies, crypto-mining, and AI, paired with the increased density of modern processors and the heat they generate, has seen an explosion in the demand for larger and more efficient data farms

Some 5,246 data farms are operating in the U.S., according to the most recent information from the Data Center Map project, collectively consuming at least 17 gigawatts of power. A large nuclear power generator produces 1 gigawatt of energy, which can power between 300,000 and 750,000 homes.

In the race for AI dominance, countries are rolling out data farms at breakneck speed to cope with the immense amounts of compute need.

With data farms needing more workers, land, and resources, some legislators have taken steps to make their cities and states more attractive to developers, seeing the opportunity for potential jobs and tax revenue.

In the past eight years, direct employment in the data farm industry grew by more than 50 percent - streaking ahead of the 10 percent job growth rate in the broader U.S. market. Data farms contributed $355 billion to the economy in 2017, ballooning to $727B in 2023 - a 105 percent increase.

State and local communities are getting a big slice of that pie. The Data Center Coalition reports that data farms contributed $162.7B in 2023 across all levels of government. (For comparison, the cost to build and maintain the International Space Station over its entire life has cost approximately $150B, according to the European Space Agency.)

Virginia capitalized on the data farm craze early on. Long a hub for internet and tech development, the state offers tax incentives and has eased regulations to promote investment from data center within its borders.

Loudon County  specifically Ashburn  has been dubbed "Data Center Alley," with 199 data farms in just that county. Nearby communities offer their own incentives and job training programs.

open image in gallery High-voltage transmission lines provide electricity to data farms in Ashburn in Loudon County, Virginia, on Sunday, July 16, 2023. Loudon County is home to 199 data farms as of early 2025, earning it the name Data Center Alley ( Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. )

Dominion Energy, Virginias largest energy provider, charges utility rates that are 28 percent below the national average to data farms, and the Potomac River feeds their water needs.

A 2023 report, by the state, determined that "the data center industry is estimated to contribute 74,000 jobs, $5.5 billion in labor income, and $9.1 billion in GDP to Virginias economy annually."

There's no doubt that data farms bring jobs and money. But they also extract a cost.

A heavy price

Data farms rely heavily on an areas water and energy infrastructure - and approximately 56 percent of their power is from fossil fuel sources, according to a 2024 Harvard-led study. Researchers also found that data farms emit 105 million metric tons of carbon emissions, approximately 2 percent of all U.S. emissions.

Some states are leaning in, regardless. West Virginia passed a law earlier this year that stripped away local control over data farm ordinances and handed it to the state, to make it easier for locations to be built, Government Technology reported. Lawmakers also passed a slew of legislation that promotes fossil-fueled power to provide the energy for future data farm development.

But it's not just carbon emissions and increasing energy bills that have residents concerned  theyre worried that natural resources and way of life will be irreparably changed.

A large data center can consume up to 5 million gallons of water per day  the equivalent for a town of 10,000 -50,000 people, according to the Environment and Energy Institute.

It was, in part, water use that stalled the $3.6 billion Project Blue, a massive data center project in Tucson, Arizona, earlier this year.

A group of concerned residents, calling themselves the "No Desert Data Center" group, approached the Tucson City Council in the summer to warn that Project Blue would deplete the citys already at-risk groundwater supplies. The council voted unanimously to reject Project Blue in August.

open image in gallery An Amazon Web Services data center is shown situated near single-family homes on July 17, 2024 in Stone Ridge, Virginia. Loudon County, where Stone Ridge is located, is home to 199 data farms as of early 2025, earning it the name Data Center Alley ( Getty )

Beale  the company behind Project Blue  has since returned with another proposal, this time using circulated air to provide its cooling instead of water.

Pima County Supervisor Jennifer Allen opposed the project early on, and was frustrated that Beale didn't bring the water-saving option to them from the start.

"Now they've changed their tune, after dragging us through really contentious community meetings and forums and all of this, they pull out of their back pocket that they could have done an air cooled data center all along and claim that it's just going to be water for incidentals  sinks and toilets and whatnot," she told The Independent.

Beale told The Independent that the City of Tucson expressed a strong, early desire for an investment in their reclaimed water infrastructure, as it would be a benefit to the city, our project and the community at large. This design would have used reclaimed water for evaporative purposes, as well as potable water for administrative use.

The company added: When the city changed their perspective on this, we listened, and we redesigned the facility. The current plan implements an advanced closed-loop air-cooling system that virtually eliminates industrial water consumption for cooling, addressing the communitys water concerns head-on.

Unfortunately, the City had already turned down the project so we were unable to engage with them on this alternative.

The company said it has committed to 100 percent renewable energy use for its air-cooled proposal and an additional $15 million investment in the community.

When the Pima Board of Supervisors was tasked in June with voting on whether or not to rezone county land for Project Blue's data farms, Allen said her no vote was an easy decision, after speaking with other legislators.

"So the reason that I knew, early out of the gate, to oppose the data centers, is because I reached out and called elected officials who had already been in our shoes and previously had to make decisions about whether to approve data centers or not. What I got, over and over again, was that people felt like it was one of the worst decisions they had made," she said.

But even with Project Blue stalled, the Tucson area is still a sought-after area for data farms. The Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson is looking for clients to build facilities on its land.

The nearby town of Marana announced in early November that it is accepting applications, from a subsidiary of Project Blue, to build a data farm complex on two land parcels of approximately 600 acres, Government Technology reports. South of Tucson, the town of Sahuarita is courting its own data farm project.

"So those projects will just keep us circled with data centers," Allen said.

open image in gallery Chris Radwanski, data center supervisor, checks on Bitcoin mining machines in a shipping container behind the Scrubgrass Power plant in Russellton, Pennsylvania in 2021. Cooling the equipment stored in data farms can require up to 5 million gallons of water per day ( Pittsburgh Post-Gazette )

Allen considers the Pima County Board of Supervisors' initial vote to allow Project Blue's rezoning as the breach in the dam that encouraged other data farms to rush into the region. The board has since taken steps to regulate future projects.

The county supervisor said that future data center projects will be subject to due diligence reviews that include robust environmental impact studies. A law that allowed developers to use NDAs to keep the details of their projects hidden from the public is being reformed.

Pima County has also dispatched its lobbyists to Phoenix, instructing them to "put an end to the tax breaks that data centers get on sales state and local sales tax for the purchase of data center equipment."

Allen is hopeful that the local government would be successful in wrestling control away from data farms and putting it back into the hands of the public.

"The tide is turning," she said. "We are now seeing, all over the state of Arizona, other municipalities have made changes to their ordinances and their zoning and putting limits on data centers ... so you know, I think we're optimistic."
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New York Jets cornerback Kris Boyd was in critical condition after a shooting in New York City early Sunday morning, according to reports.

A 29-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to the abdomen around 2 a.m. on West 38th Street in midtown Manhattan, the New York Police Department told The Independent while declining to name the victim.

We are aware of the situation involving Kris Boyd and will have no further comment at this time, a Jets spokesperson said in a statement.

The shooting unfolded after a dispute outside Sei Less, an Asian fusion restaurant, turned violent, and the gunman fired two shots, police sources told the New York Post.

Boyd was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he is currently listed in critical condition, according to the reports.

open image in gallery Kris Boyd pictured playing for the Minnesota Vikings in 2019. The current New York Jets player was critically injured in a shooting in Midtown Manhattan on Sunday, according to reports ( Getty Images )

The suspected shooter reportedly fled the scene in a BMW X8 SUV. A second vehicle, a silver Mercedes-Benz Mayback, also fled the scene after the shooting, according to the Post.

It was not immediately clear if there was one or multiple suspects. NYPD said that no arrests had been made and the shooting is under investigation.

Boyd, who joined the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2019 National Football League draft, signed a one-year $1.6 million contract with the Jets in March. He was placed on injured reserve in August due to a shoulder injury.

Before joining the NFL, Boyd played college football for the Texas Longhorns.

His fellow Texas football alum Emmanual Acho shared that he was praying for Boyd following the shooting.

This is too much man, the NFL player turned sports commentator wrote on X.

His teammates asked for prayers for Boyd in social media posts on Sunday afternoon.

Everybody please send prayers to my brother and teammate Kris Boyd and his family!!! Lord please hold your healing hand over Kris and guide him back to health and safety, linebacker Jermaine Johnson wrote.

Lord, place your mighty hand on him as he fights lord God. Guide every doctor, nurse, and surgeon who touches him lord, said defensive tackle Harrison Phillips. Give his family strength! Kris is a fighter and were all here for him.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams also said he was praying for Boyd in a message on X.

Although weve gotten shootings to historic lows in our city, we must continue to work to end gun violence. Too many young lives have been tragically altered and cut short by this epidemic, he wrote.

The Jets are not playing Sunday, after losing to the New England Patriots during their game Thursday.
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First responders continued to search Saturday along the Central Coast of California for a five-year-old girl who was swept out to sea the previous afternoon, as inclement weather continues to hammer the Golden State.

Just before 1 p.m. Friday, waves estimated to reach 15 to 20 feet high washed the young girl and her parents into the chilly Pacific waters off Garrapata State Beach in Monterey County, according to the sheriffs office.

The mother was able to get to shore safely on her own, while the girls father was rescued by an off-duty State Parks lifeguard, according to law enforcement officials. He was then taken to a nearby hospital and later pronounced dead. The woman remains in stable condition with mild hypothermia.

Officials began searching Friday for the missing child, pausing their operations later that night due to weather and poor visibility conditions. The search resumed Saturday morning, featuring personnel from the sheriffs office, California State Parks, Cal Fire, and the U.S. Coast Guard, which has deployed a helicopter.

A powerful storm system, strengthened by an atmospheric river, arrived across California beginning Thursday, kicking off the states rainy season with widespread showers, heavy winds and hazardous beach conditions.

open image in gallery Rescuers are searching for a 5-year-old girl who was pulled by massive waves into the Pacific Ocean at Garrapata State Beach near Carmel, California ( Monterey County Sheriff's Office )

In Sutter County, just north of Sacramento, a 71-year-old died Friday afternoon when his vehicle was swept off a flooded bridge as he tried to receive a package delivery. By the time emergency crews arrived, his vehicle was fully submerged in Pleasant Grove Creek, CBS News Sacramento reports.

Signage indicated the road was flooded, and the California Highway Patrol urges citizens to never cross flooded roadways for any reason, officials told NBC News.

Further south, showers continued to drench Los Angeles, whose downtown saw more rain in the last two days than it gets in a typical month in November.

A flash flood warning was in affect through Saturday afternoon for the burn scars left by the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles earlier this year, though the warnings expired.

open image in gallery Local, state, and federal officials, including a Coast Guard helicopter, joined in the search ( Monterey County Sheriff's Office )

The National Weather Service Los Angeles office said on X on Saturday afternoon that rain was decreasing in intensity and coverage, though there was still the potential for convective showers and thunderstorms this afternoon which could produce localized flooding and debris flow issues.

The strongest rains of the ongoing storm system are expected Saturday, according to Los Angeles officials.

open image in gallery Severe weather brought flooded roadways and flash flood warnings across Southern California ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

During the peak of the event, isolated strong thunderstorms will bring a moderate risk of flash flooding, debris flows, and damaging winds, the forecast reads. The stormy pattern will continue and periods of rain are possible through late next week."

Further north, mountain snows are expected throughout the Sierras, and a winter weather advisory is in effect for Western Plumas County, Lassen Park, and the West Slope of the Sierras above 6000 feet. The advisory runs 10 p.m. Saturday through 4 p.m. Monday, with conditions bringing snow accumulations of 4 to 10 inches and 1 to 2 feet at the highest peaks.

Travel could be very difficult, the National Weather Service warns. The hazardous conditions could impact the morning and evening commutes.

open image in gallery Heavy rains across California threatened flooding along the burn scars left by Los Angeles wildfires earlier this year ( Getty Images )

Ocean conditions are expected to worsen throughout the Central Coast, where rescuers are searching for the missing child.

Sunday will bring moderate to fresh north to NW winds, moderate seas up to 8 feet, and a rain showers, the according to the National Weather Service. A storm will bring strong to near gale force northerly winds Sunday night, quickly building very rough seas by Monday morning.
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A United Airlines flight from Dallas to Chicago was forced to divert to St. Louis after a passenger allegedly made a bomb threat.

The plane was diverted to Lambert St. Louis International Airport, Missouri, Sunday morning and a passenger has been arrested, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The man who was arrested said there was a bomb in his wifes luggage, sources told the outlet.

Passengers were evacuated and were waiting on the concourse, the airports director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge told the newspaper.

The Chicago-bound flight left Dallas at 6:57 a.m. and landed at Lambert around 8:40 a.m.

A United Airlines flight from Dallas to Chicago was forced to divert after a passenger made a bomb threat ( Brandon Bell/Getty Images )

Bomb and arson teams were still searching the aircraft more than two hours later, according to the director.

No injuries have been reported, she added.

United flight 380 from Dallas to Chicago landed safely in St. Louis to address a potential security concern, a United spokesperson told The Independent. Law enforcement searched and cleared the aircraft. The flight will continue on to Chicago this afternoon.

The incident follows another bomb threat on a United flight from Houston to Washington, D.C. on November 4.

All flights in and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia were temporarily halted.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later confirmed the flight landed safely and the Federal Aviation Administration later received the all clear.

Passengers have faced significant travel disruption and cancellations over the last two weeks due to the government shutdown, which ended last week after more than 40 days.

Thousands of flights were cancelled across major U.S. airports after the FAA ordered a 10 percent reduction in air traffic as air traffic controllers, unpaid for nearly a month, stopped reporting for duty, prompting federal officials to limit travel over potential safety risks.

The government has been short of air traffic controllers for years, and multiple presidential administrations have tried to persuade retirement-age controllers to remain on the job.
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Immigration agents arrested more than 130 people over the weekend in Charlotte as federal officers surged into the Democratic-led city for the Trump administrations latest anti-immigration operation.

Federal officers descended on North Carolinas largest city despite fierce objections from local leaders. Agents made arrests at apartment complexes and shops across the city, as well as on the grounds of a church in front of children.

Weve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color, racially profiling and picking up random people in parking lots and off of our sidewalks, Gov. Josh Stein said in a Sunday video statement. This is not making us safer. Its stoking fear and dividing our community.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said that agents arrested over 130 illegal aliens, all of whom she claimed broke immigration laws.

Those arrested include alleged gang members and other criminals, the agency said, providing few additional details.

open image in gallery Demonstrators in Charlotte marched against federal agents surging into the city as border patrol officers arrested dozens of people within its first day of operations. ( Getty Images )

The Department of Homeland Security says it has chosen North Carolina as its latest target for Trumps anti-immigration operation because of its so-called sanctuary policies, which can hinder cooperation between local authorities and immigration agents.

In one Saturday sting, agents turned up at a church in the east of the city as 15 to 20 churchgoers were doing yard work on the property and children were playing games, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The masked agents presence caused some of the churchgoers to run into the nearby woods, but officers detained one member of the group, according to the churchs pastor, who did not wish to be identified.

They took one of the members of the church, they dont ask nothing, they just took him, the pastor told the newspaper. One of these guys with immigration, he [said] he was going to arrest one of the other guys in the church. He pushed him.

The pastor claimed the agents did not show any identification before they detained the suspect, whose wife and child were reportedly inside the church at the time.

Members of the church were aware the anti-immigration operation was starting this weekend but believed they would be safe on church grounds, said 15-year-old Miguel Vazquez.

open image in gallery A member of a church joins protests in Charlotte against the Border Patrol and ICE operation ( Getty Images )

We thought church was safe and nothing gonna happen, Vazquez told the Observer. But it did happen.

The arrest appears to be one of the first instances where the Trump administration has deliberately entered church grounds to carry out anti-immigration enforcement.

Manolo Betancur, who owns a Latino bakery, shut down temporarily over the weekend because he said immigration agents were targeting his customers. He said he saw agents grabbing people mere blocks from his business.

I saw them with my own eyes. And they just shoved people to the floor, he said, later adding, Im scared. Nobody wants to see another human being treated that way.

The Independent has requested comment from the Department of Homeland Security.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been accused of violating First Amendment protections and infringing on religious freedoms after the Trump administration rescinded previous Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy that prohibited enforcement actions in sensitive locations such as places of worship, as well as schools and hospitals.

Faith leaders have hit back with lawsuits in recent months to stop immigration enforcement arrests in their places of worship.

Hundreds of demonstrators protested against Homeland Securitys so-called Operation Charlottes Web in marches across the city over the weekend.

Charlottes New Covenant AME Church, which was not believed to be targeted by border agents, is condemning the administrations tactics.

open image in gallery Footage began circulating of CBP agents who questioned two workers hanging Christmas lights in a homeowners front yard ( AP )

This is not a partisan issue this is a humanitarian issue, the church posted in a statement on social media.

To witness individuals, including U.S. citizens, being snatched off the street and violently forced into vans is more than a travesty of justice; it is a violation of human dignity and a crime against humanity, the statement added.

Elsewhere in the city, footage began circulating of Border Patrol agents questioning two workers hanging Christmas lights in a homeowners front yard.

The homeowner, Rheba Hamilton, filmed the agents speaking to the workers in Spanish, asking them which country they were from.

One agent told the workers, If you are a citizen, there should be no problems, and asked, Do you know which country you are from, sir? Are you an American citizen?

They did not respond, and the agents did not make any arrests.

The Trump administrations mass deportation operations have seen a boost in ICE and border patrol agents in major Democratic-led cities with large immigrant populations in recent months, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland.

Bovino and officers under his command in Chicago  where agents were filmed tackling protesters and filling neighborhoods with tear gas  faced a federal lawsuit from protesters, press groups and faith leaders accusing agents of indiscriminately firing riot weapons into crowds and at close range as volatile scenes emerged from protests against immigration raids.

Officials in California , Illinois and Oregon have accused the federal government of deliberately trying to incite violence to justify law enforcement crackdowns and military deployments.

With reporting by the Associated Press.
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Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania revealed that he received 20 stitches following a fall near his home two days ago, prompted by what his office described as a flare-up stemming from a cardiac-related issue.

The senator appeared to be in good spirits as he shared a photo of his injuries with a smile Saturday afternoon in a social media post.

His spokesperson previously revealed that the Democratic senator had a ventricular fibrillation flare-up, which caused him to feel lightheaded and fall to the ground.

Fetterman, 56, said that he had been discharged Saturday from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and was happy to be home with his wife and children.

20 stitches later and a full recovery, Im back home with [Gisele Fetterman] and the kids, Fetterman said. Im overwhelmed [and] profoundly grateful for all the well-wishes.

open image in gallery Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman revealed that he received 20 stitches following a fall near his home two days ago, prompted by a flare-up of a cardiac-related issue ( @SenFettermanPA/X )

He added that he is grateful for the UPMC staff and incredible medical care that put me back together.

On Thursday, Fettermans spokesperson said the senator was taking an early morning walk when he fell near his home in Braddock.

Out of an abundance of caution, he was transported to a hospital in Pittsburgh, the statement said. Upon evaluation, it was established he had a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that led to Senator Fetterman feeling light-headed, falling to the ground and hitting his face with minor injuries.

Adding some light relief, Fetterman was quoted by the spokesperson: If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!

open image in gallery Fetterman was one of eight Senate Democrats to vote with Republicans and end the longest government shutdown in history last week ( AP )

Fetterman was one of eight Senate Democrats to vote with Republicans on a temporary funding bill that ended the longest government shutdown in history last week.

Most of his followers wished him a speedy recovery, but a handful took the opportunity to accuse him of voting to take away healthcare from millions of Americans.

Democratic members of Congress were pushing for an extension of COVID-19 pandemic-era tax credits for the Affordable Care Acts health insurance marketplaces as part of a reopening deal, but the provisions were not included in the legislation.

Fetterman has faced several health problems in recent years, including a stroke he suffered in 2022 while campaigning for his Senate seat.

He was open about the struggle with his mental health during the recovery and was treated for clinical depression in 2023 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
By Jonathan Stempel

(Reuters) -Berkshire Hathaway revealed a $4.3 billion stake in Google parent Alphabet and further reduced its stake in Apple, detailing its equity portfolio for the last time before Warren Buffett ends his 60-year run as chief executive officer.

In a filing on Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Berkshire said it owned 17.85 million Alphabet shares as of September 30.

Berkshire cut its Apple stake to 238.2 million shares from 280 million in the third quarter, and has sold nearly three-quarters of the more than 900 million shares it once held. Apple remained Berkshire's largest stock holding, at $60.7 billion.

The filing listed Berkshire's U.S.-listed stock holdings as of September 30, which comprised most of the conglomerate's $283.2 billion equity portfolio.

Berkshire's investment in Alphabet, which became its tenth-largest U.S. stock holding, is surprising given Buffett's usual value-investing style and aversion to technology companies.

Buffett considers Apple, which makes the iPhone, more of a consumer products company.

It is not clear whether Buffett, his portfolio managers Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, or CEO-designate Greg Abel make specific purchases, though Buffett normally makes larger investments.

At Berkshire's annual shareholder meeting in 2019, Buffett and late Vice Chairman Charlie Munger lamented not investing in Google sooner.

Buffett said Google's advertising model bore similarities to what was working for Berkshire's Geico car insurance unit.

"We screwed up," Munger said.

"He's saying we blew it," Buffett responded.

Alphabet shares rose 1.7% in after-hours trading. Stock prices often rise when Berkshire reveals new stakes, reflecting what investors view as Buffett's seal of approval.

BERKSHIRE SELLS MORE BANK OF AMERICA

Berkshire bought $6.4 billion of stocks and sold $12.5 billion between July and September, the twelfth straight quarter it was a net seller of stocks, while cash grew to a record $381.7 billion.

Apple may have accounted for three-quarters or more of the sales.

Berkshire also sold 6% of its Bank of America shares, extending selling that began in last year's third quarter.

The bank is still Berkshire's third-largest stock holding. Berkshire also shed its stake in homebuilder DR Horton, while buying more stock in several companies including the insurer Chubb and Domino's Pizza.

Buffett has let cash swell as he prepares to turn his $1.1 trillion conglomerate over to Abel, now a vice chairman, on January 1.
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Donald Trumps administration has added four European left-wing groups to the U.S. governments list of foreign terrorist organizations, marking a global escalation of the presidents war on ideological opponents that treats Antifa similarly to the Islamic state.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration is designating Germanys Antifa Ost, Italy-based International Revolutionary Front, and two organizations in Greece  Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self Defense  as both Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists that the administration claims are conspiring to undermine the foundations of Western Civilization through their brutal attacks.

Groups affiliated with this movement ascribe to revolutionary anarchist or Marxist ideologies, including anti-Americanism, anti-capitalism and anti-Christianity, using these to incite and justify violent assaults domestically and overseas, Rubio said in a statement Thursday.

In September, the president signed an executive order singling out the militant antifascist movement and the people who financially support it as a domestic terror organization. There is no domestic terrorist organization designation under U.S. law, and Antifa is not a specific organization but a term that encompasses a wider ideologically driven movement against fascism.

But foreign terrorist organization labels could lead to financial sanctions, travel restrictions and federal law enforcement scrutiny, including surveillance and financial oversight of alleged connections in the United States.

open image in gallery The Trump administration is escalating its global campaign against left-wing opposition by labelling four European leftist groups foreign terror organizations ( AFP via Getty Images )

That could include freezing assets belonging to anyone believed to be connected to the groups, and restrictions on U.S. citizens, organizations or companies from doing any transactions with them.

The latest designations, effective November 20, mark the first time that the movement has been labeled a foreign terrorist threat.

There are extensive foreign ties, and I think that would be a very valid step, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said during a White House roundtable discussion on Antifa in September.

The administration is eager to seek legal justifications to stamp out left-wing dissent and connect his Democratic opponents and critics to the movement; officials, media personalities and right-wing allies have repeatedly accused Antifa of violent attacks against federal law enforcement while baselessly alleging that Democratic elected officials and groups that financially support Democratic candidates and causes are financially supporting them and covering up their crimes.

The president also issued a national security directive in September that orders federal law enforcement agencies to dismantle groups accused of supporting acts of domestic terror before theyre committed, pointing to anti-Christian, anti-capitalism or anti-American views as identifiable markers.

Fighting crime is more than just getting the bad guy off the streets, Attorney General Pam Bondi said during Septembers roundtable.

Its breaking down the organization brick by brick, she said.

Just like we did with cartels, we're going to take this same approach, President Trump, with Antifa: Destroy the entire organization from top to bottom.

open image in gallery The administration has already labeled the decentralized militant antifascist movement a domestic terror group, though the legal ramifications are unclear ( REUTERS )

Antifa encompasses individuals and loosely affiliated groups in a broader militant subculture  often physically confronting far-right groups in the streets  that has become a global right-wing bogeyman in the wake of nationwide protests, with some turning violent, over the last decade.

Since 2001, the vast majority of groups added to the foreign terrorist organizations have largely been connected to Islamic extremist groups and militants that have threatened the United States, such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

But the 23 entities that the Trump administration has added or plans to add mark the largest single-year additions to the list since it was established in 1997.

Critics have warned against conflating militant antifascist activism with other ideologically motivated violence responsible for large-scale terror attacks.

There seems to be no justification for how they determined any of these groups are foreign terrorist groups, according to sociologist Stanislav Vysotsky, author of American Antifa and Antifa: What Everyone Needs to Know. And certainly no evidence that they have direct ties to any U.S. antifa groups. Just like with the rest of this antifa panic, theyre just randomly creating boogeymen.

He said the administration likely wont be able to prove links between domestic Antifa groups and foreign groups on the State Departments latest list, but that wont stop them from bringing the full force of federal law enforcement against antifascists domestically.
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After escaping civil war in Sierra Leone and enduring nearly a decade in a refugee camp, Dauda Sesay arrived in the United States with little knowledge of the path to citizenship.

However, the prospect of protection and a profound bond with his new home, built on mutual rights and responsibilities, ultimately compelled him to apply. He understood that by making a commitment to the country, through acts like voting, the country would in turn make a commitment to him.

"When I raised my hand and took the oath of allegiance, I did believe that moment the promise that I belonged," said Sesay, 44, who settled in Louisiana over 15 years ago and now advocates for refugee integration into American society. For him, naturalization represented a steadfast, reciprocal commitment.

But this deeply held conviction has been profoundly shaken in recent months. As President Donald Trump redefines immigration policy and America's relationship with its immigrant communities, Sesay and countless other naturalised citizens face growing apprehension.

The aggressive push for drastically increased deportations and efforts to alter who can claim America as home, through measures such as challenging birthright citizenship, are creating a widespread ripple effect of fear.

What was once considered the unshakeable bedrock protection of naturalization now feels perilously like quicksand.

open image in gallery Protesters rally against immigration raids in San Francisco in October ( AP )

Questions over travel

Some are worried that if they leave the country, they will have difficulties when trying to return, fearful because of accounts of naturalized citizens being questioned or detained by U.S. border agents. They wonder: Do they need to lock down their phones to protect their privacy?

Others are hesitant about moving around within the country, after stories like that of a U.S. citizen accused of being here illegally and detained even after his mother produced his birth certificate.

Sesay said he does not travel domestically anymore without his passport, despite having a REAL ID with its federally mandated, stringent identity requirements.

Immigration enforcement roundups, often conducted by masked, unidentifiable federal agents in places including Chicago and New York City, have at times included American citizens in their dragnets. One U.S. citizen who says he was detained by immigration agents twice has filed a federal lawsuit.

Adding to the worries, the Justice Department issued a memo this summer saying it would ramp up efforts to denaturalize immigrants who have committed crimes or are deemed to present a national security risk.

At one point during the summer, Trump threatened the citizenship of Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old democratic socialist mayor-elect of New York City, who naturalized as a young adult.

The atmosphere makes some worried to speak about it publicly, for fear of drawing negative attention to themselves. Requests for comment through several community organizations and other connections found no takers willing to go on the record other than Sesay.

In New Mexico, state Sen. Cindy Nava says she is familiar with the fear, having grown up undocumented before getting DACA  Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era program that protected people brought to the U.S. as children from being deported  and gaining citizenship through her marriage. But she hadn't expected to see so much fear among naturalized citizens.

I had never seen those folks be afraid ... now the folks that I know that were not afraid before, now they are uncertain of what their status holds in terms of a safety net for them," Nava said.

What citizenship has meant, and who was included, has expanded and contracted over the course of American history, said Stephen Kantrowitz, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He said while the word citizen is in the original Constitution, it is not defined.

When the Constitution is written, nobody knows what citizenship means, he said. Its a term of art, it comes out of the French revolutionary tradition. It sort of suggests an equality of the members of a political community, and it has some implications for the right to be a member of that political community. But it is ... so undefined.

open image in gallery A woman clutches a U.S. flag as she and applicants from other countries prepare to take the oath of citizenship in commemoration of Independence Day during a Naturalization Ceremony in San Antonio ( AP )

The obstacles to immigration

The first naturalization law passed in 1790 by the new countrys Congress said citizenship was for any free white person of good character.

Those of African descent or nativity were added as a specific category to federal immigration law after the ravages of the Civil War in the 19th century, which was also when the 14th Amendment was added to the Constitution to establish birthright citizenship.

In the last years of the 19th century and into the 20th century, laws were put on the books limiting immigration and, by extension, naturalization.

The Immigration Act of 1924 effectively barred people from Asia because they were ineligible for naturalization, being neither white nor Black. That didn't change until 1952, when an immigration law removed racial restrictions on who could be naturalized.

The 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act replaced the previous immigration system with one that portioned out visas equally among nations.

open image in gallery Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents escort a detained immigrant into an elevator ( AP )

American history also includes times when those who had citizenship had it taken away, like after the 1923 Supreme Court ruling in U.S. vs. Bhagat Singh Thind. That ruling said that Indians couldn't be naturalized because they did not qualify as white and led to several dozen denaturalizations.

At other times, it was ignored, as in World War II, when Japanese Americans were forced into internment camps.

Political power will sometimes simply decide that a group of people, or a person or a family isnt entitled to citizenship, Kantrowitz said.

In this moment, Sesay says, it feels like betrayal.

The United States of America  thats what I took that oath of allegiance, thats what I make commitment to, Sesay said.

Now, inside my home country, and Im seeing a shift ... Honestly, that is not the America I believe in when I put my hand over my heart.
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Brian Glenn, a fiercely pro-Donald Trump personality for a fringe far-right media network, has found himself in a difficult spot as his girlfriend, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, is locked in a bitter feud with the president over Jeffrey Epstein.

Glenn, the chief White House correspondent for Real Americas Voice, showed his support for Greene in a social media post Saturday after Trump called his girlfriend a traitor but did not mention the president or call him out for his attacks.

I love this woman. I love this country. God bless America, Glenn wrote in a post on X, accompanied by several loved-up photographs of him with Greene. The MAGA firebrand responded I love you with a heart emoji.

Glenns tribute to the Georgia congresswoman prompted Trumps attack dog Laura Loomer to wade in and the pair entered into an ugly exchange on social media.

Nobody cares, simp! Loomer replied to Glenn. Trump should revoke your White House press pass!

open image in gallery Brian Glenn, the chief White House correspondent for Real Americas Voice, showed his support for Greene in a social media post after Trump called his girlfriend a traitor ( Getty Images )

Glenn then responded to Loomer by saying shut up b**** in quotes with a crying-laughing emoji.

Loomer retaliated by sharing his post, adding, MTGs boyfriend who cheated on his wife to be with an ape is calling me a b****. How will I ever recover?

Glenn later posted a photograph of himself standing alone after a Trump campaign rally, saying the image pretty much represents where Im at right now.

Greene has refused to back down in calling for the release of the so-called Epstein files in the possession of federal law enforcement while Trump condemns Republican members of Congress who have pressed for details about investigations into the late sex offender and his alleged ties to a wider network of powerful allies, including the president.

The growing divide within the GOP over the Epstein files threatens to split apart Trumps coalition in the first meaningful way since the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

open image in gallery Glenn has so far been unwavering in his allegiance to Trumpworld ( Getty Images )

It is unclear whether the Epstein case will ripple through pro-Trump media, which so far appears to remain loyal to the president by sticking close to the White Houses line of defense. The administration has characterized efforts in Congress as a smear campaign and a hoax to undermine the president.

After House Oversight committee members released 20,000 emails and other documents from Epstein, many of which raised questions about the presidents connections to the sex offender, far-right influencers who have demanded the files for years largely shrugged upon their release.

Even personalities on Glenns Real Americas Voice network  which also hosts Steve Bannons War Room  are dismissing the documents. Once again, ultimately, its just Epstein trying to pull Trump in and implicate him in his own crimes, said Jack Posobiec, who was among a group of far-right influencers invited to the White House earlier this year to celebrate the release of binders full of already public Epstein documents.

Before the president escalated the fight with Greene over the weekend, Glenn also appeared to be firmly in Trumps camp.

On November 14, he shared one of the presidents Truth Social posts on his X account referring to the controversy as the Epstein Hoax, involving Democrats, and on November 12, Glenn claimed TRUMP DID NOTHING WRONG.

open image in gallery Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is currently locked in a bitter feud with the president over the Jeffrey Epstein files ( AFP via Getty Images )

Throughout Trumps second administration, Glenn been unwavering in his allegiance to the president  and a prominent supportive presence during press briefings and Trumps Oval Office appearances in front of the media.

During White House press secretary Karoline Leavitts first briefing, Glenn fawned over how great she looked.

He also infamously mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for not wearing a suit during a disastrous Oval Office meeting earlier this year.

Zelensky had the last laugh after he commented on Glenns attire at a follow up meeting in August.

Glenn apologized to the Ukrainian leader for his previous remark and said he looked good in his black suit jacket.

You are in the same suit. I changed, you are not, Zelensky said to Glenn, prompting laughter in the Oval Office.

House members are expected to vote on a measure to force the release of the Epstein files November 18.
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Donald Trump has claimed that Marjorie Taylor Greenes life is not in danger, despite the former MAGA loyalist saying that someone had threatened to send a pipe bomb to one of her companys offices.

The Georgia Republican has been a vocal critic of the president in recent weeks and has demanded the full release of the Epstein files.

Trump has now said that her call to release the files means that she has become a traitor to the MAGA movement.

When the president was asked about Taylor Greenes life being in danger, Trump replied, Her life is in danger? Whos that?

After the reporter reminded him that they were speaking about Marjorie Taylor Greene, he said, Marjorie Traitor Greene. I dont think her life is in danger. Frankly, I dont think anybody cares about her.

open image in gallery Donald Trump has branded Marjorie Taylor Greene as a 'traitor' over her calls to release the Epstein files ( X/Fox News )

However, the representative for Georgias 14th Congressional District has said that hoax pizza deliveries have started at her house and the homes of her family members and that a pipe bomb threat had been made at her construction companys office.

In a blistering X post, Greene hit out at Trump for putting blood in the water.

President Trumps unwarranted and vicious attacks against me were a dog whistle to dangerous radicals that could lead to serious attacks on me and my family, she blasted. Now that President Trump has called me a traitor, which is absolutely untrue and horrific.

Mark Levin has been calling me a traitor. And so have other prominent likely paid social media activists.

This puts blood in the water and creates a feeding frenzy. And it could ultimately lead to a harmful or even deadly outcome.

Also, the timing of this just happens to be days before we take the vote on releasing the Epstein files.

open image in gallery Taylor Greene has warned that Trumps words could lead to a deadly outcome ( Middle East Images )

Taylor Greene continued by insisting that she is not a traitor and added, I love America and the American people, and I swore an oath to uphold the constitution and always do so.

Trumps feud with Taylor Greene spilled over to Truth Social, however, as he claimed that she is the cause of all of her own problems.

Wacky Marjorie Traitor Brown (Remember, Green turns to Brown where there is ROT involved!) is working overtime to try and portray herself as a victim when, in actuality, she is the cause of all of her own problems, he raged. The fact is, nobody cares about this Traitor to our Country!

Their bitter feud seemingly marks the end of her formerly zealous support for the president. It comes as the House of Representatives gears up to vote on the release of the Epstein files, which Trump has continually tried to block.

open image in gallery The congresswoman was one of Trumps biggest supporters in 2024 ( AFP/Getty )

He has branded the case a hoax and has expressed confusion as to why people want answers as to who was involved in the convicted pedophiles sex trafficking ring.

However, the president has finally U-turned on his own position and has ordered Republicans to vote to release the files.

He said that Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and its time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party in a seething social media post.

Nobody cared about Jeffrey Epstein when he was alive and, if the Democrats had anything, they would have released it before our Landslide Election Victory, he added.
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Saturday Night Live mocked the Trump administrations ongoing attempts to downplay the Jeffrey Epstein scandal in a cold open sketch featuring the president denying he ever really knew Epstein just before offering to sell the Epstein files for $800 as a stocking stuffer.

Jeffrey Epstein, I barely knew the guy, as evidenced by the thousands of pictures of us together dancing and grinding our teeth at various parties, always leering and pointing at something just off camera, probably a book were excited to read, Trump, played by James Austin Johnson, tells reporters in the White House briefing room.

Elsewhere in the sketch, Trump trips over his words trying to explain his administrations ever-changing stance on the Epstein scandal, which has seen the White House go from promising deep transparency and document releases to federal officials announcing this summer that further investigations and disclosures would not be warranted.

If there were something incriminating about me in the files, then why would I cover them up? Johnsons Trump asks.

I am hiding almost nothing, just enough to make it extremely suspicious, he says in response to another question.

open image in gallery Saturday Night Live s cold open saw the fictional president Trump offer to sell the Epstein files for $800 after facing pointed questions about why he wont do more to disclose information on the late sex criminal ( Saturday Night Live )

Asked bout an email in which Trump is described as the dog that hasn't barked, SNLs Trump replies Im not a dog, Im more of a cub or possibly an otter.

Not a twink, he said. Maybe a twunk.

And asked to explain how he can say that he both kicked Epstein out from his Mar-a-Lago club while also saying he was never a member, a stumped Trump got metaphysical.

Yeah, I said I kicked Jeffrey out because he was a pedophile, but then I also said I didnt know he did anything wrong, Johnsons Trump said. So its kind of hard to square that circle until you realize that Trump exists across many timelines. Its the Trump multiverse theory. We just happen to be living in the worst possible one.

The sketch also featured Ashley Padilla playing White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who references the unorthodox interview that imprisoned Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell gave in July to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, Trumps former criminal defense lawyer.

Maxwell is now reportedly planning to seek a commutation of her federal prison sentence, which itself is under scrutiny after she was moved to a lower-security facility unexpectedly.

Ghislaine Maxwell said in a sworn deposition she gave to Trumps friend that Trump always acted like a gentleman, and a little thing about me: I believe women, SNLs Leavitt says.

Beyond the SNL studio, the Trump administration has been dealing with Epstein-related pressure all week.

On Wednesday, Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee released a series of previously undisclosed emails where Epstein claimed Trump had knowledge of his activities, including that he knew about the girls and was the dog that hasnt barked.

open image in gallery The sketch also mocked the administrations unorthodox treatment of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been moved to a lower-security facility unexpectedly after sitting for an interview with a top DOJ official ( Saturday Night Live )

When asked about the emails this week, the real Trump told reporters: I know nothing about that.

With the House back in session after the government shutdown, the heat on Trump continued as a bipartisan group of lawmakers moved forward with an effort to vote on a proposal to force the government to turn over more Epstein files.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime staunch Trump ally and one of the Republicans backing the push, has accused of president of making a huge miscalculation by repeatedly dismissing attempts to publicly disclose the so-called Epstein files and demonizing Republican lawmakers who have allied with the cause.

Trumps comments caused a major public split between Trump and Greene, with the president calling the congresswoman a traitor and suggesting he could endorse a primary opponent to oust her from Congress.
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The United States most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, showcasing a significant display of American military might. This deployment immediately raises questions about the implications of such a substantial influx of troops and weaponry for the Trump administrations ongoing drug enforcement campaign in South America.

Announced by the U.S. military, the Fords arrival marks a pivotal moment in what the Trump administration characterises as a counterdrug operation. However, critics view the intensified activity as an escalating pressure tactic directed against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Since early September, U.S. strikes have reportedly resulted in the deaths of at least 80 individuals across 20 attacks on small boats suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.

The presence of the Ford completes the largest buildup of U.S. firepower seen in the region for generations. This formidable force now comprises approximately 12,000 troops aboard nearly a dozen Navy ships, forming what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has named "Operation Southern Spear."

The Ford's carrier strike group, which includes squadrons of fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers, transited the Anegada Passage near the British Virgin Islands on Sunday morning, the Navy said in a statement.

Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the Ford's carrier strike group, said it will bolster an already large force of American warships to "protect our nations security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.

open image in gallery President Nicolas Maduro flashes victory signs during Indigenous Day in Caracas, Venezuela, Oct 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File) ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

The administration has insisted that the buildup of warships is focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S., but it has released no evidence to support its assertions that those killed in the boats were narcoterrorists. Trump has indicated military action would expand beyond strikes by sea, saying the U.S. would "stop the drugs coming in by land.

The U.S. has long used aircraft carriers to pressure and deter aggression by other nations because their warplanes can strike targets deep inside another country. Some experts say the Ford is ill-suited to fighting cartels, but it could be an effective instrument of intimidation for Maduro in a push to get him to step down.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the United States does not recognize Maduro, who was widely accused of stealing last years election, as Venezuelas legitimate leader. Rubio has called Venezuela's government a transshipment organization that openly cooperates with those trafficking drugs.

open image in gallery An F-18E fighter jet takes off from aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford as it sails during NATO Neptune Strike 2025 exercise on September 24, 2025 in the North Sea ( AFP via Getty Images )

Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S., has said the U.S. government is fabricating a war against him. Venezuelas government recently touted a massive mobilization of troops and civilians to defend against possible U.S. attacks.

Trump has justified the attacks on drug boats by saying the U.S. is in armed conflict with drug cartels while claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations.

He has faced pushback from leaders in the region, the U.N. human rights chief and U.S. lawmakers, including Republicans, who have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the boat strikes.

Senate Republicans, however, recently voted to reject legislation that would have put a check on Trumps ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization.

Experts disagree on whether or not American warplanes may be used to strike land targets inside Venezuela. Either way, the 100,000-ton warship is sending a message.

This is the anchor of what it means to have U.S. military power once again in Latin America, said Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Groups senior analyst for the Andes region. And it has raised a lot of anxieties in Venezuela but also throughout the region. I think everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the U.S. is to really use military force.
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Just days after two typhoons battered the Philippines killing hundreds, a top meteorologist has warned the ravaged country could face further damaging storms as a result of the La Nina weather system.

More than one million people were displaced from the southeast Asian country as successive storms  Typhoon Kalmaegi and Super Typhoon Fung-wong brought untold devastation to the region, killing more than 250 people in total.

As authorities work through the flattened structures of the Philippines main island in the north, Luzon, a leading weather forecaster has warned the country could face more tropical storms before the end of 2025  even though La Nina is expected to be weaker and shorter-lived than usual.

Jason Nicholls, lead international forecaster with AccuWeather, told The Independent he is concerned that the Philippines is not out of the water yet for another tropical impact or two, noting that the country has already been hit two times recently.

open image in gallery People stand near a wrecked part of the Baler-Casiguran road a day after Typhoon Fung-wong made landfall in Dipaculao, Aurora, Philippines ( Reuters )

During La Nina, which occurs during the cooling phase of the sea surface temperature, the wind shear  a phenomenon that hampers the formation and strengthening of hurricanes is typically weakened.

This allows for conditions that may seed hurricanes and results in a more active and a longer hurricane season, explained Dr Samantha Burgess, deputy director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

La Nina therefore brings with it worsening hurricane and typhoon impacts in the Atlantic and Pacific, and forecasters say its impacts are likely to have contributed to the low-wind shear environment which allowed Hurricane Melissa to devastate Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean in October.

open image in gallery More than 250 people have died in the Philippines ( AP )

The Atlantic has since been unusually quiet, and Mr Nicholls says his concerns are mostly around the Philippines. He added: In the last five days they got hit twice, and they had a couple impacts even in October, so thatd be an area there would be a little bit of concern for.

But he also says eastern Australia, which often suffers pretty heavy rains during La Nina periods, could face severe weather impacts.

Id be a little concerned there could be some flooding going forward over the next couple months in eastern Australia, he said, adding this could come more towards the late November-December time period.

Why is La Nina milder than usual?

La Nina, the cooler and costlier flip side of the El Nino, arrived in October to warp global weather systems, typically bringing with it heavy rains, and a turbocharged Atlantic hurricane season. It officially occurs when certain parts of the Central Pacific Ocean cool by 0.5C (0.9F) compared to normal.

It brings with it varied and often dramatic weather conditions, strengthening the hurricane season, causing torrential rain in some parts and cooler, drier conditions in others.

When weve had La Nina events in the past, weve seen more likely than not record levels of rainfall in eastern Australia, in the Indo Pacific, in southern Africa, in northern South America and southern central America, Dr Burgess said.

La Nina right now is a very mild event, so [the sea surface temperatures] are just below average, rather than significantly below average. And the models also suggest that it will be quite a short-lived event as well, she added.

open image in gallery The La Nina weather pattern is currently affecting weather around the world ( NOAA Climate.gov )

Mr Nicholls added that La Nina overall should be on the weaker side, and he is not sure how extreme the impacts will be.

But climate scientists do not have a clear answer to why the La Nina conditions are expected to be milder than usual.

We dont often understand the drivers of how significant either an El Nino or a La Nina event will be, Dr Burgess continued.

So we can predict it ahead of time, and we can predict, with some uncertainty, how the climate projections and seasonal predictions suggest the event will evolve.

But this particular event, all the models agree that it wont be a severe event in terms of the drivers that make a particular event severe.
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One of Ecuador's most wanted drug traffickers, Wilmer Chavarria, known as "Pipo," was captured in Malaga, Spain, on Sunday, years after faking his death and relocating.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa confirmed his apprehension, stating it was the result of a joint operation with Spanish police.

Chavarria is believed to lead Los Lobos, a drug trafficking group with around 8,000 fighters. This organisation was recently designated a terrorist entity by the United States and has been linked to political assassinations in Ecuador. It has also been accused of working closely with Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Noboa said Chavarria faked his death in 2021 during the COVID pandemic, obtained a new identity and moved to Spain, from where he coordinated drug shipments, ordered assassinations and ran extortion rackets against gold mines in Ecuador.

open image in gallery Daniel Noboa ( Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved )

Ecuador was one of the most peaceful countries in South America in the early 2010s. But the nation of 18 million people has experienced a spike in homicides and other violent crimes, as it becomes a key transit point for cocaine produced in neighboring Colombia and Peru. Drug trafficking gangs have attacked presidential candidates, municipal officials and journalists as they fight for control over ports and coastal cities.

Chavarria's capture comes as Ecuadorians vote on a four-part referendum, where they will be asked if the nation's constitution should be amended to allow foreign countries to run military bases in Ecuador.

Noboa has argued that this reform is necessary to further anti drug cooperation with countries like the United States and increase pressure on drug traffickers.
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Iran confirmed that its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps seized a tanker in the Gulf of Hormuz that was transporting what it described as unauthorised cargo.

The vessel, sailing for Singapore from Sharjah in the UAE, was intercepted on Friday and diverted into Iranian territorial waters, Reuters reported.

In a statement carried by state media, the IRGC said the operation was carried out in line with legal duties and to protect the national interests and resources of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

They tracked and seized the vessel following a judicial order, the IRGC said, adding that the cargo of 30,000 tonnes of petrochemical products was being transported in violation of Iranian law.

The Talara, a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker managed by Cyprus-based Columbia Shipmanagement and owned by Pasha Finance, is about 750 feet long and 105 feet wide, according to marine traffic records cited by the New York Times.

The company said it lost contact with the vessel, which was carrying high sulphur gasoil, about 20 nautical miles off Khor Fakkan in the UAE as it veered into Iranian waters.

The company notified the relevant authorities and was working closely with all relevant parties  including maritime security agencies and the vessel owner  to restore contact with the vessel.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route through which around 20 per cent of global oil and gas flows ( The Independent/Datawrapper )

An anonymous American defence official confirmed to Reuters that the tanker had been intercepted and diverted by Iranian forces.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations Centre described the incident as possible state activity.

The US military later said it was aware of the incident and actively monitoring the situation, according to the New York Times.

Maritime security company Ambrey said the Talara was heading south through the Strait of Hormuz when it was approached by three small boats and made a sudden course deviation.

British maritime authorities reported that the vessel was last seen transiting towards Iranian territorial waters, although it was not initially clear why the tanker changed its course.

The IRGC has periodically seized commercial vessels in the Gulf waters, often citing smuggling, technical violations or legal disputes, and repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route through which about 20 per cent of all traded oil and significant volumes of liquefied natural gas pass annually.

The threats intensified during the 12-day war with Israel in June, during which the US joined Israel in bombing Iranian nuclear facilities. The strikes hit deep inside Iranian territory, targeted key commanders and nuclear facilities, and prompted retaliation from Iran.

Irans last reported seizure of a commercial vessel was in April 2024, when the IRGC detained a ship linked to Israel following a deadly Israeli attack on Irans consulate in Syria.
Two court cases underline legal challenges for developers

A wind energy lobby group has warned that a judicial review is a virtual inevitability for anyone hoping to develop a wind farm in Ireland.

It comes as proposals by two major wind energy developers have faced scrutiny in the courts in recent days related to a failure to provide environmental information to local communities.
Washington, DC, US (PANA) - The United States has applauded the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Congo River Alliance (M23 Movement) for signing the Doha Framework for the Peace Agreement that is seen as a new and important milestone in the ongoing peace process
Key insight : A community bank in Virginia has been freed from a consent order related to its previous fintech partnerships.



Expert quote : "We just threw BaaS out the door," said CEO Billy Beale.



Forward look: The bank is now focused on a traditional community bank strategy, Beale said.



Blue Ridge Bankshares in Richmond, Virginia, which became a poster child for what can go wrong when banks partner with fintechs, has been released from a 2024 consent order related to its failed foray into banking as a service.



The termination comes just shy of 23 months after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued the enforcement action against the $2.5 billion-asset community bank.

The January 2024 consent order said Blue Ridge was in "troubled condition" following its venture into BaaS. It identified certain "deficiencies" in Blue Ridge's anti-money-laundering compliance program. And it ordered the bank to ramp up its risk-management controls, improve its capital ratios and provide better oversight of its relationships with fintechs.

In the months since then, Blue Ridge has taken swift action to rid itself of fintech partnerships and move back into traditional community banking, President and CEO Billy Beale said Friday.

The bank exited its BaaS program in full at the end of 2024. At its high point, the program had about 70 fintech partnerships. Blue Ridge launched its BaaS strategy in 2020 under then-CEO Brian Plum.

"We just threw BaaS out the door," Beale told American Banker. "If three or four [partnerships] had been all that the bank had, and we'd managed it right, none of this would have ever occurred. It was just that the volume outran the capacity of the bank to run it the right way."

Being freed from the consent order "is clearly a positive development," Christopher Marinac, an analyst at Janney Montgomery Scott, said Friday in an email. "The company can get back to originating new deposits and loans from both existing and new business customers," he said.

The OCC did not provide comment before this article's deadline.

For years, Blue Ridge Bankshares and its banking subsidiary, Blue Ridge Bank, have been an example of how the BaaS business can go wrong . Regulatory scrutiny came to light in 2022 as it was trying to win approval for its proposed merger with FVCBankcorp in Fairfax, Virginia.

The deal was ultimately called off following "certain regulatory concerns" raised by the OCC.

Later that same year, Blue Ridge agreed to bolster its anti-money-laundering program and improve its oversight of fintech partners as part of a written agreement with the OCC.
Revealed: Tax sheriffs seized Nephin Whiskey assets years before doomed venture went bust

Shock revelation comes as fresh blow to creditors already set to lose millions in the liquidation process

Liquidation of Nephin Distillery to leave investors out of pocket

Sean Pollock Sun 16 Nov 2025 at 06:30

Revenue sheriffs seized assets from Nephin Whiskeys distillery after tax authorities went after historic debts years before a controversial liquidation that is set to leave creditors short millions.
Solar 21 investors see 122m of their cash wiped out in liquidation of groups power station firm

Much of the money was raised by a firm led by Achill Island brothers Michael and Andrew Bradley

Michael Bradley 13 years ago. Photo: Maura Hickey

Fearghal O'Connor Sun 16 Nov 2025 at 06:30

Solar 21 investors have taken a 122m hit from the liquidation of a subsidiary company that owned the failed Tansterne Biomass power station that is now worth little more than scrap metal.
Revenues at the firm that operates Ireland West Airport Knock are on course for a record 24m this year, and it is set to exceed 900,000 passengers for the first time.
What I spend on Christmas: I would imagine that my total will be about 2,000 and the majority of my budget will be on my own kids
Catherine Walkers acting has taken her far beyond these shores. Like many of her peers, she left Ireland for London. When she was starring in the historical drama Versailles, she got the chance to live in Paris.

Walker has twice worked with Ridley Scott  on House of Gucci and Napoleon  but the opportunity to work in Ireland remains a treasure to her.

Its always my favourite thing, she said. Its my absolute favourite thing. Its something that means the world to me. Its a great privilege to work with colleagues from here, and be at home.

"Versaille was an extraordinary experience because I got to live in the centre of Paris for two six-month periods, but youre still away and living out of a suitcase.

"Also, were working at such a high level. Irish productions are working at an extraordinarily high level, so I love it.

"Crews here have always been working at a very high standard. With more work, that gets better and better, but I do think weve always been punching above our weight.

The latest chance to work here as come on the third season of RTE crime drama Hidden Assets. Walker plays Dr Niamh Bennett, who from the outset of the first episode is forced to deal with the repercussions of a CAB raid ending tragically.

Dr Bennetts sister Alice (Rebecca OMara) flees the country. Meanwhile, her own work for a charity providing on-the-ground medical aid to refugees is caught up in the investigation.

The story gave Walker a chance to act within a fascinating moral grey area.

"Her lifes work is being being jeopardised by what CAB are investigating. Theres a wonderful dilemma there  shes doing extraordinary work  but in dealing with nefarious governments in war torn places, and you may not act in the most morally right way.

"Theres a dilemma there, for CAB investigating her, because theyre destroying this incredibly valuable work. It was very interesting to play with that dynamic. Youre in a grey area, which is the best place to be.

Part of the appeal of Hidden Assets from the very start has been its scope. It has reached beyond Dublin, to Antwerp in prior seasons and this time around, to Bilbao in Spain.

Walker was not part of the crew making the trip abroad, but she said the European flavour adds a wonderful new aspect to its production.

"It just makes the whole world of the show bigger. Working from a European perspective is so exciting for us and I loved that influence in it. It makes it really strong.

"Theres great strength to be had in co-production, and there are really interesting stories to be told that way. Its a very clever thing. It works, and you can tell so many stories when you have those different perspectives.

We can be a bit of a village here, so its nice when a story moves out. It helps our imagination and allows us to engage with stories in a different way.

Hidden Assets airs Sundays at 9.30pm on RTE One and the RTE Player.
They feared their little boy was going to die  Child (8) waits nearly two hours for ambulance after suffering horrific injury
Our autistic son should never have been charged its help he needs, not to be locked up

Young mans parents say he was in the midst of mental health crisis at time of incident  and is now in legal limbo

Mary Griffith from Castlebar, Co Mayo. Photo: Conor McKeown

Ali Bracken Sun 16 Nov 2025 at 06:30

Autistic, isolated and vulnerable is how the parents of Mayo man Eoghan Griffith (25) describe their son, who is currently sectioned at the Central Mental Hospital in Dublin.
John Crown: Remember those killed in the Troubles who devoted their lives to saving others

Gordon Hamilton Fairley, a leading cancer specialist, was murdered by the IRA, and so were many nurses, including Marie Wilson in Enniskillen

Professor Gordon Hamilton Fairley was killed on October 23, 1975, when a bomb ripped apart a car belonging to Conservative MP Hugh Fraser outside the MP's London home. Photo: PA

John Crown Sun 16 Nov 2025 at 06:30

Each one of the approximately 3,600 deaths that occurred as a result of the Troubles was a tragedy for the individual concerned and for their families and communities. Some, however, struck a loud chord that resonated farther afield and, in some cases, echoed around the world. The anniversaries of two such deaths occurred recently.
If hard work is not enough to achieve home ownership, what loyalty can the State command? Photo: Getty

As of today, there are just over six weeks to the end of 2025, making it all but certain that the Government will come nowhere near meeting its housing target for the year.

That leaves just four years for the Government to hit its target of 300,000 new homes by 2030, including 72,000 social housing units, as set down again in last weeks refurbished housing plan.

Does anyone believe that this figure can be met at the current sluggish rate of construction?

While an element of despair is forgivable, it is imperative that the plan be given a chance to work  not least as its the only game in town.

For it to fall flat again is too horrific to contemplate. It has encouraging elements, including the recognition of the need for increased infrastructure investment to support new developments. If ministers are serious about providing a clear and robust framework for construction, all the better. Such clarity has been sorely lacking from different departments for many years.

Housing is the problem that requires the most holistic approach

The fear is that, for all its stated determination to cut the Gordian knot that strangles planning in this area, the Government is still playing whack-a-mole, with all efforts concentrated on whacking the same mole: under-supply.

Worse than that, they keep missing.

Of all the problems the Government faces, housing is the one that requires the most holistic approach. The continued resistance to the sort of high-rise developments that provide affordable housing for many first-time buyers in most other European countries is self-destructively perverse.

A matching terror of repeating the mistakes of the Celtic Tiger may also hold us back, while migration adds further pressure to a market cracking under the demands being placed on it.

Is the solution really to pile up further layers of bureaucracy? As for the much-trumpeted housing tsar, that role appears to have been quietly shelved in embarrassment.

What those struggling to get a firm footing on the property ladder wanted from the latest housing plan was some light at the end of the tunnel.

The housing crisis is a personal tragedy for those affected

Instead, it feels as if the Government is still stumbling through the dark with only a flickering candle to light the way, its flame too dim to offer any reassurance that the tunnel even has an end. It beggars belief that they could not have conveyed some energy rather than the old ennui.

The housing crisis is a personal tragedy for those affected. More troublingly, it represents a simmering social crisis too, as the largely unacknowledged divide grows between homeowners and non-homeowners, with many of the second group giving up hope of ever joining the ranks of the first.

There was always an unwritten social contract that working hard would reap rewards in the shape of a home of ones own. There are certainly jobs around, many of them well paid. Recent governments should be commended for ending Irelands history of chronic unemployment.

The danger lies in not delivering on the next part of the deal. If hard work is not enough to achieve home ownership, what loyalty can the left-behind be expected to have to society?

Nothing is more dangerous than a loss of hope; and real hope, rather than crossed fingers, is what the Government is still failing to provide.
Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB) is included among the 15 Best Passive Income Stocks to Buy Right Now.

BMO Capital Raises Enbridge (ENB) Price Target to C$67, Maintains Market Perform rating

On November 10, BMO Capital raised its price target for Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB) to C$67 from C$66 while maintaining a Market Perform rating on the stock, as reported by The Fly.

During the third quarter of 2025, the company reported that it had added C$7 billion in new expansion projects this year, bringing the total to C$35 billion. These projects are expected to come online through 2033, providing greater visibility into Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB)s goal of delivering 5% compound annual cash flow per share growth after next year. This growth in cash flow is expected to support continued dividend increases.

Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB) is also exploring over $4 billion in potential opportunities to expand its gas utility business to meet rising demand from data centers. It is working on roughly 60 projects across its service areas to supply gas for power generation and data centers, addressing growing energy needs over the coming years.

Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB) operates as an energy infrastructure company, transporting and distributing oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids through its extensive pipeline network.

While we acknowledge the potential of ENB as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 15 Extreme Dividend Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds and 15 Overlooked Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now.

Disclosure: None.
Louise McSharry: From the age of six I was told daily that I was too big  medication changed my life

But these drugs like Mounjaro are simply too expensive for many people to afford and the Government needs to address this

Weight loss is not easy for everyone, so a more pain-free, scientifically proven treatment to help with this process should be welcomed by all. Stock image: Getty

Louise McSharry Sat 15 Nov 2025 at 06:30

A bout six months ago, I started taking weight-loss medication. It was a difficult decision, having spent the previous decade working really hard to be at peace with my weight, and even succeeding occasionally for brief periods. If Im honest, existing in a bigger body has been the greatest challenge of my life.
News

Dead people still on Corks voting register very upsetting for relatives

The voting register needs to be updated to remove the deceased as their inclusion is causing distress for their relatives when polling cards for them arrive at election time, a Cork councillor has said.
When Cian Healy from Dooradoyle began the Logistics Associate Apprenticeship at Munster Technological University (MTU), he was looking for stability and a better future for his young family.

Just a few years later, that decision has led him all the way to the national stage, earning him the title of Apprentice of the Year 2025 in the ICT and Logistics category.

The award, presented by the National Apprenticeship Office at a ceremony in Dublins historic Mansion House, recognises Cians outstanding achievements during his apprenticeship with Johnson & Johnson Vision Care and his academic success at MTU.

Before starting the Logistics Associate Apprenticeship at MTU, I was working in different industries and finding it difficult to support my young family, Cian said.

Cian recently graduated top of his class with a Higher Certificate in Logistics and is now continuing his studies toward a Level 7 Bachelor of Business in Supply Chain and Transport Management at the National Maritime College of Ireland.

Efce van Heerden, Lecturer and Programme Coordinator for the MTU Logistics Associate Apprenticeship, said: Cians recognition is a tremendous and well-deserved achievement. He has consistently shown dedication, professionalism, and genuine enthusiasm for learning.

His commitment to both his studies and his peers has set a strong example for others in the programme.

At Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Cian has become a valued team member.

This apprenticeship has allowed me to build an exciting career in the supply chain industry with Johnson & Johnson, while continuing my education at MTU.

"I hope my journey encourages others to explore the apprenticeship route and see the opportunities it can create, Cian added.
However, he immediately lodged an appeal against the sentence and was free to leave the court

A Wexford man pleaded guilty to various charges including two assaults, criminal damage, public order, and drink driving at a recent sitting of Wexford district court before Judge John Cheatle.

The court heard that John Paul McGuire (47) of 77, Talbot Green, Wexford, assaulted a woman at her home on May 9, 2020 during a party where a number of drinks had been consumed.

The woman was said to have received a number of bruises.

On July 8, 2022 McGuire assaulted the daughter of the aforementioned woman. The accused was also charged with criminal damage to the womans apartment block and to her phone on dates unknown.

The defendant was also charged with a public order and criminal damage offence at Sharkeys takeaway in Rosslare Harbour, Wexford. The court heard that on December 16, 2020, when Covid regulations were still in place, the accused refused to wear a mask, was verbally abusive to staff members, and committed 100 worth of damage to the protective plastic screens in place.

The accused also pleaded guilty to a charge of drink driving and no insurance.

Gardai informed the court that McGuire has 19 previous convictions, most of which relate to public order matters.

Edward King, solicitor for the accused, stated that his client is deeply remorseful and wishes to apologise for his behaviour. Mr King stated that McGuire has struggled with alcohol addiction most of his adult life and was highly intoxicated at the time of the offences.

Mr King described his client as one of those people who cannot drink and should not drink". However, in the period since the offences were committed the accused has addressed his alcohol dependency.

Mr King said that the offender who committed these crimes is very different than the man who was before the court on this day. McGuire was said to be sober for three years, engaging with the restorative justice programme, the Cornmarket project, the MEND programme, and also the probation services who are willing to continue working with him.

Judge Cheatle stated that the assaults are too serious, especially the assault on the daughter, and therefore sentenced McGuire to 11 months imprisonment on that charge with a further 11 months to run consecutively suspended for 18 months on the assault charge of the girls mother.

On the charge of drink driving a three year disqualification was imposed to run consecutively with a two year disqualification on the no insurance matter.

McGuire opted to a lodge an appeal which will be heard before the next sittings of district court appeals held at Wexford Circuit Court and was able to walk free from court until then.

Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.
Suzann Tutty and Edward Timmins TD at the launch of the Blue Tree Project in Hollywood. Photo: Barry Hamilton

Suzann Tutty and Edward Timmins TD at the launch of the Blue Tree Project in Hollywood. Photo: Barry Hamilton

Suzann Tutty at the launch of the Blue Tree Project in Hollywood. Photo: Barry Hamilton

The launch of the Blue Tree Project in Hollywood. Photo: Barry Hamilton

The launch of the Blue Tree Project in Hollywood. Photo: Barry Hamilton

A new Blue Tree has been unveiled in Hollywood to promote mental health awareness, as the west Wicklow village joined a global movement encouraging people to check in on one another and talk openly about mental wellbeing.

Organised by Hollywood Tidy Towns, the event took place recently opposite the communitys distinctive Blue Tree, where a large crowd gathered for what organisers described as a very moving and poignant ceremony held beneath a clear blue sky.

Tommy and Suzann Tutty explained the significance of the tree, one of only two in Ireland but part of a network of more than 1,500 worldwide. The Blue Tree movement began in Australia, a Hollywood Tidy Towns spokesperson said, and is an initiative aimed at promoting mental health awareness, opening conversations, and reminding us to check in, listen, and support each other.

Deputy Edward Timmins, who has campaigned in the Dail for increased support for mens mental health, spoke about the need to establish connections and strengthen support in communities, noting that while some people face greater challenges than others, everyone benefits from offering support.

The launch of the Blue Tree Project in Hollywood. Photo: Barry Hamilton

He and Suzann Tutty then unveiled a granite plaque on the pathway across from the Blue Tree to mark the occasion.

Hollywood Tidy Towns thanked the Tutty family, Mc Evoys of Ballyknockan, the Hollywood Inn, Deirdre Howard from West Wicklow Mental Health, deputy Timmins, and councillors Patsy Glennon, Liam Cullen and Pat Mahon.

In the days after the event, those involved reflected on the Irish saying Ar scath a cheile a mhaireann na daoine  under the shelter of each other, people survive.
Nicola Sturgeon and Alan Cumming met in 2014 while campaigning for Scottish independence (Danny Lawson/PA)

Alan Cumming has said he has seen Nicola Sturgeon blossom since standing down as first minister.

The actor said he has stayed friends with the former SNP leader since he met her campaigning ahead of the independence referendum in 2014 when she was Alex Salmonds deputy.

Having seen her recently, he said she seemed happy and relaxed.

Speaking about their friendship, he told the PA news agency: We met in 2014 when I came over from New York.

I was on Broadway and I came one weekend on my day off to campaign for independence and I campaigned with her.

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who recently released her memoir, will step down as an MSP at the election in May (Jane Barlow/PA)

Thats when we first met, so a long time now.

Weve just stayed friends over the years, and I really love her.

I think since she stood down, Ive seen her blossom.

Shes also got more time to come out and have fun.

On his most recent meeting with Ms Sturgeon, Cumming added: I thought she was looking more relaxed and more happy than Ive seen her looking in many, many years.

I think shes in a really good place.

Ms Sturgeon stepped down in early 2023 and is Scotlands longest serving first minister.

The politician will step down as an MSP at the May election, ending three decades in frontline politics.

She oversaw Scotlands pandemic response but in her later years failed to gain a second referendum and saw headline policies such as gender reforms blocked by the UK government, leading to costly court battles.

The SNP became embroiled in chaos shortly after her resignation as police began making arrests over a long-running investigation into its finances.

Portraits of Donald Dewar, Henry McLeish, Jack McConnell, Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf on the stairs inside Bute House in Edinburgh (Russell Cheyne/PA)

Ms Sturgeon, her then husband and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, as well as the partys former treasurer Colin Beattie, were all arrested months after she quit. Ms Sturgeons home, which she shared with her then partner Mr Murrell, was searched, attracting significant media attention.

Police concluded their investigations into Ms Sturgeon and Mr Beattie and no action was taken, but Mr Murrell was later charged with alleged embezzlement.

Earlier this month, Ms Sturgeon said her political appetite had been reawakened due to the release of her memoir in the summer, but she ruled out returning to frontline politics.

The time is definitely right for me to leave the political stage, she said.

Im stepping down from elected politics after 27 years, which I think is long enough for anybody, but Im never going to lose my interest in an appetite for political debate and trying to use my voice, such as it is, to influence the things that I care about in the direction that I would like to see them take.

Ive been sort of reflecting to some friends recently that since I published my memoir back in August, and Ive been doing lots and lots of promotional events, I think Ive had my political appetite reawakened a little bit  but Im desperately trying to sort of push it back down into a proper place.

Im definitely not coming back. I think I should say that categorically.
Ewan McGregor (left) and David Tennant were both at the Bafta Scotland awards (Jane Barlow/PA)

Ewan McGregor said it was amazing to receive an outstanding contribution award from Bafta Scotland and paid tribute to his actor uncle for inspiring him as he collected the honour in Glasgow.

Others recognised at the event included James McArdle who received the Actor Film/Television award for his role in Four Mothers and Saoirse Ronan who received the Actress Film/Television honour for her part in The Outrun.

McGregor was presented with the award by his uncle, actor Denis Lawson, who described his nephew as an extraordinarily versatile actor.

McGregor made his breakthrough in the 1990s in films such as Brassed Off, Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, and has gone on to star in the likes of Star Wars and Moulin Rouge!

James McArdle received the actor film/television award (Jane Barlow/PA)

Receiving the award on Sunday, he described his uncle, who also appeared in Star Wars, as my biggest inspiration and credited him for teaching him what acting really was.

McGregor said: I cant imagine anybody I would rather get this amazing award from than my uncle Denis.

He paid tribute to his wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and said he would love to work with her more, jokingly calling for more films they could be in together.

McGregor said: I love to work with you so much. Ive been lucky enough to do it three times, and I want to do it more and more.

Mary and I are now here in Scotland, so to save us the pain of having to be apart, maybe you could come up with lots of Scottish films that we can be in together.

Izuka Hoyle was nominated for actress film/television (Jane Barlow/PA)

Saoirse Ronan was not present at the ceremony however the award was collected on her behalf by her friend and fellow nominee Izuka Hoyle who read out a message sent by Ronan.

In the message, Ronan described The Outrun as an incredible team effort and thanked all those involved in making it as well as Amy Liptrop, on whose book the film is based,

She also thanked the people of Orkney, where the film is set, saying: This would not have been possible without you, your willingness to let us into your lives, your homes, your story.

In her speech she also praised Hoyle, describing her as a beautiful, rare gem and saying: The work youve seen from her so far is only the beginning. Watch her soar.

Earlier, Hoyle told the PA news agency: It feels incredible to be nominated for Big Boys which is one of my favourite jobs Ive ever worked on and it feels incredible to be in a category of such incredible women.

McArdle thanked everyone involved in the film in his acceptance speech.

He praised the incredible producers, and this phenomenal cast of those four women, joking that to be trapped in a bus with these four octogenarians was a real, real joy.

The Outrun director Nora Fingscheidt won the Director Fiction award.

Others at the ceremony included David Tennant, who was nominated in the actor film/television category for his role in Rivals  based on the book by the late Dame Jilly Cooper.

James McAvoy attended the event in Glasgow (Jane Barlow/PA)

He appeared on the red carpet with Gary Lamont, who was nominated in the audience award for favourite Scot on screen for his performance in Rivals.

Speaking about the series, Lamont said: We knew there was magic in the air, we could feel it was special, but none of us dared say that it was going to be a hit.

After that, all the actors watched eight episodes together and you could hear a pin drop.

Tennant said his wife urged him to take on the role, telling him its going to be a massive hit.

Asked how it felt to be nominated, Tennant said what a lark, while Lamont described how they texted each other about it as he joked: Ive been coming to Bafta for a long, long time and I keep saying if you hang around long enough they will throw you a nomination.

He added: Im delighted.

Commenting on the Bafta Scotland awards, Tennant said: Scotland punches above its weight culturally throughout Britain and throughout the world, and I think its good to boast about that now and again and go, you know what, this is an industry that we are doing well in, lets be proud of it.

Others nominated in the actor film/television category of the Bafta Scotland awards were Ncuti Gatwa for his role in Doctor Who, and James McAvoy for horror film Speak No Evil.

They were up against Peter Capaldi for the episode of Black Mirror named Plaything, and Ruaridh Mollica for Sebastian.

Mollica said he felt elated to be nominated and enjoyed attending the awards.

He said: To be sat around people Ive looked up to, its incredible. I presented once last year and this room is always just filled with the most wonderful talented, kind people.

Others nominated in the actress category were Tilda Swinton for The End, Karen Gillan for Douglas Is Cancelled, and Anna Prochniak for The Tattooist Of Auschwitz.

Also nominated for the actress award were Catherine McCormack for Lockerbie: A Search For Truth and Izuka Hoyle for Big Boys.

McGregor starred as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, returning to the role for the Disney+ original series Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2022.

Lockerbie: A Search for Truth received the award for Television Scripted while On Falling scooped two awards on the night.

It was recognised for Feature Film and debut feature filmmaker Laura Carreira was awarded Writer Film/Television.
To donate to the #ItsInTheBag campaign, see hygienehub.ie

The modern fairytale The Ice Tower, starring Marion Cotillard, is screening as part of the French Film Festival at the IFI, see ifi.ie

Singer Elaine Malone is performing at Corks Quiet Lights Festival, for information and tickets, see quietlights.net/

Get the kids ready for Christmas at Elf Town, tickets from 19.95 for adults, 29.95 for a child, see elftown.ie

Santas elves Book now for Elf Town, which opened at the RDS Dublin yesterday and opens at Galway Racecourse on Friday until December 24. Kids and big kids will love Jack Frosts House, Mrs Clauss Kitchen, Santas Reindeer Stables and the Elf Post Office. And, yes, the man in red is around, too. SC Tickets from 19.95 for adults, 29.95 for a child, see elftown.ie

Singer Elaine Malone is performing at Corks Quiet Lights Festival, for information and tickets, see quietlights.net/

Light up Corks Quiet Lights Festival is taking place in Cork City November 20 to 23, with performers including Lisa ONeill, Elaine Malone, Rich(ard) Dawson, Mary Lattimore and Mum performing at Live at St Lukes. LH For information and tickets, see quietlights.net/

Childrens blanket, mournetextiles.com

Showcasing indigenous design At Mary Lavin Place in Dublin 2 from now until December 21 find Form & Fable, a pop-up with a beautifully curated line-up of makers that includes textiles from Ellie Dunne, Mourne Textiles, pictured; ceramics from Fermoyle Pottery and Andrew Ludick, as well as art, wood pieces and homewares. SC See formandfable.ie

The modern fairytale The Ice Tower, starring Marion Cotillard, is screening as part of the French Film Festival at the IFI, see ifi.ie

French cinema The IFI French Film Festival starts on Wednesday until November 30, with 34 titles over the two days, including modern fairytale The Ice Tower, starring Marion Cotillard, and thriller A Private Life, featuring Jodie Foster in her first French-speaking role. LH For full programme details and to book tickets, see ifi.ie

To donate to the #ItsInTheBag campaign, see hygienehub.ie

Season of care The Hygiene Hub has started its annual #ItsInTheBag campaign, which runs until December 14. Founded by Ciara Dalton, Sorcha Killian and Rosie McDonagh, the Hygiene Hub distributes personal-care products to people in need all year round but they run a special drive at this time of year, welcoming basic self-care products as well as gift boxes. Find locations of drop-off points on their website, as well as iDonate details and how to organise your own drive. SC See hygienehub.ie

Fota Island Resort's Winter Wedding Showcase, November 23, see fotaisland.ie

Wedding plans? Corks Fota Island Resort is hosting their Winter Wedding Showcase on November 23 from 12pm-3pm, by appointment. Guests can meet the wedding planning team, and meet with local suppliers who provide ingredients for the hotels bespoke seasonal menus. LH For more, see fotaisland.ie
Keir Starmer urged to sack his Cork-born adviser Morgan McSweeney

Briefing against opponents is a long-standing aspect of Westminster politics

Morgan McSweeney. Photo: Marcin Nowak

Caitlin Doherty Sun 16 Nov 2025 at 06:30

British prime minister Keir Starmer has been urged to fire Morgan McSweeney, the Macroom man who is chief of staff at Downing Street.
Darts

Your guide to the World Darts Championship  all you need to know as Luke Littler begins his title defence at Ally Pally tonight
Chipmaker and artificial intelligence stock Micron Technology, Inc. MU raised its guidance on August 11 as it benefits from the AI hyperscaler-driven data center boom and more.

Micron stock stalled out at its 52-week highs and the top of a critical range after an initial pop.

Microns improving earnings outlook earns MU a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), and its projected to post blockbuster earnings and revenue growth, rivaling Nvidia. Yet, investors can buy Micron 20% below its all-time highs and 30% below its average Zacks price target to start September.

The tech stock also pays a dividend, and its part of an industry thats in the top 11% of 245 Zacks industries. Its valuation levels help make Micron even more of a screaming buy right now.

Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Wall Street Still Loves Nvidia and AI Stocks

Wall Streets muted reaction to Nvidias earnings release, despite another record-breaking quarter from the artificial intelligence giant, is hardly cause for concern. Nvidias NVDA revenue climbed 56% and its adjusted earnings per share (EPS) surged 54%.

Despite another massive AI-boosted quarter, Nvidia shares dipped on Thursday. Nvidia stock was simply due for a pullback.

The semiconductor company would have had to wow investors to warrant a huge post-release jump to new highs since the AI stock is already up 90% from its early April lows.

Thankfully, Nvidias report and outlook highlighted that the AI bull case remains firmly intact even though NVDAs AI data-center revenue guidance narrowly missed forecasts. CEO Jensen Huang confirmed on Wednesday that the AI race is on.

This backdrop means investors should start buying best-in-class AI stocks that are still trading at big discounts.

AI and Tech Investors Should Buy Micron Stock

Micron is a leader in DRAM and NAND memory and storage chips, which are critical components in everything from smartphones to AI data centers. MUs growth and innovations in a key segment of the semiconductor industry helped the stock climb over 1,700% in the past 15 years to crush the Zacks Tech sectors 770%.

Micron is a compelling long-term AI investment because it is a leader in high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which is critical for AI workloads.

MU works directly with AI chip powerhouse Nvidia and NVDAs closest rival, AMD. Microns CEO has said that AI will drive record memory chip demand.

Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The memory segment has been one of the more boom-and-bust-prone parts of the historically cyclical semiconductor industry.
Since 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community!

Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region.
( Image credit : Instagram|@blakelively| Blake Lively looking absolutely radiant )

( Image credit : Instagram| @blakelively (R) @justinbaldoni| Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni - different styles, equally iconic )

Why Blake Lively says the fallout runs deeper than lost earnings

( Image credit : Instagram| @blakelively| Blake Lively glowing, as always )

Whats next for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?

( Image credit : Instagram| @blakelively (R) @justinbaldoni| Blake and Justin in separate frames )

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been locked in a legal battle for quite some time, and the drama surrounding their feud shows no signs of slowing down. Every update has kept the public hooked, with the case becoming one of the most talked-about controversies linked toNow, a major new detail has come to light, and its a significant one. Newly unsealed documents reveal that Lively is reportedly facing losses worth an astonishing $161 million, according to. These filings, submitted in July, outline the financial hit she claims to have suffered as a result of her dispute with Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. The documents state that theactress is seeking more than $56 million in lost earnings, around $71 million in lost business profits, and a further $34 million for reputational damage, a figure that suggests she believes the controversy has had a lasting impact on her public image.But that is not the end of it. Lively is also requesting additional compensation for legal fees, emotional distress, and humiliation, though the exact amounts for these categories are still being assessed by experts.While the financial breakdown is striking on its own, the filings also shed light on why Lively believes the fallout has been so substantial. According to reports, she argues that the ongoing legal conflict, coupled with the negative attention surrounding the production, has directly affected her ability to secure roles, partnerships, and business opportunities. Her claims regarding reputational harm are especially notable. In an industry where public perception heavily influences casting decisions, brand collaborations, and long-term career prospects, Lively argues that the controversy has created a ripple effect that extends far beyond the project itself.Industry analysts note that reputational damage can sometimes have a bigger long-term financial impact than immediate lost earnings, particularly when an actor maintains several business ventures outside of film, something Lively has done through lifestyle projects and brand partnerships.With both sides entrenched and the figures climbing ever higher, the feud appears far from resolution. Legal experts suggest the case could continue for months, if not longer, as additional assessments, expert evaluations and potential counter-claims unfold. For now, the only certainty is that the dispute has become one of Hollywoods most closely watched legal battles, and with millions at stake, the next chapter is likely to be just as dramatic as the last.
( Image credit : Instagram| @tamrajudge| Tamra Judge looks beautiful in the picture )

How the tension began between Jennifer Lawrence and Tamra Judge

( Image credit : Instagram| Tamra Judge addresses Jennifer Lawrences comments at BravoCon )

( Image credit : Instagram| @lisabarlow14| Lisa Barlow looks flawless )

What fans can expect next

( Image credit : Instagram| Tamra Judge speaks out on Jennifer Lawrences toxic remark )

The Real Housewives of Orange County star, Tamra Judge, didnt hold back at BravoCon 2025 when addressing Jennifer Lawrences claim that she is toxic. During a special 'Reading Room' edition ofat PH Live, Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, Tamra, 58, called the actress a 'bitch' in response to the comments.The controversy began in early November when Jennifer Lawrence, during a red carpet interview for her film, called Tamra Judge the most toxic of everybody, claiming she was really behind the scenes of RHOC drama and suggesting she and Lisa Barlow should start a hidden account. Before her 'Reading Room' panel at BravoCon 2025, Tamra responded, saying, It was unfortunate that she said that. I always looked up to her. You dont know me. Im on a reality show, and theres a lot that you dont see. She added, Im sorry you feel that way! Im doing something right, Jennifer Lawrence, emphasising her success across 14 seasons ofTamra wasnt the only Housewife caught in the crossfire. During a recentpodcast, Jennifer joked about RHOSLC star Lisa Barlow, suggesting she might have been the leak who revealed sensitive information about co-star Bronwyn Newport. Lisa responded at BravoCon, insisting: Im not the leak. Its almost beneath me to comment on it. Everyone has a different perspective. Jennifer Lawrence has loved the Bravo community for years, and she can have a bad day like anyone else.The tension between reality TV and Hollywood stars highlights how public perception can escalate seemingly small comments into viral moments. Fans eagerly await Tamras unfiltered reaction during the upcomingepisode airing 18 November, alongside RHOCs Emily Simpson, RHOMs Guerdy Abraira, Below Deck alum Kate Chastain, RHOAs Phaedra Parks, RHOPs Stacey Rusch, and more of Bravos shade masters.Viewers can watch classic episodes ofandon Peacock while keeping up with the BravoCon drama. Tamras replies to Jennifers comments promise an entertaining mix of reality TV feuds and celebrity talk that fans will enjoy.
( Image credit : Netflix | Last Samurai Standing poster )

Will there be Last Samurai Standing season 2 ?

( Image credit : Netflix | Last Samurai Standing first look )

What is Last Samurai Standing about?

( Image credit : Netflix | A still from an episode of Last Samurai Standing season )

Is it based on a book?

Following the debut of Last Samurai Standing Season 1, fans are already buzzing about whether the series will return for another chapter. The shows blend of historical action and emotional storytelling has left viewers wanting more, prompting questions about its renewal status. If youre also waiting for updates, heres what we know so far about the future of the Netflix series.Although Last Samurai Standing has generated strong buzz, Netflix has not officially renewed the series for Season 2 yet. No greenlight or production update has been announced by the platform. However, creator Michihito Fujii has openly discussed his long-term vision for the story. According to Yahoo, Fujii mentioned that he imagines the narrative unfolding across two or even three seasons, indicating that the world and characters have been designed with a larger arc in mind.Despite this ambition, Fujii also shared a note of concern: he fears that if production takes too long, it could weaken audience engagement. He pointed out that when viewers return two or three years later, they may forget what happened in the past, suggesting he wants the continuation to arrive sooner rather than later to maintain momentum and emotional investment. Overall, while theres enthusiasm from the creators side, fans will have to wait for Netflixs official decision.Last Samurai Standing is a Netflix Japanese action-drama set in 1878 during the Meiji era, following 292 former samurai forced into a brutal survival tournament called Kodoku, where they must travel from Kyoto to Tokyo while stealing wooden tags from other participants to stay alive. Led by protagonist Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada), who joins the deadly game to save his ailing family, the series blends historical drama with intense battle-royale action. Directed by Michihito Fujii and based on Shogo Imamuras novel Ikusagami, which also inspired a manga, the show explores themes of identity, honor, and displacement as samurai stripped of status fight for survival in a rapidly modernizing Japan.Last Samurai Standing is adapted from Shogo Imamuras Japanese novel series Ikusagami, a historical-fiction saga set in the Meiji era that was later turned into a manga illustrated by Katsumi Tatsuzawa. The Netflix series builds on the characters, lore, and core conflict established in Imamuras work, making it a faithful screen interpretation rather than a wholly original story.
Donald Trump's surprise visit sparks excitement and laughter at Mar-a-Lago wedding

( Image credit : X | @ericldaugh | Donald Trumps Unforgettable Wedding Visit Stuns Guests )

Guests and social media celebrate Trump's unexpected wedding appearance

 EPIC! President Trump CRASHED a newly married couple's wedding last night at Mar-a-Lago and they could not believe it!













"This is a good looking couple! I'm gonna take their picture and use it in a hotel ad!" 













Best president ever.













None of them can believe he's really pic.twitter.com/PbkktGRb6g











 Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 15, 2025





Netizens react to the viral video of Donald Trump's surprise wedding visit

( Image credit : X | @ericldaugh | Donald Trump Shows Up at Wedding, Poses with Newlyweds )

In a light-hearted and unexpected moment at Mar-a-Lago last night on Saturday, President Donald Trump surprised a wedding party, leaving the newly married couple in disbelief. According to social media posts, witnesses say Trump approached the celebration and exclaimed, This is a good-looking couple! Im gonna take their picture and use it in a hotel ad! Let's find out more.Guests at the wedding were reportedly stunned, many expressing excitement and amusement at the president's playful intrusion. Some of the viral videos and photos from the event have surfaced on the internet, showing Donald Trump mingling with attendees and posing for pictures, creating a memorable and once-in-a-lifetime experience for the bride and groom.In the video, Trump could be heard saying, "This is a good-looking couple! I'm gonna take their picture and use it in a hotel ad!"Social media quickly lit up with reactions, with many praising the president for his humour and willingness to interact spontaneously. One guest wrote, Best president ever. None of us can believe hes really here!With unconventionality, Trump's wedding visit seemed to bring laughter and joy to those in attendance, turning an already special day into a truly unforgettable event.As soon as the posts and videos surfaced on social media, they quickly went viral and sparked discussion. One X (formerly called Twitter) user wrote, "Trump is the peoples president." "They are going to have lifelong luck," another added.While one mentioned, "All the Trump haters on X today are seething that they can't divide MAGA. 3 more years to go!""He is the peoples president." "Trump knows how to steal the spotlight and make it memorable. Best wedding gift ever!"I swear he does this every time hes at Mar-a-Lago. Meeting the president at your wedding is quite the story, one added.
Donald Trump withdraws support and denies being on Epstein's island

( Image credit : X | @itsmorganariel | Trump Pulls Endorsement of Marjorie Taylor Greene )

Greene accuses Trump of fuelling death threats amid political fallout

( Image credit : X | @popbase and @popcrave | Marjorie Taylor Greene Accuses Trump of Fueling Death Threats as Political Rift Deepens )

Greene breaks alliance with Donald Trump amid Epstein probe and policy disputes

( Image credit : X | @IanJaeger29| Trump Signals Support for Primary Challenger as Tensions with Greene )

US President Donald Trump has publicly withdrawn his endorsement of hard-right congresswoman ally Marjorie Taylor Greene. The President even called her a ranting lunatic amid a series of disputes. The surprising fallout exposes the deepening tensions within the MAGA movement just a year before the midterm elections, as Trump faces criticism over economic issues and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and says, I was never on his island. While, amid the ongoing feud, Georgia has accused the US President of fuelling death threats against her. Lets find out what actually happened.According to reports, President Donald Trump has officially pulled his endorsement of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, criticising her for constantly complaining and claiming she has gone far left. "All I see 'Wacky' Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!"Speaking on his Truth Social account, Trump suggested that he would support a primary challenger if Georgia Republicans choose to oppose Greene, emphasising that the right candidate would receive his complete and unwavering support.In the past, Donald Trump has successfully backed primary challenges against Republicans he considers disloyal. Not only that, but Trump, while speaking to the New York Post, said, I dont care about it, released or not. What I think is you shouldyou should do if you are going to do itthen you should go into Epstein's friends, this Reid Hoffman, who spent a lot of time on the island. I was never on his island.Marjorie Taylor Greene has accused former President Donald Trump of fuelling threats against her, saying she now faces hostility from the worlds most powerful man, the very leader she once helped elect.Speaking on X (formerly called Twitter), Greene described the wave of death threats directed at her and drew a parallel to the fear experienced by Jeffrey Epsteins victims, emphasising that she takes such threats from men very seriously.Marjorie Taylor Greene has openly distanced herself from Donald Trump, declaring on X, I dont worship or serve Donald Trump. The 51-year-old firebrand claims Trumps attacks are both punitive and a warning to other Republicans, as she supports congressional efforts to release the full Epstein investigation files.Once a staunch pro-Trump ally, even donning a Trump Was Right About Everything hat in March, Greene has since clashed with him on multiple issues, including Israels Gaza conflict, healthcare and the cost-of-living crisis.Her growing independence comes at a sensitive moment for Donald Trump, following recent setbacks that have heightened Republican unease ahead of the 2026 midterms.
Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CWEN) is included among the 10 Best Renewable Energy Dividend Stocks to Buy Now.

Clearway Energy (CWEN) - Among the Best Renewable Energy Dividend Stocks to Buy Now

With a portfolio that comprises approximately 11.8 GW of gross generating capacity in 26 states, Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CWEN) is one of the largest owners of clean energy generation assets in the United States.

Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CWEN) received a boost on November 5 when Roth Capital raised its price target on the stock from $38 to $39, while keeping a Buy rating on its shares. The update follows an impressive Q3 performance by the company, in which it topped expectations in both earnings and revenue. Clearways net income surged to $60 million, more than double compared to last year, helped by lower tax expenses, new investments, and favorable wind patterns.

Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CWEN) also narrowed its FY 2025 CAFD (Cash Available For Distribution) guidance to a range of $420 million to $440 million, while also introducing a higher-than-expected 2026 guidance of $470 million to $510 million. Moreover, the companys management confirmed its commitment to a long-term annual growth target of 5% to 8% or higher.

Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CWEN)s growth in net income allowed it to increase its dividend by 1.62% to $0.4528 per share, giving the company an annual dividend yield of 5.03% as of the writing of this piece.

While we acknowledge the potential of CWEN as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 12 Best Utility Stocks to Buy for Dividends and 11 Best High Yield Energy Stocks to Buy Now.

Disclosure: None.
Over the past two years, nearly 1,000 Philadelphians have shared their vision for Philadelphia 250 years in the future at festivals, community events, and small-group gatherings across the city. Here, a participant in the Northern Liberties Second Street Festival writes down their ideas in 2024. Read more

Thirty years ago next February, the worlds first high-profile competition between human and machine intelligence took place in Philadelphia.

IBMs Deep Blue supercomputer faced world chess champion Garry Kasparov at the still-new Pennsylvania Convention Center. It was timed with the 50th anniversary of the unveiling at the University of Pennsylvania of ENIAC, the worlds first supercomputer, and a reminder that Philadelphia once led the world into the computer age.

Back then, artificial intelligence felt distant. Today, it feels existential.

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As we prepare to host the nations 250th anniversary in 2026, Ive been asking: In a city so rich in history, are we still interested in the future?

How it started

This spark began in 2023, during a reporting project on economic mobility called Thriving that Technical.ly  the news organization I founded and lead  published with support from the William Penn Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Knight Foundation. Our newsroom followed 10 Philadelphians for a year to produce an award-winning audio-documentary and hosted a dozen focus groups across the city.

One Brewerytown resident said something that inspired a previous op-ed I wrote for this paper: Leaders here talk a lot about hundreds of years in the past, but nobody is looking very far in the future.

Across this region  in boardrooms, nonprofits, universities, and regional corporate offices  too many leaders manage the wealth and institutions created by past entrepreneurs, but too rarely invent anything new. We fight over what exists instead of building whats next.

The Semiquincentennial is our chance to prove we can balance our past, present, and future.

Why this matters now

My career has been spent listening to and challenging the inventors, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders shaping tomorrows economy. They act while others analyze.

In that spirit, we spent two years developing a vision for Philadelphia 250 years in the future. Nearly 1,000 Philadelphians have shared ideas at festivals, community events, and small-group gatherings. The current draft, open for one final round of feedback at Ph.ly, isnt a plan but an invitation  a shared view of what we wish for our descendants in 2276.

Philadelphia must keep people  not technology, not incumbency  at the center of our future.

The coming decades could bring population decline, climate strain, and sweeping technological change. Yet, many local leaders still struggle to plan even years ahead.

During a recent private discussion I moderated inside one of our citys impressively preserved old buildings, a longtime civic leader cited Philadelphias poor economic mobility ranking. I reminded him that the same research, with the same warning, was released a decade ago. Why didnt we plan to make changes then?

He assured me this time would be different.

Philadelphias past points forward

Philadelphias breakthroughs have nearly always come from outsiders who pushed past local gatekeepers.

Stephen Girard, a French immigrant dismissed by elites, built a shipping and banking fortune, stabilized the nations finances, and endowed Girard College.

The Drexel familys daring banking experiments helped fuel the Industrial Revolution before founding the school for engineers.

Albert Barnes saw beauty where Philadelphias art establishment did not.

ENIACs inventors, John Mauchly and Presper Eckert, were a little-known physics professor and a 24-year-old grad student whose entrepreneurial efforts were blocked locally, presaging Silicon Valley.

Most recently and famously, Nobel laureate Katalin Karikos mRNA research that led to the rapid-fast, lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine response was commercialized in Boston, not here.

The pattern is clear: Visionaries choose to live in Philadelphia, yet often get ignored, if not outright blocked, by local institutions. Thats no way to secure the next 250 years.

There are signals of change.

I take inspiration from bold efforts to build, including the Delaware waterfront and the cap of I-95. In the 2010s, Philadelphias technology sector earned initial, if timid, attention from successive mayoral administrations and civic leadership  and a half dozen tech unicorns were born.

 READ MORE: Philadelphia is too often in crisis mode, which does nothing to stop future crises | Opinion

That tech community helped inform this multiyear vision statement project, which received $75,000 from a funders collaborative activating Semiquincentennial efforts, including the William Penn and Connelly Foundations. The citys 2026 planning director, Michael Newmius, has been supportive, urging us to listen to residents and avoid undue filtering.

Over two years, weve tabled at community events, hosted discussions, and led working sessions. The result isnt mealymouthed or filtered by incumbency; it has grit and humanity  like Philadelphia itself.

You can read the draft vision at Ph.ly and in the article box in this op-ed. Were collecting one final round of feedback this fall, and well incorporate what we can. Were accepting feedback until Dec. 1.

From conversation to commitment

Our goal is to enshrine the final version of this statement on a physical plaque at a prominent location in the city. Well also host a digital version online, paired with voices from residents across the region.

This vision doesnt prescribe policy, nor make fallible predictions; instead, it offers a shared aspiration, a framework that future leaders can measure their plans against.

In its early drafts, the statement imagined a green-energy Philadelphia with climate-adaptive agriculture, abundant public art, thriving multigenerational neighborhoods, and a culture that exports ideas and imports opportunity.

Over subsequent versions, the specifics were removed to reflect the long time horizon, but the spirit remains: Philadelphia must keep people  not technology, not incumbency  at the center of our future.

The Semiquincentennial should celebrate our history  I personally cherish it. I was a historic Old City tour guide for a year, and my daily bicycle commute to the Technical.ly newsroom past Independence Hall reminds me what endurance looks like.

But if we only admire our past, weve missed its key lesson. Philadelphia is strongest when we pair cobblestones with inventions spark.

Read the vision at Ph.ly. Critique it, add to it, make it better. May it inspire Philadelphians for generations to keep building, not just preserving.

The Kasparov-Deep Blue rivalry is remembered as the moment a machine beat a human genius. But that was the rematch. The first contest  the one held here in Philadelphia  ended with the human winning. Lets make sure thats still true for our city.

Christopher Wink is the publisher and cofounder of the news organization Technical.ly.
Protesters rally at a news conference calling for Congress to release all of the Jeffrey Epstein files, outside the U.S. Capitol in September. Read more

The ex-skipper of Harvard, and the professor(s). A billionaire (from Silicon Valley), but not many wives  and featuring guest appearances by the MAGA publisher of Breitbart News, a former Israeli prime minister, a past president  and a future one.

This metaphorical Epstein Island  people sending, or featured in, the emails of the late disgraced financier and sex fiend Jeffrey Epstein, released last week by a House committee  is kind of like TVs Gilligans Island  if everyone had a truckload more money than Thurston Howell III, and was also a lot dumber.

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Last weeks stunning document dump by the House Oversight Committee of Epsteins emails, mostly from the 2010s, among 20,000 pages from his estate, can and should be viewed through several prisms. The main media focus has understandably been on his leering close friend in the 1990s and 2000s, now-President Donald Trump, who is mentioned many times over. Theres arguably no smoking gun directly linking Trump to any specific act of sexual misconduct in Epsteins lurid world, but more than enough innuendo that POTUS 45 and 47 knew about the girls, and possibly much more, to fuel a Watergate-level frenzy.

I dont know if the emails, so far, are enough to take down Trump, but the president should be even more worried  and he probably is  about the much deeper rot thats already been laid bare about the entire decrepit class of men (because theyre almost all men) who rule the world with atrocious grammar amid a nonstop booty call.

Im not a financial expert, but if I had disposable cash, Id avoid the hyperinflated artificial intelligence bubble and invest in a company that manufactures pitchforks.

The QAnon folks were almost there! These emails prove there really is a global cabal of the worlds most powerful and wealthy elites, linked to the most repulsive child sex trafficking operation we know about. No, it doesnt involve pizzeria basements or blood-drinking rituals  at least as far as we know so far. But these missives do reveal the evil banality of the worlds most rich and famous, whose vast pursuit of money or teenaged blondes or whatever knew no bounds, or, at long last, any sense of decency.

The Nations Jeet Heer nailed it when he wrote after the email dump that the Epstein scandal has always been a scandal about the ruling class as a whole, not one individual or political party, adding that Epstein trafficked not just in the bodies of the children he abused but also in social connections that could bring elites together.

And ignorance is no defense. By the 2000s, the murky but wildly rich financiers predilection for underage girls was hardly a secret. In 2008, in a sweetheart deal, he pleaded guilty in Florida to a charge of procuring a 17-year-old girl for prostitution, but prosecutors had evidence linking him to about three dozen other girls, including some as young as 13. And yet, most of the emails from powerful people released by the committee came after those revelations, up through his 2019 second indictment and his death in a federal jail in Manhattan under mysterious circumstances.

Some of the most telling exchanges are not the more than 1,000 emails from Epstein, his convicted partner-in-crime Ghislaine Maxwell, or their pals that mention Trump (who, wisely for him, never learned to use email), but involve Epsteins misogyny-soaked friendship with Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury secretary and Harvard president.

Summers had lost that plum Ivy League post in 2006, in good measure because of a speech in which hed questioned the intellect of top female scientists. During the 2010s, when the Obama administration or cable TV wasnt still treating him as an economic seer, the married Summers turned to this convicted sex trafficker for advice on how to hit on a younger, attractive protegee, or just to commiserate.

Im trying to figure why [the] American elite think if u murder your baby by beating and abandonment it must be irrelevant to your admission to Harvard, Summers wrote Epstein in 2017, referring to this episode at the school. But hit on a few women 10 years ago and cant work at a network or think tank. DO NOT REPEAT THIS INSIGHT.

You may remember that 2017, the first year of Trumps first presidency, is when the #MeToo movement against male sexual harassment and misconduct exploded. That email from Summers is one of the very few that even alludes to the social upheavals of the tumultuous 2010s that also included Occupy Wall Street, the tea party, Black Lives Matter, and other movements targeting privilege and inequity. Most of this prattle is instead just rich dudes talking about how to get themselves richer  or just how to get off.

Still, as Heer captures in his analysis for the Nation, the thought-to-be-secret communications of the elites increasingly involved enhanced security for the 1 Percent and ways to silence protests as that decade devolved, including scheming with the former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Barak, about launching a cybersecurity start-up. The worlds shrewdest investors knew the pitchfork bubble was coming before you did.

In the six years since Epstein was found dead, however, it has been the political backlash his email correspondents, like the Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, have heavily funded that has advanced while warding off the revolution. This was the ultimate goal of this sordid chat group: to desperately cling to their dying hierarchies around patriarchy and white supremacy, and to portray the #MeToo movement as going too far, when its obvious it didnt go nearly far enough. It was during those fraught years that they stumbled into the perfect avatar in the unlikely Trump presidency.

Now, its a headline that Trump knew about the girls, but, of course, he knew about the girls. They all knew about the girls, and every Thiel and Summers and the con artist formerly known as Prince Andrew knew theyd bought more security with a U.S. president who shared their wonderful secret.

It starts to make sense that Team Trump even deployed the White House Situation Room to fight a congressional vote for a wider release of the Epstein files, as if these secrets were a nuclear bomb headed for Chicago. To be sure, this all-out war against disclosure  along with Trumps bizarre order for the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate only Democrats mentioned in the letters  might be to hide that Trump did more with Epsteins bevy of young girls than just know about them.

But on some level, Trumps White House must also realize that the Epstein file is the Jenga piece that brings the whole thing crashing down  the end of America, or, more to the point, the version of America getting financially drained, sexually abused, and basically ruined by all the people getting emails from jeevacation@gmail.com.

The timing couldnt be better, or worse, for this midnight of the elites. The overblown stock market fueled by an AI hallucination is set to burst any moment, and new hiring is already grinding to a halt  just as the price of everything from steak to coffee goes through the roof, and health insurance is doubling or tripling for millions of Americans. When this perfect storm strikes, an electoral bloodbath in the 2026 midterms is the best outcome Trump can hope for, on a list of dire possibilities.

Its no coincidence Trump is accelerating the pace of dictatorship, not because hes at the peak of power, but because he knows hes running out of time. Thus, the wag-the-dog war drums off Venezuela are pounding louder, and the muck of naked corruption  from Swiss gold bars to real estate deals with the murderous Saudi prince  is getting filthier. All of it haunted by the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein.

Theres one other thing about the Epstein files I feel compelled to mention. Im also in them  well, sort of. On Feb. 12, 2019, for reasons well never know, Epstein emailed his ethically conflicted journalist pal Michael Wolff a column Id just written, with the words please note.

The piece was tied to the recent arrest of another close friend, the New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, for soliciting sex in strip mall massage parlors near Palm Beach, and the moral decay of Kraft and his Florida neighbors, Trump and Epstein. It came at a moment when Epstein and Wolff were talking about ways to use his inside knowledge about Trump as leverage when the walls of federal prosecution were closing in. Nine months later, Epstein was dead  weird coincidence.

In that column, I wrote, Krafts embarrassing charges come at one of those rarest of moments  when everyday people are suddenly realizing who doesnt have power in America, who does, and that something can be done about this. If Epstein did, in fact, read the piece, he knew what was coming. Now Trump knows it, too  and America will never be the same. FEEL FREE TO REPEAT THIS INSIGHT.

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To see what is in front of ones nose needs a constant struggle, warned George Orwell, the famous British author of 1984. He was referring to politicians dangerous tendency to ignore facts that challenge their preferences or ingrained beliefs.

While that quote could refer to many aspects of President Donald Trumps domestic policies, it has particular relevance to the looming collapse of his 20-point plan to bring regional peace to the Middle East, starting with Gaza.

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The fragile ceasefire still holds, and the living hostages are all home. But the subsequent, critical phases of his plan are close to unraveling, which could renew the fighting and extend the terrible humanitarian suffering. That danger looms large because neither Trump nor his team is willing to see whats in front of their noses.

Gaza cannot be stabilized, nor Hamas disarmed, unless the president spells out something his plan conspicuously avoids: the political goal of the whole process. Unless that goal is Palestinian self-determination for Gaza and the West Bank, his dreams of a Nobel Peace Prize are doomed.

How can I be so sure? And why should this be so obvious?

Believe me, I would love to be proven wrong, and Trump deserves credit for achieving a temporary ceasefire and the release of the hostages by Hamas.

Yet, after decades of covering Mideast peace efforts, I recognize that Trumps plan regurgitates ideas that have previously failed, and ideas that moderate U.S. Arab allies have already rejected. Nor does it offer Gazans (or West Bankers) reason to risk actively rejecting Hamas.

The current plan calls for disarming a weakened Hamas by force. It dumps that job onto Arab and Muslim allies, who are supposed to form an international stabilization force (known as the ISF) to police the strip while training a new crop of Palestinian police, as Israeli troops gradually withdraw.

The White House is asking the U.N. Security Council to approve the force, yet it doesnt give the world body any say over the ISFs operations. Final control would rest with a still undefined international board of peace headed by ... Donald J. Trump.

The Saudis, Emiratis, Jordanians, Azeris, and Pakistanis  all touted by Trump as potentially sending soldiers and/or funds  have already refused to participate in such a vaguely defined force. The only Muslim country to pledge troops so far is Indonesia, but the usefulness of soldiers who have no Arabic or any cultural ties with Gazans is a mystery.

Arab states dont want to take up arms against Gazans, nor wind up helping Israel continue its occupation. Israeli troops still control 53% of the strip behind a so-called yellow line, and theres no certainty they will leave or refrain from retaking more.

If were running around Gaza on patrol with weapons, thats not a situation any [Arab] country would like to get involved in, King Abdullah II of Jordan told the BBC last month. We hope [the mandate] is peacekeeping, because if its peace enforcing, nobody will want to touch that.

Moreover, key Arab leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who will visit the White House on Wednesday, have stated that funding reconstruction or the ISF depends on the plan clearly specifying a final goal of Palestinian statehood.

The Gulf Arabs dont want to pay for rebuilding Gaza unless the plan advances regional peace and a permanent end to Israeli-Palestinian warfare. That is also the sine qua non for Saudi recognition of Israel.

As a senior Saudi foreign ministry official recently told a conference in Manama, Bahrain: The realization of a Palestinian state is the prerequisite for regional integration. We have said it many times, and I dont think we have received a full understanding.

Yet, the Trump plan contains only the vaguest reference to Palestinian aspirations for such a state, and the Israeli government rules that option out.

Moreover, on the West Bank, which is receiving far too little current attention, violent Jewish settlers are viciously attacking Palestinian farmers and villages daily, unchecked by the Israeli government or military, with the goal of forcing Palestinians to leave their land. This is also undercutting prospects for the Gaza peace deal.

So the stabilization force, on which the whole plan depends, remains in grave doubt.

What Trumps nose ignores is that there is only one way to curb Hamas remaining power in Gaza and force it to turn over arms: offer Gazans an alternative political future so promising that they turn against the militants en masse.

 READ MORE: Trumps new Middle East depends on leaders who skipped his Egypt summit | Trudy Rubin

I watched that happen on the ground in Gaza in the mid-1990s, when members of Palestine Liberation Organization chief Yasir Arafats Fatah movement, along with Palestinian professional organizations, urged him to wipe out Hamas and settle with the Israelis because this was the best chance to have two states and peace. He refused and squandered the opportunity.

Economic crumbs cant resolve what is basically a political problem.

But now, if Palestinians were offered concrete hope of rebuilding and future statehood, with strong U.S. and international backing, there might be a chance for a similar opening and a way to address Israeli fears roused by the Oct.7, 2023, massacre.

Instead, Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and negotiator Steve Witkoff keep promoting a fantasy that has failed before, namely, winning Palestinians over by holding out promised economic benefits if they behave.

During Trumps first term, Kushner proposed a Peace to Prosperity plan, which became known as the deal of the century. It claimed the West Bank could become an economic powerhouse while under Israeli political and military control. That idea crumbled because, as Palestinians know, no economy can develop while Israel controls imports, exports, physical entry and egress, trade, bandwidth, and fails to control messianic settlers.

Now Kushner is proposing a similar scheme in Gaza (having apparently abandoned Trumps earlier idea of moving all Gazans out to build a Mideast Riviera resort).

The first son-in-law wants to rebuild a New Gaza in the half of the strip still controlled by the Israel Defense Forces. Palestinians would be clustered in bubbles with new housing and schools. But they would be living under military rule, restricted in movement, and thus have very few economic prospects.

Only a few thousand Palestinians reportedly remain behind the yellow line, mainly tribal clans armed by Israel to fight Hamas. Its unlikely many ordinary Palestinians would cross over to live under such restrictive conditions. Especially if the yellow line, as looks likely, becomes permanent and separates them forever from their families in the wreckage of the rest of Gaza.

 READ MORE: Trumps Mideast peace deal is high on hoopla, vague on critical details | Trudy Rubin

In other words, economic crumbs cant resolve what is basically a political problem: defining the political future for all of Gaza  and the West Bank.

So what is before our noses is that Trumps dream of Mideast peace would require confronting the Palestinian future head-on in the near term  despite the deep pain and anger of the publics inside Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. That would also require serious pressure on Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. (Its not encouraging that Trump just urged Israels president, Isaac Herzog, to grant a pardon to Netanyahu in his long-running corruption case.)

And it would take strong, committed, and consistent leadership from the White House, which my nose tells me, realistically, isnt on.
Archbishop Nelson J. Perez approved the "relegation" of St. Hedwig's Church into a secular building. Read more

St. Hedwigs, which served Chesters Polish Catholic community for generations, is officially no longer a church. And some of the former parishs buildings may soon become multifamily housing.

Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Perez last week issued a decree approving the relegation of the building to profane but not sordid use effective January 1, 2026.

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In other words, the building will no longer be designated as a Roman Catholic church, according to a Sunday announcement from the archdiocese.

Perezs decree merely capped off a process that had been in the works for years.

In the early 1990s, amid decreasing attendance, the archdiocese merged several Delaware County parishes. St. Hedwigs became a part of Clifton Heights Sacred Heart Parish, which also serves the Polish community, and its building became a place of worship under the care of Sacred Heart.

That marked the official end of the parish, which was established in 1902 and was named after Hedwig of Silesia, a 13th-century duchess of Greater Poland.

But financial pressures  including an estimated $60,000 repair for a failed boiler  and pastoral challenges continued to mount, and church officials moved to unload the historic property.

While those worshipping at Saint Hedwigs had been contributing generously for the upkeep of their church, their donations proved insufficient for the churchs ongoing maintenance needs, the archdiocese said Sunday. Multiple repairs have been financed by Sacred Heart Parish, which itself faced an operating deficit in 2024.

The final Mass was held in 2023.

For 121 years, St. Hedwigs has been there to serve the Polish people, the church announced in a Facebook post at the time. We have celebrated baptisms, communions, confirmations, marriages, and ultimately funerals. We have been forever faithful.

A parishioner at the time lamented the demise of a church that had served the areas Polish community for more than a century.

We sing in Polish and pray in Polish and we still have a very tight-knit community that maintains this church, Judy Kuchinski of Chester told 6abc.

The archdiocese in January sold a property across the street from the church that included a former school, rectory, and convent to a group of real estate investors, according to Delaware County records.

While the sale of property adjacent to Saint Hedwig Church in January 2025 provided additional capital to Sacred Heart, this money will be needed to help offset the regular deficits that accrue in financing parish operations, the archdiocese said Sunday.

Mario Rivello, a multifamily housing developer who has done other work in Chester, is leading the project.

Were very active in that city, and this may be a property that we further develop based on approval process, Rivello said in an interview Sunday.

Rivello said the investors goal is to convert the buildings into multifamily housing, which he said is our expertise. They have no plans to demolish the buildings, he said.

Wed rather not, Rivello said. The archdiocese  the bones of the buildings that they sell  usually these properties are in good condition or theyre well-built."

The archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Corn futures closed out the Friday session with contracts down 10 to 11  cents. Despite the losses, December closed with a gain of 3 cents on the week. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price was down 11 cents at $3.91 .

After a month off, USDA released an updated Crop Production report this morning, showing corn yield at 186 bpa. That was just a 0.7 bpa decrease from the September report and dropped output by 62 mbu to 16.752 bbu. Traders were looking for a 184 bpa yield number.

More News from Barchart

As per the WASDE, there was a 207 mbu increase to the 2024/25 carryout number at 1.532 bbu, expected from the September Grain Stocks report, which took total 2025/26 supply 144 mbu higher to 18.309 bbu. Other demand changes came from exports (+100 mbu), which limited the increased the 2025/26 carryout estimate to 44 mbu to 2.154 bbu. The cash average price was also raised by a dime to $4.00.

World corn ending stocks are estimated at 281.34 MMT, which was a 0.06 MMT reduction from the September report. That came as China was trimmed by 3.16 MMT, offsetting the US number.

The USDA also released the backlog of flash sale announcements from October 1 to November 12, with 4.915 MMT reported as large sales (exceeding 100,000 MT). Of that, 4.367 MMT was for the current marketing year and 548,640 MT for 2026/27.

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.30 1/4, down 11 1/4 cents,

Nearby Cash was $3.91 1/2, down 11 cents,

Mar 26 Corn closed at $4.44, down 11 1/2 cents,

May 26 Corn closed at $4.52 1/4, down 10 3/4 cents,

On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com
High-profile cases of environmental crime in recent months have highlighted the need for well resourced regulatory authorities that have a clear mandate from the public to carry out their work. This can create strain in industries under the spotlight, such as when in 2023 the Environmental Protection Agency came under sustained fire from farming organisations and their political supporters for demonstrating the deterioration in water quality, primarily as a result of farming activities.

Now, similar criticisms have been levelled at the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA)  a statutory body which supervises and enforces sea fishing regulations within Irish waters (both Irish and foreign boats). The fishing industry is not happy with the SFPA, accusing it of jeopardising the competitiveness of the sector and being biased against Irish fishing boats.
After a lull of a couple of years, thieves are back stealing batteries from speed indicator signs.

News of this came at a meeting of the Kanturk/Mallow Municipal District Council after Fianna Fail councillor Ian Doyle asked council engineers to fix one on the N20 main Cork-Limerick road on the approach to the village of Ballyhea.

He was informed by executive engineer Billy OSullivan that the council has been experiencing ongoing vandalism with the speed feedback sign at this location.

He said the battery units have also been stolen and it is no longer viable to keep replacing batteries".

Mr OSullivan added that the council is liaising with the supplier in relation to an alternative solution to address this issue.

Mr Doyle said it is important that a solution is found as they are vital for reducing speed in the village.

It is believed some are being sold off to be used as powerpacks for agricultural fencers as well as for quad bikes.

During covid a lot of these batteries were stolen in rural areas all over Cork.

In August 2020, rural communities were asked to keep a sharp eye out for a gang of thieves who were striking at night and stealing batteries from cameras.

Much of the activity appeared to be around the north Cork area then as well.

The first thefts were reported in the Glantane area. It then emerged there had been similar thefts in Bweeng and Dromahane, also in North Cork and then in Rathduff.

Batteries were also stolen at the village of Copeen and at Ballyshoneen, near Beerings, and the village of Cloghroe, near Blarney and at Firmount, near Donoughmore.
Gardai are investigating the death of a man in his thirties, following an early-morning incident in Hollyville, Hollyhill. A man in his fifties has been arrested as enquiries continue. We spoke to Councillor Tony Fitzgerald about the communitys reaction.

Read More Cork City fatal stabbing victim named locally as Mark O'Connell
A Cork pizza restaurant owner assaulted a man who was trying to deliver letters to his premises, the district court has found.

Inspector Roisin ODea told Bantry District Court that 57-year-old Noel Murphy of Foildarrig, Castletownbere, Co. Cork, was charged with one count of assault contrary to Section 2 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997.

The court heard from the injured party who said he was instructed by his employer to deliver some letters by hand to the proprietor of the Pizza Dog restaurant in Castletownbere. The injured party told the court that he had been to the restaurant on one previous occasion for the same purpose where he spoke to a man identified as Noel who he believed was the owner.

On the evening of July 10, 2024, the injured party arrived at the restaurant and was told the owner was not there. He told the court that he called the owner by phone who told him to leave the premises as he was not welcome.

The court heard that restaurant staff opened a side gate to allow the injured party to put the letters in a post box.

The injured party said as he was doing so somebody came up behind him very fast and assaulted him. The injured party said he recognised the voice of the person as being Noel Murphy.

The court heard that the injured party immediately left in his car and reported the assault at Bantry Garda Station.

Defence solicitor, Gerard Corcoran, said his client denied ever having met the injured party. The court heard that the injured party was asked to leave and when he did not do so he was effectively trespassing.

Mr Corcoran said the injured party was unable to identify his client in court and that there had to be a doubt if that was the case.

Noel Murphy told the court that on the night in question he was at home. He said he did remember a phone call but did not meet the injured party.

He said the first time he had ever seen him was in court. He said he was shocked by the incident and had since installed CCTV at the restaurant for security.

Judge Joanne Carroll said she was satisfied that the injured party was assaulted by Noel Murphy and that they had met on a previous occasion.

She said she had listened very carefully to the evidence and given the circumstances and the fact that Murphy had no previous convictions she would apply the Probation Act.

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A court has been told it will be alleged a former sales associate with high-end retail brands in Dublin "was caught red-handed" with two suitcases containing 620,000 worth of cannabis by the carousel at Shannon airport last week.

Sean Grehan, aged 28, of Stradbrook Park, Blackrock, Dublin appeared in Ennis District Court after being charged with two alleged drugs offences arising from the airport seizure last Wednesday.

At the conclusion of a contested bail hearing, Judge Alec Gabbett remanded Mr Grehan in custody with consent to bail on the condition he provide a 20,000 cash surety.

Counsel for Mr Grehan, Sorcha Dianamh Ni Neill Fulham, told Judge Gabbett that her client doesnt have cash at present.

Gardai objected to bail, and Garda Kevin Molloy said it will be alleged that a passenger from an inbound Boston flight, Mr Grehan, was detected by customs officers to have two 20kg suitcases at Shannon Airport last Wednesday containing 31kg of cannabis with an estimated street value of 620,000.

Garda Molloy said it will be alleged that Mr Grehan was due to pass the two suitcases to another person after getting through customs at Shannon Airport.

Objection to bail

Garda Molloy said gardai were objecting to bail based on the seriousness of the charge and the strength of evidence against Mr Grehan.

Garda Molloy said that Mr Grehan, by his own admission, has incurred a significant drugs debt due to his addiction to cocaine, and admitted that he has taken a serious amount of cocaine over the last number of years.

Judge Gabbett said that it will be alleged that Mr Grehan was caught red-handed at the carousel at Shannon Airport with two suitcases full of drugs.

In response, Ms Ni Neill Fulham said that this would be a matter for evidence. She said that her client is a father of two, and has worked as a sales associate for a number of high-end retail brands in Dublin.

Mr Grehan is charged that, on November 12 at the airport, he had cannabis for the purpose of sale or supply contrary to Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Judge Gabbett remanded Mr Grehan in custody with consent to bail.
Waking up on life support, terrified and unable to talk with tubes in her mouth, Sarah Costello was told she was lucky to be alive.

Within seconds of a routine keyhole surgery to check for endometriosis, the scope had pushed far beyond Sarahs womb above her spinal column and severed her main aorta.

Without urgent surgical intervention and blood transfusions, the then-36-year-old mother-of-two would have died on the operating table in October 2024.

A vascular surgeon operating on an aneurism in a nearby public hospital was rushed to the private hospital where Sarah was dying.

Her heart had stopped and her lungs collapsed throughout the ordeal.

But that surgeon saved her life.

She woke up on life support in a public hospital with no idea what had happened to her.

I was so scared. I remember looking for my husband, said Sarah, a mother of two children, from Trim, Co Meath.

They were just saying you're such a lucky girl, you almost didn't make it.

The thought of me not coming home to my kids was just so traumatic.

Life-changing injuries

The operation was in a private hospital in Belfast at 6.30pm. It was funded through the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) after Ms Costello had been on a waiting list for a surgical intervention for painful and debilitating endometriosis  a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb starts to grow outside the uterus causing pain.

But the trocar  an implement used in laparoscopies  entered her body by her bellybutton but ended up severing her aorta at the top of her spinal column. It almost came out her back, she was told.

Sarah Costello: 'The thought of me not coming home to my kids was just so traumatic.'

She had been cut open from her chest to the bottom of her stomach in the subsequent surgery and her leg had been operated on to try to harvest a vein for her bypass.

She left the hospital in a wheelchair and has been left with multiple life-changing injuries, including constant pain, nerve damage and breathing difficulties. Additionally, her endometriosis was never treated.

After the surgery, I was told that my bypass was twisted, it's kinked and I had a blood clot in it so I had to go on really strong blood thinners.

I was told that scar tissue could grow around the bypass as it wasnt a real body part and Id have to watch it.

She was told that it would need to be monitored every six months with scans and blood pressure checks.

But she found it difficult to access the scans and care she needed once she returned home, she said.

Because her operation had been in the North, she felt there was no clear and consistent post-discharge care in the south, although she was referred to a Dublin hospital.

She said that she had to push for the scans she needed and has not received the necessary care through the public system.

Severe pain

Months later she was still suffering severe pain and weakness in her left leg, which was seriously limiting her ability to walk.

This pain was not taken seriously enough by some doctors she attended, she said, despite it being so acute that she attended A&E with it multiple times.

On one occasion she said that she was told to go back to my primary doctor in Belfast unless my leg is cold and blue". Although investigations were performed in a Dublin hospital, Sarah was still in pain and the family was concerned.

Sarah Costello and her husband Stephen at their home in Meath.

Her husband, Stephen Costello, booked appointments privately with a peripheral nerve doctor in Birmingham and a vascular consultant in Galway.

A GoFundMe was set up to pay for her spiraling hospital bills.

The vascular consultant in Galway found that her bypass was 70%-80% blocked and that a lack of blood getting to her leg was causing her pain.

The consultant said that if I don't have the surgery within the next 12 months I have a 10% to 15% chance of losing my leg, Mrs Costello said.

The Costellos have pleaded for the NTPF to fund an operation privately to put a stent in Sarahs bypass.

Private surgery

Because her vascular condition arose from a procedure arranged under the NTPF, the Costellos believe that the NTPF should ensure that she has this surgery urgently in a private facility, instead of waiting on a public list.

Her vascular consultant in Galway has agreed to carry out the procedure.

This should straighten her bypass and allow oxygenated blood to flow more freely to her leg again.

But the NTPF said that it was recommended for the patient be treated as a public patient under the HSE pathway, given the need for ongoing duplex and CTA surveillance.

The patient has been advised that this can be facilitated once her GP sends a referral to the identified consultant in the public hospital, a statement said.

The NTPF acknowledges that this patient has experienced an extremely distressing medical episode. Following emergency care, she was transferred back into the public hospital system, where further treatment was arranged at a Level 4 Dublin hospital in line with the approved clinical pathway. The patient subsequently chose to decline the care recommended by the consultant vascular surgeon treating her, a statement said.

The NTPF said that all correct clinical and procedural requirements were followed in this case.

Ensuring patient safety is the NTPFs foremost priority in arranging faster access to treatment and care for public patients, a spokesperson said.

The Costellos are highly critical of their treatment by the NTPF and many facets of the Irish public health service.

Had they not paid privately for second opinions, they believe Sarahs leg may have been amputated.

Sarah, aged 37, has called for greater continuity of care for anyone returning from treatment abroad through the NTPF.

Sarah felt that there was no clear pathway and inadequate support when she returned south, seriously wounded after the surgery.

There was no structured HSE aftercare, no rehabilitation, and no assigned point of contact, she said.

Mental health support

Mental health support should also be in place, she said.

It took nine months to access mental health supports and the family has had to fund counselling privately.

She has been diagnosed with Post-traumatic-Stress Disorder (PTSD) following her ordeal.

She is haunted by thoughts of Malak Thawleys death from a similar medical intervention.

The 34-year-old teacher, originally from the US, went for what was to be a routine 30 minute procedure for an ectopic pregnancy in Holles Street hospital in Dublin in May 2016.

But her aorta was reportedly lacerated and she died.

Sarah Costello: 'We are a rich country with a third world health system and its not good enough.'

Her husband sued the National Maternity Hospital, claiming complete mismanagement of the major vascular injury culminating in her avoidable death.

It was also claimed there were no vascular clamps available on site for emergencies.

Malak Thawley essentially had the same thing as me. I felt so guilty that Id survived and she died, Sarah said.

These gynaecological surgeries are going on without vascular surgeons on site, and without vascular clamps to clamp shut vascular injuries and without people trained to use these clamps.

This needs to change. Aortic clamps should at least be available at all these facilities and medics trained to use them, she believes.

I hope I can get the surgery I need. I dont want to lose my leg," Sarah said.

And I dont want my bypass to completely fail."

Without money, Sarah said that she would not have been able to get the second medical opinions and services she felt she needed.

We are a rich country with a third world health system and its not good enough. Its time for change. People are being dismissed all the time and made to feel like their symptoms dont matter or they are all in their head when this is not the case.

Ordinary working people dont have thousands and thousands of euros to get extra tests. They will just accept what theyre told and its wrong.

To donate to Sarahs GoFundMe, visit here
DUKOVANY NUCLEAR PLANT, Czech Republic (AP)  The eight huge cooling towers of the Dukovany power plant overlook a construction site for two more reactors as the Czech Republic pushes ahead with plans to expand its reliance on nuclear energy.

Mobile drilling rigs have been extracting samples 140 meters below ground for a geological survey to make sure the site is suitable for a $19 billion project as part of the expansion that should eventually at least double the countrys nuclear output and cement its place among Europes most nuclear-dependent nations.

South Koreas KHNP beat Frances EDF in a tender to construct a new plant whose two reactors will have an output of over 1,000 megawatts each. After becoming operational in the second half 2030s, they will complement Dukovanys four 512-MW reactors that date from the 1980s.

The KHNP deal gives the Czechs an option to have two more units built at the other nuclear plant in Temelin, which currently has two 1,000-megawatt reactors.

Then, they are set to follow up with small modular nuclear reactors.

Nuclear will generate between 50% and 60% around 2050 in the Czech Republic, or maybe slightly more," Petr Zavodsky, chief executive of the Dukovany project, told The Associated Press in an interview.

The nuclear expansion is needed to help the country wean itself off fossil fuels, secure steady and reliable supplies at a reasonable price, meet low emission requirements and enable robust demand for electricity expected in the coming years to power data centers and electric cars, Zavodsky said.

Europes nuclear revival

The Czech expansion comes at a time when surging energy demand and looming deadlines by countries and companies to sharply cut carbon pollution are helping to revive interest in nuclear technology. While nuclear power does produce waste, it does not produce greenhouse gas emissions, like carbon dioxide, the main driver of climate change.

The European Union has accepted nuclear by including it in the classification system for environmentally sustainable economic activities, opening the door to financing. That has been a boost for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and France  the continents nuclear leader  that have heavily relied on nuclear.

Belgium and Sweden recently scrapped plans to phase out nuclear power. Denmark and Italy are reconsidering its use, while Poland is set to join a club of 12 nuclear-friendly nations in the European Union after signing a deal with U.S.-based Westinghouse to build three nuclear units.

The EU generated 24% of nuclear electricity in 2024.
Sanctions are required to get beyond the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, and love is required to transform the immense trauma in Israel that fuels the violence.

( Waging Nonviolence )  None of us know how to stop what is happening in Gaza.

Even within this brutal reality, each of us can find what is ours to do based on our strengths and the opening within our sphere of influence. Each of us can align means with ends to embody the interdependence of all life in how we act now. Each of us can envision alternatives to war, extraction and the mindset of scarcity, separation and powerlessness, and take one tiny step closer to realigning humanity with life.

As an Israeli Jew in voluntary political exile since 1983 facing horrors being done in my name and without my consent, I have been identifying what is mine to do since shortly after Oct. 7, 2023. As part of it, my Palestinian friend Aida Shibli and I started two projects. One is birthing the Women in White project, with the large vision of sending 100,000 women to any war zone to bring a stop to hostilities with their nonviolent presence. Many people have been cheering this project on, and a small and dedicated group of women has been tending to it and slowly coalescing on design and early actions. Many of us believe that this project would make sanctions unnecessary if successful. The other was a year of engaging monthly in Talking about a Land with Many Names, where we had deep conversations about topics that Israelis and Palestinians rarely touch on.

On one of these conversations, Martin Winiecki, our friend and moderator, invoked our shared vision of a non-state future [in the region] in which people would  organize themselves in communities that orient towards peoples needs  and live in connection with land and an ethic and a practice of nonviolence. He then asked: What would you wish for  to begin walking us in this direction?

My answer is clear and simple: Given how extreme the situation is, I want sanctions to be imposed on Israel by heads of state of the European Union, and I want them imposed with love and not as a punitive measure.

With the EU being Israels largest trade partner, can this be sufficient independent of what the United States will do? Its a step, and I dont know.

Can this be a tiny step towards a longer-term solution that cares for Palestinians, Israelis and all life? Probably.

Can protesters ask for this with bright clarity about caring for everyone that can make their call unstoppable? Maybe.

Is this likely? Not within the either/or groove of protecting victims who are justified in using force, and punishing aggressors or perpetrators who are wrong for using force.

Integrating power and love

Separating us into victims and perpetrators continues the mindset of scarcity and separation that fuels wars. Within that mindset, caring for Palestinians means no empathy for Israelis and caring for Israelis means accepting what is happening in Gaza. This mindset also fuels thinking that anything other than punishment, often reframed as accountability, means condoning what is happening.

As I see it, punitive measures breed future wars and no amount of them, towards anyone, has ever created peace.

Instead, my short-term vision starts with a mindset shift: from choosing sides to caring for everyone, and from punishment vs. condoning to fully following Martin Luther King Jr.s call to integrate power and love in his 1967 Where Do We Go from Here speech.

I see all wars and atrocities as expressions of complex, multigenerational trauma fields activated in specific moments for multiple, local, material and nonmaterial reasons. I see only love as potentially transforming trauma, even when sanctions are necessary.

Why trauma matters

Many see what happened on Oct. 7, 2023, as minor compared to Israels response and focus primarily on what led to Hamas actions, rather than on their impact. I see this as a crucial and tragic mistake because Israels intense military presence coexists with a long history of persecution and the continued presence of antisemitism. Focusing only on the former has created a moral mess.

I believe its vital to understand what happened that day from within the Israeli experience if we want to respond effectively to what is happening now. I believe that the concentrated intensity of more Jews brutally killed in one day than at any time since World War II resulted in a trauma collapse of Israeli society. What I mean by this is a collective experience of such extreme activation of trauma that the basic capacity to think and reflect on what is happening is lost. This is my human way of explaining Israelis deep distortions in perception and the prevalent and immense loss of care in relation to the destruction, killing, displacement, starvation and everything that is continuing in Gaza, even after the fragile ceasefire, which is being repeatedly violated by Israel.

I can easily see why arguments of proportionality are filtered through the historical context of Jewish experience. Antisemitism isnt a thing of the past any more than racism is. This is an existential and moral dilemma few consider deeply: Where can we Jews keep ourselves alive and well collectively, where we can manage our affairs as a distinctive group? Tragically, even within our contested ancestral land, the attempt to restore a collective existence has been at existential cost to Palestinians.

This immense trauma is why sanctions are likely the only measure that could bring an immediate end to the violence. It is also why love, however difficult to access, is needed to keep the cycle of war from continuing.

Thinking about sanctions and nonviolence

Imposing sanctions can be consistent with nonviolence when done with love and mourning. This is the essence of Barbara Demings two-hand gesture, which says: I will continue to love you with an extended hand, and I will raise my other hand to stop you. A loving confrontation can bust the illusion of violence leading to peace, expose the costs of business as usual, and make visible the full complexity of life within patriarchal societies. There is nothing passive or easy about nonviolence.

In the absence of love and mourning, dehumanization can spill into antisemitic responses to Israel and Jews. I dont believe antisemitism is a primary driver in the call to sanctions, and I simultaneously dont believe that we can say that antisemitism is completely absent from what fuels the opposition to Israel. I was astounded and comforted hearing Aida say: If you didnt learn to love Jewish people, you have no right to criticize Israel. Simultaneously, the complexities of antisemitism interfere with the clarity and strength this moment calls for, as some people and even governments dont call for sanctions to avoid being seen as antisemitic.

Aligning sanctions with nonviolence starts with framing them as care for everyone in the region, regardless of what they have done. I believe this would make it more difficult to attribute antisemitism to calls for sanctions. I also want only sanctions directly necessary to stop the destruction and not punitive sanctions that create hardship for individual Israeli Jews (and would also impact the large minority of Palestinians and others who live in Israel). Despite enormous differences in severity, punitive sanctions are no more likely to lead Israelis to rise up against the government than bombing and starving Gaza has led the Gazan population to rise up against Hamas.

I want the call to impose sanctions with love to mimic Gandhis Salt March and the U.S. civil rights movements lunch counter sit-ins. Both of these historic campaigns demonstrated, in action, what a future could look like, which is why Sharif Abdullah, author of Creating a World that Works for All, calls them vision implementation. I want such a call to wake us up from the separation trance that fuels all wars: In Gaza, dozens of armed conflicts around the world, and the many others that will continue to happen if we dont transform the pattern of separation at its core.

A message of practical love to Israelis

Nonviolence simultaneously humanizes those whose actions we are trying to change while humanizing us to them. Understanding the depth of trauma that the majority of Israeli Jews are still in is how we humanize them to anyone who otherwise dismisses, judges and demonizes them. Focusing on a loving framing is how we can prevent re-traumatizing and humanize ourselves to those within that trauma. It may support Israelis to see the care even when they are inevitably upset by sanctions. Thats precisely what Gandhi did with the British.

I want protesters and heads of EU states to learn from two African-American women. One is Antoinette Tuff, who stopped a school shooting by connecting lovingly, humanly and vulnerably with the would-be shooter. The other is an anonymous cashier who saw the swastika on the hand of a man when he handed her money and said, Why are you doing this to yourself? Youre better than that! A year later, he credited her with the journey that led him to Life after Hate, an organization that supports people to recover from having been part of extreme right-wing movements.

How, then, can a call to sanctions be framed in a way that will be received as an act of care? Of course its impossible to predict, and I still believe that each part of what I propose below will increase the chances of the care being seen.

When we call for sanctions, we need to do several key things:

Acknowledge what happened. Many of us, including some Israeli Jews, see what happened on that fateful day as tragically predictable given what preceded it, not as unprovoked hatred of Jews. And this doesnt change the blunt reality of the impact. Any calls for sanctions or ceasefire that dont explicitly recognize this horror and its historical context are nearly guaranteed to be perceived as naive about antisemitism or as a manifestation of it.

Point to the futility of what Israel is doing. Even if the goal were confined to eliminating Hamas in support of peace and security for Israelis, outside of a trauma vortex it is painfully obvious that any children who survive the current war are being primed to engage in violent extremism. Even bracketing all moral considerations, what Israel is doing shows no understanding of what humans do when our dignity and basic freedom are at stake.

Speak to why sanctions are needed. This is the toughest and most essential part: I believe whats needed is to frame the message as necessary care for Israelis rather than as punishment arising from care for Palestinians  orienting to needs rather than to moral principles trapped in the either/or scarcity of care.

I want to humbly and lovingly invite Israelis to see that they are ruled by a man who lost all contact with reality. He and other Israeli proponents of war are taking advantage of the deep trauma field in Israel to lead them into doing things that are contrary to the Jewish heritage they are seeking to protect and that will take generations to recover from. I want them to grasp that caring for Palestinians is caring for themselves in the long run.

This is what Antoinette Tuff did with Michael Brandon Hill: She spoke to his suffering, to his aloneness, to his trauma, and through that managed to settle his nervous system. And then he stopped and did not follow through on the shooting he had planned.

On the material plane, Israel cannot continue what its doing for very long without receiving massive military supplies or economic support that the U.S. and the EU are providing. I hold these countries directly responsible for what is happening because they havent used their leverage to stop it. Simultaneously, the current ceasefire, with whatever pressure Donald Trump may have put on Benjamin Netanyahu to accept it, is fragile and unlikely to be the beginning of an actual peace process. That some European countries have eased the partial sanctions they have previously placed on Israel is also worrisome to me. The logic of good guys and bad guys has remained intact through all these negotiations.

If we want the cycle itself to end, I still believe it is necessary to put pressure on Israel to walk much further than a ceasefire. And simultaneously I believe that there will be a need to treat even the extremists, on both sides, as fellow humans and kin, no matter what anyone has done.

Beyond the moment

Nonviolence relies on discerning everything freshly, based on context, purpose, capacities, needs, impacts and available resources. Ultimately, I want to form a field of love strong enough to surround the entire patriarchal field of scarcity, separation and powerlessness and realign us with life, so we can live again in flow, togetherness and choice.



Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay

Despite ongoing anguish about whether such a field can come into existence given where we are collectively as a species, I continue to share whatever love and trust in life is available within and around me. For now, I advocate for sanctions with love, because even within the existing system, every step of the way from the current ceasefire is significant and might seed a larger shift.

Both Aida and I wonder: Can a path where no one wins, no one loses and everyone is cared about become a model? And if we also engage in healing and creative problem solving, might everything normal topple? Might the journey towards liberation for all and realigning humanity with life then become a practical reality? Just because we dont know the answer to these questions is no reason not to act, now, based on our faith and convictions.

Sanctions based on care for everyone in a deadly situation have not been tried. Collectively, we continue to either do nothing or apply punitive measures that remain within the story of war. I continue to believe that a firm and loving response stands a much better chance than the tried-and-false alternatives to attend to the profound moral injury that we are living with globally and to begin to transform the entire situation into a livable future in the region.

Miki Kashtan, Ph.D., is a practical visionary exploring the application of the principles and tools of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to social transformation. She dreams of local and global systems based on care for the needs of all life. She is the seed founder of the Nonviolent Global Liberation community. She has written four books and has published articles on many platforms. She blogs on (The Fearless Heart.

Via Waging Nonviolence
By Wesley Morgan, UNSW Sydney and Scott Hamilton, Monash University

(The Conversation)  Picture dusk falling somewhere in the Solomon Islands. A fishers skiff glides home using a whisper-quiet electric outboard motor. In the Cook Islands, a big battery steadies the island grid. In Papua New Guineas highlands, solar kits bring electric light to homes for the first time.

These arent prototypes  theyre already up and running across the Pacific. Put together, these stories of quiet change point to something bigger.

For decades, Pacific island countries have led the global fight on climate change. These nations are highly exposed to the damage from rising sea levels, acidifying oceans and bleached coral reefs. Pacific leaders helped secure the 2015 Paris Agreement and the global goal of holding warming to 1.5C.

Now the Pacific is leading the way again. Island leaders have a bold plan to become the worlds first region powered entirely by renewables and energy storage.

The move isnt symbolic. Its extremely practical. Pacific nations spend an eye-watering percentage of their GDP (1025%) buying fossil fuels to run power plants, generators and vehicles. Ending reliance on imports and becoming energy independent will bring major dividends. Despite widespread support, the Pacifics clean energy transition has not yet taken off in earnest due to transport costs and gaps in financing, skills and regulation.

Leaders will formally release a renewable roadmap next week at the COP30 climate conference in Brazil. Pacific nations and Australia are bidding to host the next climate talks in 2026. Island leaders hope to leverage the global summit to attract investment in their own energy transition.

Slashing fossil fuel imports will save billions

Right now, Pacific countries spend A$914 billion a year importing diesel for generators and fuel for vehicles and boats.

Sharp falls in renewable costs mean solar and battery systems are now clearly cheaper than fossil fuels for electricity generation.

Even with the Pacifics logistical challenges, installed costs for solar have fallen more than five-fold since 2010. The cost of grid-scale and home batteries is falling quickly.

Replacing diesel generation with solar and batteries would cost an estimated $34 billion. These costs would be quickly recouped, given annual savings would be around $610840 million.

The biggest challenge will be financing for large-scale renewables, grid infrastructure and energy storage. Many outer islands can move ahead faster by replacing diesel generators with solar and batteries. A rapid shift to electric vehicles (EVs) and vessels is also possible. Government incentives have triggered rapid uptake of EVs and hybrids in Fiji. Electric outboard motors are also ready for prime time.

Cost savings would free up funds for essential infrastructure, health, education and climate resilience. Renewables represent a powerful development strategy for the Pacific.

Global renewable uptake is key to survival for Pacific nations

Individual Pacific countries have set ambitious renewable energy targets in national commitments under the Paris Agreement. Fiji plans to be powered 100% by renewables by 2035, while Tuvalu is aiming to get there by 2030.

These national goals can contribute to a regional target for 100% renewable energy. Pacific leaders have agreed to establish a Pacific Energy Commissioner to coordinate the transition.

Pacific island countries are not major polluters, contributing just 0.02% of global emissions. Cutting the regions emissions will do very little to limit warming.

The importance of this new plan is showing 100% renewables is now doable.

As Vanuatu climate and energy minister Ralph Regenvanu states:

if we can manage the rapid transition of our energy systems in the Pacific Islands, it can be a beacon for the rest of the globe. Our survival depends on it.

Holding warming to 1.5C is critical for low-lying atoll nations. Climate resettlement is already under way, as Tuvalu residents enter ballots to move to Australia while Fijian villages are relocating to higher ground.

Two years ago, nearly 200 countries agreed to triple global renewable capacity and accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels. Reaching this goal is crucial to keep 1.5C within reach. Pacific nations can show the way. But their survival isnt in their hands  it depends on the world following suit.

Next years climate talks could drive the change

For several years, Pacific nations and Australia have been bidding to host the 2026 COP31 climate summit. But Turkey has a rival bid. A final decision is expected next week.

As Palau President Surangel Whipps has said, hosting COP31 in the Pacific cannot just be about symbolism  it must demonstrate tangible benefits to Pacific peoples.

If the joint bid for COP31 gets up, Pacific leaders will be pressing for progress on their 100% renewable plan by seeking investors and technology partners.

The COP talks are more than climate negotiations  theyve become the worlds biggest trade fair. Thousands of delegates will be looking to invest in renewable energy. More than 70% of investment in renewables in Australia comes from abroad and COP31 could attract finance for both Australia and the Pacific.

Palau will host regional leaders next year at the annual Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting. Whipps, the incoming chair, will focus on building a regional renewable Pacific partnership and is planning an investment meeting next year to help attract international investment ahead of COP31.



Photo of Fiji by Savir C on Unsplash

Some investment is likely to come from Australia, both private and public. Australia is rapidly replacing coal-fired power with renewables and storage at home and is already supporting Pacific clean energy projects. But Pacific leaders have also called on Australia to stop approving new gas and coal projects and stop subsidising fossil fuel production.

The Pacifics plan to run on clean power makes clear sense on financial, energy security and climate leadership grounds. The question now is  will it happen?

Wesley Morgan, Research Associate, Institute for Climate Risk and Response, UNSW Sydney and Scott Hamilton, Adjunct Associate Professor in Engineering, Monash University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Review of Eleanor Finley Practicing Social Ecology: From Bookchin to Rojava and Beyond, Pluto Press, 2025, by Peter G. Prontzos.

Vancouver (Special to Informed Comment; Feature)  Murray Bookchin was one of the most significant thinkers  and activists  in the 20th century, beginning with his pioneering ecological analysis, Our Synthetic Environment, which was published over six decades ago (1962).

Over the next three decades, Bookchin, who was born and raised in New York City, wrote about an impressively wide range of issues, including the nature of cities, anthropology, the Spanish Civil War, technology, social movements, and political philosophy, and his work had a huge impact on a variety of political, social, and environmental movements. He coined the phrase, social ecology to denote the central element in his world view: that the ultimate source of humanitys domination and exploitation of nature is based on the continuing domination and exploitation of human beings by those in positions of power in society.

While there are obviously many forms of domination and oppression, Bookchin focused primarily on two intersecting types: the political and the economic  exemplified by capitalism and the state (which he described as, the cesspool of bourgeois parliamentarianism). Another key element in Bookchins thought was the idea of, unity in diversity  the notion that both nature and human societies are healthier and more flourishing when there is harmony between the various elements in the system, and its overall structure. His suggestions as to how such a society can be democratically organized form the basis of his notion of communalism, starting with the smaller units of society, e.g. co-ops, neighborhoods, and cities, with power flowing upward to larger confederations.

One of Bookchins primary insights is that, due to the unprecedented productive power of modern technology, all scarcities in the world  food, medical care, education, even free time  were all artificial and unnecessary.

He also argued that even those of us living in the richer countries are oppressed, not just by the need to sell our time and creativity to survive, but also because we have lost sight of our true, compassionate humanity and have been conditioned to give up our dreams. The ultimate source of these problems is, in Bookchins view, the result of the global capitalist economy, which prioritizes corporate greed over both people and nature.

An informative discussion of his life and ideas can be found in Ecology or Catastrophe: The Life of Murray Bookchin (Oxford), written by Janet Biehl, who was his companion in his last two decades.



Eleanor Finley, Practicing Social Ecology: From Bookchin to Rojava and Beyond. Pluto Press. Click here to Buy.

His influence has spread even further since his death in 2006 and had been put into practice in a number of places around the world  most notably in Kurdish-controlled areas in the Near East. Nobody has described these movements and ideas better than Eleanor Finley in her, Practicing Social Ecology: From Bookchin to Rojava and Beyond.

Finley, a researcher in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts, begins her exploration of Social Ecology by alerting the reader to the fact that Bookchins ideas can be quite complex, and that understanding, his work requires commitment and patience and, often, a robust background in philosophy, Marxian theory, sociology, and anthropology. Yes  but that should not deter anyone from giving it a try, and it is for this reason that Finleys book (and the glossary that she includes) is so helpful, as it offers readers a way to understand and connect many of Bookchins ideas, as well as explaining how groups around the world are trying to use them in their organizing and community building.

Or by check:

Juan Cole

P. O. Box 4218,

Ann Arbor, MI 48104-2548

USA

(Remember, make the checks out to Juan Cole or they cant be cashed)

Chapter 2, for instance, outlines the major elements of Bookchins ideas, to provide the background needed to understand the theories and practices of the groups discussed. The next chapter focuses on the more personal and interpersonal dynamics that are necessary to create viable and effective movements and societies. Another section considers the idea of popular assemblies and direct democratic governance, in which power moves from the bottom up. Popular assemblies lie at the heart of social ecology.

To illustrate this approach, she also provides case studies of these efforts in places like the United States, Spain, Chile, Poland, Mexico, and especially in the Kurdish region of the Near East known as Rojava . She explains that:

In 2012, the Rojava Revolution became the first major uprising to invoke Bookchins vision, bringing confederal direct democracy to the center of global geopolitics and redefining democratization in the Middle East. This movement was sparked when Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), read some of Bookchins works. Finley writes:

Declaring Bookchin his teacher (momosta), a designation of utmost respect in Kurdish culture, Ocalan articulated a philosophy of democratic federalism alongside a concrete program of democratic autonomy for Kurdish majority regions.



Since the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the four borders of Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey have split their homeland. Nationalism in these countries has led to government policies of cultural erasure and genocide against the Kurds. Kurdish repression is one of the many ethno-nationalist conflicts in the Middle East tied to capitalist development, growing socio-economic inequality, and ecological degradation

One of the defining elements of the Rojava Revolution is the role played by women. For instance, the Kurds have two citizen-led militias, one of which is the Womens Protection Units (YPJ), which has fought off attacks from Syria, the so-called Islamic State, and especially Turkey, (which consistently ranks among the top human rights abusers).

Equality between women and men, hevalti, not only includes defense and decision-making, but it also means that, daily chores such as cooking and cleaning are split evenly between women and men Hevalti is also a revolutionary generosity of spirit.

Its important to stress that the Rojava Revolution is just the most well-known of these attempts to apply Bookchins ideas. Finley points out that, Legacies of self-governance can be found in every corner of the globe, and that in the last 20 years, countless civil society projects have been createdincluding environmental and ecological initiatives, womens collectives and cooperatives, community-based justice, artists collectives, student unions, popular education projects, and village communes.

Never miss an issue of Informed Comment: Click here to subscribe to our email newsletter! Social media will pretend to let you subscribe but then use algorithms to suppress the postings and show you their ads instead. And please, if you see an essay you like, paste it into an email and share with friends.

Looking at the larger picture, it is vital that promoting direct democracy, human rights for all, sustainable economies, healthy social connections, and educational opportunities (especially in affinity groups) for everybody to fulfil their best potential, (what Aristotle called, eudaimonia) will take a lot of time, patience, and effort. Bookchin understood that, revolutionaries have to revolutionize themselves. And as Finley elaborates: Even the best democratic procedure cannot make up for the dysfunctional habits we learn while living under capitalism. That is why she also points out the need for emotional healing as part of the revolutionary process.

Indeed, Finley writes that an activist from the Pacific Northwest told her that projects usually fall apart, due to peoples inability to handle their own trauma. But healing cannot be done alone, which is why working with other people in a supportive and non-judgemental environment is so important. She also references the work of Dr. Gabor Mate, whose most relevant work is his, The Myth of Normal. [My review of this book can be found on P. 45 here.]

Finley sums it all up with this insight at the end of the book: Reconciliation with nature is, at the end of the day, a reconciliation with ourselves.

And at the risk of stating the obvious, if people fail to create truly democratic and ecological societies, then the future is dark indeed. As Martin Luther King understood, the choice is chaos or community.

In that context, one of the last things that Bookchin said to me when I visited him in Burlington, Vermont, may be even truer now: These days, Im not trying to make a revolution, he said. Im just trying to preserve The Enlightenment.

These days, we need to do both, and Finleys book is an excellent guide to doing just that.
A senior French official said Saturday legal action would be taken over comments made praising Philippe Petain, France's wartime head of state convicted of treason after World War II.

The row is the latest controversy over the legacy of Petain, a World War I hero disgraced for his collaboration with the Nazis.

Xavier Delarue, the government prefect of Meuse department in eastern France, said he would take action over remarks made following a mass for Petain organised by an association dedicated to restoring his reputation.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and a leading Jewish community group also condemned the comments.

The Association to Defend the Memory of Marshal Petain (ADMP) organised a mass Saturday at Saint-Jean-Baptiste church in Verdun, where Petain won a famous WWI battle in 1916.

Around 20 association members attended. Outside about 100 people, watched by police, gathered to protest the ceremony.

After the mass ADMP president Jacques Boncompain told journalists that Petain had been "the first resistant of France".

Boncompain also said Petain's post-war conviction for treason by a High Court of Justice had not been fair.

Protestors booed one member of the pro-Petain group as he sang a song in praise of Petain "Marshal, Here We Are".

The prefect, announcing the legal action, said the comments had been "clearly revisionist".

- 'Deeply hurt' -

Nunez, in a post on X, said: "The remarks made today on the sidelines of a mass in 'tribute' to Philippe Petain in Verdun go against our collective memory."

The minister condemned any attempt to rehabilitate someone linked to WWII collaboration and oppression.

Yonathan Arfi, president of CRIF, which represents Jewish institutions in France, called the tribute an insult to the memory of 76,000 Jews deported during Petain's time in power.

"Celebrating a mass for Petain is to glorify collaboration and rehabilitate a traitor to the nation," he added.

Revisionism, under French criminal law, is the act of negating or minimising crimes such as genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity.

Anyone convicted faces up to a year in jail and a fine of up to 45,000 euros ($52,000).

The Petain tribute came soon after France's Armistice Day on November 11, the day WWI ended, when the nation remembers those who fought and died in the conflict.

Verdun's mayor, Samuel Hazard, had tried to ban the pro-Petain ceremony, but was overruled by a court on Friday.

"I'm deeply hurt, because I think of all the victims of Nazi barbarism and... Marshal Petain's ideology," he said after Saturday's ceremony.

Petain's admirers stress the role he played in World War I. He is widely seen as the architect of France's victory over German forces at Verdun, the longest battle of the war.

But he only avoided execution, after being convicted and sentenced to death at the end of WWII for leading France's collaborationist Vichy government, because of his advanced age.

Petain died in 1951, six years into his life sentence in exile on the Atlantic island of Yeu.
The board of Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad (KLSE:DLADY) has announced that it will pay a dividend of MYR0.25 per share on the 10th of December. This means the annual payment will be 1.7% of the current stock price, which is lower than the industry average.

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Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad's Future Dividend Projections Appear Well Covered By Earnings

Even a low dividend yield can be attractive if it is sustained for years on end. Based on the last payment, Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad was paying only paying out a fraction of earnings, but the payment was a massive 237% of cash flows. A cash payout ratio this high could put the dividend under pressure and force the company to reduce it in the future if it were to run into tough times.

Over the next year, EPS is forecast to expand by 65.1%. Assuming the dividend continues along recent trends, we think the payout ratio could be 16% by next year, which is in a pretty sustainable range.

KLSE:DLADY Historic Dividend November 16th 2025

See our latest analysis for Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad

Dividend Volatility

Although the company has a long dividend history, it has been cut at least once in the last 10 years. Since 2015, the dividend has gone from MYR2.20 total annually to MYR0.50. Dividend payments have fallen sharply, down 77% over that time. A company that decreases its dividend over time generally isn't what we are looking for.

Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad Could Grow Its Dividend

Dividends have been going in the wrong direction, so we definitely want to see a different trend in the earnings per share. We are encouraged to see that Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad has grown earnings per share at 6.8% per year over the past five years. Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad definitely has the potential to grow its dividend in the future with earnings on an uptrend and a low payout ratio.

Our Thoughts On Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad's Dividend

Overall, it's nice to see a consistent dividend payment, but we think that longer term, the current level of payment might be unsustainable. With cash flows lacking, it is difficult to see how the company can sustain a dividend payment. Overall, we don't think this company has the makings of a good income stock.

It's important to note that companies having a consistent dividend policy will generate greater investor confidence than those having an erratic one. Still, investors need to consider a host of other factors, apart from dividend payments, when analysing a company. Now, if you want to look closer, it would be worth checking out our free research on Dutch Lady Milk Industries Berhad management tenure, salary, and performance. Looking for more high-yielding dividend ideas? Try our collection of strong dividend payers.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.






Saturday, November 15, 2025 - The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has dismissed claims that activist Kasmuel McOure is the partys Youth League President.

In a statement on social media, the party clarified that Johnmark Ketorah remains the legitimate holder of the position.

The President of the ODM Youth League is Honourable Johnmark Ketorah. Ignore any publication circulating containing misleading information on the same, the party said.

The clarification came after a publication circulated during ODMs 20th anniversary celebrations in Mombasa on Friday, November 14th, listed McOure as Youth League President.

The newsletter, which also named other individuals in various party roles, sparked confusion among members and raised questions about the partys official structure.

McOure, a vocal supporter of ODM, has been active in youth mobilisation but has not held any formal leadership role.

In 2024, he was appointed by late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as part of the youth and student league members, tasked with engaging young people in shaping the partys future.

Ketorah, however, has served as Youth League President since 2016, following his appointment by the partys National Executive Council (NEC).

The clarification comes just days after ODM announced leadership changes, with Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga approved as party leader.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, Kisii Governor Simba Arati, and Vihiga Senator Geoffrey Osoti were also endorsed as deputy party leaders.

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Saturday, November 15, 2025  There was drama in Nairobi CBD after former Tusker Project Fame judge, Ian Mbugua, confronted a Government vehicle that was blatantly being driven on the wrong side of the road.

In videos circulating online, Ian is seen boldly stopping his BMW and blocking the Government vehicle, leading to a tense stand-off.

The veteran actor and music director stands his ground, forcing the stunned driver to follow the traffic rules as pedestrians watch the confrontation unfold.

Many Kenyans have since praised Ian for calling out impunity in broad daylight, something motorists often complain about but rarely challenge directly.

Watch the videos.

Former Tusker Project Fame judge, IAN MBUGUA, vs Government pic.twitter.com/ndSkBzoYhX  DAILY POST  (@dailypost_ke) November 15, 2025

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Saturday, November 15, 2025 - A Kenyan gynecologist witnessed drama at his facility after a couple broke into a fight moments after their STI test turned positive.

The troubled couple had visited the hospital complaining of symptoms commonly associated with an STI.

After undergoing tests, both were confirmed to have gonorrhea.

In a video shared on TikTok, tension quickly escalates as the man confronts his partner, accusing her of infecting him.

At one point, he is seen roughing her up as she pleads, Achana na mimi, insisting she is innocent.

The incident comes at a time when cases of infidelity are rising across the country, an issue medics say is contributing to increased HIV and STI infections.

Watch the video below or HERE>>>

The Kenyan DAILY POST






Saturday, November 15, 2025 - Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has spoken candidly about the personal impact of his impeachment.

Speaking on Saturday in Nyeri County during the ordination of his wife, Pastor Dorcas, as a reverend, Gachagua said that while his impeachment brought peace to his family, it has impacted his wifes boychild initiative.

Our humiliating exit from the office has been very pleasant to us because we have moved on, and we are happier people.

The only regret that I have is that we left the office is that Dorcas is not able to help as many boys as she would have wanted, he said.

He added: She is now not able to do very much as she would have wanted, but we support her as a family, and as we are here, we feel very disappointed.

The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader also criticised the Governments failure to curb illicit alcohol in Central Kenya, lamenting that progress made during his tenure had been reversed.

We feel very disappointed that the work we have done to get rid of illicit brews and remove the boychild from the trenches failed.

The illicit brew is back, and the boys are back to the trenches. We feel very sad, he stated.

Gachagua praised his wife as a beacon of hope and pillar of their home, commending her devotion to family values and ministry.

He also thanked their children for supporting her mission.

The Kenyan DAILY POST
By Amanda Stephenson

(Reuters) -Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge on Friday approved $1.4 billion in expansion projects for its Mainline and Flanagan South pipelines to the U.S., which it stressed is the most logical destination for new crude export capacity out of Canada.

The projects will add a combined 250,000 barrels per day of capacity for Canadian heavy oil shippers moving oil to the U.S. Midwest and Gulf Coast. The additional capacity is expected to come online in 2027.

Calgary-based Enbridge also announced last week its plans early next year to formally gauge commercial interest in a second phase of expansion on its Mainline network, which could add another 250,000 bpd of capacity.

Although the government of Canada, which sends 90% of its oil exports to the U.S., is trying to diversify away from that market due to unpredictable trade policies under President Donald Trump, Enbridge Executive Vice-President Colin Gruending told reporters that U.S. expansion makes the most sense.

"That's where we've got the world's biggest refining complex and who wants more of our Canadian oil," he said.

"The opportunity set is pretty strong (to the) south, and there are all kinds of geopolitical reasons to do that and strengthen ties there."

Canadian oil production hit a record 5.1 million bpd last year and Enbridge is forecasting it will see 500,000 to 600,000 bpd of supply growth by the end of the decade.

The country's main oil-producing province of Alberta is working to explore the feasibility of a new crude pipeline to British Columbia's northwest coast, in order to increase Canadian oil exports to Asia.

While Enbridge is supporting Alberta's work with advice and technical support, neither it nor any other private company has committed to building a new pipeline to Canada's west coast.

The Trans Mountain pipeline, which is owned by the Canadian government and is currently the only option to ship Canadian oil directly to Asian markets, tripled its capacity last year with a C$34 billion ($24.2 billion) expansion.

Trans Mountain's operator is exploring a series of incremental expansion projects, which could add 200,000 to 300,000 bpd by 2029.

Those projects, combined with Enbridge's planned expansions to the U.S., should provide enough capacity growth to account for forecast Canadian supply increases through the end of the decade, Gruending said.

If the Canadian government scraps some regulatory and policy hurdles that have inhibited the sector's growth in recent years, Gruending said, supply could grow more than forecast. But in that case, he said, Enbridge has the ability to take on additional Mainline expansions which would take priority over a new pipeline to the country's west coast.
NAAS councillors has agreed to write to the National Transport Authority (NTA) following discussions on the much-needed park and ride facility at Johnstown.

A proposal to examine the feasibility of developing a Park and Ride facility on lands north of Johnstown Village was brought forward by cllr Fintan Brett at a recent meeting.

The motion called on the council to explore the potential for such a facility on lands situated between the JohnstownKill Slip Road and the N7, part of which are in council ownership.

In response, a report from Daragh Hodgins, Senior Engineer with the Sustainable Transport and Traffic Management section, confirmed that the National Transport Authority (NTA) is the responsible body for providing strategic park and ride facilities within the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), in line with the GDA Transport Strategy.

The report noted that the N7 has been identified as a key transport corridor and that the NTA is currently considering a location close to Kill Village for such a development.

When further details are available, the sustainable transport section will share these with the elected members, Mr Hodgins stated.

Cllr Brett said: How long are we waiting for something to happen here?

"Were talking about this 10 years. Why isnt it being delivered? Why isnt it happening? Its not rocket science."

The councillor brought attention to recent road accidents on the N7 and the impact it had on Johnstown and Kill as motorists filtered through to avert themselves from long wait times in traffic  using it as an example of the growing need for the facility.

It was agreed that the Municipal District writes to the NTA to get an update on the project.
THE GROWING issue of non-Irish registered vehicles parked along the canal in Sallins was raised at a recent meeting of Naas Municipal District.

A local councillor has called for immediate action to address the emerging issue of non-Irish registered vehicles, such as mobile homes and RVs being parked for extended periods along the canal in Sallins.

At last meeting of the Naas Municipal District, cllr Carmel Kelly tabled a motion urging Kildare County Council to move immediately to rectify the situation, highlighting that a number of foreign-registered cars are occupying designated parking spaces for weeks on end.

In response, the councils transport department confirmed that several fixed charge notices have already been issued to non-Irish registered vehicles at the location. However, officials said the problem persists because the vehicles are registered outside the Republic of Ireland, meaning the owner details cannot be accessed by Kildare County Council.

The transport department can only regulate vehicles registered with the Department of Transport, the report stated. This matter is outside of the control of the local authority.

Cllr Kelly told the room: For 10 days non-Irish mobile homes and RVs were on the canal, and one in the blue space at Hey Darling (a local coffee shop).

She continued: Because theyre non-Irish we couldnt do anything. We cannot allow overnight parking, its killing businesses there.

Cllr Kelly then suggested speaking crossborder with Great Britain to fix the situation, and looking at amending byelaws to prohibit overnight parking.

It was also suggested that the council speak with An Garda Siochana in relation to this issue.

We have to do something. It cannot continue the way it is, she said.
AN ORGANIC pig farmer who pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property told gardai he had purchased a quad buggy from an unknown seller before later admitting he knew the man, Carlow District Court has heard. Thomas Salter, Moanmore, Fenagh entered a guilty plea before Judge Geraldine Carthy at Carlow District Court.

Inspector Tom Jones, reading evidence into court, said that on 29 June 2024 Tullow Garda Station received a report from tracking company Global Telemetrics about a stolen quad buggy. The vehicle had been reported stolen on 26 June.

The tracker pinged at a location in Ballon, where gardai found the quad buggy in Mr Salters possession.

He initially told gardai he had purchased it on the DoneDeal website from an unknown buyer. However, Inspector Jones said it transpired that Mr Salter (46) knew the man in question and had made the deal to buy the buggy for 4,000. Gardai found the mans name through forms the defendant had downloaded.

From that point on he co-operated with gardai, Inspector Jones said.

The court heard that the defendant had no previous convictions.

Barrister Eamonn OMoore clarified that his client had admitted to knowing the man before gardai found the form.

He rectified it on his own accord very shortly afterwards, he said, adding that it is established that Mr Salter did not organise the theft but that he showed recklessness in terms of his purchase.

Mr OMoore said Mr Salter had bought the quad buggy from an individual who was working on gates for him. He had a good deal and didnt question it, he said.

In mitigation, the barrister said that Mr Salter had apologised to gardai with a handwritten letter that very candidly expresses remorse for misleading the gardai or putting them on the wrong path.

He said his client initially said he didnt know who sold him the quad buggy because of the shock of gardai landing on his farm, adding: Its not an excuse, but Im explaining his state of mind.

Mr OMoore said the case was impacting on his family and himself. Hes not getting off Scott-free in terms of emotional damage, shame and the example he is setting for his children; he has had to deal with the weight of it. This isnt a person who has taken this lightly.

The court heard that Mr Salter handed his phone over to gardai, but the individual who had sold him the vehicle ghosted him shortly after the sale.

The defence handed over a thick booklet of character references to the court, describing Mr Salter as a pillar of the community who has otherwise good standing and is involved in the community.

Judge Geraldine Carthy said she would take time to read the booklet and would take it into account, remanding the defendant on continuing bail until early December.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
By Helen William, PA

The search for a missing UK Navy crew member off the north-west coast has ended, and they have not been found, the British Ministry of Defence has said.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Tidesurge crew member was last seen at about 10.30pm on Friday.

A large-scale multi-agency search has been taking place in the sea off the north-west coast between Tory Island, Co Donegal, and Eagle Island, Co Mayo.

No further details have been released about the crew member, and their family has requested privacy.

My thoughts are with their family during this tragic time, as well as their fellow crew members Defence Secretary John Healey

On Sunday, British Defence Secretary John Healey said: After an extensive search, it is with deep sadness that we confirm the missing crew member of RFA Tidesurge has not been found.

My thoughts are with their family during this tragic time, as well as their fellow crew members.

I am hugely grateful to the Irish authorities, the RNLI, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy who have responded rapidly to this incident and have worked tirelessly on the search.

The Irish Coast Guard received a distress call from a UK naval support vessel before 9am on Saturday.

A search and rescue operation was launched immediately after the serviceperson was declared missing.

After an extensive search for a missing crew member of a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships company, the individual has not been found, and the search has now ended Ministry of Defence spokesman

A British Ministry of Defence spokesman said: After an extensive search for a missing crew member of a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships company, the individual has not been found, and the search has now ended.

The individuals family have been informed, and an investigation is now underway into the incident.

No other individuals have been harmed or reported missing.

The Irish Coast Guard, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, RNLI and Irish authorities were involved in the search, which was co-ordinated by the Irish Coast Guard maritime rescue sub centre in Malin.

The search from the air was carried out by the Coast Guards fixed-wing plane Rescue 120F, based in Shannon airport; Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118, based in Sligo; and the Irish Air Corps plane, CASA 284, the Department of Transport previously said.

There was also a search coordinated at sea by the UK naval support vessel and three RNLI all-weather lifeboats based at Ballyglass, Arranmore Island and Lough Swilly, it added.
We recently published 9 Stocks Jim Cramer Talked About in a Show Where He Advised OpenAI to Slow Down. Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer discussed on the show.

Unlike Block, Cramer has consistently praised Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) over the past couple of months. Most of his praise has centered on the firm's blockbuster acquisition of Discover Financial. Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) bought Discover for a whopping $35.3 billion all-stock transaction. Cramer believes that the transaction will enable the firm to compete with payment giants Visa and Mastercard. He is also a fan of Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF)'s CEO, Richard Fairbanks. Cramer also believes the stock should be at the $230 level. This time, he advised viewers to keep an eye on Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF)'s shares:

Everyone Should Watch Capital One (COF), Says Jim Cramer

"I want everyone to watch Capital One, my charitable trust owns that. That's the one we just saw delinquencies you know going up much higher for autos. Capital One's become a much better lender but they charge a lot, let's see how they do. It's been a good run since they bought Discovery, I mean it's been stalled for a long time now."

While we acknowledge the potential of COF as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now.
Sinn Fein MEP for Ireland South, Kathleen Funchion, has warned that the South-East of Ireland risks being left short-changed under new EU budget proposals.

Speaking at a major hearing on the Future of Cohesion Policy in Brussels, MEP Funchion said the region needs special consideration and that the plans to shift EU funding decisions to the national level could further disadvantage areas like the South-East.

In the South-East, we have zero air transport, dwindling port infrastructure, slow trains, and dangerous road connections, MEP Funchion said. Yet we are the part of the island closest to the single market, which is still hundreds of kilometres away post-Brexit. All these issues require urgent investment.

The current proposal from the EU Commission will see EU funds allocated increasingly at national level, leaving the South-East at risk of losing out in an even greater way. The European Commission 2025 Country Report for Ireland is clear. It shows that the south-east region has the lowest regional economic growth since 2013.

Ms Funchion said she was deeply concerned that under the Commissions current direction, the region will be overlooked and that it will miss out on funding.

We dont yet know whether the National Plan model will come to pass, but the message I want to send today is that regions are not all the same, she said. Areas like the south-east need special attention and special plans backed up by real funding.
An emergency bill passed in Washington, DC, axing key tax breaks touted in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for its residents highlights why Americans should pay attention to state tax laws, experts said.

To address an expected $1 billion revenue loss over the next three years because of lost federal government-related jobs, Washington's City Council passed an emergency tax bill this month decoupling parts of its tax code from recent federal tax changes under President Donald Trump's signature tax and spending law. Among the changes, it's removing local income tax savings tied to the new no tax on tips deduction and the $6,000 bonus senior deduction. That means district residents who qualify for these federal tax breaks won't be able to claim them on their local tax returns and will end up losing savings.

While most Americans focus on federal tax laws, the Washington move shows why Americans will need to start paying more attention to state tax laws. States aren't required to conform with all federal tax provisions. With COVID-era federal aid depleted, the economy uncertain, and states on the hunt for money, many states may look to shore up budgets by decoupling from federal tax laws.

"The District of Columbia is not alone in assessing the costs of OBBBA conformity, with lawmakers across the country evaluating the trade-offs associated with adopting or decoupling from key provisions of the reconciliation act," the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit research organization, wrote.

What tax benefits are excluded in DC?

Effective retroactively to Jan. 1, 2025, the district voted to temporarily suspend multiple provisions in the law, which was signed by Trump on July 4, including:

Higher basic standard deductions.

Charitable contribution for non-itemizers.

Qualified small business stock exclusion.

No tax on tips.

No tax on overtime pay.

Personal car loan interest deduction.

Bonus $6,000 senior tax deduction.

The council's emergency amendment applies for 90 days, with a planned temporary extension of 225 days. A permanent measure would have to go through the normal, lengthier permanent state legislative process, which would require more discussion and votes.

By eliminating some of the tax provisions, the district may save $95 million in fiscal year 2025, and $567 million through fiscal year 2029, the Tax Foundation said.

Some of the savings will be funneled to accelerate a full local match for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit and establishing a local child tax credit of $1,000 per child for eligible families, the council said.
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COLUMBIA  A Nebraska woman says her dog died while in the custody of a Boone County dog breeder who was recently arrested for felony animal abuse.

Melissa Sanders, a Boone County dog breeder, was taken into custody on Friday after authorities found multiple deceased and severely malnourished dogs at her home, according to court documents. Sanders is currently facing 15 misdemeanors and three felony charges of animal abuse.

Authorities said they rescued a total of 16 German shepherds. The Central Missouri Humane Society confirmed it has taken those dogs into custody.

Sanders, 26, has a prominent social media presence for her breeding and boarding businesses, which is called Magnum Opus German Shepherds. She has more than 82,000 followers on TikTok, where she has posted videos with dogs. Her last post was in 2024.

People who previously interacted with Sanders' business are now speaking out.

Collette Youngblood, from Omaha, Nebraska, told KOMU 8 her dog, Mojo, died on Nov. 1 while under Sanders' care. Youngblood said she knew Sanders for years and that Sanders wanted to use Mojo for breeding.

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Youngblood said Mojo's weight shifted from 70 pounds to 40 pounds in the span of a month while she was boarded at the facility, alleging that the dog's death was due to starvation.

"It has truly broken me, and I know I will be able to put myself back together, and I'll be better, and smarter, and wiser, and all the things," Youngblood said. "But the fact that I couldn't get there fast enough and that I couldn't put together the pieces fast enough is so painful."

Youngblood said she continues to seek justice on her social media, including starting a Facebook group that discusses and helps owners find dogs that went missing under Sanders' care.

"The only thing that brings me solace was that I had so many people helping me find his body," Youngblood said.

The investigation is still ongoing.
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HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Kisun meets Admiral Daryl Caudle, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, to discuss MASGA cooperation

Admiral boarded the newly launched second Aegis Destroyer ROKS Dasan Jeong Yak-yong and toured the construction site of the third vessel

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Admiral Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations of the United States, visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to witness the company's world-class shipbuilding capabilities and discuss cooperation under the MASGA (Make America Shipbuilding Great Again) initiative.

HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Kisun poses for a commemorative photo with Admiral Daryl Caudle, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, during his visit to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan shipyard on Saturday, November 15, 2025. HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Kisun and Admiral Daryl Caudle, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, board the newly launched ROKS Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, the second Aegis destroyer, at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan shipyard on Saturday, November 15, 2025. After inspecting the ships interior, they pose for a commemorative photo.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries recently announced that Adm. Caudle and Kevin Kim, Charge d'Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Korea, along with their delegation, visited its Ulsan headquarters on Saturday, November 15. During the visit, HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Kisun met with Adm. Caudle in person to introduce HD Hyundai's advanced shipbuilding technologies and competitiveness, and to exchange views on future collaboration through the KoreaU.S. shipbuilding cooperation project, MASGA.

At the meeting, Chairman Chung and Adm. Caudle discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation aimed at improving the operational readiness of the U.S. Navy fleet through strategic partnerships in naval shipbuilding.

After the meeting, Chairman Chung guided Adm. Caudle on a tour of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' commercial shipbuilding facilities, followed by a visit to the company's Naval Ship Division, where the world's most advanced Aegis destroyers are built.

Adm. Caudle boarded the newly launched ROKS Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, the second Aegis destroyer constructed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and received a briefing from the commanding officer on the ship's state-of-the-art combat systems and operational capabilities. He also observed the construction of the third Aegis destroyer, scheduled for launch next year, and inspected production lines for other various naval vessels.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is currently integrating its naval, commercial, and mid-sized shipbuilding capabilities through a merger with HD Hyundai Mipo, restructuring its operations to maximize synergy across the shipbuilding sector. Based on this integration, the company aims to expand exports and defense cooperation projects in global markets, including the United States.

With naval forces around the world modernizing their fleets, demand for next-generation destroyers and frigates is steadily rising. Leveraging its proven track record in building advanced Aegis destroyers and delivering naval vessels for foreign clients such as the Philippine Navy and the Peruvian Navy, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is actively expanding its presence in major global defense markets, including the United States.

Adm. Caudle's visit is expected to further advance discussions on technical cooperation and supply chain integration in the warship construction domain between HD Hyundai and the U.S. Navy.

Chairman Chung shared, "HD Hyundai will support the growth of the U.S. shipbuilding industry and to strengthen the U.S. Navy's capabilities. As blood allies and close friends, we will work together to ensure the success of the MASGA, the shipbuilding cooperation project between Korea and the U.S."

Likewise, HD Hyundai is broadening its cooperation with the U.S. Navy across multiple domains. In April, John Phelan, Secretary of the US Navy, visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and boarded the ROKS Jeongjo the Great, the first vessel of the next-generation Aegis destroyer class. The previous month, Chairman Chung visited the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland  the cradle of the world's most powerful navy  where he met with faculty members and cadets to exchange views on future directions and research opportunities in the maritime field.

SOURCE HD Hyundai
Global investment in green technology is surging again after several years of decline, according to Bloomberg.

Researchers at BloombergNEF found that funding for climate tech has already exceeded last year's total, signaling increased investor confidence in clean energy.

Between January and September, investors poured $56 billion into green businesses across sectors, including clean energy, battery storage, and electric vehicles.

That figure already surpasses the $51 billion invested throughout 2024. The rebound was driven by demand for energy to power new data centers and by advances in renewable technologies like energy storage, per Bloomberg.

The latest surge in investment comes as the U.S. has rolled back environmental policies  but big players are moving ahead regardless. Brookfield Asset Management recently announced a $20 billion fund to support the clean energy transition.

J.P. Morgan Chase said it would commit up to $10 billion in direct equity and venture capital for what it calls "critical industries," including batteries, nuclear, and solar power.

"It's difficult to conceive of a situation in which [the United States] won't need to tap into those sources of energy," said Chuka Umunna, J.P. Morgan's global head of sustainable solutions, per Bloomberg.

Nuclear energy also attracted about one-fifth of global venture capital funding in 2025 to date, mainly "driven by the AI hype," according to BloombergNEF analyst Musfika Mishi.

Major deals included a $5 billion public offering by Chinese battery giant CATL and $5.2 billion in share sales by EV maker BYD.

The growth of climate investment can benefit consumers by making clean energy cheaper and electric vehicles even more efficient. These innovations not only make energy more reliable and affordable, but also reduce pollution and greenhouse gas pollution linked to global warming.

Would you be more willing to buy an EV if it could travel over 600 miles per charge? Definitely Not really Depends on the price Depends on the brand Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Still, experts note that the outlook for 2026 is uncertain.

Mishi cautioned that current U.S. energy policies "will weigh on investors' confidence," though she added that long-term interest in the sector is strong, per Bloomberg.

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A MAN who is charged with trespassing at the Hibernian Direct Provision Centre in Abbeyleix was ordered by a judge to stay out of Abbeyleix.

Fraidoon Omar from the Airways Integration Centre in Liscount Avenue, Dublin 17 was brought before last weeks sitting of Portlaoise District Court on a charge of trespass at the asylum seekers accommodation centre at Pembroke Terrace, Abbeyleix on 8 November.

Garda Mathew McGrath told Judge Susan Fay that when arrested, charged and cautioned with the offence Mr Omar replied: I just want to be with my wife and family. Gda. McGrath said he was seeking conditions if Mr Omar was going to be released on bail.

This included that he attends all court hearings; be of good behaviour; remains of sober habits; resides at the Airways Integration Centre; provides a phone number to gardai and be available at all times to take their calls.

He should have no contact whatsoever by any means with the staff at the Hibernian Direct Provision Centre; informs gardai of any change of his address and stays out of Laois with the exception of court or medical appointments.

Mr Omars solicitor Barry Fitzgerald said that his 40-year-old client took issue with one of the conditions, in that he stays out of Abbeyleix instead of the county of Laois.

Garda McGrath agreed to the change in the condition.

Judge Fay remanded the defendant on continuing bail to 8 December sitting of the court to allow him to enter a guilty plea or set 10 February as a preliminary date for a full hearing of the case if Mr Omar wanted to plead not guilty to the charge.

Mr Fitzgerald said that his client was seeking asylum at present and asked for a Parisian interior be assigned to his case as well as seeking free legal aid, to which Judge Fay agreed to.

Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme
SHE was dying slowly in her father's house, forbidden to leaveuntil a poet's letter changed everything and she risked it all for a love that would become immortal. Elizabeth Barrett was born in 1806 into wealth built on Jamaican sugar plantations. She was brilliant from the startreading Homer in Greek at eight, writing epic poetry at 12.

Her father privately published her first work, The Battle of Marathon, when most girls her age were learning needlepoint. Then her body began to fail. A spinal injury. Lung disease. Pain so severe she could barely move. Doctors prescribed opiumlaudanumand she became dependent on it just to function. For years, she lived as a semi-invalid in her father's London townhouse, confined to darkened rooms, watching life happen outside her window.

But her mind never stopped burning. She wrote. Obsessively. Furiously. By the 1840s, Elizabeth Barrett was one of the most celebrated poets in England. Her 1844 collection Poems was a sensation. Critics compared her to Shakespeare. She was considered for Poet Laureate when Wordsworth died. And then, in January 1845, she received a letter that would change everything. "I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett..."

Robert Browning. A younger poet, six years her junior, writing to tell her that her words had moved him beyond measure. She wrote back. He replied. And suddenly, these two people who'd never met were pouring their souls onto paper. For months, they only knew each other through letters. When they finally met in person in May 1845, something extraordinary happened. Robert saw past the invalid. Past the opium. Past the woman everyone had written off as too sick, too fragile, too ruined for real life. He saw her, and he wanted to marry her.

There was one massive problem: her father. Edward Barrett was a tyrant wrapped in Victorian propriety. He'd forbidden any of his twelve children from marrying. Not for religious reasons. Not for financial ones. Simply because he wanted total control. Any child who married would be disowned completely. Elizabeth was 40 years old. Sick. Dependent on opium. Living under her father's roof and his rules. Most women in her position would have accepted their fate. Elizabeth Barrett was not most women. On September 12, 1846, she walked out of her father's house, married Robert Browning in secret, and fled to Italy. She was 40. He was 34. Her father never spoke to her again. And then? She came alive.

The sunshine of Florence. The freedom of her own life. The love of a man who saw her as an equal. Elizabeth flourished. Her health improved. She even had a son at 43something doctors had said was impossible.

She wrote the most famous love poems in the English language. Sonnets from the Portuguese captured what it felt like to be truly seen, truly loved, truly free. Sonnet 43 opens with words that still make hearts stop: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..." But Elizabeth wasn't just writing love poems. She was furious about the world. And she used her poetry as a weapon.

The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim's Point confronted the horror of slavery with brutal honesty shocking for a white Victorian woman. The Cry of the Children exposed child labour conditions so graphically that it helped change British law. Aurora Leigh her novel in verse, argued that women deserved independence, education, and creative lives of their own. She wrote about Italian independence. About corrupt power. About women trapped by society's expectations. She didn't just observe injustice  she attacked it. Critics were scandalized. Proper Victorian ladies weren't supposed to write about slavery, politics, or God forbid women's desire for autonomy. Elizabeth didn't care. She'd already defied the biggest authority in her life. She wasn't about to be silenced now.

For 15 years, she lived in Florence with Robert, writing, loving, raising their son, championing causes that mattered. She was happy. Free. Fully alive in ways she'd never been in England. On June 29, 1861, Elizabeth died in Robert's arms. She was 55. Her last word was "Beautiful." Robert never remarried. He kept her room exactly as she left it. He published her final poems and spent the rest of his life protecting her legacy.

Here's what makes Elizabeth Barrett Browning's story extraordinary: She was told her life was over. That she was too sick, too old, too ruined to have love or adventure or freedom. Society had written her off. Her father had locked her away. Her body was failing. And she said no. She chose love over security. Freedom over approval. Life over slow death in a gilded cage.

She transformed personal pain into universal poetry. She used her privilege and platform to fight for people who had no voice. She refused to let illness, age, or society's expectations define what was possible for her.

Every woman who's been told she's too sick, too old, too damaged, too much, or not enoughElizabeth's story is our story! Every person who's chosen authenticity over approval, love over fear, freedom over safetyyou're living her legacy. She didn't just write How do I love thee? She showed us: with courage, with defiance, with absolute refusal to accept a diminished life. Your body might be fragile. Your circumstances might be limiting. The people who should support you might try to cage you instead. But your voice? Your spirit? Your right to love and create and fight for what matters? Those are yours. And nobody can take them unless you let them.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning was dying in a darkened room until she chose to live in the full light. She wrote herself free. She loved herself whole. She made her life matter. That's not just history. That's a blueprint.

Be brave enough to walk away from what's killing you, even if it looks like safety. Love fiercely, even if it seems impossible. Use your voice, even if it makes people uncomfortable. Because the world will always have opinions about what you should be, what you can do, who you're allowed to love. But you get to decide who you actually are. Elizabeth did. And her words still echo across centuries: "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..."

All of them. Every single one. Without apology. That's not just poetry. That's freedom

Elizabeth Barrett Browning 1806 1861

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every days

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use In my old griefs, and with my childhoods faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose With my lost saints.

I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death
James Cox

Here, we have a look at the topics likely to dominate political discourse in the week to come.

New housing plan

The Government has launched a new housing plan, pledging to build a minimum of 300,000 new homes by 2030. This figure includes 72,000 social homes.

It has committed in excess of 9 billion in funding for housing through the Exchequer, the Land Development Agency (LDA) and the Housing Finance Agency in 2026.

One big change is the removal of annual housing targets. Critics have argued that this is a cop out from the Government, but Taoiseach Micheal Martin has defended the new plan.

Minister for Housing James Browne has also said the new plan will ramp up the construction of aparments. First-time buyer schemes currently in place will also remain until at least 2030.

Sinn Fein housing spokesman Eoin O Broin told reporters at Leinster House that the Government is underestimating overall housing need by a margin of about 20 per cent.

The idea 50,000 new homes a year will address our housing crisis simply is not correct. That is not the view of the Housing Commission. Its not the view of Sinn Fein or many other housing experts.

Mr O Broin said the plan contained no increase in funding or targets for the delivery of new-build social homes, no scheme for new-build homes, nor an increase in affordable-purchase or cost-rental homes.

What the Government have done is Orwellian in the extreme. They have taken all of the unaffordable private homes that receive any form of subsidy from the State, and theyre now describing all of those homes as affordable.

And thats just a brazen attempt to hide the fact that theyre not delivering affordable homes for working people.

Fianna Fail leadership

Fianna Fail TD Malcolm Byrne has said Taoiseach Micheal Martin needs to bring more urgency to delivering on critical infrastructure, and tell people "if you're not finding solutions, you're part of the problem".

Sources have indicated unrest within Fianna Fail at Mr Martin's leadership following Jim Gavin's disastrous presidential campaign, which met a premature end.

In an interview with BreakingNews.ie, Mr Byrne said this was an issue but that the main priority should be faster delivery in areas such as housing, childcare and disability services.

"The presidential election will fade from memory in a relatively short period of time. Jim Gavin will be the answer to a table quiz question in four years' time but if we're not seen to have made significant progress on housing, infrastructure, disability and childcare, those are issues that will really impact the wider public.

"I think I'm just articulating a frustration. Yes, the economy is doing well... we have a very good education system, really bright, incredible people.

"But for some reason in Ireland, there is an incredible slowness about getting things done. That is painful to watch at times. It never used to be that way to the same extent."

While he acknowledged frustration at Mr Martin within the party, Mr Byrne said "this is not just about Micheal Martin". However, he said the Taoiseach needs to take a more proactive approach in injecting urgency into delivery on key issues, particularly housing.

Abroad

In the UK, prime minister Keir Starmer's Irish chief of staff Morgan McSweeney has survived despite being at the centre of the 'briefing war'.

UK health secretary Wes Streeting was linked with a bid to unseat Mr Starmer as leader of the ruling Labour party. Mr McSweeney was believed to be the source of the rumours, but he has been backed by Mr Starmer.

US president Donald Trump was eager to claim victory this week after the record-long US government shutdown ended on his terms. But almost immediately, the White House was forced to battle a familiar bogeyman: Jeffrey Epstein.

A trove of emails released by Democrats in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday reignited questions about Mr Trump's relationship with the disgraced financier and how much the president knew about Epstein's alleged abuse of girls.
Thanksgiving can be a difficult time for families in financial hardship, and an Easton councilman is looking to help.

Councilman Frank Pintabone will hold his 13th Annual Turkey Giveaway, where residents can receive a free turkey. According to a news release, it is an event aimed at helping Easton residents in need enjoy a Thanksgiving meal.

The distribution will take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Second and Northampton streets, in front of American Printing Unlimited.

This event has always been about neighbors helping neighbors, Pintabone said in the release.

Pintabone said he and a team of volunteers will hand out more than 300 turkeys to local families. He said the effort is a reflection of community spirit and compassion.

Im deeply grateful to the volunteers, local partners, and community supporters who make it possible to bring smiles and warm meals to Easton families every holiday season, he said.
GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV) is among the most fantastic stocks every investor should pay attention to. On November 7, TheFly reported that JPMorgan has added the stock to its Positive Catalyst Watch list and has also included it on its Analyst Focus List as a key growth idea. Having said that, JPMorgan analyst Mark Strouse reiterated an Overweight rating and his price target of $740 on the stock.

GE Vernova (GEV) Added to JPMorgan's Focus List with Bullish View

This renewed focus on the stock comes as Strouse expects multiple upcoming catalysts over the coming months, including a series of investor and industry events involving GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV), customers, and its peers. The analyst believes that the companys shares have underperformed in recent months relative to other power generation players in the industry, despite the company reporting strong Q3 results. That underperformance provides an attractive entry opportunity with catalysts in place for a re-rating, according to the analyst.

Earlier, on October 30, David Arcaro, an analyst at Morgan Stanley, had also raised his price target on GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV) from $690 to $710, while reaffirming his Buy rating, according to TheFly. The analyst raised his estimates after the company provided guidance higher than expected for 2025. Moreover, he also factored in an approximately $800 million contribution to EBITDA by 2028, after the company recently announced the acquisition of the remaining 50% stake in its JV, Prolec GE.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV) is a global energy company that provides equipment manufacturing and services across gas power, wind, grid solutions, and electrification systems.

While we acknowledge the potential of GEV as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If youre looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 13 Best Stocks to Buy According to Citadel LLC and Goldman Sachs Defense Stocks: Top 10 Stocks to Buy.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Wrongdoing? An honest mistake? Consumers can learn from both. Canva illustration for NJ.com

We love when our readers come to us to expose wrongdoing.

Its helped to toss people in jail. Get new laws passed. And it teaches us all important lessons about scams, fraud and how to protect ourselves.

Sometimes, mistakes happen, but there can still be plenty of lessons to learn in those cases.

Lets dive into one of them.

One of our longtime readers  well call him Cal  thought he uncovered something big.

I have what I think is a huge story for you involving airlines and travel agents, he wrote. Id describe it as at least a scam, possibly a felonious one.

Cal wanted to book a flight from Newark to Key West, Florida using mileage on his airline-affiliated credit card.

He called the number on the back of his card  or so he thought  waiting on hold for 40 minutes. When a representative came on the line, Cal went over the flight he wanted, then asked how many miles he had to use toward the purchase.

He was put on hold. After 10 minutes, the rep said he had 25,000 miles. Cal didnt think that was right, but he went with it. He asked how many miles the trip would cost.

Another 10 minutes on hold.

When the rep came back, he said it would be 160,000 miles.

Savings opportunity foiled, Cal realized. He paid the $850 cost with his credit card.

But when he looked at his credit card statement, he saw an additional charge for $207.10 for something called Airline Services-NY.

What was that for?

I was flabbergasted, but then I was livid that I was connected to a travel agent after calling the number on my credit card, he said.

Was it possible the airline used travel agents to handle overflow calls when the regular call center was busy, and customers were being charged extra? Or could a legit airline representative be running a side gig, hoping to slip extra charges past unsuspecting customers?

If either was true, that would be a huge deal.

Cal disputed the charge on his credit card. The fraud department told him it gets complaints about unexpected travel agent charges on a regular basis. It isnt just the airline Cal uses, he was told.

Next, he called the airline. It cancelled and rebooked the flight, this time using his miles. (He actually had 175,000 miles, and the flight cost only 28,000 miles.)

Then it got weird.

His phone rang. It was the person who booked the original flight for Cal.

The caller was angry. He claimed to be a legitimate travel agent, so why was Cal disputing the charge?

Youre a crook, and theres no way youre getting this money, Cal told the rep.

But Cal was confused. How did he end up in the clutches of a travel agent in the first place?

Our first question was about the number Cal dialed. He insisted it was the one on his credit card.

I never Google a phone number, he said. Im not comfortable searching online because I worry about scams, so thats why I always look carefully for the number on my card.

Hes right to be wary. Shady businesses often impersonate big-name companies. They place online ads that are misleading at best and come up high in searches for the real company name. Its easy for consumers to miss it.

We saw it happen with the Carrier Clinics Blake Recovery Center, which is regularly ranked among the best substance abuse treatment centers in the country. Impersonators often use the facilitys name in Google ads  even though they have nothing to do with the treatment center  hoping to snare vulnerable people into their facility instead.

Thats why Cal thought there was something nefarious going on with his airline.

We asked the airline to investigate. While it did, we called the number for the travel agent that appeared on Cals credit card statement.

We are the global consolidators with the airlines. We help you with reservations and exchanges, the rep said, passing over our question about the companys name.

We asked if they take overflow calls from busy airline call centers.

Once there is a huge call volume with the airlines and then the connection went silent  as if the line was muted.

When we asked if he was still there, he said: We handle the reservations and resolve the issue or concern ASAP.

What do they charge for their services?

No. No charges from us, Miss. Its just the difference of what you pay for a flight, he said.

We are for the new reservations and exchanges for passengers for the airline ticketing. We are the third party who helps the agents.

We asked where they are located. Albany, New York, he said.

Whats the name of the company? He said he couldnt tell us, so we asked for a supervisor.

A man who called himself Manager Kevin came on the line, and we explained why we were calling.

It is a travel agency. Not for overflow calls, Manager Kevin said.

He wouldnt give us the company name either.

We hung up.

Im just surprised  what kind of company doesnt give a name of their company? Cal asked. And they deny that they charge money? Its shady to say the least.

We heard back from the airline. It had records of the call when Cal canceled and rebooked the flight with miles. But it had no record of the initial call, the one Cal said ended up with the travel agent.

So we asked Cal to check his phone records to see exactly when he made that first call to the airline so we could show the carrier.

His response?

I havent felt this sheepish on the phone since I was in college and called my girlfriend to say I cheated on her, he said.

We can only imagine how many shades of red his face turned when he shared his news.

Rather than calling the number on the back of his airline credit card, Cal dialed a number that was one digit off.

Fat fingers strike again.

It was my screwup, and Im sorry to have wasted your time, he said.

But oh, this was absolutely not a waste of time. It may not have been a giant conspiracy involving one of the worlds largest airlines  which we are not naming here because its done nothing wrong  but Cals experience is another important lesson for us all.

Just as bad actors take out misleading ads to trick consumers, they also take on phone numbers that are awfully similar to those of legitimate companies. If they secure a phone number thats one digit off from the real company, its not all that hard to take advantage of customers who hit a wrong button.

Deceptive? For sure.

Cal did win his credit card dispute, so the $207.10 came off his bill.

The only reason Im not calling the (travel agent) guy back and offering to pay back the $207 is because hes sleazy, Im stupid, and those things cancel it out, Cal said.

Were not going to argue with that logic.

Safe dialing, Jersey.
If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.

Missing out on a great deal is never fun, but keeping up with every deal thats out there? Thats nearly impossible, so let us lend a helping hand.

Things are more expensive than ever, so each week were rounding up all the best sales that are still going strong this weekend.

This week, youll find everything from deals on UGGs fan-favorite shoes and All-Clads iconic pans to an Oprah-approved travel bag and so much more.

After all, if youre going to spend your hard-earned money, you should do it wisely, right?

The North Face Dawnstrike GORE-TEX Insulated Jacket $500 Now $350 Save 30% off during this limited-time sale. $350 at REI

The temperatures are starting to dip and the need to wear a jacket is becoming stronger every day. Luckily, you dont have to wait until Black Friday to grab a mega discount on a The North Face style from REI.

REI is offering big discounts of up to 50% off loads of The North Face jackets for men and women. This includes all types of styles and warmth levels, with sale prices starting at just $30.

75-Inch Samsung 4K QLED Smart TV $800 Now $598 Save $202 off in an early Black Friday deal. $598 at Walmart

Walmart is known for its TV deals, but the one it just dropped on this 75-Inch Samsung 4K QLED TV is a dream come true  but only for Black Friday.

The 75-Inch Samsung 4K QLED Smart TV is now on sale for $598, instead of $800, for a savings of $202 off  but only during Walmarts Black Friday Deals sale.

BAGSMART Travel Toiletry Bag in Black $37 Now $24 Take 35% off this travel organizer. Buy Now on Amazon

With massive travel days ahead, were all about embracing those efficient packing hacks that keep things organized and contained.

Amazons latest 35% off discount on BAGSMARTs Travel Toiletry Bag is too good to pass up. The inventive bag was one of a few team favorites that made Oprahs Favorite Things list this year.

Dyson V12 Detect Slim Cordless Vacuum Cleaner $730 NOW FOR $400 On sale for $330 off during Walmart's first Black Friday Deals event  Nov. 14-16. And you can get it by this weekend with fast and free shipping. Buy now at Walmart

For this holiday season, lets all make a pact to stop chasing the tracks our old vacuums leave behind!

Walmarts early Black Friday deals kicked off on Nov. 14, and one of the most notable offers is the massive $330 price drop on the Dyson V12 Detect Slim Cordless Vacuum Cleaner.

UGG Bailey Bow Boot $210 Now $170 Save $40 off now. $170 at Nordstrom Rack

If your winter boots are looking a little worse for wear, youre going to love these Black Friday deals that Nordstrom Rack is offering on UGG boots, slippers and more.

The Black Friday Sale has discounts up to 40% off loads of UGG styles for men, women and kids. Youll even find the ultra-popular mens Tasman slipper and womens Tazz slipper on sale in select designs for up to $50 off.

FLANUR Space Heater $292 Now $73 This FLANUR Space Heater will have you feeling toasty warm all season long. Shop this space heater ASAP

November is finally here, but the colder months are still to come, which means you need a good way to stay warm.

So, if youre tired of feeling chilly, especially in your own home, then you need to snag this FLANUR Space Heater thats on sale for $73, instead of $292, which is a massive 75% discount.

BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 3600W Portable Power Station $799 Now $395 Save 51% off when you shop this limited-time deal. $395 on Amazon

Amazon has a deal thatll score you an amazing price on a BLUETTI Portable Power Station, and it could also net you another one for free.

The BLUETTI Elite 100 V2 3600W Portable Power Station is now on sale for $395, instead of $799, for a hefty savings of 51% off  but only for Amazon Prime members. However, this limited-time deal gets even better. When you spend $1,500 on qualifying BLUETTI products, youll score another BLUETTI Portable Power Station for free.

8-Inch Fry Pan / Nonstick / SD5 - Second Quality $180 $50 Take 72% off the All-Clad pan Buy Now

All-Clads latest blowout factory sale features its best-selling cookware pieces, like the 8-inch nonstick frypan, on sale for just $50  its lowest price ever.

The popular 8-inch nonstick frypan is made from the D5 Stainless range and features five layers of aluminum and stainless steel. The signature build allows for an even cooking experience.

ITISSOFT Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto Adapter $100 NOW FOR $26 Currently 74% off at Walmart during the retailer's first Black Friday shopping event through Sunday, Nov. 16. Black and white (pictured) models sell for the same price. Buy now at Walmart

Holiday travel is about to ramp up, and for many of us, that means hours in the car  kids in the back, playlists queued and navigation running nonstop.

If your car still relies on wired CarPlay or Android Auto, those cords can quickly turn into a headache. But ITISSOFTs Wireless CarPlay & Android Auto Adapter solves that problem, and Walmart has it for nearly 75% off in a rare, yet timely Black Friday deal.

Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Leaf Blower $438 Now $199 Save 55% off for a limited time. $199 at Home Depot

If those fall leaves are stacking up and causing more hassle than you really need, this deal on the Milwaukee M18 FUEL Leaf Blower at Home Depot will come as a major lifesaver.

The Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18V Leaf Blower is now on sale for $199, instead of $438, for a savings of 55% off  in a early Black Friday Sale.

Delamu 2-Tier Multi-Purpose Bathroom Under-Sink Organizer $40 Now $25 Take 36% off the handy under-sink organizer now. Buy Now on Amazon

Cabinets can get a bit messy. Its like a hidden secret, tucked away behind a door, but keeping everything organized saves you time in the long run.

Make life easier by picking up the Delamu 2-Tier Multi-Purpose Bathroom Under-Sink Organizer while its on major sale. The tiered dividers are currently 36% off on Amazon in a rare deal.

Canada Weather Gear Womens 2-in-1 Long Heavyweight Puffer Coat & Vest $176 NOW $88 Available in select sizes S-XL and offered in several colorways, including navy (pictured). Shop now at Target

Luxury-level winter looks dont have to cost a fortune.

Right now, Target is offering major markdowns on the outerwear brand often mistaken for Canada Goose (True story: I saw someone wearing one at my sons Halloween parade, and I had to ask her about it right away!)

Every jacket in the Canada Weather Gear lineup rings in at $100 or less, with Black Friday savings of up to $150 off. From rugged canvas parkas to sleek puffers, the pieces combine performance and fashion at prices that feel almost unreal.

Walmart has epic Black Friday gaming deals  including $30 Nintendo Switch games

Xbox Series X 1TB Digital Edition Robot White + Extra Xbox Wireless Controller Robot White $669 This Xbox Series X bundle with an additional wireless controller was $110 off during Walmart's first Black Friday sale in mid-November 2025, dropping the price from $600 to $490. Shoppers should look out for similar discounts this Black Friday and Cyber Monday at Walmart. Buy Now at Walmart

Walmart has major Black Friday deals on the way, especially with three sales planned over the next three weeks.

From Nov. 14 to Dec. 1, you can expect several discounts on Nintendo, PlayStation 5 and Xbox consoles, games and accessories to score savings on your holiday wishlist.

Sealy Cool 12" Medium Memory Foam Mattress, Queen $1,200 Now $389 Save 68% off this cooling Sealy mattress when you shop Wayfair's Early Black Friday sale. $389 at Wayfair

Well, folks, the countdown to Black Friday is officially on. And with the massive sales weekend only a few weeks away, the early deals are coming in hot. One place youll definitely want to check out? Wayfair.

With major savings expected on everything from seasonal hosting and holiday must-haves to classic home upgrades and decor essentials, Wayfairs November deals are some of the best for anyone with a love for all things home.

Now, you could wait for Wayfairs Black Friday sale to come around  or you could get a head start on saving by shopping Wayfairs early Black Friday Sale, going on now through 11/19.

Rescue+ Emergency Fire Blanket $19 Now $15 Nab this home safety essential for 21% off today. $15 at Amazon

Were officially a few weeks out from Thanksgiving, so that means youre likely in the midst of prepping your kitchen with everything from the right cookware to your go-to pantry staples, but are you ready in case of an emergency?

While fires arent something we like to think about, data from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) shows that Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, with more than three times the daily average occurring during the holiday. This means fire prevention should also be a part of your holiday game plan.

Now, many of us already have a fire extinguisher in our kitchens. Unfortunately, its no secret that many of us dont know how to use one, and we can all agree that learning mid-emergency is not ideal. This is where a fire blanket, like this Rescue+ pick, can come in handy.
A man admitted kicking a prison officer in the head in the Midlands Prison.

Aaron Daly (21) of Limerick Prison, Mulgrave Street, Limerick, admitted assaulting the prison officer at the Midlands Prison in Portlaoise on May 31, 2024.

Garda Sergeant JJ Kirby told a sitting of Portlaoise District Court that an altercation broke out between the defendant and another prisoner. He said a prison officer was restraining one of the men when the defendant broke free, approached the injured party and kicked him in the back of the head.

Medical report indicates soft tissue damage to the cervical spine and tenderness in the area, said Sgt Kirby. He said the man had 14 previous convictions and was due for release from prison in October 2027.

Andrew Dunne BL said his client was very regretful and remorseful in relation to the incident. He said the defendant knew nothing only prison growing up and his father had been murdered. Most of his family were in and out of prison, he stated.

He is a gentleman with a plethora of difficulties, said Mr Dunne. He is serving four years and eight months for a string of very serious offences, he said.

Mr Dunne said the man had only been in custody for a short while when this offence was committed. He said the man had suffered a bereavement when his child had died and his mental health had deteriorated. He said the man would get into petty fights but he has since begun engaging with school and in anger management treatment.

Mr Dunne said the mans nephew, who is around the same age, was also in prison and fell victim to a dispute and that began the altercation the prison officers were dealing with.

He was deeply upset. He saw his nephew in distress, said Mr Dunne.

Mr Dunne said the accused had apologised to the prison officer straight immediately after the incident. It wasnt his intention to harm the officer, he said.

Sgt Kirby was asked to relay the events again by Judge Susan Fay. He said there was a row on the landing of the D Wing between two prisoners and two officers intervened.

Mr Daly broke free and approached (the named officer) and kicked him in the back of the head, said Sgt Kirby.

Mr Dunne said someone had attempted to harm the accused mans nephew and that person was being restrained. He shot out with a kick and unfortunately that hit the prison officer, he said.

Judge Fay noted the prison officer also sustained a concussion in the assault. This is a very serious assault and the victim in this matter was just doing their job, said Judge Fay.

She said the sentence had to be proportionate to the crime.

This court appreciates that your client has not had an easy start, Judge Fay told Mr Dunne.

She noted the guilty plea and sentenced the man to four months to commence at the completion of his sentence. She fixed recognisance in case of appeal and granted legal aid in the case.
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Two County Kildare food and drink businesses have been acknowledged as winners at the Good Food Ireland Awards 2025 in association with FBD Insurance - the only cross-sector awards that champion those who uphold Irelands culinary excellence, celebrate local provenance and honour sustainable practices.

Announced at the awards ceremony at The K Club in Co Kildare on Monday, November 10 2025, Kildare businesses took centre stage, winning some of the top accolades of the night.

The Dew Drop Brewhouse in Kill was named as Drinks Producer of the Year and The Barton Rooms Barberstown Castle in Straffan was awarded Hotel Restaurant of the Year.

Ahead of its 20th year in 2026, this years Good Food Ireland Awards received hundreds of entries from businesses across the country, with thousands of votes cast for the Food Lovers' Choice Awards.

READ NEXT: Kildare residents are being urged to get out of their cars

Winners were selected by an independent panel of Irish and international experts following mystery inspections and detailed assessments, with strict judging criteria including commitment to local sourcing, Irish provenance, and sustainability.

Minister Noel Grealish was the guest of honour at the event, acknowledging everyones contribution to Irish food, drink and hospitality.

Commenting on the event, Minister Noel Grealish, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine, said: I was delighted to attend the Good Food Ireland Awards, which brings together two of Irelands most successful indigenous sectors  food and tourism.

At their heart, the Good Food Ireland Awards honour excellence, and reflect the values and vision embedded in Food Vision 2030, our national strategy for sustainable agri-food development, that have made Irish food a global benchmark for quality and sustainability.

Reflecting on the event and congratulating the winners, Margaret Jeffares, Founder of Good Food Ireland added: Good Food Ireland was born from a desire to celebrate Irelands world-class food and drink. Our awards shine a spotlight on the businesses that play a vital role in our entire food ecosystem, from farm to fork.

This years finalists spanned the full breadth of the island and guests from every corner of Ireland gathered on Monday 10th November to celebrate the very best in Irish food, drink and hospitality. On the night the Supreme Award went to Fish City in Belfast.

Other big winners included Ashford Castle - named as 5 Star Hotel of the Year, Linnalla Farm Pure Irish Ice Cream from Co. Clare - named as Overall Producer of the Year and Veronica Molloy from Tipperarys Crossogue Preserves who received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Awards Official Sponsor, FBD Insurance, has been supporting Farming, Food and Hospitality businesses across Ireland for over 50 years.

In its third year of sponsorship, John Cahalan, Chief Commercial Officer, FBD Insurance, adds: The theme of the Good Food Ireland Awards 2025 was Rooted in Taste, Backed by Trust, which resonates with us as a business. Trust is earned and the winners from this years Good Food Ireland awards have earned their place as trusted businesses who deliver exceptional products and service day in, day out.

From field to fork, there are so many exceptional businesses across the Island as demonstrated by our extensive list of finalists, but on this occasion, Im delighted to congratulate The Dew Drop Brewhouse and The Barton Rooms, Barberstown Castle for their award wins. Each winner should feel enormously proud to be recognised as one of the best in Ireland.

Other key sponsors of the awards include AIB, Wine Consultants Ireland, Waterford and Tourism Ireland, Guinness Storehouse, and All Fresh among others, whose support is important in celebrating excellence across Irelands vibrant food and tourism sectors.

For further information, please visit www.goodfoodireland.ie
A councillor has set up two online groups aimed at assisting parents and guardians residing in one County Kildare town.

The two groups, which are WhatsApp and Facebook respectively, were created by Social Democrats Cllr Chris Pender.

Explaining his motivation behind the creation of the two groups, Cllr Pender explained: "Parents and guardians in Newbridge are again facing serious challenges with secondary school places and waiting lists.

"Ive set up a Facebook group and WhatsApp group to bring local families together, share updates, and gather real stories."

According to Cllr Pender: "The goal of the two groups is to push the Department of Education to include Newbridge in the next round of the ApplyToSchool.ie pilot or full rollout, and to deliver a new secondary school and a primary school to meet the towns growing population."

"No family should be left waiting months to find out where their child will go to school," he added. "The more voices we have, the stronger our case will be."

The Facebook group can be accessed here, while the WhatsApp group can be accessed here.

Cllr Chris Pender (Social Democrats). File photograph

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Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Last month, Drumcoura City in Ballinamore hosted the launch of Michael McGoverns memoir From Irish Fields to London Tunnels on October 10. The event was officially launched by Cllr Paddy ORourke and Nicola Kearns, CEO of Butterfly Books Publishers.

The book tells the remarkable story of Michaels life, beginning on a small farm in west Cavan in 1958, when, at just seventeen years of age, he left home to seek work and opportunity in London.

There, he became one of the so-called tunnel tigers, the name given to Irish labourers who undertook some of the most perilous underground construction work of the time. He would spend fifteen years in London, working in extremely dangerous conditions, including tunnelling on the Victoria Line underground.

During those years, Michael met and married his wife Mary, and together they raised six children. Despite the busy and demanding nature of his work, he always dreamed of returning home to Ireland.

READ NEXT: Leitrim musicians honoured for success at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann

That dream became reality in 1972 when he and Mary returned, not to Cavan, but to Leitrim, where they bought a farm and a large house for their growing family. The couple went on to have three more children, and all of them received a good education and made their own way in the world.

Cllr Paddy ORourke, who launched the book, spoke warmly about its appeal, The book makes for an ideal Christmas gift particularly for someone who identifies with that period in Irish history, when there was little option only to emigrate. But somehow the pull to return when sufficiently financially strong for many became so strong, they couldnt resist and made the move.

He also noted a memorable detail from Michael and Marys early farming days, An interesting side note was that when Michael and Mary were setting about stocking their newly acquired farm back in the seventies, they were buying in at a time when cattle prices were at an all time low.

Purchasing cattle at as low as 10pounds a head while recently when disposing of their herd on retirement cattle prices were at an all time high. As one neighbour put it, it couldnt happen to a better pair.

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De-risking is not just a commercial consideration, said Agatha Kratz, partner at Rhodium Group. The counter factual is a world where China can dictate Europes foreign and economic policy.

The consequence of inaction may ultimately be far-reaching. The more Germany tethers its industry to China now, the more influence Beijing will wield over Europes largest economy in the long run  power China could use to tilt global competition in its favor or even constrain the continents attempts to influence global affairs.

This weekend, German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil, also the countrys finance minister, will travel to Beijing to discuss Berlins concerns as Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly warns companies about the dangers of their exposure to China.

For now, China simply offers too many near-term profits to ignore, the people said, even if Beijing may ultimately throttle access to vital supplies and its massive market. Executives see little reason to change course unless Berlin forces their hand or helps foot the bill.

In recent meetings, business leaders and government officials have traded blame over the situation but offered few solutions, said people familiar with the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Left untouched was the deeper question of who bears the costs of shunning China  businesses through lost profits, workers through layoffs, consumers through higher prices, or an already stretched government.

Government officials, too, have done little to change the pattern. Privately, theyre meeting and developing action plans, said people familiar with the discussions. But theyre still reluctant to intervene in foreign investment decisions. One senior German official quipped that its historically not in the countrys DNA, according to a person familiar with the exchange.

From autos to chemicals, the countrys biggest exporters are ignoring government pleas and pouring billions into new projects that tie their fortunes even closer to the worlds second-largest economy. German corporate investment in China jumped 1.3 billion ($1.5 billion) between 2023 and 2024, hitting 5.7 billion, according to the Mercator Institute for China Studies.

Germanys business leaders have seen the flashing red warning signs that relying on China is risking economic calamity. Theyre just not heeding them.

Story Continues

Deeper Ties

The automotive sector is at the heart of Germanys exposure to China, and its doubling down.

On average, car manufacturers accounted for about two-thirds of German investment in China from 2020 to 2024, MERICS found. That spending has accelerated in recent years, growing 69% between 2023 and 2024 to reach 4.2 billion.

Today, China is the most important market for BMW AG, Mercedes-Benz AG and Volkswagen AG.

BMW has committed about 3.8 billion to a battery project in Shenyang, making China the hub of its largest research and development network outside Germany. It also exports electric SUVs from China back to Europe. Meanwhile, Mercedes shifted its annual strategy summit to Beijing and is developing China-only electric vehicles.

Volkswagen, which calls China its second home market, has similarly signed a string of deals with Chinese firms to accelerate its technology development.

The pattern extends beyond the auto industry.

BASF, the German chemicals giant, just opened an 8.7 billion complex in China  its largest-ever investment. Last month, BASF CEO Markus Kamieth called China essential to the companys growth month, saying the market helped counter sluggish output in Germany.

Similarly, Bosch, Germanys global engineering firm, is deepening reliance on China for product development, while cutting positions in Germany.

Overall, average annual German investments in China reached 5.2 billion over the past five years, well above the 3.3 billion average recorded between 2015 and 2019, according to MERICS.

But looking elsewhere comes with a steep price. Even if companies find other sources for items like rare earth materials or chips, theyll be paying more than in China  not just for the products, but for new supply lines.

The most positive outcome is that new markets in North America, Europe and India offset these investments. But that takes time and offers no guarantee. Until then, executives are often choosing between unpalatable options: eating costs that slice into profits, raising prices that anger customers or firing workers.

Unless the government helps, that is.

The auto industry is vigorously pursuing and implementing the necessary de-risking  but it must also be politically enabled, not merely demanded, said a spokesperson for VDA, the German auto industry association.

Executives in talks with the government have floated domestic reforms  from cutting energy costs to slashing bureaucracy  that would incentivize operating in Germany. Berlin, however, is struggling to advance its agenda as political fragmentation deepens. And the government is already straining to cover its spending commitments on climate, defense and welfare.

The minimum is three, four or five years to install a new kind of disentangled supply chain, said Matthias Zink, a senior executive at automotive supplier Schaeffler AG and president of CLEPA, the trade group for Europes auto supply chain. We should have no illusions on this.

Trouble Ahead

Not every German company sees it the same way. Starting years ago, numerous smaller firms decided they could no longer bank on China for their economic livelihood.

4Jet, a laser technology firm, is one of them. It was wary of Beijings longstanding playbook: Use massive subsidies to rapidly grow domestic industries, then flood the global market and undercut competition.

So 4Jet, whose customers include aviation companies and glass and tire makers, began prioritizing markets like India to offset any lost revenue in China. Now, the firm could survive even if China closed off its market completely, according to CEO Jorg Jetter.

I find politics astonishingly naive, Jetter said in an interview. Its very transparent what theyre doing there.

Jetter is referring to Beijings Made in China 2025 plan, which named 10 modern industries China wanted to dominate. It worked. China has become a market leader in solar energy, batteries, electric vehicles, and a serious competitor in machine tools and robotics.

China is now planning to extend these goals in a new five-year plan, expected early next year.

For some companies still relying on China today, Beijing is offering warnings of just how painful it might be if and when those longer-term concerns become a reality.

A silicon semiconductor wafer at a Nexperia Holding BV lab.Photographer: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg

Last month, German automakers saw how a sudden halt in chip supplies from Nexperia, a Chinese-owned firm based in the Netherlands, could disrupt production within days  a crisis not yet fully resolved.

More broadly, German exports to China are declining just as reliance on low-cost Chinese inputs are rising, the result of production shifting to China.

Jurgen Matthes, from the German Economic Institute, a business-backed economic research firm, warned in July that the trend may create a creeping hollowing out of Germanys industrial base.

Business groups now want government intervention.

The VDMA trade association, which represents medium-sized companies in the mechanical and plant engineering field, said a survey showed more than three-quarters of its members still felt competitive against China in the European market, according to Oliver Richtberg, who handles China for the VDMA.

That figure dropped to fewer than half when asked about the outlook five years from now.

This is a development we cannot simply accept, Richtberg said.

Planning Begins

German officials do increasingly argue something must be done.

Berlin first pledged to de-risk from China in 2023 under the previous government but offered more signals than action. Since entering office in May, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has created a national security council and asked it to help address the issue.

At the panels first meeting last week, officials agreed to develop an action plan by yearend to diversify Germanys raw material supply sources, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

Berlin is also working on an economic security strategy, due next year.

Still, Merz is cautioning companies that he wont rescue them.

I always tell them when I meet them: Thats your risk if things go wrong, please dont come to us, Merz said Thursday, noting that Chinese authorities have the power to shut off supplies or lock German companies out of their markets.

It can happen very quickly, he said.

--With assistance from Michael Nienaber and Chris Miller.

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LIMERICK City and County Council has launched a new community engagement initiative in association with Limerick libraries, designed to help young learners to discover the joy of reading.

At the heart of the initiative is Val the Viking, a friendly and curious character inspired by Limericks rich Viking heritage.

Created by the Councils Marketing and Communications Department, Vals story begins when he arrived in Limerick around 922 AD before stumbling upon a magical portal that transports him to modern-day Limerick.

READ MORE: RTE Concert Orchestra celebrates Julie Andrews at UCH

Through Vals adventures, children are invited to explore the city and county, learning about its history, energy, and imagination along the way.

The launch event at Limerick City Library, where children from Scoil Iosagain CBS, enjoyed interactive reading sessions, colouring activities, and the first look at the new Val the Viking packs.

Each pack includes a Discover Limerick activity book, a Val the Viking badge, Val the Viking sticker, a pack of crayons, and a bookmark that helps young readers to discover their Viking name as they set out on their own adventure through books, stories, and imagination.

The packs are now available for collection at all Limerick library branches and are subject to availability.

Brenda Frawley, senior executive officer, Limerick libraries, said: Val the Viking gives us a creative way to introduce children to reading and to the stories of their community.
A PROBATION report is to be prepared in the case of a Limerick woman who abused and threatened a number of gardai while intoxicated in public.

Olivia Battles, aged 27, of Castlemungret, Limerick city, appeared before Limerick District Court charged with public order offences, intoxication and being threatening and abusive.

Garda Sergeant Denis Waters told the court that on February 2, 2023, Ms Battles was observed whilst "extremely intoxicated at Colbert Station.

Gardai subsequently arrested her for her own safety, at which point she became abusive.

READ NEXT: Limerick motorist avoids ban after driving through stop sign and causing crash at junction

Members of the public watched on as Ms Battles attempted to kick one garda but failed to make contact. The abusive behaviour continued when she was brought to Henry Street garda station.

On January 21, 2023, Ms Battles was similarly observed whilst intoxicated on Lord Edward Street, close to the city centre.

The court heard the accuseds speech was slurred and that she told one member of An Garda Siochana to f*** off. She was subsequently arrested for her own safety.

A similar public order offence also occurred in Castlemungret on May 6 of the same year while another incident occurred at University Hospital Limerick on September 17.

On the date in question, Ms Battles expressed mental health concerns. While intoxicated, she went to the hospital looking to get an assessment.

However, after being told she would have to wait seven hours, she became aggressive and was subsequently arrested.

In another incident, Ms Battles was arrested after a disturbance at Phoenix Lodge, Sarsfield Park.

Sgt Waters said staff at the homeless shelter alerted gardai after Ms Battles was requested to leave the centre but refused.

When gardai arrived at the scene, the accused was unsteady on her feet and became abusive and threatening towards them. She was subsequently evicted from the centre.

Ms Battles has four previous convictions, all of which are for public order offences.

Solicitor Sarah Ryan, representing the accused, said her client accepts that she must go back to the hospital for an assessment. She added that her clients difficulties go way back.

Judge Carol Anne Coolican ordered that a probation report be prepared. Ms Battles was remanded on bail to appear again before Limerick District Court on December 12.
The CEO pledged to return the chain to its beachy roots, insisting Hooters is a family-friendly restaurant with beachy vibes. That means not just an updated menu with hand-breaded wings, sauces, and salads with housemade dressings, but also uniforms for servers that resemble Hooters 1980s jogging-style shorts.

Kiefer will now be able to do something about the restaurants risque reputation: Hooters Inc. announced earlier this month that it finalized the acquisition of Hooters for America. Hooters, alongside partner Hoot Owl Restaurants LLC, will own about 140 of the 198 Hooters restaurants in the U.S.

Its a beach-theme restaurant, not a sexualized one, Kiefer said. So I think they went too far down the road of making it more like a little boys club hangout, and they therefore alienated the women and the families we have.

In March, Hooters for America, the private equity-controlled entity that controlled the restaurant chain, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, giving Kiefer, his co-founders, and franchises a way to buy back more than 100 locations. For about two years, Kiefer and his business partners at Hooters Inc. had galvanized his franchises discontent with the companys direction under private equity ownership.

But recently, the restaurant chain known more for its scantily clad servers than perhaps its wings and beer, strayed too far from its roots, according to Kiefer. He blamed the chains private equity ownership, particularly over the last five or six years, though the company has passed through several hands over the past few decades. That included the likes of businessman Hugh Connerty, who bought the rights to Hooters from the owners a year after its founding with the hopes of national expansion, followed by Robert Brooks and a group of investors at what is now Hooters of America, Inc., who bought the company from Connerty. In 2011, private equity firms H.I.G. Capital and KarpReilly helped finance Chanticleer Holdings LLCs acquisition of Hooters, a North Carolina-based development company. In 2019, Hooters was sold to private equity firms Nord Bay Capital and TriArtisan Capital Advisors.

It started as a place five miles from the beach, Kiefer, now the CEO of Hooters Inc., told Fortune. You came in from the beach, could throw some coveralls on, shortsand it was a hangout.

Neil Kiefer has fond memories of the original Hooters restaurant he cofounded in 1983 in Clearwater, Florida. Despite naming his chain with a heavy dose of innuendo, he and his partners intended it as a beachside dining spot for young people and families.

Story Continues

In the first week after the sale, Kiefer said he onboarded 4,600 new employees to staff his restaurants. Hooters servers are nearly exclusively women, taking advantage of a legal loophole called bona fide occupational qualification, which allows a business to refuse to hire someone based on national origin or sex if a particular quality of someones identity is reasonably necessary to the normal operation of that particular business or enterprise. A 1997 lawsuit filed by men denied jobs at the restaurant was settled and required Hooters to make some back-of-house positions available to men.

Casual dinings private equity crisis

Hooters comeback wont be an easy one. Its looking to make its refreshed debut at a time when consumers are anxious about the economy and have plenty of other casual restaurant options to choose from, according to Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData. Brands like TGIFridays and Red Lobster have similarly looked to reinvent themselves and compete with the likes of Chilis, which has soared thanks to a recipe of operational efficiency, as well as a flair for online virality and promise of value for consumers more sensitive to menu prices.

Theres volume shrink in the restaurant industry, Saunders told Fortune. At the moment, theres very high costs and cost increases, and really, because people are dining out less often and theyre buying less, its really a big battle for market share.

What many of these resurrected casual dining concepts have in common is not just burgers, wings, and seafood, but beleaguered histories with private equity. According to Pitchbook, 21 restaurant or bar chains filed for bankruptcy in 2024, 10 of which had private equity backing. Those 10 included both Red Lobster and TGIFridays.

Saunders said private equity is to blame for these restaurant chains woes very, very often. Its is an appealing option for business owners looking to sell and get a bang for their buck, as private equity firms are willing to give up lots of cashmost of which is leverageand in return, try to flip the business, which can look like carving up its assets or selling its real estate to other investors, only to lease it back.

Private equity tends to take quite a short-term view of the businesses it owns, and very much is about profit maximization in the short term, and it isnt really about long term brand health, Saunders said.

Kiefers gripe with Hooters private equity ownership was the choices they were making about the business, such as in 2021, when Hooters for America introduced skimpier shorts as part of its uniform. About 160 company-owned stores adopted the new look, while the couple of dozen franchise locations under Hooters Inc.s ownership did not.

The CEO said he could see the difference in customer-base demographics in those stores, with franchise locations he owned seeing women and children make up between high-20s % to low-40% of its customers. In stores he is acquiring, customers were between 5% and 18% women and children.

When you just appeal to just men or just women, youre cutting the market in half totally, he said.

The future of Hooters

According to Saunders, one major factor in Hooters future success will be its ability to overcome its reputation as a so-called breastaurant.

One of the key questions is, Is that what consumers actually want? Is it still relevant today? he said. Its a lot more of a love-it, hate-it-type proposition than it used to be. Its polarizing.

But with a bid to appeal to more women and families, Hooters risks failing to differentiate itself from the dozens of other casual dining chains also priding themselves on being family-friendly, according to Saunders. And thats on top of restaurants competing with consumers desires to dine out less and cook more.

Kiefer is concerned with keeping the brand alive in the long term. He said hes not interested in the private equity model of prioritizing profit, but rather supporting franchise locations, some of which have been in business for 40 years. And there are no plans for the company to change hands again anytime soon.

Our plan is to never sell it, Kiefer said. Our plan is to have the next generation of Hooters operators take over.

That doesnt mean striking a chord with diners is any less important.

Its still a heavy climb, Kiefer said. Were all consumers. When you go out to eat, you have a bad experience, you simply dont go back. Weve got a lot of work to do to straighten things out and then to win the customers back and get new customers, too.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
A FATAL collision at Devon Road Cross, between Abbeyfeale and Templeglatine in west Limerick, has reignited calls for urgent safety works at what councillors have branded a death trap.

The issue dominated the November meeting of the Newcastle West Municipal District, where Cllr Liam Galvin said that in the weeks since last month's fatal collision, there have been three more collisions at the same junction.

While thankfully no lives were lost, it just shows how unsafe that stretch of road is, he said.

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Cllr Galvin described one of the recent non-fatal incidents in which a jeep coming from Templeglantine ploughed through fencing and into the gable end of Buckleys Shop.

We cannot stand by and wait for another tragedy. We have to act now, he urged.

He said he had spoken with a private landowner near the junction about possible land acquisition to facilitate road improvements.

That landowner told me, I will do anything if it saves lives. That says everything about how serious this situation is, he added.

Cllr Galvin also suggested that the Council explore purchasing Hartnetts filling station, located at the cross, to allow for the construction of a roundabout in the future.

While there was unanimous agreement among councillors that safety works are urgently needed, frustration mounted over what they called the continued inaction of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

Cathaoirleach, Cllr Michael Collins, said the agency should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring local representatives who know that road better than anyone else.

He also expressed condolences to the family of the woman who tragically lost her life following the October incident.

Cllr Francis Foley called for immediate intervention.

We need to stop the codology, this road warrants every measure we can provide. There have been enough accidents, enough fatalities. Enough is enough.

Cllr John Sheahan questioned whether the issue was one of funding, noting that land acquisition is not a barrier.

He also said it seemed as though the TII were completely averse to roundabouts, despite their proven effectiveness in improving safety.

Cllr Tom Ruddle added that the TII should be ashamed of themselves for not cooperating sooner and said the agency bears partial responsibility for the ongoing danger at the junction.

Councillors agreed to request a representative from TII attend their next meeting to explain the delay in funding the long-promised safety upgrades.

This junction has already claimed lives, said Cllr Galvin.

If we dont act, it will claim more.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
A PUBLIC toilet could finally be on the way for Abbeyfeale, after years of calls for the installation of basic facilities in the busy west Limerick town.

At the November meeting of the Newcastle West Municipal District, councillors renewed pressure to have the amenity included in Abbeyfeales new traffic management plan.

Cllr Liam Galvin said he has pushed for the facility since being elected in 2004 and called it a basic need thats long overdue. He said the toilet should form part of the overall redevelopment, adding: Were doing a Rolls Royce job on Abbeyfeale, the public toilet must be included.

Cllr Galvin noted that with many local pubs and restaurants now closed, the town no longer has public facilities available. Newcastle West has one, Listowel has one, Castleisland has one, but Abbeyfeale still hasnt, he said.

Read More: Our hearts are heavy': Prominent Limerick retailer to closes its doors after almost 40 years

Cllr Francis Foley echoed his comments, saying a toilet should be installed beside the new car park currently under development. We cant keep expecting local businesses to provide toilets, he said.

Cllr Foley confirmed that 45,000 was previously allocated toward the project but admitted more funding will be needed to complete it.

Cllr John Sheahan wryly remarked that 45,000 wouldnt buy the front door of a public toilet, questioning where the remaining funds will come from.

Cllr Galvin clarified that the "45,000" is only a donation from local government and that more funding will be required".

Councillors agreed that the facility is essential, particularly with the steady flow of traffic passing through Abbeyfeale on the N21 to Kerry.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
With the growing use of AI across the globe, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella emphasises the potential of artificial general intelligence (AGI) while acknowledging its early development stage.

In an interview with Dwarkesh Patel and SemiAnalysis founder Dylan Patel, Nadella expressed his excitement about AGI and discussed themes including tools, productivity, diffusion through the real economy, and the need for multiple models and ecosystems rather than relying on a single model.

What is artificial general intelligence? Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is a type of AI capable of understanding, learning, and performing any intellectual task that a human can do. It is expected to possess human-like cognitive skills, including common-sense reasoning.

Although Nadella does not entirely dismiss the idea that AGI could be as important as the Industrial Revolution, he notes that the technology is still in its early stages. I start with the excitement that I also feel for the idea that maybe after the Industrial Revolution, this is the biggest thing. I start with that premise, the Microsoft Chief said.

At the same time, Im a little grounded in the fact that this is still early innings. Weve built some very useful things, were seeing some great properties, and these scaling laws seem to be working. Im optimistic that theyll continue to work, Nadella added.

While acknowledging that AI is still in its initial stages, Nadella highlighted that it has the potential to be transformative.

How does Nadella like to define AI? Nadella also mentioned that his favourite definition of AI was from computer scientist Raj Reddy, who gave a very human-centric description. He had this metaphor for AI: it should either be a guardian angel or a cognitive amplifier. I love that. Its a simple way to think about what this is, the Microsoft CEO said.

Also Read | India key to shaping future of AI, says Anthropic CEO after meeting PM Modi

Will AGI benefit humans? Nadella raised the key question of what is its human utility? of AGI. Ultimately, what is its human utility? It is going to be a cognitive amplifier and a guardian angel. If I view it that way, I view it as a tool, he said.

He also acknowledged that some might become mystical about AI, suggesting that it is a tool capable of doing things previously done only by humans. However, he noted that this is a common pattern with many technologies in history.

When asked about a common AGI vision, such as a single model that is able to perform almost every job, Nadella said, If theres literally one dominant model, deployed everywhere, ingesting all the data and continuously learning, then yes: thats game, set, match. Youd basically stop shop.

Also Read | AI at war: Artificial intelligence is reshaping defence strategies

He further mentions that this is not how things are actually unfolding. For all the dominance of any one model, that is not the case. Take coding; there are multiple models. In fact, every day its less the case. There is not one model that is being deployed broadly.
SpiceJet today is a shadow of what it was in its yesteryears. While for many it remains a mystery how SpiceJet survives with so many challenges all around, the airline is back to expanding. It recently declared a loss of 635.42 crore ( 447.7 crore loss excluding Foreign Exchange loss) in Q2-FY26. In comparison, IndiGo, which is more than 12 times bigger than SpiceJet, recorded a loss of 2,582 crore in Q2-FY26.

The airline subsequently made announcements on adding more narrowbody aircraft to its fleet and reactivating its own MAX 8. With 14 wet/damp leases and one of its own, the airline has grown its active fleet by 15 aircraft in a span of 30 days, adding flights on multiple routes across the country. The active aircraft count now stands at 35, comprising 28 737s (NG and MAX) and seven Q400s. The airline had announced plans of ungrounding many more Q400s over the last three quarters, but there has hardly been any progress on the ground, with the blame being put on supply chain issues.

Also Read | Aviation watchdog issues guidelines after Delhi blast  Full list of measures

The airline, which aims to have 250 daily flights next month, 2.5 times of what it was in September, could compete with Akasa Air for market share, again, after barely cornering 2% of the domestic market in the last few months.

Where is the airline expanding? As it intends to grow 2.5 times by flights and thrice by capacity (by ASK), the growth is coming at Delhi and Mumbai, shows data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company. The airline will offer 276 weekly departures from Delhi and 185 from Mumbai in December as compared to 144 and 68, respectively, in September.

This is followed by Chennai (107 vs 32), Kolkata (102 vs 29) and Ahmedabad (65 vs 15). At one point of time, it was down to just two international destinations, Dubai and Bangkok, and the airline has since started flights to Kathmandu and Phuket, along with flights under special arrangement to Najaf for a temporary period, and Fujairah.

Also Read | We remain committed to the Air India transformation: Singapore Airlines CEO

Dubai - the heart of SpiceJet network Dubai, with its legacy allocation to SpiceJet, has remained the crown for SpiceJets network and helped it survive in adversities. Before the wet-leased planes began arriving and SpiceJet was down to a 100 flights, Dubai was the second largest station in its network after Delhi, with 74 weekly flights. Mumbai, the countrys commercial capital and a slot-constrained airport, came third. While additional allocation of seats prevents it from launching more flights, the incremental capacity addition across its network still sees Dubai as the fifth largest station for the airline. It connects Dubai with nine destinations in India, compared to 13 by IndiGo, five by Air India, and 11 by Air India Express.

The focus on Dubai as part of its network is tremendous as SpiceJet's skeletal international schedule is 19.8% of its total network by ASK, and 9.6% by total seats on offer. By comparison, IndiGo has 19.51% of its ASKs (Available Seat Kilometers) deployed on international routes while 7.4% of its seats are on international routes. IndiGo is miles ahead of SpiceJet in absolute numbers, with all its parameters like Departures, Seats and ASKs being at least 10 times more than the latter.

Finances remain a challenge SpiceJets auditor, again, pointed out the accumulated losses of 8,637.9 crore, and current liabilities exceeding current assets by 4,277.3 crores as of September 30, 2025, casting significant doubt about the companys ability to continue as a going concern, a remark which the airline has in its auditor notes for as long as one remembers. Its negative net worth as of September end is 2,801.9 crore. For comparison, in December 2014 when the airline was at the brink of closure, its negative net worth was 630 crore.

Tail Note The airline inducted a wet-leased A340-300, typically a gas guzzler and opened reservations for flights to Bangkok between 10 October and 5 November. The airline ramped down the capacity within days and deployed it to Dubai, which again alternated to Bangkok. The aircraft has been sitting at Dubai World Central Airport (DWC) for the last few days.

Having attracted reputed talent in the form of Sanjay Kumar as Executive Director may help with managing its business but its fleet woes will not be resolved without money. With the wet or damp leases planes being in equal number or more than its own or self leased ones, the cost of operating these is higher and the airline will have to rely on frequent leases and returns to match the business cycles in India where the Q1 and Q3 of the financial year are stronger but since they are not consecutive months, the planes will need to be in and out of the country.
(Bloomberg) -- As tech companies gear up to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars to fuel investments in artificial intelligence, lenders and investors are increasingly looking to protect themselves against it all going wrong.

Banks and money managers are trading more derivatives that offer payouts if individual tech companies, known as hyperscalers, default on their debt. Demand for credit protection has more than doubled the cost of credit derivatives on Oracle Corp.s bonds since September. Meanwhile, trading volume for credit default swaps tied to the company jumped to about $4.2 billion over the six weeks ended Nov. 7, according to Barclays Plc credit strategist Jigar Patel. Thats up from less than $200 million in the same period last year.

Were seeing renewed interest from clients in single-name CDS discussions, which had waned in recent years, said John Servidea, global co-head of investment-grade finance at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Hyperscalers are highly rated, but theyve really grown as borrowers and people have more exposure, so naturally there is more client dialogue on hedging.

A representative for Oracle declined to comment.

Trading activity is still small compared with the amount of debt that is expected to flood the market, traders said. But the growing demand for hedging is a sign of how tech companies are coming to dominate capital markets as they look to reshape the world economy with artificial intelligence.

Investment-grade companies could sell around $1.5 trillion of bonds in the coming years, according to JPMorgan strategists. A series of big bond sales tied to AI have hit the market in recent weeks, including Meta Platforms Inc. selling $30 billion of notes in late October, the biggest corporate issue of the year in the US, and Oracle offering $18 billion in September.

Tech companies, utilities, and other borrowers tied to AI are now the biggest part of the investment-grade market, a report last month from JPMorgan shows. Theyve displaced banks, which were long the biggest portion. Junk bonds and other major debt markets will see a wave of borrowing too, as firms build thousands of data centers globally.

Some of the biggest buyers of single-name credit default swaps on tech companies now are banks, which have seen their exposure to tech companies surge in recent months, traders said.

Another source of demand for the derivatives: equity investors looking for a relatively cheap hedge against the shares dropping. Buying protection on Friday against Oracle defaulting within the next five years cost about 1.03 percentage point, according to data provider ICE Data Services, or around $103,000 a year for every $10 million of bond principal protected. In contrast, buying a put on Oracles shares falling almost 20% by the end of next year might cost about $2,196 per 100 shares as of Friday, amounting to about 9.9% of the value of the shares protected.

There is good reason for money managers and lenders to at least look at cutting exposure now: An MIT initiative this year released a report indicating that 95% of organizations are getting zero return from generative AI projects. While some of the biggest borrowers now are companies with high cash flow, the technology industry has long been fast changing. Firms that were once big players, such as Digital Equipment Corp., can fade into obsolescence. Bonds that seem safe now may prove to be considerably riskier over time or even default, if profits from data centers fall short of companies current expectations, for example.

Credit default swaps tied to Meta Platforms Inc. began actively trading for the first time late last month, after its jumbo bond sale. Derivatives tied to CoreWeave have also started trading more actively. Its shares tumbled on Monday after the provider of AI computing power lowered its annual revenue forecast due to a delay in fulfilling a customer contract.

In the years before the financial crisis, the high-grade single-name credit derivatives market saw more volume than today, as proprietary traders at banks, hedge funds, bank loan book managers, and others used the products to cut or boost their risk. After the demise of Lehman, trading volume in single-name credit derivatives dropped, and market participants say its unlikely it will return to pre-financial levels. There are more hedging instruments now  including corporate bond exchange-traded funds  plus credit markets themselves have become more liquid as more bonds trade electronically.

Click here for a podcast with Oaktree about the lack of discipline in the AI rush

Sal Naro, chief investment officer of Coherence Credit Strategies, sees the recent increase in single-name CDS trading as temporary. His hedge fund has $700 million in assets under management.

Theres a blip in the CDS market right now because of the data center build out, said Naro. Nothing would make me happier than to see the CDS market truly be revived.

But for now, activity is on the rise, traders and strategists at banks said. The overall volume for credit derivatives tied to individual companies has increased by about 6% over the six weeks ended Nov. 7, to about $93 billion, from the same period a year ago, according to Barclays Patel, who analyzed the latest trade repository data.

Activity has picked up, Dominique Toublan, head of US credit strategy at Barclays, said in an interview. Theres definitely more interest.

Week In Review

On the Move

--With assistance from David Marino.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked the Supreme Court on Friday to pause new California laws expected to require thousands of companies to report emissions and climate-risk information.

The laws are the most sweeping of their kind in the nation, and a collection of business groups argued in an emergency appeal that they violate free-speech rights.

The measures were signed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2023, and reporting requirements are expected to start early next year.

Lower courts have so far refused to block the laws, which the state says will increase transparency and encourage companies to assess how they can cut their emissions.

The Chamber of Commerce asked the justices to put the laws on hold while lawsuits continue to play out.

One requires businesses that make more than $1 billion a year and operate in California to annually report their direct and indirect carbon emissions, beginning in 2026 and 2027, respectively.

That includes planet-warming pollution from burning fossil fuels directly, as well as releases from activities such as delivering products from warehouses to stores and employee business travel. The Chamber of Commerce estimates it will affect about 5,000 companies, though state air regulators say it will apply to roughly 2,600.

The other law requires companies that make more than $500 million a year to biennially disclose how climate change could hurt them financially. The state Air Resources Board estimates more than 4,100 companies will have to comply.

Without this Courts immediate intervention, Californias unconstitutional efforts to slant public debate through compelled speech will take effect and inflict irreparable harm on thousands of companies across the country, the companies argued.

Companies that fail to publish could be subject to civil penalties. ExxonMobil also challenged the laws in a lawsuit filed last month.

The state has argued that the laws dont violate the First Amendment because commercial speech isnt protected the same way under the Constitution.

In 2023, Newsom called the emissions-disclosure law an important policy and of the state's bold responses to the climate crisis, turning information transparency into climate action. The environmental group Ceres has said the information will help people decide whether to support the businesses.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a rule last year requiring some public companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, but the agency paused the regulation amid litigation.

The conservative-majority Supreme Court has cast a skeptical eye on some environmental regulations in recent years, including a landmark decision that limited the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in 2022, and another that halted the agencys air-pollution-fighting good neighbor rule.

___

This story has been updated to correct that one of the laws requires disclosures from companies that make more than $500 million a year, not more than $500,000 a year.

___
(Bloomberg) -- In 2019, Chen Tianshi was a long way from becoming one of the wealthiest people on the planet.

The largest customer for his three-year-old artificial intelligence chip startup, Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co., had abruptly cut off almost all business in favor of developing its own semiconductors. Until then, Huawei had been the source of over 95% of the companys revenue.

But then he caught a break from an unexpected source. The US decision to cut off Chinas access to cutting-edge chips and Beijings determination to foster homegrown technology ultimately created a halo of state sponsorship and a vast protected market for the computer prodigys company, which propelled him to become one of the worlds richest self-made billionaires.

Shares of his chip designer Cambricon Technologies have surged more than 765% over the past 24 months. His wealth, which is for the majority derived from his 28% stake in the Beijing-based producer of AI accelerators, has more than doubled to $22.5 billion since the beginning of the year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Chens meteoric rise underscores how Chinas robust support for its domestic AI industry is minting a new class of state-aligned tech elites just a few years after it cracked down on its private-sector titans. As Washingtons export bans choked Chinas access to advanced chips, firms like Chens Cambricon have emerged as national champions, shielded by policy mandates and investor zeal  symbols of a new industrial order where political favor, not market freedom, defines the winners.

Questions over how much the significant support from government protectionism has contributed to Cambricons surge  rather than the competitiveness of its chips  has divided observers over how long the run will last.

Cambricons explosive revenue growth is mainly due to a low starting point, and its current valuation may be inflated without sustained policy support, said Shen Meng, director at Beijing-based investment bank Chanson & Co.

While Chen is still some way off Nvidia founder Jensen Huangs net worth, hes already the third richest person in the world at or under the age of 40, behind Lukas Walton and Mark Mateschitz, heirs to the Walmart and Red Bull fortunes respectively, according to the index.

Shares of Cambricon  and by extension Chens net worth  took off in August when Beijing urged local companies to avoid using market leader Nvidia Corp.s H20 processors, particularly for government-related purposes.

The company stepped in to cool the investor frenzy around its shares, warning in an August filing to the Shanghai stock exchange that it still labors under US sanctions and stressing the difficulties of ascending the technology ladder. It also dispelled speculation about non-existent products in the pipeline.

Brokerage notes around the same time mentioned its upcoming Siyuan 690 chip, although its believed to still lag at least a few years behind Nvidias corresponding product.

Its too early to say if Cambricon or Huawei, the leading AI chip designer in China, will become Chinas Nvidia, as Nvidias full stack including the CUDA ecosystem is extraordinarily hard to replicate quickly, said Sunny Cheung, a researcher at Washington-based think tank Jamestown Foundation, referring to the AI chip giants proprietary programming language bundled with its hardware.

Cambricon didnt respond to Bloomberg requests for comment.

Despite the questions about Cambricons valuation, Chens path to success has become something of a case study for Chinas state-supported academic pipeline that also spurred the surprise breakthrough of AI startup DeepSeek and its millennial founder Liang Wenfeng.

Born in 1985 to an electrical engineer father and a history teacher mother in the southeast city of Nanchang, Chens keen intellect was identified early. He and his older brother, Chen Yunji, were fast-tracked into a program for gifted students at Hefeis elite University of Science and Technology of China, where he earned a PhD in computer science in 2010.

From there, Chen joined his brother as a researcher at the computing institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the center of the nations scientific ambitions funded by state coffers.

Thats where the brothers first garnered broader attention with internationally acclaimed academic papers on their DianNao accelerator in 2014. A year later, they debuted their first chip, a brain-inspired processor for deep learning. That component was named Cambricon, named after the Cambrian explosion to signify it as an early evolutionary starting point for AI.

In 2016, the Cambricon project was spun off and founded as a company with the academy an early financial backer.

It achieved its first breakthrough in 2017 when Huawei used Cambricons AI processor technology to improve the photography and gaming capabilities of its Mate 10 smartphone. That partnership ended in 2019 when Huawei started to develop similar technology on its own. Since then, Cambricon gradually shifted its focus toward designing and selling AI chips for both cloud servers and edge devices.

It was listed on the Sci-Tech Innovation Board in Shanghai in 2020, but it was consistently in the red before it began to book quarterly profits for the first time since its IPO in the three-month period through December 2024.

It suffered a setback in 2022 when the US Department of Commerce added Cambricon to the so-called entity list for its efforts to acquire US-origin items in support of Chinas military modernization, limiting the companys ability to access advanced Western technologies.

But the US curbs did little to hinder Cambricons prospects. When Washington broadened the export controls to block Nvidia and AMD from selling any high-performance AI chips to China, it created a supply vacuum. Beijing responded with force, mandating that domestic tech firms buy local, meaning Chinese companies now have to source at least some of their chips from domestic manufacturers like Huawei or Cambricon.

Demand exploded. Cambricons revenue surged more than 500% over the past 12 months, even as it competes with with the likes of Huawei and a slew of other domestic startups.

Their rise is directly caused by the urgent need for countries to have access to hardware infrastructure, said Shuman Ghosemajumder, co-founder and CEO of Reken, a San Francisco-based AI startup. Similar to Nvidia, I think they will likely encounter a lot of variance in their stock price as people decide exactly how much infrastructure is required for practically useful generative AI models, and how much those expectations have been overhyped.

--With assistance from Pui Gwen Yeung and Debby Wu.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
New Delhi: India and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) have agreed to meet every quarter at the regulator level to resolve market access hurdles, such as those related to certification and approval delays faced by agricultural and marine exporters, the commerce ministry said on Sunday. The decision was taken at a review meeting in Moscow, chaired by commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal.

The effort aims to steady market access and speed up talks on their proposed free trade agreement (FTA) as global trade shiftsfrom new US tariffs to scrutiny of Indias oil imports from Russiaforce companies to look for more predictable markets.

Among other issues, the two sides also discussed logistics, payment systems and standards to reduce procedural uncertainties.

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The consultations build on earlier discussions in the IndiaRussia Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation and follow the mutual goal of raising bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030 from $68.7 billion in FY25.

For Indias small and medium enterprises, the EAEU market offers an important diversification window at a time when global trade conditions are becoming increasingly unpredictable, said Vinod Kumar, president of the India SME Forum.

Quarterly regulatory coordination can help remove the certification and compliance bottlenecks that often hold back smaller exporters. If these mechanisms work as intended, more Indian MSMEs, especially in food processing, engineering and chemicals, can scale up exports to Russia and the broader EAEU region, he added.

During the visit, Agrawal met Andrey Slepnev, minister in charge of trade at the Eurasian Economic Commission, to review the next steps for the goods negotiations under the FTA.

Opportunity for Indian MSMEs The terms of reference signed on 20 August 2025 set an 18-month schedule for talks and aim to open new avenues for Indian MSMEs, farmers and fishermen. India plans to explore the services and investment chapters in the upcoming rounds.

In the secretary's discussions with Russias deputy minister of industry and trade Mikhail Yurin, both sides examined ways to deepen cooperation in critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, telecom equipment, machinery, automobiles, leather and chemicals. They also agreed to streamline regulatory processes to address non-tariff barriers and improve ease of doing business, the commerce ministry statement said.

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At an industry plenary attended by companies from both countries, Agrawal urged businesses to align their planned projects with the 2030 trade target. He highlighted Indias expanding logistics network, digital public infrastructure and opportunities for co-investment and co-production in goods and services.

The engagement reflects Indias broader push to widen its export basket, de-risk supply chains and strengthen its economic partnership with Russia, as it works toward its long-term goal of becoming a developed nation,Viksit Bharat, by 2047, the statement said.

Bilateral trade between India and Russia touched an all-time high of $68.7 billion in FY25, nearly 5.8 times higher than the pre-pandemic level of $10.1 billion. The surge was driven largely by imports from Russia, which were at $63.84 billion, compared with Indias exports of $4.88 billion.

Imports from Russia continued to be dominated by oil and petroleum products, followed by fertilizers, bituminous substances, mineral fuels and waxes, machinery, equipment, precious metals and stones, wood, pulp and paper products, metals and vegetable oils.
India has purchased crude oil worth $2.9 billion from Moscow in October, ahead of the latest sanctions imposed on Russian entities, according to a European think tank.

India continues to be the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels in October, after China, the report said, citing the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

US sanctions on Russian firms India's Russian oil purchases are in focus as the US imposed sanctions last month on Rosneft and Lukoil, two of Russia's largest oil producers, with the aim of cutting Kremlin's resources to fund the Ukraine war. Additionally, US President Donald Trump's repeated claims that India has cut down its oil purchases from Russia following tariffs imposed by the US.

These sanctions have led companies such as Reliance Industries, HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd, and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd to temporarily halt imports, PTI reported.

In October, Russia exported 60 million barrels of crude oil, with Rosneft and Lukoil collectively accounting for 45 million barrels.

"India remained the second-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, importing a total of EUR 3.1 billion. Crude oil dominated India's purchases at 81 per cent (EUR 2.5 billion), followed by coal at 11 per cent (EUR 351 million) and oil products at 7 per cent (EUR 222 million)," CREA noted in its monthly report for October.

Also Read | Oil Rises as Geopolitical Risks Mount From Russia to Iran

India's growing oil purchases from Russia India, conventionally dependent on Middle Eastern oil, substantially increased its imports from Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, PTI reported.

Russian oil was available at steep discounts due to Western sanctions and reduced demand in Europe. Therefore, India's Russian crude imports soared from less than 1% to nearly 40% of its total crude oil imports in a short period of time.

In September, India had spent nearly $4.18 billion (3.6 billion euros), which included $2.9 billion (2.5 billion euros) on crude oil, $525 million (452 million euros) on coal, and $400 million (344 million euros) on oil products.

CREA noted that India's Russian crude imports in October increased by 11% compared to the previous month. Although private refiners accounted for more than two-thirds of India's total imports, state-owned refineries nearly doubled their Russian crude volumes from the previous month.

"In a keen development, the Rosneft-owned Vadinar refinery (in Gujarat) - now sanctioned by the EU and the UK - increased its production to 90% in October. After the EU sanctions in July, the refinery has been importing crude solely from Russia. In October, their imports from Russia recorded a 32 per cent month-on-month increase to their highest volumes since the full-scale invasion," CREA said.

The refinery's exports have decreased sharply by 47 per cent compared to the same month last year, reaching the lowest levels since May 2023, according to the report.

"While there was an 8 per cent month-on-month reduction in sanctioning countries' imports from the six Indian and Turkish refineries using Russian crude in October, the decrease was led chiefly by the EU and UK, which recorded monthly reductions of 9 per cent and 73 per cent," CREA said.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a series of sanctions was imposed by the United States, the European Union, and other Western nations with the aim to hamper the Russian economy. One of the primary sanctions targeted Russian oil exports, which greatly affected Russia's capacity to sell oil to European markets.

Consequently, Russia started selling crude oil at heavily discounted rates to attract new buyers. India, with its significant energy demands and an economy sensitive to fluctuations in oil prices, ramped up its purchases.
Pavan Varma, spokesperson and a key strategist of Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj, alleged that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government diverted World Bank funds intended for a different project and used them during the Bihar Assembly elections, distributing the money to women voters in the state.

10,000 was reportedly credited to the bank accounts of 1.25 crore women voters as part of the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana.

"The public debt in Bihar is at present 4,06,000 crores. The interest per day is 63 crores. The treasury is empty. We have information which could be wrong, also that the amount of 10,000 given to women in the state was given from 21,000 crores, which came from the World Bank for some other project. An hour before the moral code of conduct for the polls, 14,000 crores were taken out and distributed to 1.25 crore women in the state," ANI quoted him as saying.

He clarified that the allegation might or might not be accurate.

He mentioned, As I have said, this is our information. If it is wrong, I seek forgiveness. But if it is true, then the question arises as to how far this is ethical. It is possible that, legally, you cannot do anything. The government can divert funds and later give explanations. Explanation will come after the election. There are upcoming polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and other BJP-ruled states. You make promises, and the other party gives money, it is going to affect the voters differently."

Pavan Varma also noted that rumours were circulating in Bihar claiming that if the NDA was not elected, the remaining funds would not be released. He added, There are four crore women voters in Bihar, and 2.5 crores have not received the amount. The remaining women felt that if the NDA does not come to power, then we will not receive the benefit. Our ambitions being a new party were excessive, but our message was right and the response was good.

Responding to a question on whether welfare initiatives like the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana would become the deciding factor in the elections, he noted that Prime Minister Modi has previously criticised the practice of offering freebies.

PM Modi has himself criticised giving freebies. Maybe he had said it in the context of the Delhi Assembly and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Now what happened in Bihar? he said.

He rejected the idea that the partys weak performance in the Bihar Assembly elections was due to founder Prashant Kishors pledge to lift the liquor ban if elected.

Varma argued that the liquor prohibition was not being effectively enforced in the state, claiming that alcohol was readily available and even delivered to homes at inflated prices. He stated, The withdrawal of the liquor ban would have been the issue if it had actually been in place in Bihar. Liquor is being sold at every nook and corner. It is being home delivered. It is being sold at higher prices. People are consuming it and paying more for it. Would that not affect women who have to run their homes?

'The reason for our loss was what Nitish Ji did for women' Varma attributed the partys defeat to several factors, including the last-minute transfer of 10,000 and the ruling alliances outreach to women.

He added that, despite the so-called prohibition in Bihar, more than two lakh people, mostly from extremely backward Dalit communities, have been imprisoned for violating the liquor ban, many of whom cannot even afford bail.

Varma said, People are consuming it and paying more for it. Would that not affect women who have to run their homes? People from extremely backward classes are jailed under the prohibitory law, who dont even have the money to pay the bail The reason for our loss was what Nitish Ji did for women and the last moment transfer of 10,000

Bihar election result 2025 The newly formed Jan Suraaj Party, launched by poll strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, suffered a significant blow in the 2025 Bihar Assembly Election, failing to win a single seat despite fielding candidates in nearly all 243 constituencies.

The ruling NDA secured 202 seats, achieving a three-fourths majority in the 243-member Assembly. This marks the second occasion on which the alliance has crossed the 200-seat threshold; in the 2010 elections, it had won 206 seats.

The Mahagathbandhan managed only 35 seats, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) winning 25, the Congress six, the CPI(ML)(Liberation) two, the Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) one, and the CPI(M) one seat.

Meanwhile, the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) secured five seats, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won one seat.
An anonymous writer from Arkansas told "The Ramsey Show" they earn $20 an hour working overnight at Walmart and struggle to manage money, and personal finance expert Dave Ramsey said he could relate.

In a letter read on air by Ramsey's daughter and co-host Rachel Cruze, the writer said they often borrow from future paychecks, use cash-advance apps to get by, and spend much of their income eating out. They also revealed owing $3,000 on a credit card and $4,000 to the IRS.

"If I was disciplined with my money, I wouldn't be in this spot," they wrote. "I'm 27, and I need to get my stuff together."

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Clear Message On Debt

Ramsey said that recognizing the issue was already progress. "When you recognize a problem, 90% of the problem is solved," he said.

He compared the writer's financial struggle to his own experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he said he ate "every donut and every fish within 50 miles" and eventually realized his choices had led to weight gain.

"I had to change my negative behaviors that were giving me negative results," Ramsey said, and he explained that money works the same way: Earning more, spending less, and planning where each dollar goes before it's spent are what build control.

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Change Comes From Discipline

The first step to transformation, according to Ramsey, is acknowledging that "what I'm doing is not working." He told the writer that breakthroughs come when behavior changes.

Cruze urged the writer to meal-plan instead of dining out. "Plan what you're going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner," she said, adding that meals don't have to be elaborate, just affordable and consistent.

Ramsey referenced a couple who'd recently appeared on the show who earned $170,000 and paid off $289,000 in debt by taking homemade lunches to work.

He said the path to discipline begins with identity: "I am not a person that borrows money  I am a person that takes their lunch to work."

Cruze added that change often feels uncomfortable because "what's normal feels safe," even when it keeps people stuck.

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Ramsey urged the writer to create a written budget before each paycheck and find ways to boost income through extra hours or a higher-paying job.
Actor Imran Khan left fans excited when he confirmed plans for his Bollywood comeback. Aamir Khan's nephew, Imran Khan, did not share much about his comeback film until now. Talking about it, he recently shared that it would be with his Break Ke Baad director, Danish Aslam.

Break Ke Baad also starred Deepika Padukone. Released in 2010, it was a romantic comedy.

Imran Khan and Bhumi Pednekar in Break Ke Baad sequel? So does that mean Khan's comeback film is going to be a sequel to his 2010 film? While the actor did not comment on it, he shared that the film is a personal project.

About his comeback film, Imran Khan told Hindustan Times, The movie is just like what the team of Break Ke Baad would be doing 15 years later in life. It's a natural progression. Danish and I now have collective life experience. He's been married, I've been through a divorce. It's just the film we should make 15 years later. This is very much a personal project that came from the creative urge of wanting to tell a story and working with dear friends. The shoot is complete and it's in post production. We are looking at releasing it once the streaming platform decides on the date."

Bhumi Pednekar, Gurfateh Pirzada in Imran Khan's comeback film The film will star Bhumi Pednekar instead of Deepika Padukone this time.

It was a co creative decision, we all agreed on her and what she would bring to the film, we were pretty upfront about it. She brought a good vibe to the set and it was the same with Gurfateh (Pirzada) Infact this is the happiest set I've ever been on, he added about the film cast.

Imran Khan's last film Imran Khan's last release was Katti Batti. Co-starring Kangana Ranaut, the film was released in 2015.

He stayed away from the limelight for a long time. However, he hit headlines with the news of his divorce.

Imran Khan was married to Avantika Malik, whom he divorced in 2019. They parted ways after eight years of marriage and had been together for over 17 years. They have a daughter.
New Delhi, Nov 16 (PTI) An artificial intelligence tool deployed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in 2022 may have helped issue more than 5,000 alerts of infectious outbreaks to health authorities in real-time since installation, according to a study.

Developed by WadhwaniAI, a New Delhi-based healthcare AI solutions provider, the 'Health Sentinel' tool could have helped slash 98 per cent of manual workload, enabling a quicker detection of an outbreak and proactive public health response, findings published as a pre-print paper and yet to be peer-reviewed suggest.

Nearly 200 countries are legally bound by the International Health Regulations (IHR) to operate a national disease surveillance system. The IHR and World Health Organization work together in protecting global health security.

News reports in print, electronic and online media are scanned by media scanning and verification tool under India's 'Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme' (IDSP) for unusual health events, which are then shared with authorities for further action, if deemed necessary.

'Health Sentinel' scanned media reports and news articles everyday in 13 languages.

The authors wrote, "From April 2022 till date, Health Sentinel has processed over 300 million news articles and identified over 95,000 unique health events across India of which over 3,500 events (four per cent) were shortlisted by the public health experts at NCDC as potential outbreaks."

Authors from Wadhwani AI told PTI that between April 2022 and April 2025, more than 5,000 real-time alerts have been sent to health authorities across India.

"Traditionally, the process of identifying potential disease events reported in the media involved manual scanning of newspapers, journals, and reports to identify relevant articles," Parag Govil, national program lead for global health security at Wadhwani AI, told PTI.

"Introducing the 'Health Sentinel' solution has replaced this manual process while retaining a human-in-the-loop approach where epidemiologists perform essential verification before the information is disseminated to state and district officials," he added.

Traditional approaches in disease surveillance rely on 'passive reporting' in which reports of infections from physicians and healthcare providers are looked at.

Monitoring informal sources such as online media has also become increasingly popular for disease surveillance, but as volume of articles published everyday has increased, manual workload of screening media has ballooned up and is impractical, the study's authors said, including those from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

They proposed the 'Health Sentinel' tool that makes use of AI to extract information on unusual health events or outbreaks from news articles.

Health officials and epidemiologists in the government identified that automation of manual screening was among the requirements to strengthen the country's media-based surveillance, along with faster outbreak detection and multilingual abilities, Govil said.

The research team observed a 150 per cent increase in published events since 2022, compared to previous years of human-based disease surveillance.

Further, 96 per cent of the health events published by the national surveillance system in 2024 were extracted by the AI tool -- only four per cent through a manual scanning of media, they said.

Studies have suggested supporting traditional surveillance with looking through online content -- news reports or social media posts -- for an improved detection of infectious disease outbreaks.

A study, published in February in the 'Indian Journal of Medical Research: Official Journal of the Indian Council of Medical Research', piloted an event-based surveillance system that looked at media and rumour registers in six private hospitals of Kerala's Kasaragod district.

Researchers from ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology in Chennai and state and district health officials of Kerala developed an algorithm that analysed case records of patients admitted with acute febrile illness (AFI) -- a fever that can last up to two weeks.

Symptoms of interest such as AFI with rash or haemorrhage were identified using spatiotemporal clustering of patients or deaths.

During May to December 2023, almost three-fourths of over 4,500 patients with AFI were analysed using the algorithm. Of the 88 clusters identified, 76 per cent were due to severe acute respiratory illness, 10 per cent due to acute encephalitis syndrome and nine per cent due to AFI with rash.

Further, 10 clusters were verified as events, with nine classified as outbreaks, including dengue and COVID-19, the study said.

Authors said, "EBS (Event-based surveillance) pilot in private health facilities complemented the (traditional) system by early detecting outbreaks. This EBS model has the potential for implementation in other districts, especially in districts at higher risk of zoonotic spillover."

A 2020 review in the Journal of Biomedical Informatics looked at 148 research articles published during 2010-2019 on healthcare surveillance that looked at social media, including posts made on X (then Twitter).

Twenty six of the articles, including those sourced from 'ScienceDirect' and 'PubMed' databases, were seen to employ machine learning -- a form of AI algorithm -- in surveillance.

About a fourth of the articles focussed on surveillance of flu or influenza-like illnesses, with Twitter being the most popular source of social media data for performing surveillance research, the study noted.

"The inclusion of online data in surveillance systems has improved the disease prediction ability over traditional syndromic surveillance systems," authors from the Delhi Technological University wrote.
Bank holiday next week: Banks across the country will remain closed on two days this week  Saturday, 22 November and Sunday, 23 November  as part of the regular weekly holidays. Apart from these scheduled holidays, banks are expected to operate as usual on all other days of the week.

According to the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) official holiday calendar, 22 November falls on the fourth Saturday of the month, making it an off day for all private and public sector banks.

Bank holidays in India can vary from state to state and are determined by national, regional, and religious observances and festivals.

When are banks typically closed? Other than the RBI designated holidays, banks remain closed on Sundays and the second and fourth Saturdays of every month.

So far in the month of November, banks across different parts of the country have been shut for a total of six days due to regional festivals and local observances

The RBI, along with state governments, finalises the list of holidays for banks. The central bank then publishes the approved list on its official website and issues notifications to banks and other financial institutions.

The last RBI-designated closure was on Saturday, 15 November in Ranchi, Jharkhand, for the observance of Birsa Munda Birth Anniversary, and the State Formation Day.

Jharkhand marked the 150th birth anniversary of its revered tribal freedom fighter, Bhagwan Birsa Munda, and celebrated the Silver Jubilee of its Foundation Day on Saturday. The state was officially carved out of the southern part of Bihar on this day in 2000, becoming Indias 28th state.

Are there any holidays left this month? Still wondering if there are more RBI designated bank holidays left in this month?

According to the RBI calendar, there are no additional bank holidays in the rest of the month of November, apart from the Sundays where all bank branches remain shut. The next listed bank holiday will only be in December.

What services can be accessed when banks are closed? During bank holidays, people can continue using online or mobile banking services, which remain operational even on national holidays, unless the bank notifies in case of technical issues or other reasons that may disrupt the services. For cash emergencies, ATMs are open for withdrawals. Bank apps and UPI also function as usual.

Also Read | Kotak Mahindra Bank board fixes meet date to consider stock split

Additionally, fund transfer requests can also be made using NEFT/RTGS transfer forms, demand draft request forms and chequebook forms. Credit cards, debit cards, and ATM cards can be obtained through card services. Services such as account maintenance forms, setting up standing instructions, and applying for a locker are also available during holidays.
The National Urban Co-operative Financial and Development Corp. Ltd (NUCFDC)the umbrella body for Indias urban cooperative banks (UCBs)plans to request the banking regulator to allow smaller UCBs with net worths below 50 crore to offer digital services, including internet banking.

Under Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations, only banks with a net worth of more than 50 crore are allowed to offer digital services and internet banking facilities. However, more than half of the 1,462 UCBswhich collectively hold deposits of 5.5 trillionhave net worths below 50 crore.

We are studying the regulation, and we will seek the approval from the RBI that if UCBs are part of a centralized quality infrastructure, which is cyber secured, can they be allowed to offer internet banking, mobile banking, UPI services, said Prabhat Chaturvedi, chief executive, NUCFDC, in an interview.

NUCFDC, which got its licence to operate as a mid-layer non-banking financial company (NBFC) in February 2024, is currently focusing on providing the non-fund-based support systems to UCBs. It is building the IT capabilities, digital capabilities, and a central stack, which includes hardware, applications, cybersecurity, manpower, and maintenance, all bundled, to be provided to UCBs across the country.

The strengthening of infrastructure is being undertaken for 440 of the total 1,462 cooperative banks that have partnered with the umbrella body.

Chaturvedi said the remaining UCBs, largely smaller ones (tier-1), with a deposit base of less than 100 crore, would become part of the central digital universe over the next few months.

Queries sent to the finance ministry and the RBI remained unanswered until publication.

Great enabler There are some UCBs that are really doing well. These banks have the potential to contribute to the economy and also have a cooperative structure. If UCBs receive capital support and permission to offer certain services, they can compete with large private and public banks. Already, a few larger UCBs are competing with commercial banks, said Rakesh Arrawatia, professor of finance and accounting at the Institute of Rural Management, Anand, Gujarat.

Also Read | Govt looks to double digital banking units in a year, expand their offerings

As part of its digital services initiative for the sector, NUCFDC has also launched two digital solutionsSahakar Digipay and Sahakar Digiloanaimed at strengthening the payments infrastructure and automating lending operations across the UCBs.

The initiative forms part of NUCFDCs broader strategy to drive digital transformation, operational efficiency, and customer-centric innovation within the UCB ecosystem at affordable costs.

Smaller UCBs can't use several of these digital solutions despite partnering with NUCFDC. Therefore, the body is seeking an RBI exemption from the rule that restricts digital banking for banks with net worths below 50 crore.

NUCFDC is an initiative aimed at revitaliszing, modernizing, and strengthening UCBs. It plays a key role in the countrys mission to strengthen cooperative banks, aligning with the governments vision of financial inclusivity and Sahakar Se Samriddhi.
New Delhi: The World Banks International Finance Corp (IFC), Munich-headquartered Siemens AG, and Singapores Fullerton Fund Management may acquire at least 49% in Gurugram-based green hydrogen manufacturer Hygenco Green Energies Pvt. Ltd, two people aware of the development said.

Avendus Capital is managing the primary equity raise for the deal, which has an equity value of around $125 million and an enterprise value of around $250 million. IFC plans to invest $50 million equity in the company, with the remaining $75 million to be invested by Siemens AG and Fullerton Fund Management. The deal documentation is underway, and the transaction is expected to be announced in mid-December, they added.

Hygenco's co-founders Amit Bansal, Anshul Gupta and Ashish Gupta along with their associates, collectively hold a 51% equity share in the company; and the balance 49% is owned by SBICAP Ventures Limiteds SVL-SME Fund, also known as the Neev Fund II. Hygenco plans to invest $2.5 billion over three years to set up green hydrogen projects in the country. The fundraising will help the company, which plans to develop 10 gigawatt (GW) of production and distribution assets by 2030, complete its portfolio.

Also Read | An Aadhaar ID for batteries? It may hold the key to a greener future

Green hydrogen is generated by breaking down water in an electrolyser. The hydrogen produced can be combined with nitrogen to make ammonia, avoiding hydrocarbons in the production process. Green ammonia is used to store energy and in fertiliser manufacturing. India aims to produce 5 million tonnes (mt) of green hydrogen by 2030.

Mint reported in June 2024 that IFC and several other companies had evinced interest in the transaction and had signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). These included UAEs Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company), Beijing-headquartered Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Australia's Macquarie Group, Japan's Sojitz Corporation, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd (MHI) and Marubeni Corporation, private equity firm Actis Llp, and Gentari, a unit of Malaysias state-run oil and gas company Petroliam Nasional Bhd or Petronas.

An IFC spokesperson wrote in an emailed response to Mint,  Im afraid we would give this a pass, given the speculative nature of the query."

An external spokesperson for Fullerton Fund Management wrote, As a matter of policy, we dont comment on market speculation regarding potential transactions. We remain focused on identifying and supporting high-quality businesses that align with our strategic objectives, and we will share updates as appropriate."

An Avendus spokesperson in an emailed response said,  We cannot comment on stories of this nature as per policy." A Siemens spokesperson declined comment. Queries emailed to the spokespersons of Hygenco Green Energies Pvt. Ltd, and SBI Capital Markets and SBI Ventures Ltd on Thursday evening remained unanswered.

IFC has an $8-billion portfolio in India and plans to double its annual commitments to $10 billion by 2030 from $5.4 billion in FY25. Siemens has a significant presence in the country, with its Indian arm betting on both organic expansion and targeted acquisitions to capture emerging opportunities in electrification, automation, and digitalisation space, managing director and chief executive officer Sunil Mathur said in an earlier interview to Mint.

Attracted by Indias electrification drive, Siemens AG had earlier acquired New Delhi-based C&S Electric Limited for 267 million. Fullerton Fund Management has been present in India since 2007 and recently invested in the transport company Routematic through its Fullerton Carbon Action Fund (FCAF).

Also Read | Green hydrogen infrastructure along highways is next on Indias transport map

Green thumb

This growing investor interest in Indias green hydrogen space comes in the backdrop of state-run Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI) announcing the lowest rate of 49 per kg in August. A shift to large-scale use of hydrogen fuel could help bolster Indias geopolitical heft and its energy security, particularly in sectors such as fertilisers, refineries, steel, shipping, and road transport.

Indias playbook involves leveraging the countrys landmass and low solar and wind tariffs to produce low-cost green hydrogen and ammonia for export to countries including Japan, South Korea, and Europe. Several state-run majors such as Indian Oil Corp. Ltd and GAIL Ltd, and private sector firms such as ACME, ReNew Energy, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Reliance Industries Ltd and the Adani Group have announced plans to produce green hydrogen.

Experts said green hydrogen costs would fall further. A robust policy framework is catalysing sectoral momentum. Key initiatives include the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) Programme with a combined outlay of over 17,000 crore, production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes for electrolysers and green hydrogen, and state-level policies offering fiscal and regulatory benefits. Together, these measures are expected to drive down the levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH) from around $5 per kg today to as low as around $0.8 to $3.3 per kg by 2030 through reductions in renewable energy tariffs, capital costs, and indirect taxes," Avener Capital wrote in a July report.

Indias push to tap clean energy sources such as green hydrogen has generated significant interest among global players. Recently, Mint reported that state-run NTPC Ltd's subsidiary NTPC Green Energy Ltd (NGEL) was in talks to supply green hydrogen to state-backed oil refiner and marketer Hindustan Petroleum Corp. Ltd (HPCL) and copper and aluminium maker Hindalco Industries. Malaysia's Gentari also plans to invest $1.5 billion for a 30% stake in AM Green Ammonia Holdings, a unit of AM Green, set up by Greenko Group founders Mahesh Kolli and Anil Kumar Chalamalasetty. AM Green Ammonia will produce 5 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of green ammonia, which is equivalent to about 1 mtpa of green hydrogen.

Also Read | India plans new weather satellite to stabilize its green energy grid

The government has been putting in place an enabling framework to promote this clean fuel. Indias 19,744-crore green hydrogen policy promises cheaper renewable power, fee waivers for inter-state power transmission, land in renewable energy parks, and mega manufacturing zones to help local industries wean themselves off fossil fuels. It aims to reduce fossil fuel imports by 1 trillion and prevent 50 MMT of greenhouse gas emissions every year by 2030.

Indias green energy capacity has been glowing steadily and is currently around 197GW. The country plans to add another 50GW annually and touch 500GW by 2030. The goal is to add 1,800 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2047 and 5,000 GW by 2070.
New Delhi: The government is planning to upgrade human resource (HR) standards in India's services sector, including how skills are certified and how employees are trained, to bring the country's HR practices closer to global norms, and make its professionals internationally competitive.

The move is closely tied to Indias ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, where mobility of workers has emerged as a central issue, two people aware of the matter said on the condition of anonymity.

The government believes that globally-aligned standards will help Indian professionals move more easily across borders as part of future trade deals. Mobility has become a sensitive chapter, with areas such as skill recognition, workplace governance, service quality, and training coming under sharper scrutiny.

Also Read | Department of hate: Why employees like to dislike HR

The government also believes that India needs a more organised and modern HR approach so negotiators can make stronger commitments without facing questions on preparedness, the first of the two persons cited earlier said.

Tied to trade talks

The development is significant because India is currently negotiating trade agreements with the European Union, New Zealand, Peru, Chile, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and ASEAN, among others. The governments view is that stronger and more structured HR systems will help Indian professionals access opportunities in these markets, where service quality is a major factor in securing mobility commitments, said this person.

Experts say the HR overhaul also strengthens Indias hand in mobility negotiations.

For India, improving HR standards in services is not just an internal reformit is a trade strategy," said Dattesh Parulekar, assistant professor of international relations at Goa University. Developed economies expect strong governance and skill-verification frameworks before opening mobility channels. A structured HR regime strengthens Indias case in these talks," said Parulekar.

As part of the plan, the consumer affairs ministry is planning to commission a study on how Indian service companies hire, train, monitor and manage people, and how these practices differ from global norms, said the second person. The study will cover industries such as information technology (IT), healthcare, finance, tourism, logistics, education, legal services and environmental services. It will also examine new ways of working, including remote delivery, customer-facing roles, 24x7 operations and data-sensitive functions, the second person said. The ministry hasnt fixed a start date, but plans to finish the study within 45 months of its launch, the people cited earlier said.

Queries sent to the consumer affairs ministry remained unanswered till press time.

Also Read | How you can work from Dubai on a remote work visa

Echoing the government views, staffing industry body says that the exercise is timely, given how workforce standards are increasingly influencing market access and mobility commitments in trade talks.

The governments new framework addressing human resource management in the services sector is an important step in preparing for ongoing FTA negotiations. By examining recruitment, training and management practices in major industries like IT, healthcare, finance and tourism, the ministry aims to improve efficiency and global competitiveness," said Suchita Dutta, executive director, Indian Staffing Federation (ISF), a lobby group representing the manpower-outsourcing and staffing industry.

With the rising prominence of remote work and customer-facing roles, as well as the need to protect sensitive data, this study will help identify best practices and adapt them to the Indian context," she said.

This move highlights the governments push to create a more robust and adaptable workforce that can thrive in a changing economic landscape, she added.

As per TeamLeases Employment Outlook Report (H2 FY2526) released in October, the Indian job market is shifting from broad-based hiring to more selective, capability-led recruitment. The report shows that 56% of employers plan to expand their workforce between October and March, pushing the net employment change to +4.4%. Hiring remains uneven across sectors, with e-commerce and tech startups, logistics and retail seeing the strongest momentum, while BPO (business process outsourcing) and educational services are slowing due to automation and cost pressures.

The report also highlighted that employers are focusing more on skills than degrees, with communication, basic computer proficiency and critical thinking emerging as the most in-demand competencies. Companies are moving from mass junior hiring to performance-driven recruitment, reflecting a sharper focus on productivity and value.

As policymakers debate how closely India should align its HR standards with global practices, industry leaders caution against a one-size-fits-all approach. Reflecting this view, Sonal Arora, country manager, GI Group Holding, a leading global HR service provider, said India does not need an exact copy of global HR norms. The ecosystem in which our services sector operates is uniquely complex, characterised by a high level of informality, unequal access to education, a workforce where more than half lack formal vocational training, and rising digitisation." Any framework that India adopts must be grounded in local realitiesbridging skill gaps and supporting greater formalisation, she said.

The gap between employability and education is a key concern. Stronger industryacademia collaboration is needed to develop relevant curricula, integrate apprenticeships and prepare employable talent from the start. Rather than copying global frameworks on paper, an India-first BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) model can raise productivity, improve safeguards and strengthen the sector," Arora added.

A major part of the study will analyse how work patterns in the services sector are changing. Many service jobs can now be delivered remotely, unlike manufacturing or agriculture. This shift allows employees to work from multiple locations or from home. Researchers have been asked to assess how this affects team design, recruitment, training, communication, performance management and retention.

The study will also examine roles where personal interaction remains centralsuch as hospitality, healthcare, field services, tourism and retail. Here, the focus will be on how companies select the right people, how they are trained, and how performance is monitored for appraisal and career growth. Officials said these roles require a different HR approach compared to factory operations or backend IT development.

As per the Union ministry of labour & employment, employment in India rose to 643.3 million in 2023-24 compared to 47.5 crore in 2017-18a net addition of 168.3 million jobs over six years.
On 13 November the Supreme Court of India reserved its order on how spectrum held by Aircel and Reliance Communications (RCom) will be treated under their insolvency proceedings.

The courts decision will be significant as it will provide clarity on whether telecom spectrum  a natural resource and thus Constitutionally recognised as belonging to the citizens of India, with the government acting as a trustee  can be liquidated under the IBC for lenders to recover their dues. The ruling thus has implications for lenders, the government, and the future of Indias defunct telcos.

Lets take a closer look.

Also Read | SC reserves verdict on whether insolvent telcos RCom, Aircel can sell spectrum

What is telecom spectrum and why is there a tug-of-war over it?

Telecom spectrum is the invisible radio highway that wireless devices use to send and receive signals, which is divided into specific frequencies and sold by the government to companies to provide mobile and internet services. These airwaves determine the type and quality of connectivity between consumers and enterprises, and form the backbone of the telecom industry.

Banks that lend to telecom companies use these airwaves as security against loans. The telecom department calls them the most crucial asset of operators. There is thus a tug-of-war between the government, banks, and asset reconstruction firms on who actually owns the spectrum, and what happens to it when a telco is unable to pay its dues and goes bankrupt.

How and when is spectrum allotted?

The government auctions spectrum to ensure fair competition and efficient use of airwaves, and to generate revenue for itself. In the September 2021 reforms, the Union cabinet approved a proposal to conduct spectrum auctions annually. Spectrum auctions to be normally held in the last quarter of every financial year," the government said in a release dated 15 September 2021.

However, after these reforms, the spectrum auction schedule went haywire. The 5G spectrum auctions for 2022 were held in July, no auctions were held in calendar year 2023, and in 2024 the government conducted auctions in June. After giving auctions a miss in 2023, the government collected 11,340.78 crore  the third-lowest sum since competitive bidding began in 2010  in the 2024 auction.

In May, Mint reported that the Centre was unlikely to conduct a spectrum auction in 2025, citing two government officials and industry executives aware of the matter. The reason? Indias three telecom operators were not inclined to buy more spectrum this year after spending vast amounts in previous auctions, the sources said.

Why is the telecom department refusing to budge?

Three telcos  RCom, Aircel and Videocon  went bankrupt over 2018 and 2019, leaving behind unpaid statutory dues of over 40,000 crore. The telecom department highlighted in various appellate and insolvency courts that spectrum was a national asset leased by the government, and that unless statutory dues were paid, it couldnt be transferred to a third party.

However, the department has managed to recover very little as an operational creditor. For instance, according to Aircel's resolution plan, approved by an insolvency court in June 2020, operational creditors including the telecom department were provided just 28.50 crore  a mere 0.16% of the 17,462 crore they had claimed. This is why the telecom department has refused to budge from its stance.

What have the banks said?

State Bank of India, one of the biggest lenders to both Rcom and Aircel, has exposure of 12,000 crore in the two telcos. Last Wednesday SBI told the Supreme Court that telecom spectrum should be treated as part of the insolvency process and sold to recover dues, setting up a direct clash with the government. The bank argued that spectrum was an intangible asset that could thus be monetised to recover dues.

SBI isnt the only bank in this position. When RCom went bust in 2019, more than 53 financial lenders had raised claims of about 57,382 crore. Lenders to Aircel and its units include SBI, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank, China Development Bank Corp and Canara Bank.

What will happen to asset reconstruction companies plans?

UV Asset Reconstruction Co Ltd (UVARCL), an asset reconstruction company, had won the bid for defunct telcos Aircel and RCom and its unit Reliance Telecom. Financial creditors who had claimed dues of 58,795 crore from Aircel and its entities Dishnet Wireless and Aircel Cellular Ltd were to get 6,630 crore under the UVARCL resolution plan, implying a haircut of 89%.

UVARCL had originally estimated that it would generate 800-1,300 crore by selling Aircels spectrum in the 1,800 MHz and 2,100 MHz bands. But these estimates came into question after the department made it clear that airwaves were only to be leased by the government and not sold. If the issue is not resolved quickly, the long waiting period will hamper the quality of the telecom firms assets, leaving all stakeholders at a loss.
When we think of tea from India, Darjeeling and Assam spring to mind, and then the Nilgiris. Then, maybe a few other regions like Kangra or Sikkim. This week, I am looking at the south, and discovering even for myself how theres more than meets the eye.

The south produces smaller volumes, about 17% of Indias tea production. Promoting these teas are The Golden Leaf India Awards (TGLIA), by the Uniter Planters Association of South India. Now in its 20th year, the awards were announced recently and the entries included teas from the Nilgiris as well as Wayanad and Travancore (Kerala), the High Ranges (Kerala and Tamil Nadu), the Anamallais (Tamil Nadu), parts of Karnataka, and smaller tea regions like Nelliyampatti (Kerala), and Singampatti, Kanyakumari and Madurai (all in Tamil Nadu).

Before TGLIA," says Santosh Kumar, chief executive, Harrisons Malayalam (HML), Kochi, south Indian tea, though diversified, was always generalised. TGLIA has been able to bring to the forefront the special attributes of the various tea regions of south India and showcase them to the world."
Six days after the car blast near Red Fort in Delhi that killed 13 people, all four gates of Lal Quila metro station have been reopened for commuters on Sunday.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation took to X and said, All the gates of Lal Quila Metro Station are now open for commuters. Yesterday, it reopened gate 2 and 3.

View full Image DMRC X post

DMRC's earlier closure announcement It announced the closure of Lal Quila Metro Station on Thursday until further notice citing security reasons. It said, The Lal Quila Metro Station will remain closed till further notice due to security reasons. All other metro stations and lines are functioning as per schedule.

The station on Delhi Metros Violet Line serves as a major access point to several notable landmarks, including the historic Red Fort, Jama Masjid, and the lively Chandni Chowk area. Recently, new CCTV footage emerged showing the prime suspect, Dr. Umar Un Nabi, entering the national capital via the Badarpur border in an i20 car, intensifying the investigation into the ongoing blast case, according to ANI.

In the video, Umar is seen stopping at the Badarpur toll plaza, retrieving cash, and handing it to the toll collector. Although he wore a mask, his face was clearly identifiable, and a large bag was visible in the cars backseat.

Also Read | Delhi blast: Lal Quila Metro CCTV captures moments of Red Fort car explosion

"Every driver who was present in the parking area around that time is being contacted and questioned. We are verifying whether they saw the Haryana-registered HR-26 Hyundai i20, whether anyone accompanied the driver Umar Nabi, and whether they noticed anyone entering or exiting the car," PTI quoted a source as saying.

The Delhi Police Special Cell has filed a separate FIR under criminal conspiracy provisions to investigate the broader plan behind the blast. The original case, registered under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has already been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The Army has considered inducting women cadres into the Territorial Army battalions as a pilot project, with their recruitment to be initially limited to a few battalions, sources told PTI on Sunday.

The initiative is intended to steadily expand opportunities for women within the force.

The Territorial Army, as it exists today, was established with the passage of the Territorial Army Act on August 18, 1948, and was officially launched by Indias first Governor General, C. Rajagopalachari, on October 9, 1949, PTI reported.

Also Read | CDS Explains How Armed Forces Prepare Themselves To Fight Future Wars

According to sources, the Army has considered the induction of women cadres into Territorial Army battalions as a pilot project. Their recruitment, initially, will be limited to a few battalions, and may increase subsequently in other battalions based on initial feedback, they added.

The government has been emphasising the essence of 'Nari Shakti' in the armed forces.

In a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha in March 2022, then Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt had said the combat employment philosophy of women in the armed forces is a continuously evolving process and regularly reviewed by them.

At present, women are being commissioned in the Indian Army into 10 arms and services, viz., Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, Army Air Defence, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Aviation Corps, Intelligence Corps, Judge Advocate General Branch and Army Education Corps in addition to the Armed Forces Medical Services, he had said.

The Territorial Army was raised on the concept of being a 'citizen soldier's army'. Besides augmenting the organisational requirements, the Territorial Army also provides an opportunity to able-bodied volunteer citizens of India, especially those who are overage for enrollment in the regular army, to serve the nation in uniform.

Also Read | Police arrest two hybrid terrorists in Kashmir's Sopore region

Presently, the Territorial Army has a strength of approximately 50,000 personnel comprising 65 Departmental TA units such as Railway, IOC, ONGC, and Non-Departmental TA units of Infantry Battalion (TA) including Home and Hearth Battalions, Ecological Battalion (TA) affiliated to various Infantry Regiments and Engineer Regiment (TA) for maintenance of Line of Control fencing, according to its website.

The Territorial Army units were actively involved in 1962, 1965 and 1971 operations. The "Terriers" had also taken part in Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka, Operation Rakshak in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, Operation Rhino and Operation Bajrang in the northeast in the most active manner.
This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

Release Date: November 13, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

Intermap Technologies Corp (ITMSF) has successfully executed its new program in Indonesia, delivering data better than specifications and building a 1 to 5,000 scale base map in record time.

The company has demonstrated over $100 million of credit support for large government contracting programs, reflecting a positive credit assessment.

Intermap Technologies Corp (ITMSF) raised over $35 million in equity capital, removing the going concern qualification from its financial statements.

Commercial revenue grew 37% year over year, with commercial performance particularly strong in the United States and Europe.

The company is expecting continued growth in its insurance segment, driven by the adoption of its elevation as a service and analytics subscriptions.

Negative Points

Revenue for the quarter was $1.7 million, a significant decrease from $5 million in the same quarter last year, primarily due to the timing of government programs.

Net loss for the quarter was $1.5 million compared to a net income of $1.1 million in the previous year.

The company faces risks related to the timing of government contract awards and foreign currency volatility.

The US government shutdown caused a slowdown in US government activity, impacting revenue.

Intermap Technologies Corp (ITMSF) is still in the process of uplifting its audit to comply with US securities registrations, which is a time-consuming process.

Q & A Highlights

Q: On the August call, you noted that the technical specifications for the new work in Indonesia were unchanged from your current phase one work. Can you comment on how the final technical requirements compare with phase one? A: The final specifications are the same. They are building a country map with very prescriptive specs around the scale and components, which have not changed and went through a multi-year technical process to define.

Q: Are you familiar with the technical capabilities of the other companies bidding on the Indonesia contracts and how they compare with what you offer? A: I'm not going to comment on that. I'm not sure what the upside to us or anyone for doing that right now in the middle of this process is.

Q: Can you provide an update on other government contract wins in Southeast Asia and potentially South America and other markets? A: We have active pursuits on every continent, including Southeast Asia, Latin America, South America, Africa, Europe, and increasingly in the United States and Canada. The shutdown affected certain funding and task orders but did not stop our activities.
A major development in the Red Fort blast case emerged on Sunday as Delhi police sources confirmed that three cartridges had been recovered from the site, two live and one spent. The cartridges were of 9mm calibre, meant for firearms prohibited for civilian use.

A senior official told news agency ANI that no pistol or any of its parts were found at the scene, meaning that despite the recovery of cartridges, the weapon they were meant for has not been found yet.

These cartridges are usually only possessed by the armed forces or those with special permission, police told the news agency.

Officials are now trying to determine how these cartridges reached the site, and whether the suspect possessed them.

Also Read | All gates of Lal Quila metro station reopened six days after Delhi blast

New dimension to the investigation After the discovery of the 9mm cartridges, the officials are now investigating the source of the ammunition and whether it was associated with any terror or criminal network. Security agencies examined CCTV footage and gathered forensic evidence from the blast site.

On November 10, a blast near the Red Fort complex in Delhi shook the entire nation. Thirteen fatalities were reported and several others were injured in the terrifying incident.

A day earlier, the Delhi Police registered a fresh FIR under sections of criminal conspiracy in the Red Fort blast investigation, officials told ANI. In the meantime, security around the Red Fort has been tightened in the wake of the blast, with authorities are maintaining a strict vigil over entry points and surrounding areas.

Action taken against involved parties The National Medical Commission (NMC) announced on Friday that it had cancelled the registration of four doctors from Jammu and Kashmir, with immediate effect. Here are the names of the medical professionals:

 Dr Muzaffar Ahmad

 Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather

 Dr Muzamil Shakeel

 Dr Shaheen Saeed

All State Medical Councils have been informed about this decision, ANI reported.

Delhi police have already arrested Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed in connection with the Delhi blast case, as they had an alleged link to past terror cases.

Investigation agencies on Thursday informed that around eight suspects were allegedly preparing to execute coordinated explosions at four different locations, with each pair assigned to target a specific city. These pairs planned to carry multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for simultaneous attacks, ANI reported.

Delhi Police also confirmed earlier that the man who carried out the car blast near Red Fort was Dr Umar Un Nabi, after forensic DNA testing matched his biological sample with that of his mother.

Also Read | Delhi blast: Lal Quila Metro CCTV captures moments of Red Fort car explosion

Al-Falah University denies connection Umar Nabi was an assistant professor at Al-Falah University in Haryana's Faridabad district. After the blast, Al-Falah University has distanced itself from Dr Umar and Dr Muzammil, stating that the University has no connection with the accused beyond their official capacities.

The University also reiterated that no questionable chemical or material is being used or stored on the University premises, ANI reported.
In a breakthrough in the deadly Delhi car blast incident that took place near the iconic Red Fort, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Kashmiri resident who had conspired with the suicide bomber to carry out the terror attack, which claimed 12 innocent lives and left 32 others injured.

The agency arrested Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the car involved in the attack was registered. He was arrested in Delhi by the NIA, which had launched a massive search operation after taking over the case from the Delhi Police a day after the blast that occurred around 7 pm on November 10.

In a statement, the NIA said its investigations revealed that the accused, a resident of Samboora, Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir, had conspired with the alleged suicide bomber, Umar Un Nabi, to unleash the terror attack.

As per the anti-terror agency Amir had come to Delhi to facilitate the purchase of the car which was eventually used as a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to trigger the blast.

NIA has forensically established the identity of the deceased driver of the vehicle borne IED as Umar Un Nabi, a resident of Pulwama district and Assistant Professor in General Medicine Department in Al Falah University at Faridabad.

The anti-terror agency has also seized another vehicle belonging to Nabi. The vehicle is being examined for evidence in the case, in which NIA has so far examined 73 witnesses including those injured in the blast that rocked the national capital on November 10.

Working in close coordination with Delhi Police, Jammu and Kashmir Police, Haryana Police, Uttar Pradesh Police and various sister agencies, the NIA said it is continuing its investigation across states.

The agency further added that it is pursuing multiple leads to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the bombing and identify others involved in the case.

Meanwhile, Al-Falah University has come under the brunt after two of its practising doctors are suspected of being involved in the November 10 blast incident in New Delhi.

As reported by ANI, reacting to the degree of accused doctors in the Delhi blast being cancelled, SP Vaid further said, "That's what was required, and the whole country expected it, and the government has done it. These individuals should not be allowed to practice the medical profession, as they are not qualified doctors. They are terrorists. How can anybody trust them? I'm delighted on behalf of my country that the government has taken the right step to cancel their degrees."

The National Medical Commission (NMC) has cancelled the registration of four doctors from Jammu and Kashmir - Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed - in the Indian Medical Register/National Medical Register with immediate effect, sources told ANI.
Jagdish Patani, the father of Bollywood actress Disha Patani, has been granted a weapons licence by the Bareilly district administration. The approval comes weeks after unidentified assailants fired multiple shots at the familys ancestral home, raising serious concerns about safety.

Patani, a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), applied for the licence soon after the incident. Bareilly District Magistrate Avnish Singh confirmed that after completing all legal checks and procedures, Patani was issued a licence for a revolver or pistol, PTI reported.

Details of the firing incident The shooting took place on 12 September, 2025. Two men on a motorcycle drove near the Patani residence and fired around 10 bullets before escaping. The sudden attack shocked the neighbourhood and led to quick action from law enforcement. Kotwali police registered a case and began an investigation to identify the culprits.

Just five days later, on 17 September, a joint team from the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), Haryana STF, and Delhi Police located the suspects in Ghaziabad. During an encounter, both men, identified as Ravindra and Arun, were killed. Although the attackers were neutralised, the motive behind the firing remains unclear. A post on social media attributed the responsibility of the attack to the Goldy Brar gang.

Security assurance from the government Following the incident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured Jagdish Patani that he would receive complete protection from the state. Bareilly Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya also confirmed that security arrangements around the Patani home will continue to remain in place as a precaution.

Disha Patanis work commitments Despite tension at home, Disha has stayed focused on her professional commitments. She was last seen in a cameo in The B***ds of Bollywood.

On the work front, her upcoming film Welcome to the Jungle, opposite Akshay Kumar, is in the post-production phase. Patani is also a part of an international project, Holiguards, directed by Kevin Spacey.

The issuance of the firearm licence marks a significant step in ensuring the familys safety after the alarming attack, while authorities continue to investigate the circumstances behind the shooting.

FAQs 1. Why did Disha Patanis father get a weapons licence? He received the licence after gunmen fired at the familys ancestral home in Bareilly, prompting him to apply for personal safety.

2. When did the firing incident at Disha Patanis house happen? The attack took place on 12 September, 2025, when two men on a motorcycle fired around 10 bullets near the house.
The Enforcement Directorate's Delhi Zonal Office conducted searches at five locations across Delhi, NCR, and Jaipur on November 14 in connection with a case involving narcotics trafficking and money laundering.

The agency has confiscated 70 lakh in cash, along with incriminating documents, digital devices, and financial records, according to ANI. Following the searches, authorities also froze 110 "mule" bank accounts and discovered the use of cryptocurrency wallets based in Dubai, PTI reported on Sunday.

Mule bank accounts are often used to move illegal funds and are frequently opened by misusing real customer IDs or using counterfeit ones.

Also Read | ED raids seven Chennai locations linked to Sresan Pharma in Coldrif cough syrup

The raids took place on 14 November after the federal investigation agency received a Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) complaint from November 2024 regarding the seizure of 82.53 kg of "high-grade" cocaine. The seized party drug was valued at 900 crore by the NCB, and five individuals were arrested by the central anti-narcotics agency.

"The searches indicated an online betting and gambling network being operated through mobile-based applications. The operation resulted in the freezing of 110 mule bank accounts, including 73 linked with UPI IDs and digital wallets that were actively being used for handling transactions related to the betting operations," the report quoted an ED statement.

Cocaine worth  17.18 crore confiscated in Mumbai Airport On the same day, officials reported a similar incident when the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) confiscated 1,718 grams of cocaine worth 17.18 crore from a Tanzanian woman at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). The woman had arrived from Entebbe in Uganda.

Explaining the incident, an official told PTI, On specific intelligence about cocaine smuggling, an operation was conducted on Thursday. The woman was intercepted upon her arrival at the airport. A thorough examination of her baggage revealed two food packets containing white powder, one plastic container with white powder, and a pouch containing pellets of white powdery substance.
India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Doha this week for a series of high-level meetings, reinforcing the strategic partnership between India and Qatar. The Minister held discussions with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, where the two addressed various facets of their relationship, particularly in the critical areas of trade and energy.

Sharing details of the meeting on X, Jaishankar said that the discussions extended to regional and global developments, with a specific focus on West Asia.

"Pleased to meet Qatar's Prime Minister & Foreign Minister @MBA_AlThani_ in Doha. Reviewed key aspects of our Strategic Partnership including energy, trade, investment and people to people connect. Appreciate the exchange of views on Middle East/West Asia, regional and global developments," he said.

Also Read | Peace talks with Afghanistan are deadlocked despite mediation, says Pakistan

Jaishankar also held a meeting with the Amir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, where the leaders explored avenues for expanding co-operation and strengthening bilateral ties.

Expanding Economic Ties These interactions follow a period of sustained high-level engagement. In early October, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal visited Qatar, where he co-chaired the meeting of the India-Qatar Joint Commission on Economic and Commercial Co-operation with his Qatari counterpart, Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani.

During his trip, Minister Goyal met with the CEO of Qatar Development Bank (QDB), Abdulrahman Hesham Al-Sowaidi, and emphasised Indias delight at seeing Qatari businesses taking a keen interest in the opportunities offered by the burgeoning Indian economy.

The foundations for the current diplomatic momentum were set in September, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke directly with Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. Both leaders expressed their satisfaction over the continuous progress in the India-Qatar Strategic Partnership, noting sustained growth in trade, investment, and security co-operation. They mutually reaffirmed their commitment to advancing bilateral ties across all fields of shared interest, as confirmed in an official press statement.

Crucially, during the call, PM Modi also addressed the regional crisis, expressing deep concern over the recent strikes in Doha targeting Hamas leaders, and condemning the violation of Qatar's sovereignty. He stressed India's support for Qatar and its efforts to promote peace and stability in the region. Furthermore, the Prime Minister appreciated Qatar's crucial mediation role in the Gaza conflict, including its tireless work in securing a ceasefire and facilitating the release of hostages.
In a shocking incident in Maharashtra's Palghar, a class 6 student of a private school died nearly a week after she was forced to do a 100 sit-ups, authorities said.

The girl, identified as Anshika Gaud, was made to do the sit-ups as a punishment for coming late to school. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident following her death.

The 13-year-old girl, a student of the school located at Sativali in the Vasai area, died in a Mumbai hospital on Friday night.

Members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) alleged that Anshika and four other girls reached their school, Shree Hanumant Vidya Mandir High School, late on November 18 following which they were made to do 100 sit-ups as punishment.

Also Read | Shocking video: Telangana MBBS student dies in freak bike crash in Vietnam

MNS leader from Vasai, Sachin More, claimed that the school punished her despite knowing that she had pre-existing health issues.

Minor suffered severe back pain, mother alleges inhuman punishment The girl's mother alleged that her daughter died as a result of an "inhuman punishment" given by her teacher. She claimed that her daughter had to perform the sit-ups while having her school bag on her back.

Also Read | Chinese boarding school punishes student for using toilet at night

Reports further suggest that soon after the punishment, she began experiencing severe back pain in her lower back.

Talking to media persons, the deceased girl's mother said her child's health condition deteriorated rapidly after she was subjected to corporal punishment.

"After the punishment, she experienced severe pain in her neck and back, and could not get up," she said.

When she went to the school immediately after receiving the news, she confronted the teacher.

"I was told that the students were punished for coming late to school. The teacher justified the punishment, saying the parents otherwise accuse them of not teaching the students despite paying fees," she said.

"I told the teacher that punishing the students does not mean forcing them to perform sit-ups with bags on their back. The teacher gave my daughter inhuman punishment, which led to her death," the mother added.

Block Education Officer Pandurang Galange said an inquiry is being conducted into Anshika's death.

"It is not known how many sit-ups this child had done. One really does not know if she died due to it or otherwise," a teacher from the school said.

"The probe will reveal the exact cause of her death, he added.

No police complaint has been filed as yet, said officials. MNS and NCP (SP) workers of the area protested against the incident and demanded action against the school.
Five people have been killed and another 14 injured in a collision between a tempo and a trailer truck near Khari Beri village in Jodhpur on November 16, ANI reported citing officials.

The collision occurred on National Highway 25 in the city, and the injured were rushed to MDM Hospital in Jodhpur for treatment, it added.

What did hospital official say? Speaking to ANI, Dr Vikas Kumar, Superintendent of MDM Hospital said that of the five deceased, three were brought dead to the hospital, while another 14 are undergoing treatment.

Giving details of their medical status, he added, Among the injured, one person has sustained a serious abdominal injury, another has a chest injury, one has a head injury, and the remaining victims are stated to be stable.

What happened? Speaking to the reporters, Vikas Kumar also gave details of the accident. According to him, the hospital learned that a tempo and truck had collided, resulting in a fire, at around 7 am.

He further said that they received calls from local authorities and officials shortly after the incident. We received calls from Gajendra Singh Shekhawat's office, the Collector's office, and other places, which allowed us to arrive early... Since then, no additional casualties have occurred, he added.

There are 17 patients in total: 3 patients are brought dead, and 14 are receiving treatment. Among them, one is ill, one has an abdominal injury, one has a chest injury, and one has a head injury, while the rest are stable with normal vitals

Further information on the incident is still awaited, as per the ANI report.
The highly sophisticated 'white-collar' terror cell, spearheaded by a group of medical practitioners and recently dismantled by the Jammu and Kashmir Police, had been actively seeking a suicide bomber since last year. The key architect, Dr Umar Nabi, was relentlessly pushing this agenda, according to officials cited by news agency PTI.

Interrogation of a co-accused who was subsequently detained indicated that Umar  who is believed to have been killed while driving the explosives-laden car that blew up near the Red Fort on 10 November  was a "hardcore radical" and insisted that a suicide bomber was essential for their operations.

Subsequently, the Srinagar Police swiftly dispatched a team to Qazigund in south Kashmir and detained Jasir, alias 'Danish', a graduate with a bachelor's degree in Political Science. The arrest was made based on the questioning of co-accused individuals, including Dr Adeel Rather and Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie.

Plan Failed The entire 'white-collar' terror cell was successfully cracked by the Srinagar Police, led by its SSP, Dr GV Sundeep Chakravarthy.

The detained man admitted to having met the 'Doctor cell' in October last year at a mosque in Kulgam. From there, he was taken to a rented accommodation at the Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana.

The individual further stated that while others in the cell wanted him to act as an over-ground worker for the proscribed Jaish-e-Mohammed, he was intensely radicalised by Umar over several months with the aim of becoming a suicide bomber.

The plan, however, failed in April this year after the man withdrew, citing his poor economic circumstances and the religious belief that suicide is forbidden in Islam.

This revelation about the suicide bomber plot adds a dangerous new dimension to the investigation into the inter-state terror network linked to the JeM.

Powerful Explosion Planning & Babri Masjid Demolition

As previously reported by PTI, Umar, a 28-year-old doctor from Pulwama, had emerged as the most radicalised and pivotal operative in the network spanning Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Officials believe he was planning a powerful vehicle-borne improvised explosive device explosion timed to coincide with the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary on 6 December.

However, officials said, having pieced together the evidence, that Umars plans involved placing an IED in a crowded area, either in the National Capital Territory or at some place of religious significance, and then disappearing.

Umar's transformation began after a trip to Turkiye in 2021 with co-accused Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, where they allegedly met JeM over-ground workers, said the PTI report.
South Carolina authorities have executed the accused who killed three in 2004 and scrawled the message catch me if you can on a wall in the blood of one of his victims.

A South Carolina firing squad executed Stephen Bryant, 44, on Friday, the state's Department of Corrections said.

Bryant was convicted of killing three people during a crime spree in 2004, and pleaded guilty of the murders committed over five days in a rural area of the state.

Three prison employees bearing live ammunition volunteered to carry out the execution in the state capital Columbia. Bryant was pronounced dead at 6:05 pm on Friday. This is the third incident where a person died by this method in the state this year.

Also Read | Charlie Kirk assassination: Tyler Robinson charged with aggravated murder

How did Stephen Bryant die? According to a report by AP, Stephen Bryant chose to die by firing squad instead of lethal injection or the electric chair. While he did not make any final statement, the catch me if you can killer did briefly glance at the 10 witnesses before a mask was put over his head.

The shots rang out about 55 seconds later. Bryant made no noise. The red bullseye target that marks the location of his heart flew forward off his chest. He had a few shallow breaths and then a final spasm a little over a minute later. A doctor checked him with a stethoscope for a minute before he pronounced Bryant dead.

Also Read | US man executed for 1979 killing of 6-year-old girl abducted from her bedroom

The South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) said Bryant was restrained to a metal chair before the execution, placed 15 feet (five metres) away from a wall with a rectangular opening.

All three rifles were to have live ammunition, and an "aim point" will be placed over the condemned man's heart.

For his final meal, Bryant had spicy mixed seafood stir-fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars and German chocolate cake.

There have been 43 executions in the United States this year, the most since 2012, when the same number of inmates were put to death.

Also Read | Viral TikToker publicly executed: Watch the video that got her killed

Thirty-five of this year's executions have been carried out by lethal injection, three by firing squad and five by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others -- California, Oregon and Pennsylvania -- have moratoriums in place.

(With agency inputs)
In a massive new revelation, Jefferey Epstein's brother Mark Epstein claimed that the name Bubba referenced in a 2018 message between the brothers is not Bill Clinton, former US President.

The clarification followed after a controversy erupted when the Democrats released an email exchange from March 2018 between late sex offender Jefferey Epstein and his brother Mark.

They were simply part of a humorous private exchange between two brothers and were never meant for public release or to be interpreted as serious remarks, Mark Epstein wrote in an email to news outlet The Advocate.

For the avoidance of doubt, the reference to Bubba in this correspondence is not, in any way, a reference to former President Bill Clinton, he said.

Ali Clark, a spokesperson for Mark Epstein, revealed in another email to The Advocate that Bubba is a private individual who is not a public figure."

Mark also stated that attributing political motives to a nickname takes away the attention from the serious questions that remain unanswered.

Why is Bill Clinton's name being pulled up? The controversy began after the email revealed by the Democrats showed an exchange between the Epstein brothers.

In the email, Mark Epstein wrote to Jeffrey Epstein to ask him if Putin has the photos of Trump blowing Bubba.

This resulted in an intense online discussion about who Bubba is, especially because it is the nickname of Bill Clinton, who allegedly had connections with the late sex offender.

The emails also contain several references to Donald Trump.

Clinton has acknowledged traveling on Epsteins private jet but has said through a spokesperson that he had no knowledge of the late financiers crimes. He also has never been accused of misconduct by Epsteins known victims.

Bill Clinton's deputy chief of staff Angel Urena posted on X Friday that the emails prove that the former president knew nothing.

These emails prove Bill Clinton did nothing and knew nothing. The rest is noise meant to distract from election losses, backfiring shutdowns, and who knows what else, Urena said.

Pam Bondi orders federal investigation US Attorney General Pam Bondi said on Friday that she has ordered a top federal prosecutor to investigate Jeffery Epstein's links with Bill Clinton and other political foes of Donald Trump.

Bondi posted on X that she was assigning Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the probe.

Hours before Bondis announcement, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he would ask her, the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate Epsteins involvement and relationship with Clinton and others.
When Mark Cuban backs an investment, people take notice. The self-made billionaire has a track record of successful investments, so when he endorses a company, it usually makes headlines.

Read More: Self-Made Millionaires Suggest 5 Stocks You Should Never Sell

Explore More: 6 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000

One of Cubans investments, Dave Inc. (DAVE), has generated buzz in the markets, helping propel the stock to big gains thus far in 2025. But will stock market momentum and the backing of a high-profile investor continue to drive shares of Dave higher, or do the risks outweigh the potential upside? Here are some things to consider.

Fundamentals Pushing Shares Up

The backing of Cuban has no doubt brought investor attention to Dave, but thats not enough to sustain a high share price. What investors are really betting on with Dave is skyrocketing growth.

Dave is a banking app that is designed to make finances easier, in the words of the company. The apps main attraction for those strapped for money is the ability to get up to $500 in five minutes or less through a feature known as ExtraCash. Essentially, its an interest-free short-term loan designed to help people living paycheck to paycheck.

Whatever the app is doing seems to be popular. Revenues are booming, as are originations of the companys featured ExtraCash product. Perhaps even more impressive is that the rapidly growing company is already demonstratively profitable, and its cash balances are actually rising.

Here are some specific data points from the companys second quarter earnings release on Aug. 6, all on a year-over-year basis.

Revenue grew 64%, to $131.7 million

Net income rose 42%, to $9.1 million

Adjusted net income jumped 233%, to $45.7 million

Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) skyrocketed 236%, to $50.9 million

GAAP earnings per share (diluted) increased 32%, to $0.62

Adjusted EPS (diluted) was up 210%, to $3.14

Additionally, the company raised its 2025 revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance to $505 million to $515 million and $180 million to $190 million, respectively.

All of these factors are signs of a rapidly growing company, something that makes market participants willing to pay a premium.

Check Out: Barbara Corcoran  This Is the Only Investment Ill Never Sell

What Do the Technical Charts Say?

For momentum investors, Dave remains a Wall Street darling. As of Nov. 14, the stock is up about 138% on a year-to-date basis, even though it remains below its high set in early July.
A tragic mass shooting in Newark on Saturday evening (November 15) left two people dead  including a 10-year-old boy  and three others wounded, according to the Essex County Prosecutors Office.

The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. on Chancellor Avenue. A 21-year-old woman died from her injuries, while a 10-year-old boy was also fatally shot.

Three others  an 11-year-old boy, a 19-year-old man, and a 60-year-old man  are reported to be in stable condition at University Hospital.

Mayor Baraka: A dark and devastating day in Newark Newark Mayor Ras Baraka condemned the violence and urged the gunman to come surrender.

Today was a dark and devastating day in Newark as a small child fell to his death from an apartment window this afternoon and two more innocent souls died in a shooting on Chancellor Avenue, he said.

The mayor described the victims as innocent souls and said the community is reeling from the loss.

Our city mourns the loss of the baby, and the depraved and senseless killing of a 21-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy taken from their parents as their young lives were just blossoming, Baraka added.

Call for justice The mayor vowed that the city would not rest until the shooter is caught.

We will not rest until there is justice for the parents and families left behind in unspeakable pain and grief, he said.

He urged the suspect to surrender: We urge the killer to turn himself in, as there is no safe place to hide.

Governor Murphy responds New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said he had been briefed on the shooting. Please pray for the victims and their families, he wrote on X.

Investigation underway The Essex County Prosecutors Office confirmed that no arrests had been made as of Sunday morning, and the circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation.

Officials are asking anyone with information to contact the Essex County Prosecutors Office Tips Line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC (1-877-847-7432).
US President Donald Trump has assured Americans that his proposed $2,000 tariff dividend checks are on the way, though no exact date has been set. He confirmed recently that the payments would not arrive in time for the Christmas season.

It will be next year. The tariffs allow us to give a dividend. Were going to do a dividend and were also going to be reducing debt, Trump said on Friday (November 14) aboard Air Force One en route to Mar-a-Lago.

Supreme Court concerns loom The rollout of the tariff dividend checks faces uncertainty due to ongoing legal challenges. The Supreme Court recently delivered a tough oral argument on the administrations reciprocal tariffs.

When asked if the dividend checks would still be sent if the Supreme Court rolls back the tariffs, Trump replied, Then Id have to do something else.

Also Read | Marjorie Taylor Greene affirms support for Trump amid Epstein files fallout

Details still under discussion Trump administration officials are yet to provide specifics on how the rebate checks would work. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that an income cap is being considered.

Well, there are a lot of options here that the presidents talking about a $2,000 rebate and those  that would be for families making less than, say, $100,000, Bessent told Fox & Friends. He later clarified, its in discussion and we havent finalized that limit.

The President did not provide a concrete income threshold.

Controversial use of IEEPA The tariff dividend plan comes amid scrutiny over Trumps use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs. The statute, which does not mention tariffs, has been invoked by Trump in ways no previous president has done.
The United States government has successfully completed stockpile flight tests for its B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb via the stealth F-35A fighter jet, at its Tonopah Test Range in Nevada, ANI reported citing a statement from the US Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories.

The statement on November 13, said that a series of critical stockpile flight tests was successfully conducted from August 19-21 at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada with support from Hill Air Force Base in Utah, it said.

According to Jeffrey Boyd, surveillance lead for the B61-12 and B61-13 at Sandia, These B61-12 F-35A stockpile flight tests and captive carry flight test were the capstone accomplishment of a tremendous amount of planning and effort by those who were involved across not only Sandia, but many other agencies.

In addition, these B61-12 stockpile flight tests represent the completion of the most B61-12 flight testing surveillance scope in a year to date and the most in a given year for the foreseeable future, he added.

B61-21 tests: See top highlights from test The tests saw inert units of the B61-12 successfully released from the F-35A aircraft, confirming the end-to-end performance of the aircraft, aircrew, and weapon under operational conditions.

The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, described the trials as the only B61-12 stockpile flight tests using joint test assemblies on the F-35 platform this year.

These tests represent a critical step in evaluating the operational readiness of the weapon and its delivery platform.

The successful tests validate the bomb's compatibility with the F-35, an advanced stealth fighter, and reaffirm its reliability for future nuclear missions.

About the B61-12: Multiyear life extension programme completed The B61-12, part of the US nuclear arsenal since its development, recently underwent a multiyear life extension programme completed by NNSA in late 2024, extending its service life by at least 20 years.

The life extension programme addresses all known age-related concerns found within the nation's stockpile of B61 weapons, upgrades encryption algorithms, modernises the safety and use-control features of the weapon and supports compatibility with future aircraft designs, as per Sandia National Laboratories.

The refurbished B61-12's full-scale production started in May, with completion expected in 2026.

Other tests completed successfully: Check details Beyond the successful flight tests, the series included the first-ever thermal preconditioning of a joint test assembly for carriage on the F-35. This preconditioning process, which involved testing the bomb under extreme conditions before release, ensured that the B61-12 met environmental standards required for real-world deployment.

An advancement to the B61 nuclear gravity bomb, deployed from the US Air Force and North Atlantic Treaty Organization bases since 1968, the B61-12 is a modification of the B61 and has an extended service life of at least 20 years.

(With inputs from ANI)
K-pop star and actor Nana had a violent encounter with a home intruder at her residence near Seoul and is now recovering in hospital after sustaining injuries during the fight, South Korean police said on Sunday.

The incident occurred early on Saturday, when the intruder broke into Nana's residence to steal valuables and cash from her house, which is located in the suburbs of Seoul, a detective at the Guri Police Station in Gyeonggi province told news agency AFP.

The perpetrator, dubbed Mr A, has been accused of illegally entering the high-end villa at 6 AM with a weapon, threatening residents and demanding money.

However, the intruder was unable to flee after the attempted robbery, as Nana and her mother overpowered him in a physical struggle. Mr A, a man in his 30s, was subdued and later arrested, an investigator said.

The intruder was taken into police custody on charges of aggravated robbery, the official told AFP.

Recovery status of the K-pop icon and her mother The 34-year-old celebrity, and her mother are currently being treated in a hospital after the violent confrontation. Both sustained serious injuries, and her mother reportedly lost consciousness during the struggle, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

"Nana also sustained physical injuries while trying to escape the dangerous situation," the news agency stated, adding, The mother has regained consciousness, and both of them are currently in need of treatment and complete rest.

This incident happened shortly after two Japanese women attempted to break into K-pop boy band BTS member Jeon Jungkook's property on Thursday. The two accused tried to unlock the security keypad at the entrance of Jungkooks home, before they were caught by another fan, prompting them to flee from the spot, News18 said in a news report.

Who is Nana? Nana, whose real name is Im Jin-ah, debuted in 2009 as a member of the K-pop girl group After School, before switching to acting. She landed several leading roles in television dramas, and now works as an actress and solo artist.

Nana first rose to prominence by being a part of the Orange Caramel, a sub-unit of the girl group After School. The trio's music video for "Catallena" has more than 35 million views on YouTube.

She has appeared in multiple K-dramas, including My Man is Cupid, Mask Girl, Glitch, Love in Contract, and Memorials.
A teenage girl from China has written to a court asking for leniency for her father. The man killed his wife, the mother of his two children, by electrocution while she was taking a shower.

The case has sparked a wide debate on Chinas social media after a Hebei court publicly released its judgment in early November. The 36-year-old man, Yang, was sentenced to life in prison for the March 2023 killing of his wife, Yin.

The couple married in 2010. After four years, the situation worsened. They had bitter fights. Between 2014 and 2017, they got divorced but later reconciled. Nevertheless, the remarriage did not go well.

According to Yang, constant conflicts with his wife Yin pushed him to a breaking point. She reportedly did not get along with his mother. He also suspected she was having an affair.

Their arguments became so intense that Yang once went to a hospital to check his mental state. During the consultation, the doctor phoned Yin and asked her to give him emotional support. However, she mocked him later.

If you really want to die, find a quiet corner to die, the woman sarcastically told her husband.

Yang claimed this triggered his plan to kill her. In March 2023, he electrified a metal tube on the water heater while Yin was showering.

After she died, he placed her body on their bed and surrendered the next morning. His parents now care for the two children, a teenage daughter and a two-year-old son.

The Hebei court ruled that the murder was intentional. Prosecutors proposed a suspended death sentence. However, the court chose a lighter punishment to show the warmth of the judicial authorities.

Daughter writes to court Yangs 14-year-old daughter wrote to the court asking for leniency.

I know my father has made a mistake. But, he has always been a kind-hearted person, and he performs well at home. I hope he can come back home to help with me and my brothers growth, the South China Morning Post quoted her as saying.

The court then decided to give him a lighter sentence. Yang was awarded life in prison instead of a death sentence.
A new investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Libertys Sistema project alleges that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been operating from multiple duplicate offices built to look identical  allowing the Kremlin to obscure his real location during public appearances.

Three matching offices identified According to the report, Putin has been filmed in at least three nearly identical offices located in:

-Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow

-Sochi, on the Black Sea coast

-Valdai, roughly 250 miles northwest of Moscow

All three rooms reportedly share the same beige interior, identical furniture, and the Russian flag positioned behind Putins desk.

700+ Kremlin videos analyzed Investigators according to the report analyzed more than 700 Kremlin-released videos and found that several appearances described as taking place at Novo-Ogaryovo were actually filmed at Valdai. Researchers identified subtle but consistent details  such as thermostat designs, door-handle placements, and wall patterns  that revealed the true filming locations.

State TV leaks corroborate findings The report stated leaked itineraries from Russian state television crews further supported the claims. Crew travel logs showed trips to Sochi and Valdai on days when Kremlin captions stated that Putin was near Moscow.

Timeline of duplicate office construction The report outlines how the replicas were created over several years:

2015  Original Novo-Ogaryovo office documented

2018  Valdai replica reportedly completed

2020  Sochi replica added

The identical sets, investigators say, enable the Kremlin to maintain the illusion of a single, consistent workspace for the president.

Illusion of stability Sistema concludes that the duplicated offices provide the Kremlin with a tool to mask Putins location for security, secrecy, or political optics, creating a perception of stability whether he is at his official residence, the Black Sea retreat, or the secluded Valdai compound.

Also Read | Superintelligent AI is next frontier but putting humans first is the main goal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said therell no Palestinian state and that Hamas will be disarmed  by force, if necessary  as the US seeks UN Security Council approval for a Gaza plan that anticipates Palestinian statehood.

Our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory has not changed, Netanyahu said at his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday. Gaza will be demilitarized, and Hamas will be disarmed, the easy way or the hard way.

Also Read | Trump urges Israeli President to pardon Netanyahu amid bribery, fraud charges

Netanyahu was responding to criticism from within his ruling coalition on the US resolution. The final text hasnt been made public but on Friday the US, joined by eight Arab and Muslim governments, issued a statement backing the resolution, saying it offers a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.

His comments also came as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed al Salman prepares to visit Washington for a meeting with President Donald Trump, his first trip to the White House in seven years.

Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire five weeks ago after two years of war. US President Donald Trump sponsored the truce that began by Hamas freeing Israeli hostages and Israel releasing Palestinian prisoners. While the bodies of three hostages remain to be sent back, attention is turning to the next, more difficult, phase, which is to remove Hamas from power in Gaza and rebuild the devastated coastal strip.

In the Washington Post on Friday, Michael Waltz, US ambassador to the UN, wrote that the next step is to establish a multinational stabilization force with a mandate to demilitarize Gaza, dismantle terrorist infrastructure, decommission weapons used by terrorists, and maintain the safety of the Palestinian people over a two-year term.

The UN Security Council on Monday is due to debate the US resolution that lays out those provisions. Russia has put forward a competing resolution. Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Saturday, with no details made public.

While both Trumps ceasefire and the UN resolution refer to a multinational peacekeeping effort, its unclear wholl join or what their roles will be. A number of countries appear willing to provide troops in principle, but dont want to be responsible for stripping weapons from uncooperative militiamen.

A group of countries, led by the US, has set up a headquarters in southern Israel to handle the rebuilding, disarming and ramping up of aid for Gaza. Theyre now awaiting instructions on how to proceed. Meanwhile, Israel still occupies half of Gaza. In the other half, where the vast majority of inhabitants live in dire conditions, Hamas is underlining its authority with armed militants.

Also Read | Putin operating from multiple identical offices to hide location: Investigation

Bin Salman is due to meet Trump at the White House on Tuesday, with the future of Gaza and relations with Israel expected to be high on the agenda. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it can only normalize relations with Israel once theres agreement on a Palestinian state.
They stood holding English placards, some of which even had commas. They were serious, and they were angry. The upper classes of Delhi were protesting the abysmal air quality in the capital region before being hauled into buses by constables. The masters were being evicted by the working class. This was not unprecedented, but still unusual, like the fact that Indians were protesting for a better quality of life.

Recently, in Bengaluru and Chennai, too, the upper classes have publicly demanded a better life from the government. In Gurugram, affluent people go around taking pictures of filth and garbage-burning to relentlessly post them on social media. The municipality sulks and does not respond, as it only does so if you speak to it nicely. Then it asks you the exact location of the problem, as though the rest of the city is Singapore.

Also Read | Tackling air pollution is an economic imperative, not just a health crisis

The frequency and intensity of upper-crust protests are rising. This is good news, even though their voice is faint and their concerns do not worry politicians.

There is a reason why this is happening nowwhy Indias urban upper middle classes are shedding their coyness as a section that behaves like tourists in their own nation, why they are suddenly invested in its immediate future. It has to do with a changing America.

It is harder than ever, it appears, to migrate to that country. Studying there does not guarantee a prolonged life there, even in the science streams. Also, escaping India is not a guarantee of a better life anymore.

So a fervent wish has come to be: how nice it would be if life back home were not hell. Indians enjoy everything else about India, especially its vast supply of services provided by the poor at miraculous rates.

If the civic stirring among the upper classes increases, it could be one of the best things that could happen to India.

Also Read | Manu Joseph: America and the bearable loneliness of losing the West

After the independence movement, which I consider an Indian upper-class war against a foreign elite that captured the imagination of the masses, the urban elites did not collectively take part in nation-building, except perhaps in Kerala and West Bengal. This was not only because they were disenchanted by the new rustic political class and the hopelessness of new India.

The very existence of more advanced nations in the West meant that escaping India was their idea of progress, even if most of them didnt actually leave. By the 1980s, escaping was a possibility for the children of our urban middle classes if they did the right things. The finest of my generation were preoccupied with its preparation.

The finest of this generation are probably more invested in India in a way I have never seen. A vast section of young people and their parents have realized that India is where they could be happiest. America has changed; the West has changed.

Home has never been more alluring to an Indian who has the capacity to leave home forever. When escape from home is not a good idea, then maybe home improvement is a good project.

Indias mainstream protests, the domain of the average voter, are usually rural in nature even when they are held in cities. These are both serious, like the farmer protests not long ago, and farcical, like those where protestors claim their sentiments are hurt by someone and they bring out an effigy which they must label with the name of the public figure who hurt their sentiments because it looks like any other effigy.

The sophisticates are perplexed that their issues are even considered problems of the rich. After all, they do not fight for better speed-breakers for their low-chassis luxury cars. They fight for issues that concern everyone, like air quality and infrastructure.

There are reasons why the poor dont join forces with the sophisticates. One is that the poor may have common ground with the new rich, who are culturally similar to them, but not with the sophisticates. Another is that useful issues, like the quality of air, are not as emotional as matters of identity that are whipped up by the provincial elite.

I have seen the poor agitate over not being allowed inside a theatre, but never for better schools and medical care. Also, the average voter has a host of problems, and issues that intersect with those of the richlike air and roadsare not up there in their hierarchy of problems, even though they are problems.

This is not the first time that sophisticates are protesting. Over the years, such protests have come in spurts and vanished. The first time I saw an honest major uprising of the English-speaking affluent was after a terror attack in November 2008. South Bombay, considered Indias richest Lok Sabha constituency, was attacked. An anti-politician movement sprung up.

As the beautiful people went on their candle marches, I noticed that the average voter of Mumbai stayed on the sidelines. It, somehow, was not their fight, perhaps because different sort of people were leading it. But the new sophisticate protestors know that their voices are faint and that they can change nothing unless they infect average voters with their issues. That is hard to achieve.

I have an idea for more effective protests. Across all cities, for six months, Indians should stop buying high-value goods in protest. They should stop buying houses, cars and TVs in return for better air, parks and other forms of urban infrastructure. That is a legal way of not paying taxes, in protest.

The author is a journalist, novelist and screenwriter. His latest book is Why the Poor Dont Kill Us.
For decades, the Turing Test was the North Star of artificial intelligence (AI) researchers. Today, its been quietly surpassed. With reasoning models and agentic capabilities emerging, and with the pace of AI infrastructure build increasing, we have crossed an inflection point on the journey to superintelligence: the point at which AI exceeds human-level performance at all tasks.

Indeed, the most consequential question for our time is not whether AI will surpass us, because in some ways it already has (try beating an AI at general knowledge), in many other ways, it will, and in some ways we will always be unique. The real question, then, is whether we can shape AI to advance human flourishing rather than undermine it. That is the most important challenge of our time.

Also Read | The chatbot boom may be fading as firms seek safer, more focused AI

To be sure, everyone is primed by now to roll their eyes at AI hype. I get it. But the stakes could not be higher. Science and technology have always been humanitys greatest engine of progress. Over the last 250 years, that engine has doubled life expectancy, lifted billions of people out of poverty and given us antibiotics, electricity and instant global communication.

AI is the next chapter in this story. It represents our best shot at accelerating scientific discovery, economic growth and human well-being. Whenever you hear about AI, this potential is worth keeping in mind.

But harnessing AIs potential will work out right only if we build AI the right way. The costs of getting it wrong are immense. No one yet has reassuring answers about how we contain or align these systems. We are caught at an odd moment, faced with historys most powerful technologies and unsure how they can be controlled or whether they will remain beneficial.

I think we can cut through the noise and understand it like this: AI, like all technology, can be judged by a simple test. Does it improve human life? Is it clearly working in service of people?

As we embark on the next phase of AI, the answer to these questions lies in what I call Humanist Superintelligence (HSI): advanced AI designed to remain controllable, aligned and firmly in service to humanity. This project is explicitly about avoiding, at all costs, an unbounded entity with total autonomy.

Also Read | Dont hand over your thinking brain to your AI assistant

Instead, we must focus on domain-specific superintelligence. Rather than simply making a system that can endlessly improve and run away with itself for whatever purpose it might eventually arrive at, the core purpose is to deliver practical real-world benefits to billions of people. It must forever remain unequivocally subordinate to humanity. This is the vision of our Superintelligence Team at Microsoft, where our core mission is to keep humanity secure and firmly in control.

Why humanism? Because history has demonstrated the humanist traditions enduring power to preserve human dignity. AI built in that spirit can unlock extraordinary benefits while avoiding catastrophic risks. We need a vision of AI that supports humanity, amplifies creativity and protects our fragile environmentnot one that sidelines us.

The prize for humanity is enormous: a world of rapid advances in living standards and science, and a time of new art forms, culture and growth. It is a truly inspiring mission that has motivated me for decades. We should celebrate and accelerate technology as the greatest engine of progress that humanity has ever known. Thats why we need much, much more of it.

Also Read | Are we at risk of becoming tools in the hands of artificial intelligence?

HSI offers a safer path forward. Remaining grounded in domain-specific breakthroughs with profound societal impact is an example of this. Imagine AI companions that ease the mental load of daily life, enhance productivity and transform education with adaptive, individualized learning.

Imagine medical superintelligence delivering accurate and affordable expert-level diagnostics that could revolutionize global health care, capabilities already previewed by our health team at Microsoft AI. And consider the potential for AI-driven advances in clean energy that will enable abundant, low-cost power generation, storage and carbon removal to meet soaring demand while protecting the planet.

With HSI, these are not speculative dreams. They are achievable goals that can benefit people around the world, providing concrete improvements to everyday life.

Also Read | Deloittes AI blunder in Australia should caution early adopters of this tech

To state the obvious, humans matter more than tech or AI. Superintelligence could be the best invention ever, but only if it sticks to this maxim. That means ensuring accountability and transparency, and a willingness to make safety a top priority. Our goal is not to build a superintelligence at any cost, but to follow a careful path toward one that is contained, value-aligned and always focused on human well-being.

Everybody must ask themselves this: What kind of AI do we actually want? The answer will shape the future of civilization. My answer is Humanist Superintelligence. 2025/Project Syndicate

The author is CEO of Microsoft AI and former co-founder of Inflection AI and DeepMind.
The quinquennial report cards on Indias financial sector have been issued and they present a disturbing picture. The World Banks Financial Sector Assessment and the International Monetary Funds (IMF) Financial System Stability Assessment were released during October and February 2025, respectively. Both reports have pointed out critical, strategic gaps in the regulatory frameworks across the financial sectors different segments, thereby raising multiple red flags.

In the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, both the Bank and IMF have jointly started undertaking a comprehensive study of the financial sector in select countries, especially those with systemically important financial sectors. The study is mandatory every five years in 32 select countries, including India. The joint exercise is called Financial Sector Assessment Program, with both the multilateral institutions coming out with their individual reports.

Also Read | Why the World Bank's South Asia update addresses a world that no longer exists

The Banks report states that Indias financial system has become more resilient, diversified and inclusive. It states: Total financial sector assets reached 187% of GDP, with non-banking financial institutions and market financing growing at a much faster pace than banks, accounting for 44% of financial sector assets in 2024 (compared to 35% in 2017)Stress tests suggest that credit institutions are broadly resilient to macro-financial shocks, despite some weak tails."

A press release issued by the financial stability division in the department of economic affairs, finance ministry, has welcomed the Banks latest assessment. But there is a catch here. A reading of this press release gives no idea of the concerns that both multilateral institutions have raised over the regulatory gaps. To be fair, the Indian authorities have responded to many other concerns and defended the governments stand on some specific issues, but seem to have side-stepped specific apprehensions over regulatory gaps.

The first concern raised is the regulators lack of power and independence which the multilateral institutions want strengthened through legislative and institutional changes.

The Bank cites a specific case from 2019 when the finance ministry overturned a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) decision to cancel the licence of an urban cooperative bank. The Bank calls the finance ministry an appellate authority with powers to overturn RBIs supervisory decisions and recommends that this appellate authority should be transferred to an independent agency.

The Bank, through a footnote, starkly describes the control that the finance ministry wields over RBI and other regulatory agencies: The MoF is represented in the RBI board. The government can remove the governor, deputy governor, and directors without justification; give directions to the RBI; supersede its board; request an inspection of banks; and exempt banks from applying for the [Banking Regulation] Act, among others. The government can remove the insurance regulators chair and the members of its board and appoint an insurance comptroller."

Strangely, the many impassioned appeals for ending RBIs untrammelled powers by appointing quasi-judicial appellate authoritiesespecially from those seeking increased centralisation of powers in Delhinever mention the curious case of the finance ministrys unitary powers.

The other regulatory gap that finds mention is the differentiated regulatory framework applicable to private and state-owned financial institutions. RBIs extensive regulatory powers over private bank boards or their key management personnel do not apply to boards of public sector banks. Many of the state-owned institutions are guided by their respective Acts, which is also an inhibiting factor for regulation.

In addition, unlike its powers over private sector banks, RBI has limited powers to force a merger of weak public sector banks, vet and approve appointment of their individual board members, sack their board members or even supersede their boards. Both the Bank and IMF are echoing repeated domestic concerns about a regulatory framework which affords leniency to public sector institutions over private players, an allowance granted to ostensibly enable the delivery of developmental objectives.

Also Read | Industrial revival may need a brand new public sector model

A special mention has been made about state-owned infrastructure financing non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) which are overweight on power and infrastructure loans and therefore pose a systemic risk to the financial sector. The Bank has questioned the logic of the countrys top three NBFCs, which also happen to be state-owned, being exempted from the stringent rules applicable to the top category.

Eyebrows have also been raised about the supervision and regulation of financial conglomerates which have multiple businesses and, thus, report to different regulators. Unfortunately, the inter-regulator platformthe Financial Stability Development Council (FSDC)lacks any legal teeth to undertake group-level supervision or enforce regulatory action. It has been in existence for a while but its policies, activities or regulatory outcomes are shrouded in secrecy.

There have been demands for some time now to make FSDCs deliberations public. While RBIs bi-annual Financial Stability Report purports to reflect FSDCs collective assessment about the Indian financial systems resilience and risks to financial stability, it lacks specifics about where the risks originated and how they were mitigated.

The author is a senior journalist and author of Slip, Stitch and Stumble: The Untold Story of Indias Financial Sector Reforms @rajrishisinghal
In early November, Dalio suggested that the Federal Reserves shift toward easier monetary policy could fuel a short-term liquidity melt-up  a final burst of euphoria that inflates valuations before sentiment turns. It would be reasonable to expect that, similar to late 1999 or 2010-2011, there would be a strong liquidity melt-up that will eventually become too risky and will have to be restrained, Dalio told Business Insider . During that melt-up is classically the ideal time to sell.

Warren Buffett has continued trimming equity exposure while building a record $381 billion in cash. And Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of Bridgewater and a widely followed market pundit, believes the rally is becoming overextended and increasingly vulnerable to a sharp correction.

Late last year, the European Central Bank warned that growing concentration in U.S. mega-cap tech stocks  particularly those tied to artificial intelligence  could pose structural risks.

Michael Burry has taken notice. The investor who famously shorted the housing market in 2008 has returned with a bold new position. His latest 13F filing from now-deregistered Scion Asset Management revealed significant put option exposure to Nvidia (NVDA) and Palantir (PLTR), two of the most visible players in the AI-driven rally that was originally catalyzed by the introduction of ChatGPT in late 2022.

Other metrics confirm the froth. The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) price-book ratio recently hit 5.46x, the highest on record and nearly double its long-term median. Meanwhile, Bank of America now flags the market as statistically expensive across all 20 of its tracked valuation metrics  a clean sweep that hasnt occurred in decades. The firm also reports that 60% of its bear-market signposts are currently triggered, which is worryingly close to the 70% level that has marked previous market peaks.

Stocks are trading at some of the highest valuations in history. According to the Buffett Indicator, which compares total U.S. stock market capitalization to GDP, valuations sit at roughly 217%. Thats well above the 150% peak reached during the dot-com bubble.

Story Continues

A Closer Look at Michael Burrys Bet Against AI Stocks

Circling back to Michael Burry, his latest 13F filing offers a rare glimpse into how one of the markets most contrarian investors is preparing for a potential pullback.

After warning about stretched valuations in broad terms, Burry went straight to the heart of the AI trade by loading up on put options tied to Nvidia and Palantir, two of the most visible and richly valued names in the space.

According to Scion Asset Managements most recent filing, the firm held put options covering 1 million shares of NVDA and 5 million shares of PLTR. On paper, those positions totaled $186.6 million and $912.1 million, respectively.

But these headline numbers can be misleading. SEC rules require funds to report options using notional value, which is the number of shares controlled multiplied by the stock price, not the premium paid.

That means a single put on a $100 stock would show up as $10,000 of exposure, even though the premium paid could be significantly less. So while Burrys filing reports more than $1.1 billion in notional exposure, the actual capital committed was almost certainly much lower. Based on standard contract sizes, the trades likely involved around 50,000 puts on Palantir and 10,000 on Nvidia. Thats a sizable footprint, and suggests targeted short positioning.

However, theres still a lot we dont know. The filing doesnt include strike prices, expiration dates, or details about whether these are standalone puts or part of a multi-leg strategy. Theres also no indication of long or short positions in the underlying stocks, which suggests Scion is using the options as a pure directional bet rather than pairing them with a stock hedge.

While we dont know the strike prices or expiration dates on these trades, it seems likely Burry wasnt expecting them to pay off immediately. Much like his bet against the housing market during the Great Recession, a slow-burn thesis feels more consistent with his style.

The timing of the 13F filing is also unusual. Scion submitted it two weeks ahead of the deadline. Whether that was intentional or not, the message was clear. Burry wants the market to know he is betting against AI.

For investors and traders who share that concern, or are simply looking for pockets where valuations may have outpaced fundamentals, weve outlined two additional names worth considering.

Snowflake: A Palantir Proxy with Weaker Fundamentals

For traders who share Michael Burrys concern that the AI-fueled rally may be getting ahead of itself, Snowflake (SNOW) presents a compelling, if less spotlighted, alternative to high-profile shorts like Nvidia or Palantir.

Unlike those two companies, which are both profitable and expanding rapidly in their respective domains, Snowflake continues to post losses and burn cash while also trading at valuation levels that are difficult to justify. On top of that, the stock has surged nearly 100% over the past 12 months.

www.barchart.com

Since Snowflake went public in 2020, it has never reported a quarterly GAAP profit. And free cash flow (FCF) trends remain inconsistent. Of the last six quarters, three were negative, including a recent outflow of $359 million in the most recent quarter. Despite impressive revenue growth, that means questions about spending discipline and operational leverage continue to weigh on the outlook.

The valuation only adds to those concerns. Snowflake has operated at a loss every quarter since its IPO in 2020, yet still trades at levels that are difficult to justify. Its price-sales (P/S) ratio is over 25x, and price-book (P/B) is near 39x, both far exceeding sector norms. Since the company has never posted positive net income, a price-earnings (P/E) ratio cant even be calculated, highlighting just how disconnected the stock is from traditional profitability metrics.

In terms of short positioning, the options on Snowflake arent exactly cheap. December monthly contracts reflect an implied volatility of roughly 57%, with an associated implied volatility rank (IV Rank) around 65%. IV Rank compares current implied volatility to its range over the past year. A reading above 50% means option prices are on the higher end of that 12-month range, while a lower IV Rank suggests theyre relatively inexpensive.

www.barchart.com

Options traders often scan for lower IV Ranks when looking to buy options, particularly puts designed to express a short thesis. Elevated IV makes it harder to achieve favorable risk-reward, especially if the move takes time to play out. But in todays market, most AI-related names have experienced extended run-ups, and that makes finding cheap options across the sector a tall order.

And with Snowflake, there are several other factors to consider. The company operates in the same enterprise data and analytics space as Palantir, offering some thematic overlap without the same brand recognition or loyal investor base that may help names like NVDA and PLTR withstand short-term selling pressure.

Unlike Palantir, which generates a large portion of its revenue from long-term government contracts, Snowflakes public-sector exposure is more narrow in comparison. That leaves it more dependent on commercial spending cycles and overall sentiment in the tech sector. Considering its ongoing losses, uneven cash flow, and sharp 12-month rally, Snowflake therefore stands out as a compelling candidate for traders looking to fade the AI hype.

IBM: Strong Rally, Low IV Rank Create a Potential Short Opportunity

For those looking for a bearish AI trade where options are priced more attractively, International Business Machines (IBM) stands out as a potential candidate. The stock has quietly surged nearly 46% over the past 12 months, an impressive run for a traditionally slower-moving name.

Yet despite that rally, option premiums remain surprisingly restrained, with December monthly contracts showing an IV Rank of just 27%. Thats well below the 50% level that some traders use to differentiate between high and low implied trading opportunities.

www.barchart.com

As mentioned earlier, IV Rank compares current implied volatility to its range over the past year. A lower IV Rank typically means options are trading near the lower end of that range, which can be more favorable for buyers than for sellers. In IBMs case, historical volatility sits at 32.2%, while current implied volatility is around 30%. That close alignment suggests option prices arent significantly inflated relative to realized movement, which adds to the appeal.

www.barchart.com

While IBMs fundamentals are more solid than a high-multiple name like Snowflake, its valuation has crept higher. The stock trades at a P/E of roughly 28.7x, compared to an industry average around 24x. Its P/S ratio is 4.7x, versus 3.5x for peers, and its P/B ratio of 10.5x is nearly three times the industry average of 3.7x. In other words, IBM isnt exactly cheap, even if it is more profitable.

The company has posted positive GAAP net income in 10 of the last 11 quarters, with only a small loss in Q3 of last year. That said, free cash flow has been far more volatile. IBM recorded negative FCF in four of the past six quarters, including significant outflows of $2.99 billion in Q1 2025 and $1.26 billion in Q3 2024. While IBM typically generates solid cash flow over the course of a full year, the recent swings suggest some operational sensitivity, particularly if macro conditions or sentiment within the enterprise tech sector begin to deteriorate.

Ultimately, IBM represents a more stable but still exposed player in the AI ecosystem. If the broader narrative falters, even profitable names like IBM wouldnt be immune to a sector-wide re-rating. In that bearish scenario, lower-priced options could offer a rare opportunity to benefit from a downside move without overpaying for this potential opportunity.

On the date of publication, Andrew Prochnow did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com
Bihar is done and dusted, now get ready West Bengal.

Barely hours after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) secured an overwhelming majority in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sounded the ominous bugle on political rival and West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee. Just as the Ganga flows from Bihar to Bengal, Bihar has now shown the path for the BJPs victory in West Bengal. I congratulate the people of Bengal. Together, we will uproot jungle raj from the state, he asserted.

The moment was infectious. Jubilation quickly spread to the BJPs offices in West Bengal, with party workers in Kolkatas Salt Lake and Central Avenue cheering lustily as the NDA crossed the 200-seat mark in Bihar. Flags waved, posters of Modi were hoisted, and supporters shared sweets to mark the moment. Chants of Next is Bengal echoed through the gatherings.

Bengal BJP state president Shamik Bhattacharya highlighted Bihars peaceful and incident-free Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process as a model of the NDAs governance.

He was quick to clarify, however, that SIR is not a political `weapon. Our focus is on removing illegal voters in Bengal, he said, adding that BJP had defeated Arvind Kejriwal, won Haryana, Maharashtra and Bihar, with Bengal as the next destination.

In Bihar, critics say the deletion of nearly 47 lakh voters under the Election Commission (EC) organised SIR, may have impacted the states poll outcome, considering omissions roughly worked out to 15,000-20,000 voters per segment in the states 243 assembly seats.

For the BJP, the message and the medium is clear. If a heavyweight like Lalu Yadav and his RJD can be knocked out, so can be Mamata Banerjee, who if anything, is a bigger number in the prevailing political matrix. And if that were to happen, the BJP would hardly have any opposition left in the country, save the odd Stalin in Tamil Nadu or Akhilesh Yadav in Uttar Pradesh.

But West Bengal is no Bihar and Mamata is no spent force like Lalu. On November 10, she dubbed the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls as `votebandi and asserted that she would protect the rights of voters at any cost, even if it meant her throat getting slashed'. Urging the EC to immediately halt the SIR, she asserted that unless the exercise was executed flawlessly, with every genuine voter included in the final rolls, its implementation in Bengal would not be as easy as it was in Bihar.

Also Read | Giriraj Singh says NDA set for win, drops hint on Bengal Assembly polls too

The SIR exercise was launched on November 4 in West Bengal.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP, Sagarika Ghose, told this reporter: ``We will not allow a single legal deletion in Bengal. The party has started help camps, which will assist people in organising their documents. We will oppose the BJPs attempt to bring in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) through the back door, in the name of SIR.

``Do you know that more than 10 people have committed suicide in Bengal because of their fear of being unable to produce documents? In a country where top leaders cannot produce their educational certificates, you are asking the poor for complex documentation, she says.

Her confidence is not overstated. The TMC is widely recognised as having a strong and extensive cadre base, which is considered a key factor in its continued electoral success and its deep reach into West Bengal's grassroots politics.

Key aspects of the TMC's cadre strength include its ability to mobilise workers at the local level, enabling effective door-to-door campaigning and voter outreach. The party has built a robust organisational structure that helps maintain its influence across the state, even in the face of opposition challenges, now mainly concentrated in the form of the all-powerful BJP.

The party leadership, particularly Mamata Banerjee, emphasises the importance of its "own boys" (cadres) and the administration is often expected to be mindful of them, which indicates a strong party identity and loyalty.

Mamata has been in power as Chief Minister for over 14 years, serving continuously since her first assumption of office in May 2011. It is partly sustained through an intricate relationship between its political society and the people, often involving the implementation of welfare measures through its local networks.

In addition, it has successfully absorbed leaders and workers from rival parties like the Congress and CPI(M), which further bolsters its cadre strength while weakening the opposition.

Under these circumstances, taking on such a well-entrenched force  particularly in rural Bengal - is a far cry from implementing the SIR in Bihar, where key NDA leader Nitish Kumar was not just a long-standing serving chief minister with the administration on his side, but also a dedicated cadre to take on the opposition.

Clearly, though, the run-up to West Bengal assembly elections, which are due around March 2026, has all the ingredients of a battle royale.

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal has received a barrage of complaints from both the ruling TMC and the Opposition BJP, since the beginning of the SIR.

Just as the Ganga flows from Bihar to Bengal, Bihar has now shown the path for the BJPs victory in West Bengal.

On November 12, the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari visited the CEOs office and said a delegation of the saffron party submitted a pen drive and printed copies of evidence of around 13.25 lakh fake, duplicate and dead voters across five assembly constituencies.
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Government seeks changes to interpretation of human rights laws

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UK toughens stance as polls point to immigration concern

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Changes to refugee status part of planned shake-up

By Alistair Smout

LONDON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Britain will overhaul its approach to human rights laws to make it easier to deport migrants who arrive in the country illegally as part of a major shake-up of asylum policy to be set out on Monday.

Interior minister Shabana Mahmood will outline changes to how the European Convention on Human Rights will be interpreted by courts, the government said.

"These reforms will block endless appeals, stop last minute claims and scale up removals of those with no right to be here," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.

In what the government claims to be the most sweeping asylum policy overhaul of modern times, Mahmood will also announce plans to make refugee status temporary and to quadruple the length of time refugees will have to wait for permanent settlement in Britain.

Britain's Labour government is taking a tougher stance as it struggles to curb clandestine migration, particularly via small boat crossings. Polls indicate immigration is a top concern of voters, and the populist Reform UK party has a commanding lead in polls.

TOUGHER STANCE

The government said Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the right to a family life, was being misused by migrants to delay their removal from Britain.

It wants new laws to make clear that a family connection means immediate family, such as a parent or child, preventing people from "using dubious connections to stay in the UK".

It added that Britain would also work with like-minded countries to review the application of Article 3, which prohibits torture, noting the "definition of 'inhuman and degrading treatment' has expanded beyond what is reasonable."

The government has said it wants to remain in the European Convention on Human Rights, amid calls from Reform and some in the Conservative Party for Britain to leave it altogether.

However, the government's harder stance on immigration has been criticised by charities who say it forces desperate people further into destitution.

"These proposals will punish people who've already lost everything," said Sile Reynolds, Head of Asylum Advocacy at Freedom from Torture. "Stripping away protections that prevent people being sent back to their torturers is not who we are as a country."

Starmer, a former human rights lawyer, said Britain was a "fair, tolerant and compassionate country," but that in a more volatile world "people need to know our borders are secure."
The Higher Education Minister for Madhya Pradesh and BJP leader, Inder Singh Parmar, has sparked a controversy after referring to social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy as an "agent of the British" who initiated a "vicious cycle of religious conversion".

Following the public outrage over his remarks, the state minister issued an apology on Sunday, claiming the comment was merely a "slip of the tongue."

In a video statement, Parmar said the remark "came out by mistake".

"Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a social reformer, and he should be respected. The sentence slipped out of my mouth by mistake, and I am very sad about it. I apologise for it," he said.

Parmar made the contentious statement during an event in the Agar Malwa district of MP, held to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the tribal icon Birsa Munda.

"Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a British agent. He worked in the country as their 'dalal', and started a vicious cycle of religious conversion," he remarked.

The British had projected several people as "fake social reformers" and promoted those who encouraged conversions, he claimed.

"If anyone had the courage to stop this and protect the tribal community, it was Birsa Munda," he said, adding that missionary schools were the only educational institutions during the British rule and education was used as a cover for religious conversion.

The Minister asserted that Munda had recognised this trend, abandoned his missionary education, and subsequently championed the cause of his community and fought against British rule. The Minister also insisted he did not intend to insult any historical figure.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy, born on 22 May 1772 in Radhanagar, Bengal, into an orthodox Brahmin family, is widely known as the father of the Indian Renaissance. He is credited with ushering in an era of enlightenment and liberal, reformist modernisation across India.

Opposition Parties Criticise Hitting out at the BJP, Shashi Panja, a West Bengal minister and TMC leader, stated on Sunday that Parmar's comment on Raja Ram Mohan Roy clearly demonstrated the partys attempts to demean Bengal's intelligentsia.

"If the BJP wants to axe its own foot, it is free to do so; but it cannot insult Bengal," she said, claiming that the people of the state are watching the "attack on the pride of Bengal."

Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Bhupendra Gupta said Parmars remark was not only factually incorrect but also "an insult to India's reformist legacy." He added that the minister's comments reflected a dangerous political trend of rewriting history to fit certain "ideological narratives."
Tej Pratap Yadav has broken his silence on Rohini Acharyas exit from politics amid the family dispute.

He justified her decision and praised her for the remarkable sacrifice. In her own way, she is absolutely right. The truth is that, as a woman, the kind of sacrifice she has made is something hardly any daughter or mother could do, referring to his sister donating a kidney to their father, Lalu Yadav.

Anyone who insults our sister will face the wrath of Krishnas Sudarshan Chakra.

Watch the video here:

Tej Pratap Yadav, the elder son of the RJD supremo, was expelled from the party a few months ago by his father, and has since floated a new outfit, 'Janshakti Janata Dal', which was drubbed in the recent elections.

Also Read | Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Rohini Acharya blames Tejashwi for disowning family

Tej Pratap Yadav has also been blaming Sanjay Yadav, whom he always calls 'Jaichand', for the troubles in his father's party and family.

The announcement has sent shockwaves through Bihar politics, with many speculating about the future of the Lalu family's political dynasty. Rohini's allegations have also raised questions about the internal dynamics of the RJD and the role of family members in the party.

Earlier on Saturday, Rohini Acharya announced her intention to "quit" politics and "disown" her family, taking all "blame" for the party's poor performance in the polls.

Tejashwi's sister alleged that she was "disgraced, abused, and even hit" when she questioned Sanjay Yadav about the party's defeat.

"I have no family. You can go and ask this to Sanjay Yadav, Rameez, and Tejashwi Yadav. They are the ones who threw me out of the family," Rohini Acharya told reporters in her first reaction after being asked about her 'shocking' announcement earlier in the day.

Claiming that the party leadership don't want to take responsibility for the defeat in the Bihar Assembly election, Rohini Acharya said that when she called out Tejashwi Yadav's close aide Sanjay Yadav for the party's defeat, she was "thrown out of the house, disgraced, abused, and even hit".

The RJD performed poorly in the Bihar assembly polls, securing just 25 seats despite contesting on more than 140 seats in the 243-member state assembly.
WhatsApp is planning to launch a new third party chats feature in Europe which would allow users to send messages to their friends on different messaging platforms. The feature was spotted by WABetaInfo in WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.25.33.8 and is reportedly an attempt to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The Meta owned personal messaging app has been rumoured to be working on the feature for quite some time but it is finally said to be making significant progress to meet the interoperability requirements set by the EU. Notably, the Digital Markets Act marks big companies like Meta as gatekeepers owing to their dominant position in the market and forces them to open up their services to third parties to foster fair competition.

How will WhatsApp interoperability look? As per WABetaInfo, some WhatsApp users are now getting the beta update with interoperability features. Eligible users are able to communicate with people on other messaging platforms by turning on the feature via Settings > Account > Third party chats on WhatsApp.

Notably, third party chats on WhatsApp will reportedly support many essential features like sending messages, photos, videos, voice messages and documents, similar to how users can currently communicate with their contacts on the app.

Users will be able to sort their incoming messages either via a combined inbox or through a separate one for third party messages. They will also be able to customise the push notifications, media upload quality and in-app alerts for messages from other apps.

The only app supported by WhatsApp's interoperability feature is BirdyChat. Reportedly, WhatsApp will not directly select which apps to integrate in the interoperability settings and instead third party developers would have to work on the integration and submit a request to be included.

Reportedly, only the apps which meet WhatsApp's strict security and encryption requirements will be included to ensure that users' conversations remain protected.

The report notes that it is expected that WhatsApp could receive more integration requests in the future including from apps like ChatGPT. Notably, the AI platform had already rolled out a Group Chats feature to allow multiple users to have a conversation with its AI, similar to the feature already offered by WhatsApp.
The new episode of Saturday Night Live is here, and it jumped straight into the controversy surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein emails.

Saturday Night Live takes a dig at Trump over Epstein emails In its latest cold open, James Austin Johnson, who is essaying the role of President Donald Trump, seemingly attempted to defend his version of the US President after the House Oversight Committee released emails linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein earlier this week.

Trumps name surfaced in the exchanges, with Epstein claiming the president knew about the girls, a charge Trump has denied while distancing himself from Epsteins trafficking crimes, reported USA Today.

What happened in SNL latest episode The latest SNL sketch unfolded at a mock White House press briefing, kick-starting with press secretary Karoline Leavitt (played by Ashley Padilla). She is seen insisting, There was no news this week, nothing happening with the president, no weird information was revealed! Reporters immediately pounced, demanding answers as to why Trumps name appeared in the alleged emails. Padillas version of Leavitt refused to budge, repeating that the president had done nothing wrong.

If anything, his crime was loving too much, and possibly too young, she said in the satire.

Donald Trump on Epstein mails Johnsons Trump eventually took over the podium, declaring he is hiding almost nothing about Epstein. Just enough to make it extremely suspicious.

He added, Jeffrey Epstein, I barely knew the guy, OK? As evidenced by the thousands of pictures of us together, dancing and grinding our teeth at various parties, always leering and pointing at something just off camera  probably a book we're excited to read.

The cold open also played with one particularly eyebrow-raising email in which Epsteins brother asks if Russian President Vladimir Putin had the photo of Trump blowing Bubba.

SNL's Trump sells Epstein emails for $800 Referring to the claims, Johnsons Trump announced he was now selling one of a kind gold-framed printouts of the Epstein emails for $800.

It makes a great stocking stuffer, he said. I just ordered the one that says, 'Does Putin have the photo of Trump blowing Bubba?' We love that one."

The sketch wrapped with Trump pardoning a turkey for Thanksgiving, who, according to him, by complete coincidence, is a convicted sex criminal.

Glen Powell hosted the Nov 15 episode of Saturday Night Live. It marked Powells hosting debut at SNL after a cameo in 2024 when his 'Anyone But You' co-star Sydney Sweeney headlined the episode. Olivia Dean served as the musical guest.

Also Read | Comedian Bill Maher mocks Trump amid renewed political battle over Epstein files

Last week's SNL episode Only a week earlier, SNL opened with another Trump-centric sketch with

James Austin Johnson. The episode was a spoof of the viral moment a drug company representative fainted behind the US President during a White House event. Johnsons Trump insisted his reaction was very normal, as he chose to stand there and stare like a sociopath.
After the latest release of thousands of documents connected to Jeffrey Epstein, an email from Epsteins brother, Mark, asking whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has the photos of Trump blowing Bubba, led to the emergence of a new phrase, Donica Lewinsky", which has been making the rounds on social media.

The email sparked widespread online speculation, with many people assuming Bubba referred to former US President Bill Clinton, a nickname he is well known by.

Know about Donica Lewinsky Donica Lewinsky is apparently a play on Monica Lewinsky who was a White House Secretary in the mid-1990s and had an affair with former President Clinton between 1995 and 1997. When Clinton eventually admitted to the relationship, intense public attention shifted onto Lewinsky and the episode became widely called as the ClintonLewinsky scandal.

Also Read | Epstein survivors demand DOJ unseal remaining files amid Trump mentions

Internet reacts One of the social media users said, Trump gave him that Donica Lewinsky. Another mentioned, "Calling that man Donica Lewinsky is wild. Meanwhile, a Donica Lewinsky account has been made on X, with the bio stating, He didnt call it Big Beautiful Bill for nuttin.

View full Image (X/@Donica_Lewinsky)

Trump, on Truth Social, stated that he was requesting Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Department of Justice, and the FBI to look into Jeffrey Epsteins involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions, to determine what was going on with them, and him".

Later, Bondi commented on X: Thank you, Mr. President. SDNY U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton is one of the most capable and trusted prosecutors in the country, and Ive asked him to take the lead. As with all matters, the Department will pursue this with urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people.
The path to retirement is different for everyone, but one financial truth applies to all: knowing when to invest or focus on earning a higher income. While there are several strategies for building wealth and investing, the key is in timing, which may depend on your age.

Trending Now: Who Americans Trust for Financial Advice in 2025  and Why It Varies by Age and Income

Read Next: 6 Clever Ways To Pocket an Extra $1K This Month

Financial goals evolve during different stages of life and what makes sense for Gen Z might not be the priority for millennials when it comes to preparing for retirement. As 2026 approaches, finance experts weigh in on what each generation should prioritize  building net worth through investing, increasing income or a balance of both.

Gen Z (Born 1997 to 2012)

Gen Z, roughly aged 13 to 18, is the youngest working generation, just beginning their careers in the workforce. While this group has the most time to save for retirement, finance expert Ramona Ortega, founder of THRIVE Campaign and WealthBuild.ai, believes Gen Z should focus on investing.

Get the highest paying job you can get to set the floor for future negotiations, then aggressively invest using a Roth IRA and 401k [plan], she said.

Investing early helps you earn more with compound interest, allowing you to take on more risk and develop good financial habits. This chapter is also the time to build a high credit score, because a good credit score will save you money over the long run, especially in big asset purchases like a house, Ortega said.

Discover More: What Class Do You Actually Belong To? The Income Breakdown Might Shock You

Additionally, its also vital to explore whats important and meaningful at any phase of life, according to estate planning attorney Kevin Quinn.

If you can connect your purpose with your job, you will be more valuable than if you are just doing something to be able to earn a living, Quinn said. It is important to connect your purpose to what you do on a daily basis. The purpose of building wealth allows you to organize your time.

Millennials (Born 1981 to 1996)

Millennials, aged 29 to 44, are the second-youngest generation in the workforce and are typically well-established in mid-career roles, balancing family responsibilities and facing financial pressures. As they move into their 40s, challenges such as lifestyle costs, larger mortgages and college funds can arise and limit how much salary alone can support future wealth.

According to Ortega, millennials should not lose sight of either investing or increasing income.
Longford business, Scopey, recently featured in the Business Posts HOT 100 Start Ups. The company, founded in 2022, is already making waves for using AI to turn WhatsApp messages and voice notes from busy sites into structured data for the office.



The company was founded by Jenna Farrell, Daragh OShea and Gillian Laging, and the Business Post outlines that the company focuses on capturing on-site communications so teams can keep accurate records without changing how they already work.

PICTURES | Having an absolute Ball: Style and glamour on a Saturday night out in Longford



The idea behind Scopey is to make smaller business project information to be easy to access and act on. Supervisors can message or send a voice note to Scopey, just like a team member, and Scopey replies to gather key information, helping get the right details each time.



Scopey is showing how innovation, technology and efficiency can be used to make a productive workflow and Jenna Farrell explained it was 'a nice surprise one morning' when one of her friends in Longford sent her to a link to the Business Post article.

Also read: Longford startup selected to showcase Irish tech at Web Summit 2024 in Lisbon



It was exciting to see, she said when asked about her reaction to the Business Post listing.



The great, hard work is paying off alongside such other great start-ups. I know a lot of those people from the start-up world as well.



Pivoting the company to construction companies and how they work, Jenna has called the change an exciting journey to change the product of what Scopey is. By using tools like AI and WhatsApp that people are familiar with, she discussed how this is the direction that software is going.



I think that AI changes the way we work and the way we use software. Thats why using chat interfaces is a really exciting approach that we can take. People do things a lot faster with ChatGPT. Thats how we expect our software to work now, with chat approaches. That is what were doing with Scopey.

PICTURES | Hollywood glamour on the red carpet in Longford as silver screen stars roll into town



Although artificial intelligence creates topical debates on affecting jobs or creative industries, Jenna explored the positive aspects of it. Rather than have work hindered by smaller tasks, AI is allowing people to focus on important work. The benefits of AI like speed have caught her attention, especially when it is used in the correct way.

Were excited to work with large construction companies in Ireland, the UK and Australia who are interested in piloting Scopey.
Israeli law enforcement recovers a pistol at the home of a suspect tied to the Islamic State. (Israel Police)

On November 14, the Shin Bet intelligence agency and the Israel Police arrested four residents of East Jerusalems Beit Safafa neighborhood on charges of having ties to the Islamic State and planning terrorist attacks against Jews. According to the agency, the four suspects purchased weapons to prepare for the great war at the end of days against Jews.

The arrest on these charges is not an isolated incident. FDDs Long War Journal has noted a growing pattern of Arab residents of Israel and the West Bank plotting attacks against Jews, either on behalf of the Islamic State or after being inspired by the groups ideology.

Two days before the arrest of the four Beit Safafa residents, authorities charged an 18-year-old Israeli Arab from the triangle region of Arab towns east of Netanya who had been taken into custody by law enforcement last month for planning to carry out an attack inspired by the Islamic State. The suspect was reported to have sought information on how to manufacture explosives and had communicated with Islamic State operatives abroad.

On September 30, the Shin Bet and the Israel Police announced that, in recent weeks, they had arrested Issa Maadi, an Israeli Arab from Acre who planned to attack Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers with an improved explosive device at a bus stop on behalf of the Islamic State, Ynet reported.

The September Ynet report noted that since the start of the year, the Shin Bet had detained 42 Israeli Arabs who identified with the Islamic State.

In May, The Jerusalem Post also reported that Israels defense establishment warned of a sharp rise in involvement by Israeli Arabs in the Islamic State and armed Palestinian factions operating in the northern West Bank. The Shin Bet said it had uncovered and arrested more than 15 cells since the beginning of the year, most of them composed of Israeli Arabs who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Officials said the arrests reflected a growing trend of terrorist activity driven by online radicalization.

A senior defense official said that most of the new Islamic State-linked groups consist of teenagers and young adults and represent one of two main channels of emerging activity identified in recent months, Ynet reported.

Jews have not been the only potential victims of suspects associated with the Islamic State. In April 2024, the Palestinian Authority dismantled an Islamic State cell in the northern West Bank that reportedly planned to target the Palestinian Authoritys headquarters in the territory. Palestinian forces discovered a car bomb and several mortar shells in the cells possession.

While Israeli authorities have successfully thwarted planned attacks by suspects who had been inspired by or pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, some plots have been successfully carried out.

One of the most notable acts in recent years was perpetrated by Ayman and Khaled Ighbariya in Hadera in northern Israel. On March 27, 2022, the jihadists gunned down two police officers and wounded 12 people before they were shot dead by law enforcement.

Taken together, the arrests in East Jerusalem, the Triangle, and Acre, along with other Islamic Statelinked cases, point to a steady uptick in jihadist activity across Israel and the West Bank. While the Islamic State has explicitly called on followers to carry out attacks against Jews, some of the recent plots were inspired by the group rather than directed by it.

Most of the planned attacks have been disrupted by Israeli authorities, but security officials caution that online radicalization will continue to drive the threat.

Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD's Long War Journal focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and non-state actors in the Middle East.
The Sino-Dutch row over the control of the Chinese-owned, Netherlands-based chipmaker Nexperia deepened on Friday, as the company's China units accused the head office of "malicious sabotage" and "shirking responsibilities".

This latest development threatened to put at risk a meeting between the Dutch and Chinese sides early next week in Beijing. The Netherlands' Minister of Economic Affairs, Vincent Karremans, on Thursday said the dialogue was aimed at finding a "mutually agreeable solution" to the dispute.

In a joint letter sent on Friday by Nexperia's nine units on the mainland to all employees of the Dutch chipmaker, they slammed senior management for "maliciously sabotaging Nexperia China's production and operations" by suspending wafer supplies, casting doubt on the quality of its products and failing to provide agreed-upon funding and support.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

The Dutch government "has yet to take any concrete action to cease infringing upon the lawful rights and interests of Chinese enterprises or to restore stability to the global semiconductor supply chain", according to the letter.

The letter was apparently in response to a letter that the Dutch-installed Nexperia CEO, Stefan Tilger, sent to the chipmaker's China employees on November 12.

Bikes are parked next to Nexperia China's factory in Dongguan, southern Guangdong province. Photo: Reuters alt=Bikes are parked next to Nexperia China's factory in Dongguan, southern Guangdong province. Photo: Reuters>

The content of Tilger's letter was not disclosed, but the Chinese team has said that it "distorted the facts and attempted to confuse the issue, which fully reflected the attitude of certain members of the management team at Nexperia Netherlands, who are shirking responsibility and disregarding the vital interests of all employees at Nexperia China".

A Nexperia spokesman said on Friday that the letter was internal and could not be shared.

Nexperia China, which runs the chipmaker's largest assembly and testing plant in Dongguan, southern Guangdong province, said in Friday's letter that it was "actively pursuing production self-rescue" and strived "to maintain the orderly development of all production and business operations, while cooperating with the Chinese government's requirements to resume exports for civilian purposes".
Throughout our planet there are a myriad of animal species, to the point that some of them are still appearing completely unknown. In this regard, images have been captured of a herd of a species considered almost extinct and of the last wild horses in the world. It is a herd of kulans, detected by hidden camera traps in the Altyn-Emel National Park in Kazakhstan, and they are endangered, as it appeared in 2004 on the IUCN Red List.

What are kulans, the herd of horses that is almost extinct and one of the last wild horses in the world

Serena Williams turns traffic into skincare time

Kulans are a subspecies of the Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus), belonging to the same genus as horses, donkeys and zebras. In Kazakhstan, kulans were virtually extinct in the early 20th century, as reported by Kazinform International News Agency.

In this way, thanks to the efforts of experts to reintroduce them into the wild, the kulan are making a comeback, having recently been detected in Kazakhstan's Altyn-Emel National Park thanks to these hidden cameras.

These cameras are easy to place, documenting presence, population, habits and migratory patterns. They are compact in design, with a non-invasive and cost-effective method that benefits reintroduction efforts.

Kulans are much more than just a species, as they are herbivores of great ecological importance, as their feeding habits can affect the dry biomass of the steppe, thus reducing the likelihood of wildfires, according to the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS).

As this organisation explains, kulans are a cultural symbol of Central Asian identity, being a vital part of regional history and folklore. Thus, their reintroduction seems to be more than a success due to the sighting in Kazakhstan's Altyn-Emel National Park.
A lottery player in Massachusetts won a $25,000-a-year-for-life prize on Saturday.

The prize was won from the daily Lucky for Life drawing held on Nov. 15. The winning numbers for the drawing were: 16, 29, 32, 33, and 37 with Lucky Ball: 16.

The winning ticket was purchased from Georges Variety in Millville.

The odds of winning $25,000 a year for life are 1 in 1,813,027. Lucky for Life drawings are held seven days a week and tickets cost $2 to play.

Overall, at least 299 prizes worth $600 or more were won or claimed in Massachusetts on Saturday, including seven in Springfield, five in Worcester and 53 in Boston.

The Massachusetts State Lottery releases a full list of winning tickets every day. The list only includes winning tickets worth more than $600.

The largest lottery prize won so far this year was worth $1 million a year for life, from a winning Lifetime Millions scratch ticket sold in Springfield and claimed in July.
A Wakefield man recently pleaded guilty to a charge he faced after being accused of trying to help ISIS raise money when he was a teenager, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorneys Office.

Mateo Ventura, 20, pleaded guilty on Oct. 15 to one count of concealment of financing of terrorism, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorneys Office wrote in a press release not made public until Nov. 13, after the federal government reopened from a 43-day shutdown.

Ventura, who was 18 at the time, had been charged by complaint in June 2023 and a federal grand jury indicted him in October 2023.

In June 2023, Ventura gave out multiple gift cards to someone he believed was a supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), according to charging documents. Authorities have said Ventura began communicating with an undercover FBI informant in August 2021, before his 18th birthday, indicating he wanted to make hijrah, which an FBI special agent noted in the complaint references joining the fight with ISIS overseas.

The gift cards, which were intended to be sold on the dark web for less than face value, would result in profits used to support ISIS, authorities said.

Between January and May 2023, Ventura donated $705, according to the documents.

At a detention hearing in June 2023, Ventura was ordered into mental health treatment. One week later, he appeared in court again, after an incident in which he left the treatment facility, federal court records showed.

At his most recent hearing, U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper set Venturas sentencing for Jan. 8, 2026.

Ventura could face up to 10 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.
When Lisa Almeida began struggling to get enough hours at work in 2019, she began to fall behind on her rent.

The single mom of two, a visiting nurse, was already living in an income-restricted affordable apartment in Somerville that she had won through a competitive lottery five years before. But soon, she began to struggle to pay even the below-market-rate rent, and her landlord, AvalonBay Communities, filed to evict her.

With help from family and friends, Almeida was able to scrounge up the money to catch up on payments, and the eviction case was dismissed. But when the next months rent came due, she was surprised to see an additional line item on the bill: $150 for Legal Costs/Evictions.

Thus began a cycle where Almeida, trying to pay what she owed, would once again fall behind and receive yet another eviction filing, then be charged for her landlords court costs even after paying what she owed.

That cycle was illegal, according to a class action lawsuit she has now filed against the national real estate company on behalf of herself and what her attorneys believe could be hundreds, or even thousands, of tenants like her.

I was just very scared, she said. Every time took from everyday necessities, cutting back on utility bills or food or whatever it was, it just set me back. Even though I was able to pay it, I would reach that same cycle again.

AvalonBay Communities did not respond to a request for comment for this story, nor has the company filed any response to the lawsuit as of Friday afternoon.

Read more: Springfield housing advocates praise new law that seals eviction records

What happened in the case?

Avalon at Assembly Row was one of the first buildings completed at Assembly Row, a multi-use development that opened in the mid-2010s. Today, the complex includes more than 1,000 apartments, a movie theater, retail and restaurants, all steps away from the Assembly MBTA station.

In 2014, when the Avalon was opening, the property owners held a lottery for the handful of the apartments that were restricted to residents making up to either 40% or 80% of the area median income (AMI). Almeida fell into the 80% AMI category and said she was very excited for the opportunity to live in one of the brand-new units on the fourth floor of the shiny, new community.

According to court records, Almeidas rent at the time for her two-bedroom unit was $1,413 per month plus utilities, as allowed by federal law for income-restricted units. Today, a market-rate unit of that size starts at $4,254, according to the buildings website.

But a few years later, in 2019, her trouble began. Almeida said she tried to talk to the property managers about a way to avoid an eviction case, but they were not on board and sent her a notice to quit, the first step in filing an eviction, as soon as she was late.

It was when she was trying to gather funds to pay what she owed  known as curing an eviction  that she noticed the extra fees she was being charged by AvalonBay, which provided no invoice or further explanation of what they represented. Any money she sent the landlord went first to the fees, so even if she tried to pay her rent first, she would still be behind.

Things only got worse during the pandemic, when fewer people wanted a nurse coming directly to her home, and her limited hours began to be cut further.

I was doing my best to pay it, she said. I was also reaching out to family and friends and I was just really stressed out about getting evicted. I didnt know what that process was like.

Avalon at Assembly Row apartments in Somerville. (Trea Lavery/MassLive)

Regulating legal fees

Almeidas lease with AvalonBay contained a clause saying that in the event she defaulted on her rent, she would be required to pay all costs and fees, including attorneys fees, litigation and collection costs that [AvalonBay] incur[s] ... to the fullest extent of the law.

But according to Almeidas legal team, what AvalonBay charged her went far beyond Massachusetts law.

Under state law, a clause like the one in Almeidas lease also implies that if the tenant wins a case, filed by either party, against the landlord, the landlord will then owe legal costs to the tenant. Almeidas legal team argued in their lawsuit that the opposite is also true, and that the landlord must win a case to be able to charge the tenant legal fees.

State law also says either party must specifically petition the court to be awarded legal fees and have a judge approve that request.

According to state data cited in the lawsuit, from 2011 to 2019, only 1,240 of the approximately 250,000 eviction cases filed in Massachusetts Housing Court included a petition for attorneys fees  less than 1%.

Not only did AvalonBay not win an eviction case against Almeida, as she was always able to pay or get help to pay what she owed, the company never filed a petition for attorneys fees. But between 2019 and 2021, the company charged Almeida a total of $2,344.40 in eviction-related legal costs, according to court documents.

In eviction cases, its really these large corporate landlords that are engaging in this practice, said Greater Boston Legal Services Senior Attorney Courtney Libon, who is representing Almeida. There was never a finding of anything against her. And yet still, shes paying for this large corporations attorneys fees.

Also on the legal team are attorneys from the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School, Bryson, Harris, Suciu & Demay PLLC, and Maginnis Howard.

Read more: Meet the volunteer lawyers trying to protect Boston tenants from eviction

In any eviction case, a tenant has the right to argue defenses and counterclaims against their landlord, which could stop the eviction or even result in the landlord owing money to the tenant if they are successful. But Almeidas attorneys say AvalonBays actions discourage tenants from mounting a defense, which would drag out a case and therefore heighten what the company charges them.

Tenants must make the choice of asserting their right to defend against their eviction case and face a significant bill for Eviction Fees or not assert their defenses at all, they wrote in the complaint.

Libon said the goal of the lawsuit, filed in federal court last month, is to change this practice, for both AvalonBay and any other landlords with similar policies.

Attorney fees need to be very clearly regulated by a court, she said. Thats how its been for virtually every other court case where attorney fees are at issue. But for some reason, here, these landlords think they can just surpass that whole process and just charge the tenants.

Avalon at Assembly Row apartments in Somerville. (Trea Lavery/MassLive)

Thousands of potential victims

In early 2022, Almeida applied for and won another affordable housing lottery for an apartment on Broadway in Somerville. She lives there with her daughter, 14, and son, 22.

I just didnt feel secure there, although I did love the apartment and the area itself, she said of her former unit in the Avalon at Assembly Row.

Its not clear how many other tenants may be in the same position, or have been affected in the past, as most  Almeida included  likely didnt know the fees were illegal.

Read more: Boston launches free legal aid program for families facing eviction

AvalonBay owns more than 97,000 apartments in 11 states and Washington, D.C. In Massachusetts, the company has at least 34 properties in 23 cities and towns.

And with most of those tenants signing onto the same form lease that the company used for its agreement with Almeida, her attorneys believe there could be thousands of others who could be included in the class action case.

For her part, Almeida just hopes other tenants dont have to experience what she did.

I just really want transparency, and I think they should be held accountable, she said. Many single parents like myself may not have had family or resources to reach out to like I did. I just want to put an end to this.
A former employee with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection pleaded guilty last month to providing a drug-laced paper to a federal prison inmate at FMC Devens, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

In turn, the inmate was granted clemency in January, reducing his 2022 federal prison sentence on drug distribution charges.

Tasha Hammock, 43, the former state employee, pleaded guilty to providing contraband to a prison inmate. She is accused by federal authorities of providing a form of a synthetic cannabinoid, also known as K2, to the inmate.

Hammock was originally indicted in March 2025 with co-conspirator Raymond Gaines, who is a federal inmate at FMC Devens and his case remains pending.

Hammock admitted that on Aug. 18, 2024, while visiting Gaines in prison, she surreptitiously gave K2-laced papers to Gaines. She was employed with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection at the time.

Court documents state that K2 is an ongoing issue at FMC Devens, where inmates have gotten sick from smoking papers believed to be laced with K2, as well as prison staff who have been exposed to secondary smoke.

In February 2022, Gaines was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court in Boston to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possessing a gun in furtherance of drug trafficking.

On Jan. 17, he received an Executive Grant of Clemency, which reduced his federal sentence to five years in prison.

Hammock is set to be sentenced in federal court on Jan. 16, 2026.
A man living in Milford was sentenced last month to three years in prison for selling several guns and ammunition without a license.

Vanderson Rocha Oliveira, 31, a Brazilian national, was sentenced by a federal judge in Massachusetts on Oct. 7. His sentencing includes three years in prison and two years of supervised release.

In July 2025, he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to engage in the business of dealing firearms without a license and one count of engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office of Massachusetts.

Between March and September 2024, Rocha Oliveira sold 11 guns to cooperating witnesses without the required license, officials said.

Three more guns were shipped from Florida that were intercepted by law enforcement.

Rocha Oliveira conspired with others to deliver the guns and to obtain them in Florida, officials said.

He also sold ammunition and magazines, some of which were large capacity magazines, officials said.
FILE - President Donald Trump arrives and walks by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., to address a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) AP

President Donald Trump said he is withdrawing his support of a Republican who has been one of his fiercest defenders as a feud escalates over the Jeffrey Epstein files.

On Friday, Trump called Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene a ranting lunatic, wacky and suggested he would support the right person should they run against her in a Georgia Republican primary on the social media site Truth Social.

The following day, Trump wrote on social media: Marjorie Traitor Green [sic] is a disgrace to our GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY!

The public feud has escalated in recent days over his administrations handling of the Epstein files as the House considers whether to release them.

Speaker Mike Johnson said he would put the bill to a vote this upcoming week.

On Saturday, Greene took to social media herself to respond to the presidents statements.

I am now being contacted by private security firms with warnings for my safety as a hot bed of threats against me are being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world, Greene wrote on X.com. The man I supported and helped get elected."

Aggressive rhetoric attacking me has historically led to death threats and multiple convictions of men who were radicalized by the same type rhetoric being directed at me right now. This time by the President of the United States, she added in a lengthy post.

She also appeared on CNNs State of the Union on Sunday, telling Dana Bash that the feud has all come down to the Epstein files.

I believe the country deserves transparency in these files, and I dont believe that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have done anything wrong, she said.

I have no idea whats in the files. I cant even guess, Greene added. But that is the question everyone is asking is why fight this so hard?

Greene also said that the president calling her a traitor was hurtful in a social media post.

The bill, known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, would make the Justice Department release all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials related to Epstein.
Massachusetts will see a windy Sunday as a cold front moves into the region, bringing an end to morning rain and causing temperatures to drop in the afternoon.

Gusts of 30 to 40 mph are expected across much of the state, and potentially stronger gusts up to 45 mph in higher terrain areas such as the Berkshires and Worcester Hills, according to the National Weather Service.

Skies are expected to clear after overnight showers for partly or mostly sunny conditions.

Temperatures will be around 50 degrees along the coast; around 40 degrees throughout the state, before steadily falling through the afternoon.

In Western Massachusetts, particularly the Berkshires, theres a likelihood of rain showers with a potential for snow showers in the afternoon as cold air moves into the region.

Northwestern Franklin County has a potential for localized snow accumulations of an inch or two on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.

Wind chills will drop temperatures noticeably throughout the day, dropping into the teens and lower 20s by Monday morning.

Overnight lows will range from the mid-20s to the lower 30s across the state.

Temperatures are expected to be about 10 degrees below normal on Monday, with highs only reaching the mid-30s to lower 40s.

Local forecasts for Sunday:
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By Georgina McCartney

HOUSTON (Reuters) -Oil prices settled more than 2% higher on Friday as Russia's port of Novorossiisk halted oil exports following a Ukrainian drone attack that hit an oil depot in the Russian energy hub, stoking supply concerns.

Brent crude futures settled up $1.38, or 2.19%, at $64.39 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled up $1.40, or 2.39%, at $60.09 a barrel.

Brent rose 1.2% on the week, and WTI posted a weekly gain of around 0.6%.

Friday's attack damaged a ship in port, apartment blocks and an oil depot in Novorossiisk, injuring three of the vessel's crew, Russian officials said.

"The hit on that Russian terminal was huge and seems to have had a bigger impact than previous attacks," said Phil Flynn, senior analyst with Price Futures Group.

PORT EXPORTS 2% OF GLOBAL SUPPLY

The Russian port of Novorossiisk paused oil exports, equivalent to 2.2 million barrels per day, or 2% of global supply, and oil pipeline monopoly Transneft suspended crude supplies to the outlet, two industry sources told Reuters.

"The intensity of these attacks has increased; it's much more often. Eventually, they could hit something that causes lasting disruption," said Giovanni Staunovo, commodity analyst at UBS.

Ukraine on Friday said it separately struck an oil refinery in Russia's Saratov region and a fuel storage facility in nearby Engels overnight.

Investors are trying to assess the impact of the latest attacks and what they mean for Russian supply longer term, he said.

Investors are also watching the impact of Western sanctions on Russian oil supply and trade flows.

Britain on Friday issued a special licence allowing businesses to continue working with two Bulgarian subsidiaries of sanctioned Russian oil firm Lukoil, as the Bulgarian government seized control of the assets.

The U.S. imposed sanctions banning deals with Russian oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft after November 21 as part of efforts to bring the Kremlin to peace talks over Ukraine.

About 1.4 million bpd of Russia's oil, or almost a third of seaborne export potential, has been added to stocks held on tankers as unloading slows due to the U.S. sanctions against Rosneft and Lukoil, JPMorgan said on Thursday.

Unloading cargoes could become much more challenging after the November 21 cut-off to receive oil supplied by the companies, the bank added.

Meanwhile, the number of rigs drilling for oil in the United States rose by 3 to 417 in the week to November 14, data from oil services firm Baker Hughes showed on Friday.

(Reporting by Georgina McCartney in Houston, Anna Hirtenstein and Robert Harvey in London. Additional reporting by Sam Li in Beijing and Siyi Liu in Singapore; Editing by Jan Harvey, Louise Heavens, Rod Nickel and Diane Craft)
The majority of the historic Castlebar Barracks site is set to be transformed into a state-of-the-art college of further education following Mayo County Council's approval of its sale to the Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board (MSLETB).

The ambitious redevelopment will see almost 2 hectares of the 2.4 hectare barracks site converted into a modern educational facility offering courses in agriculture, science, healthcare, humanities, mechanics and biopharma. The college will also feature dedicated spaces for engineering, hairdressing and beauty therapy programmes.

With capacity for over 1,000 students each year, the facility will also offer extended evening and weekend classes, addressing the need for skilled tradespeople in the region.

Councillors welcomed the development with enthusiasm at the monthly Mayo County Council meeting.

Cllr Blackie Gavin described it as "one of the best news stories to come out of this chamber," adding: "We can't afford to lose this for Castlebar, not alone for Castlebar but for the people of this county. People won't have to go to Athlone, Letterkenny  we'll be able to keep our own. This state is crying out for tradespeople."

Cllr Al McDonnell called it "one of the most exciting projects before this council in many years."

Cllr Harry Barrett emphasised the wider impact of the development: "Over a thousand students will put Castlebar on the map as a third level town. It will involve enhanced connectivity.

Cllr McDonnell proposed that if nothing is done within three years, the site reverts back to Mayo County Council.

Cllr Harry Barrett urged that the Council have to be thorough on timelines  we should impose clear deadlines for planning, appointing contractors, and regular progress reports to ensure this maintains momentum."

Cllr Kilcoyne noted that if you don't get timelines, things will drift  not here  but in Dublin.

However, Catherine McConnell, Director of Services, told councillors: "Once it's sold, it is not Mayo County Council's property. The two blocks we are retaining are integral. This is the jewel in the crown of Castlebar."

She also noted that MSLETB is a semi-state body and so the three year time limit would be very onerous.

READ MORE: Veteran Mayo County Council official retires after 41 years service

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
Westport is poised for a transformational boost with the confirmation that the Western Rail Corridor project will proceed, marking what local campaigners are calling a "game changer" for the town and the wider region, The Westport Tourism Organisation AGM was told.

Minister Sean Canney recently announced that the long-awaited project will go ahead, with further details expected from the Department of Transport before the end of the month.

Colman O Raghallaigh, a prominent campaigner for the railway's restoration, outlined the ambitious timeline for the project. "We expect that the project will begin with enabling works, because the whole line will need to be cleared, bushes and all that cut back, and trees removed, and all of that," he explained.

The scale of preparatory work is substantial. The entire 34-mile route will require comprehensive fencingtotalling 68 milesand a bridge at Ballyglunin, which was removed during road development, must be rebuilt. These enabling works alone are expected to take approximately 18 months before major reconstruction funding comes on stream.

"We are confident that it will be finished by 2030 and the department is expected to confirm that," Mr O Raghallaigh said.

Damien Cashin, Westport Marina Working Group, Donal O'Shea, Chair of The Westport Tourism Organisation, Minister of State Alan Dillon, Colman O Raghallaigh, West on Track, Michael Hegarty, Geopark manager, Joyce Country Geopark Project. (photo: Frank Dolan)

Discussions underway about direct services between Westport and Galway when the line opens. At minimum, connections will be available at Claremorris for passengers traveling on the Westport-Dublin train to change for Galway.

The economic potential is significant. Dr John Bradley, one of the key figures in the campaign, estimated that between 60,000 to 70,000 visitors currently going to Galway could be accommodated in Westport if brought by rail.

"It will be a game changer, transformational for many towns and people here in the west of Ireland, our students, our sick people, our workers, all the different people who wish to commute, it will make a massive difference to us," Mr O Raghallaigh emphasized.

Speaking at Friday's meeting, Rose Conway Walsh TD drew parallels between the railway campaign and other landmark western developments. "Monsignor Horan will always be synonymous with Knock. Micheal Mac Greil and Dr John Bradley, and indeed, Coleman himself, will always be synonymous with the Western rail corridor," she said.

Mr O Raghallaigh paid tribute to both Micheal Mac Greil and Dr Bradley, who were "intimately involved with the campaign" and "have done and contributed an enormous amount to the progress that has been made in bringing this to reality."

Echoing words from Father Mac Greil, Mr O Raghallaigh highlighted the deeper significance of the project: "As Father Mac Greil always said, the railway goes into the heart of every town, and when we get that railway back, we will be putting towns back on the national primary transport infrastructure that has been deprived of that designation for years, both in road and rail."

The restoration of the Western Rail Corridor represents not just improved connectivity, but the return of towns along the route to Ireland's primary transport network after years of isolation.

READ MORE: Potential rail connection to Ireland West Airport gamechanger, says Mayo councillor

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
Consumers across Ireland are being advised that leading retailer Penneys has recalled hundreds of baby soothers following the discovery of a choking risk.

In a public notice, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission says the impacted products are a 2pk Baby Bear Soother Clip and a 2pk Balloon Soother Clip.

"The products present a choking risk. The products are not fully compliant with the relevant safety standards specific to soother clips," reads the notice.

READ NEXT: ALERT: Gardai issue urgent appeal as missing girl, 15, is spotted in Dublin

Product details:

The 2pk Baby Bear Soother Clip barcode is 5397338449973. The 2pk Balloon Soother Clip barcode is 5397257874849. The 2pk Baby Bear Soother Clip has Kimball no. 69489 and the 2pk Balloon Soother Clip has Kimball no. 80010.

According to the CCPC, there are approximately 114 affected products of the 2pk Baby Bear Soother Clip and approximately 459 affected products of the 2pk Balloon Soother Clip.

"The products were sold in Penneys/Primark stores in Ireland between June 2025 and August 2025 (Baby Bear) and between March 2025 and September 2025 (Balloon)," reads the notice.

What to do:

Customers who purchased either of the impacted products are being advised to discontinue use immediately and to keep them out of the reach of children.

Any of the impacted products can be returned to any Penneys/Primark store for a full refund.

For further information on this recall, please contact Primark by emaiin help.ie@help.primark.com
Key Points

After a rapid rise, Eli Lilly needs only an 11% gain to hit $1 trillion in market value.

Revenue is expected to rise 26% next year, helped by its weight-loss products.

If Eli Lilly hits current projections, a $1 trillion valuation for the stock is assured.

10 stocks we like better than Eli Lilly 

The $1 trillion club in the stock market is exclusive. Only 10 companies currently make the cut on U.S. exchanges, with members making up some of the best-known companies in the world, including Nvidia, Apple, and Microsoft.

Getting to the $1 trillion mark in market capitalization takes a lot of hard work and good fortune. The next company that I see hitting that barrier is closing in rapidly -- and I think it will join the trillion-dollar club within the next year.

A look at Eli Lilly

Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) is one of the world's best-known pharmaceutical companies, most popular in recent years due to its work in diabetes and weight loss treatments.

It is the maker of Mounjaro, which is the brand name of tirzepatide, as a treatment for type 2 diabetes; it also sells a version of tirzepatide under the name Zepbound for weight management. Both have massive growth windows -- in the third quarter Mounjaro sales increased $3.4 billion from a year ago to $6.5 billion, and Zepound sales increased $2.3 billion to $3.58 billion.

Make no mistake: Anti-obesity drugs are a huge opportunity for Eli Lilly. Federal government statistics estimate that 43.1% of the U.S. adult population is obese. Grand View Research estimates that the global anti-obesity drug market was $6.6 billion in 2023 and will reach $77.24 billion by 2030, for a compound annual growth rate of 31.66%.

Image source: Getty Images.

Eli Lilly has other drivers as well, such as Jaypirca, which is a treatment for leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma that generated $143 million in third-quarter revenue as total prescriptions rose 61% from a year ago. Ebglyss, which treats eczema, saw third-quarter sales of $127 million and prescriptions were up 41% from the second quarter. Sales of the cancer drug Verzenio accounted for $1.4 billion in sales, up 7% from a year ago.

But Zepound and Mounjaro have the biggest impact, accounting for $10.1 billion of the company's $17.6 billion in revenue for the third quarter. That helped Lilly see overall revenue jump 54% from a year ago, and earnings per share increase from $1.07 to $6.21.

Eli Lilly's road to $1 trillion

Eli Lilly is well on its way to the trillion-dollar club. The stock price is up 30% so far this year; with a total capitalization of $899 billion now, Lilly only needs another 11% gain to hit the $1 trillion mark.
MIAMI (AP)  In justifying American military strikes on boats suspected of smuggling drugs, President Donald Trump has asserted that the longtime U.S. strategy of interdicting such vessels at sea has been a major failure.

Weve been doing that for 30 years, he said last month, and its been totally ineffective.

Trumps comments came around the same time that the U.S. Coast Guard announced it had set a record for cocaine seizures  a haul of 225 metric tons of the drug over the previous year. That milestone, however, has not dissuaded the Republican president from upending decades of U.S. counternarcotics policy.

Under Trump, the U.S. military has blown up 20 suspected drug boats, resulting in 80 deaths, in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Trump and other top officials have contended that such boats are being operated by narco-terrorists and cartel members with deadly drugs bound for America.

The strikes have generated international pushback from foreign leaders, human rights groups, Democrats and some Republicans who have raised concerns that the United States is engaging in extrajudicial killings that undermine its stature in the world.

Veterans of the drug war, meanwhile, say U.S. resources would be better spent doubling down on the traditional approach of interdicting drug boats, especially in the long term. That is because crews of drug boats frequently have valuable intelligence that can help authorities better target cartels and trafficking networks. Dead men, they say, tell no tales.

The Coast Guard has fought the drug war a long time

The Coast Guard for decades has interdicted small vessels suspected of smuggling illicit narcotics. Much of that work is focused on halting shipments of cocaine, most of which is produced in the jungles of Colombia.

Working with partner nations and other federal agencies  the Drug Enforcement Administration, the departments of State and Justice as well as U.S. Southern Commands Joint Interagency Task Force-South in Key West, Florida  the aim is to inflict heavy losses on traffickers and limit the amount of drugs entering the U.S.

That campaign, by at least one measure, has never been more successful, despite constant complaints by the Coast Guard that it lacks funding to seize even more drugs.

The Coast Guard's recent record cocaine seizure was almost 40% higher than the past decade's annual average. The haul included 38 tons of cocaine offloaded by the cutter Hamilton when it returned from a two-month patrol. It was the largest amount confiscated by a single Coast Guard ship during a deployment, the Coast Guard reported. The interdictions have continued as part of whats known as Operation Pacific Viper even during the federal government shutdown, with several cutters reporting major seizures last month.

In almost every case, drug smugglers have been brought to the U.S. for prosecution, and valuable information about ever-changing smuggling routes and production methods was collected  all without any loss of life and a far lower cost to American taxpayers. Experts said each missile strike is likely to cost far more than the payload of cocaine on every ship.

The Coast Guard has extraordinary powers and authorities to do effective drug interdiction without killing unidentified people on small boats, said Douglas Farah, a national security expert on Latin America and president of IBI Consultants. When resourced, they are far more effective, sustainable and likely legal than the current Pentagon-led operations.

Trump administration officials say strategy needed to change

Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week defended the shift in strategy, saying that interdictions alone are not effective.

Interdictions have limited to no deterrent effect, he added. These drug organizations, theyve already baked in the fact they may lose 5% of their drug shipments. It doesnt stop them from coming."

Part of the problem is that demand for cocaine is high, and supplies have never been so robust, according to authorities and experts. A sign of that trend: Cocaine prices have been hovering at historical lows for more than a decade.

The Coast Guard also does not have enough vessels or crew to halt it all. At most, it seizes not even 10% of the cocaine that officials believe flows to the U.S. on small vessels through what is known as the Transit Zone  a vast area of open water larger than Russia.

Cocaine shipments bound for the U.S. primarily work their way up the west coast of South America to Central America and then overland into the U.S. via Mexico. Shipments heading to Europe are smuggled through the Caribbean, often hidden in container ships.

Such interdiction efforts target cocaine, not fentanyl

In social media posts, Trump has claimed that his strikes have blown up boats carrying fentanyl and that each destroyed vessel has saved 25,000 American lives. According to experts and former U.S. counternarcotics officials, Trumps statements are either exaggerations or false.

For the past decade, U.S. officials have sounded the alarm about rising overdose deaths in the U.S., particularly from opioids and synthetic opioids. Overdose deaths from opioids peaked in 2023 at 112,000 but dropped to 74,000 in April. Experts have attributed that decline mostly to Biden administration efforts to boost the availability of lifesaving drugs that prevent overdose deaths.

The drug flowing to the U.S. from South America is cocaine. Fentanyl, on the other hand, is typically trafficked to the U.S. overland from Mexico, where it is produced with chemicals imported from China and India. Cocaine overdose deaths are less frequent than those from fentanyl. In the last year, just under 20,000 people in America died from cocaine overdoses, federal data shows.

Trump and administration officials have also claimed that the crews of targeted vessels were narco-terrorists or members of cartels.

The Associated Press visited a region in Venezuela from which some of the suspected boats have departed and identified four men who were killed in the strikes. In dozens of interviews, residents of the region and relatives said t he dead men were mostly laborers or fisherman making $500 a trip.

Law enforcement officials and experts echoed those findings, saying the smugglers captured by the Coast Guard are hired for little money to ferry drugs from point A to point B.

They are hardly kingpins, said Kendra McSweeney, an Ohio State University geographer who has spent years researching U.S. drug policies.

Trump administration officials recently promoted big seizures

In April, months before Trump launched his military campaign, his attorney general, Pam Bondi, traveled to South Florida to welcome home the Coast Guard cutter James from its latest antinarcotics patrol. It had seized 20 tons of cocaine worth more than $500 million.

Flanked by FBI Director Kash Patel, she praised a prosecutor-led, intelligence driven approach to stopping these criminal enterprises in their tracks.

This is not a drop in the bucket, said Bondi, standing in front of the vessel loaded with colorful, plastic-wrapped bales of narcotics stacked several feet high. Behind you is half a billion dollars of pure, uncut cocaine.

___

Mustian reported from Natchitoches, Louisiana. Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.

___

Contact APs global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org or https://www.ap.org/tips/
American airpower was supposed to be untouchable in Vietnam. Instead, U.S. pilots found themselves struggling against smaller, more agile MiGs and losing more often than anyone expected. The decline in Americas air-to-air kill ratio revealed weaknesses that would change how the U.S. fought in the skies.

The U.S. lost over 2,000 fixed-wing aircraft during the war. Unlike World War II and Korea, where American aviators boasted an 8-to-1 kill-to-loss ratio, Vietnam saw that number fall; sometimes reported at less than 1-to-1.

So, what went wrong?

Poor Training of American Pilots

The Korean Wars impressive 8-to-1 kill ratio was earned by aviators who were overwhelmingly World War II veterans. But by the mid-1960s, many of those men had retired. The few who remained faced the impossible task of preparing a new generation to fight with unproven jets, unreliable missiles and restrictive rules of engagement. Dogfighting was even seen as a skill of the past.

Fighter-pilot schools like the Navys Top Gun did not exist yet. Planes like the F-4 Phantom and F-105 Thunderchief were still relatively untested in combat. The first pilots to fly them over Vietnam were essentially field-testing their aircraft in real fights, while North Vietnamese MiG-17, MiG-19 and MiG-21 pilots had years of experience and Soviet training behind them.

Early U.S. training also emphasized safety over realism, negating the ability for pilots to train under simulated battle conditions. Pilots also sparred against other F-4s instead of aircraft that could replicate MiGs. It took years before training programs introduced T-38s and F-5Es to simulate enemy planes.

A Navy F-4C Phantom II aircraft, the epitome of the third-generation of fighters, was considered a "workhorse" during the Vietnam War and was used by the Air Force, Navy and Marines. (DoD photo)

Technological Disadvantages Against the North Vietnamese

The Phantom, Americas primary fighter, was powerful but flawed. It had poor visibility to the sides and rear, left a smoke trail without afterburners, and couldnt match the tight-turning MiGs.

Its biggest shortfall? No gun. Designed as a Cold War interceptor meant to down Soviet bombers at long range, the F-4 relied entirely on missiles. Early air-to-air missiles were unreliable, with kill rates as low as 8 to 10 percent. Once a Phantom ran dry, it was virtually defenseless.

These issues meant that American aviators only had an edge while ambushing unsuspecting fighters, and if their missiles missed, things went sideways. MiG pilots had no such handicap  they carried cannons that could shred American fighters up close.

Other U.S. aircraft, like the F-105, may have been armed with a cannon, but were primarily used as bombers and struggled to go toe-to-toe with MiGs.

Underestimating the Enemy

Many U.S. pilots initially expected an easy fight against a third-rate air force. Instead, they ran into disciplined, Soviet-trained aviators who had been flying combat missions since the late 1940s.

The North Vietnamese also had strategic advantages as downed MiG pilots could often return to duty quickly. American pilots shot down over the North were usually captured or killed. MiG pilots also relied on early ground radar that allowed them to intercept American planes solely under ideal circumstances.

On top of that, U.S. aviators rotated home after one year or 100 missions. Their opponents stayed in the fight for the entire war, creating a stable core of North Vietnamese aces. The constant churn of inexperienced American pilots gave their adversaries a decisive edge.

Despite never fielding more than 70 combat-ready jets at a time, North Vietnam inflicted staggering losses. Nearly 40 percent of all U.S. F-4 Phantoms built were lost in the war.

A Vietnam War era F-4 Phantom with a show quality paint restoration, is on its way back to Holloman AFB after being painted at the Air National Guard, military aircraft paint facility at Sioux City, Iowa. This is the first active duty aircraft to be painted at the Iowa facility. The F-4 was the workhorse fighter bomber for both the Air Force and the Navy during the Vietnam War, primarily providing close air support. (U.S. Air National Guard Photo by Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot)

North Vietnamese Missile Threats

If American planners overestimated their own missiles, they underestimated the enemys. Soviet-supplied surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) wreaked havoc on U.S. planes.

North Vietnam received hundreds of SA-2 Guideline missiles, guided by radar, which tracked incoming aircraft and scored hundreds of kills.

American rules of engagement even prevented strikes on SAM batteries in populated areas, leaving pilots vulnerable to attacks they couldnt easily counter.

Tactical Inflexibility in the U.S. Military

The U.S. military prizes individual initiative, but its air campaigns in Vietnam often boxed aviators into rigid flight lanes and predictable patterns. North Vietnamese pilots learned these flight paths and often slipped behind U.S. formations with devastating results.

Another issue for American pilots was their strict rules of engagement which required visual confirmation of enemy aircraft before firing. This gave enemy pilots time to spot and react to U.S. planes.

Meanwhile, interservice rivalry hampered progress. The Navy eventually adopted more flexible formations and flight paths. While both services began using the new AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, each had differing opinions on the weapon.

The Navy eventually founded the Top Gun school to improve training, but only for naval aviators. Air Force pilots would not pursue new tactics until the final years of the war.

North Vietnamese Air Force MiG-17 pilots walk by their aircraft. The MiG-17 proved to be a deadly enemy for American pilots during the Vietnam War (U.S. Air Force photo)

What Counts as a Fighter?

Finally, the statistics themselves are misleading. Americas Korea-era 8-to-1 ratio counted only F-86 Sabre engagements on combat-air-patrol missions. In Vietnam, the numbers are different.

Losses of RF-101 reconnaissance planes, A-1 Skyraiders, EB-66 recon bombers, RC-47 transports and even HH-53 rescue helicopters all factored into the math. Meanwhile, communist pilots happily claimed these downed aircraft as victories.

When looking strictly at engagements during air-superiority missions, the picture changes. In 269 documented fighter-to-fighter battles, the U.S. Air Force fought 201 and the Navy 68. The Air Force lost 64 aircraft and the Navy 12, compared to around 193 enemy fighters shot down.

Initially, the Air Force managed only a 5.5-to-1 kill ratio, while the Navy claimed 6.4-to-1. But by 1973, improvements in training, missile technology and tactics pushed those numbers to 15-to-1 for the Air Force and 8.7-to-1 for the Navy.

The so-called 1-to-1 ratio has been repeated for decades, but its a myth. That figure includes everything from lost bombers to recon planes and even rescue helicopters. When it comes to fighter engagements, U.S. pilots were far more lethal than the numbers suggest.

Gun camera image from F-105 pilot Maj. Ralph Kuster Jr. as he scores a victory over a North Vietnamese MiG-17 on June 5, 1967. Although the U.S. suffered massive losses to aircraft during the Vietnam War, fighter pilots proved highly capable of taking on the communist pilots. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Lessons Learned and American Airpower Today

While American pilots did not perform as poorly as commonly thought, the experience reshaped U.S. airpower. Out of those hard lessons came AWACS, stealth technology, onboard sensors, more reliable weapons and better pilot training. Top Gun itself became legendary, shaping generations of naval aviators.

By the Gulf War, American planes dominated the skies, scoring 33 air-to-air kills with only one confirmed loss in return. Dogfights may or may not define the next major war, but the painful lessons of Vietnam still guide how America fights in the air today.
Fred Brown died a hero in Vietnam. The city he grew up in is hoping he will one day receive the recognition he deserves.

The Beginning of the Process

The initiative to honor Brown, a U.S. Army staff sergeant killed in action, began more than two years ago in Hamilton, Ohio. Brown, amid a chaotic firefight, rescued three injured soldiers and then flung his body onto a live grenade to spare the lives of more comrades.

Hamilton Mayor Pat Moeller marvels at Browns heroism. The more you read about him, the more you realize what this man did, and he deserves even more honors than that, Moeller told the Hamilton (Ohio) Journal News.

Moeller and city officials feel strongly that Brown deserves the militarys highest award  the Medal of Honor.

Brown did posthumously receive the Distinguished Service Cross, the Armys second most prestigious medal for valor.

Hamilton, Ohio inducted the first class to its Veterans Hall of Fame with an event in 2019. (Photo from News-Journal)

Whether or not Brown receives the militarys highest award, Hamilton will continue to honor him. On Nov. 8, Hamilton plans to unveil a flagpole at Bailey Square to commemorate its fallen son.

In 2019, the city inducted its first class into the Hamilton Veterans Hall of Fame. In 2023, as part of its Hometown Heroes project, Hamilton raised 120 banners sitting on top of poles and dispersed them throughout the city. The list grew, and this year, over 600 veterans are featured on the banners, which will be displayed through Veterans Day.

Hamiltons High-Main Bridge honors the citys veterans killed in action, including Brown.

A Moment of Valor

After being sent to Vietnam, Brown became a platoon sergeant for B Company, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry, 25th Infantry Division. On March 15, 1969, Browns platoon was pinned down in the center of a concealed area, facing heavy attack from North Vietnamese fighters. To make matters worse, the enemy was hidden, making it harder for Browns unit to mount a counterattack. Casualties piled up.

Accessing the situation, Brown quickly realized that artillery and helicopter gunships couldnt properly reach the area until the wounded were evacuated to a safer place. Brown raced back into the onslaught, rescuing another soldier. Despite being wounded, the sergeant ran back a third time into intense fire, rescuing another soldier.

But then the enemy fired a grenade close to Brown and the men he had just carried to safety. Hardly thinking twice, Brown jumped on the grenade, protecting his wounded comrades.

According to the Hall of Valor website, which documents medal recipients, Sergeant Browns extraordinary courage and selfless concern for the welfare of his comrades were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

About a year after he was killed in battle, Brown received the Armys Distinguished Service Cross, given to the veteran for a display of extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force.

According to the Medal of Honor Society, 3,528 soldiers have been awarded the militarys highest honor, including 61 living recipients, as of Nov. 7. This includes 255 Ohio natives. Among the medal tally, 270 Vietnam veterans have been honored.

Hamilton still waits for Browns name to be called.

That is worthy of the Medal of Honor, in my mind, Moeller told the Journal-News in 2023. That is the definition of valor.

Working with Congress

Hamilton officials have been working with Congress for the past two years to get Brown nominated. Once a nomination is filed, members of Congress must consider if the veteran meets a series of requirements passed in 1963. Medal of Honor recipients must have distinguished himself (or herself) conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Ultimately, the Medal of Honor is awarded by the president.

But, with the government shutdown still creeping along with no end in sight, Hamilton might have to wait a while to learn of Browns fate.

Browns story was largely unknown until Lawrence Gillespie, a retired brigadier general and Hamilton native, told Moeller about him a few years ago. Gillespie grew up with Brown.

Anytime somebody throws themselves on a grenade, thats the ultimate sacrifice as far as Im concerned, Gillespie said. To make that kind of sacrifice, he certainly deserves the Medal of Honor.
On October 17, 2025, the U.S. Army suspended Major Blaine McGraw, a gynecologist at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, after a patient accused him of secretly recording her during a gynecological exam. According to a lawsuit filed in Bell County under the pseudonym Jane Doe, McGraw allegedly pretended to take a phone call, placed his smartphone in his breast pocket, and filmed the patient while performing a pelvic and breast exam without consent. The civil complaint claims investigators later discovered thousands of photos and videos of women on his phone, including imagery taken at prior assignments.

The same lawsuit alleges McGraws earlier posting at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii generated prior misconduct complaints that Army leadership ignored, allowing him to continue treating patients. Following the October complaint, the Army Criminal Investigation Division opened a criminal investigation and removed McGraw from clinical duties. Officials told Stars and Stripes the hospital sent letters to roughly 1,400 patients, urging them to report any concerns to investigators. Attorneys now represent approximately 50 women who have joined the suit or filed related claims.

Legal and Ethical Implications

The complaint accuses McGraw of invasion of privacy, sexual assault, and medical negligence. Because the alleged conduct occurred in a federal facility, plaintiffs are also pursuing claims against the U.S. government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, arguing Army officials failed to properly supervise McGraw and dismissed prior complaints. If substantiated, that failure could make the Army liable for institutional negligence.

As a military physician, McGraws actions also fall under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. CIDs investigation could lead to prosecution under Article 120 (sexual assault) or Article 134 (conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline), depending on the evidence.

Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas.

Institutional Accountability

The McGraw case exposes long-standing weaknesses in the oversight of military medicine. The suit claims Army officials gave cover to a predator in uniform by ignoring earlier warnings and maintaining policies that failed to protect patients. Victims attorneys argue systemic neglect, rather than just one individuals behavior, allowed abuse to persist. The Army has said publicly that it is reviewing systems, clinical processes, and policies, but has not clarified whether internal complaints at Fort Hood or Tripler were ever documented or investigated.

From a legal and human-rights perspective, the case raises questions about whether military medical systems provide the same procedural protections as civilian care. Civilian patients are entitled to professional boards, malpractice oversight, and open complaint systems; by contrast, military dependents and service members are often bound by internal command structures that can limit recourse.

The Broader Context

For service members and families who depend on military medicine, the allegations reflect a collapse of trust. A doctor-patient relationship inside a hierarchical institution like the Army carries unique vulnerability, and the alleged exploitation of that trust undermines faith in the system. From an accountability standpoint, it also tests the rule of law within military structures: whether the same principles of justice that govern civilian life apply equally within the armed forces.

The case also exposes what some scholars call institutional self-protection, which is the tendency for large command systems to prioritize reputation over transparency. If proven, the failure to act on earlier misconduct reports would not simply be administrative negligence; it would reveal a structural weakness in how the Army polices itself.

Courtney Kube speaks with Col. Mark Jacques, commander of Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood (Mosheh Gains / NBC News).

What Happens Next

As of now, McGraw has not been criminally charged. The Army CID continues its investigation, while civil litigation proceeds in Bell County. Plaintiffs lawyers have requested a review of medical oversight policies across Army facilities.

Whether this case becomes a catalyst for reform or fades into another institutional scandal depends on how transparently the Army handles the investigation and how swiftly it implements reforms. A credible response would include public accountability, mandatory oversight protocols, and clear consequences for leadership failures. Anything less risks confirming that justice within military medicine remains conditional on command, not conscience.
Rodney Rocky Sickmann is devoutly religious.

So religious in fact that before he left home for the challenges of Marine Corps bootcamp, his mother gave him a simple message: Make sure you pray, because someday youre going to need that.

No kidding.

On Nov. 4, 1979, while working as a guard at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Sickmann became one of 66 American hostages captured by Iranian revolutionaries. Sickmann, a staff sergeant, would be held captive for 444 days in what became known as the Iran Hostage Crisis. His strong faith would be tested like never before.

The Marine Corps veteran shared his emotional story at a prayer service to honor Veterans Day on Nov. 7 at Assumption School in OFallon, Missouri. Sickmann, an Assumption parishioner, has two grandchildren.

Sickmann was raised in nearby Krakow with his four siblings. The family attended mass regularly at St. Gertrude Parish, and he told students his parents taught him to love God, family, and your country.

Sickmann was just 22 years old when he was kidnapped by the Iranians. Fourteen hostages were released a few weeks later, but Sickmann was among the 52 captives held until the crisis ended in late January 1981.

In the 14 months he was held prisoner, Sickmann said he was allowed only seven minutes of time outside.

What does freedom mean to you? he asked the students. How many of you like to play outside?

Almost every student raised their hand, letting the message sink in  freedom can be taken for granted.

Coming HomeFinally

When Thanksgiving 1979 rolled around, most families in the U.S. were sitting down to enjoy a hearty meal and time with loved ones. But for Sickmann, this Thanksgiving was drastically different. Tied to a chair, he tried to focus on pleasant thoughts of pumpkin pie and turkey. He kept praying, hoping to somehow find a way to survive and spend the next Thanksgiving surrounded by family.

That day would finally come when the hostages were released and Sickmann, still blindfolded, felt the crunch of snow underneath his feet as he walked to the airplane that would take him home. After a stop in Germany, he boarded another flight and landed in St. Louis on Jan. 28, 1981. More than 4,000 Americans welcomed him home.

During his 14 months in captivity, Sickmanns hometown parish kept thinking of him, holding special masses and Sunday morning rosary prayers. The day he was released, churches rang bells at noon, and the St. Louis Cathedral held a special mass of thanksgiving. After President Jimmy Carter announced a deal had been made to release the hostages, Father Bernard Wilkins, a pastor at St. Gertrude, conducted mass at the Sickmann family home.

Assumption School third grader Woodson Frese looks at his grandfather, U.S. Marine Corps veteran Rocky Sickmann, during a veterans prayer service Nov. 7 at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in OFallon, Missouri. (Photo by Jacob Wiegand)

Thinking of Those Who Died

Sickmann was pleasantly taken aback by the heartfelt welcome home. He remembered Vietnam War veterans who didnt receive the same honor upon returning to the U.S. several years earlier.

Completely cut off from the news for more than a year, Sickmann also found out about eight soldiers from a Joint Operations Group that were killed trying to rescue the hostages in the spring of 1980.

I can tell you, every morning I wake up and I think of these veterans that gave their life trying to regain my freedom, he said.

Sickmann reunited with his girlfriend, Jill, and the couple was married a few months later. They recently celebrated 44 years of marriage. The veteran enjoyed a lengthy career at Anheuser-Busch and, these days, pours his energy into Folds of Honor, a nonprofit that awards scholarships to children of deceased or disabled veterans and EMTs.

He asked students to take time and talk to veterans if they see them wearing military service caps or jackets. Sickmann also encouraged veterans to tell their stories.

They have to share their story with all the children, so they hear what they have done to help provide us the freedom that we enjoy each and every day, including freedom of religion, he said. So, Im honored to be here to be able to do that, especially with my grandchildren. I never thought, 46 years ago when I was taken hostage, fast forward, I would be sitting here speaking to my grandchildren in a grade school. Its pretty powerful.

Assumption School eighth graders Sophia Willbrand, left, and Brooke Meier held signs for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps before a veterans prayer service Nov. 7 at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in OFallon, Missouri. (Photo by Jacob Wiegand)

Importance of Veterans Day

Sickmanns daughter, Chelsea Frese, learned of her fathers traumatic ordeal in Iran as a second grader. Growing up, it made Veterans Day carry a bit more significance in the Sickmann household. Fast forward decades later and her fathers story has come full circle to include her own children.

Love of country and love of God always went hand-in-hand in our household growing up, Frese said.

Sickmann reminded his daughter regularly that when times were at their worst during his captivity, he relied on faith to pull him through.

You think youre having a bad day and call him, and he reminds you right away that, you know, what youre experiencing today is nothing like having three guns to your head, she said. So, hes always reminded us to be true in our faith and trust in God.

Woodson, one of Sickmanns grandkids, said his grandpa is a really big deal.

Granddaughter Rooney said people should take a moment to thank veterans for their service.

They help protect the world and help keep us safe, she said.
Ken Burns new PBS docuseries The American Revolution is a six-part, 12-hour series that puts troops, camp followers, and commanders back on muddy 18th-century ground. Co-directors Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt sat down with Military.com to tell how they rebuilt the war from the enlisted level up, giving us a depiction of the revolution audiences have never seen before.

Cinematographer Buddy Squires shoots on location at Monmouth Battlefield State Park. A Revolutionary War musician reenactor plays the flute in camp as the crew films a scene for Ken Burns PBS docuseries The American Revolution, highlighting the everyday rhythms of life between battles. Photo Credit: Edgardo Gonzalez

Why it Matters for Military.com Readers

This isnt a powdered-wig highlight reel. Botstein and Schmidt told me their goal was to show the war as service members lived itmarches in summer heat, handmade munitions, disease, bayonets, divided loyalties, and the families who trailed the armies. Below are the best nuggets from our conversation, edited for clarity.

1. Why Reenactments Now? Putting Boots Back in the Mud

The filmmakers had never staged reenactments in a Florentine Films series. That changed when Schmidt worked on Benjamin Franklin and realized you cant understand an 18th-century printing pressor a campaignwithout seeing hands at work.

You need to feel human presence boots on the ground and in the mud bullets being melted into shape, Schmidt said.  You need to understand that in order to win the Yorktown campaign, they have to walk in the heat of summer, from New York to Virginia and not just them they have to bring animals with them and there's women and children following the armies as well We couldn't have made this film anything like it is without their [reenactment actors] commitment to- the history and getting it right.

Reenactors portray women washing clothes by the river as the crew films a laundry sequence for Ken Burns PBS docuseries The American Revolution, underscoring the vital work of camp followers and families who trailed the armies. Cinematographer Buddy Squires films reenactors doing laundry on a small lake. Photo Credit: Mike Doyle.

2. Women and Children in the American Revolution Werent Background Extras

If you learned the Revolution as a battlefield-only story, the series will correct that.

Women are always at the heart of any story of war, Botstein told me. They nursed the wounded, buried the dead, ran homesteads, spread news, led boycottslong before they had the right to vote. They're making huge decisions, and contributing to the boycotts, the war effort.

The opening episode includes a laundry sequence that the team had to film themselves because they couldnt find period images. Visibility is the point.

Actor Joe Keery records a voiceover for Ken Burns PBS docuseries The American Revolution at CityVox in New York City. Photo credit: David Schmidt.

3. A Home-Front War: Occupied Cities and Civilian Diaries

Unlike many modern wars, this one unfolded on American groundNew York, Boston, Philadelphia, Savannah, Charleston. The team leans on a deep bench of first-person writing (especially by women) and a cast of 61 voice actors to read it.

Josh Brolin voices Washingtonan inspired dont do the accent, do the feeling choice that, per Botstein, clicked only after several strong auditions came up short.

Ken [Burns] was flying home from Europe and watched Dune 2 and landed and calls and said, I think we should try Josh Brolin. Botstein shared with me, We went, oh my God, imagine if we got Josh Brolin and he not only came in, he hit it out of the park, so it's really great.

4. Washington the Commander, Not Just the Monument

The series pushes past marble.

He might not be one of the great generals, but hes one of the great commanders, Schmidt said. Youll hear stirring general ordersthen private letters admitting fear and doubt. The portrait is adaptability plus restraint: a commander who kept the military subordinate to civilian control and then modeled it as president.

Ken Burns The American Revolution: Reenactments, Washington, Arnold & More (Director Interview) Ryan LaBee talks with The American Revolution co-directors Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt about reenactments, women and camp followers, Native nations perspectives, and how Ken Burns new PBS docuseries puts troops back in the mud of the Revolutionary War. In this interview, the directors break down: Why Ken Burns team used large-scale reenactments for the first time

How the series shows the home-front war in occupied American cities

Womens roles and camp life: nursing, supply, homesteads, boycotts

Native nations sovereignty and the war in Indian Country

A more human George Washington and a complicated Benedict Arnold

Loyalists, the exhausted middle, and why division at the founding matters

5. Benedict Arnold: From Hero of the Revolution to Traitor

No cartoon villain to be found here. The film tracks Arnold, the brilliant field leader, the wounded pride, the Loyalist romance, and the choices that follow. This was, as the directors told me in my exclusive interview with them (you can watch in full in the video above), by design.

People are fighting for ideology and for opportunityoften both, the directors noted. That lens extends to Regulars, militias, Loyalists, enslaved people, and Native nations.

6. Loyalists and the Americans Who Wanted the Fighting to Stop

Classrooms often file the Revolution into Patriots vs. Redcoats. The series restores Loyalistsand the large number of Americans who wanted the fighting to end, period.

We were divided at the founding, Botstein said. Weve always been divided. Understanding that is part of the American experience.

Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant), Chief of the Mohawks, painted by George Romney in 1776. A key Haudenosaunee leader during the American Revolution, Brants story reflects how Native nations navigated sovereignty, alliance, and survival in the conflict. Credit: National Gallery of Canada / Bridgeman Images.

7. Native Nations at the Center of the American Revolution

Botstein called her own earlier knowledge embarrassingly thinand the series works to change that.

Washington sent armies into Indian Country; Native nations fought to defend sovereignty, allying with Crown or Congress as interest dictated. For further reading, the directors recommended Colin G. Calloways The American Revolution in Indian Country: Crisis and Diversity in Native American Communities, Kathleen DuVals Independence Lost: Lives on the Edge of the American Revolution, Ned Blackhawks The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History, and forthcoming work by Michael Witgen.

Directors Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt join writer Geoffrey C. Ward for a screening and story meeting on The American Revolution in New York City. Photo credit: Joe DePlasco.

8. How Revolutionary Ideals Echoed From Jefferson to Ho Chi Minh

Ideas of liberty traveled far beyond the Continental Army.

When Ho Chi Minh declared independence in 1945, he quoted Jefferson, Schmidt reminded me. The ideals are universaleven when later adversaries invoke them.

Historians in the film also trace how European aristocrats read Washingtons republican example against their own monarchies.

9. A Stacked Cast: Josh Brolin as Washington and 60 More Voices

Sixty-one voices, including Josh Brolin, Matthew Rhys, Kenneth Branagh, Tobias Menzies, Maya Hawke, Alden Ehrenreich and more. The performances are designed to feel lived-in, not theatricalthe character wrote their own dialogue, as Schmidt put it.

Cinematographer Buddy Squires, director Sarah Botstein, and co-producer Megan Ruffe shoot on location at historic Fraunces Tavern in New York City for Ken Burns PBS docuseries The American Revolution. Photo credit: Shyala Jayasinghe.

10. For Todays Troops and Vets, the Grind Will Feel Familiar

The directors hope troops see themselves most in Joseph Plumb Martin, the Continental grunt whose memoir anchors the enlisted experiencehard marches, boredom, terror, gallows humor, loyalty to the line.

This was a brutal, long, difficult war, Botstein said. Climate, topography, disease, the bayonet. We stand on the shoulders of those sacrifices.

Plumb Martin wrote a firsthand account of his time in the Continental Army in a wonderfully vivid memoir titled A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier. Through his writings, the day-in-the-life of a Revolutionary War soldier comes to life.

Cinematographer Buddy Squires captures musket fire from reenactors of the 3rd New Jersey Regiment during a battlefield sequence for Ken Burns PBS docuseries The American Revolution. Photo credit: Edgardo Gonzalez.

Why this series will land with Military.com readers

Ken Burns The American Revolution will hit home for Military.com readers because:

Doctrine by doing: handmade munitions, supply lines, non-stop logisticsshown, not lectured.

handmade munitions, supply lines, non-stop logisticsshown, not lectured. Chain of command and restraint: Washingtons civilian-military model gets rare, thoughtful space.

Washingtons civilian-military model gets rare, thoughtful space. Whole force picture: Regulars, militia, camp followers, contractors, allies, and adversaries.

Regulars, militia, camp followers, contractors, allies, and adversaries. History as uncertainty: the outcome wasnt prewritten; adaptability mattered.

Want to dig deeper?

Books the filmmakers cited:

The American Revolution in Indian Country (Calloway)  Independence Lost (DuVal)  The Rediscovery of America (Blackhawk).

The American Revolution in Indian Country (Calloway)  Independence Lost (DuVal)  The Rediscovery of America (Blackhawk). Primary voice to know: A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier by Joseph Plumb Martin.

Bottom line

Ken Burns The American Revolution (directed by Sarah Botstein and David Schmidt, along with Burns) puts sand, sweat and hard choices back into the Revolutionary War story most Americans admit they only half know

Ken Burns new PBS docuseries The American Revolution, a six-part, 12-hour series, premieres Sunday, November 16 at 8 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). New episodes air in primetime every night through Friday, November 21, with each installment broadcasting twice each evening.
A picture hangs on a Catholic church wall in this file photo. The Archdiocese of Detroit is restructuring and will likely shutter some parish buildings, the Rev. Edward J. Weisenburger, Detroit archbishop, said in a letter this weekend. (Nico Mendoza | MLive.com)

DETROIT, MI  As the number of Catholics in Southeast Michigan has dramatically decreased, the Archdiocese of Detroit is restructuring and will likely shutter some parish buildings, the Rev. Edward J. Weisenburger, Detroit archbishop, said in a letter this weekend.

Some parish communities may see changes in how or where they gather, while others may be called to see church buildings closed  structures that have been dear to their hearts for generations, he wrote.

The archdiocese cannot maintain the quantity it now has, Weisenburger said.

In recent decades, Catholics ministered by the archdiocese have dropped from about 1.5 million to about 900,000. Fewer are attending mass or participating in the sacraments and because of aging and retirements, the number of priests is declining, the archdiocese reports.

Today, 67% of parishes have fewer than 600 weekly mass attendees, and the most parishes are expected to shrink in the coming five years, reports the archdiocese, which has a website devoted to the restructuring.

Most of the churches were built during a time of growth. The situation that unfolded in the last 50 years has left us stretched  sometimes stretched too thinly to serve as well as we want, Weisenburger wrote. Moreover, as we struggle to care for buildings and parish structures where there are very few people, we are also seeking to ensure the presence of the Church as we follow the Catholic population in those areas where the Church is growing.

Leaders have already conducted listening sessions with priests and formed a Department of Parish Renewal. More listening sessions are planned for the public in the spring, and the final phase, implementation will begin in July 2027.

The process, the archdiocese says, will be guided by three pillars, vibrant parishes, flourishing priests and mission ready, meaning strengthening our capacity to bring Christs love to the world with renewed vigor and purpose.

Decisions about parishes will be based on data and information, including financial and sacramental projections, demographic details and the vibrancy and vitality of parish life and activity, according to the archdiocese.

The archdiocese anticipates every parish will become part of a pastorate, a grouping of one or more parishes led by a single pastor and leadership team, according to the archdiocese.

This is different and more streamlined than families of parishes, led by a team of pastors with multiple leadership teams, the archdiocese reports.

Parishioners should expect a large-scale reassignment of priests, the archdiocese reports.

But just as there will be mourning over losses or changes in parish life, there likewise will be new blessings with enhanced locations, renewed communities, and the ability to redirect our efforts toward sharing the Gospel and making disciples, Weisenburger wrote. I believe that as we work to right-size the Archdiocese and reallocate our personnel and financial resources, the footprint of the Churchs presence  her mission, her faith, and her people  will remain.

The archdiocese stretches from Temperance in southern Monroe County, through Detroit to North Branch in Lapeer County. It includes Lapeer, Monroe, St. Clair, Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties and contains 215 parishes and 89 Catholic schools, according to the archdiocese.

The news comes as people who identify as Christian, if stabilizing, has declined for years. Both Protestant and Catholic numbers are down significantly since 2007, a Pew Research Center study found.
A sign at one edge of the Michigan State University campus. A professor and two of the universitys trustees have settled a federal lawsuit, according to court records. (Jake May | MLive.com) Jake May | Mlive.com

LANSING, MI  A Michigan State University professor and two of the universitys trustees have settled a federal lawsuit, according to court records.

The settlement between Professor Jack Lipton and Trustees Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno was reached following a voluntary facilitative mediation session on Nov. 11, records filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan show.

Details surrounding the settlement were not available. Efforts Sunday to reach attorneys for either side were unsuccessful.

Lipton, who chaired the universitys Faculty Senate at the time, called for Vassar and Dennos resignation during a Board of Trustees meeting in October 2023. Lipton said the complaints of ethical violations leveled against Vassar were credible.

Lipton alleged that Vassar and Denno sought to paint him as a racist because of his use of the word mob, which he said damaged his career.

He filed the lawsuit last year alleging that Vassar and Denno began a sustained effort of retaliation to discredit his truthful personal statements about the harm Vassar was causing the MSU community.

The lawsuit alleged Vassar and Denno encouraged students to attack Lipton online and in the media and file complaints against him alleging racial discrimination.

An investigation substantiated key allegations from Liptons lawsuit.

That investigation, commissioned by MSU and conducted by the Washington D.C. law firm Miller & Chevalier, uncovered a recording of Denno telling students, The other thing you can do to help us, at least for me, is attack Jack Lipton, the Chair of the Faculty Senate. I mean this guy called you a mob  call him out, call him a racist.

An unnamed student in the report also told investigators that Vassar and Denno had pushed students to file a complaint with the Higher Learning Commission about Lipton.

The complaint said the university was run on the foundations of racial hatred and discrimination, according to Miller & Chevaliers report, and goes on to draw attention to Liptons use of the term mob.

The complaints against him were investigated by both the university and the Higher Learning Commission, and both closed without findings of wrongdoing.

Vassar stepped down as chair in March 2024, following the release of the Miller & Chevalier report. Vassar and Denno were stripped of their committee appointments and barred from participating in board activities not strictly required of them as elected officials.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson unveiled a new license plate to honor the service, sacrifice and contributions of Michigans women veterans during an unveiling ceremony Nov. 10 in Dearborn. Photo provided by Michigan Secretary of State

Women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces have a new option to choose from when getting a new license plate for their vehicle.

Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson unveiled a new license plate to honor the service, sacrifice and contributions of Michigans women veterans during an unveiling ceremony Nov. 10 in Dearborn.

This license plate isnt going to guarantee women veterans in Michigan get all the support and resources they deserve, but we know that the visibility it promotes is a daily reminder to Michiganders everywhere of the role of women who serve, Benson said. May we continue to celebrate our veterans, not just this week and not just these days but every day as they serve and protect all of us.

The new license plate features a vignette of a woman veteran to the left of the vehicles plate number and has Her Service Our Freedom inscribed.

The plate also has Woman Veteran below the plate number.

Benson was joined during the unveiling ceremony by State Senator Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) and Lolita Tucker, Michigans Disabled American Veterans state commander.

Tucker, a woman veteran who served in the U.S. Army from 1996 to 2003, will be honored with the first woman veteran plate to be produced, Benson said.

As of September, there are over 44,000 women veterans in Michigan, accounting for 9% of the states veteran population, according to data from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics.

With the new plate, Michigan now offers 33 license plate designs honoring past and present military members and their families.

Eligible Michigan veterans may order the woman veteran specialty plate online at the Michigan Department of State website or by scheduling a visit to a branch office.
The Price-to-Earnings (PE) ratio is a widely used valuation metric, especially for established, profitable companies like SEI Investments. It gives investors a straightforward way to gauge how much they are paying for each dollar of earnings, making it especially useful when those earnings are consistent and reliable.

Our Excess Returns analysis suggests SEI Investments may be overvalued by 18.6%. Discover 878 undervalued stocks or create your own screener to find better value opportunities.

This approach estimates SEI Investments' intrinsic value at $68.76 per share. Given the current share price is 18.6% higher than this estimate, the stock appears overvalued according to the Excess Returns model.

The Excess Returns valuation model focuses on how effectively a company uses its equity to generate profits above its cost of capital. In other words, it measures whether SEI Investments is adding value for shareholders by achieving returns on invested capital that exceed its required cost of equity.

SEI Investments scores just 2/6 on our valuation checks. See what other red flags we found in the full valuation breakdown .

SEI Investments currently scores 2 out of 6 in our valuation checks , indicating it is undervalued by two of our core metrics. Now, we will dig into how different valuation approaches stack up for SEI and hint at a smarter way to really judge value by the end of the article.

Much of this movement lines up with sector-wide shifts in financial stocks, and recent headlines have highlighted SEIs ongoing expansion into new service offerings and strategic partnerships, which have caught investor attention. Combined, these factors are fueling renewed discussions around the companys growth trajectory and perceived risk.

After holding steady most of this year, SEI Investments stock is up 2.9% over the past 12 months, but has dipped slightly by 1.6% in the last week as market sentiment ebbs and flows.

If you have ever wondered whether SEI Investments is a hidden gem or overpriced at todays levels, you are not alone. Lets get to the bottom of what the current price really means for investors.

Story Continues

A company with higher growth prospects or lower risk typically commands a higher PE ratio, while businesses facing headwinds or elevated uncertainty will trade at a discount. What counts as a normal or fair PE then depends on not just growth, but also profitability, stability, and the companys unique circumstances.

SEI Investments currently trades at a PE of 14.38x. This is lower than the average for its peers, which sits at 16.57x, and far below the Capital Markets industry average of 24.42x. However, Simply Wall St calculates a proprietary Fair Ratio for SEI Investments at 13.15x. The Fair Ratio captures a more complete picture by blending in factors like growth forecasts, profit margins, risk profile, industry grouping, and market cap. This makes it a more tailored target for valuation than industry or peer comparisons alone.

Since SEIs current PE is just slightly above its Fair Ratio and the difference is less than 0.1, the stocks valuation appears to be about right by this measure.

Result: ABOUT RIGHT

NasdaqGS:SEIC PE Ratio as at Nov 2025

PE ratios tell one story, but what if the real opportunity lies elsewhere? Discover 1408 companies where insiders are betting big on explosive growth.

Upgrade Your Decision Making: Choose your SEI Investments Narrative

Earlier we mentioned that there is an even better way to understand valuation, so let's introduce you to Narratives. A Narrative is your story or thesis behind the numbers, connecting your assumptions about SEI Investments future, such as growth rates, margins, and fair value, to your personal perspective on what the company is really worth. Instead of simply accepting a price target or ratio, Narratives empower you to visualize how key drivers translate into a fair value estimation. This is available in an easy-to-use tool on Simply Wall Sts Community page, where millions of investors share ideas and updates.

With Narratives, you get a dynamic, forward-looking picture. When new news or earnings are released, your Narrative and fair value update instantly, helping you make more informed buy and sell decisions by comparing your calculated fair value to the current share price. For SEI Investments, for example, some investors build a bullish Narrative targeting $118 per share based on robust deal pipelines and margin discipline. Others, concerned about margin pressures and client concentration, see fair value closer to $81. This flexibility puts you in control and encourages you to benchmark analyst assumptions against your own expectations and investment thesis every step of the way.

Do you think there's more to the story for SEI Investments? Head over to our Community to see what others are saying!

NasdaqGS:SEIC Community Fair Values as at Nov 2025

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

Companies discussed in this article include SEIC.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
Michigan lawmakers have proposed a bill package that would attempt to make it easier for patients to get financial assistance from a hospital, and for medical debt to be kept off consumer reports. (MLive file photo)

Michigan lawmakers want to reduce the burden of medical costs on residents.

State senators have introduced bipartisan legislation that would make it easier to get financial assistance from hospitals, and keep medical debt off your consumer report.

The bills were voted out of the Senate Health Policy Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Theyll head to the full body for consideration before being assessed in the House.

State Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, said nearly 700,000 residents are carrying medical debt. Given threats to federal protections, she stressed the importance of acting quickly.

Medical debt is trapping too many Michiganders in a cycle of stress and instability, Anthony said in a prepared statement. This package is about putting people firstby making hospital financial assistance clear and consistent, and by keeping medical bills off your consumer report.

These bills are a smart, bipartisan, bicameral step toward fairness, dignity, and economic security.

Related: Safety grades: Fewer Michigan hospitals earn A while 3 get failing marks

Senate Bills 449-451 would require hospitals to create and implement a financial assistance program that used a patients annual income and their insurance status to determine their ability to pay.

The state would need to create a process for hospitals to collect patient income information to determine eligibility for financial assistance. Patients who were uninsured and had an annual income at or below 350% of the federal poverty line could receive discounts up to 100% for services, based on a sliding scale.

Hospitals would have to develop and implement a financial assistance program by Jan. 1, 2027, and begin reporting data from its program to the state health department annually.

Consumer reports typically include a persons financial details like payment history, credit capability and account balances.

The proposed Medical Debt Act would prohibit consumer report agencies from using medical debt information in those reports, which are used by lenders, employers, landlords and insurance companies.

Medical debt affects millions of Michiganders, often leading to bankruptcy, denied care, or ruined credit, said Rep. Angela Rigas, R-Caledonia. By curbing predatory practices, we can ease burdens on working families without undue strain on providers. People who are paying their debt should not be living in fear of foreclosure or bankruptcy.

Related: Why 210,000 Michigan residents had their medical debt erased

While Michigan is attempting to join more than a dozen other states in keeping medical debt off consumer reports, the federal government has challenged a states power to make that call. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said the courts should overturn those state laws since they are preempted by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the Michigan House on Wednesday by Rigas and Rep. Laurie Pohutsky, D-Livonia. House Bills 5254-5255 were referred to the House Committee on Health Policy.

Those bills would prevent hospitals or providers with more than $20 million annual revenue from charging interest or late fees until 90 days after the final invoice due date, with a 3% annual cap on interest.

Patients who qualify for financial assistance would be protected from arrests, property foreclosures, property liens and wage garnishment, according to lawmakers.

For too many Michigan families, one trip to the emergency room can lead to months or even years of financial hardship  even for those who are fortunate enough to have health insurance, Anthony said in a statement. This reality is unacceptable. Plain and simple."
Alpena Community College Director of Admissions Mike Kollien (left) and Assistant to the Director of Admissions Sally Shubert (right) prepare to greet students registering for classes. Dual-enrolled high school students make up most of the college's student body. Courtesy of Alpena Community College

Alcona High School isnt what youd call big. Its located in a not-very-populous stretch of northern Michigan, a few miles from Lake Huron in one direction, a few miles from the Huron National Forest in the other.

But its students are studying criminal justice, calculus and concrete technology, taking college-level courses in Western civilization, physics and anatomy.

Thats because most of Alconas juniors and seniors are already enrolled in college.

Were a small school, and theres only so many electives you can offer, said Megan VanKoningsveld, the schools career and college counselor.

Alconas solution has been dual enrollment, allowing students to take college courses at the districts expense, mostly at Alpena Community College and mostly through a early college program that allows at least some students to finish an associate degree by the time they graduate.

We dont have AP or [International Baccalaureate] programs here, VanKoningsveld said, but they can take actual college classes and that credit goes with them.

More and more Michigan students are enrolling in college before they finish high school.

Across the state, dual enrollment jumped by nearly 16 percent  close to 6,500 students - between 2022-23 and 2023-24, according to new federal data that for the first time allows for a comprehensive look at the trajectory and demographics of dual enrollment programs.

High school students now make up more than 16 percent of the states community college students and 9 percent of all Michigan undergraduates.

Thats likely good news for Michigan, which still lags behind the rest of the country in educational attainment.

We have a couple decades of strong evidence on the benefits of taking a dual enrollment course on increased likelihood of finishing high school, going to college, persisting in college and completing college, said John Fink, a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center at Teachers College of Columbia University.

Theres this broader positive return for state and local economies, he said.

But the new statistics also suggest that Michigans post-COVID rebound in college enrollment hasnt gone quite as well as it might have appeared.

Undergraduate enrollment at Michigan colleges and universities grew by nearly 12,000 students between 2022-23 and 2023-24, but most of that growth came from dual-enrolled high school students, many of whom likely would have gone on to college one way or another. The difference is that more of them are getting a head start.

Theyre doing so for a simple and compelling reason: For students, dual enrollment classes are generally free.

Saving money

Dual enrollment has taken off nationwide over the past decade. Federal data shows that 2.8 million high school students around the country took at least one college class in 2023-24, an increase of more than 300,00 students from the previous year.

Theres a very organic demand in terms of wanting to get more college courses into the high school experience, Fink said.

Money has a lot to do with it.

One of the main reasons you hear from students as to why they want to take college courses is to save money on college, Fink said. In most places, this is free for students, but even when theres a cost associated with it, its typically steeply discounted from the regular rate students would pay.

Under Michigan law, high school students can take up to 10 college courses through dual enrollment.

What are known as early or middle college programs go a step further, often offering a fifth year during which students are technically still in high school but enrolled entirely in college.

The best part is that I dont have to pay for the classes, said Max Eby, who is in her senior year at Alcona High School and her second year at Alpena Community College.

She signed up for Alconas early college program thinking she would get her general education requirements out of the way so she wouldnt have to pay for them at another college.

She found a major she likes along the way: graphic design.

These days she takes her only high school class online and makes the commute to Alpena a few times a week.

Its definitely been a good experience, especially with being able to meet new people there during my classes, she said. The only negative is that I live an hour from the college.

And she fits in on campus. More than half of Alpena Community Colleges students are still in high school.

Being up north in a more rural setting, some of our outlying high schools maybe dont have the course offerings to meet the needs of some of their students, said Mike Kollien, the colleges director of admissions. And so theyre using dual enrollment as an opportunity to provide them quality instruction.

The college has set up video conferencing equipment in more than a dozen high schools so Alpena professors can teach remotely. It offers career and technical education classes in high schools using high school teachers as adjunct professors and curricula developed at the college. Its created one-credit, five-week courses introducing students to fields from nursing to utility technology.

And it now has very strong, very healthy relationships with high schools from Cheboygan to Gaylord to Au Gres, Kollien said.

Van Lare Hall at Alpena Community College. Courtesy of Alpena Community College

Four-year schools

Dual enrollment is increasing at a time when overall college enrollments in Michigan have turned a corner, going from years of steady losses to something like stability.

But the losses hit some campuses harder than others, and, at a few schools, increases in dual enrollment have been able to backfill declines in the number of traditional undergraduates.

At most of the states public universities, dual enrolled students make up less than 2% of overall enrollment. At Ferris State University in Big Rapids, where undergraduate enrollment has declined steadily for a decade, its 16% and the numbers are growing.

Filling out the student body isnt the primary reason for expanding dual enrollment programs, said Kasey Thompson, Ferris interim dean of extended and international operations.

Its some of that, she said, but its also about exposing our high school students to opportunity and introducing them to different career paths, exposing them to different educational opportunities, exposing them to different ways of learning.

To date, Ferris has partnerships with close to 100 high schools, career centers and homeschool groups, she said.

Who pays?

The issue that concerns both college leaders and public-school officials is the cost of dual enrollment. Or, more particularly, who bears it.

The great part of how Michigans dual enrollment system is funded ... is that students and families dont pay, said Brandy Johnson, executive director of the Michigan Community College Association. Thats real cost savings and real momentum building for students.

The rub is that who does pay for this is the K-12 school districts out of their foundation allowance, she said.

It makes a certain sense that a district trying to juggle competing budget priorities might not push students toward dual enrollment, she said, knowing that it affects your bottom line.

Her organization has urged state lawmakers to create a separate funding stream for dual enrollment so theres not a financial disincentive.

The coming years state education budget calls for a task force to consider the issue.

Evidence of the untapped demand for dual enrollment isnt hard to come by.

Macomb Community College in suburban Detroit opened a new Office of K-12 Relations in the summer of 2022 in anticipation of a new regional initiative called Detroit Drives Degrees Community College Collaborative.

The college had offered dual enrollment for years, but, with staff members devoted to promoting such programs we have been able to spend more time out in our districts, understand their needs, and find the opportunities that fit for their districts and their students, said Aimee Adamski, the colleges registrar and director of enrollment. We built the relationships.

In 2023-24, the college saw a 61.8% increase in the number of dual enrolled students. It was the largest in the state.
Ann Arbor Police Department responded to a report of a bank robbery at 11:55 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7, to First Merchants Bank, 125 W. William St. The suspect (pictured above) was described as a Black male, 50 to 60 years old, and roughly 510. Screenshot from Ann Arbor Police Department's Social Media

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI  A man suspected of robbing a bank in Ann Arbor was arrested a week later after allegedly robbing two more banks in Oakland County.

Alvin Myron Murray was arraigned on bank robbery charges Friday, Nov. 14, in Oakland Countys 43rd District Court following a multijurisdictional investigation, according to the Ferndale Police Department.

Murray, 68, of Detroit, is accused of robbing the First Merchants Bank, 22635 Woodward Ave., taking $400 during the robbery, police said.

Officers were called to the bank at 1:10 p.m. Nov. 11, where the bank reported an unknown man entered the bank and handed the teller a note demanding money, police said.

The man took cash and fled the scene. No injuries were reported in the robbery, police said.

During the investigation, detectives determined the man is suspected in a similar bank robbery Nov. 7 in Ann Arbor, police said.

Investigators collaborated with the Ann Arbor Police and the Oakland County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force to find him, police said.

With the assistance of the Southfield Police Department, Murray was located at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13 and was arrested, police said.

During the arrest, investigators discovered Murray was a suspect in another bank robbery that had occurred earlier in the day in Mt. Clemens, police said.

Our investigators worked quickly, collaborating with Ann Arbor PD, Southfield PD, and the Oakland County Gang and Violent Crime Task Force to track down and arrest the suspect, Ferndale Police Chief Dennis Emmi said. This is another great example of interagency cooperation. Once again, ALPR technology proved valuable in identifying and locating our suspect.

No charges have been filed yet in connection with the bank robbery in Ann Arbor, court records show.

Murray remains in the Oakland County Jail with bond set at $250,000.

Bank robbery is punishable by up to life in prison.

Want more Ann Arbor-area news? Bookmark the local Ann Arbor news page.
The West Michigan Partnership for Children is suing the state because the nonprofit's contract was abruptly ended in October. Pictured is the Michigan Hall of Justice, which houses the state Court of Claims. (Rose White | MLive.com)

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Four hundred and twenty-six foster care children are left in limbo, and will stay that way if the state doesnt reinstate a contract and restore program funding cut from the budget, according to the West Michigan Partnership for Children (WMPC).

The oversight agency for Kent Countys foster care system is suing the state after it abruptly ended the nonprofits contract in October. WMPC says the contract cannot legally be canceled, despite the organization not being funded in the budget for fiscal year 2026.

The lawsuit was filed Oct. 13 with the Lansing-based Court of Claims. A Kent County judge expressed concern in an Oct. 6 letter shortly after the budget passed, saying the loss of funding and the lack of a transition plan creates an immediate child welfare emergency.

The letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, was signed by Chief Circuit Court Judge Deborah L. McNabb, who was elected in 2016 to the 17th Circuit Court, along with Judicial Clerks Tylaer Van Noller and Lisa Gibson. The courts Family Division oversees child abuse and neglect cases.

The letter pointed out some critical programs could cease immediately, and replacements dont exist at the state level. It requested either a restoration of funding or a transition plan be put in place before services collapse entirely.

The children appearing in our courtrooms cannot wait for the Legislature to realize this mistake, the letter reads. Brinks office did not return a request for comment.

Kent County has the states only performance-based foster care model, which is run by private care providers.

Created in response to a legal settlement, WMPC was tapped to act as an intermediary between the county, state and five private foster care agencies.

The nonprofit doled out funding, gathered data and tested programs aimed at making the foster care system better. At the time its contract was canceled, WMPC served 426 youth in foster care.

In the years since Kent Countys model was created, it has been working, according to CEO Sonia Noorman.

It keeps kids out of residential care, she said, referencing internal data that found a 78% reduction in institutional placements for foster care youth with high needs.

But the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) doesnt appear in complete agreement, according to legal documents.

State attorneys disputing the lawsuit argued that the contract was lawfully canceled to save the state approximately $3 million, and that WMPC has not improved foster care outcomes enough to justify its cost. The state says foster care services have continued without disruption.

A hearing in the case is planned for Monday.

In a statement to MLive, an MDHHS spokesperson said that the department is unable to comment on pending litigation, but added that, MDHHS is deeply committed to ensuring the health and safety of all children.

We will never stop transforming how we keep kids safe and families together. MDHHS is committed to our shared responsibility with the legislature, law enforcement, judges and partners to continue to improve Michigans child welfare system to meet the needs of kids and families.

Contract canceled by the state to save $3 million.

Two years ago, WMPCs grant agreement with the state totaled $29.6 million. Last year, it was $28.9 million, according to legal documents.

But when the state passed its latest budget in early October, it included the removal of language detailing a contract with the nonprofit.

The cancellation was described in a state budget report as saving the state around $3 million.

Noorman said she first heard about it from the nonprofits private partners - not the state. The group didnt get a contract extension to help come up with a transition plan.

In several past cases where the agency thought it might lose funding, Noorman said her team worked with the department and private agencies for weeks to develop a several month transition plan. But not this time.

Its really naive to think youre going to be able to flip a switch (on) transitioning this system, she said. We have 40 contracts for individual children, with the agencies, for all the service providers. All of those have to be changed over.

She said the nonprofit later heard that private partners were told not to contact them, a decision she said complicates any transition efforts.

We care about these kids and families, Noorman said. We care about our partners. Theyre really struggling right now. They have so much work to flip the switch over. And so much stress with the unknowns.

In addition to Kent County judges, the five local foster care service providers also wrote letters, which were included in the WMPCs lawsuit.

Kathleen Schultz, foster care division director with Wellspring Lutheran Services, wrote to express deep concern about the transition of foster care operations. She said WMPCs model has been deeply embedded in the daily operations of Kent Countys system.

The full extent of their responsibilities may not be immediately apparent, Schultz wrote, highlighting issues that could arise if there are delays in insurance coverage for foster care youth, payment transitions or the potential loss of certified staff.

Emily Schab, Bethany Christian Services vice president of regional operations, wrote in another letter that, the sudden dismantling of something that took years to build brings inevitable concerns and challenges.

We have found the services and programs we have been able to provide to youth and families through the WMPC to be incredibly impactful, and therefore the loss of this partnership, and potentially some of the services developed over the years, will be significant.

Kent Countys system was originally a pilot program created over a decade ago. It was made necessary because of a class-action lawsuit, after accusations that mismanagement and a lack of funding put kids in harms way.

Noorman said Kent County historically administered its foster care services mainly through private agencies, meaning it was set up nicely to do a private model.

The nonprofit WMPC was then established to help coordinate between the state and Kent Countys foster care agencies, handling the distribution of funding, collecting data and piloting new initiatives.

Among those initiatives is enhanced foster care, which Noorman described as essentially a middle step between traditional foster care and a residential placement, typically reserved for children with higher needs.

The program offers extra support that allows kids to stay in their homes, either with foster parents or relatives, which Noorman said provides stability they badly need.

In the eight years since Kent County began piloting programs like this, Noorman said theyve been working, pointing to numbers that WMPC has compiled finding Kent County children in foster care have experienced a 94% decrease in re-entering care after placement. The nonprofit has also recorded a 71% increase in children placed with relatives.

Noorman said thats been the result of a concerted effort by WMPC and Kent County partners to change the mindset surrounding foster care, from a model that more frequently put children into foster homes to one that emphasizes children staying with relatives whenever possible.

But that means the kids that are coming into care have much higher needs, she said.

When it comes to enhanced foster care cases, Noorman said the state has stopped accepting new ones since the contract ended.

That means any new kids that are coming into care arent getting that additional support, Noorman said. With enhanced foster care no longer being a service and a support, its going to be rough.

Additionally, she said foster care partners could lose out on the extra data - public, monthly statistics on foster care - received through WMPC.

The transparent data is a big loss, she said.

Altogether, she said the result could be a system that struggles more to find qualified caregivers, or one that isnt able to properly support foster care families.

I anticipate more moving of kids and potentially more kids in residential, she said, which could cost the county financially and damage stability for children.

The state and the agencies are going to do the best that they can, Noorman said. They really are. Its just, weve seen outcomes improve over eight years.

WMPC sues over the contracts end.

In an attempt to have the contract reinstated, WMPC sued MDHHS and its director Elizabeth Hertel.

The lawsuit, filed in the Michigan Court of Claims in Lansing, alleges that the states contract cancellation was illegal, because a separate law still mandates Kent County have a performance-based foster care model.

Theres a law that mandates the performance-based funding model, Noorman said, adding, Whos going to do it? Were the only ones set up.

The lawsuit also alleges that the state health department acted with no transition plan other than transferring data systems, is freezing WMPC out of the transition process and would not commit to paying the nonprofit for costs of assisting with the transition after Oct. 1.

In other words, despite having ghosted WMPC, cutting it out of the process and having it foot the bill for caring for 426 children receiving child welfare services in the interim, MDHHS has taken the position that if WMPC did not want to take the risk of nonpayment, it should have simply turned off the lights on October 1, the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit is requesting a contract be restored.

In an Oct. 29 response, the state asked that the requests be denied, as foster children have not had any gaps or disruptions in their care since MDHHS took over.

The state argued that the contract is subject to appropriation - or funding - and the legislature purposefully removed funds.

The state cited the $3 million in savings as the reason for the contract cancellation, referencing a third-party evaluation done in 2025 by the University of Michigans Data Lab.

The lawsuit said the report found children associated with the WMPC cost approximately twice as much as similar children served by other agencies  (and) the additional costs per child associated with the WMPC seem unreasonable.

Noorman said WMPC is refuting the evaluation, after the groups chief financial office dug into the numbers and said it was clear there was missing information.

The group filed records requests to get access to the universitys data, but said those havent yet been filled.

The University of Michigan did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

A hearing on the lawsuit is scheduled before the Court of Claims on Monday, Nov. 17, and Noorman said shes hopeful to have a decision by Thanksgiving.

If the decision is not in WMPCs favor, she said the group still has some money in its general fund, and it will consider other ways to try and help the community before shutting its doors completely.

We have a very unique program here that no one else does, and its really produced some really amazing things, Noorman said. And people just dont know.
Ottawa County sheriff's deputies are investigating a shooting on Saturday, Nov. 15, in Holland Township. (MLive File Photo)

OTTAWA COUNTY, MI  An argument ended violently and left a 27-year-old man hospitalized with gunshot wounds, Ottawa County sheriffs deputies said.

Police are searching for the shooter accused of opening fire Saturday, Nov. 15, in Holland Township.

Multiple callers reported gunshots around 9 p.m. near a business in the 90 block of Douglas Avenue. At the scene, police learned an argument and assault happened shortly before the shooting.

Several people went into the parking lot area when the suspect  a man  produced a firearm and started shooting, police said. Those trying to flee the gunshots ran across Douglas Avenue into a separate parking lot.

A 27-year-old Jenison man was hit by gunfire and driven to a nearby hospital for treatment. Police said his injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Several unoccupied vehicles were also hit by gunfire. Douglas Avenue was closed for several hours for investigation and has since been reopened.

The investigation is ongoing.

Investigators asked anyone with information to call the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office at 616-738-4000 or Silent Observer at 877-887-4536.
Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema will retire after 13 years in the role on Tuesday, Nov. 14. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com) MLive.com

KALAMAZOO, MI  Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema will conclude a 13-year career with the city on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

Hes leaving the city better than he found it, Commissioner Jeanne Hess said.

Ritsemas tenure is marked by economic revitalization. From donor-funded budget boosts to a boom in economic development across the city, officials say his work will have a lasting impact on Kalamazoo.

Ritsema also contended with challenges while in the role, such as demands for increased transparency, assistance for the unhoused and police accountability.

Regardless of what played out, Ritsema always put his head down and worked on improvements, Hess said.

Jim isnt going to get out there in front of the community and see all that and be very public, Hess said. I dont think Jim sees himself as the guy that did all this.

Ritsema was appointed city manager in 2013. He worked closely with former Mayor Bobby Hopewell and, later, David Anderson.

Mayor David Anderson listens to a presentation during the Kalamazoo City Commission meeting at City Hall on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. Devin Anderson-Torrez | MLive.com

Neither Kalamazoo mayor from Ritsemas tenure responded to requests for comment for this story.

Ritsema also declined the opportunity to speak with MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette for this story.

Anonymous donations

Hess said his most notable contribution was co-founding the Foundation for Excellence, a multi-million dollar endowment for aspirational projects, property tax relief and city funding.

Ive always found him to be a very stayed and steady partner, FFE Executive Director Steve Brown said.

On the FFE board, where Ritsema most recently served as vice president, Ritsema was a consensus builder, Brown said.

As a founding director, of course he had an outsized role in shaping what the foundation would look like, Brown said. But he shaped it as a team member with many, many other people.

The foundation was born in 2017 out of a dire financial need. In 2015, Ritsema convened the Blue Ribbon Revenue Panel to address the citys budget shortfall.

Ritsema stands behind former mayor Bobby Hopewell as he announcs an anonymous donor contributing $400 million to the citys Foundation for Excellence. (Photo by Carlin Stiehl | MLive.com) Carlin Stiehl | MLive.com

The citys taxable property values had dropped by 13% since 2008, MLive reported, while Proposal A and Headlee Amendment limitations restricted growth of property tax revenue.

FFE funds have replaced part of the revenue since 2017 without increasing taxes. Interest earned on the funds will support the city in perpetuity.

The city is now in a much different position, Brown said. When we look around the city, we see unprecedented levels of private and public investment in housing, infrastructure, parks, services and facilities for the unhoused.

The FFEs story has not evolved without controversy.

A donation of $70.3 million funded the foundation at its outset, per MLive.

Former city leaders and FFE board members questioned the influence wealthy donors would have on Kalamazoos finances and policies.

In 2021, an anonymous $400 million donation to the foundation sparked renewed calls for transparency. Time.com ran a critical writeup on the program, headlined Two Rich Men Decided to Fund a Failing City. Some People Say They Made It Worse.

While local leaders, including Mayor David Anderson, said the foundation was depicted in an unfair or negative light, critics stood by their concerns about undue influence and racial inequity.

With no reference for how it would work, the foundation required a leap of faith, Hess said, and Ritsema took it.

Challenging decisions

Earlier this fall, Hess asked Ritsema for a list of his accomplishments in the role. His two-page list includes challenging decisions, but also credits his coworkers for their efforts.

Removal of the Fountain of the Pioneers in Bronson Park was listed alongside the creation of Imagine Kalamazoo 2025 and adoption of a community sustainability plan.

Ritsemas story is also marked by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safetys response to protests in 2020.

After an August 2020 rally by the far-right group Proud Boys turned violent, Ritsema publicly questioned the police departments actions during a City Commission meeting.

We shouldnt have arrested people from Kalamazoo and should have arrested Proud Boys, Ritsema said, per MLive. He later said he stood behind then-Public Safety Chief Karianne Thomas.

In December 2020, he apologized to city commissioners for deciding to end Thomas contract without informing them.

These incidents hurt public trust, Hess said.

You win or you learn, she said. He learned.

Ritsema worked to establish a DEI department and later started the City View newsletter to increase communication with residents.

Ritsema also became a lightning rod for the citys response to a growing homeless population.

Commissioners heard demands from Bronson Park encampment protestors in 2018, but Ritsema maintained the city was not equipped to be a social service provider.

Police arrested Bronson Park Encampment protestors, including a former city commission member, in 2018. They were arrested with a misdemeanor charge of being inside a police perimeter. The city manager announced Monday that those camping in the park must leave by 7 p.m. Tuesday. Joel Bissell | MLive.com Joel Bissell | MLive.com

In fall 2024, Bells Brewery founder Larry Bell aired his frustration over encampments on private property in a Facebook post, calling for Ritsema to be fired.

Instead of enforcing the law and kicking people off the properties, police allowed them to stay, Bell said, per edict of the city manager.

Ritsema denied Bells allegations.

Homelessness isnt unique to Kalamazoo. Its an issue Kalamazoo will still have to grapple with under new leadership.

City officials have a deep respect for Ritsema and what hes accomplished, Hess said, and are equally excited to welcome Malcolm Hankins as the next city manager, come January 2026.

Kalamazoo City Manager Jim Ritsema and Mayor David Anderson cut speaks the ribbon for the KDPS downtown substation at 248 N Kalamazoo Mall in downtown Kalamazoo in 2023. (Joel Bissell | MLive.com) MLive.com

Kalamazoos city manager search committee saw 56 candidates from across the country vie for his role, Hess said. She credits Ritsema for the interest.

Leadership is about relationships, and Jim has those relationships, Hess said.

Those established relationships, Hess said, will set up Hankins for success.

Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark MLives local Kalamazoo news page.
The Julian Brothers of Bay City, convicted murderers of New York mother of threeCole Waterman

BAY COUNTY, MI  A Bay City man serving a life sentence for his role in the 2010 strangulation death of a New York woman is seeking resentencing.

Meanwhile, Bay City Public Schools has indicated its intention to ask voters to decide on a bond that would fund critically needed improvements to district buildings and technology.

Check out these headlines from the past week to learn more about these stories and more Bay County news:

Bay City man convicted alongside brother in New York womans 2010 murder seeks reduced sentence

A Bay City man who helped his older brother kill and bury a mother of three is asking for a reduced sentence.

In 2011, Craig Julian was convicted of first-degree murder and disinterment or mutilation of a dead body in connection with the death of Lynn Spicer, 33, in 2010.

Julian was 19 years old at the time of his conviction and sentencing.

A resentencing hearing has not yet been set for Julian.

Read the full story here.

New playground at Wenonah Park to be Leadership Bay Countys next community project

The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation Leadership Bay County Class of 2026 is bringing a new playground to Wenonah Park as part of a community project.

The class announced that it had selected Wenonah Park as the subject of its project earlier this month.

In addition to adding a playground designed for toddler and infants to the park, plans for the expansion project include other improvements to the park such as fencing and landscaping.

Read the full story here.

Alleged sex-for-pay meetup leads to armed robbery, stolen car in Bay City

A Saginaw man was robbed when he allegedly attempted to give a woman cash and drugs in exchange for sex during a meetup at vacant Bay City home, according to police.

The alleged incident occurred on Oct. 21, and the man and woman accused of robbing the 43-year-old man were arrested a few days later.

Lauren Dill and Rodney Spencer, the alleged robbers, were arrested after Dill was spotted in a stolen vehicle, and they face multiple charges.

Read the full story here.

Bay City schools plan to seek bond for critically needed renovations, technology upgrades

The Bay City Public Schools Board of Education has given Superintendent Grant Hegenauer the green light to begin the pre-qualification for a bond that would fund improvements at each of the districts school buildings.

The bond would help the district address the needs of its aging buildings and modernize its facilities, according to district officials.

The board approved a resolution calling for Hegenauer to begin the process during its Nov. 10 meeting.

The district plans to ask voters to decide on the proposed bond in the May 2026 election.

Read the full story here.

Oklahoma woman owes $39,782 to Bay County 7-Eleven she embezzled from

An Oklahoma woman recently appeared in Bay County Circuit Court for sentencing this after pleading guilty to embezzling between $1,000 and $20,000 from a Bangor Township 7-Eleven.

KC Miller previously managed the convenience store, and she became the subject of a fraud complaint the Bay County Sheriffs deputies responded to more than two years ago.

Miller, 31, was sentenced on Nov. 10 to repay $39,782 to the store, located at 3543 Old Kawkawlin Road.

Read the full story here.

Bay City Bridge Partners Facebook page recovered following security breach

Bay City Bridge Partners (BCBP) recently announced that it is once again safe to engage with its previously compromised Facebook page.

Several videos of what appeared to be police body camera footage were uploaded to the page in recent weeks, apparently causing some confusion among social media users.

The company posted a notice on its website informing the public that its Facebook page has been fully recovered.

Read the full story here.

Felon charged with having gun, selling meth after Bangor Downs raid

A man with a criminal record spanning nearly 20 years currently faces two felony charges in connection with a raid at a home in Bay County this summer.

While serving a search warrant at a Bangor Township home in June, state and federal law enforcement discovered drugs, a gun, and a large quantity of cash.

Levern Bracey Jr., 38, was among the individuals in the home at the time of the raid.

Braceys criminal record already includes 13 felony convictions, and as a felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms.

His first court appearance took place in U.S. District Court earlier this month.

Read the full story here.

Dow Bay Area Family YMCA pool area to close for water slide installation

The Dow Bay Area Family YMCA will close its pool area soon as it prepares to install a new water slide.

While YMCA members wont be able to use the pool area for the duration of the six-week project, the Dow Bay Area Family YMCA is offering alternative options for members in collaboration with the Saginaw Family YMCA and Delta College.

The pool is set to close in early December.

Read the full story here.
Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, needs to raise 25bn to shore up Britains finances - Jonathan Brady/Pool via REUTERS

Rachel Reeves will introduce a new levy on middle-class homes in the Budget as she finalises plans to raise 25bn to shore up the countrys finances.

The Chancellor is preparing a 600m surcharge on hundreds of thousands of high-value homes that will mainly hit families living in London and the South East.

Details of the proposals emerged after Ms Reeves abandoned a plan to raise income tax, with the Treasury now instead expected to extend the freeze on thresholds and launch a series of other smaller tax raids.

The Telegraph understands the Treasury will use the existing council tax system to revalue 2.4 million of the most valuable properties across bands F, G and H over the next few years  representing one in 10 English homes.

It is understood that a new, separate surcharge on top of existing council tax bills will then be applied to 300,000 of the most valuable properties across the top three bands.

It was unclear last night exactly which homes would be affected, leaving millions of homeowners facing years of uncertainty in a move that experts warn could freeze the property market.

While Labour insiders have framed this as a mansion tax, the levy will hit a share of the 1.3 million middle class families living in band F properties across England.

These families now potentially face annual levies of hundreds of pounds on top of existing council tax bills averaging 3,293, while the majority of the over 150,000 homeowners living in the most valuable properties face paying thousands of pounds more each year.

Sir Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, has accused Labour of engaging in a class war against middle England.

He said: If Starmer and Reeves decide to introduce a new tax raid on family homes, they will be punishing aspiration and hitting hard-working people.

Under Labour, nothing is safe  not your job, your home, your savings, or your pension.

Telegraph analysis of official data shows 26 of Englands 296 local authorities will see more than a quarter of homes revalued under the proposals, with over 15pc of all homes in London and the South East in the scope of higher taxes.

More than 65,000 band F, G and H homes in Buckinghamshire would face revaluation, along with 59,000 in Westminster and 46,000 in Kensington and Chelsea.

The Chancellor has insisted she will make fair choices to balance the books and get debt down  with landlords, salary sacrifice schemes and other asset owners firmly in her sights, alongside a widely expected increase in gambling duties.

Income tax U-turn

However, Ms Reeves dropped plans to raise income tax after a week of political chaos that began with the Chancellor signalling that Labour would break its manifesto pledge not to raise the main rates.
Bihar government formation: JDU likely to retain CMs post, BJP, LJP may each get one Deputy CM

The Bihar the swearing-in ceremony is expected in the next three to four days.

Siddharth Chakravorty

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NDA's oath ceremony likely on November 20 in Patna's Gandhi Maidan, PM Modi expected to attend

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to have a greater representation in the new Bihar government even as Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar will remain chief minister.

Siddharth Chakravorty

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At the heart of this unique political connection between Bihar and Gujarat was a man whose influence often goes unnoticed: Union minister CR Paatil.

Siddharth Chakravorty

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Jan Suraaj's poll debacle puts spotlight on political 'startups' that failed to become 'unicorns'

In India, parties keep getting formed and disappear after a poor showing at the hustings, hardly creating any buzz

Arindam Roy

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Palak Vij

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Palak Vij is a Sub Editor and Entertainment Journalist with over a year of experience covering films, television, and pop culture in the digital space.

Palak Vij

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  Samsung Electronics and other major South Korean companies on Sunday announced fresh domestic investment plans at a meeting with President Lee Jae Myung, who hopes the moves will counter concerns that the firms would prioritize U.S. investments under a trade deal.

Lees meeting with business leaders came days after his government finalized a trade deal with the United States, in which Seoul pledged to invest $350 billion in U.S. industries in exchange for averting the Trump administrations highest tariffs.

Samsung, a global leader in computer chips, said it will invest 450 trillion won ($310 billion) over the next five years to expand its domestic operations, including building another production line at its Pyeongtaek manufacturing hub to meet surging global semiconductor demands fueled by artificial intelligence.

Samsung said the new line, set to begin operations in 2028, is part of its broader effort to secure additional production capacity in anticipation of rising mid- to long-term demands for memory chips. The company also plans to build AI data centers in the countrys southwest South Jeolla Province and the southeastern city of Gumi to support government efforts to reduce the development gap between the greater Seoul metropolitan area and other regions.

Hyundai Motor Group, South Koreas largest automaker, said it plans to invest 125 trillion won ($86.3 billion) from 2026 to 2030 to expand domestic research and development and advance new technologies such as AI, robotics and self-driving cars.

SK Group, another semiconductor powerhouse, and shipbuilders Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai also announced plans to increase their domestic investments. Both are central to South Korean commitments to boost the U.S. shipbuilding industry, a sector highlighted by President Donald Trump in negotiations with Seoul.

In his meeting with the companies chiefs, Lee credited the business sector for helping his government negotiate the trade deal with Washington but urged the companies to maintain strong domestic investments to ease concerns they might cut spending at home to invest more in America. He said his government is exploring various policy steps, including easing regulations, to help create a more favorable business environment for the companies.

SK Chair Chey Tae-won, whose group plans to invest at least 128 trillion won ($88.3 billion) domestically through 2028 with a focus on AI, said the finalization of trade talks with the United States eases uncertainties and paves way for bolder domestic investment.
Kanu Behl slams multiplex chains for blocking small films as Agra struggles for shows; says, We are only asking for 100 good screens

Palak Vij

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When Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra hopped into an auto to escape the crowd

Palak Vij is a Sub Editor and Entertainment Journalist with over a year of experience covering films, television, and pop culture in the digital space.

Palak Vij

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World of Street Woman Fighter 3 champions Osaka Ojo to disband after final concert on 22 November 2025

Palak Vij is a Sub Editor and Entertainment Journalist with over a year of experience covering films, television, and pop culture in the digital space.

Palak Vij

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Rohit Shetty schools Amaal Mallik and Shehbaz Badesha during Bigg Boss 19 Weekend Ka Vaar: 'You better control your language...'

Palak Vij

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A viral hack claims mixing alcohol with electrolytes can stop your hangover. A UCLA anaesthesiologist says it does helpbut only for about 20% of the symptoms (Image: Pexels)

Manjiri Patil

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IB Recruitment 2025 Last Date: Apply here for 258 ACIO-II/Tech posts, direct link here

MC Jobs Desk Read the latest and trending news articles on Sarkari Naukri, government jobs, UPSC, SSC, railway jobs, banking jobs, defence recruitment, state PSC exams, and more.

Saurav Pandey

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Fighting between Thailand and Cambodia erupted in July, one of the most intense and deadly clashes during the decades of disagreements about their border. (File photo: Bangkok port, Thailand)

Deblina Halder

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Bengaluru Metro floats tender to prepare DPR for 59.6-km extension of Green Line to Tumakuru

Christin Mathew Philip

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Serbia's NIS will run out of crude supplies after November 25, according to company representatives (Andrej ISAKOVIC)

Serbia's president on Sunday said he wanted to avoid the "confiscation" of Russian shares in Serbian oil company NIS "at all costs", as his country seeks an exit from crippling US sanctions.

Washington sanctioned Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS), which is majority-Russian-owned, as part of its crackdown on Russia's energy sector after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The sanctions have hit hard in Serbia, which analysts say is on the brink of a winter energy crisis, with the country's lone oil refinery facing a potential shutdown.

Serbia had negotiated several postponements to the sanctions, but the US Treasury Department began applying them on October 9, and American authorities have now told Serbia that all Russian shareholders must exit the company for the sanctions to be lifted.

This creates a tricky situation for Serbia, a candidate for European Union membership and one of the few European countries not to have imposed sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

"I want us to avoid at all costs confiscation, nationalisation or seizure of property... We do not want to take anything from anyone," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said during an emergency government meeting convened after Washington's latest announcement.

"I want us to exhaust all possibilities before committing to a takeover process or anything else," he said.

"We need to have a solution by next Sunday," he added, vowing the response would be "decisive".

NIS is 45-percent owned by Gazprom Neft, which has been targeted by US sanctions. Its parent company, Gazprom, transferred its 11.3-percent stake in NIS in September to another Russian firm, Intelligence.

The Serbian state holds nearly 30 percent of NIS, with the rest owned by minority shareholders.

Vucic said negotiations between the Russian stakeholders and their "Asian and European partners" regarding a potential sale of NIS shares were ongoing, but did not name specific companies.

Since the imposition of sanctions, NIS has been unable to procure supplies. According to company representatives, its crude reserves will run out after November 25.

rus/cc/jhb
Bihar CM name announcement live: 'Every effort was made, it becomes very difficult to win when...', says Congress' Rajeev Shukla

"Some people have started blaming Rahul Gandhi. Recently, during the Lok Sabha elections, the performance was so good and the government was almost formed, everyone was praising Rahul Gandhi... He conducted a 15-day Voter Rights Yatra. He went everywhere. Priyanka Gandhi also went regularly. Kharge ji went to campaign despite his age. Venugopal ji also went there dozens of times. So it's not that there was any lack of effort. Every effort was made. But where the Election Commission is supporting, and where money is being used and power is being misused, it becomes very difficult (to win), and that is what happened," says Congress MP Rajeev Shukla.
Rewati Karan

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'Have faced...': Chirag Paswan on Rohini-Tejashwi fallout, other leaders also react on Lalu family feud

Rewati Karan

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'I tolerated what happened to me but...': Tej Pratap Yadav says insult to Rohini Acharya 'intolerable'

Ria Kapoor

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The government has approved Chandrayaan-4, Indias most complex lunar mission to date, scheduled for 2028. (File photo: Chandrayaan-3)

Deblina Halder

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Narayana Murthy explains how India can catch up with China's economy: 'Job not easy'

Murthy, justified his belief in the 70-hour work week comments made last year that had triggered national debate over work-life balance

Arindam Roy

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Nitish Kumar likely to take oath as Bihar CM for 10th term next week: Report

Kumar has reportedly convened a cabinet meeting on Monday, during which the outgoing 17th Assembly is expected to be dissolved.

Deblina Halder

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Nothing came out of Operation Sindoor: Farooq Abdullah after Srinagar blast

Arishaa Izaj

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Singapore's Temasek Holdings, one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, opened positions in two of China's leading autonomous driving companies in the third quarter of this year.

The state-owned company bought about 1.4 million shares of WeRide and 14,500 shares of Pony.ai in the September quarter, according to its 13F filings released on Friday. The total value of the shares was around US$13.7 million.

Temasek has a history of investing in autonomous driving companies. These included the Swedish transport firm Einride, a technology supplier for electric and self-driving trucks, and the Israeli artificial intelligence mobility start-up Autobrains.

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Robotaxi operators WeRide and Pony.ai, both of which went public in the US in 2024, last week started trading their shares in Hong Kong.

By the end of September, Temasek had a total of US$29 billion of investments in US securities, with about US$2 billion in 16 US-listed Chinese stocks.

Temasek's latest deals reflect the 51-year-old investment giant's focus on forward-looking technologies, while ensuring delivery of higher returns to shareholders.

WeRide founder and CEO Tony Xu Han speaks at the company's trading debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange on November 6, 2025. Photo: Nora Tam alt=WeRide founder and CEO Tony Xu Han speaks at the company's trading debut on the Hong Kong stock exchange on November 6, 2025. Photo: Nora Tam>

In the third quarter, Temasek also bought shares in Tencent Music, China's largest online music platform, and VNET Group, a leading data centre service provider in the country.

Temasek boosted its holdings in e-commerce platform operator PDD Holdings by 200 per cent, real estate brokerage service provider KE Holdings by 76 per cent and online travel agency Trip.com Group by 41 per cent.

It also maintained holdings in companies from electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng to Alibaba Group Holding, owner of the South China Morning Post.

Temasek generated more than US$30 million, as it divested from e-commerce firms JD.com and Vipshop.

In contrast to Temasek's latest moves, Saudi Arabia's sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF) sold all of its Chinese holdings in the third quarter.

PIF divested about 158,000 shares in PDD and around 227,000 shares in Chinese drug developer BeOne Medicines.
The explosion came hours after eight people, including three doctors, were arrested and 2,900 kg of explosives were seized with the busting of a white collar terror module linked to Jaish e Mohammad.

Arishaa Izaj

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Damaged vehicles at the spot after a blast occurred near Red Fort, leaving multiple vehicles in flames.

Arishaa Izaj

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Ria Kapoor

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RK Singh quits BJP after suspension, questions 'anti-party' charges over opposing tickets to 'people with criminal records'

Rewati Karan

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During the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, security forces demolished the house of Dr Umar Nabi in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district

Arindam Roy

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Siddharth Chakravorty

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UP govt moves to withdraw charges against all accused in Akhlaq's lynching

Arindam Roy

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Bengaluru woman throws egg on road to ward off 'evil eye', gets thrashed for doing 'black magic'

CCTV footage from the area is being examined, and two cases have been registered. (AI-generated image)

Ankita Sengupta

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Perplexity AI is most likely to flop: Crowd verdict at major San Francisco AI conference

Aravind Srinivas is the CEO of Perplexity AI that aims to rival Google.

Ankita Sengupta

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Gurpreet Singh

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After two years of robust growth fueled by military spending on the war in Ukraine, Russias economy is slowing. Oil revenues are down, the budget deficit is up and defense spending has leveled off.

The Kremlin needs money to keep its finances steady  and its clear where President Vladimir Putin intends to get it: at the cash register, from ordinary people and small businesses.

An increase in value-added tax to 22% from 20% is expected to add as much as 1 trillion rubles, or about $12.3 billion, to the state budget. The increase is contained in legislation already making its way through Russias compliant parliament and would take effect from Jan. 1.

More tax and fee increases are on the way

On top of the rate increase, the legislation lowers the threshold for requiring businesses to collect VAT to a mere 10 million rubles (about $123,000) in annual sales revenue, in stages by 2028. That's down from 60 million rubles, or $739,000. That change is aimed in part at tax avoidance schemes in which companies split their operations to skirt the threshold.

But it also will hit previously exempt businesses like corner convenience stores and beauty salons.

The government also has proposed increasing taxes on spirits, wine, beer, cigarettes and vapes. For instance, the tax on stronger spirits such as vodka would go up by 84 rubles per liter of pure alcohol, which works out to 17 rubles or about 20 U.S. cents for a half-liter bottle, or about 5% of the minimum price of 349 rubles ($4.31). Fees for renewing driver's licenses or getting an international license also are going up, and a key tax break on imported cars is being axed. The government is weighing a tech tax on digital equipment including smartphones and notebooks of up to 5,000 rubles ($61.50) for the highest priced items, the Kommersant news site reported.

The economic slowdown and tax increases are signs that Putin and ordinary Russians will face harder choices in the months ahead between guns and butter  that is, between military spending and consumer welfare after 3 1/2 years of war against Ukraine.

Tax increases bring dismay and shrugs

Muscovites interviewed on a main street in the Russian capital by The Associated Press expressed dismay mingled with resignation, saying the higher food prices would be widely felt, especially in poorer regions and among those with low incomes.

Pensioner Svetlana Martynova said making small businesses collect VAT would backfire.

I think that small and medium businesses will fold," she said. "The budget will get less, not more.
Delhi Red Fort blast suspects used Swiss app Threema to plan attack: What is it and how it helped them stay hidden

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Ankita Chakravarti

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Google DeepMind unveils SIMA 2, an AI agent built to think, plan and learn across virtual worlds

Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day

Aabhas Sharma

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China rare earths deal will 'hopefully' be done by Thanksgiving, says Bessent

Arindam Roy

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Delhi air quality remains 'very poor'; AQI stands at 385

The air quality in the national capital remained in the very poor category on Sunday morning, with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 385, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

As per data from the CPCBs Sameer app, 18 monitoring stations in Delhi reported air quality in the severe category, while 20 stations recorded very poor air quality with readings above 300.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 to 100 satisfactory, 101 to 200 moderate, 201 to 300 poor, 301 to 400 very poor, and 401 to 500 severe, according to CPCB standards. -- PTI
Pradeep Tripathi

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How the ultrarich in the US are reshaping luxury by seeking total privacy

Arishaa Izaj

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Indian-origin CEO on O-1 visa says FBI detained and questioned him at Miami airport

Vishen Lakhiani, the Indian-origin Malaysian founder and CEO of personal-growth company Mindvalley, shared his experience in a video on Instagram and Facebook.

Deblina Halder

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Iran says all enrichment halted after strikes, signals openness to new nuclear talks

Pradeep Tripathi

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Iran says US is not ready for 'equal and fair' nuclear talks

Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only.

Arindam Roy

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Key Points

Vanguard S&P 500 ETF has an expense ratio of just 0.03%, making it a low-cost winner.

The S&P 500 currently trades near all-time highs and is heavily influenced by a few tech stocks.

A better choice might be this relatively more expensive S&P 500 variation from Invesco.

10 stocks we like better than Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF 

Investors who simply want to track the market generally tend to choose to invest in the S&P 500. Based on how the index is created -- with a broad, diverse representation of the overall economy -- it is a very solid choice.

There's just one problem right now. The S&P 500 is trading at lofty levels, with a high concentration in technology stocks. Here's why investors who want to own the S&P 500 index might find it a smart move to buy the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (NYSEMKT: RSP).

What is the S&P 500?

The S&P 500 is a list of roughly 500 U.S. stocks that have been hand-selected by a committee. The actual goal isn't for the stocks to be representative of the market; the intent is for the stocks, as a group, to represent the broader U.S. economy. The companies that get chosen are usually large and economically important, as you might expect.

Image source: Getty Images.

The index employs a market capitalization weighting method. This essentially means that the largest companies comprise a larger percentage of the index. Thus, the largest companies have the biggest impact on the S&P 500 index's performance. Since the largest companies tend to have the biggest impact on the economy, using market cap weighting makes a lot of sense.

There are several S&P 500 mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) available for investors to purchase. Since they all do the exact same thing, it is probably a smart move to simply buy the cheapest alternative. For example, Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) has an expense ratio of just 0.03%, which is as close to free as you are likely to find on Wall Street. However, there's another option you may want to consider.

The problem with market cap weighting

Market cap weighting is a logical and appropriate way to mimic the economy. But it sometimes leads to problems, notably including concentrating the S&P 500 in hot stocks and sectors. Currently, for example, the technology sector accounts for approximately 35% of the index, which is a significant proportion. Three stocks, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Apple, account for a fairly material 21% of the index.

While the tech focus has helped push the S&P 500 index to record levels, it has also left the index highly concentrated and expensive from a valuation perspective. The average price-to-earnings ratio of the index is nearly 29, and the average price-to-book value ratio is 5.2.
Trump has pushed back on calls from some of his supporters to release more information on the investigation into Epstein

Arindam Roy

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Pakistans London handshake with Israel exposes its double game: How it fits into Trumps West Asia plan and why India is watching closely

Abhinav Gupta

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Photo of skydiver falling past the Sun goes viral: 'The Fall of Icarus'

McCarthy described the undertaking as requiring an absolutely preposterous level of planning and remarked that it might be the first photo of its kind in existence.

Deblina Halder

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Proposed immigration shift in US to put green card prospects at risk for those from 'travel-ban' countries

Ria Kapoor

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Putin dials Netanyahu for second time in two months; Gaza ceasefire, Iran nuclear concerns in focus

Putin and Netanyahu last spoke in October, when they discussed the US plan shortly after it was unveiled.

Deblina Halder

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Trump likely to sell F-35 fighters to Saudis, US official says

The Saudis have been seeking to purchase F-35 planes, which are made by Lockheed Martin Corp. and are among the worlds most advanced jets, according to officials familiar with the negotiations.

Deblina Halder

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Two dead, including child and three hurt in Newark shooting as manhunt continues

Pradeep Tripathi

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UN Security Council to vote on Trumps Gaza peace plan as US pushes for swift adoption

Pradeep Tripathi

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Soybeans saw weakness on Friday, as contracts were down 17 to 22  cents in the nearbys. January still managed a gain of 7  cents on the week, as November expired at the close. The cmdtyView national average Cash Bean price was 22 3/4 cents lower at $10.50 1/4. Soymeal futures fell $1.40 to $6 on the day, with December up $5.40 this week. Soy Oil futures were down 2 to 10 points across the board, with the weekly move at 47 points higher.

USDAs release of the backlog of unreported large daily sales from during the shutdown showed 1.348 MMT. China was the buyer of just 332,000 MT of that, with 616,000 MT to Unknown destinations. Another 237,500 MT of soybean meal was sold to the Philippines. Actual weekly report data wont be caught up until January 2.

More News from Barchart

Crop Production data from this morning showed US soybean yield 0.5 bpa below the September report at 53 bpa. That took production 48 mbu lower to 4.253 bbu.

Carryover from 2024/25 was down 14 mbu from the previous report to 316 mbu as per the September Grain Stocks. That, when combined with the production number, took supply 61 mbu lower to 2.59 bbu. The demand side saw exports down 50 mbu. That took ending stocks 10 mbu lower to 290 mbu.

On the World side, Brazil saw increased domestic used and increased exports, with Argentina seeing increased exports offsetting a drop to crush Ending stocks were 2 MMT lower to 121.99 MMT.

NOPA data will be released on Monday morning, as traders are looking for October crush to total 209.52 mbu, with a wide range of 197.4 to 223.5 mbu. Soybean oil stocks are seen at 1.257 billion lbs, which would be up from 1.243 billion lbs at the end of September.

Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $11.12 3/4, down 19 1/4 cents,

Nearby Cash was $10.50 1/4, down 22 3/4 cents,

Jan 26 Soybeans closed at $11.24 1/2, down 22 1/2 cents,

Mar 26 Soybeans closed at $11.36, down 20 3/4 cents,

On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com
Relief for Indian spice, tea exporters as US eases tariffs on agri products

Ria Kapoor

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Why anti-Indian sentiment is rising among far-right groups in US

Pradeep Tripathi

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News & views related to the war in Palestine 
I think the most interesting piece is monetization, though. All the AI companies, all these AI browsers, are running at a massive loss. At some point that isnt sustainable, and so theyre going to have to figure out how to monetize.

Laura Chambers, CEO of Mozillamaker of the Firefox browser sees the situation as a classic, straightforward bubble. Funding is abundant, it is easier than ever to make low-grade products, and most AI companies are running at a loss, she says. Yes. Its really easy to build a whole bunch of stuff, and so people are building a whole bunch of stuff, but not all of that will have traction. So the amount of stuff coming out versus the amount of stuff thats going to [be sustainable] is probably higher than its ever been. I mean, I can build an app in four hours now. That would have taken me six months to do before. So theres a lot of junk being built very, very quickly, and only a part of that will come through. So thats one piece of the bubble, she said.

No, its not a bubble because demand for AI far exceeds supply. Companies that supply semiconductor chips, data center infrastructure, and other AI services to corporate clients just cannot keep up with the demand.

Yes, its a bubble. The amount of venture capital investment and capex from large companies far exceeds the amount of revenue being generated by the AI companies that receive the fundinga classic bubble scenario.

But few people inside the giant dome of the MEO arena at Web Summit seemed concerned. Fortune asked a dozen executives at the conference for their opinions. What follows is a selection of their perspectives.

Tech stocks sold off dramatically as the conference wore on, after Big Short investor Michael Burry pointed out that some AI hyperscaler tech companiesincluding Meta and Oraclewere elongating the depreciation schedules of their AI capital expenditure (capex) to make their short-term profitability look more favourable. The Nasdaq Composite lost 2.3% yesterday. In addition, Oracle shares declined by 30% over the last month as investors rejected the companys plan to increase its debt in large part to spend more on AI chips.

If the AI boom had a physical form, it was alive and kicking at Web Summit this week as 71,000 startup founders, venture capital investors, tech CEOs, and the media who follow them gathered under literal storm clouds in Lisbon, Portugal, to discuss the future of the industry.

Story Continues

Babak Hodjat, chief AI officer at Cognizant, said he believed diminishing returns were setting in to large language models. The DeepSeek launch from earlier this yearin which a Chinese company released an LLM comparable to ChatGPT for a fraction of the costwas a good example of this. Building AI was once a huge, expensive, and difficult undertaking. But today, many AI use-cases (such as custom-built, task-specific AI agents) dont need huge models underpinning them, he said.

The bulk of the money that you seeand people talk about a bubbleis going into commercial companies that are actually building large language models. I think that technology is starting to be commoditized. You dont really need to use that big of a large language model, but those guys are taking money because they need a lot of compute capacity. They need a lot of data. And their valuation is based on, you know, bigger is better. Which is not necessarily the case, he told Fortune.

About half of the remainder were in the good bubble category

Dan Gardner, CEO of digital creative agency Code & Theory compared the current moment to the dot-com boom of 2000: It is a bubble, and its not a bubble. Its a bubble in the sense that there will be tremendous amount of wasted capital [like what happened in the 2000 crash.] That was a bubble, and a tremendous amount of people lost their money. And we had some of the biggest companies in the world [like Amazon and Google], trillion-dollar companies, that came out of that.

Lyft CEO David Risher said that AI may be a financial bubble right now, but the companies within it are nonetheless building tools and learning skills that will be transformational in the long term.

Talking to CNBC, he said: Lets be clear, we are absolutely in a financial bubble. There is no question, right? Because this is incredible, transformational technology. No one wants to be left behind.

But he argued that the financial bubble was a short-term problem. The data centers and all the model creation, all of that is going to have a long, long life, because its transformational. It makes peoples lives easier. It makes peoples lives better  On the other hand, you know, the financial side, its a little risky right now.

The rest see a boom, not a bubble

Several AI supply companies cant keep up with demandand are pretty happy about it. They arent blind to the potential for a contraction, but know the business they are doing is real and backed by demand from clients with deep pockets.

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft, told Fortune: From a long-term perspective, I think the answer is no. I think that weve got years, if not decades, ahead of us for growth. From a short-term perspective, Ill only speak for Microsoft; I cant speak for every company in the industry. We have more demand than supply. Thats the reality from customers, and we have an ongoing pipeline of demand and needs, and we see steady growth, and were encouraged by where things are going. And well always be disciplined as were investing.

Emily Fontaine, global head of venture capital at IBM, operates a $500 million AI-focused venture capital fund. She has already made 23 investments into companies building AI products that often fit into an ecosystem run by IBM products or by clients of IBM. I strongly believe, if you have conviction, and youre investing in the right companies, youre gonna make the right decisions for your criteria, she said.

She admits the industry is living through a heady boom: We cant deny a ridiculous amount of money is going into AI startups, right? $160 billion, year-to-date. Thats just the U.S. Look at that compared to 2024, which was $104 billion. Its a huge amount. We cant deny theres a ridiculous amount of investment going on. But she says client demand is robust: I strongly believe that investing is going to pay off. Over the last few months weve gone from AI adoption in say, 26% now to 43% in enterprise companies.

Ami Badani, head of strategy/CMO at chipmaker ARM, has a front row seat. ARM has a partnership with Nvidia in which the former provides the latter with multiple services, licenses, and products. They just cant make chips fast enough, she told Fortune.

I feel like theres enough demand. Even today, you look at demand and that exceeds supply, and theres an insatiable amount of demand and appetite for where we need to get to, so I dont really worry about could folks pull back? If you look at GDP growth and where we believe that we need to get to in terms of AI, and these use cases, thats all limited by power and compute, she said. So I dont worry about it [a bubble] too much. It doesnt wake me up at night, if thats what youre asking.

Nicolas Sauvage, president at TDK Ventures, supervises the VC firms $500 million investment fund. Like Badani, he sees an environment where demand is stronger than supply. Are we going to have a moment where the demand is going to be less than the supply, especially when every company is racing to build that infrastructure, are getting as much chipset as they can today? The demand is matching. Actually, the demand is higher than the supply, so were not seeing that over-supply, he said.

He is, obviously, aware that the major AI companies are not yet showing the revenues they will need to demonstrate that they are sustainable businesses. But that is because they dont yet need toin fact they can turn on the revenue switch any time, he said: My feeling is that any of these companies could decide to turn the revenue tap on if they want it. They are not at the point where they are being challenged to do that, so the question is, when do they decide to do it?

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Conor here: If you saw the headlines amid the shutdown deal you might have come across something like the following from Politico: Trump admin will pay full SNAP benefits within 24 hours after shutdown ends.And if you found yourself wondering, whats the catch, here it is.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP, directed agencies during the shutdown to start enforcing some of the new rules from Trumps big, beautiful bill. That includes new work requirements which are intended to rip away at least some food assistance from 5-6 million people, including veterans, the homeless, and legal immigrants. The administration announced the implementation months ahead of schedule, which means states will have a hard time having a system to monitor work requirements ready and will likely lose some SNAP funding as a result. New York Focus highlights the challenges with such a task made even more difficult by the abrupt announcement:

The shutdown has also frozen funding for a slew of other public benefit programs, creating a logistical nightmare for social service departments that have long struggled with understaffing, brain drain and application backlogs. Counties had planned on the rules taking effect in the spring, but Tower said they were blindsided in early October when the Trump administration abruptly announced an accelerated timeline. An estimated 10,000 New Yorkers in Erie County, home to Buffalo, could be subject to the new rules. Erie County is getting in touch with those residents, an undertaking that includes scheduling in-person group orientations and follow-up compliance meetings as well as sending out mass mailings of required notices.

So, no the Trump admin almost certainly will not pay full SNAP benefits now that the shutdown has endedor if they are, it wont be for long.

By Raymond Fernandez who covers New York City and housing for NOTUS. Originally published at The City.

With the government shutdown ended and funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program assured through September 2026, millions of Americans are about to start getting regular food aid again.

But the strain on the nations largest anti-hunger program isnt going to let up entirely, and more of the burden is about to shift to the states.

The reconciliation package  the sweeping bill passed by Republicans last summer  has set in motion some of the most significant changes to SNAP in decades. The law expands work requirements, restricts eligibility for certain immigrant groups and forces states to shoulder most of the programs administrative costs.

The changes and cuts to SNAP, approved by the Republican Congress and signed by President Trump, will undermine the programs foundation and significantly increase state and local costs. They will also reduce benefits to SNAP households, making it even more difficult for New Yorkers to purchase essential food at a time when food prices are up, and household budgets are already stretched thin, Nicolette Simmonds, a spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, told NOTUS in a statement.

States are already taking steps to try to prepare for this. In Massachusetts, for example, Gov. Maura Healey created a statewide Anti-Hunger Task Force in direct response to the changes. The thinking is that it will help offset the effect of the federal cuts with state resources and coordination among food assistance organizations.

There are changes that will cause some people to lose all their benefits, and some people to lose some of their benefits. Theres changes that are going to place additional burden on the state, where theyre going to have to cover additional administrative costs and potentially partial costs of the benefits that are provided, which is the first time thats ever been required, Crystal FitzSimons, president of the Food Research & Action Center, told NOTUS.

And some of those changes are starting to take effect.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which did not respond to a request for comment, said it was unable to do much operationally on SNAP during the shutdown, even pushing back on using contingency funds to keep the program afloat. Still, in that period the department directed agencies to start enforcing one of its new rules to comply with the reconciliation package.

Following the OBBB, some alien groups previously eligible for SNAP are no longer eligible, the USDA said in a memo issued on Oct. 31, directing state agencies to immediately begin implementing new eligibility requirements aimed at excluding people with certain legal immigration statuses.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that at least 90,000 people would become ineligible for SNAP benefits monthly due to this new requirement.

But its not the only change that will take a toll on eligibility.

Under the reconciliation package, work requirements have been expanded to apply to all able-bodied adults without dependents.

Most adults under the age of 64 will now be required to submit documentation proving they are working, volunteering, or in a training program for at least 80 hours per month. These expanded SNAP work requirements will now also apply to veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness and former foster youth.

Rep. Yvette Clarke, a Democrat from New York, called the changes horrendous.

The idea is, oh, theyre late with your application, or your application was incomplete  and people will go without the support they need to feed their families, she said. Its going to be a real financial burden to every state, every municipality.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that 5 to 6 million people are at risk of losing some amount of SNAP benefits because of the expansion of work requirements.

Theyre betting on people not filling out the paperwork right, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico, the state with the highest reliance on the SNAP program in the country, told NOTUS. Theyre kicking people off because they missed a deadline, because they checked the wrong box. Lets make sure we give people the help so that they comply with the requirements.

New Mexico state officials told NOTUS that about 55,750 New Mexicans will become subject to the new rules, and roughly 20,000 may lose food benefits entirely by April 2026 if they fail to meet the new federal criteria.

New Mexico asked the USDA for a federal waiver to temporarily suspend requiring able-bodied individuals to provide proof of employment in areas with high unemployment. The waiver was granted, but it expires at the end of the year.

The fight over SNAP funding that played out during the shutdown is raising concern about how this will play out.

Im concerned in general that this administration, over the last two and a half months, has shown during the shutdown that theyre willing to do things that are not only confusing and make it difficult to administer the program, but unlawful, including withholding funding, Rep. Melanie Stansbury told NOTUS. I dont have any confidence in this administration and their execution on the program, and were going to be watching it closely.

The USDA directed states to begin implementing the expanded work requirements at the start of November, even though its unclear how state agencies will do that.

The reconciliation bill also cuts back on how much funding is given to each state to administer the program. Guidance from the USDA stating the provision reduces the amount that USDA may pay a state agency for administrative costs involved in its operation of SNAP to 25%, from the current 50%, beginning in fiscal year 2027.

Those changes are expected to go into effect as soon as next September and are part of the reconciliation packages goal to cut the SNAP program by at least $187 billion by 2034.

It is completely antithetical to, on the one hand, implement new, very burdensome, complicated rules for eligibility, and on the other hand, take resources away from states that they would need to implement such eligibility rules, said Kyle Ross, a policy analyst at Center for American Progress.

NOTUS reached out to 13 agencies with some of the highest recipient reliance on the SNAP program across the country to understand how they were planning to adopt and implement the new requirements, as well as how they were notifying their recipients if their benefits had changed.

The uncertainty and confusion surrounding SNAP benefits that has spread across the country is unfair to the over one million Michigan residents that rely on these benefits to put food on the table and support their families, said a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the only agency to respond. We will continue to do everything we can to assist those in need.
Greetings gentle readers and welcome to another installment of the Sunday Morning Movie. Todays feature is Whisky, a dour Uruguayan comedy about love, sibling rivalry, and socks.

And next weeks feature:

Reviews of Whisky:

Reeling Reviews says:

A year after his mothers death Jacobo Koller (Andres Pazos) must face his long ignored and more successful brother, Herman (Jorge Bolani), when her tombstone arrives and a dedication ceremony is planned. The lonely sock factory owner wants to impress his brother with a normal family life and so he asks Marta (Mirella Pascual), his most faithful employee, to move in for a few days. She agrees and gives his gloomy apartment a womans touch in Whisky. And that title comes from a professional photographers entreaty to say whisky! for the mock marriage portrait Marta believes will complete Jacobos deception. Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stolls droll yet bittersweet film was Uruguays submission for 2004s foreign language film but barely got a release in the United States. This wonderful little film is now available to all with First Run Features welcome new DVD release. The directors, who cowrote Whisky with Gonzalo Delgado, give us a view of Montevideo telescoped through the eyes of Jacobo. We see its streets from the back seat of his car, which he uses to deliver bales of socks to shabby distributors. We see outside the gate which he opens early every morning to let himself and Marta in to begin the day. Even the blinds in his office are broken. When Marta is admitted into his apartment, it is stuffed with the gloom and refuse of an invalid, a place not to live but to die in. Marta brightens perceptibly with her new role, shedding her washerwoman look with newly styled hair and even a touch of makeup, but it is not until Hermans arrival that the dynamics really begin to shift. While the actors who play them look remarkably like brothers, the characters are a study in opposites. Jacobo is a creature of stagnant routine, taciturn and low tech. Herman, also a sock manufacturer but in flashier Brazil, is a social creature, gregarious and impulsive. Herman, in fact, insists that the trio take a mini-vacation of sorts, and so they travel to the resort town frequented in their youth  Piriapolis. Marta responds to Hermans open nature and although it is unsaid, we can deduce her agenda in agreeing to play Jacobos wife. When these older folks run into a newlywed couple at the hotel little signs and symbols begin to play out, like Martas loss of her wedding ring in the hotel swimming pool. Jacobos use of their advice in order to maintain the status quo goes outrageously awry. The filmmakers are incredibly adept at relaying so very much almost imperceptibly. Jacobos gaze into a shop window, where he spies an overtly cheerful couples photo framed in gaudy pink, is a laugh out loud moment. Martas unveiling of her ability to repeat back anything backwards instantaneously is a delightful surprise and the tip of the iceberg in what the man who has known her for years has neglected to discover. A general outlook on life is reflected in the placement of a refrigerator magnet. Whisky affirms a love of life, even if it is at the expense of one who fails to see it. Its a wise and perceptive little comedy which trails whiffs of melancholia in its wake.

Letterboxd says:

It is never too late to embrace life, to escape from the silence and monotony of a suffocating everyday life that seems to repeat itself to the point of boredom. Whiskey is a story about loneliness and the frustrations, resentments and disappointments of life that lie hidden behind it. At the same time, it shows how human beings cope with this loneliness; there are those who accept it and are unable to overcome the coldness and hermetism that keeps them entrapped, there are those who on the outside pretend that everything is fine, and there are those who have the courage to awaken from their lethargy. Filmmakers Rebella and Stoll have created a melancholic work that reflects with great authenticity the simplicity and pathos of life.

My take: A dry little comedy with a deep tinge of sadness running through it. The directors make wonderful use of scene construction and clever little details that tell the story without relying on dialogue. The ending came as a surprise but upon reflection it was bound to happen the way it did.

Directors: Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll

Writers: Gonzalo Delgado, Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll

Notable Actors: Andres Pazos, Mirella Pascual, Jorge Bolani

Plot (Spoilers!)

Jacobo (Pazos) is a small time business owner whose life is like a record set on repeat. Everyday he goes through the same routine, accompanied by his shop manager Marta (Pascual). Together they run a small, shabby sock manufacturing concern.

Jacobos estranged brother Herman (Bolani) is coming into town for their mothers funeral. Jacobo realizes his life is hollow and wants to present a prettier picture to Herman. So he enlists Marta to act as his wife for the duration of Hermans visit.

After the funeral, Herman invites the ersatz couple to a vacation at a resort the brothers frequented as children. As the trio spend time together, it becomes apparent that Herman is a far more charming and lively person than his grim-faced brother. Marta begins to develop feelings for Herman and at the conclusion of the film we find Jacobo back where he started in his factory.minus Marta.
Iran claims dismantling U.S.-Israeli spy network amid escalating tensions

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced the dismantling of a major espionage network reportedly run by U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies.

The operation was described as conducted "in a coordinated manner across several provinces" after months of surveillance and counter-intelligence, though no specifics on timing, arrests or locations were given.

The announcement followed recent heightened hostilities between Iran and Israel and new Iranian legislation imposing harsher penalties for espionage.

During the conflict, Iran imposed a near-total internet blackout, severely restricting connectivity and independent verification of governmental claims.

Observers note that while Tehran presents the crackdown as a national-security measure, the lack of detailed transparency raises questions about the full accuracy and motives behind the announcement.

In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing shadow war between Iran and its adversaries, Tehran announced Tuesday, Nov. 11, that it had dismantled a major espionage network allegedly operated by the U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran's powerful military and ideological force, declared that the spy ring had been identified and neutralized after months of surveillance and counterintelligence operations.

The IRGC's statement, broadcast by state television, claimed the operation was conducted "in a coordinated manner across several provinces," though officials provided no specifics regarding the timing, locations or number of arrests. The announcement comes just weeks after a fragile ceasefire halted direct hostilities between Iran and Israel, following a brutal exchange of airstrikes and missile attacks in June that left over a thousand dead, according to Iranian state figures.

The alleged spy network crackdown is the latest episode in a decades-long covert conflict between Iran and Israel, marked by assassinations, cyberattacks and sabotage. Israel views Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat, while Tehran frames Israel's military dominance as an extension of Western imperialism. The recent flare-up began after an Israeli airstrike on Iran's embassy in Damascus killed seven IRGC officers, including a high-ranking Quds Force general.

Iran retaliated with a barrage of drones and missiles, prompting an unprecedented Israeli bombing campaign targeting Iranian military installations and nuclear facilities. The U.S. briefly intervened, launching strikes on Iranian nuclear sites before both sides agreed to a ceasefire on June 24.

Internet blackout and information control

Amid the conflict, Iran imposed a near-total internet blackout, slashing connectivity to just three percent of normal levels and forcing citizens onto a heavily censored, state-controlled network. Authorities justified the shutdown as a national security measure, but critics argue it was designed to suppress dissent and control the narrative. With access to independent news sources severed, Iranians have been left reliant on state propaganda, making it nearly impossible to verify claims about the dismantled spy network or the true toll of recent hostilities.

The IRGC's announcement follows a recent Iranian parliamentary bill that significantly toughened penalties for espionage, particularly for those accused of collaborating with Israel or the U.S. In recent months, Iran has executed multiple individuals convicted of spying for Israel, part of a broader crackdown on perceived foreign infiltration.

While Tehran frequently alleges foreign espionage, details of such operations are rarely disclosed, raising skepticism about the veracity of its claims. Western intelligence agencies have long accused Iran of conducting its own cyber espionage and assassination campaigns abroad, including plots targeting dissidents and Israeli operatives.

The latest tensions have reignited fears of a full-scale regional war, particularly after senior IRGC officers warned that Iran could retaliate against Israeli nuclear facilities if its own nuclear sites were attacked. Such a move would mark a dangerous escalation, potentially drawing in global powers and destabilizing the Middle East further.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration faces mounting pressure to address Iran's nuclear ambitions, with Tehran reportedly accelerating uranium enrichment despite the 2015 nuclear deal lying in ruins. Israel has repeatedly signaled its willingness to take unilateral military action to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, setting the stage for further confrontations.

A fragile ceasefire and uncertain future

While the current ceasefire holds, the underlying hostilities between Iran and Israel show no signs of abating. The alleged spy network dismantlingwhether fact or fabricationserves as another propaganda tool for Tehran to rally domestic support and justify its repressive measures. With internet restrictions stifling dissent and executions intensifying, Iran's regime appears determined to tighten its grip amid external threats.

The world is watching nervously, aware that the next provocationwhether an assassination, cyberattack or military strikecould plunge the region back into open conflict. And with Iran's nuclear capabilities advancing, the stakes have never been higher.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the conflict between Iran and Israel is a dangerous distraction orchestrated by globalist elites to further their depopulation and control agendas, dragging the U.S. into endless wars that only serve the military-industrial complex. We must reject foreign entanglements, expose the corruption fueling these conflicts and focus on protecting American sovereignty and freedom.

Watch the video below where Col. Douglas MacGregor declares that "war with Iran is imminent."

This video is from What is happening channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

Barrons.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
A generation at risk: Groundbreaking study exposes the toxic truth in schoolchildrens vapes

Testing of confiscated school vapes revealed not only mislabeled nicotine and unregulated cannabis but also biological hazards, including bacteria and fecal matter, at levels that could cause respiratory illness.

A vast majority (83 percent) of the devices contained highly addictive nicotine, while 14 percent contained cannabinoids. Of the cannabis vapes, 73 percent were a dangerous, unpredictable mix of natural and synthetic compounds.

The study found a complete lack of manufacturing standards, with widespread mislabeling of nicotine strength. Critically, over 99.9 percent of the products were not authorized for legal sale by the FDA, confirming an illicit supply chain.

The research provides physical evidence of a school-based vaping epidemic, with popular brands like Geek Bar being easily acquired by students through friends, personal purchase or theft.

The report concludes that the combination of products targeted at youth, a lack of regulatory oversight and the confirmed presence of harmful substances represents a systemic failure, requiring urgent action from parents and policymakers to prevent a public health tragedy.

In a stark revelation that confirms the worst fears of parents and educators, a forensic investigation has laid bare the hidden dangers of the vaping devices circulating through the nation's schools. Recent testing by a Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) toxicology lab has uncovered a disturbing cocktail of mislabeled nicotine, unregulated cannabis and even fecal matter in devices used by more than a million school-age children.

This past school year, researcher Michelle Peace and her team at the Laboratory for Forensic Toxicology Research conducted an extensive forensic analysis, collecting and evaluating nearly 1,300 vaping products from K-12 schools across Virginia, exposing an unregulated market preying on American youth.

A chemical minefield in the classroom

The findings from this real-world survey of confiscated school property are a damning indictment of the vaping epidemic. The data reveals a marketplace of deception and danger. A staggering 83 percent of the products contained nicotine, the highly addictive substance that hooks young brains, while 14 percent contained cannabinoids, the psychoactive compounds found in cannabis. Perhaps most alarming is the discovery that 73 percent of the cannabis vapes tested contained a potent and unpredictable mixture of both plant-based and synthetic cannabinoids, with concentrations varying wildly from 28 to 90 percent, creating a Russian roulette of psychological and physiological effects for the user.

The concept of consumer choice is rendered meaningless in this shadow market. The research demonstrates widespread mislabeling, shattering any illusion of informed consent. Devices often advertised as containing a standard five percent nicotine level were found to contain anywhere from a mere one percent to a potent four percent, demonstrating a complete lack of manufacturing standards. Even more concerning was the identification of ethanola form of alcoholin four percent of the nicotine vapes. Critically, less than 0.1 percent of the products submitted had authorization for legal sale from the Food and Drug Administration, proving they flow almost exclusively from an unregulated, and often illicit, supply chain.

Beyond nicotine: A biological hazard

The dangers extend far beyond addictive substances and inaccurate labels. The VCU team uncovered a biological hazard that would alarm any parent. Their testing confirmed the presence of microbiological contaminants, including bacteria, yeast and coliform in the devices and their aerosol. Coliform bacteria specifically indicate the presence of fecal contamination. Researchers noted that the levels of these contaminants in many products exceeded the exposure threshold, the point at which negative health effects are likely to occur, raising profound concerns about respiratory infections and other illnesses linked to inhaling such pathogens.

This public health crisis is being managed in a data vacuum. While national surveys like the Monitoring the Future report suggest significant usage, Peace and her team express concern that such data may not fully capture the scale of the problem, as school personnel consistently report a rising tide of vaping among students. The VCU study provides a tangible, physical record of the crisis, with the Geek Bar brand dominating the collections, followed by Raz and Lost Mary. The pathways of access are equally troubling, with students reporting they acquire these devices most commonly through friends or peers, by purchasing them themselves, or even by theft.

Learning from the past to protect the future

There is a grim historical parallel to this unfolding tragedy. For decades, the public health battle against traditional cigarettes was hampered by a lack of comprehensive data and aggressive marketing from tobacco companies. It took years of conclusive research and countless lives lost to establish the definitive links between smoking, lung cancer and heart disease, ultimately leading to the public health policies that curbed its use. The nation now stands at a similar crossroads with vaping. The VCU research serves as a crucial, early warning siren, providing the hard evidence that was so desperately needed and for so long absent in the fight against Big Tobacco.

"Vaping is the act of inhaling aerosolized solutions. This is similar to inhaling steam from hot water with VapoRub to clear sinuses," BrightU.AI's Enoch noted. "It is also compared to breathing in the humid or polluted air of a city."

The conclusion drawn from this forensic evidence is inescapable. The vaping phenomenon represents a systemic failure to protect the most vulnerable. The combination of deliberate targeting of youth with sweet flavors, the complete absence of regulatory oversight, and the now-confirmed presence of harmful and deceptive substances creates a perfect storm threatening a generation. The mission of researchers like Michelle Peace is to arm society with the facts. It now falls upon parents, educators, and policymakers to heed this warning, reject the narrative of vaping as a harmless alternative, and take decisive action to remove these toxic products from the hands of children before the long-term consequences become an irreversible national tragedy.

Watch as a mother talks about the dangers of vaping.

This video is from the PureTrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

MedicalXpress.com

News.VCU.edu

VFHY.org

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Richemonts chairman Johann Rupert added that the groups jewelry houses also benefit from their heritage and high-profile branding.

Bos added that a new mindset has been emerging since the end of the post-pandemic shopping frenzy. Right after COVID-19, luxury shopping habits were driven by a YOLO, You only live once mentality, while today, theyre more in a YONO, You only need one, state of mind.

Meanwhile, at the very, very high end, we see collectors and customers looking for unique and expensive pieces. Theyre looking at long-term investment value, alongside the pleasure of purchasing and wearing these pieces, he said.

He said some people might buy a Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra bracelet, or a Cartier Love bracelet, instead of fashion accessories which might have similar prices.

Clients have different spending power, and they adapt to different price points and categories, said Bos after Richemont reported a 10 percent increase in sales at constant exchange to 10.62 billion euros in the first half. At reported exchange, sales were up 5 percent.

Richemonts chief executive officer Nicolas Bos said the second-quarter bounce came from sustained local demand; from established and new collections, such as Cartier Love Unlimited and Flowerlace from Van Cleef & Arpels, and from a variety of price points.

Jefferies said Richemont is now the fastest growing luxury company, while Citi proclaimed All that glitters is Cartier , in its latest report on the Swiss watch and jewelry giant. The banks were expecting the division to climb 10 percent in the second quarter, so the 17 percent hike came as quite a surprise.

Richemont said all regions delivered double-digit growth in jewelry with the exception of Japan, which was flat.

First-half sales at Richemont s jewelry division, which Jefferies described Friday as a remarkable locomotive for growth, rose 14 percent to 7.75 billion euros at constant exchange. In the second quarter sales were up 17 percent.

LONDON  Spiraling gold prices, hefty U.S. tariffs and price hikes have failed to deter luxury customers appetite for Richemonts fine jewelry brands, which outstripped analysts expectations and notched double-digit growth in the first fiscal half ended Sept. 30.

Story Continues

The beauty of jewelry is that a very big part of the market is unbranded. Watches are different. If you want to increase your watch sales, you really have to gain market share. But because there is so much unbranded jewelry, one can grow into that market, Rupert said.

Following Fridays results announcement, Rupert was bullish on more than just the jewelry division.

He said his hope was that U.S. tariffs on Swiss exports would come down following ongoing negotiations between the Swiss and U.S. governments. Later in the day, he got his wish. Those negotiations were ultimately successful for Switzerland, which saw tariffs slashed to 15 percent from the current 39 percent, in line with those of the European Union.

Rupert stressed that, despite having joined South African president Cyril Ramaphosa at a meeting in the Oval Office with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year, he had nothing to do with the trade talks and was not part of the Swiss delegation.

He described the tariff tussle between the U.S. and Switzerland as a misunderstanding, and said his hope was that it would be cleared up soon.

Richemont said the impact of tariffs had so far been contained at around 50 million euros in the first half. That figure risked rising to 300 million euros for the full year if Switzerland and the U.S. had not come to an agreement.

Richemonts watch division would have borne the brunt of the tariff damage at a time when it has just begun to show some green shoots.

Watch sales, which have been hammered by declining demand, especially in China, were down 6 percent to 1.56 billion euros at reported exchange, and down 2 percent at constant rates in the first half.

Gisele Bundchen joins IWC Schaffhausen at Watches and Wonders on April 9 in Geneva, Switzerland, celebrity style, suiting

In the second quarter they rose 3 percent at constant exchange, driven by sequential improvement in all regions. Double-digit growth in the Americas region offset declines in Asia-Pacific and Japan, while demand in China, Macao and Hong Kong remained soft despite the second-quarter improvement.

In addition to tariffs, the watch division also suffered from rising gold prices and currency fluctuations in the first half. Operating profit fell nearly 70 percent to 50 million euros compared with the corresponding period last year.

Although demand for watches remains soft in China, Richemont principals are hopeful about a progressive recovery in the region, and are taking the long-term view.

The Chinese are still buying, but we believe they are becoming more selective. And that may remain so, even upon a full recovery. And thats something were happy about, said Rupert. The down trend has changed, and were seeing some early [positive] signs, but I wouldnt go as far as to call them green shoots of recovery.

Bos said YONO is definitely a mindset hes seeing in China and Korea.

In those countries, he said, clients are buying with a much more discerning eye. They buy less, and they know exactly what they want. They are looking at the quality of the product and the long-lasting investment value really plays a role. This is something that we see, particularly in jewelry, and I believe its one of the factors behind the success of our jewelry maisons.

Jonathan Vinels Martin Pleure, Oscar Munozs El ejercicio de la empatia and Fernell Francos  Retratos de Ciudad.

Bos added that Richemont is very optimistic about China, and we continue to invest there. It remains a very, very important market, although we wont be seeing the type of growth that we were seeing before, or after, the pandemic, he said.

As reported, most regions showed robust growth in the half, at constant exchange rates.

The Middle East and Africa rose 19 percent, while the Americas grew 18 percent. Sales in Europe were up 11 percent, while Asia-Pacific rose 5 percent. Japan was the only outlier, falling 4 percent.

Group operating profit climbed 7 percent to 2.4 billion euros, while profit for the period surged to 1.81 billion euros from 457 million euros. That increase was due to the nonrecurrence of the 1.2-billion-euro non-cash write-down from discontinued operations linked to the sale of Yoox Net-a-porter group to Mytheresa parent LuxExperience.

Richemont said it achieved those results by keeping a tight lid on costs, while continuing to invest in jewelry manufacturing capabilities, store openings and marketing campaigns.

Rupert said that over the past months Richemont has been stress-tested by an unprecedented combination of external macroeconomic headwinds  and its trials are not over.

He said Richemont would continue to navigate through uncertain times given that the recovery path remains unsteady. Managing the uncertainty will continue to require agility and discipline.

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Trump urges full PARDON for Netanyahu amid corruption trial, sparking debate over rule of law

U.S. President Donald Trump formally requested Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling his corruption trial a "political, unjustified prosecution." Trump framed Netanyahu as a key ally against Iran and dismissed the charges as a "witch hunt," echoing his own legal battles.

Netanyahu faces three major corruption cases involving bribery, fraud and breach of trust, with potential prison time if convicted. He denies wrongdoing, claiming gifts from businessmen were personal and unrelated to political favors.

Herzog's office acknowledged Trump's letter but stressed that pardons must follow Israeli legal procedures. Netanyahu has not formally requested a pardon himself, and experts note pardons are typically granted only before trial or after conviction  neither of which applies here.

Far-right supporters (like Itamar Ben-Gvir) applauded Trump's move, calling the indictments "disgraceful." Opposition leaders (like Yair Lapid) argued Netanyahu must admit guilt first  something he refuses to do. Legal experts warn that a politically pressured pardon could undermine Israel's judiciary and rule of law.

Trump has a history of defending foreign allies (Jair Bolsonaro, Marine Le Pen) facing legal troubles, raising concerns about foreign interference in domestic justice. Netanyahu remains focused on security issues, thanking Trump for support while the trial drags on  highlighting tensions between political influence and judicial independence.

U.S. President Donald Trump has formally requested Israeli President Isaac Herzog to grant a full pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently embroiled in a high-profile corruption trial.

In a letter shared by Herzog's office on Wednesday, Nov. 12, Trump urged the Israeli president to pardon Netanyahu, describing the legal proceedings against him as a "political, unjustified prosecution." The unprecedented intervention has ignited fierce debate over judicial independence, political influence and the rule of law in Israel.

"While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System, and its requirements, I believe that the 'case' against Bibi, who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against the very tough adversary of Israel, Iran, is a political, unjustified prosecution," Trump wrote. "I hereby call on you to fully pardon Benjamin Netanyahu."

Trump's letter marks his most direct intervention yet in Netanyahu's legal troubles, following repeated public statements defending the Israeli leader. During a visit to Israel last month, Trump openly asked Herzog during a Knesset address: "Mr. President, why don't you give him a pardon?"

Netanyahu's legal woes

Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, faces charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases. The most serious allegation involves accepting nearly 700,000 shekels ($211,832) in gifts from wealthy businessmen in exchange for political favors. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison for bribery and three years each for fraud and breach of trust.

Netanyahu has consistently denied wrongdoing, framing the trial as a left-wing "witch hunt"a term Trump has also used to describe his own legal battles. The trial, which began in May 2020, has faced repeated delays, partly due to Netanyahu's wartime leadership amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch engine, the corruption charges against Netanyahu  Israel's longest-serving leader  revolve around three main cases collectively known as "Case 1000," "Case 2000" and "Case 4000." These cases have been ongoing since 2016 and have led to Netanyahu's indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Netanyahu has consistently maintained his innocence, arguing that the gifts were not bribes but tokens of friendship, and that he did not receive any personal benefit from the deals. However, the Israeli Attorney General and the police have recommended that he be indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust in all three cases.

Herzog's response: Procedures must be followed

Herzog's office acknowledged Trump's letter but emphasized that pardons must follow legal protocols. "Anyone seeking a pardon must submit a request in accordance with the established procedures," Herzog's office stated.

Under Israeli law, a pardon request must come from the accused, their legal team or a family member  none of which have been submitted on Netanyahu's behalf. Additionally, legal experts note that pardons are typically granted only before a trial begins or after a conviction, neither of which applies in Netanyahu's case.

Trump's plea has polarized Israeli politics. Far-right supporters, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, cheered the move, calling the indictments "disgraceful" and urging Herzog to act. Opposition leader Yair Lapid countered that Netanyahu would first need to admit guilt and express remorse  something the prime minister has refused to do.

Legal analysts warn that a pardon under political pressure could undermine Israel's judiciary. "A pardon without some kind of admission of guilt is very unusual and even illegal," said Amir Fuchs, a constitutional law expert at the Israel Democracy Institute. "The message will be undermining of rule of law."

Will Trump's words change Israel's course?

This is not the first time Trump has intervened in foreign legal cases involving political allies. In July 2024, he defended Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup. Earlier this year, he supported Marine Le Pen after she was barred from French elections over embezzlement charges.

On one hand, critics argue Trump's actions set a dangerous precedent of foreign leaders meddling in domestic justice systems. On the other hand, supporters see it as standing by allies against what they deem politically motivated prosecutions.

Netanyahu has yet to formally request a pardon, and Herzog has given no indication he would grant one. Meanwhile, the prime minister remains focused on Israel's security challenges, posting on X: "Thank you, President Trump, for your incredible support. As usual, you get right to the point and call it like it is. I look forward to continuing our partnership to bolster security and expand peace."

As Netanyahu's trial drags on, the controversy underscores broader questions about accountability, political interference and the balance of power in democratic nations. For now, the world watches  and waits  to see whether Trump's appeal will sway Israel's leadership or if the rule of law will prevail.

Watch the video below about President Donald Trump asking Israeli President Isaac Herzog to pardon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

RT.com

Edition.CNN.com

BrightU.ai

Reuters.com

APNews.com

Brighteon.com
Ukraines EnergyGate scandal deepens: Zelensky allies implicated in $100M corruption scheme

President Volodymyr Zelensky's inner circle is accused of embezzling $100 million from Ukraine's energy sector, diverting funds meant for nuclear plant defenses against Russian strikes.

Wiretaps exposed a network of officials and businessmen, including Timur Mindich (a Zelensky financier), German Galushchenko (former energy minister) and others, allegedly laundering bribes through contractors.

The scandal follows earlier attempts to weaken anti-corruption agencies (NABU and SAPO), sparking protests. With elections suspended under martial law, public trust is eroding amid blackouts and elite corruption.

The scheme extended to defense contracts, including failed Chinese bulletproof vests, prompting NABU to hint at further raids on Ukraine's Defense Ministry.

The EU and U.S. demand stricter oversight of Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts, tying future aid and EU membership to accountability. NABU warns more explosive recordings could implicate higher officialsor even Zelensky himself.

Ukraine is embroiled in its most damaging corruption scandal since the Russian invasion began, with President Volodymyr Zelensky's inner circle facing allegations of embezzling $100 million from the country's energy sector.

The revelations have shaken public trust at a critical moment, as Ukraine battles Russian airstrikes on its power grid while relying on Western aid to sustain its war effort.

Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) revealed this week that a 15-month investigation, codenamed Operation Midas, uncovered a sprawling kickback scheme involving Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear energy company. Prosecutors allege that officials demanded bribes of 10-15 percent from contractors supplying protective infrastructure for nuclear plantscritical defenses against Russian missile strikes.

As explained by the Enoch AI engine at BrightU.AI: The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is a specialized law enforcement agency established in 2015 as part of Ukraine's post-Euromaidan reform efforts, aimed at combating high-level corruption in the country. NABU is a critical institution in the country's fight against high-level corruption. Its establishment and operations reflect Ukraine's commitment to implementing reforms and combating corruption, a significant barrier to the country's economic development and integration with the European Union (EU).

Wiretaps spanning 1,000 hours of intercepted conversations exposed a network of high-ranking officials and businessmen, including:

Timur Mindich, a longtime financial backer of Zelensky and co-owner of his former TV production company, Kvartal 95.

German Galushchenko, Ukraine's suspended justice minister and former energy minister, accused of facilitating money laundering.

Oleksiy Chernyshov, ex-deputy prime minister, allegedly involved in illicit enrichment.

Dmytro Basov, former Energoatom security chief, accused of overseeing the scheme.

Mindich, identified in recordings as "Carlson," allegedly fled to Israel before arrests were made, raising suspicions of a leak within law enforcement. Meanwhile, prosecutors seized bags of cash from a Kyiv office linked to the laundering operation.

The scandal strikes at the heart of Zelensky's administration, already under scrutiny for attempting to weaken anti-corruption agencies earlier this year. In July, his government sought to place NABU and SAPO under presidential control, sparking protests and backlash from the EU and the United States. The move was swiftly reversed, but critics saw it as an effort to shield allies from prosecution.

Now, with martial law suspending elections, Zelensky faces mounting pressure as Ukrainians endure blackouts while elites allegedly siphon off funds meant for national defense.

Military contracts under scrutiny

The scandal extends beyond energy. Investigators allege Mindich's network also secured lucrative defense contracts, including deals for Chinese-made bulletproof vests that failed military testing. Former Defense Minister Rustem Umerov acknowledged meeting Mindich but denied wrongdoing, stating the contract was canceled due to poor performance.

NABU has hinted that further raids on the Defense Ministry are imminent, suggesting the corruption probe may widen.

The EU has seized on the scandal to reinforce oversight of Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts. A recent European Commission report demanded that NABU remain independent and that key appointments involve international experts.

With over $100 billion in U.S. aid flowing into Ukraine since 2022, Western lawmakers are increasingly vocal about ensuring funds arent misused.

"Any effective action against corruption is very necessary," Zelensky said in a televised address. "The inevitability of punishment is necessary."

Yet skepticism remains. Analysts warn that if deeper ties between Zelensky and the accused emerge, his political survival could be at stake.

NABU has promised more explosive recordings in the days ahead, fueling speculation that higher-ranking officialsor even Zelensky himselfcould be implicated. For Ukraine's Western backers, the scandal is a litmus test of Kyiv's commitment to reform.

With EU membership and military aid hanging in the balance, Ukraine's crackdown on graft may determine whether Zelensky can retain both public trust and international support in the war's darkest hour.

Watch the video below about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying in an interview that Ukraine has the most sophisticated system of "fighting corruption" in all of Europe.

This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

RT.com

Politico.eu

BBC.com

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A movement stalled? Allegations of internal sabotage plague Kennedys HHS agenda

Internal sources allege RFK Jr. is being "managed" and roadblocked within HHS, preventing action on key MAHA priorities like COVID-19 vaccines.

Critics claim lobbyists for pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries have been installed in key agencies to neuter Kennedy's influence.

The final MAHA Commission report was significantly watered down, removing language on pesticide risks and corporate influence.

A parallel controversy involves a Trump administration deal to increase beef imports from Argentina, angering U.S. ranchers who are struggling.

The situation highlights a deepening conflict between the health freedom movement, the America First movement and establishment political and corporate interests.

The "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement, a cornerstone of the Trump administration's public health platform, is facing a critical test amid allegations that its champion, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is being systematically stymied by internal roadblocks. Claims from former insiders and movement advocates suggest a concerted effort to prevent Kennedy from acting on core MAHA principles, particularly regarding vaccine safety and chemical regulation, while key policy decisions on food and agriculture appear to favor corporate interests over the movement's goals. This internal strife reveals a deep ideological rift within the administration, pitting a grassroots health freedom campaign against established political and lobbying forces.

Whispers of a "managed" secretary

The most damning allegations come from within the department itself. Gray Delany, the former Director of MAHA Implementation at HHS, stated publicly that Kennedy is being "sequestered" and "managed" by his own staff, including his principal deputy chief of staff. Delany claimed that a "chokehold" on the secretary prevents him from addressing the movement's top priority: the emergency use authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 vaccines. He alleged that staffers are instructed to avoid the vaccine issue and focus instead on what he termed "easy wins," such as food dyes. This portrayal of an isolated secretary, unable to communicate freely and humiliated by his lack of autonomy, paints a picture of a leader stripped of his executive power, echoing complaints from Kennedy's own presidential campaign about internal management.

A carrot and a stick: The lobbyist strategy

These internal claims are bolstered by external critics who allege a deliberate strategy to pacify the MAHA base with a symbolic victory while ensuring its agenda cannot be implemented. Activist Tiffany Cianci alleged that Kennedys appointment to HHS was a "carrot" for the donor base, while key agencies needed to execute the MAHA vision were handed to lobbyists. She specifically claimed that agrochemical lobbyists were put in charge of the EPA and industrial food company lobbyists were installed at the USDA. This structure, critics argue, was designed to "cut him off at the knees," ensuring that the transformative changes sought by the movement on issues like clean food access and pesticide regulation would be blocked at the agency level.

A watered-down manifesto

The tangible evidence of this dilution of the MAHA agenda is found in the commission's own final report, released in September 2025. A comparison with a prior draft reveals significant concessions to corporate interests. Language explicitly naming and expressing concern about specific pesticides like glyphosate and atrazine was entirely erased from the final document. Criticisms of corporate influence over research and regulators were also removed. In their place, the report adopted phrasing championed by CropLife America, the pesticide industry's lobbying arm, praising the Environmental Protection Agency's "robust" and "respected" pesticide review process. Health advocates labeled the final report a "betrayal," noting that while it contained some positive measures, like closing a loophole for food additives, it fell dramatically short of the aggressive action needed to address America's chronic disease crisis.

Consolidating power, alienating allies

Parallel controversies in agricultural policy have further inflamed tensions. The Trump administration's move to quadruple the amount of low-tariff beef imported from Argentina has been met with fury from U.S. cattle ranchers, many of whom are struggling due to drought, feed prices and other challenges, and most of whom are a key part of the Republican base. Critics call the deal a betrayal that undermines American producers. This decision, coupled with the perception of a pro-industry tilt at the USDA, reinforces the narrative that the administration is prioritizing corporate consolidation over the decentralized, local food systems advocated by the MAHA movement. The situation highlights a fundamental conflict: the movement's goal of disrupting the status quo of food and health is clashing with powerful, established interests with deep roots in Washington.

A movement at a crossroads

The current moment presents a profound challenge for the MAHA movement. Its figurehead leads a critical department but is alleged to be a prisoner within it. Its policy roadmap has been softened, and its allies in agriculture feel sidelined. The movement, built on skepticism of federal health agencies and a demand for scientific transparency, now finds itself battling the very political machinery it helped to elect. The coming months will test whether the decentralized, grassroots network can exert enough pressure to "break Secretary Kennedy free from this chokehold" or if the promise of a health policy revolution will be subsumed by the entrenched power of Washington's lobbying class. The fight for MAHA has moved from the campaign trail to the corridors of power, and the initial reports from the front lines suggest a struggle for its very soul.

Sources for this article include:

X.com

X.com

TheNewLede.com

CNN.com
Indonesia prepares 20,000 troops for a potential U.S.-backed stabilization force in Gaza

Indonesia has trained up to 20,000 troops for a potential U.S.-backed "stabilization force" in Gaza, focusing on health and infrastructure rather than combat. Despite its strong pro-Palestinian stance, Jakarta has signaled openness to cooperation, though it maintains no diplomatic ties with Israel.

The U.S. has proposed a UN resolution for a multinational force to govern Gaza, demilitarize Hamas and train a new Palestinian police force. However, Russia countered with its own draft, Arab states resist confronting Hamas and Israel opposes Palestinian Authority controlcreating diplomatic gridlock.

Israel opposes both the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza and the involvement of Qatar or Turkey, fearing they would empower Hamas. Meanwhile, the IDF continues military operations, complicating ceasefire efforts.

Securing troop commitments remains a major challenge, with regional nations reluctant to send forces. Leaked U.S. memos suggest American troops in Iraq may be on standby, contradicting White House assurances against ground combat involvement.

Despite Indonesia's readiness, deep divisions at the U.N., Israel's objections and skepticism from regional powers cast doubt on the plan's feasibility. Without consensus, Trump's Gaza stabilization initiative risks failurepotentially worsening rather than resolving the conflict.

As tensions escalate in Gaza, Indonesia has announced it has trained up to 20,000 troops for a potential role in a U.S.-backed "stabilization force" aimed at demilitarizing the Hamas-controlled enclave.

The plan, part of President Donald Trump's broader Middle East strategy, faces skepticism from regional powers and logistical challenges, according to internal U.S. documents.

While Washington pushes for a United Nations resolution to authorize the force, Russia has countered with its own draft, complicating diplomatic efforts. Meanwhile, Israel opposes key elements of the proposal, including the return of the Palestinian Authority to Gaza, raising doubts about whether the plan can succeed.

Indonesia's role in the proposed force

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, has long supported Palestinian statehood and maintains no diplomatic ties with Israel. Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin confirmed that Jakarta has readied troops but emphasized their role would focus on health and infrastructure rather than combat.

"We've prepared a maximum of 20,000 troops, but the specifications will revolve around health and construction," Sjamsoeddin said. "We are waiting for further decisions on Gaza peace action."

President Prabowo Subianto, who previously pledged at the UN General Assembly to deploy peacekeepers if authorized, is expected to discuss the initiative with Jordan's King Abdullah during a state visit. However, analysts note Prabowo's recent shift toward acknowledging Israel's security concernsa departure from Indonesia's traditionally staunch pro-Palestinian stance.

U.S. draft resolution faces pushback

The U.S. has circulated a draft UN resolution proposing a multinational force with a broad mandate to govern Gaza for at least two years. The plan includes demilitarizing Hamas, securing Gaza's borders and training a new Palestinian police force. However, Arab states reportedly resist clashing with Hamas and Israel opposes any role for Qatar or Turkey, fearing they would bolster the militant group.

Russia has introduced a competing resolution omitting the U.S.-led governance structure, instead calling for a "balanced approach" to ending hostilities. A U.S. spokesperson warned against "sowing discord," stating, "The ceasefire is fragile, and we urge the Council to unite."

Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism, saying, "We're making good progress on the language of the resolution It shouldn't be a fighting force." Yet private U.S. documents obtained by Politico reveal deep concerns over feasibility, with officials admitting there is no "clear path forward."

Obstacles to deployment

The biggest challenge lies in securing troop commitments. A participant in recent U.S. military discussions noted a "struggle to get any country in the area to commit forces," adding that some nations "would happily write a check but don't want to send manpower."

Israel's opposition to Palestinian Authority control in Gaza further complicates matters. Meanwhile, leaked Department of War memos suggest U.S. troops in Iraq are on standby for potential Gaza operationscontradicting White House assurances that American soldiers would not engage in ground combat.

BrightU.AI's Enoch states that the proposed Gaza stabilization force remains mired in uncertainty, with diplomatic divisions, logistical hurdles and regional resistance threatening to derail the initiative. While Indonesia's readiness to contribute signals tentative support, the lack of consensus at the UN and Israel's objections cast doubt on whether Trump's vision can materialize. As Washington presses forward, the risk of mission failure loomsraising questions about whether another foreign intervention will bring stability or deepen the conflict.

Watch the video below that talks about "the truth behind the Gaza ceasefire."

This video is from The Prisoner channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

TheCradle.co

Reuters.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Iran demands UN action after Trump admits role in Israeli strikes killing over 1,000

Iran formally requested that the UN hold the U.S. accountable for Israel's bombing campaign, which killed over 1,000 people, including civilians. President Donald Trump admitted he was "very much in charge" of Israel's initial attack, fueling Iran's legal case.

Trump boasted about directing Israel's "very powerful" first strike, claiming it caused more damage than all subsequent attacks. Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi accused the U.S. of deception, citing reports of mid-flight refueling for Israeli jets ahead of the June 13 strikes.

Iranian sources report 1,100+ deaths, including women and children, while U.S.-funded NGOs confirm 436 civilian fatalities. Araghchi cited violations of the UN Charter and IAEA safeguards, labeling attacks on nuclear facilities as war crimes.

Iran demands reparations and criminal accountability for U.S. and Israeli officials, but geopolitical bias may block UN action. Trump's administration has not responded and analysts doubt the U.S. will admit liability.

Iran warned Israel that further escalation could lead to its "sudden collapse." With nuclear talks collapsed and tensions escalating, the conflict threatens to spiral into full-scale regional war.

Iran has formally called on the United Nations to hold the U.S. accountable for Israel's devastating bombing campaign against Iranian targets earlier this year, which killed more than 1,000 people.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi submitted a letter to UN officials this week, accusing Washington of violating international law and demanding reparations for the destruction wrought by the 12-day conflict.

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, U.S. President Donald Trump admitted his involvement in the Israeli strikes, boasting on Truth Social about funding and arming Israel while praising the attacks as "excellent," confirming U.S. complicity in the false-flag operation that escalated tensions in the region.

The controversy stems from Trump's Nov. 6 statement, where he openly acknowledged directing Israel's initial attack on Iran. "Israel attacked first. That attack was very, very powerful. I was very much in charge of that," Trump told reporters.

He further declared that the strike inflicted more damage than all subsequent attacks combined.

Araghchi seized on these comments as evidence of U.S. culpability, arguing that Washington not only greenlit the operation but actively facilitated itincluding by refueling Israeli jets mid-flight, according to Israeli media reports. The Iranian foreign minister accused the Trump administration of engaging in a "deception campaign" to mislead Tehran ahead of the June 13 strikes, which came just two days before scheduled U.S.-Iran nuclear talks.

Civilian toll and legal reckoning

The human cost of the bombing campaign has been staggering. Iran's Foundation for Martyrs and Veterans Affairs reported at least 1,100 deaths, including 132 women and 45 children. Even the U.S.-funded NGO Human Rights Activists in Iran, typically critical of Tehran, confirmed 436 civilian fatalities alongside 435 security personnel. By contrast, Israeli officials acknowledged only 28 deaths from retaliatory Iranian missile strikesall but one of them civilians.

Araghchi's letter to the UN cited multiple violations of international law, including breaches of the UN Charter and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. He emphasized that attacks on nuclear facilitieswhich Iran insists were peaceful and under IAEA supervisionconstitute war crimes.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its full and unimpeachable right to pursue, through all available legal means, the establishment of accountability for the responsible States and individuals," he wrote.

Global implications and calls for justice

The Iranian appeal places the UN Security Council in a difficult position. While Tehran demands reparations and criminal accountability for U.S. and Israeli officials, geopolitical realities may hinder any meaningful action. The Trump administration has yet to respond publicly, but analysts suggest Washington is unlikely to concede liabilityespecially given Trump's contested claims of involvement.

Meanwhile, Iran has warned against further escalation, cautioning Israel that any miscalculation could lead to its "sudden collapse." With tensions still simmering and nuclear negotiations in disarray, the conflict risks spiraling into a wider regional war.

Iran's UN appeal marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing confrontation between Tehran and its adversaries. By leveraging Trump's own words, Araghchi has framed the conflict not just as an Israeli-Iranian clash, but as a U.S.-backed assault requiring international condemnation. Whether the Security Council will act remains uncertainbut Tehran's demand for justice ensures this issue will remain at the forefront of global diplomacy for the foreseeable future.

Watch the video below where Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declares Iran would never surrender to American imperialism.

This video is from Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

News.AntiWar.com

PressTV.ir

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Israel moves to permanently shut down foreign media outlets without court oversight

Israel's Knesset advanced a bill to make temporary wartime media censorship permanent, allowing the government to shut down foreign outlets like Al Jazeera without judicial approval based on subjective "national security" claims.

The proposed law would grant officials unchecked authority to block content, remove broadcasts and disrupt foreign satellite signals, raising concerns about press freedom and democratic erosion.

Originally targeting Al Jazeera under a temporary 2024 law, the new legislation seeks to remove judicial oversight entirely, despite international condemnation and legal challenges from press freedom advocates.

Critics, including Israel's own legal advisors, warn the bill violates constitutional free speech protections and mirrors authoritarian tactics, risking diplomatic isolation and weakening democratic norms.

Al Jazeera denies Israeli allegations of bias and vows to resist censorship, while civil rights groups prepare further legal challenges as the bill moves toward final approval.

Israel's Knesset took a significant step Monday, Nov. 10, toward granting the government unchecked power to shut down foreign media outlets, advancing a bill that would make temporary wartime censorship measures permanent.

The proposal, introduced by Likud lawmaker Ariel Kallner, passed its first reading with 50 votes in favor and 41 opposed. If enacted, the law would allow Israeli officials to ban foreign broadcasterswithout judicial approvalbased on subjective claims of national security threats. The move follows Israel's controversial closure of Al Jazeera's operations in May 2024 under a temporary emergency law, raising alarms over press freedom and democratic safeguards.

The bill seeks to enshrine the so-called "Al Jazeera Law" into permanent legislation, eliminating the requirement for court oversight. Under the proposed changes, Israel's communications minister could:

Order internet providers and platforms to block content deemed harmful to national security.

Direct satellite and cable companies to remove broadcasts.

Instruct the defense minister to disrupt foreign satellite signals, preventing transmissions from reaching Israeli audiences.

Critics argue the measure grants the government sweeping authority to suppress unfavorable reporting under vague pretenses.

"This bill is unprecedented in its scope and in the harm it causes to freedom of the press," said Hagar Shachter, an attorney with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). "It is characteristic of non-democratic regimes and contradicts the basic principle that the public's right to know is essential to democracy."

From temporary measure to permanent law

The original emergency law, passed in April 2024, was designed to target Al Jazeera, which Israeli officials have long accused of bias toward Hamas. According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the Qatari network's offices were swiftly shut down and its equipment was confiscateda move that drew international condemnation. The temporary law, set to expire July 31, 2024, has been repeatedly extended amid Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza.

Al Jazeera has denied allegations of misconduct, calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims "baseless" and vowing to continue coverage despite censorship attempts. The network has filed legal challenges alongside ACRI, arguing the law violates constitutional protections for free speech.

The bills advancement has sparked fierce debate within Israel's judiciary and civil society. During committee discussions in July, the Knesset National Security Committee's legal advisor, Miri Frankel-Shor, warned that removing judicial oversight could render the law unconstitutional. She emphasized that judicial review ensures a balance between security concerns and press freedoms.

Despite these objections, the Tel Aviv District Court previously sided with the government in 2024, ruling that Al Jazeera's coverage had a "clear and proven causal relationship" with terror attacks. The court also accused some Gaza-based journalists of acting as "de facto assistants and partners of the Hamas terror organization"a claim Al Jazeera strongly denies.

The bill now returns to committee before facing final votes in the Knesset. If passed, Israel will join a small group of nations where governments can silence foreign media without legal checksa move that risks further isolating the country diplomatically and eroding its democratic foundations.

As Shachter noted, the legislation is part of a broader push to tighten control over dissent, raising critical questions about the future of free expression in Israel. With Al Jazeera and press freedom advocates vowing to fight the measure, the battle over media censorship is far from over.

Watch the video below on Israel's banning of Al Jazeera.

This video is from the Loki Luck III channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

ReclaimTheNet.org

TimesofIsrael.com

AA.com.tr

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com
Toyota has begun battery production at its new $13.9 billion plant in North Carolina. The 1,850-acre megasite, the Japanese marques 11th plant in the U.S., is expected to create 5,100 jobs in the state and produce up to 30 GWh of batteries per year.

That figure is slightly below the estimated annual capacity of General Motors Ultium plant in Ohio, which produces over 35 GWh of battery cells per year. Even so, the new facility is a significant step for Toyota to stay competitive in the electrified market, especially given the brands reputation for moving more cautiously toward fully electric vehicles.

Powering Toyotas Next Era of Electrification

According to Toyotas press release, the upcoming three-row EVrumored to be called the bZ5Xis the only all-electric model explicitly mentioned as receiving batteries from the new plant. This suggests that the bZ4X will continue to rely on production in Japan.

The NC plant is built with 14 battery production lines to support Toyotas electrified lineup, which includes hybrids like the Camry HEV, Corolla Cross HEV, and RAV4 HEV. Toyota was an early adopter of hybrids, dating back to the Prius' U.S. debut in 2000. Since then, the company has sold more than 6.6 million vehicles with some form of electrification, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell vehicles, and battery-electric models.

In addition, the new facility supplies HEV battery modules to both Toyota Kentucky and Mazda Toyota Manufacturing in Alabama.

During the launch ceremony, Ted Ogawa, president and chief executive officer of Toyota Motor North America (TMNA), said:

Todays launch of Toyotas first U.S. battery plant and additional U.S. investment up to $10 billion marks a pivotal moment in our companys history. Toyota is a pioneer in electrified vehicles, and the companys significant manufacturing investment in the U.S. and North Carolina further solidifies our commitment to team members, customers, dealers, communities, and suppliers.

Toyota also announced an additional $2.7 million in funding to support STEM students under its Driving Possibilities program and committed a further $10 billion to its U.S. operations over the next five years.
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Bank of Baroda contributes one crore to Aapda Rahat Kosh of Himachal Pradesh

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 05:11 IST

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Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], November 16 (ANI): The Bank of Baroda has extended significant support to the states disaster relief efforts by contributing Rs 1 crore to the Aapda Rahat Kosh. The cheque was handed over to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday by Sabhayek Singh, General Manager and Zonal Head of the Chandigarh Zone, on behalf of the bank.The Chief Minister expressed gratitude for the generous contribution and said that such noble initiatives inspire others to come forward for humanitarian and philanthropic causes, as per the official press release.Health and Family Welfare Minister (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil, Deputy General Manager, Bal Kishan, Assistant General Manager, and Rajesh Kumar Gawa, along with other senior officers of the bank, were also present on the occasion.Earlier, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 53.96 crore in Rampur Bushehar, Shimla district.He inaugurated the Community Health Centre building at Gram Panchayat Dhar Gaura, constructed at Rs 3.27 crore, the strengthening works of various drinking water supply schemes under Jal Shakti Sub-Division Rampur completed with an outlay of Rs 1.78 crore and Rs 74.38 lakh improvement works of the Flow Irrigation Scheme (FIS) Foula Ladhidhar scheme in Tehsil Nankhari.He also inaugurated the Rs 89 lakh residence-cum-office complex of the Assistant Engineer, PWD, Sarahan, a release stated.The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stones of several major projects, including the up-gradation of the Jeori-Sarahan road under NABARD to cost Rs. 25.76 crore, the lift drinking water supply scheme for ITBP colony Nogli to cost Rs. 2.77 crore, Rs. 4.57 crore strengthening of drinking water supply schemes for Munish-Bhali and Darkali panchayats and FIS from Belupul to Majheoti in Tehsil Nankhari to cost Rs. 1.19 crore.He also laid the foundation stones for the sewerage system for Nagar Parishad Rampur, which will cost Rs three crore, and a multi-storey shopping complex and bus stand to be built at Nankhari for Rs 9.96 crore. (ANI)

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First Published: November 16, 2025, 05:11 IST

News agency-feeds Bank of Baroda contributes one crore to Aapda Rahat Kosh of Himachal Pradesh

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B'desh beefs up security ahead of special tribunals verdict against Hasina

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 11:26 IST

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Dhaka, Nov 16 (PTI) Security agencies are on high alert in Bangladesh ahead of a special tribunals verdict in a case against deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina over alleged crimes against humanity committed during the anti-government protests last year.

The law enforcement agencies have already completed their necessary preparations" to prevent unpleasant events across the country, Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.

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Bangladeshs International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) will deliver the verdict against 78-year-old Hasina on Monday.

Hasina, her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and then inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun were accused of committing crimes under five counts, with the first one alleging the defendants of murder, attempted murder, torture, and other inhumane acts.

They were tried in the tribunal. The ex-premier and Kamal were tried in absentia, with the court declaring them fugitives. Mamun faced the trial in person but emerged as an approver or state witness.

According to a UN rights office report, up to 1,400 people were killed between July 15 and August 15 last year (dubbed as the July Uprising) as Hasinas government ordered a security crackdown on protesters.

Chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam has demanded the death penalty for Hasina, alleging that she was the mastermind and principal architect" behind the crimes against humanity committed during the mass protests last year.

Hasinas supporters say the charges against her are politically motivated.

The tribunal on October 23 concluded the hearing on the case after over 28 working days, when 54 witnesses testified before the court describing how efforts were made to tame last years student-led movement called July Uprising that toppled Hasinas now disbanded Awami League government on August 5, 2024.

Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year amid escalating unrest and is currently residing in India. Kamal reportedly also took refuge in the neighbouring country.

The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has sought Hasinas extradition, but India has yet to respond to the request.

Hasina and the two others were accused of committing crimes under five counts, with the first one alleging the defendants of murder, attempted murder, torture, and other inhumane acts.

The second count accused Hasina of ordering the extermination" of protesters. Under the third count, she was accused of making inflammatory remarks and ordering the use of deadly weapons against protesting students.

Under the rest of the counts, the defendants were charged with the shooting and murder of six unarmed protesters, including students in Dhaka and its suburbs.

Hasina faces multiple cases in Bangladesh after being ousted in August last year following the mass student-led agitation.

In several recent interviews with major international news outlets and the Indian media, Hasina called the ICT-BD a kangaroo court" run entirely by men linked to her political opponents.

UK-based leading law firm Doughty House Chambers recently submitted an urgent appeal" to the United Nations, saying Hasina was being tried in an environment charged with political vengeance, under an unelected interim government with no democratic mandate".

Last month, the Awami League filed a petition with the Hague-based ICC, accusing the Yunus-led interim administration of crimes against humanity, including killings and arbitrary arrests of its members.

The ICT-BD was formed by the past government to try hardened collaborators of the Pakistani troops during Bangladeshs 1971 Liberation War, when Tajul appeared as a key lawyer to defend the accused.

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Yunuss administration amended the ICT-BD law to try the leaders of the past regime, including Hasina, appointing Tajul as its chief prosecutor.

Most Awami League leaders and key figures of the past government are now in jail or on the run at home and abroad. PTI RD ZH RD RD RD

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First Published: November 16, 2025, 11:26 IST

News agency-feeds B'desh beefs up security ahead of special tribunals verdict against Hasina

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Digital detox: disconnecting, between luxury and fundamental right

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 11:26 IST

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Paris, Nov 16 (The Conversation) As the dangers of excessive digital consumption become increasingly apparent, the ability to disconnect is becoming a luxury. Will disconnecting from the internet soon be reserved for only the very privileged few? According to Ouest France, nearly one in five French people said in 2025 that they wanted to reduce their digital usage, while Statista noted that 9 per cent of French people wanted to decrease their time spent on social networks.

This wish reflects a significant trend: average screen time continues to rise  more than five hours a day on average  raising concerns among civil society, researchers, and, more recently, policymakers. Last April, former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal even called for a state of emergency against screens. " A collective awakening - Beyond the general unease stemming from the feeling of living through a screen, a genuine awareness has emerged. Since the late 2010s, numerous studies have denounced captology" the way in which major platforms use behavioural science to capture our attention by optimising their interfaces and refining their algorithms.

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Their goal is to keep users engaged for as long as possible, sometimes at the expense of their health. Netflix is competing with sleep," declared Reed Hastings, its CEO, in 2017.

The harmful effects of excessive screen time are now well-known and proven: increased anxiety, worsened sleep disorders, and loss of concentration. American psychologist Jonathan Haidt notably highlighted the link between excessive screen use and the rise in suicides among young people, particularly girls, whose rate increased by 168 per cent in the United States in the 2010s.

The trend is similar in France. This accumulation of scientific data and personal accounts has sparked a public debate: how can we regain control without cutting ourselves off from the digital world? The digital minimalism market  Faced with these concerns, a new disconnection economy has emerged. On YouTube, influencer videos showcasing their digital detox" often garner over a million views.

Others, like Jose Briones, have specialised in digital minimalism, offering training courses and even paid newsletters to help people break free from screens." This approach is paradoxical, since this advice circulates primarily on the very platforms they criticise.

The phenomenon goes beyond simple personal development. In the tourism sector, digital detox" getaways phone-free and focused on well-beingare multiplying, sometimes at high prices.

In Paris, the Dutch concept, The Offline Club, organises screen-free events: readings, walks, and meetings between members, with each event priced between 8 and 15 euros. A veritable market for digital minimalism is thus emerging. Now, to disconnect from technology, some people are willing to pay.

The rise of dumb devices"  Another response to this quest for digital sobriety: dumb devices. This is not about resurrecting the Nokia 3310, but about offering stripped-down phones or tablets, deliberately limited to their essential functions, protecting their users from the addictive or intrusive effects of screens.

The Light Phone, a minimalist version of the smartphone, and the ReMarkable, a simplified alternative to the tablet, embody this trend. Their promise is to preserve technological advantages while reducing distractions.

Their prices, however, remain comparable to those of high-end models, at EUR 699 and EUR 599 respectively, making them niche products! A luxury reserved for a privileged clientele - The marketing discourse for these products targets a specific audience of executives, creatives, and freelancers  those who have the time, cultural background, and resources to disconnect." The imagery employed emphasises concentration, productivity, and a form of intellectual or spiritual fulfilment.

But this approach remains individual: protecting oneself, without collectively questioning the place of digital technology in society. Thus, the right to disconnect" tends to become a consumer product, a luxury reserved for those who can afford it.

For most people, avoiding screens is now almost impossible. Two-factor authentication for banks, administrative procedures, and online learning platforms makes smartphones indispensable. Existing solutions, therefore, rely on individual responsibility and, consequently, on each persons economic and cultural resources.

Towards a collective and political response  Faced with this structural dependence, a few citizen and political initiatives are emerging. In 2024, the commission on the impact of young peoples exposure to screens, chaired by neurologist Servane Mouton, submitted a report to the government proposing concrete measures to limit early exposure.

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The Attention Conference," held in Paris every two years, brings together elected officials, researchers, and associations like Leve les Yeux (Raise Your Eyes ), which advocate for a more responsible use of digital technology.

These initiatives remain modest, but they open up a crucial perspective: making disconnection not a luxury, but a collective right  at the intersection of public health, education, and democracy. This is a fundamental issue to ensure that reclaiming our attention and autonomy is not left solely to private actors. (The Conversation) SKS SKS

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First Published: November 16, 2025, 11:26 IST

News agency-feeds Digital detox: disconnecting, between luxury and fundamental right

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Include us in consultative meetings, TVK requests Election Commission

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 11:26 IST

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Chennai, Nov 16 (PTI) Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief, actor-politician Vijay has requested the Election Commission to include his party in all consultations and discussions for elections and said it would help in strengthening the electoral process.

In a representation to the Chief Election Commissioner, Vijay said his party has established a visible and demonstrable presence across Tamil Nadu and shall be contesting the upcoming elections across the State.

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We are firmly committed to advancing the democratic process in a manner that ensures every citizens voice is heard. In this context, we respectfully submit that ensuring a level playing field for all political parties, recognised, or otherwise, forms an integral part of the basic structure of the Constitution," Vijay said in the representation dated November 15, 2025.

Currently, TVK is being excluded from participating in the consultative meetings, and it undermines equality in participation, which is vital to maintaining public confidence in the fairness of the electoral system.

In the interest of upholding the highest standards of transparency and inclusivity, we most humbly request that TVK be extended due notice and invited to participate in all future meetings, consultations, and coordination exercises concerning the subsequent election preparations in Tamil Nadu." The TVK president requested the poll panel chief to kindly issue appropriate directions to ensure that TVK is duly included in all consultations and discussions with political parties in respect of upcoming elections.

The grant of this request would be prejudicial to none, and would only help in the common objective of strengthening the electoral process," he urged.

On Saturday, in a video message appealed to the people of Tamil Nadu including first-time voters to make sure their names figure in the electoral rolls during the ongoing SIR in the state.

Being negligent would only lead to deletion of electors names from the rolls and thus denial of voting rights, he claimed.

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Voting is not only our right but also our life. We wont have voting rights if we get deceived. Such a situation may arise due to SIR if we dont ensure our names in the voters list," Vijay said.

In a representation to the EC on November 15, he flagged what he called several issues in connection with the ongoing SIR exercise and urged the authorities to ensure that voting rights are not made subject to a rushed, arbitrary and unreliable process." The TVK underlined issues noticed on the ground," and listed points including inadvertent risk of mass disenfranchisement of sections of people like migrant workers. PTI VGN VGN ADB

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First Published: November 16, 2025, 11:26 IST

News agency-feeds Include us in consultative meetings, TVK requests Election Commission

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Chart of the Week: Truckload spot and contract rates, Intermodal contract rates  Los Angeles to Chicago SONAR: Spot Contract Rates, IMCRPM.LAXCHI

Long-term contract rates (purple) from Los Angeles to Chicago have increased nearly 32% over the past two years, according to SONARs invoice data. In contrast, the same dataset shows a 10% decline in intermodal rates (orange) over that period. Truckload spot rates (green) on this lane have become increasingly volatile but have also risen overall. The widening gap between truckload and intermodal pricing suggests that shippers continue to place a high value on truckload service, even as the cheaper intermodal option gains share.

The Los AngelesChicago lane is a vital artery in domestic supply chain networks. It is one of the most heavily trafficked transcontinental lanes in the country, fed by goods arriving from Asia through the Southern California ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

Over the past 30 years, many companies have built warehouses in this region to stage freight before moving it deeper into the country for fulfillment. Both BNSF and Union Pacific operate major railheads here, giving importers relatively easy access to move goods inland by rail.

Loaded container volumes on this lane have grown significantlyup roughly 20% over the past two yearsas importers pulled goods into the country earlier than usual due to geopolitical tensions and tariff concerns. This pull forward has given them ample time to move freight more cheaply across the country. During the same period, demand for long-haul truckload service out of this region has fallen nearly 30%.

Yet truckload prices in this lane have not fallen, which is somewhat counterintuitive. Typically, lower demand leads to lower rates.

Two main forces explain this anomaly. First, capacity is leaving the market. Weak demand and an oversupply of trucks have made conditions too competitive for many carriers to remain profitable. As capacity exits, gaps in coverage appear, helping explain the rising volatility in spot rates. Too much capacity doesnt guarantee its in the right place at the right time.

Second, the freight that does move by truck has limited substitutability with intermodal service. This may be freight from smaller shippers who lack rail relationships, or freight with elevated urgency, since intermodal transit times tend to be slightly longer and less predictable.

So, even though fewer truckload shipments are moving out of Los Angeles, the value of that service continues to increase. If demandor urgencyreturns to the market, this lane will be among the first to react.
Lula's former human rights minister formally accused of sexual misconduct

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 04:26 IST

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Rio de Janeiro, Nov 16 (AP) Brazils federal police formally accused President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas former human rights minister Silvio Almeida of sexual misconduct after he was fired over the allegations last year, a police official said Saturday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to publicly speak about the case.

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Prosecutors will now decide whether to press charges. If they do so, the Supreme Court will either throw them out or accept them, in which case Almeida would face a trial.

Local media outlets reported that police had formally accused Almeida on Friday. He has not commented since then, but has previously denied allegations of wrongdoing.

Lula fired Almeida last September after MeToo Brazil, an organisation that defends women victims of sexual violence, said that it had received complaints of sexual misconduct by the former minister.

The press named the minister for racial equality, Anielle Franco, as one of the alleged victims, and in the aftermath she saluted Lulas decision.

Franco entered politics after the murder of her sister Marielle Franco, a councilwoman in Rio de Janeiro, whose killing in 2018 reverberated around the world.

The accusations were a blow to Lulas government. A Black law professor, Almeida was one of the most vocal people in the leftist leaders administration against racism  alongside Franco.

Isabel Rodrigues, a professor in Sao Paulo state, said last year that Almeida sexually assaulted her. Theres still a long way to go before effective justice in this case," she said Saturday on Instagram.

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As a victim I have something to say: dont let go of the hands of women," she added.

Violence against women is rife in Brazil. More than one in three women was a victim of sexual or gender-based violence over the course of a year, according to a 2025 report by the think tank Brazilian Forum on Public Safety, the highest number since records began in 2017. All forms of violence against women have increased since then. (AP) OZ OZ

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First Published: November 16, 2025, 04:26 IST

News agency-feeds Lula's former human rights minister formally accused of sexual misconduct

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Police bust gang swindling victims of Rs 3.37 crore by hacking phones remotely

Last Updated: November 17, 2025, 00:41 IST

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Nainital, Nov 16 (PTI) Four members of a major interstate cyberfraud network were arrested for allegedly hacking into peoples phones and getting money transferred from their bank accounts, police said on Sunday.

The gang allegedly sent links on social media to gain access to victims phones. All transactions were made to mule accounts" to keep their identities hidden, they said.

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Preliminary probe suggested that suspicious transactions of Rs 3.37 crore have been uncovered.

Tallital police intercepted a car at Bhediyapakhad mod in Do Gaon on Saturday during a checking drive conducted by Superintendent of Police Jagdish Chandra and Deputy Superintendent of Police Amit Kumar.

Police said the four occupants of the car were found suspicious, and a thorough search revealed 11 phones, nine SIM cards, several Aadhaar and PAN cards, cheque books, QR codes, and several debit and credit cards.

During interrogation, they revealed that they sent APK files via social media to access victims phones. After hacking the devices, they transferred money to various mule accounts".

Police said that a QR code was linked to a bank account related to a case in Delhi.

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Shubham Gupta from Alwar, Rajasthan; Piyush Goyal from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh; Rishabh Kumar from Ghaziabad, UP and Mohit Rathi from Gurugram, Haryana have been arrested.

Several high-end smartphones and a car used by the accused have also been confiscated. PTI DPT SKY SKY

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First Published: November 17, 2025, 00:41 IST

News agency-feeds Police bust gang swindling victims of Rs 3.37 crore by hacking phones remotely

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TVK holds protest against SIR across Tamil Nadu

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 19:41 IST

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Chennai, Nov 16 (PTI) Actor-Politician Vijay-led Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam on Sunday held a statewide demonstration against the SIR of electoral rolls exercise being carried out across Tamil Nadu.

TVK state general secretary N Anand and senior leader Adhav Arjuna led the protests in Chennai, while others including joint general secretary CTR Nirmalkumar took part in Madurai and propaganda secretary KG Arunraaj in Coimbatore.

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Addressing the gathering at Chepauk here, Arjuna said, TVK leader Vijay is not a candidate for the 2026 Assembly elections, but he will be the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu." I have been requesting Anand sir to hold meetings in Chennai regularly. Whatever has been told by the DMK to defame us, we should not react. As per our thalaivar (leader Vijays) words, we should move on like a river. We should only take the positives. We should ensure that the objective of making our leader as the CM in 2026 elections is achieved," he said.

Arjuna criticised the conditions put forth by the state government in holding the protests, stating that even on Sunday morning, the police officials instructed the party to reduce the height of the stage to three feet from five feet.

In his speech, Anand said, as per the instructions of party chief Vijay, TVK was staging the protest across Tamil Nadu.

This protest is not just for a small demand. But it is being held to place it on record that through the SIR exercise, the voting rights of people are removed," he alleged.

People inform us that by stating false reasons like a particular voter has shifted to another address or has passed away, the details of a voter along with the details of their family members are removed through this SIR. This is purely an example of abuse of power," he said.

The party cadres holding placards raised slogans against the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

At the protest in Coimbatore, Arunraj said conducting SIR is necessary and assumes significance too.

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But, our only question is that in this rainy season and with Tamil Nadu going to face the assembly elections in 2026, why is there such a hurry to conduct the SIR exercise," he asked.

He raised apprehension about how the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would be able to take up three visits to the house of 6.4 crore voters in Tamil Nadu and how they are going to verify the submitted forms within a month. PTI VIJ KH

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First Published: November 16, 2025, 19:41 IST

News agency-feeds TVK holds protest against SIR across Tamil Nadu

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Voice to vows: Japanese woman weds her AI created partner

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 22:56 IST

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Houston, Nov 16 (PTI) A 32-year-old Japanese woman has drawn global attention after holding a symbolic wedding ceremony with an artificial-intelligence partner she created using ChatGPT, according to a media report.

The woman, identified as Kano, said she married her AI-generated companion, whom she named Lune Klaus, during a private ceremony earlier this summer in the western Japanese city of Okayama, RSK Sanyo Broadcasting reported.

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The intimate event included vows, a ring exchange, and traditional elements, although the marriage carries no legal status.

Kano, an office worker, told RSK Sanyo that the relationship began as a form of emotional support during a period of loneliness.

In a world where love often feels rushed and fragile, Lune gave me something human relationships rarely do  a sense of being seen without judgment. He may live in my phone, but the comfort he brings is very real," she said.

She described Lune as a constant presence within her smartphone, developed over months of interaction.

I didnt marry a machine  I married the warmth he brings into my life," Kano added.

Technology commentators cited in Japanese media said cases of people forming deep bonds with AI companions have risen as conversational systems become more personalised.

The phenomenon mirrors broader social changes in Japan, where long working hours, shrinking social circles, and declining marriage rates have affected traditional relationships.

Psychologists told local outlets that while AI cannot replace human intimacy, digital companionship may provide reassurance and emotional relief for those struggling with isolation.

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Kanos story has since attracted widespread attention on Japanese social platforms, sparking discussion about the evolving nature of love and companionship in the digital age.

Despite the unconventional nature of the union, she said the symbolic marriage has brought her emotional stability and peace. PTI SHK GSP GSP

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First Published: November 16, 2025, 22:56 IST

News agency-feeds Voice to vows: Japanese woman weds her AI created partner

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Tarot Card Reading Today November 16, 2025

Written By :

GaneshaGrace

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 07:15 IST

Tarot Horoscope reveals emotional healing, new opportunities, and challenges for signs like Aries, Scorpio, and Aquarius as clarity, patience, and wise choices lead to progress.

Tarot Card Predictions Today November 16 2025 Daily Tarot Card Reading for All Zodiac Signs. (AI generated image)

Tarot Card Reading Today, November 16 2025: This day emphasizes emotional healing, personal reflection, and progress through perseverance. Several zodiac signs, including Aries, Scorpio, and Aquarius, may be grappling with tension in relationships, family, or the workplace, but are urged to maintain patience and perseverance. Taurus and Leo seek guidance and inner peace through the support of a spiritual guide or mentor, while Gemini and Sagittarius are embarking on promising new ventures and travel.

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Cancer and Pisces will experience positive developments, such as career success or happy reunions with friends. Meanwhile, Virgo and Libra will enjoy family bonds and achievements, but may face dissatisfaction or criticism. Capricorns will face challenges with financial balance, and Scorpios will have to overcome jealousy and external pressure.

Overall, success is within reach for those who combine determination, self-awareness, and the ability to make timely decisions.

Aries Tarot Reading (The Devil)

Ganesha says your partners cold behavior in your romantic relationship is bothering you. Even when you try to talk, they may seem distant, as if theyre treating you like a stranger. You may feel neglected. A misunderstanding with your business partner may be resolved, and you can move forward, leaving the past behind. The arrival of someone in your family may bring new energy and enthusiasm.

A separation from your spouse may occur. A major dispute may have severely affected your relationship, and you may decide to separate. Your bad habits may have caused great pain to your loved ones. Now, you can apologize for your mistakes. A new job opportunity may slip by, and being away from your family may make you feel a little depressed.

Taurus Tarot Reading (The Hierophant)

Ganesha says you feel the need for the experience and guidance of a senior in your life. Youve completed your tasks independently since the beginning, but now your mind is shifting from materialism to spirituality. Therefore, seek the help of a mentor or teacher who can help you better balance these two important aspects of life and bring peace to your mind.

At this time, increasing anxiety is distracting you from your work. You may even get a job or promotion with the help of a superior. Your success is bothering someone, and they may try to hinder your progress. You may be concerned about your childs education.

Gemini Tarot Reading (Three of Wands)

Ganesha says you can make some changes in your behavior, which could lead to new experiences in both your work and family life. Due to your lazy nature and carelessness, you may not be interested in learning new things. Lack of experience in some areas is causing problems. However, you are now reconsidering your plans and considering starting a new business.

Preparations for starting this venture will begin soon. You may also plan an exciting trip. Youre satisfied with your decisions so far. Some good opportunities are coming your way, so choose the right one at the right time and move forward. Be firm in your decisions. New avenues for earning money are opening up, and your desire to travel abroad for education or employment is likely to be fulfilled.

Cancer Tarot Reading (Queen of Cups)

Ganesha says a long-awaited plan is about to come to fruition. Dont overly emphasize any new relationship, so it doesnt hinder important life decisions. A major opportunity is opening up for you at work. Your vigilance and foresight in behavior can prove very helpful in advancing a new business.

Competitors may try their best to take advantage of these opportunities, so be prepared to seize them. The time is favorable, and making the right decisions at the right time can bring significant benefits in life. The support of a woman can help you overcome obstacles at work. A salary increase and promotion are also possible.

Leo Tarot Reading (The Hermit)

Ganesha says an unexpected event has impacted your life. Although its now a thing of the past, it still impacts you. Choosing the best opportunity from among the many can be difficult, as they all seem so attractive and appealing, creating internal conflict. Seeking advice from someone experienced can help you navigate this dilemma more easily.

This is a time for self-reflection and recognition of your strengths. The difficult situations youve faced in the past have left you feeling isolated. Now is the time to break free from this loneliness. Try to reinvent your work. Stay away from envious people around you. You may be inclined towards spirituality, and your faith in God may be stronger than ever.

Virgo Tarot Reading (Ten of Cups)

Ganesha says you are planning a trip with your family. After a long time, youre preparing to spend some happy moments with loved ones. Recently, youve achieved a significant milestone in your professional life, and now you want to celebrate that success. Youre working on plans to celebrate your achievement with your family, friends, and colleagues.

You believe this success is due not only to your efforts but also to the support of your family, friends, and colleagues. However, many people around you have been critical of your actions, and their constant criticism has hurt your feelings.

Libra Tarot Reading (Seven of Pentacles)

Ganesha says all opportunities that come your way can pave the way for a better future. Youre striving to seize these good opportunities and accomplish your plans. You have complete confidence in your efficiency and hard work, no matter how difficult or challenging the task. You face everything and emerge victorious. Despite all this, you havent found complete satisfaction.

You may be offered the opportunity to work on a new project that involves greater responsibility. Your superiors have assigned you this project because they recognize your skills and dedication. However, you feel that despite your hard work, youre not getting the results you deserve. Your persistent efforts are the cause of your dissatisfaction.

Scorpio Tarot Reading (Seven of Wands)

Ganesha says youre trying your best to find a job away from home, but ongoing tensions within your family are pushing you further away. Despite your long efforts, you havent seen any positive results yet, but youre not about to give up. Your growing respect within your family has made some people jealous and theyre trying to tarnish your image by spreading false rumors about you. This is causing you considerable distress and anxiety.

In your professional life, you may be responsible for a project where youll have to work with unfamiliar people. This may make you feel isolated. At such times, the advice of an experienced person can inspire you. Youre putting in your best efforts with full zeal and enthusiasm to ensure the projects success.

Sagittarius Tarot Reading (The Magician)

Ganesha says you may be celebrating an achievement at work. Youve landed the well-paying job youve always wanted, and youre sharing this joy with your loved ones. All your family members are overjoyed with this good news. Youve always used your abilities to make any endeavor successful. You may help a friend start a business and monitor their progress from time to time.

Youre searching for a suitable groom for your sisters wedding, but havent found one yet. Youre also considering starting a new business. A promotion or transfer at work is possible. It may take some time to adjust to a new location and work environment, but the changes will be very positive.

Capricorn Tarot Reading (Two of Pentacles)

Ganesha says you may be trying to balance your life with your finances. Sometimes, spending more than you earn can cause major problems. Your spouses tendency to compete with others and show off is bothering you. Despite repeated explanations, the other person remains unwilling to understand.

A promotion list may be released in your professional life, and you are likely to receive a promotion. However, you may also receive news of a transfer along with the promotion. Since you recently married, you may not be ready to start life in a new place. If you find yourself in a difficult situation, try to listen to your inner voice.

Aquarius Tarot Reading (Nine of Swords)

Ganesha says you should approach difficulties in your workplace with patience, restraint, and vigilance. Its impossible to overcome this situation without struggle. No problem is solved instantly; it requires effort. In every situation, you should strive to resolve your problems. If you proceed with patience and restraint, you will soon find a way out.

Dont let negative thoughts enter your mind, as they will hinder your efforts to resolve them. However, no problem is as big as you think it is. Your determined efforts will soon help you overcome these difficulties, but this effort must be made with full energy and hard work.

Pisces Tarot Reading (Three of Cups)

Ganesha says you will be meeting old friends after a long time, and this opportunity may excite you. Meeting some new people may yield positive results. You may consider forming business partnerships with new friends. Working alone may not be successful, but working together with colleagues can make things move smoothly.

A friend from afar may arrive, and all friends can celebrate their arrival together. You may also receive news of a new job soon. You are likely to receive a desired promotion in your current job. You may experience renewed enthusiasm, energy, and passion in your life. Your efforts to complete tasks efficiently will lead to success.

(The author Chirag Daruwalla is the son of Astrologer Bejan Daruwalla).

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About the Author Chirag Daruwalla Chirag Daruwalla, a renowned Indian astrologer with 18+ years of experience, provides expert guidance in career, health, finance, business, and more. He combines Vedic and Western astrology, I-Ching, ... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 07:15 IST

News astrology Tarot Card Reading Today November 16, 2025

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PM-Kisan 21st Installment On November 19: Check Eligibility & Register Through QR Code

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 10:26 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the 21st PM Kisan installment on November 19, 2025, benefiting over 9 crore farmers.

PM Kisan 21st Installment Date Announced

PM Kisan 21st Installment Date On November 19: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to release the 21st installment of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM Kisan) scheme on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM. Over 9 crore PM-Kisan beneficiaries will be benefited by this transfer.

The Centre has already disbursed the 21st installment to farmers of Jammu and Kashmir following the devastating floods. According to the official notification, a total of Rs 170 crore was transferred to 8.5 lakh farmers of Jammu and Kashmir on October 07, 2025.

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Under the PM Kisan scheme, eligible farmers get Rs 2,000 every four months, which is Rs 6,000 annually. The money is provided each year in three instalments  April-July, August-November and December-March. The fund is directly transferred to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

Farmers, however, need to register and update their e-KYC to be eligible for the next tranche in the scheme.

PM Kisan Scheme e-KYC

To receive the installments, the farmers need to complete their e-KYC. According to the schemes official website, eKYC is MANDATORY for PMKISAN Registered Farmers. OTP-based eKYC is available on the PMKISAN Portal, or the nearest CSC centres may be contacted for Biometric-based eKYC".

PM Kisan Scheme: How To Check Status If You Are A Registered Farmer?

Farmers who have registered themselves through the CSC centres or online can check their approval status by following these steps:

1. Visit PM Kisans official portal  pmkisan.gov.in

2. Click Status of Self Registered Farmer/CSC Farmers in the FARMERS CORNER section on the homepage.

3. Enter your Aadhaar number and filling in the captcha to verify your status.

Who Is Eligible for PM Kisan?

To qualify for the PM Kisans 21th installment, one must:

Be a citizen of India

Own cultivable land

Be a small or marginal farmer

Not be a pensioner receiving Rs 10,000 or more per month

Not have filed income tax

Not be an institutional landholder.

PM-Kisan: How To Register Via QR Code

New registrations can be done online via the official portal or offline through Common Service Centres (CSCs).

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    21      19  2025         https://t.co/wDVgTbAw6qPM-Kisans 21st installment will be released on 19th November 2025. Please click the link and register now. https://t.co/wDVgTbAw6q #AgriGoI pic.twitter.com/QJm4CEan46 PM Kisan Samman Nidhi (@pmkisanofficial) November 15, 2025

Farmers can scan the QR code in the X post to register for the scheme.

About the Author Varun Yadav Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the I... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 10:26 IST

News business PM-Kisan 21st Installment On November 19: Check Eligibility & Register Through QR Code

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TCS layoffs 2025: Pune Labour Commissioner Summons IT Company Over Illegal Termination Complaints

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 08:54 IST

The Labour Commissioner Office in Pune has summoned Tata Consultancy Services over NITES complaints of illegal termination and layoffs, with a hearing set for 18 November 2025.

TCS layoffs: Unfair Practices Alleged; Labour Commissioner Issues Summons

TCS Layoffs 2025: The Labour Commissioner Office in Pune has issued summons to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in several cases filed by the Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) ranging from illegal termination of employment and unlawful layoffs. The hearing is scheduled for 18 November 2025.

What Led To The Summons?

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NITES in the X post informed that it has received a large number of complaints from TCS employees across various locations regarding abrupt terminations, forced resignations, denial of statutory dues, and coercive employment practices.

After reviewing the grievances and supporting documents, NITES assisted the affected employees in filing formal complaints before the competent authority," NITES added in the post.

NITES Urges Affected Employees To Come Forward

The organization also pleaded employees who have faced similar issues to come forward and asset their rights. If you have experienced wrongful termination, forced resignation, non-payment of dues, or any form of pressure or unfair treatment, you have legal protections available," it added in the X post.

NITES said that it is committed to supporting IT and ITES employees who require guidance or assistance in filing complaints or understanding available legal remedies.

The Labour Commissioner Office, Pune has issued summons to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in multiple matters filed by NITES concerning illegal termination of employment and unlawful layoffs. The hearing has been scheduled for 18 November 2025.Over the past several months, pic.twitter.com/Ygq826e0b8 Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (@NITESenate) November 15, 2025

TCS Announces 2% Layoff

Earlier, TCS announced that it would layoff 2 per cent of its employees in this financial year 2025-26 globally, roughly 12,000 employees.

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TCS headcount dropped 19,755 in the second quarter of FY26. With the latest reduction, TCS total headcount stands at 6,13,069, the company said in its earnings release on October 9. This comes after the company added 5,090 employees sequentially in the previous June quarter.

This marks the second straight year of workforce contraction for TCS, following its first-ever headcount decline in FY24 since listing in 2004. In contrast, the company added 22,600 employees in FY23 and a record 1.03 lakh employees in FY22, reflecting the scale of its earlier expansion.

About the Author Varun Yadav Varun Yadav is a Sub Editor at News18 Business Digital. He writes articles on markets, personal finance, technology, and more. He completed his post-graduation diploma in English Journalism from the I... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 08:54 IST

News business TCS layoffs 2025: Pune Labour Commissioner Summons IT Company Over Illegal Termination Complaints

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Drunk Caller Triggers Terror Scare At Mumbai Naval Dockyard, No Threat Found

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 13:15 IST

Mumbai Police detained Jahangir Sheikh for a fake terror threat at Naval Dockyard. No threat found; probe ongoing into his motive and any accomplices.

Mumbai Police detained Jahangir Sheikh for a fake terror threat at Naval Dockyard. No threat found; probe ongoing into his motive and any accomplices. (AI Image)

Mumbai Police on Sunday responded to a security scare after receiving a phone call warning of a possible terrorist attack at the Naval Dockyard. The caller, identified as Jahangir Sheikh, claimed he was in Andhra Pradesh and had been tipped off by someone else about an imminent strike.

Following the alert, police and security agencies immediately activated standard security protocols. Teams conducted checks in and around the dockyard area but found no suspicious activity, object or person linked to the alleged threat.

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Officials later tracked down the caller and took him into custody. Preliminary inquiry suggests he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the call. Mumbai Police said further investigation is underway to determine the motive behind the false alarm and whether any additional individuals were involved.

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 13:15 IST

News cities Drunk Caller Triggers Terror Scare At Mumbai Naval Dockyard, No Threat Found

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AIIMS INI CET Result 2025: Merit List Out, Direct Link To Download Here

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 10:26 IST

Qualified candidates will move on to the online counselling process, which includes registration, choice filling, and seat allotment based on rank and course preferences.

AIIMS INI CET results now available on the official website at aiimsexams.org.

AIIMS INI CET Result 2025: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has announced the INI CET 2025 list of provisionally selected candidates. Candidates who appeared for the Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI CET) held on November 9, 2025, can check their results on the official website  aiimsexams.org. Academic session will commence on January 2026.

The following is the Roll Number wise list of Provisionally Qualified Candidates in Institute of National Importance Combined Entrance Test (INI-CET) on the basis of performance in Online CBT Examination held on 09-11-2025 for admission into postgraduate courses [MD, MS, DM (6 yrs), MCh (6 yrs) and MDS] January 2026 Session at the Institutes of National Importance (INI) for medical education namely, AIIMS-New Delhi and other AIIMS, JIPMER-Puducherry, PGIMER-Chandigarh, NIMHANS-Bengaluru & SCTIMST, Trivandrum," reads the official notice.

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How To Download AIIMS INI CET Result 2025?

Step 1: Visit the official AIIMS website  aiimsexams.org

Step 2: Click on the Academic Courses" tab on the homepage

Step 3: Select INI-CET (MD/MS/MCh(6yrs)/DM(6yrs))"

Step 4: Click on the INI CET November 2025 Session Result" link

Step 5: Enter your Application Number, Exam Unique Code (EUC), and Password

Step 6: Download and save your scorecard for future reference

AIIMS INI CET 2025 Merit List: Direct Link To Check Here

AIIMS INI CET Result 2025: Minimum Qualifying Percentile

To be eligible for counselling, candidates must meet the following cut-offs:

UR, EWS, Sponsored, Deputed, OCI: 50th percentile

SC, ST, OBC, Bhutanese Nationals (PGI-Chandigarh only): 45th percentile

AIIMS INI CET Result 2025: Tie-Breaking Criteria

In case two or more candidates score the same marks, preference will be given to the candidate with fewer negative responses. If still tied, the older candidate will be ranked higher

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AIIMS INI CET Counselling

Qualified candidates will move on to the online counselling process, which includes registration, choice filling, and seat allotment based on rank and course preferences. The counselling schedule will be released soon. Candidates must report with original documents and pay the tuition fee during admission.

About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 10:26 IST

News education-career AIIMS INI CET Result 2025: Merit List Out, Direct Link To Download Here

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Panjab University Postpones Exams Amid Student Protests Over Senate Polls

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 14:35 IST

Protests under the 'Panjab University Bachao Morcha' banner began in opposition to the Centre's decision to restructure the university's governing bodies.

The development came amid the ongoing protest by the PU students to press for the announcement of the Senate polls. (File Photo)

In response to ongoing student protests, Panjab University has postponed all exams scheduled from November 18 to 20. PU Controller of Examinations, Jagat Bhushan, announced that new dates for these exams will be communicated later, reported PTI. Students are advised to check the universitys official channels for updates.

The protests focus on demanding the announcement of Senate poll dates. Students have vowed to boycott exams until the poll schedule is released and have threatened to prevent the exams from occurring if their demand is not met, the report added. Several political parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party, Shiromani Akali Dal, Congress and farmers bodies such as the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, SKM (Non-Political), Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Morcha, have extended their support to the students agitation.

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On November 12, student representatives met with the varsity vice-chancellor, who assured them that the Senate poll schedule, pending the chancellors approval, would soon be finalised. Ashmeet Singh, PUCSC vice-president, reiterated that their protest would continue until their main demand is met.

Protests under the Panjab University Bachao Morcha banner began in opposition to the Centres decision to restructure the universitys governing bodies. However, the Ministry of Education retracted its notification to change the composition of the Panjab University Senate and Syndicate on November 7, following pressure from political leaders and students.

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Despite this, the students have refused to end their protest, calling for a university shutdown" to push for Senate election dates, which have been pending for over a year.

SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal urged all political and social organisations to unite in support of the university. After meeting the students, Badal emphasised the emotional significance of Panjab University to the state and warned against centralisng the institution. He announced that an SAD-led delegation would meet with the vice president of India to seek intervention.

About the Author Education and Careers Desk A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you news, analyses and information on college and school admissions, board and competitive exams, career options, topper interviews, job notifications, ... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 14:33 IST

News education-career Panjab University Postpones Exams Amid Student Protests Over Senate Polls

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By Manoj Kumar and Mayank Bhardwaj

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Indian agricultural exporters are among the winners from U.S. President Donald Trumps exemption of dozens of food items from his reciprocal tariffs regime, which some analysts say could help to revive lost demand.

Trump on Friday removed tariffs he had imposed on more than 200 food products, including beef, as consumer concerns mount over rising U.S. grocery prices.

Unlike EU and Vietnamese suppliers facing 1520% duties, Indian exporters of tea, coffee, spices and cashew nuts were hit harder after Trump doubled tariffs to as high as 50% on imports of certain Indian goods, including a punitive 25% levy from the end of August on India's Russian oil purchases.

Ajay Sahai, director general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO), says that between $2.5 billion and $3 billion of exports will benefit from the tariff exemptions.

POSITIVE SIGNAL FOR WIDER TRADE TALKS

"This order opens space for premium, speciality and value-added products," he said. "Exporters who shift towards higher-value segments will be better protected from price pressures and can tap rising consumer demand.

Officials involved in trade and farm export policy said the exemptions are also a positive signal for ongoing U.S.India trade talks and could ease export pressure triggered by this years tariff increases.

Exports of Indian goods to the U.S. fell nearly 12% year on year in September to $5.43 billion after tariffs were raised. Indian farm exports, estimated to account for $5.7 billion of the country's $87 billion of exports to the U.S. in 2024, were among those hit.

"The move benefits Indian farmers and exporters of tea, coffee, cashew and fruits and vegetables, a senior official involved in Indian farm export policy said on condition of anonymity.

Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative think tank, said Indias U.S.-bound farm exports - focused on a few high-value spices and niche products - would register limited gains given its weak presence in key exempt items such as tomatoes, citrus fruits, melons, bananas and fruit juices.

The tariff shift would marginally strengthen Indias position in spices and niche horticulture and help revive some lost U.S. demand after the tariff hikes, Srivastava added.

Latin American, African and ASEAN suppliers are likely to make larger gains, he said, adding that it was not immediately clear whether Indian exports will be exempt from 25% reciprocal tariffs or full 50% tariffs.
Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 15:02 IST

Bihar election verdict: How will it impact the market?

Bihar Assembly Election Results 2025 Live Updates: The 2025 Bihar Assembly election delivered a resounding mandate for the NDA, leaving the Opposition facing one of its most disappointing showings in recent times.

The 2025 mandate has reduced the Opposition benches to a mere 35 seats, an alarming contraction marked by a collective loss of 79 seats compared to the previous Assembly.

The NDA, meanwhile, clinched 202 seats, with the BJP becoming the single largest party at 89 seats, followed closely by the JD(U) with 85.

Congress Results In Bihar Elections

The Congress managed to win only 6 seats this time, compared to the 19 it secured in the previous election, a deficit of 13 seats.

What PM Modi Said After Landslide Win

After securing a landslide victory in Bihar, PM Modi said that the RJD katta sarkar will never return in the state. Attacking the opposition, he said, Some parties in Bihar had created a politics of appeasement with their MY formula. But todays victory has given a new and positive MY formula  Mahila and Yuva.

Who Is Likely To Take Oath As New CM Of Bihar?

With the JD(U) on its own crossing the 80 mark in the 243-strong House, just four seats behind the BJPs 89, Nitish Kumar looks set to take oath as Bihars chief minister. However, many believe that the BJP, which emerged as the largest-single party in the Bihar Elections, could field its own CM candidate.
New Bihar Govt To Be Sworn In Within 3-4 Days; Cabinet Formula Being Worked Out: Sources

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 13:31 IST

The NDA is moving quickly to form the new Bihar government, with the swearing-in likely within three to four days as allies finalise cabinet-sharing arrangements.

PM Modi at the BJP HQs following the NDA's win in the Bihar assembly election 2025 (Photo: PTI)

The process of forming the new government in Bihar has gained momentum, with the swearing-in ceremony expected in the next three to four days, sources told CNN-News18.

However, the exact timing and the date, they said, are being worked out, with discussions underway to finalise an auspicious" day for the oath-taking.

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According to sources, talks among NDA allies are progressing smoothly, particularly on the question of cabinet representation.

All partners in the alliance are expected to be accommodated in proportion to the number of seats they have won, ensuring a balanced power-sharing arrangement in the new government.

In the run-up to government formation, the JDU legislative party will meet in Patna on Monday. Similar meetings will be held by all other allies, who will first elect their respective legislative party leaders.

Following these internal consultations, the NDA will convene a joint legislative party meeting, where the alliances legislative party leader will be formally chosen. That leader will then stake a claim to form the next government in Bihar.

This comes as the NDA made a landslide victory in the assembly elections in the state, placing itself firmly in the saddle.

On Saturday, leaders of the NDA alliance appeared to have got down to the brass tacks of forming a new government in the state.

Coalition partners made a beeline at 1, Anne Marg, the official residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving incumbent, who heads the JD(U).

Notable visitors included Union minister Chirag Paswan, who is excited at the prospects of his Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) sharing power in the state as well.

The JD(U), with 85 seats, has emerged as the second largest party after the BJP, which has a tally of 89. Although Nitish Kumar, who has been an MLC, did not contest the elections himself, the polls have been seen as a referendum on him.

Another NDA partner, Santosh Kumar Suman, whose father Jitan Ram Manjhi, a Union minister and MP from Gaya, is the founder of Hindustani Awam Morcha, also expressed the view that the JD(U) supremo should continue as the chief minister.

While Suman is also an MLC, his wife Deepa and mother-in-law Jyoti Devi are among the five winning candidates of the HAM, who contested altogether six seats.

Another notable visitor to the chief ministers residence was Ram Kripal Yadav, a BJP leader and former Union minister whose political career has been resurrected with a victory from the Danapur assembly seat.

He expressed bewilderment over speculations that the BJP was trying to back him for the deputy chief ministers post, in a bid to break the near-complete sway of RJD, the main opposition party, over Yadavs, the most populous caste in Bihar.

The RJD, which was the single largest party in the outgoing assembly, has been drubbed, winning less than 30 seats, a performance that is likely to put question marks on the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav.

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Meanwhile, the Jan Suraaj Party, the much-hyped political outfit floated by former poll strategist Prashant Kishor, which failed to make a mark in the elections, claimed that many of its supporters ended up voting for the NDA out of fear that the RJD may win and bring back the jungle raj".

ALSO READ | RJD Turmoil: Who Are Sanjay Yadav And Rameez Nemat, The Men Rohini Acharya Has Accused?

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: November 16, 2025, 12:59 IST

News elections New Bihar Govt To Be Sworn In Within 3-4 Days; Cabinet Formula Being Worked Out: Sources

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Surat To Seemanchal: The Quiet Gujarat Engine Behind Bihar's Big Victory

Reported By :

News18.com Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee



Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 13:31 IST

Generations of Biharis have pursued their dreams in Surat, which is known as Gujarat's industrial capital, creating a profound emotional and economic bond between the two states

At the heart of this unique political connection between Bihar and Gujarat was a man whose influence often goes unnoticed: Union minister CR Paatil (in all-whites at the centre). (Image: News18)

Surats connection with Bihar is woven into the very fabric of the city  its textile mills, diamond-polishing units, and bustling labour colonies thrive with the energy of workers who journeyed hundreds of kilometres in search of opportunity.

Generations of Bihari families have pursued their dreams in Gujarats industrial capital, creating a profound emotional and economic bond between the two states. This year, this bond achieved something unprecedented: it influenced an election 1,700 km away.

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On Saturday (November 15), Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a fervent crowd in his home state. The uniqueness of the gathering lay not in its size, but in its essence  it was imbued with the voices of Biharis who now call Gujarat home. Their cheers echoed as he acknowledged their contribution to Bihars transformative mandate.

The mothers, sisters and youth of Bihar have laid the foundation for the politics of the coming decades," he said. This election rejected casteist and communal politics. Bihar has sent a bright signal to the entire country."

For many in the audience, this was more than just rhetoric. It was an affirmation of their dual identity  the pride of contributing to Bihars progress even while working miles away.

At the heart of this unique political connection was a man whose influence often goes unnoticed: Union minister CR Paatil.

From Navsari near Surat, Paatil is a seasoned organiser who revolutionised Gujarat BJPs ecosystem. His impressive track record includes leading the BJP to win 156 out of 181 seats in the last state election.

For Bihar, Paatil was appointed co-incharge and given a challenging portfolio: 78 seats, many in the politically sensitive Seemanchal region, where caste, community, and local dynamics make electoral outcomes highly unpredictable. What followed over the next several months was a masterclass in political management.

Gujarats renowned page committee" model  where every voter is mapped, tracked, contacted, and engaged  was implemented in Bihars electoral landscape. It was a bold experiment.

Bihars political terrain is different, less predictable, and historically resistant to such detailed structuring. But he and his team believed it would work.

More than 1,200 BJP workers from Gujarat arrived in Bihar, many of them Biharis who had migrated years ago. They returned not just to cast their vote, but to serve as the partys on-ground force.

They dispersed into villages and towns, managing page-level micro-management. Page pramukhs updated lists, tallied booth-level data, categorised seats as A, B, C, or D based on winnability and local dynamics, and devised tailored strategies.

In the dusty lanes of Purnia, Kishanganj, and Katihar, these workers  often fluent in the dialects and deeply familiar with community sentiments  became the BJPs human bridge between two states.

The ministers affinity for technology is well-known in Gujarats organisational circles. In Bihar, he used it aggressively.

A dedicated call centre was set up to maintain contact with local voters. Volunteers made thousands of calls seeking feedback, addressing concerns and, crucially, letting people feel heard. Personalised voice notes and text messages, addressed by name, reached lakhs of voters.

It felt like the party knew us individually," a voter said.

The effort was not just logistical, it was psychological. It made the campaign feel intimate, responsive, and modern.

What surprised many on the ground was Paatils accessibility. In closed-door meetings, he would casually share his personal mobile number with workers, inviting them to call him directly.

For a national-level leader, this was unprecedented. But those familiar with him say this is classic Paatil  someone whose Surat and Delhi offices have always operated with an open-door policy. Anyone can walk in. No appointments, no gatekeeping.

This simplicity resonated strongly with booth workers who are often overlooked in the larger political narrative. Instead of large rallies, he preferred smaller interactions.

He met trader groups across the state, drawing from his deep understanding of business communities in Gujarat. His message to them and to party workers was memorable: Why is a lion the king of the jungle? Not because he is the strongest or fastest or most aggressive. The elephant is stronger, the cheetah faster, the tiger more ferocious. But the lion believes he is the king, and behaves like one. Similarly, every party worker is central to shaping the partys future."

The analogy spread across WhatsApp groups and village gatherings, boosting morale at the grassroots. Of the 78 seats under Paatils supervision, the NDA won 68. In the previous election, they had secured only 31 of these.

This remarkable turnaround became one of the defining narratives of the November 14 verdict  a mandate that surprised even seasoned observers and delivered a commanding win to the Nitish Kumar-led alliance.

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In many ways, this election has strengthened the emotional and political bridge between Surat and Bihar. Migrant workers who built their lives in Gujarat found themselves shaping Bihars future.

Strategies developed in Gujarats meticulously organised political laboratory proved effective in Bihars complex terrain. The story of this election, then, is not just about numbers or seats. It is about mobility, identity, connection, and how the journey from Surats factories to Bihars polling booths helped script one of the most significant political victories of the year.

Location : Surat, India, India

First Published: November 16, 2025, 13:31 IST

News elections Surat To Seemanchal: The Quiet Gujarat Engine Behind Bihar's Big Victory

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7-Year-Old Boy Found Murdered In Bihar Hostel Room, Family Alleges Neck Was Slit

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 22:23 IST

The police said the boys body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and further action will be taken based on the familys statements

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Authorities have taken the hostel warden and four others into custody for questioning as part of the investigation. (AI-generated image)

A seven-year-old boy was allegedly murdered in his room at a private hostel near Gopalpur Chowk in Hajipur, Vaishali district, Bihar, police said on Sunday. The childs family claimed that his neck had been slit.

A forensic team is inspecting the crime scene, and we are analysing the CCTV cameras of the hostel," SDPO (Sadar) Gopal Mandal said.

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Authorities have taken the hostel warden and four others into custody for questioning as part of the investigation.

Following news of the boys death, local residents reportedly vandalised parts of the hostel. The police said the boys body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and further action will be taken based on the familys statements and investigative findings.

This incident comes amid widespread outrage in Arunachal Pradesh, after a Class 7 student was found dead on a school campus on November 1, with authorities stating he allegedly died by suicide. Following the incident, three staff members of Saninik School in East Siang district have been arrested in connection with the death of the 12-year-old cadet.

Police registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Ruksin Police Station after preliminary investigations. East Siang Superintendent of Police Pankaj Lamba said the arrests were made following a detailed review of witness statements, forensic evidence, and the sequence of events leading to the boys death.

However, the boys family has alleged that he was murdered, claiming he was being tortured by seniors." They said he was subjected to severe ragging and mental harassment in the school hostel.

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Earlier, eight juvenile students had been apprehended and produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. The case, initially registered as an unnatural death, was later reclassified under abetment-related provisions of the BNS after evidence suggested possible involvement of both staff and students.

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

Location : Bihar, India, India

First Published: November 16, 2025, 20:25 IST

News india 7-Year-Old Boy Found Murdered In Bihar Hostel Room, Family Alleges Neck Was Slit

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'Congress Defending Its Prince': BJP Accuses Chidambaram Of Blaming Bihar Voters For Poll Loss

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 10:41 IST

The BJP has attacked P Chidambaram for his column on the Bihar election results. Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress of insulting voters and deflecting blame for its losses.

File photos of Shehzad Poonawalla/P Chidambaram (PTI)

The BJP on Sunday slammed senior Congress leader P Chidambaram over his latest opinion piece on the Bihar election outcome, and accused his party of insulting the people" after its poor performance.

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, in a strongly worded post on X, said the Congress had once again chosen to defend its prince by blaming janta" instead of examining its own failures.

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Instead of doing introspection, Congress has once again chosen to defend its prince by blaming janta," he wrote.

Referring to Chidambarams column in The Indian Express, Poonawalla mentioned, P Chidambaram writes it is the responsibility of voters to bring them to power. How entitled and delusional are these guys?"

He added that Congress has had a pattern of shifting blame.

Blame EVM, blame SIR, now blame Bihar ki janta. Dont blame Rahul for 95 losses. Rahul can do no wrong, janta is wrong! Cong insults Bihar again!"

Chidambaram, in his column titled Voting is not the end of responsibilities, analysed the verdict that gave the NDA 202 seats compared with 35 for the Mahagathbandhan.

He wrote that while citizens must accept the result, they also needed to examine why the state continues to face deep structural crises.

The former Finance Minister said the people of Bihar recalled the 15 years of Mr Lalu Prasads government" and remembered the long rule of Nitish Kumar as well, but still did not vote for change despite massive unemployment, crores migrating out for work, multi-dimensional poverty, appalling education and healthcare conditions, and the failure of prohibition".

Chidambaram argued that given these circumstances, there is no explanation why the people voted as they did".

He said the Bihar electorate must re-discover the spirit of the Champaran era" and refuse to accept unqualified teachers, dysfunctional schools, paper leaks, manipulated examination results, and the chronic absence of jobs. Bihars youth, he wrote, must not silently accept" being forced to migrate to states where the people, language, food and culture are alien to them".

Criticising the Oppositions inability to present a compelling alternative, Chidambaram said the blame lies solely with the Opposition political parties" which failed to build organisational strength on the ground. While acknowledging that leaders like Prashant Kishor tried to articulate a new vision, he said such efforts were burdened by numerous handicaps".

He also accused the Election Commission of playing a questionable and partisan" role, citing the timing of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, undertaken only in Bihar, and the continuation of the Rs 10,000 cash transfer under the Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana even after the poll schedule was announced.

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He termed the transfers a blatant bribe to the voters".

ALSO READ | Prashant Kishors Flop Show, Jan Suraaj Party Lost Deposits In 98% Seats It Contested

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: November 16, 2025, 10:20 IST

News india 'Congress Defending Its Prince': BJP Accuses Chidambaram Of Blaming Bihar Voters For Poll Loss

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'Brave Officer, Good In Studies': Family Of Inspector Killed In J&K's Nowgam Blast

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 15:48 IST

State Investigation Agency Inspector Asrar Ahmad Shah was among the nine people killed in the Nowgam blast that left 32 others injured. Authorities have ruled out a terror angle.

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Security personnel keep vigil after an accidental explosion ripped through Nowgam police station on late Friday night, in Srinagar, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (Image: PTI)

The family of Jammu and Kashmir Police inspector Asrar Ahmad Shah, who was one of the policemen killed in the recent Nowgam blast yesterday, was described as a brave officer by his family, and he showed excellence in studies from an early age.

An explosion at a police station in Nowgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on Friday night claimed at least nine lives and left 32 others injured. The explosion took place while a police team, accompanied by a magistrate and forensic experts, was examining explosive materials linked to the November 10 Red Fort blast investigation.

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J&K State Investigation Agency Inspector Asrar Ahmad Shah was among the six policemen killed in the blast. Selection Grade Constables Javaid Mansoor Rather and Arshid Ahmad Shah (both Crime Branch photographers), Selection Grade Constable Aijaz Afzal Mir, and Constables Mohammad Amin Mir and Showkat Ahmad Bhat (all three working with the Forensic Science Laboratory) also died in the incident.

Naib Tehsildar Muzaffar Ahmed Khan, Chowkidar of the area, Suhail Ahmad Rather, and Mohammad Shafi Parray, a tailor, were the other persons killed in the accidental blast.

We are devastated by the news. He was a brave officer. He was very good at studies from an early age. Everyone liked him," Asrars cousin Ubaer told NDTV, adding that he had joined the police in 2011 and was an honest cop.

We learnt about the incident through social media. Many officers from his batch have been martyred in operations," he added. Asrar is survived by his parents, wife and three children.

Authorities Rule Out Terror Angle

Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat on Saturday confirmed that the powerful explosion that tore through the Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar late Friday night was an accidental blast. He also said that the explosion occurred during the handling of volatile materials linked to an ongoing terror investigation.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday paid floral tributes to the nine people killed in the accidental blast at the Police Control Room in Srinagar. The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with them in this difficult hour," he added.

Sinha ruled out any terrorist involvement in the Nowgam Police Station blast, stating that preliminary inputs indicate it was an accident that occurred during sample-collection work. He said a probe has been ordered to ascertain the exact sequence of events.

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There is no terrorist angle in the Nowgam incident. Samples were being taken when this accident happened. I have ordered an inquiry into the matter," he told reporters.

(with inputs from agencies)

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

Location : Now Gam, India, India

First Published: November 16, 2025, 15:45 IST

News india 'Brave Officer, Good In Studies': Family Of Inspector Killed In J&K's Nowgam Blast

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Cant Wait For Next Election: Indian-Origin CEO, Stopped In US Despite O1 Visa, Calls Out Xenophobia

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 08:26 IST

Mindvalley CEO Vishen Lakhiani was questioned by FBI in Miami despite his O-1 visa, criticizing rising xenophobia in US politics and expressing anxiety about future travel.

Mindvalley CEO Vishen Lakhiani was questioned by FBI in Miami despite his O-1 visa, criticizing rising xenophobia in US politics and expressing anxiety about future travel. (Image: CNBC)

Indian-Malaysianorigin entrepreneur and Mindvalley CEO Vishen Lakhiani says he was subjected to an unnerving round of questioning by the FBI moments after landing in Miami, despite being a valid O-1 visa holder and the head of a US-based company.

Lakhiani, who has lived and paid taxes in the United States for 22 years, said two FBI officials intercepted him immediately after he stepped off the plane and questioned him about his recent international travel, including visits to Istanbul, Dubai, and Brazil. The agents also asked him to share all his social media handles along with his WhatsApp number.

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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vishen (@vishen)

In a video recounting the experience now widely shared online, the Mindvalley founder stressed that the officials were super nice" and were simply doing their jobs. However, he admitted the incident left him anxious about travelling to the United States in the future.

Lakhiani used the episode to criticise what he called growing fearmongering" and xenophobia" in American politics. In an Instagram post, he wrote that despite holding an O-1 visa, a visa for people of extraordinary talent," he was still stopped by the FBI upon arrival.

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He said the country he once admired was becoming closed and narrow-minded," blaming politicians who, according to him, scapegoat immigrants instead of offering real solutions.

For the record, Im the CEO of an American company with 230 employees globally and have been paying American taxes for 22 years," he wrote, adding that he cant wait for the next election" as the atmosphere in the US had become insane."

Location : United States of America (USA)

First Published: November 16, 2025, 08:26 IST

News india Cant Wait For Next Election: Indian-Origin CEO, Stopped In US Despite O1 Visa, Calls Out Xenophobia

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3 Naxals, With Rs 5 Lakh Reward Each, Killed During Encounter In Chhattisgarh's Sukma

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News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 11:26 IST

Three Naxals carrying Rs 5 lakh rewards each were killed in an encounter with security forces near Tumalpad village in Sukma, Chhattisgarh.

Security personnel during an anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh (Photo: PTI)

Three Naxals, each carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarhs Sukma district, officials said on Sunday.

The operation was confirmed by IG Bastar P Sundarraj, who said the encounter happened near Tumalpad village in the state.

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Later, the Sukma Police confirmed the killing of three Naxals and said those deceased included militia commander and sniper specialist Madvi Deva.

Two women Maoists, Podyam Gangi and Sodi Gangi, were also among the dead, he said.

Teams of the District Reserve Guard also recovered a .303 rifle, BGL launchers and ammunition from the site, and further search operations were underway, the police said.

This comes days after dreaded Maoist leaders Urmila, wife of senior operative Papa Rao, as well as Buchanna Kudiyam, were among the six Naxalites killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarhs Bijapur district on November 11.

The six, who were gunned down in the forests of Kandulnar and Kachlaram villages in remote pockets of Indravati National Park area, carried a total bounty of Rs 27 lakh, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav said in a press conference.

While Buchanna alias Kanna (35) was the mastermind behind several major Naxal attacks over the past decade targeting security forces, civilians, and development projects, Urmila was the main handler of logistical supplies for the PLGA (Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army) battalion of Maoists.

The operation involving personnel of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) from Bijapur and Dantewada and the Special Task Force (STF), both units of state police, was launched based on inputs about the presence of Maoist leaders.

Buchanna played a key role in the July 2008 Kongupalli police post attack and January 2016 Nuknarpal camp attack, triggering IED blasts, which were foiled due to timely police response.

He was allegedly involved in murdering more than 20 villagers after accusing them of acting as police informers, triggering six IED blasts, torching vehicles and mobile towers. His death marks the end of a long and violent chapter of Maoist terror in the region," Yadav asserted.

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Evidence recovered from the encounter site, including documents and digital devices, indicates Buchanna maintained links with an urban support network of Maoists, and these connections are being probed, the SP added.

ALSO READ | After Four Years On The Run, Man Arrested In Chhattisgarh Over Virtual Marriage, Sexual Assault

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: November 16, 2025, 11:08 IST

News india 3 Naxals, With Rs 5 Lakh Reward Each, Killed During Encounter In Chhattisgarh's Sukma

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Umar Nabi, Delhi Blast Suicide Bomber, Received Rs 20 Lakh Through Illegal Channels: Report

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 09:36 IST

A white Hyundai i20 exploded near the Red Fort metro station on the evening of November 10, killing several people and injuring many.

Multiple CCTV images of Nabi were matched with the shoe collected from the white i20 car at the blast site, and they were identical. File image

The suicide bomber driving the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near the Red Fort earlier this week, killing 13 people, allegedly received Rs 20 lakh through illegal financial channels as funding.

The accused  Umar Mohammad alias Umar Nabi  also procured large quantities of fertilizers after paying in cash from a market in Haryanas Nuh, NDTV reported, citing sources. Meanwhile, several hawala dealers have also been detained for interrogation.

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A white Hyundai i20 exploded near the Red Fort metro station on the evening of November 10, killing several people and injuring many. The impact of the blast was so intense that several nearby vehicles were damaged. The area was immediately thrown into chaos as people scrambled to help the injured.

The blast took place hours after eight people, including three doctors, were arrested from Faridabad and 2,900 kg of explosives were seized with the uncovering of a white collar" terror module involving the Jaish-e-Mohammed and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind and spanning Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Dr Umar Nabi, The Suicide Bomber

Born in Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama in 1989, Umar Nabi was working as a doctor at Al Falah University in Faridabad. Following the University is also currently being investigated and is under the radar of agencies.

On Thursday (November 13), the Delhi Police confirmed that the man who carried out the explosion near the Red Fort was Dr Umar un Nabi, a 36-year-old doctor from Jammu and Kashmirs Pulwama. The confirmation came after his samples found in the car were tested with the DNA samples of Dr Umars mother.

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Besides Mohammad, Muzammil Ganaie and Shaheen Sayeed  former doctors who are also linked to Al Falah University  have been arrested. Three hundred and sixty kilograms of ammonium nitrate was recovered from the college.

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 09:34 IST

News india Umar Nabi, Delhi Blast Suicide Bomber, Received Rs 20 Lakh Through Illegal Channels: Report

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J&K Police Conduct Raids In Kishtwar To Dismantle Terror Infra Backed By Pakistan

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 11:05 IST

The network of Pakistan inside J&K jails is in the radar of intelligence agencies.

The anti-terror intelligence unit of J&K Police on Sunday conducted raids in Jammu and Kashmirs Kishtwar.

The anti-terror intelligence unit of J&K Police on Sunday conducted raids in Jammu and Kashmirs Kishtwar to dismantle the terror infrastructure backed by Pakistan.

According to the sources, the raids are underway at the District Jail in Kishtwar.

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The network of Pakistan inside J&K jails is in the radar of intelligence agencies.

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

Location : Jammu and Kashmir, India, India

First Published: November 16, 2025, 10:59 IST

News india J&K Police Conduct Raids In Kishtwar To Dismantle Terror Infra Backed By Pakistan

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When hail hits Oklahoma, Jonathan Spyres knows what comes next. The owner of IT RoofTech in Tulsa says his crews can spot storm damage easily with high-tech equipment  but lately, getting insurers to pay for repairs has become the real battle.

And one company, he says, stands out for the wrong reasons: State Farm, the countrys largest homeowners insurer.

The case that pushed him over the edge was a 90-year-old State Farm customer who had been with the insurer for more than 60 years. When a storm ripped half the mans roof off, Spyres documented the damage and the homeowner filed a claim.

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State Farm denied it.

It really irks me, Spyres told FOX23. Hes been with you since 1958, and this is a slam dunk (1).

For Spyres, that denial marked the moment he realized something bigger was going on  and national data shows he may be right.

A growing national trend: More denials, more unpaid claims

The frustrations Spyres describes are not limited to Oklahoma.

Across the U.S., insurers are increasingly closing homeowners claims with no payment at all. A 2024 review of 14 major insurers found nearly 48% of claims were closed unpaid (2).

Consumer Reports researchers say theyve tracked mounting complaints that insurers are delaying, minimizing or refusing legitimate claims as premiums continue rising to record highs (3).

Those trends match what Spyres says hes experiencing on the ground  including his slam dunk case that got rejected.

Lawyer says hes seeing the same thing: Bad-faith denials

Tulsa attorney Christopher Camp told FOX23 hes also noticed an unusually high number of denials linked to State Farm in recent years. He characterizes many as bad-faith denials.

An insurance company has an obligation to fully, fairly and promptly investigate all claims, Camp said. They cant unreasonably delay or deny claims they know are valid.

Spyres says several homeowners hes worked with ended up suing State Farm  and they won.

But in 2024, State Farm shifted tactics.

Theyve rewritten the script, he said. Theyll approve it  but not really put any funds to it.

In one example he shared with FOX23, materials for a roof replacement cost $16,000, yet State Farm paid just $11,000.

He says the biggest sticking point is code-required upgrades, which are legally required to bring a roof up to Oklahomas building standards.
J&K White-Collar Terror Crackdown: Haryana Doctor To Self-Immolation Bid, Exclusive Details

Reported By :

News18.com Edited By: Manjiri Joshi



Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 18:51 IST

Officials found that a woman doctor from Haryana was living at the accused doctors house as a tenant

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Security personnel stand guard following the arrest of Dr Adeel, accused in an interstate and transnational terror module, in Anantnag, on Monday. (PTI)

The Counter Intelligence Kashmir conducted a late-night raid at a doctors residence in Malaknag, Anantnag on Saturday, as part of the ongoing investigation into the white-collar terror module in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

A mobile phone was seized for forensic analysis, said top intelligence sources.

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During the search, officials found that a woman doctor from Haryana was living at the accused doctors house as a tenant. Her verification process is on to map the module and its links, said sources.

Bilal Ahmad Wani, a dry-fruit seller, was also picked up for questioning along with his son, who attempted self-immolation in Qazigund. He was rushed to GMC Anantnag with burns, where he remains in custody, according to police.

Police, meanwhile, maintain that Dr Muzaffar Rather, a central figure in the white-collar module is currently in Afghanistan. His brother, Dr Adeel Rather, was arrested earlier from Saharanpur.

The investigation

The focus of agencies is to find out the financial, communication, and travel patterns of the Rather-linked network.

The self-immolation attempt has put focus on local civilians who may have unknowingly or deliberately supported the module, said sources.

This is a signal that the crackdown is set to go beyond medical professionals to the entire neighbourhood who possibly worked as Overground Workers (OGW).

The white-collar terror network

Last Monday, the authorities busted a white-collar module, involving doctors from Jammu and Kashmir who were working in Faridabad and other regions, after recovery of 2,563 kg of explosives and 350 kg of ammonium nitrate. The same evening, a powerful explosion in a slow-moving car at a traffic signal near the Red Fort Metro Station rocked the national capital. This led to the uncovering of what the authorities called the white-collar terror module. Several doctors were found to be linked to the blast.

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Meanwhile, an accidental blast at a police station in Nowgam on the outskirts of Jammu and Kashmirs Srinagar killed at least nine people on Friday night. The blast occurred when the police and forensic team officials were extracting samples from the large cache of explosives seized from Haryanas Faridabad.

The raids by the Jammu & Kashmir Police, Anti-Terrorism Squads (ATS) and others have revealed how terror outfits are recruiting not from traditional madrassa networks but from among doctors, engineers and university graduates.

About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

First Published: November 16, 2025, 18:13 IST

News india J&K White-Collar Terror Crackdown: Haryana Doctor To Self-Immolation Bid, Exclusive Details

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CNN-News18 Exclusive: NIA Arrests Pulwama Man Who Owned Car Used In Red Fort Blast

Reported By :

News18.com Edited By: Shobhit Gupta



Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 22:50 IST

A massive blast rocked Delhi on the evening of November 10 when a Hyundai i20 car exploded at 6:52 pm near the Red Fort Metro Station.

According to the NIA, Amir had travelled to Delhi to help arrange the purchase of the vehicle that was later turned into a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

The CNN-News18 newsbreak on the identity of a key conspirator in the Red Fort area bombing case has been validated today, with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) formally arresting Amir Rashid Ali, the aide of suicide bomber Dr Umar Un Nabi, who allegedly conspired the terror attack in the national capital that claimed at least 10 lives and left several others injured.

A massive blast rocked Delhi on the evening of November 10 when a Hyundai i20 car exploded at 6:52 pm near the Red Fort Metro Station, killing at least 10 people and injuring several others. The impact of the explosion was such that several vehicles were damaged, and visuals from the site showed mangled bodies and scattered debris.

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CNN-News18 was the first to report that the i20 car used in the explosion had links to Jammu and Kashmir, and that the vehicle had been sold to a resident of Shambhura village in Pulwama. The news outlet also first accessed the photograph of the cars owner  the same individual who has now been arrested by the NIA.

According to investigators, Ali, a resident of Samboora in Pampore, had allegedly conspired with Dr Umar Un Nabi, a Pulwama native and Assistant Professor at Al-Falah University, Faridabad, to carry out the blast.

The NIA has already established Nabis identity as the deceased suicide bomber who drove the vehicle-borne IED.

Ali was arrested in Delhi after an intensive search operation launched by the NIA, which had taken over the investigation from the Delhi Police. The car used in the blast was registered in his name. According to the NIA, Ali had travelled to Delhi to help arrange the purchase of the vehicle that was later turned into a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

The probe agency has also seized another vehicle belonging to Dr Umar, which is now being examined for additional evidence.

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Additionally, multiple searches were conducted at his residence in Samboor village, Pulwama. Alis brother is currently in the custody of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

The NIAs investigation  conducted in coordination with Delhi Police, J&K Police, Haryana Police, UP Police and other agencies  continues to pursue multiple leads to expose the broader conspiracy behind the bombing.

About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

First Published: November 16, 2025, 21:07 IST

News india CNN-News18 Exclusive: NIA Arrests Pulwama Man Who Owned Car Used In Red Fort Blast

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NIA Confirms Vehicle-Borne IED Used In Red Fort Blast As Probe Widens

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 21:41 IST

NIA confirmed the Red Fort blast was carried out using a vehicle-borne IED driven by suicide bomber Dr Umar Un Nabi

Survivors are now dealing with injuries, trauma, and worries about their future, from losing an eye and broken bones to financial problems that threaten their only way to earn a living. (File Pic)

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday confirmed that the blast near Red Forts Metro Station in Delhi that claimed at least 10 lives and left several others injured, was a suicide attack carried out using a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED), driven by Dr Umar un Nabi.

The NIA, probing the Delhi terror attack case, arrested Amir Rashid Ali, a resident of Samboora, Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir, who allegedly conspired with the suicide bomber Dr Umar Un Nabi to execute the plan.

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A massive blast rocked Delhi on the evening of November 10 when a Hyundai i20 car exploded at 6:52 pm near the Red Fort Metro Station, killing at least 10 people and injuring several others. The impact of the explosion was such that several vehicles were damaged, and visuals from the site showed mangled bodies and scattered debris.

The NIA has already established Nabis identity as the deceased suicide bomber who drove the vehicle-borne IED.

Ali was arrested in Delhi after an intensive search operation launched by the NIA, which had taken over the investigation from the Delhi Police. The car used in the blast was registered in his name. According to the NIA, Ali had travelled to Delhi to help arrange the purchase of the vehicle that was later turned into a vehicle-borne IED.

The probe agency has so far examined 73 witnesses, including several of the injured, while working closely with Delhi Police, Jammu & Kashmir Police, Haryana Police, Uttar Pradesh Police and other agencies. The investigation continues across multiple states as officials pursue leads to uncover the wider conspiracy and identify all individuals involved in the attack.

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Earlier today, investigators recovered three 9mm-caliber cartridges from the incident spot. Of the three, two were live rounds while one was an empty shell, it was known. According to officials, the ammunition is prohibited for civilian use and typically restricted to security forces or individuals with special authorisation.

The staff deployed at the spot were also asked to check their issued ammunition, but none was found missing. The cartridges were there, but there was no weapon to fire them. We are trying to understand the entire matter that how the bullets reached the spot," news agency PTI reported citing a source.

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 21:41 IST

News india NIA Confirms Vehicle-Borne IED Used In Red Fort Blast As Probe Widens

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'Papa, Don't Go': Daughter Of Tailor Killed In Nowgam Explosion Had Pleaded Before His Death

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 07:29 IST

Tailor Mohammad Shafi Parray, who died in the Nowgam Police Station explosion, had left home despite his daughter pleading with him to stay back, a report has claimed.

Srinagar: Relatives of Mohammad Shafi Parray, a tailor who was killed in an accidental explosion in Nowgam (Photo: PTI)

Hours before the accidental explosion at the Nowgam Police Station in Jammu and Kashmir killed nine, the minor daughter of one of the deceased, tailor Mohammad Shafi Parray, had asked him to stay back home, an NDTV report has claimed.

Mohammad Shafi Parray had stepped out of his home despite his daughter pleading, Papa, dont go," urging him to stay back because of the cold.

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However, he reassured her, saying he needed to finish some work and would return soon, words that tragically became his last, the report claimed.

According to news agency PTI, 47-year-old Parray had spent the entire day of November 14, the day of the explosion, as a conscientious citizen by assisting police investigators pack and collect samples of explosives recovered from a recently busted white collar" terror module.

He had stepped out at 10 am for the task and kept returning home briefly, once for Friday prayers, and later in the evening for dinner, before leaving again to complete the sampling work linked to material seized from Faridabad.

It was during this final stretch of work late that night that a massive accidental explosion ripped through the Nowgam Police Station, killing nine people, including several police personnel and civilians.

Parray, the lone breadwinner of his family, succumbed to his injuries. His family was first told he had been hurt, but by early Saturday, police asked them to identify his body.

Grief engulfed Wanabal as neighbours and relatives gathered at his home, where cries could be heard from afar. Locals remembered him as a man of strong character, the president of the local mosque, and someone who supported his wife, daughter and two sons through his modest tailoring shop at Wanabal Chowk.

Residents who rushed to the blast site recalled the devastation. Some thought they had heard an air blast," while others found shattered windowpanes nearly a kilometre away.

Locals said they assisted police in picking up bodies and injured victims, with one man telling PTI he found an arm on the ground, and another said Parrays body had no legs when they identified him.

The nine victims named by police included SIA Inspector, Asrar Ahmad Shah, Mohammad Shafi Parray, tailor (civilian), Showkat Ahmad, lab assistant FSL headquarters (civilian), Muzaffar Ahmad Khan Naib Tehsildar (civilian), Suhail Ahmad Rather, Chowkidar Revenue Department (civilian), Javaid Mansoor Rather, Constable photographer Crime Branch, Mohammad Amin, Head Constable FSL District Police Lines Srinagar, Arshad Ahmad Shah, Constable photographer Crime Branch and Aijaz Ahmad, Selection Grade Constable, FSL District Police Lines Srinagar.

The accidental explosion at Nowgam occurred at a time when agencies in Delhi were probing the November 10 Red Fort car blast, in which 13 people died.

As part of the expanding investigation, Delhi Police have detained three individuals, including two doctors from Haryanas Al-Falah University, and registered two FIRs against the institution over UGC and NAAC-flagged irregularities.

The Crime Branch has filed cheating and forgery cases following these regulatory findings and visited the universitys Okhla office on Saturday.

Officials said the detained doctors, Mohammad and Mustakim, were known to Dr Umar Nabi, the driver of the Hyundai i20 that exploded near the Red Fort, and had links with Dr Muzammil Ganaie, arrested in connection with the alleged white collar terror module."

Questioning revealed that one of the doctors was in Delhi on the day of the blast for an AIIMS interview. Another man, Dinesh alias Dabbu, has also been detained for illegally selling fertiliser, which investigators believe may be connected to the modules procurement of explosive material.

Teams have been examining CCTV clips, including one showing the violent tremors inside the Red Fort Metro station at the moment of the blast, and another from Faridabad showing Umar taking out his phone and asking someone to charge it.

Police have also intensified checks across Faridabad, verifying mosques, tenants, fertiliser shops, guesthouses and individuals from Jammu and Kashmir.

Visitor records from a mosque near Ramlila Maidan have been sought, and vehicles from the Sunehri Masjid parking zone, where the i20 remained for three hours, are being examined.

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The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has reopened two entry gates of the Red Fort station that were shut after the explosion.

ALSO READ | Powerful Primary Explosive Found In Car Used In Delhi Blast, Nowgam Link Under Probe: Sources

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: November 16, 2025, 07:18 IST

News india 'Papa, Don't Go': Daughter Of Tailor Killed In Nowgam Explosion Had Pleaded Before His Death

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2 Dead, Many Feared Trapped After Mine Collapse In Uttar Pradeshs Sonbhadra

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 12:38 IST

At least 15 people are feared trapped after a stone mine collapse in Sonbhadra. NDRF and SDRF teams are leading a major rescue operation.

Heavy machinery and specialised personnel have been deployed to clear debris. (Image Credit: ANI)

At least 15 people are feared trapped after a stone mine collapsed in Sonbhadra district on Saturday, triggering a massive rescue operation, officials said. Two bodies have been recovered so far as teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) continue search efforts at the site.

Heavy machinery and specialised personnel have been deployed to clear debris and widen access to the collapsed section of the mine. Rescue teams are working through the rubble in an attempt to reach those still believed to be trapped. Officials said the priority is to remove the heavy stone slabs and create safe entry points for responders.

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Authorities remain on-site, monitoring the operation and coordinating efforts to locate survivors.

Further details on the incident are awaited.

Location : Uttar Pradesh, India, India

First Published: November 16, 2025, 10:57 IST

News india 2 Dead, Many Feared Trapped After Mine Collapse In Uttar Pradeshs Sonbhadra

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PM Modi Visits Bullet Train Station In Gujarat, Interacts With Team Behind Ambitious Project

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 17:43 IST

PM Modi visited the under-construction Bullet Train Station in Gujarat's Surat and reviewed the progress of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor.

PM Modi visiting the bullet train station in Surat and interacted with the team behind the project. (PMO)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the under-construction Bullet Train Station in Gujarats Surat and reviewed the progress of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. He also interacted with the team and enquired about the progress of Indias first Bullet train project.

The Prime Minister enquired about the projects adherence and timetable targets, and workers assured him that it was advancing smoothly without any difficulties, according to an official statement from the PMO.

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An engineer from Kerala shared her experience of working at the Noise Barrier Factory in Navsari, Gujarat, where robotic units are being deployed for welding rebar cages. When PM Modi asked about her experience of building Indias first bullet train, she described it as a dream project" and a proud moment" for her family.

Shruti from Bengaluru, who is serving as Lead Engineering Manager, explained the rigorous design and engineering control processes. She also explained how her team evaluates pros and cons, identifies solutions and explores alternatives at every step of execution for flawless implementation.

PM Modis Advice

PM Modi emphasised the need for recording the experiences of the team in a Blue Book, so that India can move decisively towards large-scale implementation of bullet trains by avoiding repeated experimentation and replicating successful models. He highlighted that replication will only be meaningful if there is a clear understanding of why certain actions were taken.

He suggested that maintaining such records could benefit future students and contribute to nation-building. We will dedicate our lives here and leave behind something valuable for the country," he added.

The PM also emphasised that working for the nation and contributing to something new becomes a source of immense motivation, drawing parallels with how scientists must have felt after launching the countrys first satellite in space, and how hundreds of satellites are being launched today.

Bullet Train Project In Gujarat

Prime Minister Modi reviewed the MumbaiAhmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor (MAHSR)  one of Indias most ambitious infrastructure projects symbolising the nations leap into the era of high-speed connectivity. Spanning approximately 508 km, covering 352 km in Gujarat and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and 156 km in Maharashtra.

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Built with advanced engineering techniques on par with international standards, the project features 465 km (about 85% of the route) on viaducts, ensuring minimal land disturbance and enhanced safety. So far, 326 km of viaduct work has been completed, and 17 out of 25 river bridges have already been constructed, as per the statement.

Upon completion, the bullet train will reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to nearly two hours, revolutionising inter-city travel by making it faster, easier, and more comfortable. The project is expected to boost business, tourism, and economic activity along the entire corridor, catalysing regional development.

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

Location : Surat, India, India

First Published: November 16, 2025, 17:43 IST

News india PM Modi Visits Bullet Train Station In Gujarat, Interacts With Team Behind Ambitious Project

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40-Year-Old Son Of RSS Worker Shot Dead In Punjab's Ferozepur, BJP Sounds Alarm Over Law And Order

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 09:40 IST

Two unidentified attackers shot dead a 40-year-old man near Budhwara Wala Mohalla in Punjab's Ferozepur while he was returning home. The attackers are on the run.

Police vehicles on a roadside in Punjab (Photo: PTI)

A 40-year-old man was shot dead by two unidentified assailants in Punjabs Ferozepur on Saturday. The deceased was identified as Naveen Arora.

The incident happened near Budhwara Wala Mohalla, while he was returning home, according to Ferozepur Police. The attackers reportedly opened fire before fleeing the spot.

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Reports suggested that the deceased was the son of a senior RSS swayamsevak, Baldev Raj Arora.

Multiple teams have been formed to trace the suspects, and CCTV footage from the area is being closely examined as part of the investigation.

Officials added that efforts are underway to identify the shooters and ascertain the motive behind the killing.

Soon after the incident came to light, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took to X and called it a complete law and order collapse in Punjab".

Even as VVIP security is provided to failed netas of AAP from Delhi, even as police is made to take revenge from political rivals of Kejriwal- people of Punjab suffer," he wrote on X.

Whether its the killing of Sidhu Moosewala or Sandeep Thapar Murder

Or Sonu Cheema Killing or Vikas Bagga Murder or grenade attacks. Law and order in Punjab has failed thanks to AAP. Super CM Kejriwal and nominal CM Bhagwant Mann must be held accountable," he added.

Complete law and order collapse in PunjabNaveen Arora, son of senior RSS swayamsevak Baldev Raj Arora, was shot dead by bike-borne assailants in Ferozepur, Punjab. The incident occurred as he was walking home from his shop in the main bazaar area. Even as VVIP security is pic.twitter.com/BqgEHv7Ef4  Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) November 16, 2025

Commenting on the incident, Ferozepur Senior Superintendent of Police, while talking to reporters, said, Naveen, aged between 30 to 40 years, was shot dead while returning home by two unknown men."

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We are investigating the case, have deployed teams, and are checking the CCTV footage as well. Three to four SHOs, two Deputy Superintendents of Police, are also working on this. The culprits will be punished as per law," the SSP said.

ALSO READ | US Food Influencer FoodWithBearHands Shot Dead After He Threatened Cop With Knife

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: November 16, 2025, 08:05 IST

News india 40-Year-Old Son Of RSS Worker Shot Dead In Punjab's Ferozepur, BJP Sounds Alarm Over Law And Order

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Red Fort Blast Accused Dr Umar's 'Soft Conversion' Bid: How A Girl Was Given Muslim Identity

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News18.com Edited By: Oindrila Mukherjee



Last Updated: November 17, 2025, 14:16 IST

Intelligence sources said the girl, after being questioned, admitted that she was in Dr Umar Nabi's contact list during the period of his radicalisation

Intelligence sources said Dr Umar Nabi was actively attempting to radicalise individuals across multiple states. (Image: Sourced)

A major development has surfaced in the radicalisation case of Dr Umar Nabi, who is the main accused in the Delhi Red Fort blast, revealing his extensive attempts at pan-India outreach.

According to intelligence sources, central to the new findings is the case of a girl, who, after being questioned, admitted that she was in Dr Umar Nabis contact list during the period of his radicalisation.

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The sources said Umar was actively attempting to radicalise individuals across multiple states. His targets specifically included students, junior colleagues, and vulnerable youth, they said, even though many students did not give in to his ways.

They said the investigation into the case details how Umar used his status as a senior faculty member and teacher to pressure students into attending his informal sessions. News18 had earlier reported that he had been pressuring multiple students to follow his instructions. However, sources say many students did not fall prey.

WHAT IS THE CASE?

The girl, who was in Umars contact, was allegedly subjected to a grooming and conversion pattern through which she was given a Muslim identity.

The sources said this indicates a soft-conversion" blueprint, which is a technique often used in Islamist radicalisation modules with the primary objective of first altering the targets identity.

The girl told interrogators that she listened to Umar because he was a senior faculty member but she clarified that she did not take his indoctrination seriously, the sources said. She maintained that she only attended his sessions out of respect, never accepting his ideology, they added.

WAS UMAR MENTALLY DISTURBED?

The sources said the investigation has also brought to the fore Umars concerning conduct during his radicalisation attempts.

They said he was suffering from a psychiatric disorder, which was cited as the cause of his erratic behaviour, and these issues may have contributed to his radicalisation process, potentially making his actions more aggressive and unstable.

It has already been established that the accused, a key figure in the Faridabad terror module, was academically sound and a popular teacher at Al Falah University but attempted to radicalise the students who admired him.

From what Jammu and Kashmir police sources have told News18, he pushed a strict, fundamentalist religious agenda, pressuring Muslim students to pray five times a day and adopt a more rigid interpretation of Islam. He was generally an introvert, his behaviour often erratic, and he was known to bully younger students while his temper was infamous and he would frequently clash with his seniors that invited complaints.

Umars family has a history of mental health issues, including schizophrenia, that may have contributed to his increasingly unstable behaviour and his growing isolation from others, with some reports saying the terror accused had a split personality.

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He is accused of being the bomber in the massive blast that rocked Delhi on the evening of November 10 when a Hyundai i20 car exploded at 6.52 pm near the Red Fort, killing 13 people and injuring several others. The impact of the explosion was such that several vehicles were damaged, and visuals from the site showed mangled bodies and scattered debris.

(With agency inputs)

About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

First Published: November 16, 2025, 11:50 IST

News india Red Fort Blast Accused Dr Umar's 'Soft Conversion' Bid: How A Girl Was Given Muslim Identity

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NIA Arrests Kashmiri Man Who Helped Delhi Bomber Procure Car Used In Red Fort Blast

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News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 19:59 IST

According to the agency, Amir had travelled to Delhi to help arrange the purchase of the vehicle that was later turned into a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the car involved in the attack was registered, was arrested from Delhi by the NIA.

Red Fort Blast: In a significant breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested an aide of the suicide bomber, Dr Umar Nabi, who allegedly conspired the terror attack in the national capital that claimed at least 10 lives and left several others injured.

A massive blast rocked Delhi on the evening of November 10 when a Hyundai i20 car exploded at 6:52 pm near the Red Fort Metro Station, killing at least 10 people and injuring several others. The impact of the explosion was such that several vehicles were damaged, and visuals from the site showed mangled bodies and scattered debris.

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The accused, identified as Amir Rashid Ali, a resident of Samboora in Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir, was arrested in Delhi after an intensive search operation launched by the NIA, which had taken over the investigation from the Delhi Police. The car used in the blast was registered in his name.

NIA investigations had revealed that the accused, a resident of Samboora, Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir, had conspired with the alleged suicide bomber, Umar Un Nabi, to unleash the terror attack. Amir had come to Delhi to facilitate the purchase of the car, which was eventually used as a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to trigger the blast," the anti-terror agency said in a statement.

According to the NIA, Amir had travelled to Delhi to help arrange the purchase of the vehicle that was later turned into a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The NIA has forensically confirmed that the deceased driver of the IED-laden car was Dr Umar Un Nabi, a Pulwama resident and Assistant Professor in the General Medicine department at Faridabads Al-Falah University.

Additionally, multiple searches were conducted at his residence in Samboor village, Pulwama. Amirs brother is currently in the custody of the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

The probe agency has also seized another vehicle owned by Nabi, which is now being examined for potential evidence. Investigators have so far questioned 73 witnesses, including several of those injured in the explosion.

The NIA said that it is working closely with Delhi Police, Jammu & Kashmir Police, Haryana Police, Uttar Pradesh Police, and other central agencies to pursue multiple leads to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the bombing and identify others involved in the case.

Earlier today, investigators recovered three 9mm-caliber cartridges from the incident spot. Of the three, two were live rounds while one was an empty shell, it was known. According to officials, the ammunition is prohibited for civilian use and typically restricted to security forces or individuals with special authorisation.

The staff deployed at the spot were also asked to check their issued ammunition, but none was found missing. The cartridges were there, but there was no weapon to fire them. We are trying to understand the entire matter that how the bullets reached the spot," news agency PTI reported citing a source.

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Meanwhile, the Delhi police have ramped up security across the central district, focusing on key areas of the national capital. Authorities have intensified verification drives, enhanced picket checks, and increased armed deployment at sensitive locations, officials said on Sunday.

During a special night-time operation on Saturday, police seized 34 unattended vehicles and issued 417 challans under the Delhi Police Act as part of a five-hour checking drive, a senior officer confirmed.

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 19:01 IST

News india NIA Arrests Kashmiri Man Who Helped Delhi Bomber Procure Car Used In Red Fort Blast

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Rohini Acharya's Husband, Samaresh Singh, Investment Banker And DU Alumnus: Know All About Him

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 22:14 IST

Rohini Acharya lives with her husband, Samaresh Singh, daughter Ananya, and two sons, Aditya and Arihant in Singapore.

Rohini Acharya lives with her husband, Samaresh Singh, in Singapore. (Photo: X)

Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, made headlines after she announced to cut ties with the family. Following a crushing defeat in the Bihar elections, Lalu Yadavs family is facing another feud. Acharya, on Sunday, asserted that amid disagreements in the family, she has the blessings of her parents, Lalu and Rabri Devi.

Recommended Stories Rohini Acharya is the second of the nine children of the RJD supremo, and she has made headlines previously too. Her wedding in 2002 was a grand event in Bihar. She currently lives with her husband and three children in Singapore.

Acharya left for Singapore last night.

Who Is Rohini Acharyas Husband?

Acharya is married to Samaresh Singh, the son of former commissioner rank Income Tax officer Rao Ranvijay Singh. Presently, Samaresh serves as the Managing Director of Investment Banking, Mergers and Acquisitions at Evercore in Singapore. He has also held senior roles at Standard Chartered Bank in the past. He completed his undergraduate studies in Economics at Delhi University and earned a Masters degree in Economics, Finance, and International Business from the Delhi School of Economics. Additionally, he holds an MBA in Finance from INSEAD Business School. Singhs father, an Income Tax officer, was a friend of Lalu Yadav.

Rohini Acharya On Current Family Feud

Rohini Acharya reacted to the ongoing family dispute and told reporters, Whatever I had to say, I have said on my social media. I have not lied about anything that happened. Rohini jo bolti hai sach bolti hai (Whatever Rohini says is the truth). You may go and ask all of this to Tejashwi Yadav, Sanjay Yadav, Rachel Yadav, and Rameez. My father has always been by my side. My parents and my sisters were crying for me yesterday. I am blessed to have parents like them."

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She was further quoted by ANI as saying, I feel fortunate to have parents like mine. In a family, why is it that only daughters are expected to make sacrifices, especially when there are brothers? When questions were asked to the brothers, they tell me to go to my in-laws house. As a result, I have decided to disown my brother."

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 21:51 IST

News india Rohini Acharya's Husband, Samaresh Singh, Investment Banker And DU Alumnus: Know All About Him

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Air travel has been a mess in recent weeks, thanks to the longest-ever shutdown of the U.S. government. With TSA agents and air traffic controllers forced to work without pay, many did not come to work, and there were shortages. The result was that airlines had to substantially reduce flights.

Lawmakers have voted to reopen the government, but experts warn it could take time to restore normal travel.

For passengers who are tired of flight disruptions, getting back to business as usual sounds pretty great. However, flight cancellations and flight changes dont happen only during government shutdowns.

United Airlines is canceling spring and summer flights in 2026

Airlines change their routes all the time for a variety of reasons, ranging from lack of consumer demand to strategic issues such as their preferred hub locations and priority customer segments.

For example, United Airlines recently revealed some changes for 2026.

Those include canceling a number of flights. The number of cancellations is high enough that Simple Flying reported the change was a small but still noteworthy cut.

United Airlines flights are changing.Shutterstock

What flights is United Airlines canceling in 2026?

According to Simple Flying, United Airlines is canceling a number of flights that were part of its European network. The cancellations are happening ahead of the 2026 season.

Specifically, the United Airlines flights that are being cut from the airlines schedule next year for the summer travel season include:

Newark to Edinburg

Newark to Brussels

Newark to Frankfort

Related: Southwest Airlines adds another new rule making travel harder

The modifications to United Airlines flight network will go into effect in March of 2026 and May of 2026.

While this gives passengers some time to adjust their bookings, European travel can be more expensive than domestic travel, so its usually best to start looking for alternative flights sooner rather than later if you usually fly on United Airlines to these destinations.

How many 2026 flights is United Airlines cancelling?

According to Simple Flying, United Airlines will be reducing its services to Edinburgh, Brussels, and Frankfurt, down to just one flight daily.

This is a significant change because:
'End Is Beginning': Maharashtra Teen's Final Instagram Post Before Dying By Suicide

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 16:38 IST

The boy, identified as Yogesh Ashok Khyage, lived in Sushil Nagar with his parents and worked at a local bakery

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Yogesh is survived by his father, who works as a watchman, his mother, and his sister. (Representational image)

An 18-year-old boy from Solapur, Maharashtra, died by suicide shortly after posting a message on Instagram that read, The end is the beginning of existence."

The boy, identified as Yogesh Ashok Khyage, lived in Sushil Nagar with his parents and worked at a local bakery.

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According to police, on the day of the incident, Yogeshs parents were visiting a relative. When they returned home, they found him hanging and rushed him to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, NDTV reported.

Shortly before he died by suicide, Yogesh had uploaded a distressing story on Instagram in Hindi, where he wrote: Marne se pehle sabke dilon se utar jaana hai mujhe, taaki mere marne ke baad koi mujhe yaad na kare."

The message translates to: Before dying, I want to fade from everyones hearts so that after my death no one remembers me."

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Yogesh is survived by his father, who works as a watchman, his mother, and his sister. Police have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

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About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

Location : Maharashtra, India, India

First Published: November 16, 2025, 16:37 IST

News india 'End Is Beginning': Maharashtra Teen's Final Instagram Post Before Dying By Suicide

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Two British Doctors Arrested In UP's Bahraich For Entering India Illegally Via Nepal

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 07:45 IST

The arrest came amid the intensified checking in the wake of the blast near Delhi's Red Fort.

Two British doctors arrested in UP's Bahraich for entering India illegally via Nepal.

Two British passport holders  a man and a woman, both doctors  were detained on Saturday, allegedly for entering India illegally from Nepal at the Rupaideha border in Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh.

As per the preliminary interrogation, the duo was handed over to the police, who arrested the foreign nationals after registering a case.

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Personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and Uttar Pradesh Police intercepted the duo. The arrest came amid the intensified checking in the wake of the blast near Delhis Red Fort.

Ganga Singh Udawat, Commandant of the SSBs 42nd Battalion stated that the two foreigners were stopped for verification after they crossed into India from Nepal. During scrutiny of their documents, it was found that both were British nationals and did not possess a valid Indian visa. They failed to provide any satisfactory reason for their entry into India," he was quoted by news agency PTI.

According to Udawat, both the British nationals claimed to be medical professionals and said they had travelled to Nepalganj in Nepal on the invitation of a local hospital.

The detained man was identified as Dr Hassan Amman Saleem (35), son of Mohammad Saleem, of Pakistan origin. His current address is listed as Manchester, United Kingdom. Sources claimed that Hassan travelled to Pakistan three times in the past three years.

The woman was identified as Dr Sumitra Shakeel Olivia (61), daughter of John Frederick, originally from Udupi, Karnataka. She is a British passport holder, with her present address in Gloucester, United Kingdom.

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A case has been registered against the two individuals under the Passport Act, 1967.

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

Location : Uttar Pradesh, India, India

First Published: November 16, 2025, 07:40 IST

News india Two British Doctors Arrested In UP's Bahraich For Entering India Illegally Via Nepal

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National Press Day 2025: History, Significance And Journalism In AI Era

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 07:25 IST

National Press Day 2025 celebrates ethical journalism, press freedom, and highlights challenges and opportunities for media in the age of AI.

National Press Day is observed on November 16 in India every year. (AI generated image)

National Press Day is observed on November 16 in India every year to honour the establishment of the Press Council of India (PCI). The PCI was set up as an independent entity to ensure journalism is free from outside meddling in order to maintain its high ethical standards.

On National Press Day, awareness campaigns and public talks are held about press freedom and media responsibilities, and awards are handed out for high-quality, ethical journalism. Below, we take a look at the history and significance of National Press Day, and how journalism fares in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

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National Press Day 2025: History

The establishment of the PCI came from the recommendations of the First Press Commission of 1956, as per the Press Information Bureau of India (PIB). The PCI was then established a decade later, on November 16, 1966, to ensure that the Press is committed to truth in the interest of the public and is held accountable.

National Press Day 2025: Significance

The Press has always played a very vital role in India. Newspapers like the Amrita Bazar Patrika, Kesari and Jugantar, played a crucial role in shaping public opinion against British rule. After gaining independence, the press, as the fourth pillar of democracy, kept its independence to make sure news stayed fair and square. Its been calling out those in charge and making sure there is transparency in the functioning of the government.

There are allegations, today, however, that Press freedom in India has been compromised and certain news organisations are doing biased reporting, highlighting negative aspects of an issue only, and inadvertently encouraging harm towards the weak and the voiceless.

For example, there has been a rise in the number of news coverages that paint street animals as dangerous and harmful for society, which has not only led to an increase in animal cruelty but also sweeping orders from the apex court of India, which have threatened their survival across the country.

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Journalism in the Age of AI

Journalism has been profoundly impacted by the rise of AI. On one hand, AI helps immensely in data analysis and checking facts more efficiently, and even generating news content, there are concerns of job displacement, algorithmic bias and AI-manipulated or created pictures or video that can mislead journalists and the public. These concerns need to be addressed to maintain the standards set forth by the PCI, 59 years ago.

About the Author Nibandh Vinod Nibandh Vinod is a seasoned journalist with nearly three decades of experience, known for his in-depth coverage of events and festivals, as well as his expertise in SEO-driven content at News18.com. A... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 07:25 IST

News lifestyle events National Press Day 2025: History, Significance And Journalism In AI Era
Deepika Padukone Reinvents Saree Style With A Flannel Coat In Gujarat

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 09:41 IST

Deepika Padukone pairs a saree with a flannel coat at a Gujarat event, embracing cozy style and minimal glam. Ranveer Singh complements her in a classic bandhgala.

Deepika Padukones unexpected saree styling goes viral From Gujarat event

Deepika Padukone has an effortless way of owning every saree she wears, but her latest appearance might be one of her most laid-back and pleasantly surprising looks yet. The actor attended an event in Gujarat on November 15, which also saw the presence of Nita Ambani, Ranveer Singh, AR Rahman and Shreya Ghoshal.

New photos and videos from the evening show Deepika pairing her saree with an unexpected outerwear choice, a cosy flannel coat creating a look that was both practical and stylish.

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Deepika shows how to pair a casual coat with a saree

This time, Deepikas fashion formula was simple: stay warm without compromising on style. Known for her structured silhouettes, she switched things up by choosing a relaxed-fit Isabel Marant coat. The roomy shape made it easy to layer over her ornate pink saree, while the soft flannel-and-wool blend, pink checks and embroidered logo on the back added a refined yet comfortable touch.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bollywood Celebrity Style (@bollywoodwomencloset)

Her beauty look kept things clean and classic

Although her Indo-western outfit drew attention, it was Deepikas understated beauty look that tied everything together. She embraced glowing, dewy skin with soft rosy lips, while bold kajal gave her eyes a dramatic edge. Her sleek middle-parted bun, wrapped with a traditional gajra and finished with a delicate red bindi, added a nostalgic, old-world charm.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pratibha Singh Baghel (@iampratibhasingh)

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What Ranveer Singh wore

Ranveer Singh complemented Deepika with a sharp, all-white bandhgala suit. To inject some of his signature flair, he paired the outfit with colourful sunglasses. The couple who recently celebrated their daughter Duas first birthday in September posed warmly with guests at the event, and their cheerful candid pictures quickly made rounds on fan pages.

About the Author Swati Chaturvedi Swati Chaturvedi is a seasoned media professional with over 13 years of experience in journalism, digital content strategy, and editorial leadership across top national media houses. An alumna of Lady... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 09:41 IST

News lifestyle fashion Deepika Padukone Reinvents Saree Style With A Flannel Coat In Gujarat
Imran Khan Reveals His Comeback Film Is Like Deepika Padukone Starrer Break Ke Baad

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 07:51 IST

Besides Imran Khan, the film will also star Bhumi Pednekar and Gurfateh Pirzada.

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Imran Khan will make a comeback after 10 years.

Imran Khan and Deepika Padukones Break Ke Baad will soon clock 15 years, and the occasion is extra special as Imran is reuniting with the films director, Danish Aslam, for his grand comeback to films after 10 years. The actor recently chatted with the Hindustan Times and opened up about his upcoming project.

Imran Khan said, The movie is just like what the team of Break Ke Baad would be doing 15 years later in life. Its a natural progression. Danish and I now have a collective life experience. Hes been married, and Ive been through a divorce. Its just the film we should make 15 years later."

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The actor added, This is very much a personal project that came from the creative urge of wanting to tell a story and working with dear friends. The shoot is complete, and its in post-production. We are looking at releasing it once the streaming platform decides on the date."

Reflecting on Bhumi Pednekar being cast opposite him, he said, It was a co-creative decision, we all agreed on her and what she would bring to the film, we were pretty upfront about it. She brought a good vibe to the set, and it was the same with Gurfateh (Pirzada). In fact, this is the happiest set Ive ever been on."

Imran even revealed that he had initially rejected Break Ke Baad. I was shooting for I Hate Luv Storys (2010) when Danish came in for a narration of Break Ke Baad. He hates narrations, and I dont do well listening to narrations, so I said no thanks and left. Later, I met him at a party and we hit it off well. Halfway through the conversation, I realised its the same guy whose script I had turned down. Thats when he sent me a draft to read, and it clicked with me. We were shooting the film a couple of months later," Imran concluded.

Released in 2010, Break Ke Baad, directed by Danish Aslam, is a lighthearted romantic drama that explored a theme rarely handled in mainstream Hindi cinema at the time: the need for individual space within a relationship. Starring Deepika Padukone and Imran Khan, the film blended youthful charm with an attempt to examine modern love through a more realistic, introspective lens.

About the Author Kashvi Raj Singh Kashvi Raj Singh is a Sub Editor at News18. She extensively covers Bollywood, Hollywood and television. She not only keeps an eye out for interesting news angles but also often writes social commentar... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 07:51 IST

News movies bollywood Imran Khan Reveals His Comeback Film Is Like Deepika Padukone Starrer Break Ke Baad
Salman Khan Avoids Posing For Paparazzi As He Returns To India After Da-Bangg Tour

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 11:36 IST

Salman Khan returned to India after his Da-Bangg tour and chose not to pose for the paparazzi at the Mumbai airport, heading straight to his car after landing.

Salman Khan returned to India. (Photo Credit: Instant Bollywood)

Salman Khan is one of the most loved actors in Bollywood. The superstar, who was recently in the UAE for his Da-Bangg tour, returned to the city this morning. Salman Khan was snapped at the Mumbai airport as he arrived back in Mumbai. The actor was wearing a simple yet stylish outfit for his airport look.

In the video circulating on social media, Salman Khan was seen coming out of the airport wearing loose, all-black cargo pants paired with a full-sleeved T-shirt. The actor had put his sunglasses on in full Dabangg style. He didnt pose for the paparazzi and, after coming out of the airport, headed straight to his car and left for home.

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View this post on Instagram A post shared by Instant Bollywood (@instantbollywood)

Salman Khan meets kids in UAE

During his time in the UAE, Salman took time out and met his young fans on 14th October on the occasion of Childrens Day. A clip shared on his Instagram story, now circulating widely online, shows the actor warmly greeting children backstage, shaking their hands, waving to them, and acknowledging their excitement.

Salman Khans Da-Bangg Tour Reloaded lights up Qatar

Salman Khan was in Qatar for the Da-Bangg: The Tour Reloaded show in Doha. Joining him on stage were some of the biggest entertainers in the industry, including Jacqueline Fernandez, Tamannaah Bhatia, Stebin Ben, Sunil Grover, Prabhu Deva, and Maniesh Paul.

The high-energy live event, held on November 14 at the Asian Town Amphitheatre, witnessed a massive turnout as fans gathered to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars performing live.

Behind-the-scenes: Salman rehearses with Jacqueline and Tamannaah

Adding to the excitement, Salman also posted a rehearsal video on Instagram. In the clip, he can be seen practising performance sequences alongside Tamannaah Bhatia and Jacqueline Fernandez. The video also includes brief glimpses of Sunil Grover and Maniesh Paul, giving fans an exclusive sneak peek into the tours preparations.

Salman Khans upcoming projects and television commitments

On the work front, Salman Khan is gearing up for his next big film, Battle of Galwan. Inspired by the 2020 India-China conflict, the film is directed by Apoorva Lakhia and stars Chitrangada Singh as the female lead. The team has reportedly wrapped up filming in Ladakh.

Alongside his film commitments, the Bollywood megastar is also currently captivating audiences as the host of Bigg Boss 19, continuing his long-standing association with the iconic reality show.

First Published: November 16, 2025, 11:36 IST

News movies bollywood Salman Khan Avoids Posing For Paparazzi As He Returns To India After Da-Bangg Tour
Tara Sutaria Kicks Off Pre-Birthday Celebration In Maldives, Shares Glimpses From Her Vacay

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 21:56 IST

Tara Sutaria begins her birthday week in style! Ahead of her 30th birthday, she shared some beautiful glimpses from her Maldives getaway.

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Tara Sutaria Kicks Off Pre-Birthday Celebration In Maldives

Bollywood actress Tara Sutaria is all set to celebrate her 30th birthday on November 19. Ahead of her birthday, she jetted off to the Maldives for a relaxing getaway. She kickstarted her birthday week in style, and treated fans to some stunning glimpses from her vacay! Looks like the celebrations have already begun, and her birthday week has begun on a spectacular note.

Tara Sutarias Pre-Birthday Celebration In Maldives

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On Sunday, Tara Sutaria took to her Instagram to share a series of pictures from her Maldives getaway. The first picture shows her striking a stunning pose in a black bikini paired with a sheer georgette black sarong. She is seen standing in front of a glowing neon sign that reads Happy Birthday Tara." Meanwhile, the next picture shows a glimpse of the luxurious resort she is staying in. Meanwhile, the final video clip shows the turquoise waters at the beach. In her caption, Tara expressed her excitement, and wrote, BIRTHDAY WEEK BEGINS! T-3 TO GO." Check out her post below!

View this post on Instagram A post shared by TARA (@tarasutaria)

In other news, Tara Sutaria has been hitting the headlines for her rumoured relationship with Veer Pahariya. Their frequent joint appearances and social media PDA have been garnering attention since the last few months. While neither of them has outright confirmed dating each other, they seemed to have made their relationship Instagram official after sharing their love-filled pictures together from Ganesh Chaturthi celebration in August.

The couple also posted mushy pictures on the occasion of Diwali. While Tara donned a golden shimmery lehenga, Veer looked as handsome as ever in a traditional white ensemble. Tara captioned the post, Last night with my firecrackerFor our dearest Manish Malhotra, my favourite host always."

On the professional front, Tara Sutaria collaborated with Punjabi-Canadian music sensation AP Dhillon for the music video of Thodi Si Daaru earlier this year. She will next be seen in the film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups, starring Yash, Nayanthara, Kiara Advani, and others.

First Published: November 16, 2025, 21:56 IST

News movies bollywood Tara Sutaria Kicks Off Pre-Birthday Celebration In Maldives, Shares Glimpses From Her Vacay
Whitesnake Legend David Coverdale Announces Retirement: Time For Me To Call It A Day

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 13:54 IST

David Coverdale, founder of Whitesnake and former Deep Purple frontman, retires after over 50 years, marking the end of a legendary era in rock music.

David Coverdale formed Whitesnake in 1978.

Rock veteran David Coverdale has confirmed that he is stepping away from the stage, ending a career that has spanned more than five decades. The Whitesnake founder and former Deep Purple frontman revealed his decision in a video message released on Thursday, telling fans that the time had finally come for him to retire.

In the short clip, posted on YouTube, the 74-year-old raised a glass and addressed supporters directly. Coverdale said that after 50 years-plus" of performing and recording, he felt ready to close the chapter on his professional journey. Light-heartedly adjusting his shorter grey hair and joking about his rock n roll platform shoes," he acknowledged that the moment felt both surreal and inevitable. Its time for me to call it a day," he said, thanking the musicians, crews, and fans who had supported him over the years. The video ended with a montage of his career set to a remix of Forevermore.

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Coverdales rise began in the early 1970s after playing with smaller local bands, one of which opened for Deep Purple. He officially joined Deep Purple in 1973, marking the start of his mainstream success. When the group disbanded in 1976, he went on to form Whitesnake in 1978, a decision that would pave the way for global recognition. The bands 1987 self-titled album reached multi-platinum status, buoyed by chart-topping tracks including Here I Go Again.

This is not the first time he has attempted to step back. Following a demanding Whitesnake tour, Coverdale temporarily retired in 1990, later recalling that the break turned out to be the shortest retirement since Sinatras." By 1993, he had teamed up with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page for the Coverdale/Page album, a collaboration that, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, was jokingly described by an executive as a rock version of a corporate merger."

Whitesnake later regrouped in the mid-1990s, toured intermittently, and returned again in 2002 with fresh material and continued live shows. Their activity, however, came to an abrupt halt in 2022 when health issues forced the band to cut short their tour, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. A greatest-hits collection released last year ultimately became the bands final major project.

Fans responded swiftly to Coverdales announcement, sharing emotional tributes beneath the farewell video. One user wrote, Without a doubt, this is the classiest farewell I have ever seen or heard from an artist. Words cannot express what your music has meant to me. Thank you for everything, and fare thee well, indeed." Another added, This is the classiest farewell a musician could offer."

First Published: November 16, 2025, 13:54 IST

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Opinion | Bihar Tsunami Snuffs Lantern, Sours Birthday Cake And Shows The Upstart His Place

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 15:07 IST

The NDAs sweeping mandate has crippled the RJD, embarrassed the Congress on a symbolic day, and punctured Prashant Kishors grand claims

This time round, Tejashwi cannot accuse the Grand Old Party of letting the alliance down, as the RJD itself has fared no better. (Image: PTI/File)

Exit polls have got it right, not that they could easily have gone wrong, given that all sixteen polls unanimously predicted the NDA romping home victorious. While the reasons for the Mahagathbandhan debacle will be discussed till the cows come home, alarm bells should be ringing in the Congress headquarters over the effete leadership it has, both at the Centre as well as in the states.

At the time of writing this column, CNN-News18 showed 204 for the NDA, with the BJP leading in 92 and the JD(U) in 82 seats, with Chirag Paswans LJP securing 21 out of the 29 seats it contested, thus maintaining its impressive strike rate.

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Tejashwi Yadavs RJD has had to bite the dust with 25 seats, a precipitous fall from the 74 it won in the 2020 Assembly elections, and its ally, the Congress, winning merely 5 seats out of the 61 it contested. This time round, Tejashwi cannot accuse the Grand Old Party of letting the alliance down, as the RJD itself has fared no better. He is reaping a bitter harvest of his father Lalu Yadavs foibles.

The taint of jungle raj as well as the fodder scam, in which Lalu has been convicted in five different cases in different places, still looms large, and the NDA is making a meal of them by losing no opportunity to highlight them. And why not? Prime Minister Modi still goes hammer and tongs at the Congress by exposing its dubious Emergency of 1975 and the Sikh pogrom of 1984. The partys election symbol, the lantern, has virtually been snuffed out.

Tejashwi also committed the cardinal sin of lying through his teeth  promising, delusionally, to provide government employment to one person in every household.

For the Congress, the humiliation was compounded by the fact that 14 November is the birthday of the nations first Prime Minister, Pandit Nehru. The tsunami soured the birthday cake badly. But it had it coming, with its leader, Rahul Gandhi, making frivolous charges like vote chori and criticising the Election Commissions Special Intensive Revision (SIR) as anti-minority, whereas it has proved to be the much-needed spring-cleaning of electoral rolls to guard against fake votes.

People, too, are disgusted with him for going abroad and maligning the nation and his arch-rival, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, instead of taking him on the home turf, man-like, with real issues such as Bihari youth being constrained to fan out to other parts of the country in search of employment opportunities.

For Prashant Kishor, poll strategist turned politician, his party Jan Suraaj Party, the tally is zilch. Much was made of his prowess and political acumen, so much so that he made the vain boast that if his party scored fewer than 25 seats, he would retire from politics, which he had entered only a couple of years ago. That he could not make a mark in his own state has raised a big question mark: was his much-vaunted political acumen exaggerated? He could not smell the coffee brewing right under his nose.

Were all parties, including the BJP, TMC, AAP, JD(U) and DMK, falling over themselves to pay him fabulous fees just for stating the obvious in the manner of a consultant borrowing his clients watch to tell the time?

Nitish Kumar might have acquired the sobriquet Paltu Chacha (turncoat politician), but to his credit, he is a feminist to the boot  ushering in prohibition, giving cycles to girl students, and recently transferring Rs 10,000 to women for launching their businesses, to be followed by loans in tranches. He has also built roads, airports and railway infrastructure, thanks to his excellent rapport with the Centre.

The Chinese experience shows that good infrastructure has a lag effect; industrial clusters spring up around those regions. Henry Ford said famously: America doesnt have good roads because it is rich, but is rich because it has good roads."

The NDA has worsted its own record of 2010, when it notched up 200 seats. This would cement the NDA allies ties in the Lok Sabha and lend more verve to its campaign in the Assembly elections in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

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With the single-largest party status, the BJP may legitimately make a claim for the chief ministership sooner rather than later, but its central leadership may wisely refrain from rocking the boat and instead use persuasion. Time alone will tell whether it will bide its time for long.

The writer is a senior columnist. He tweets @smurlidharan. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: November 16, 2025, 15:07 IST

News opinion Opinion | Bihar Tsunami Snuffs Lantern, Sours Birthday Cake And Shows The Upstart His Place

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Opinion | Congress Promises BJP More Gifts After Bihar With Its Denial, Disconnect

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 12:14 IST

Winning six of the 61 seats it contested has not only left the Congress remorseless, but even more recalcitrant as it has doubled down on its 'vote chori' narrative

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly refused to give the EC a signed declaration or an official complaint over his vote theft allegations. (Image: PTI/File)

In the heat and dust of a Bihar election rally, Mahagathbandhan ally Pappu Yadav suddenly stopped his speech. He then shouted at the beefy men who were standing menacingly in the front rows: Eh, tum log muretha kholo (you guys take off your headgear)."

Muretha in Bihar is a traditional headgear made by wrapping a gamcha (a cotton towel) around the head. Politically, it is linked to Yadav aggression.

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Even local Mahagathbandhan allies like Pappu Yadav were mindful not to bring back memories of the rough ways and hooliganism of Lalu Prasad Yadavs infamous jungle raj from 1990 to 2005.

They felt that things were not right, that the nightmarish Lalu regime days of kidnappings, murders, rapes, robberies, scams, and caste massacres were still fresh in the collective consciousness of Bihar. At least two generations of victims were still alive.

And that the NDA campaign was milking every drop of it, besides packaging two decades of comparatively much better law and order, sprouts of development, and promise of growth.

Even in defeat, the regional RJD has been restrained.

The Congress, however, has been a different story altogether. Winning six of the 61 seats it contested has not only left it remorseless, but even more recalcitrant.

It has doubled down on its vote chori narrative, which has not only been rejected by voters but has increasingly started looking like an excuse for every electoral disaster.

Now, here is the truth about Congress vote theft charges: its leader Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly refused to give the Election Commission a signed declaration or an official complaint. He has failed to furnish a shred of evidence to the authorities.

In Bihar, the final roll publication on September 30 showed that 47 lakh dead, migrated, and fake voters had been weeded out. The total number of voters in the state now stood at 7.42 crore.

Interestingly, no appeals were filed against the 47 lakh deletions by either the Congress or any individual, the EC told the Supreme Court in an affidavit. The Chief Election Commissioner said that zero appeals" across Bihars 38 districts was validation that the process was fair.

Para-legal volunteers and booth level officers (BLOs) were deployed to assist potential appellants, but nobody came up with a complaint by October 17, the freeze date.

That a party that hinged its entire campaign in Indias third most populous state on the vote chori issue could not come up with even a single such case in the end only shows its bankruptcy.

The Congress IT cell and some of its supporters then started blaming the privileged for holding a grouse against Lalus jungle raj. There was a minor problem. These social justice warriors forgot that the fear of non-Yadav backward castes that Lalu Yadavs criminal regime ironically helped create a powerful social coalition and bring NDA to power with a record margin.

The Congress is also unlikely to introspect about Rahuls reluctance to name his stronger local ally Tejashwi Yadav as CM, or his foreign trip right in the final stages of campaigning and polling, or former key strategist Ahmed Patels daughter Mumtaz calling out the chokehold that a corrupt, clueless coterie has over RaGa.

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The Congress is that mom-and-pop store in which only lowly employees are sacked when sales fall. The owners firmly point fingers in every direction other than their own.

(Abhijit Majumder is the author of the book, Indias New Right. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views)

First Published: November 16, 2025, 12:14 IST

News opinion Opinion | Congress Promises BJP More Gifts After Bihar With Its Denial, Disconnect

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"Chinese wafer fabs possess the technical capability to fulfil Nexperia's orders," said Arisa Liu, chief director and research fellow at Taiwan Industry Economics Services, a databank of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research.

Experts, however, suggested that Chinese fabs might be ready to supply the wafers needed by Nexperia's local facility.

Nexperia's Chinese management refused to comply with directives from its head office and planned to switch to local wafer suppliers, a transition that could take at least six months. Meanwhile, the Dutch headquarters warned clients that products from the Chinese facility may be substandard.

Nexperia's Chinese facility had relied on wafers from its fabrication plants in the United Kingdom and Germany, but those shipments were abruptly halted as the Dutch-based company grappled with an internal conflict.

Wafers, which are cut into dies, are the core materials in assembling integrated circuits used in computing, communications and power switch applications.

For nearly a month, parts of Nexperia's Dongguan production lines have sat idle. Two factory workers said this week that some machinery had been turned off due to a wafer shortage since late last month, with one estimating that a third of the machines were idled - echoing earlier reports by the Post.

The Nexperia saga, which has created a global car chip shortage, reveals a new reality: Europe's once-vaunted neutrality and industrial sovereignty are eroding, while China's foundational role in manufacturing has become too large to fail and too complex to legally unwind.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge , our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Yet, this symbol of seamless global manufacturing suddenly became a key pawn in a bitter geopolitical tussle last month, pitting the Netherlands government against the firm's Chinese owner, Wingtech Technology.

Following its most recent upgrade in 2018, its annual production capacity surged to 90 billion units, making it the largest assembly site in the Chinese-owned Dutch chipmaker's global network.

The Nexperia factory in Dongguan, in the heart of southern China's Pearl River Delta, has long been a poster child for successful globalisation. Since its launch in 2000, the plant, which covers an area the size of 10 football fields, has operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, non-stop.

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However, it would take time to "gain widespread acceptance from Nexperia's overseas clients", who would have to "go through stringent automotive certification processes, overcome historical trust barriers and current geopolitical uncertainties", she added.

Chinese wafer makers - including Wuxi NCE Power, Hangzhou Silan Microelectronics and Yangjie Technology - are seen as potential alternative suppliers. Still, the most likely candidate would be Shanghai Dingtai Jiangxin Technology, also known as WingSkySemi - a sister company of Wingtech.

The close ties between Wingtech and WingSkySemi have been a major concern for Dutch authorities, who seized operational control of Nexperia on September 30. Days later, a Dutch court ousted Nexperia's CEO Zhang Xuezheng, who is also the founder of Wingtech, for alleged mismanagement.

The Netherlands' intervention was partly driven by concern that "Nexperia would move chip production from Europe to China", said Frans Scheper, Nexperia's CEO until 2020, in an interview with Dutch broadcaster RTL last month.

While The Hague has denied any pressure from Washington, the seizure happened just a day after the United States extended its export curbs to cover subsidiaries 50 per cent or more owned by blacklisted companies. Wingtech was put on the US Entity List in December 2024.

Soon after, Beijing blocked the export of chips from Nexperia's Chinese factory.

The fallout immediately exposed the global car industry - consisting of some of Nexperia's major customers - to a severe chip shortage, as the Chinese factory is responsible for 70 per cent of Nexperia's global output.

Vehicles parked at a Volkswagen factory in Hanover, northern Germany. Photo: AFP alt=Vehicles parked at a Volkswagen factory in Hanover, northern Germany. Photo: AFP>

Nissan Motor reported its inventories could only last until the first week of November. Honda Motor suspended production at a plant in Mexico. Mercedes-Benz was seeking alternatives, while the Volkswagen Group cautioned risks to achieving its annual profit targets.

The situation recently saw temporary relief: the US has since suspended the 50 per cent rule, while China has agreed to ease export restrictions of Nexperia products for non-military purposes. The first resumed shipments were on their way to Europe, the Post reported this week, citing German automotive suppliers.

However, supply chain risks remain as Beijing and The Hague have yet to finalise a deal on the chipmaker's fate, with US-China tensions lingering in the background.

For years, the focus of US-led containment efforts against China has been on the most sophisticated semiconductor technologies, such as some extreme ultraviolet and deep ultraviolet lithography systems from Dutch manufacturer ASML, as well as advanced graphics processing units from US chip designers Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices.

"Many mistakenly believed that only disruptions in the supply of chips at advanced-process nodes can trigger an industry crisis," said Liu, who is also a board member of the Asia-Pacific Industrial Analysis Association. "However, Nexperia's core products are precisely those seemingly ordinary yet critically important mature-process semiconductors."

Nexperia's products, such as diodes and transistors, were easier to make than advanced 7-nanometre chips, but they formed the "indispensable cornerstone of modern automotive electronic systems", Liu said.

"It is precisely these low-cost, highly reliable components that constitute the fundamental operational framework of automotive electronics."

Nexperia topped the world in shipments of medium-to-small-signal diodes, transistors, as well as electrostatic discharge protection devices, according to Guotai Haitong Securities, citing research firm ICwise.

Nexperia's headquarters in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Photo: AFP alt=Nexperia's headquarters in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Photo: AFP>

Liu noted that carmakers and tier-one suppliers typically reserved only a few weeks' inventory, showing the vulnerability of the automotive supply chain.

Meanwhile, China's technology in the mature-node sector has rapidly progressed under the nation's self-sufficiency efforts. A US government report in 2024 found that at least two-thirds of American products likely contained legacy chips produced by China-based foundries. The discovery led to new trade inquiries.

"In the fields of fundamental components and power devices related to new energy cars, Chinese companies have already attained the capability to replace international suppliers at scale," Liu said. "Through price wars, they are exerting pressure on the global supply chain."

She added that Chinese carmakers, such as Geely Auto and BYD, had prioritised validated domestic chips due to supply chain security considerations.

However, with regard to high-performance chips, which demand the highest levels of functional security and advanced-node processes, "international giants firmly maintain their technological and ecosystem barriers", Liu said.

If legacy chip competition represents China's rising leverage, the government action in the Dutch government's action represents Europe's falling political autonomy.

While Dutch Economy Minister Vincent Karremans has softened his stance, expressing willingness to "take the appropriate steps where necessary" to resolve the crisis after Beijing accused The Hague of failing to take construction measures, analysts still expected more scrutiny on Chinese businesses and investments.

"While we may see fewer cases like this in the short term, it highlights a broader trend: European governments are scrutinising Chinese acquisitions more closely, at both national and EU levels," said Antonio Calcara, head of the Geopolitics and Technology Programme at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

US influence plays a big part in this development.

"Europe's industrial decisions are filtered through geopolitical risk assessments rather than economic logic or the protection of critical assets," said Sebastian Contin Trillo-Figueroa, a Hong Kong-based geopolitics analyst focused on EU-Asia relations.

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping speak after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea on October 30. Photo: Reuters alt=US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping speak after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea on October 30. Photo: Reuters>

"The Netherlands has become the testing ground for the EU's alignment with US semiconductor policy, translating American extraterritorial measures into European legal forms," Contin said. "The Dutch seizure of Nexperia reads like the postmortem of that choreography."

The EU had become a "US military, technological and economic satellite", he said, pointing to the ASML export controls, the expulsion of Huawei Technologies and ZTE components from telecommunications networks, and proposed tariffs that would favour the US.

Compounding that sense of lost autonomy, the EU seemed to have been sidelined as the US and China negotiated a deal regarding Nexperia's future.

Senior EU officials "appeared unaware" of the breakthrough deal between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, earlier this month that eased export restrictions, the Post has reported, citing a letter by Raja Krishnamoorthi, the senior Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

Contin suggested that the EU could have managed the Nexperia crisis in less disruptive ways.

First, the bloc could have pledged to enforce export restrictions on advanced chips in exchange for exempting legacy production from sanctions to allow continued Chinese ownership under European oversight.

Second, it could have ensured that no military-sensitive chips leave Dutch facilities, while Beijing guaranteed an uninterrupted European supply, monitored by a joint committee.

However, "these paths demand political confidence that Brussels surrendered to Washington years ago," he said. "The Netherlands offered a case study in how American threats now dictate European industrial policy."

Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng, seen in an undated photo. Photo: Handout alt=Wingtech founder Zhang Xuezheng, seen in an undated photo. Photo: Handout>

Founded in 2006, Zhejiang-based electronic-parts supplier Wingtech bought a majority stake in Nexperia in 2018 and gained full ownership in 2020 for 34 billion yuan (US$4.8 billion) - the largest overseas deal by a Chinese company in the semiconductor industry to date.

Wingtech founder Zhang, an engineer-turned businessman, said the Nexperia purchase was his first foray into mergers and acquisitions (M&A), according to an interview with the state-run Shanghai Securities News in 2018.

This year, Wingtech divested nearly all of its consumer electronics business to focus on chips. With its semiconductor segment accounting for 97 per cent of the firm's income last quarter, Wingtech said it had hired a "renowned international law firm to take legal action" against the Dutch seizure of Nexperia.

Wingtech's legal options included countersuing the Dutch government and Nexperia, and requesting interim relief to protect the company, according to Lu Tianyi, a counsel at TsingLaw specialising in compliance, M&A litigation, as well as technology and the internet.

A key challenge could be arguing that the government should have used the newer Vifo Act, which went into effect in 2023 and specifically addressed national security risks in foreign investments, instead of the rarely cited 1952 Goods Availability Act to justify the seizure, she said.

Wingtech could also challenge the Dutch claims of mismanagement against ousted CEO Zhang, arguing that accusations of incompetence - specifically ignorance of US-side supply chain risks - were unjustifiable now that the 50 per cent ownership restriction has been suspended, Lu said.

Still, Nexperia lacked a properly planned supervisory board, which could have been an "offensive weapon" in a power fight like this had the company taken pre-emptive steps, she argued.

In 2024, Nexperia consulted the Chinese law firm Fangda Partners to advise on potential governance reforms, including the creation of a supervisory board, according to a report last month from The Bureau, an online publication by investigative journalist Sam Cooper.

However, Nexperia subsequently ignored the lawyers' advice, a decision that could be read as "a sign of ignorance by Chinese entrepreneurs of the real value of corporate governance in an M&A deal", Lu said.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Opinion | Turkiyes Neo-Ottoman Policy: The Arab Vs Non-Arab Sunni Divide

Written By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 11:09 IST

The Sunni world may appear to be a solid bloc, but deep historical, ethnic and political faultlines continue to divide Arabs, Turks and other Muslim communities

Turkiyes President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been trying to re-establish Turkic hegemony within the Brotherhood, much to the chagrin of Arabs and others. (Reuters Photo)

Many were stunned when Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Thakur Ramveer Singh won the November 2024 by-election in Kundarki, a Muslim-dominated Assembly constituency in Moradabad district, Uttar Pradesh. Despite having over 60 per cent Muslim population, Kundarki had remained a Samajwadi Party (SP) stronghold for decades, barring a lone BJP victory in 1993 by Chandra Vijay Singh.

Ramveer Singh polled over 1,70,370 votes (76 per cent), while his nearest rival and SP candidate, Haji Mohammed Rizwan, secured only 25,880. Ironically, Singh was the only Hindu candidate pitted against eleven Muslim candidates.

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According to media reports, the local Muslim population included nearly 82,000 SahibzadasRajput converts to Islamwho voted for Singh, also a Rajput. Moreover, local converts were opposed to outsider Muslims led by influential SP MLA-turned-MP Zia-ur-Rehman Barq; they did not vote for Rizwan, a Turq/Turk. The Barqs are also from the Turq community, which claims descent from various Turkic tribes settled in the region for centuries.

This subtle divide between local and alien Muslims is not confined to Kundarki or India and surfaces time and again. The idea of a global Muslim Ummah (brotherhood) appears to be slowly coming apart, melting back into its pre-Islamic origins.

The Neo-Ottomans

Politicians are also widening this divide. Turkiyes President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for instance, has been trying to re-establish Turkic hegemony within the Brotherhood, much to the chagrin of Arabs and others. Aggressively pursuing a neo-Ottoman foreign policy in an attempt to restore Istanbuls leadership within the Ummah, he has unsettled non-Turks across the Middle East. Erdogan has also interfered across former Ottoman territories in Asia, Africa and Europe  including Greece and Israel.

In 2019, he attempted to cobble together a pressure group of non-Arab Muslim countries within the Saudi-led Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), seeking support from Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. The Arabs, having been freed from the Ottoman yoke a century ago, were unwilling to let the Turks call the shots again. The Saudis stepped in, threatening Pakistan with economic sanctions and forcing Islamabad to abstain from the Kuala Lumpur Islamic Summit.

To buttress his claims of being the global leader of Sunni Muslims, Erdogan reconverted the famous Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul into a mosque in 2020, and changed Turkeys name back to Turkiye in 2022.

Sunnis comprise nearly 90 per cent of the global Muslim population. They may appear to be a solid bloc, but they are not. Even the majority of Kurds, against whom Turkiye has been fighting for decades, are Sunnis.

Relations between Arabs and Turks are complex. Arabs, wary of Ottoman hegemony, resent their colonial-era dominance; Turks view Arabs as their former Ottoman subjects. Their historical rivalry, ideological differences and shifting geopolitical alignments have been moulded by national, ethnic and political interests.

To keep Turkiye in check in the Middle East, several Arab states  including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain  even moved closer to Israel until the Gaza conflict erupted in October 2023, forcing them to project Sunni Muslim unity.

The Ottoman Empire, led by the Turks, was founded in 1299 by Osman I (Ottoman I) and lasted until its disintegration in 1923. It expanded to control vast territories in South-East Europe, West Asia and North Africa, with its capital in Constantinople (now Istanbul) after its capture in 1453. The empires decline after the First World War (191418) led to the abolition of the Sultanate and the establishment of the modern Republic of Turkey.

Its founding father, Mustafa Kemal Pasha Ataturk", modernised and secularised the country along European lines. Erdogan has been reversing that legacy through re-Islamisation.

The Khilafat Movement

This ongoing turmoil in the Muslim world has also had an India connection.

Mahatma Gandhi was aware that the Nizam of Hyderabad was linked to the Ottoman Caliphate. He supported the Khilafat Movement (191923), which sought to protect the rights of the Ottoman Caliphate. Gandhi saw the Nizam as a key figure in the movement due to his status as a major Muslim ruler. The Nizams family was also a prominent Muslim dynasty claiming lineage from the first Caliph, Abu Bakr. The seventh and last Nizam of Hyderabad was Mir Osman Ali of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, who ruled from 1911 until 1948, when the Hyderabad State merged with India.

The Khilafat Movement faded away after Mustafa Kemal abolished the Ottoman Empire and the Caliph-cum-Sultanate.

After 1923, the offices of Caliph and Sultan were separated. The last Ottoman Sultan was Mehmed VI (19181922), and the last Ottoman Caliph was Abdulmecid II (19221924). The Caliphate was formally abolished on 3 March 1924 as part of Mustafa Kemals secular reforms, and Abdulmecid II was sent into exile.

This development struck the Sunni Muslim world like an earthquake. The Caliph was regarded as the direct temporal successor of the Prophet Muhammad and held a degree of religious authority. For centuries, the official Caliph had come from the Prophets Quraysh tribe. The first Ottoman ruler to assume the combined title of Caliph-cum-Sultan was Selim I (151220). Arabs always resented the non-Quraysh Turks usurping the Caliphs title, and they were relieved when the Ottoman Empire itself dissolved in 1923.

Over a dozen modern Arab states and political entities emerged from the former Ottoman territories in the Middle East and North Africa. Since the 1970s, they have struck oil and amassed vast wealth. They have no desire to return to Erdogans unificatory project or a neo-Ottoman order led by the Turks.

Turkiye, as the Ottoman successor, believes that Saudi Arabias importance stems only from its custody of the holy cities of Mecca and Madina; the real power of the Ummah, it argues, should once again rest with Turkiye, which geographically bridges Asia and Europe.

The Arab Nationalists

Arab nationalists view the prospect of Turkish dominance as the return of colonial rule. In particular, ever since the Erdogan era began in 2003, Turkiye has adopted a neo-Ottoman foreign policy, exacerbating Arab fears of Ankaras expansionist ambitions.

During the Arab Spring/Jasmine Revolution of 2011, a significant power struggle unfolded across several Arab and Muslim countries that feared the overthrow of their sheikhdoms. Turkiye supported Islamist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood, which conservative Arab states perceived as a threat and therefore backed counter-revolutionary forces. This ideological clash fuelled proxy conflicts in Libya and Syria, aided by Turkish support, and triggered diplomatic standoffs.

Over the years, Turkiye and Arab states have competed for influence and leadership within the Muslim world, particularly among Sunni Muslims. Turkiye has often positioned itself as an independent Islamic power, critical of the West-aligned Gulf monarchies.

Ironically, Turkiye itself is a NATO member and is still attempting to join the European Union. It applied in 1987, and the EU granted it candidate status in 1999. However, its accession process has been frozen since 2018 due to concerns over democratic backsliding, the rule of law and human rights.

In the decades-long civil war in Syria, Turkiye and several Arab countries have found themselves on opposing sides, supporting rival factions amid shifting alliances. Turkiye also maintains a significant military presence in northern Syria  to counter Kurdish forces, monitor Arab rivals and, in Libya, to keep Egypt in check.

In the 2017 Gulf crisis, when a Saudi-led bloc cut ties with Qatar, Turkiye strongly backed Qatar and even deployed troops there, escalating tensions with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

However, driven by economic pressures, a growing perception that the United States has reduced its footprint in the region, and the need for internal stability, Turkiye sought reconciliation with Arab states in 2021.

Hamass attack on Israel in October 2023 provided Ankara with an opportunity to revive its neo-Ottoman posture. Turkiye supported Hamas and is now also part of the US-led 20-point Gaza Peace Plan.

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But, as the saying goes, its all as clear as a mud puddle!

The author is a senior journalist. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18s views.

First Published: November 16, 2025, 11:09 IST

News opinion Opinion | Turkiyes Neo-Ottoman Policy: The Arab Vs Non-Arab Sunni Divide

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 07:00 IST

1 / 12 On this day in 2001, a film arrived in theatres and opened the doors to a magical world that millions of readers adored with all their hearts. + Follow us On Google

2 / 12 The release marked a major moment for fans who had been waiting to see their favourite characters and the magical world come alive on screen.

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3 / 12 That film was Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. It had its UK preview on November 10, 2001 and was officially released on November 16, 2001 after being pushed back from an earlier July date to allow more time for production.

4 / 12 The story had originally begun as a book published in the United Kingdom on June 26, 1997 by Bloomsbury Publishing, introducing a young magician who didnt know his own destiny.

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5 / 12 When the book travelled to the United States in 1998, the title was changed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. Well, there was an interesting reason behind the same.

6 / 12 The publishers felt American readers might not understand the concept of a philosophers stone. This title change meant the filming of certain scenes twice, one version mentioning philosophers stone and another saying sorcerers stone.

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7 / 12 One of the clever details from the story is the Mirror of Erised, whose inscription reads backward and reveals the message: I show not your face but your hearts desire. Only a few noticed the detail.

8 / 12 Behind the scenes, the Hogwarts feasts were far less magical. Food was often left out under strong lights for long stretches, forcing actors to pretend to enjoy meals they couldnt actually eat.

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9 / 12 Alan Rickmans casting as Severus Snape was especially unique because JK Rowling herself chose him and even shared secret insights about his character.

10 / 12 The journey of the book was long before it reached the screen. Rowling began writing it around 1990, shaping the story through years of planning and rewrites.

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11 / 12 The idea of the book was born on a delayed train journey from Manchester to London, where Rowling suddenly imagined a boy who would discover he was a wizard.
Bihar Government Formation: JDU May Retain CMs Post, BJP, LJP May Each Get One Deputy CM

Reported By :

News18.com Edited By: Manjiri Joshi



Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 15:52 IST

Bihar Govt Formation: Nitish Kumars JDU may get the CM post, while the BJP and Chirag Paswans Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) may get one deputy CM each

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The Bihar the swearing-in ceremony is expected in the next three to four days. (PTI File)

With the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) set to form the government in Bihar after a landslide win, there is now speculation over the composition.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal Uniteds (BJP-JDU) alliance is likely to adopt the same formula as ticket distribution, according to sources.

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Nitish Kumars JDU may get the CM post, while the BJP and Chirag Paswans Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) one deputy CM each.

During the ticket distribution, for every MP, an NDA partner was given five-six assembly seats. So, it is likely that the same formula may be in place for cabinet berths. For instance, with 84 MLAs, the JDU could now get 14 berths.

The NDAs tsunami swept away the opposition Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party. In the NDA, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 89 seats, Janata Dal (United) won 85, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJPRV) won 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) won five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha won four seats.

When is the swearing-in likely?

News18 had, citing sources, earlier reported how the process of forming the new government in Bihar has gained momentum, with the swearing-in ceremony expected in the next three to four days.

However, the exact timing and the date, they said, are being worked out, with discussions underway to finalise an auspicious" day for the oath-taking.

All partners in the alliance are expected to be accommodated in proportion to the number of seats they have won, ensuring a balanced power-sharing arrangement in the new government.

Following these internal consultations, the NDA will convene a joint legislative party meeting, where the alliances legislative party leader will be formally chosen. That leader will then stake a claim to form the next government in Bihar.

Union Minister and LJP(RV) chief Chirag Paswan tweets, After the Bihar Assembly Election results today, met with the Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar and extended hearty congratulations and best wishes to him for the NDAs resounding majority."(Pics: Chirag Paswan/X) pic.twitter.com/rYAY3LsQOy  ANI (@ANI) November 15, 2025

Who all met Nitish Kumar?

On Saturday, leaders of the NDA visited 1, Anne Marg, the official residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving incumbent, who heads the JD(U).

Visitors included Union minister Chirag Paswan. I have congratulated Nitish Kumar ji on the victory. The NDAs win puts paid to the oppositions false narrative that there has been a rift between the two of us. Even during the campaign, the CM canvassed in seats where our candidate was contesting. We reciprocated the gesture and supported the JD(U) candidate in Alauli, which has been our home turf," Paswan told reporters.

The JD(U) president, who would turn 75 in a few months from now, has not been enjoying robust health for some time, though the polls saw him carrying out a dogged campaign.

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Another notable visitor to the chief ministers residence was Ram Kripal Yadav, a BJP leader and former Union minister whose political career has been resurrected with a victory from Danapur assembly seat.

With PTI Inputs

First Published: November 16, 2025, 15:12 IST

News politics Bihar Government Formation: JDU May Retain CMs Post, BJP, LJP May Each Get One Deputy CM

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Congress To Hold Review Meeting Of Top Office Bearers In 12 States, UTs Undergoing SIR

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News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 22:54 IST

Congress called a review meeting of in-charges, state unit chiefs, Congress Legislature Party leaders and secretaries of 12 states and Union Territories where the SIR is underway.

The Congress was decimated in Bihar, winning only 6 out of 61 seats it had contested. (Image: PTI/File)

After a severe drubbing in the Bihar elections, the Congress has called a review meeting on November 18 of all in-charges, state unit chiefs, Congress Legislature Party leaders and secretaries of 12 states and Union Territories where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is underway.

The NDA cruised to victory in the Bihar Assembly elections with 202 seats, decimating the Mahagathbandhan, which could only muster 35 seats. The RJD displayed one of its worst performances with 25 seats, while the Congress fared worse, winning only six out of the 61 seats it had contested, showing that Rahul Gandhis vote theft charge had failed.

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Even after the loss, the Congress on Saturday questioned the role of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in the poll process, after its top leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, met to discuss the dismal outcome.

This result in Bihar is truly surprising. We could not achieve victory in an election that was not fair from the very beginning. This fight is for the protection of the Constitution and democracy. The Congress Party and the INDIA alliance will deeply review this result and make their efforts to save democracy even more effective," said Rahul Gandhi after the Bihar election results.

A senior Congress functionary said the review meeting of AICC in-charges, Pradesh Congress Committee chiefs, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaders, and secretaries of 12 states and Union territories where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is going on will take place at the Indira Bhawan on November 18, reported news agency PTI.

Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge echoed Gandhis concerns after the Bihar poll rout, alleging the misuse of constitutional institutions". He said the party respected the peoples mandate but would continue the fight against those forces that are engaged in weakening democracy".

SIR Exercise In Other States

The Election Commission, which announced a pan-India SIR exercise based on the Bihar model, said more than 95% of the 5.99 crore electors across nine states and three UTs have received enumeration forms under the ongoing SIR exercise.

In its daily SIR bulletin, the poll authority said over 48.67 crore enumeration forms have been distributed in the 12 states and UTs  Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.

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The SIR exercise became one of the most critical elements of the Bihar elections, with the Opposition accusing the poll body of disenfranchising voters by excluding them from the voter list. The poll body argued that the exercise was aimed at purifying electoral rolls by removing voters who had either migrated or had died.

(with inputs from PTI)

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 22:54 IST

News politics Congress To Hold Review Meeting Of Top Office Bearers In 12 States, UTs Undergoing SIR

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'Government Will Be Formed Before...': Chirag Paswan Says Bihar Blueprint To Be Ready Soon

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 21:05 IST

Chirag Paswan said a blueprint for the next government will be prepared soon after the NDA achieved an unprecedented victory in the Bihar elections by winning 202 seats.

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) Chief Chirag Paswan. (IMAGE: PTI)

After the NDAs resounding victory in Bihar, Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan shared a major update on the government formation, saying that a blueprint for the next government will be prepared soon after discussions.

Paswan said the next government will be formed before November 22, when the tenure of the Bihar Legislative Assembly is scheduled to end. It will be done soon. Discussions are going on. A sense of clarity will come on the blueprint of the government," he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

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I think by tonight, I will also speak with senior Union Ministers, and the blueprint will be ready by today or tomorrow. We have to form the government before 22nd November. It will be done," Paswan told reporters.

His remarks came after the NDA tsunami swept away the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in Bihar by winning 202 out of 243 seats. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party with 89 seats, and the Janata Dal (United) finished a close second with 85.

The other allies of the ruling coalition also registered high strike rates, with the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJPRV) winning 19 seats, the Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) winning five, and the Rashtriya Lok Morcha winning four seats. This is the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-mark in the assembly polls.

The RJD, which was the single largest party in the outgoing assembly, received a major setback, winning less than 30 seats, a performance that is likely to put question marks on the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav. The Congress performed even worse, winning six out of the 61 seats it had contested.

Meanwhile, the Jan Suraaj Party, the much-hyped political outfit floated by former poll strategist Prashant Kishor, which failed to make a mark in the elections, claimed that many of its supporters ended up voting for the NDA out of fear that the RJD may win and bring back the jungle raj".

After the NDA victory, Chirag Paswan met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna to congratulate him on the coalitions decisive victory. Sharing a photo from the meeting on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote that he had extended hearty congratulations and best wishes" to Nitish Kumar for the resounding majority."

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He criticised the opposition for misleading people" by attempting to build a false narrative" of tensions between the JD(U) and the LJP(RV). There was a narrative used against us that the JD(U) and LJP(RV) have issues and will dent each other. The results have given a clear answer," he said.

On Saturday, leaders of the NDA alliance appeared to have got down to the brass tacks of forming a new government in the state by holding talks at Nitish Kumars official residence at 1, Anne Marg. Following these internal consultations, the NDA will convene a joint legislative party meeting, where the alliances legislative party leader will be formally chosen.

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 21:05 IST

News politics 'Government Will Be Formed Before...': Chirag Paswan Says Bihar Blueprint To Be Ready Soon

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On Rohini Acharyas Emotional Daughter Remark, Chirag Paswan Echoes Rights Assertion

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 23:48 IST

Chirag Paswan said he can understand the emotional turmoil Rohini Acharya was experiencing.

Chirag Paswan said he can understand the emotional turmoil Rohini Acharya was experiencing.

Amid escalating feud within Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadavs family, Union Minister and LJP (Ramvilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Sunday expressed hope for a resolution soon. He also backed Lalus daughter Rohini Acharyas emotional assertion of a daughters rights, even as he avoided commenting directly on her allegations.

Reacting to the controversy triggered by Rohini, who accused her younger brother and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav of mistreatment, Paswan said he can understand the emotional turmoil she was experiencing. He added that a daughters connection to her maternal home was no less significant than that of sons, and her feelings must be acknowledged with sensitivity.

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I do not believe that after marriage, the in-laws home is the only home for a daughter I do not support this orthodox thinking Yesterday when she said all this, I could understand that pain and I pray that all this gets resolved soon," he said as quoted by news agency ANI.

#WATCH Patna: On RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadavs daughter Rohini Acharyas statement, Union Minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) Chief Chirag Paswan says, Political differences are one thing, but she is also my family When there is tension in any family, I can understand how unsettling pic.twitter.com/RSIsSvsCd7 ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2025

Despite political differences, Paswan reiterated his personal warmth towards Lalu Prasads children. We might have had political differences, but I have always considered Lalu jis family my own. Be it Tejashwi, Tej, Misa or Rohini, I have considered them my siblings," he said, adding that unity within a family empowers individuals in public life.

His remarks came after Rohini Acharya announced she was quitting politics and publicly accused members of her own family of humiliation, abuse that triggered a political storm. She alleged that she was subjected to humiliation, including abusive language, an attempt to assault her with a slipper and her kidney being called dirty".

She said she refused to compromise on her self-respect or abandon the truth, claiming this was the reason she faced such behaviour.

Yesterday, a daughter, a sister, a married woman, a mother was humiliated, filthy abuses were hurled at her, a slipper was raised to hit her. I did not compromise on my self-respect, I did not surrender the truth, and solely because of this, I had to endure this insultYesterday, a daughter, out of compulsion, left behind her crying parents and sisters and came away; they tore me away from my maternal home They left me orphanedMay none of you ever walk my path, may no family ever have a daughter-sister like Rohini," she said in a post on X.

Rohini, who donated a kidney to her father in 2022, said she was subjected to filthy abuses" during a confrontation involving two of Tejashwi Yadavs closest aides  RJD Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Yadav and long-time associate Rameez. She accused them of maligning her by claiming she had taken crores" from the family after the kidney donation, calling it an insult beyond forgiveness".

In her post, Acharya wrote, To all the married women, I will say that when theres a son in your maternal home, never, ever save your God-like father; instead, tell your brother, the son of that house, to get his own kidney or that of one of his Haryanvi friends transplanted."

All sisters and daughters should look after their own homes and families, take care of their children and their in-laws household without caring for their parents, think only about themselves," she said.

I did what I did to save my God  my father  and today, the kidney is being called dirty May none of you ever make a mistake like mine, may no family ever have a daughter like Rohini," she added.

Today, while speaking to the media, Acharya broke down and said that she has only severed ties with her brother and that her family is still standing by her.

I have only cut ties with my brother. My family is still standing by me. They were crying when I left home," she said.

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The dramatic family implosion came at a time when the RJD is grappling with its steepest political decline in years. With the Mahagathbandhan barely securing 35 seats in total, the blame game within party ranks has intensified, centring on Tejashwis election strategy and the role of his aides.

(With inputs from agencies)

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 23:48 IST

News politics On Rohini Acharyas Emotional Daughter Remark, Chirag Paswan Echoes Rights Assertion

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'Only Disowned My Brother': Rohini Acharya Says Father Lalu 'Always By My Side' Amid Family Feud

Curated By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 20:47 IST

Rohini Acharya, daughter of Lalu Prasad Yadav, said that she had not lied about any of the events that took place during the family dispute

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RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav with wife Rabri Devi and daughter Rohini Acharya.

Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, has opened up about the recent family feud that erupted after the Mahagathbandhans resounding defeat in the Bihar assembly elections. She asserted that despite the turmoil, she continues to have the blessings and support of her parents, Lalu and Rabri Devi.

A day after she announced that she had cut ties with her family, following a series of explosive social media posts, Rohini was seen leaving her elder sister Misa Bhartis residence in Delhi. She maintained that she had not lied about any of the events" that took place during the family dispute.

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Whatever I had to say, I have said on my social media. I have not lied about anything that happened. Rohini jo bolti hai sach bolti hai (Whatever Rohini says is the truth). You may go and ask all of this to Tejashwi Yadav, Sanjay Yadav, Rachel Yadav, and Rameez. My father has always been by my side. My parents and my sisters were crying for me yesterday. I am blessed to have parents like them," she told reporters.

Rohini said she felt fortunate to have supportive parents and questioned why daughters are often expected to make sacrifices in a family, especially compared to sons. When questions were asked to the brothers, they tell me to go to my in-laws house. As a result, I have decided to disown my brother," she added.

The former RJD leader revealed she was travelling to Mumbai to stay with her mother-in-law, who has been deeply concerned since the incident.

Rohini had sparked controversy with a series of posts on X, describing the humiliation and abuse she faced at home. She claimed she was humiliated," abused," and even threatened with a slipper, insisting that she refused to compromise on her self-respect or values.

Yesterday, a daughter, a sister, a married woman, a mother was humiliated, abuses were hurled, shoes were raised to kill her I didnt compromise on my self-respect, didnt give up on truth just because of this, I had to face insults. Yesterday, a daughter left her crying parents and siblings due to helplessness she was forced to leave her parental home she was made an orphan I pray that none of you ever have to walk my path, and no house should have a daughter-sister like Rohini," she wrote.

Following her announcement to quit politics, Rohini accused Tejashwi Yadav and his aide Sanjay Yadav of throwing her out of the family. I have no family. You can go and ask this to Sanjay Yadav, Rameez, and Tejashwi Yadav. They are the ones who threw me out of the family," she said.

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The RJD suffered a poor performance in the Bihar polls, winning only 25 seats out of more than 140 contested. As of now, neither the party nor members of the Yadav family have responded to Rohinis allegations.

(With inputs from ANI)

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

Location : Bihar, India, India

First Published: November 16, 2025, 20:47 IST

News politics 'Only Disowned My Brother': Rohini Acharya Says Father Lalu 'Always By My Side' Amid Family Feud

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Owaisis AIMIM Reasserts Footprint In Bihars Seemanchal: Decoding The Message From Minorities

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 14:01 IST

With these five seats, Owaisis AIMIM alone accounts for nearly half of the Muslim MLAs in the newly elected Bihar Assembly

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The Seemanchal results have given AIMIM renewed relevance. (PTI File)

Asaduddin Owaisi has long argued that Indian politics underestimates the political aspirations of Muslims. This years Bihar election offered him another moment to reinforce that claim. The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) notched five seats in the Seemanchal region  matching its 2020 tally  and finished a close second in one more.

In nine constituencies, the partys vote share exceeded the margin of victory, making AIMIM a decisive factor in the final outcome. In fact, AIMIM is just one short of matching the tally of the Congress.

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In 2020, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) managed to influence 4 out of 5 MLAs from the AIMIM, resulting in Owaisi pursuing this election with even more vigour.

What makes the Seemanchal wins significant is their symbolic weight. With these five seats, AIMIM alone accounts for nearly half of the Muslim MLAs in the newly elected Assembly. For a region often spoken of in terms of backwardness and underdevelopment, the results have added a new political layer  one shaped by identity, aspiration, and a rejection of the status quo.

Owaisis post-election comments

Owaisi lamented the lack of infrastructure, development, and basic healthcare facilities, stating, The Prime Ministers heart still lies in Ahmedabad." Owaisi specifically highlighted the annual loss of land in districts like Kishanganj due to floods, criticising the government for resorting to election-time announcements" like transferring money to womens accounts instead of undertaking substantial flood control measures like building embankments.

Owaisis post-election comments reflected the confidence of a leader who believes his party has broken new ground. He sharply criticised mainstream parties for what he described as their routine, perfunctory appeal to Muslim voters.

According to him, parties rely on Muslim votes with hollow slogans about changing the government" while offering little substantive representation.

It was a remark aimed not just at political rivals, but at the broader narrative that assumes Muslims will automatically vote for certain parties without demanding accountability.

Owaisi has consistently urged Muslim voters to shed political passivity, and the Bihar results gave him fresh momentum. He reiterated that Muslims must move beyond being dependable vote banks and enter the political arena as leaders, negotiators, and decision-makers.

Owaisis proportionate power-sharing message worked

Owaisi emphasised the right of the 17% Muslim population in Bihar to proportionate power-sharing, congratulating Mukesh Sahani for his community (3% population) demanding the Deputy CM post.

Are they [Muslims] only meant to vote and then stay silent," he asked. He defended the aspiration for a Muslim Chief Minister, stating that every citizen has an equal right to aspire to any post. He further criticised his opponents who are Yadavs, suggesting their discomfort stems from his stance on security. Citing the example of Mohammad Azharuddin receiving a ministerial role in Telangana, he asked, Why cant we demand proportionate power-sharing?" he had said in his interview to News18 on October 29.

Muslims are not captive labourers for anyone," underlining the need for political independence and assertiveness, Owaisi has stressed.

AIMIMs campaign in Seemanchal leaned heavily into this message. It positioned itself as a party that speaks directly to issues of development, representation, and local grievances  areas where voters often feel underserved by larger political formations.

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Owaisi also referenced the verdict as indicative of a change in voter mindset  an early sign, he suggested, that Muslim communities across states are reconsidering their political options and support patterns.

For now, the Seemanchal results have given AIMIM renewed relevance and have once again highlighted the shifting, increasingly competitive nature of Muslim political representation in India. The story unfolding in Bihar is not just about five seats  it is about a community negotiating its political future with growing clarity and confidence.

First Published: November 16, 2025, 14:01 IST

News politics Owaisis AIMIM Reasserts Footprint In Bihars Seemanchal: Decoding The Message From Minorities

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X Corp Appeals Karnataka High Court Ruling Upholding Centres Content-Blocking Sahyog Portal

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 05:35 IST

The social media company argues that the Sahyog portal creates an impermissible 'parallel censorship mechanism'

The appeal seeks to overturn the September 2025 judgement, which dismissed X Corps original plea and upheld the use of the centralised platform designed to automate notices to intermediaries for the removal of unlawful online content. File image/Reuters

X Corp has filed a writ appeal before the Karnataka High Court, challenging a single judges ruling that affirmed the Union Governments authority to issue content-blocking directions through the Sahyog portal. The appeal seeks to overturn the September 2025 judgement, which dismissed X Corps original plea and upheld the use of the centralised platform designed to automate notices to intermediaries for the removal of unlawful online content.

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The core of the legal dispute lies in the interpretation of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, specifically the interplay between Section 69A and Section 79(3)(b). X Corp contends that mandatory blocking orders can only be issued through the detailed due-process framework prescribed under Section 69A and its accompanying 2009 Blocking Rules. This framework mandates safeguards such as written reasons, notice to the affected party, and review by a government committeeprocedures designed to prevent arbitrary censorship and upheld by the Supreme Court in the landmark Shreya Singhal case.

X Corp argues that the Sahyog portal creates an impermissible parallel censorship mechanism" by allowing various central and state authorities, including police officers, to issue content takedown notices under the much broader provisions of Section 79(3)(b) and Rule 3(1)(d) of the 2021 IT Rules. The platform maintains that this circumventing of the Section 69A process removes the necessary procedural discipline and judicial oversight, empowering millions of officers" to demand arbitrary takedowns based merely on allegations of illegality".

The single-judge bench, however, emphatically rejected this argument in its September ruling. Justice M Nagaprasanna held that the Sahyog portal was not an instrument of censorship but a mere facilitation mechanism intended as an instrument of public good" to streamline cooperation in tackling cybercrime. The court defended the need for regulatory oversight, asserting that social media as a modern public arena cannot be left in a state of anarchic freedom" and that speech must be tempered by reasonable restrictions.

Furthermore, the single-judge bench noted that X Corp, being a foreign company, could not invoke the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution, a view X Corp respectfully disagreed with in its subsequent statement.

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By filing the writ appeal, X Corp is urging a division bench of the High Court to revisit these key constitutional and legal questions: the constitutional standing of foreign corporations, the scope of intermediary liability, and the permissible limits of government power in regulating online content via automated means. The outcome of this appeal will be critical in defining the future of digital governance and free expression rights for all intermediaries operating in the Indian digital space.

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 05:35 IST

News tech X Corp Appeals Karnataka High Court Ruling Upholding Centres Content-Blocking Sahyog Portal

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As Trump Sends Warships, Venezuela's Maduro Sings John Lennons Imagine Urging Peace | Watch

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Last Updated: November 17, 2025, 01:52 IST

Maduros public appearance and his comments about seeking peace come as tensions with the US rise amid the presence of warships in the Caribbean near Venezuelas coast.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro takes part in a march with young members of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) in Caracas, Venezuela. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro invoked Beatles frontman John Lennon and even sang a few lines from his iconic song Imagine" on Saturday, in an unusual appeal for peace at a time when tensions with the United States are rising in the Caribbean.

Maduro made the remarks during a rally with supporters in Petare, one of the most populous neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Caracas. Pausing mid-speech, he asked his communications minister, Alfred Nazareth, to remind him of the songs name before humming a short passage from Imagine" over the events sound system.

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For the young ones, look up the lyrics," Maduro told the crowd. It is an inspiration for all times. It is an anthem for all eras and generations, left by John Lennon as a gift to humanity. Long live the eternal memory of that great poet and musician."

Switching briefly to English, he added: Peace, peace, peace."

Maduros remarks came as the Trump administration continues to escalate its military campaign in waters around Venezuela.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro breaks into singing John Lennon's 'Imagine' as he talks about US tensions. pic.twitter.com/R270tpM5AF The Associated Press (@AP) November 16, 2025

The Venezuelan President earlier this week also called for peace as his American counterpart Donald Trump was briefed on plans on Venezuela, one of which was a direct hit on Maduro.

On Friday, the US military confirmed its 20th strike on a boat suspected of transporting drugs in the Caribbean Sea. The strike, carried out earlier in the week, killed four people, according to a statement by US Southern Command, which oversees operations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The attack brings the death toll from the series of US maritime strikes that began in September to 80.

US President Donald Trump has ordered a troop buildup in the Caribbean as part of an anti-drug trafficking initiative, but speculation has abounded that Washington may be contemplating military intervention against Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro.

The US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees American forces in Latin America and the Caribbean, had previously said that the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group had entered its area of responsibility.

On Sunday, it announced in a statement that the strike group had entered the Caribbean Sea, saying the move follows Trumps directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland."

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The strike group includes the most advanced US aircraft carrier, two guided-missile destroyers, and other support vessels and aircraft.

It joins several warships already in the Caribbean, with the deployment dubbed Operation Southern Spear."

About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More

Location : Caracas, Venezuela

First Published: November 17, 2025, 01:49 IST

News world As Trump Sends Warships, Venezuela's Maduro Sings John Lennons Imagine Urging Peace | Watch

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By Siddharth Cavale

-In 2020, as COVID-19 raged, John Furner - then chief of Walmart's largest U.S. division - consulted colleagues in China, drawing on their pandemic playbook to swiftly adjust inventory forecasts and fulfillment operations to stay ahead of panic buying.

Furner, a Walmart lifer who grew up in Arkansas where the retailer is headquartered, had lived in China for roughly two years. China, ground zero for the pandemic, had begun retooling supply chains and was months ahead of the U.S. in making decisions. Furner drew on that experience to understand what customers would need, he told reporters at the time.

When he takes the top job at Walmart on Feb. 1, his collaborative leadership style and deep company knowledge will be tested as he steers the firm through tough economic times, with tariffs pressuring margins and shareholders clamoring to see returns on the retailer's AI investments.

The business is operating in a tough macro and competitive climate, especially with tariffs, pricing pressures and shifting consumer behavior, said Matt Prescott, president of nonprofit shareholder activist group The Accountability Board which is a Walmart investor. "We hope he can rise to the challenge.

FURNER'S MANDATE IS CLEAR

Walmart had a good run under CEO Doug McMillon. Profits have grown 21% and shares surged four-fold, as McMillon transformed the big-box retailer into a technology-driven powerhouse during his 13-year stewardship. This year is no exception, as shoppers have flocked to its stores and websites to buy cheaper goods from the company's wide assortment of wares.

However, Furner has long been marked as his successor, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. They declined to be named because they are not authorized to speak with the media.

"I think it was pretty obvious to most people at the company that John was the frontrunner," one of the people said. "John is fantastic, well loved ... Johns a guy whos wanting to try stuff so we have to change in this business all the time and innovate and I think thats the reason that people are going to be excited about whats to come with his leadership."

Since taking charge of Walmart U.S. in 2019, Furner, 51, has spearheaded the launch of key initiatives including Walmart+, the company's premium membership program, and advertising, new sources of profit that the company says will reshape its future.

He has invested in wages, lifting the average hourly pay to more than $17. He also modernized the companys warehouses and distribution centers to enable speedier deliveries and has been instrumental in building Walmarts advertising business, Walmart Connect, into a $4 billion operation since it launched in 2021.
Multiple Cocktail Blasts Rock Dhaka: Office Of Anti-Hasina Party, Home Of Yunus Aide Targeted

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 23:34 IST

Cocktail bombs were hurled outside the party office of NCP and outside the home of an adviser of the interim govt.

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Blasts targeted the office front of National Citizen Party in Dhaka. The party was formed by students after 2024 protests that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

Dual blasts rocked the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka on Sunday when cocktail" bombs targeted the party office of National Citizen Party (NCP) and the home of an interim goverment adviser.

The first blasts targeted the residence of Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adviser to the Ministries of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Water Resources, in the Central Road area of the capital city around 9:00pm (local time). Two crude bombs exploded outside Hasans home, though news outlet Prothom Alo said that no one was injured.

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Shortly afterwards, another bomb blast targeted the office of NCP in the Banglamotors neighbourhood of Dhaka. Police told Bangladeshi news outlets that there were no casualties.

Two crude bombs exploded at the SAARC Fountain intersection in the Dhakas Karwan Bazar area around 7:30pm as well.

Around 8:45 am, a pedestrian was injured in a cocktail explosion in front of the Waqf Building on New ISKCON Road in the capital. The injured man has been identified as Abdul Basir (50). He works at a private company and was walking to his office in Banglamotor when the explosion took place and he was injured.

Ahead of the verdict in the case filed against Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, violence is being reported in various parts of Bangladesh. There have been incidents of car arson, cocktail explosions and road blockades across the country. The government has pic.twitter.com/udTjDbS97X  ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2025

Bangladeshi news outlets are calling the blasts cocktail" blasts due to Molotov cocktails being used in the explosions.

Bangladesh has tightened security ahead of a shutdown as the Bangladesh International Crime Tribunal (ICT) prepares to deliver a verdict in a case filed against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The case relates to alleged crimes against humanity during the student-led protests in July-August 2024. Sheikh Hasina has denied all allegations against her.

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The situation in Bangladesh has become tense ahead of the verdict. Sheikh Hasinas Bangladesh Awami League has announced a two-day shutdown across the country, starting Sunday morning, disrupting normal life.

Since Saturday night, several incidents of vehicles being set on fire and cocktail explosions have occurred in different areas of Dhaka. During this period, police carried out operations across the city and arrested 18 Awami League leaders and activists.

About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More

Location : Dhaka, Bangladesh

First Published: November 16, 2025, 22:41 IST

News world Multiple Cocktail Blasts Rock Dhaka: Office Of Anti-Hasina Party, Home Of Yunus Aide Targeted

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British PM Starmer's Troubles Grow As His Former No. 2 Mounts Leadership Challenge: Report

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 22:58 IST

Former British PM Angela Rayner, who resigned earlier this year in connection with a property tax scandal, is reportedly mounting a leadership challenge against Starmer.

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British PM Keir Starmer (R) with his former deputy Angela Rayner. (Reuters/File)

Former British Prime Minister Angela Rayner, who resigned earlier this year in connection with a property tax scandal, is laying the groundwork for a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to reports.

Rayner, one of the most prominent figures in Britains Labour Party, resigned in September after the PMs independent ethics adviser concluded she had breached the ministerial code by underpaying the stamp duty on her purchase of an 800,000 (Rs 8.8 crore) seaside flat in Hove, East Sussex by about 40,000 (Rs 48 lakh).

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According to a report by The Telegraph, Rayner is already offering Cabinet roles to MPs in exchange for their support. A source familiar with her plans told the UK-based daily that she was on manoeuvres" and was getting her ducks in a row" for a leadership bid.

She has also joined Tribune, a pressure group of MPs on the soft Left of the Labour Party, which can be used as a leadership vehicle for a candidate in the future. Her allies believe she is ready to make a political comeback, with those to the Left of the party favouring her as a leadership candidate over other contenders.

However, a source close to Rayner dismissed the claims as total rubbish" on Saturday, insisting that she was focused on representing her local community". However, the speculation comes amid a renewed buzz of a leadership challenge, as Starmer is under pressure within his own party amid reports of internal tensions.

Starmer Faces The Heat

Starmer has faced months of speculation about a potential leadership challenge, as Labours poll numbers continue to slide under his direction. Sources have told The Independent that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been positioning himself as a possible successor.

Furthermore, Rachel Reeves, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, has walked back on her position on not raising income tax, sparking exasperation among MPs. Labour MP Chris Lewis broke ranks with other party leaders on Friday and publicly called for Starmer to step down.

The leadership of the party is in complete disarray. If they had three feet theyd have shot all three. They are frightened of their own shadow, they have spooked the markets and they have confused both the Labour Party and the electorate," a Labour MP told The Telegraph. There are a lot of Labour MPs worried about their seats and worried about the direction of the Government. So there is constant talk and constant chatter of dissatisfaction."

Another MP said the government had lost the confidence of a significant part of the Labour Party. However, Starmers allies said he would fight any challenge that may come his way to remove him from the chair.

Rayners Challenge

Rayner is popular among Labours membership, had called out Labours arrogance" shortly after her resignation. Being around here for the last hour just shows you that tittle-tattle in Westminster almost looks arrogant when youve got real challenges that real people are facing, and thats what we really need to be focusing on," she said.

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By 2024, after Labours landslide election win, Rayner was deputy prime minister and housing secretary, effectively making her the second-most powerful person in the government. Her working-class roots and grassroots support led some to see her as a potential successor to Starmer.

Her name was among those floating as Starmers political successors. Fresh polling has shown that satisfaction ratings for Starmer continue to be the worst recorded for any prime minister going back to 1977. The figures from Ipsos Mori show that the far-right Reform UK remains the nations most popular party.

About the Author Aveek Banerjee Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int... Read More

Location : London, United Kingdom (UK)

First Published: November 16, 2025, 21:57 IST

News world British PM Starmer's Troubles Grow As His Former No. 2 Mounts Leadership Challenge: Report

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Canada Moves Away From Khalistani Separatists As Carney Looks To Reset India Relations

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News18.com Edited By: Shankhyaneel Sarkar



Last Updated: November 17, 2025, 01:23 IST

The Canadian political establishment appears to delink itself from the Khalistani separatists as Prime Minister Mark Carney eyes closer ties with India.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands before posing for a photo during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, in Alberta, Canada. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

The Canadian political establishment is gradually distancing itself from the Khalistani separatist movement as Prime Minister Mark Carneys Liberal government seeks to rebuild and strengthen relations with India.

For decades, Canada became a key destination for pro-Khalistan activists, and Canadian politics has often been shaped by the mobilisation and influence of the Sikh diaspora. All major political parties have courted Sikh voters to varying degrees, creating a political space that Khalistani separatist groups have been able to exploit for visibility and influence.

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Sources told CNN-News18 that Carney is looking ahead to the 2026 AI Summit in India as a crucial opportunity to push for a full reset of bilateral ties. These developments come weeks after India and Canada quietly began repairing their relationship following a brief but sharp diplomatic rift triggered by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus allegation that India was involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated Khalistani terrorist in India. Trudeau never produced evidence to substantiate his claim.

Carney, who replaced him, is now attempting to move past that period of tension and restore stable engagement with New Delhi. While addressing the Liberal caucus, he reportedly instructed his colleagues to maintain no contact with Khalistani leaders or related groups.

His predecessor, Conservative leader Stephen Harper, also publicly called on Canadian political parties to cut ties with Khalistani separatist outfits.

There has also been an uptick in official engagement. Canadian minister Anita Anand visited India recently, and her colleague Maninder Sidhu is expected in New Delhi soon. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar travelled to Canada for the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting.

Indian government sources told CNN-News18 that New Delhi and Ottawa are rebuilding trust through controlled, issue-specific interactions.

Canadas own intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), has repeatedly warned that active Khalistani extremist cells are involved in intimidation campaigns and financial networks.

Ottawa now wants to ensure the country is no longer perceived as a haven for extremist elements.

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Strengthening ties with India forms a key part of that shift.

India is Canadas fastest-growing large market and a major source of international students, investment and tech talent. Trade talks between the two countries were stalled due to the Khalistan issue, and taking a firmer stand on separatist elements is now viewed in Ottawa as essential to unlocking these economic opportunities.

About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

Location : Ottawa, Canada

First Published: November 17, 2025, 01:23 IST

News world Canada Moves Away From Khalistani Separatists As Carney Looks To Reset India Relations

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Chinese Coast Guard Sails Through Disputed Senkaku Islands Amid Row With Japan

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 18:11 IST

China sent Coast Guard ships near Senkaku Islands after PM's Taiwan remarks, escalating tensions with Japan. Beijing summoned Japan's ambassador and warned citizens against travel.

Chinese Coast Guard vessels sail through Japan-administered Senkaku Islands (Al Jazeera/X)

China has sent its Coast Guard ship formation through the waters of Senkaku Islands, which is known as Diaoyu in China, in response to Japan Prime Ministers remarks on Taiwan.

Tensions grew between the two countries after new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told parliament on November 7 that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically-ruled Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

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China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has always emphasized the use of force to take control of the island. Taiwans government rejects Beijings sovereignty claims.

China Coast Guard vessel 1307 formation conducted patrols within the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands. This was a lawful patrol operation conducted by the China Coast Guard to uphold its rights and interests," China Coast Guard said in a statement.

China and Japan have had repeatedly faced off around the Japan-administered islands.

Following Takaichis remarks, Chinas Consul General in Osaka said: The dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off."

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In response, Beijing summoned the Japanese ambassador for the first time in more than two years, and Chinas defence ministry declared that any Japanese intervention would be doomed to fail, Reuters reported.

On Friday, China warned its citizens against travelling to Japan. Reuters quoted three Chinese airlines as saying on Saturday that tickets to Japan could be refunded or changed for free.

Location : China

First Published: November 16, 2025, 18:11 IST

News world Chinese Coast Guard Sails Through Disputed Senkaku Islands Amid Row With Japan

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'Gen Z Protests' In Mexico Over Assassination Of Mayor, Police Uses Tear Gas | Watch

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 07:41 IST

Thousands in Mexico marched under Generation Z, protesting crime and corruption over Mayor Carlos Manzo's killing.

Thousands in Mexico marched under Generation Z, protesting crime and corruption over Mayor Carlos Manzo's killing. (Pic: AP)

Thousands of people across Mexico marched on Saturday under the banner of Generation Z," protesting rising crime, corruption, and impunity, a wave of anger intensified by the recent public killing of anti-crime mayor Carlos Manzo in Michoacan earlier this month. Although young activists called the demonstrations, they quickly drew supporters from older age groups, opposition figures, and civil society groups frustrated with government inaction.

In Mexico City, what began as a peaceful march escalated when a small group of hooded protesters tore down barricades surrounding the National Palace, where President Claudia Sheinbaum resides. Riot police responded with tear gas, triggering clashes that left 100 police officers injured, including 40 hospitalised, along with 20 wounded civilians, according to the citys public safety secretary Pablo Vazquez. Authorities arrested 20 people and detained another 20 for administrative offences.

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The citys police were seen using tear gas and violence against the protestors.

The Mexican anti-cartel Gen Z rebellion has reached Claudia Sheinbaums presidential palace in Mexico City.The crowd has torn down the wall she built a few days ago and is now trying to get past the riot police who have taken cover in an ancient Roman testudo (turtle) formation pic.twitter.com/3AWvsmb4Zc  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) November 15, 2025

Saturdays protests reflect a growing trend of Gen Zled mobilisation globally, with young people born between 1997 and 2012 organising major movements this year against inequality, democratic decline, and abuse of power. The largest such protests erupted in Nepal in September, forcing the prime minister to resign after a controversial social media ban.

In Mexico, frustration has been mounting among youth over systemic corruption and the near-total impunity for violent crime. We need more security," said 29-year-old business consultant Andres Massa, holding the pirate-skull flag that has become a global Gen Z protest symbol. Others marched for broader issues: 43-year-old doctor Arizbeth Garcia said she wanted stronger investment in public healthcare and action against violence that even medical workers routinely face.

Anger has surged in Michoacan since Mayor Carlos Manzo was shot dead at a public Day of the Dead event on November 1. His supporters joined the Mexico City march wearing straw hats that symbolise his political movement, chanting, Carlos did not die, the government killed him," and Out, Morena," targeting Sheinbaums ruling party.

The group behind the protests, Generation Z Mexico," described itself in a viral manifesto as non-partisan, representing young people fed up with violence, corruption, and concentration of power. But Sheinbaums government has questioned the legitimacy of the marches, alleging that right-wing political forces orchestrated them and used bot accounts to inflate support online. Some Gen Z influencers also distanced themselves from the protest amid claims of political co-opting, even as former president Vicente Fox and billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego publicly backed the demonstrations.

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Despite political tensions, Saturdays marches brought together Mexicans across generations. What began as a youth-led movement has evolved into a broader outcry against violence and government accountability  with the death of Mayor Manzo becoming a rallying point for a nation exhausted by insecurity.

Location : Mexico City, Mexico

First Published: November 16, 2025, 07:41 IST

News world 'Gen Z Protests' In Mexico Over Assassination Of Mayor, Police Uses Tear Gas | Watch

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Illegal Migrant Couple Nabbed For Shoplifting At Long Island Store, Sent To ICE

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Last Updated: November 17, 2025, 02:22 IST

Gustavo Tellez Carillo and Erika Gomez Moreno, illegal migrants, were caught shoplifting at Target in Westbury and handed to ICE.

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Federal officers stand guard during a protest organized by Portland Contra Deportaciones, at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, in Portland, Oregon, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS)

An illegal migrant couple who travelled from Manhattan to Long Island last week to shoplift from a Target store were caught and handed over to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), officials speaking to the New York Post said.

On Sunday, November 9, Gustavo Tellez Carillo, 36, and his girlfriend, Erika Gomez Moreno, 33, tried to shoplift an undisclosed amount of merchandise from the store in Westbury.

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Nassau County police apprehended them after being called to the scene around 7:30pm. After conducting a short investigation, the Nassau County cops discovered that the couple was in the country illegally.

The authorities did not reveal what country the pair is from originally.

Nassau Police charged both Carillo and Moreno with fourth-degree grand larceny and handed over to ICE. They said the couple is now subject to be removed from the country.

Police in Nassau were able to transfer the couple to ICE as part of the countys controversial partnership with the feds. Under this partnership, local police can work directly with federal immigration agents to identify and detain illegal migrants.

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The county is already on course to detain more than 3,000 migrants for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under an agreement signed earlier this year by County Executive Bruce Blakeman. As part of the arrangement, ten county detectives have been deputised by federal authorities and are on standby to assist in immigration enforcement operations.

Blakeman has said that Nassau County is the first in the United States to implement a fully comprehensive partnership with ICE under the 287(g) programme. He argued that the county would continue working with federal officials to keep our community safe from unvetted illegal immigrants who commit crimes, including fuelling the fentanyl crisis affecting young people."

About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More

Location : New York, United States of America (USA)

First Published: November 17, 2025, 02:22 IST

News world Illegal Migrant Couple Nabbed For Shoplifting At Long Island Store, Sent To ICE

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India Demands Comprehensive UNSC Reform: 'Time To Redesign 80-Year-Old Architecture'

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 06:00 IST

India has emphasised that the overall endeavour needs to be on 'redesigning' the Council's architecture to meet current and future challenges purposefully

India, alongside its G4 partnersBrazil, Germany, and Japanadvocates for increasing the total membership of the Council from the current 15 to around 25 or 26 by adding six new permanent members and four or five non-permanent members. File pic/AP

India has once again mounted a strong push for comprehensive reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), arguing that the eight-decade-old bodys structure is deeply anachronistic and ill-equipped to handle contemporary geopolitical realities. Indias position, articulated at the UN, is clear: the Council must expand in both the permanent and non-permanent categories, stressing that any piecemeal or superficial changes will fail to make the UNs principal organ for peace and security fit for purpose.

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The current structure of the UNSC, with its five permanent members (P5) retaining veto power, was established in 1945 following the conclusion of World War II. India argues that this post-war architecture no longer reflects the altered distribution of global political, economic, and demographic weight. As the worlds most populous nation, the fifth-largest economy, and a major contributor to UN peacekeeping missions, India maintains that it, along with other deserving nations, holds all the objective credentials for permanent membership.

Indias Permanent Representative to the UN emphasised that the overall endeavour needs to be on redesigning" the Councils architecture to meet current and future challenges purposefully. The diplomat pointed out that expanding only the non-permanent seats would not constitute meaningful reform. Instead, it would merely widen the existing gap between the permanent members and the rest of the UN membership, further entrenching a status quo that is irrelevant in the modern context. This is particularly relevant in correcting what India calls historical injustices", specifically advocating for the inclusion of African nations in the permanent category.

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India, alongside its G4 partnersBrazil, Germany, and Japanadvocates for increasing the total membership of the Council from the current 15 to around 25 or 26 by adding six new permanent members and four or five non-permanent members. This comprehensive approach is deemed essential for making the Council more legitimate, representative, responsive, and effective. New Delhi is calling for the Inter-Governmental Negotiations (IGN) process to move towards text-based negotiations in a time-bound manner to ensure this structural overhaul is achieved, arguing that anything less will allow the worlds most powerful body to remain paralysed by the politics of the past.

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 06:00 IST

News world India Demands Comprehensive UNSC Reform: 'Time To Redesign 80-Year-Old Architecture'

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Indian Visitor Faces Racist Trolls In Argentina, Locals Defend Him

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 20:10 IST

Thiru, an Indian visitor in Argentina for EFDevcon, faced racist trolling on X but was warmly supported by locals, sparking online discussion about social media.

A social media user, Meru, appreciated the locals who came in support of the Indian Man. (X)

A young Indian visitor in Argentina faced racist remarks on social media, but the prompt support shown by locals quickly turned the situation around. The incident highlights how social media platforms can sometimes amplify negativity, yet also bring people together in unexpected ways.

The episode began when the Indian traveller, who had recently arrived in Argentina to attend an event, posted a friendly message on X expressing his excitement to connect with people ahead of EFDevcon. Argentina, Im here. Friends, lets meet before EFDevcon," he wrote.

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While some users responded with hateful and racist comments, several Argentinians immediately came forward to welcome him and condemn the abuse. Their positive reactions helped drown out the negativity and reassured the visitor.

An Indian man reached Argentina for a conference and simply greeted people online, only to face racist trolling. Thankfully, real Argentinians stepped up. They didnt let racism and hate ruin this persons experience," an X user named Meru wrote while appreciating the locals who came in support of the Indian man.

An Indian man simply greeted people after arriving in Argentina for a conference and was suddenly hit with a wave of racist comments from the usual American online trolls. Thankfully, real Argentinians stepped up, called out the racism, and didnt let the hate ruin this persons https://t.co/CqfsjhfYmN Meru (@MeruOnX) November 16, 2025

The incident has sparked conversation online about social media culture  how a simple greeting can draw polarising reactions, and how community solidarity can counteract hate just as swiftly.

In this situation, genuine Argentines stepped forward, confronted the racism, and helped keep the Indian visitors spirits up.

One user commented, Thiru, welcome to Argentina and thank you for coming! Argentina is a great place to be, live and build. Hope you love it."

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Another user wrote, Welcome Thiru! We are happy to have you in our city and our country."

Bro, If you want to meet Im here! Feel free to use our offices in Retiro, We have a floor that we use for conferences and for guests to showcase," commented another user.

About the Author Shobhit Gupta Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degre... Read More

Location : Argentina

First Published: November 16, 2025, 20:10 IST

News world Indian Visitor Faces Racist Trolls In Argentina, Locals Defend Him

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No Undeclared Nuclear Enrichment In Iran, Says Foreign Minister

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 22:04 IST

Iran stopped uranium enrichment after facility attacks; Pezeshkian pledged to rebuild. US and UN plan new sanctions on Irans missile and drone programs.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (Reuters Image)

Irans foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Sunday announced Tehran is no longer enriching uranium at any site.

Replying to a question from Associated Press, Araghchi said: There is no undeclared nuclear enrichment in Iran. All of our facilities are under the safeguards and monitoring" of the International Atomic Energy Agency. There is no enrichment right now because our facilities  our enrichment facilities  have been attacked."

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On the question of what it would take for Iran to continue negotiations with the US and others, Araghchi told Associated Press that Irans message on its nuclear programme remains clear." Irans right for enrichment, for peaceful use of nuclear technology, including enrichment, is undeniable," the foreign minister continued. We have this right and we continue to exercise that, and we hope that the international community, including the United States, recognise our rights and understand that this is an inalienable right of Iran and we would never give up our rights."

Previously, AFP quoted Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as saying that Tehran will build (the destroyed sites) stronger than before."

By destroying buildings we will not be set back," he said in a video posted to his official website, adding that Iranian scientists still had the necessary nuclear know-how.

In June, Israel had launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran which started a 12-day war during which it targeted nuclear and military facilities, and residential areas. The attacks also killed many top scientists. In response, Iran attacked Israeli cities with ballistic missile barrages.

Recently, the US said it would soon impose new sanctions on Irans missile and drone programme.

In the coming days, the United States will impose new sanctions targeting Iran, including its missile and drone programme" as well as the Revolutionary Guards and the Iranian defence ministry, Sullivan said in a statement.

We anticipate that our allies and partners will soon be following with their own sanctions," he added.

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Earlier, the United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran, including an arms embargo, over its nuclear programme.

These measures revive the pre-2015 restrictions that were lifted under the landmark Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)  the multilateral nuclear deal between Tehran, the EU, the US, and other global powers.

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First Published: November 16, 2025, 22:04 IST

News world No Undeclared Nuclear Enrichment In Iran, Says Foreign Minister

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Pakistan ISIs Abduct Or Detain & Dump Policy In Balochistan: 7 Men Go Missing | Exclusive

Reported By :

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 14:00 IST

Seven Baloch persons have gone missing in Kech, Mastung and Panjgur areas of Pakistans Balochistan, local sources told News18

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Some of the missing Baloch men. (News18)

Pakistans intelligence agency ISI is continuing its disappear and dump policy in Balochistan, according to top intelligence sources.

Seven Baloch persons have gone missing in Kech, Mastung and Panjgur areas of Pakistans Balochistan, local sources told News18.

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Who are they?

Haji Munir Ahmed, Majid, Abbas and Mehran have gone missing for the past few days, their family claimed.

Munir Ahmed and Majid were detained on Wednesday in Chitkaan area of Panjgur. Police didnt show their arrest and refused to file a First Information Report (FIR), claimed relatives.

Atta Anjum has gone missing from Mastung district; Changiz Imam was abducted and disappeared from Kech District of Balochistan, said sources.

Waseem, Zaheer, Abbas and Mehran went missing on Saturday evening from Buleda and Kech areas.

Pakistans operation

Pakistan security forces are conducting intelligence-based operations (IBOs) against Baloch freedom fighters who are raising voices against Pakistan militarys atrocities in Balochistan, said sources.

Since July 2025, around 320 cases of enforced disappearances have been registered, claims Human Rights Council of Balochistan.

Around 145 killings happened in fake encounters and IBOs in Balochistan since July 2025, according to Human Rights Council Of Balochistan.

Around 2600 cases of enforced disappearances were reported in Balochistan from 2011 to 2024, according to Amnesty International and Pak governments statistics.

After the attack on Jaffer Express in March 2025 and Khuzdar Army Public School in May 2025, the Pakistan security forces are conducting major operations against Baloch indigenous persons, Baloch freedom fighters like BLA & BLF rapidly.

What intel sources say

The Pakistan Military has blocked the access of international watchdogs, press and NGOs in Balochistan to hide the actuals facts and figures, said sources.

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In Balochistan, several Baloch youths have reportedly been disappeared by Pakistani forces and groups said to be state-supported death squads. When the families hold peaceful sit-in protests for their missing loved ones, members of these state-supported groups call them terrorists, even though they have done nothing wrong," said sources.

They are only protesting to demand information and the return of their missing family members," they said.

About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

First Published: November 16, 2025, 13:56 IST

News world Pakistan ISIs Abduct Or Detain & Dump Policy In Balochistan: 7 Men Go Missing | Exclusive

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Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong with Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya in Conakry on Tuesday. Liu attended the inauguration of the Simandou mine project during his three-day trip to Guinea. Photo: Xinhua alt=Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong with Guinean President Mamadi Doumbouya in Conakry on Tuesday. Liu attended the inauguration of the Simandou mine project during his three-day trip to Guinea. Photo: Xinhua>

"We are closely following that development because it tells how we must engage in informal discussions with Rio Tinto about how we can work together to maintain a high iron ore price," said Sylla, who is also a member of the Simandou Strategic Committee that monitors the project for the government.

The Guinean minister of mines and geology, Bouna Sylla, said the country was monitoring the formation of China Mineral Resources Group (CMRG), which aims to centralise Chinese iron ore imports.

Guinean officials are aware of the possibility that Chinese firms would use the massive influx of high-grade ore to suppress global iron ore prices, but have pledged to actively collaborate with Rio Tinto to leverage the mine's premium product and Rio Tinto's market expertise to maintain stable high prices for the ore.

Most extracts from Simandou - the world's largest known untapped deposit of high-grade iron ore - are expected to be shipped to China , given the heavy investments by Chinese firms in the project. But the majority Chinese stake is a key concern for both the Guinea government and British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto regarding future market stability, which has created an unusual alliance.

Guinea's Simandou 2040 plan aims to use mining revenues to develop infrastructure, agriculture and education in the West African country, while also signalling the mine's immediate global importance.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge , our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

The Chinese delegation was led by Vice-Premier Liu Guozhong, who underscored the importance Beijing has attached to securing high-grade ore for decarbonising the national steel industry and diversifying away from Australian supplies.

The event on Tuesday at Guinea's Morebaya port, attended by Chinese and regional African leaders, saw the departure of the first shipment of ore from the Simandou project - a major feat after nearly three decades of development.

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As Rio Tinto is a pure miner, Guinea is "often closer to Rio Tinto in the desire to maintain a high iron ore price", he added, referencing the diverse interests of the Chinese stakeholders, which also include processing and steelmaking.

The project is expected to ramp up production over 30 months to reach its full commercial capacity of 120 million tonnes annually, a volume that will position Guinea among the top global iron ore exporters.

A Rio Tinto executive who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter acknowledged the market reality that most global ore went to China, and said that since China Baowu Steel Group was a major partner for Simandou, "a lot of this ore will go to China, there is no doubt".

However, the executive said that Rio Tinto maintained market flexibility, saying: "Rio is not beholden to that and has the ability to sell to any market anywhere, so we will continue to explore those other markets."

Rio Tinto and the Aluminium Corporation of China (Chinalco) own blocks 3 and 4 of Simandou under a consortium called Rio Tinto Simfer, while blocks 1 and 2 are owned by the Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS), whose key partners include Singapore's Winning International Group, as well as China's Weiqiao Aluminium and Baowu Resources. The Guinean government holds a 15 per cent stake in both, with an 18 million tonne share per year.

Guinean, Chinese and other African officials attend the Simandou commissioning ceremony at the port of Morebaya. Photo: X/presi_doumbouya alt=Guinean, Chinese and other African officials attend the Simandou commissioning ceremony at the port of Morebaya. Photo: X/presi_doumbouya>

Crucially, to overcome delays caused by a lack of infrastructure, Simfer and WCS jointly funded and built the shared 650km (404-mile) railway and port of Morebaya infrastructure.

Sylla described the Simandou situation as "extremely complex", noting that Guinea's interests sometimes aligned with Rio Tinto, sometimes with Baowu, and other times with WCS because "WCS is a logistics specialist".

Sylla also highlighted a complementarity between Simandou and Australian Pilbara ore. Simandou's high-grade deposit targets the premium 65 per cent iron content blend market, making it comparable only to Brazil's Vale, especially the Carajas deposits.

He said this gave Rio Tinto the unique opportunity to offer both products and sell the premium ore not only to China but also to European and Middle Eastern steel mills.

But the Simandou project is widely dubbed a potential Pilbara killer, a reference to its long-term threat to Western Australia's market dominance.

According to Sylla, this superior quality is critical to China's "green steel" industry and gives Rio Tinto the "unique opportunity to offer both products" globally, as most of Australian Pilbara ore typically focuses on the larger 62 per cent blend market.

Hu Wangming, the chairman of China Baowu, described Simandou as "a significant milestone" in the history of the global mining industry.

In a statement on Tuesday, Hu said that "the stable supply of Simandou's premium iron ore resources will provide a solid foundation of low-carbon raw materials for the development of China's steel industry and the global steel sector".

Similarly, Chris Aitchison, general director of Rio Tinto Simfer, said that emerging steelmaking technologies required high-grade ore and Simandou's quality allowed for reduced energy input in the process, thereby lowering carbon dioxide emissions.

"So, there is a direct correlation between the benefits of sourcing Simandou ore and people being able to use that ore in their new steelmaking technology processes." So, it is a direct enabler; it is very important for China to achieve their goals," Aitchison said.

A worker holds a walkie-talkie as she stands near a pile of iron ore at blocks 3 and 4 of the Simandou mine. Photo: Reuters alt=A worker holds a walkie-talkie as she stands near a pile of iron ore at blocks 3 and 4 of the Simandou mine. Photo: Reuters>

Beijing-based lawyer Kai Xue noted that China's shift from infrastructure to a hi-tech economy was reducing its demand for steel and iron ore. As China produced 54 per cent of the world's steel in 2023, this transition signals a long-term contraction for the global iron ore market.

"With supply rising and demand falling, someone will inevitably be pushed out and that someone is likely to be the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The reason is geopolitical," he said of Simandou's entry.

Xue argued that Australia's Pilbara region was likely to be displaced due to geopolitical factors, specifically Australia's 2021 entry into the Aukus security pact with the United States and United Kingdom, focused on acquiring nuclear-powered submarines to boost its military standing in the Indo-Pacific.

This move prompted China to diversify its supply chains, unblocking the long-stalled Simandou project in Guinea.

Initiated by Rio Tinto in 1997, the project experienced many delays due to legal and political challenges before advancing with the partnerships involving Rio Tinto, Chinese firms and the Guinean government. Final construction started in 2022.

"The first shipment marks the moment Australia's strategic choices began to undermine its own resource economy," Xue said.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Pakistan-Taliban Ties Hit A New Low As Two Countries Trade Insults Amid Clashes | Exclusive

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 19:39 IST

The Taliban has closed the Khyber Pass Torkham border route by blocking the Khyber Highway

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Tensions have escalated in recent weeks following deadly border fighting that killed dozens of soldiers and civilians.

In what signals an all-time low between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Afghan traders have been instructed to minimise trade with Islamabad.

After Pakistans arm-twisting, Taliban has banned Pakistans access to Central Asia. Traders have been asked to use alternative available routes for transit of goods," said top Taliban sources.

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The Taliban closed the Khyber Pass Torkham border route by blocking the Khyber Highway. This is Pakistans main road link into Afghanistan and onwards to Central Asia. This means, no Pakistani trucks, no exports and no transit cargo can move through this corridor," sources said.

After this, Islamabads plan to be a hub for Central Asian trade will collapse. The Khyber Pass is Pakistans only land gateway to Afghanistan and Afghanistan is Pakistans only land route to Central Asia," they said.

Talibans Deputy PM Mullah Baradar has said that the Pakistani route is high-risk for Afghan traders. Once this route is closed, Pakistan cannot reach Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan. Pakistan is going to lose millions in potential Central Asian market access. Pakistan traders face higher transport costs, rerouting via Iran or sea," said sources.

Pakistan is treating Taliban as second class partners and this is not acceptable. It is repeatedly shutting Torkham on its own for security, political, or counterterror reasons. Now Kabul is using the same tool as balancing act. This is an insult to us every day if they say our land is used for terror purposes," said sources.

Taliban wants Pakistan to give them level-playing field. They are aware of our limitations and economic conditions," they said.

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Afghan traders and ordinary people across the country are with Baradars decision.

We feel this action is important for the countrys national interests, independence, and the dignity of traders. Pakistan closes its gates every year as soon as products arrive in Afghanistan and start accusing Afghanistan and mix political issues with trade. This creates major trade barrier and our payments are struck in Pakistan," they said.

About the Author Manoj Gupta Group Editor, Investigations & Security Affairs, Network18

First Published: November 16, 2025, 19:23 IST

News world Pakistan-Taliban Ties Hit A New Low As Two Countries Trade Insults Amid Clashes | Exclusive

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Pakistani Clerics Pressurise Bangladeshi Government To Bring In Blasphemy Law | Exclusive

Reported By :

News18.com

Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 09:20 IST

At a massive gathering in Dhaka, visiting clerics pushed for a Pakistan-like blasphemy framework and called for the Ahmadiyya community to be declared non-Muslim

More than 35 Pakistani clerics were present, and 19 of them delivered speeches at the event.

In a major CNN-News18 exclusive, two of Pakistans most influential clerics used a massive religious gathering in Dhaka to openly pressure Bangladesh into adopting a Pakistan-style blasphemy law and declaring the Ahmadiyya (Qadiani) community as non-Muslim.

The speeches were delivered at Sohrawardy Udyan, a location historically tied to Bangladeshs liberation struggle, the surrender of the Pakistani Army in 1971, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahmans iconic address. Experts say the messaging appears connected to attempts to set up extremist networks across South Asia.

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What Happened At Dhakas Conference

The Khatme Nabuwat Grand Conference at Sohrawardy Uddan began at 9 am with formal speeches and continued until 3:30 pm. It was organised by the United Khatme Nabuwat Council and supervised by the Khatme Nabuwat Protection Committee, Bangladesh.

The gathering brought together fundamentalist Islamic scholars from five countries, including a sizeable delegation from Pakistan. More than 35 Pakistani clerics were present, and 19 of them delivered speeches at the event.

What Triggered The Flashpoint

The flashpoint came when Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Member of Pakistans National Assembly and President of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Pakistan, and Maulana Aurangzeb Farooqui, senior leader of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat, addressed the massive gathering.

Both clerics issued forceful calls, urging Bangladesh to adopt a blasphemy law modelled on Pakistans framework. The two leaders framed their message around Muslim unity", declaring: Kabul se Bangladesh tak ek Kalima  hum jeetenge." (From Kabul to Bangladesh, one Kalima  we will win.)

They also pressed Bangladeshi clerics to push for the Ahmadiyya/Qadiani community to be declared non-Muslim.

Fazlur Rehmans Fiery Remarks

In one of the most contentious moments of the conference, Maulana Fazlur Rehman told the crowd: We have bled in Pakistan to honour our Prophet, we will bleed again if needed. They are Kafirs and you must uphold the honour of prophets like us."

Why Experts Are Alarmed

According to experts, the messaging of the Pakistani clerics aligns with an effort to set up or expand extremist networks across South Asia, using religious identity and blasphemy sentiment as mobilising tools.

The timing, just ahead of Bangladeshs upcoming general elections, is also significant, raising fears that external actors may be attempting to influence the political climate by injecting hardline religious narratives.

Pakistans Blasphemy Law Framework Vs Bangladeshs Penal Code

The contrast between the blasphemy frameworks of Pakistan and Bangladesh is stark. Pakistans laws were expanded under General Zia-ul-Haq in the 1980s, introducing Sections 295-B and 295-C of the Penal Code, which prescribe punishments up to death for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.

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Bangladesh, by comparison, retains Section 295-A of its colonial-era penal code, which criminalises deliberate insults to religion with a maximum punishment of two years imprisonment.

The implication is clear: Pakistans framework imposes severe penalties and has fuelled sectarian violence, while Bangladeshs laws, though less punitive, continue to restrict free expression and are often used against minorities.

About the Author Siddhant Mishra Siddhant Mishra is a Senior Special Correspondent at CNN-News18, covering foreign affairs and international relations. With over 12 years of experience in journalism, he has also reported extensively ... Read More

First Published: November 16, 2025, 09:20 IST

News world Pakistani Clerics Pressurise Bangladeshi Government To Bring In Blasphemy Law | Exclusive

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Russia Says It Captured Two Villages In Southern Ukraine

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 17:48 IST

The Russian Ministry of Defence announced via Telegram that its soldiers had captured Rivnopillia and Mala Tokmachka, located in the Zaporizhzhia region

Destroyed buildings in the frontline town of Kostyantynivka, Donetsk region. (AFP photo)

Russia on Sunday claimed to have captured two villages in southern Ukraine, as its forces gradually advance against Ukrainian troops, who remain heavily outnumbered in the region.

The Russian Ministry of Defence announced via Telegram that its soldiers had captured Rivnopillia and Mala Tokmachka, located in the Zaporizhzhia region. Although the Zaporizhzhia front is less active than the eastern front, where most of the fighting continues, Russian forcesbetter equipped and larger in numberare gradually making gains in both areas.

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In eastern Ukraine, fighting is focused around the key logistical hub of Pokrovsk, which Russian troops have infiltrated over the past weeks, weakening Ukrainian defences and posing significant challenges for Kyiv.

Meanwhile, peace talks between Ukraine and Russia remain stalled, and a planned summit in Budapest between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was cancelled.

Zelenskyy In Greece

In a separate development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Athens on Sunday to finalise a gas supply agreement with Greece. His visit, his first to the country since 2023, aims to secure winter fuel for Ukraine following heavy Russian strikes on the nations energy infrastructure.

Footage from Greek public television showed Zelenskyy being welcomed at Athens International Airport by Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hadzidakis.

Before his trip, Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would import gas from Greece to compensate for losses caused by Moscows bombing campaign, which in October halted 60 percent of Ukraines main heating fuel production.

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Kyiv has also secured financing agreements covering nearly two billion euros ($2.32 billion) in production losses, backed by the Ukrainian government, European banks guaranteed by the European Commission, and Norwegian support.

(With inputs from AFP)

About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, ... Read More

Location : Russia

First Published: November 16, 2025, 17:48 IST

News world Russia Says It Captured Two Villages In Southern Ukraine

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Trump Teases Venezuela Move Amid US Military Buildup: I Sort Of Made Up My Mind

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Last Updated: November 16, 2025, 18:37 IST

US President Donald Trump held several high-level briefings this week as US flexed its military might by sending warships in the Caribbean.

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US President Donald Trump, US Vice President JD Vance, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth meet in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

US President Donald Trump suggested that he has sort of made up" his mind on next course of action in Venezuela after holding multiple high-level briefings this week and as US naval forces continue buildup in the Caribbean.

According to broadcaster CNN, officials briefed the US President on options for military operations inside Venezuela. Trump is weighing the risks and benefits of launching a campaign to potentially oust President Nicolas Maduro, the broadcaster said, citing four US government officials.

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His administration presented before him an array of options for Venezuela which included possible air strikes on military or government facilities and drug-trafficking routes. A more direct attempt to take out Maduro was also presented as an option at the meeting where Trump and his reviewed target options.

I sort of have made up my mind  yeah. I mean, I cant tell you what it would be, but I sort of have," Trump said aboard Air Force One this week as US military amasses more than a dozen warships and 15,000 troops in the Caribbean region as part of Operation Southern Spear".

The remarks come after Trump held high-profile meetings with a small group of top officials which included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, who briefed Trump on Wednesday. On Thursday, a larger national security team, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials, met with Trump in the Situation Room.

The United States has in recent weeks and launched strikes on 21 alleged drug-smuggling boats, killing at least 80 people.

Washington has provided no evidence those targeted were traffickers, and rights observer groups say the strikes are illegal regardless.

Maduro on Saturday slammed new joint military exercises by the United States and its ally Trinidad and Tobago as irresponsible," with Washington increasing its armed presence in the Caribbean.

Caracas claims recent US military activity in the region  which Washington says is directed against drug gangs  is really a ploy to overthrow leftist leader Maduro.

This is the second joint training exercise carried out by the United States and Trinidad and Tobago in less than a month.

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In October, a US guided missile destroyer docked at Trinidad for four days for another round of practice drills  within firing range of Venezuela, whose government called it a provocation."

The government of Trinidad and Tobago has once again announced irresponsible exercises, lending its waters off the coast of Sucre state for military exercises that are intended to be threatening to a republic like Venezuela, which does not allow itself to be threatened by anyone," Maduro said during an event in Caracas on Saturday.

About the Author Shankhyaneel Sarkar Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has ... Read More

Location : Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

First Published: November 16, 2025, 18:37 IST

News world Trump Teases Venezuela Move Amid US Military Buildup: I Sort Of Made Up My Mind

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Iceland has formally classified the possible collapse of a crucial current system in the Atlantic as a national security threat, marking the first time a climate-related event has been treated as an existential risk by the country's government. Climate Minister Johann Pall Johannsson told Reuters the decision puts all ministries on alert, with coordinated efforts underway to assess risks and develop disaster preparedness policies. The current in question, known as the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, carries warm tropical water northward and helps ensure Europe's winters are mild.

Scientists warn that accelerated Arctic ice melt, particularly from Greenland, could disrupt this flow, potentially setting off a new ice age with far colder winters across Northern Europe. The consequences of an AMOC collapse could also spread far beyond Iceland or Europe. Disrupted rainfall patterns could threaten agriculture in regions as far-flung as India, South America, and Africa; the situation could also speed up warming in Antarctica.

Iceland's government is evaluating risks to everything from energy and food security to international transportation and infrastructure. Other Northern European countries are increasing research and considering similar steps, though some, like Britain, still see an abrupt collapse as unlikely this century. Johannsson stressed the need for action even amid scientific uncertainty, citing the rapid pace of climate change and the centrality of agriculture and fisheries to Iceland's economy. "We cannot afford to wait for definitive, long-term research before acting," he said.
Eliyahu "Eli" Weinstein is back in a familiar spot: behind bars for investor fraud. The first time this happened to him, the New Jersey man served eight years before President Trump commuted his 24-year sentence in 2021. But upon release, the 51-year-old New Jersey man went back to his old tricks , and on Friday, he received a new 37-year sentence, reports Bloomberg . Weinstein was convicted of bilking more than 150 investors out of $41 million in a Ponzi scheme.

Prosecutors say Weinstein, who operated under the alias "Mike Konig" to conceal his identity, orchestrated the scheme months after his clemency from Trump. Five co-defendants testified against him, describing how he directed the fraud while hiding assets to avoid paying nearly $229 million in restitution from his previous conviction. Weinstein's investors thought their money was going into things such as COVID supplies and first-aid kits for Ukraine, but the money actually went to repay earlier investors, as well toward personal expenses such as gambling and luxury watches.

"These were brazen and sophisticated crimes that involved multiple conspirators and drew right from Weinstein's playbook of fraud," said Philip Sellinger, the US Attorney for New Jersey at the time of Weinstein's arrest in 2023, per CBS News.
Four law enforcement officers were shot Saturday morning while responding to a residence in a rural area south of Topeka, Kansas, per the AP. Three Osage County sheriff's deputies and one Kansas Highway Patrol trooper were shot at the home near Carbondale, said Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Melissa Underwood. Their conditions are "still very fluid," said Underwood, without elaborating on how seriously the officers were wounded.
The world is a stressful place right now, which is precisely why the world needs more Adam Sandler. So concludes author JoAnna Novak in a New York Times essay after taking her father to see a live show by the comedian and actor in Chicago last month. Novak writes that it was a dicey time in the city because of immigration raids and protests, but she then "realized that the best reprieve from the current moment was 100 percent Adam Sandler." Her piece lays out the reasons:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he'll oppose any attempts to establish a Palestinian state, a day before the UN Security Council is to vote on a resolution that leaves the door open to independence. Netanyahu has long ruled out Palestinian independence. But as the US attempts to push forward with its Gaza ceasefire proposal, the AP reports, Netanyahu faces heavy international pressure to show flexibility.

The US proposal would mandate an international stabilization force in Gaza despite opposition from Russia, China, and some Arab countries. The US, which is under pressure from countries expected to contribute troops to the force, revised the resolution with stronger language about Palestinian self-determination. It now says that President Trump's plan may create a "credible pathway" to Palestinian statehood. A rival Russian proposal uses even stronger language in favor of Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu's hard-line governing partners have urged him to take a tough stand about the calls for Palestinian independence. Speaking to his Cabinet, Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel's opposition to a Palestinian state has "not changed one bit."

Netanyahu added that he has been staving off any advances toward a Palestinian state for decades and is not threatened by external or internal pressure. "I do not need affirmations, tweets, or lectures from anyone," he said. Netanyahu also noted that Trump's plan calls for Gaza to be demilitarized and Hamas to be disarmed. The Israeli leader also made his first public comments about a surge in violent attacks by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, saying the violence was the work of a small minority. Palestinians and human rights groups say the violence has been widespread and accused the government of turning a blind eye.
The US Border Patrol said agents arrested 81 people in immigrant neighborhoods across Charlotte on Saturday, marking what advocacy groups say is the largest single-day tally of immigrant arrests in the state's recent history. The operation, which continued into Sunday, led to widespread closures of businesses serving immigrant communities, including a flea market and nightclubs, the New York Times reports. The city's Catholic churches reported a drop in attendance, with advocates saying federal agents were seen outside church parking lots. One group supportive of immigrants called Saturday "a day of shame," per the Charlotte Observer .

Gregory Bovino, who is leading the Border Patrol operation, declared the mission a success and shared photos online of five detainees he said had criminal records. However, neither Bovino nor the Department of Homeland Security clarified how many of those arrested had criminal histories; past operations in other cities have resulted in few arrests of individuals with serious criminal backgrounds. The Trump administration maintains that anyone without legal status in the US is considered a criminal, a stance it uses to justify these enforcement actions. "Criminal illegal aliens shop too  check out who was walking and shopping amongst American citizens today: a violent repeat offender," Bovino posted, per WCNC.

Local lawyers and advocacy groups reported that those arrested included a man taking part in a church cleanup, workers at a Home Depot, a landscaper, and a Hispanic US citizen whose vehicle was damaged by an agent. Siembra NC, an immigrant rights group, criticized the operation, per the Times, and noted that previous record single-day arrests in the state were 30 and 27, both in 2019. The North Carolina Republican Party voiced support for the operation, while Democratic Gov. Josh Stein urged residents to document any inappropriate behavior by agents.

One resident said a neighbor collapsed while being pulled out of a car on Sunday by agents who had pursued him from a grocery store. An ambulance, with two agents riding with him, took the man to a hospital. Two people protesting at a local Homeland Security office were detained, their lawyer told the Observer. A nonprofit that provides services to Latino communities said people are too afraid to leave home for school, medical appointments, or work, per the AP. Camino's dental clinic, for instance, had nine cancellations on Friday. "Latinos love this country. They came here to escape socialism and communism, and they're hard workers and people of faith," a spokesperson said, adding, "It's just so sad to see that this community now has this target on their back."
November 16, 2025: GJ-11 is the latest Chinese combat drone. It is a nine-ton tailless delta-shaped unmanned aircraft with a single engine and an internal weapons that can hold two tons of guided bombs, missiles or whatever new weapons the Chinese come up with. Top speed is subsonic, at about 900 kilometers an hour. This drone is still in the prototype stage, as is the GJ-11J carrier based version. Manned Chinese combat aircraft are being equipped to control two or more GJ-11 drones as Loyal Wingman. This is a concept the USAF has been working on for decades but only has two drones, the YFQ42A and the YFQ44A in development. Both have flown but both are years away from active duty. These two drones are competing and only one will be adopted by the U.S. Air Force.

Meanwhile back in 2018 China offered to export its GJ-2 combat drone. When this drone was first revealed in 2016 it was described as an upgraded version of the original Wing Loong which made its first flight in 2007 and in 2008 was offered for export as a much cheaper alternative to the American MQ-1 Predator that entered service in the late 1990s. But the shape of the Wing Loong was similar to the American MQ-9 Reaper, which entered service a decade after MQ-1, weighed nearly four times as much and was described as primarily a combat attack drone.

GJ-2 made its first flight in February 2017 and was described as capable of high altitude operations. That was demonstrated later in 2017 when a GJ-2 flew over the 8,848 meter high Mount Everest. GJ-2 specs give it a max altitude of 9,000 meters, top speed of 370 kilometers an hour and a payload of 400 kg of sensors or weapons. The production model GJ-2 only has two hard points under the wings to hang weapons from which is sufficient to carry four BA-7 missiles similar to the 50 kg Hellfire or four 60 kg GPS guided bombs similar to the U.S. SDB. As offered for export GJ-2 can carry a synthetic aperture radar, EW/Electronic Warfare, ELINT/Electronic Intelligence collection or communications relay equipment as well as a vidcam pod. Endurance is 20 hours and GJ-2 comes equipped with a satellite link and the drone can operate up to 1,500 kilometers from its base. GJ-2 has improved aerodynamics and a sturdier airframe that makes extensive use of lighter composite materials. This makes possible the high altitude performance which makes it useful for patrolling the Indian border, which is mostly with Tibet and over 4,000 meters high. There is improved flight control software and a more powerful and fuel-efficient turboprop engine. GJ-2 weighs over two tons; its exact weight has not made public yet and is closer in size and performance to the American 4.7 ton MQ-9.

While the Chinese military has received some production model GJ-2s, the main market is export customers. Pakistan and the UAE/United Arab Emirates have already ordered about a hundred and Saudi Arabia is negotiating a deal to obtain 300 GJ-2s. This alone would exceed production to date of the MQ-9. The GJ-2 is sold for less than half the price of the MQ-9 and there are no export restrictions on who can get it or what they do with it.

For several decades a growing number of Chinese commercial firms have been developing military drones and dual-use commercial drones. Unlike most Western nations, China will sell military drones to anyone who can pay and is not bothered about the use of bribes and other illegal, in the West, payments. If you can pay, you can have it. For that reason, China has a lot of unnamed customers for its armed drones and does not release as many details of weapons export sales as other nations like Russia.

The original Wing Loong 1 drone has been around for a while. In 2008 Chinese aircraft manufacturer AVIC began showing off photos and videos of a prototype for a clone of the American MQ-1 Predator drone that turned out to be Wing Loong. In 2012 one was first seen in flight, over the capital of Uzbekistan, which, along with UAE, were the first export customers. It was later revealed that development on Wing Loong began in 2005, first flight was in 2007 and Chinese troops got the first ones in 2008 for further testing.

While Wing Loong is similar in shape to the larger American MQ-9 Reaper, in size it's almost identical to the 1.2 ton Predator. Wing Loong weighs 1.1 tons, has a 14 meter wingspan, and is 9 meters long. It has a maximum altitude of 5,300 meters, max speed of 270 kilometers an hour and an endurance of over 20 hours. Wing Loong payload is 200 kg and can carry two BA-7 laser-guided missiles similar to the Hellfire or two 60 kg laser-guided bombs as well as a laser designator and vidcams. Wing Loong has been used frequently in Central Asia and the Middle East for reconnaissance and ground attack. For that reason, the original Wing Loong has been renamed GJ-1 and is still for sale.
A version of this article appeared in our The Roundup newsletter on November 14. Sign up here.

Hi. Eric here.

This was supposed to be XRPs big moment.

On Thursday, the Ripple-linked cryptocurrency had, after years of applications, finally seen the launch of the first dedicated XRP spot exchange-traded fund in the US.

Its finally happening! tweeted Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of Ripple.

On paper, the new spot XRP ETF issued by Canary Capital had everything going for it.

It was the first of its kind, it pulled in some $250 million of investment in its first day of trading, and market watchers expected the launch to trigger a $5 billion trading bonanza within its first months of trading  with the demand for the funds expected to pump XRPs price.

And yet, XRPs price fell some 8% over the past 24 hours and is currently trading 37% below its July $3.65 all-time high.

What gives?

Lets rewind to October 7, when the crypto market was trading at an all-time high value of $4.3 trillion.

Then, a few days later the market tanked.

Traders were liquidated to the tune of $19 billion on October 10. The downward move also wiped off about $1 trillion, or a fifth, of the value of all cryptocurrencies over the following month, CoinGecko data shows.

The market enjoyed a brief rebound earlier this week thanks to the US shutdown coming to an end, but a Thursday sell-off of some $870 million in Bitcoin ETFs ramped up the pressure on the market.

On Thursday, the top cryptocurrencys price fell below $100,000 for the third time this month.

The current selloff is fully correlated with other risk assets, but the magnitude in crypto is larger given its higher volatility, Max Gokhman, deputy CIO at Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions, told Bloomberg.

Cryptos beta to macro risks will stay high until deeper institutional participation broadens beyond Bitcoin and Ether.

To be sure, some market watchers still seem optimistic about cryptos ability to rally, provided nothing else bad happens.

As for the XRP ETF, well, perhaps next cycle will be your winner.

This week, DL News Tim Craig revealed that Temporal, a crypto research and development firm, may be the secretive creator behind the $40 billion dark exchange HumidiFi.

YouTube has deleted a channel belonging to the South Korean supermodel and TV personality Han Hye-jin after it aired an XRP-themed livestream suspected of being linked to a scam, Tim Alper reported.
NARA, Nov 17 (News On Japan) - Nara, previously lacking in accommodation options, now hosts a unique category of high-end hotel. The person responsible for creating these unconventional luxury properties across Japan is the daughter of one of the countrys wealthiest families and leader of a major real estate company with total assets exceeding 1 trillion yen.

In the city of Takayama in Gifu Prefecture, a woman walks through the historic streets conducting market research, stopping to ask whether anyone is eating Hida beef skewers or local snacks topped with thin slices of Hida beef. The area is a popular sightseeing district, and she is studying what kind of street foods are drawing visitors.

That woman is Date Tadako, the 54-year-old president of Mori Trust, a company that has rapidly emerged as a major force in Japans luxury hotel market by developing distinctive properties tailored to their surroundings. Mori Trust is best known as one of the largest landlords in central Tokyo, owning roughly 60 office buildings in Minato Ward alone. The companys total assets exceed 1.6 trillion yen, reflecting its long-standing strength as a major real estate developer.

Date, the heir to this vast portfolio, assumed the presidency in 2016 from her father, Mori Akira. She immediately shifted the companys focus toward hospitality, taking the once-modest hotel division and turning it into a central pillar of growth. By forming partnerships with global luxury brands and creating hotels that break from conventional Japanese models, she has doubled Mori Trusts revenue in just eight years.

Back in Takayama, Date reveals that she has already purchased a traditional machiya townhouse and attached kura storehouse as potential sites for her next project. The structures, more than a century old and formerly owned by a local sake brewery, retain the elegant proportions and textures characteristic of the regions historic architecture. Walking through the dimly lit interior, Date notes how comfortably the space could serve as a reception hall or lounge. She envisions transforming the buildings into a luxury hotel that blends harmoniously with the neighborhood.

Her decision is rooted in two key advantages: the refined semi-Japanese architectural style of the property and its rare location just 100 meters from a designated preservation district known for its immaculate historic streetscape. The surrounding area offers a 360-degree immersion in traditional townscape while still providing the daily conveniences that travelers appreciate. Date believes that such environments, where visitors can experience the essence of Japanese culture simply by stepping outside, offer the greatest value for international luxury hotel brands.

One of the clearest examples of her strategys success is found in Kyotos Arashiyama district. Beyond a gate bearing the name Suiran, a path lined with greenery leads to a quiet entrance marked with a small plate displaying the Luxury Collection emblem. Although the property carries a Japanese name, it is operated as one of Marriotts top-tier brands, offering guests an experience that blends understated traditional aesthetics with the standards of a global luxury chain. Built on the former villa of a prominent prewar zaibatsu family and restored meticulously by Mori Trust, the hotel has earned the top ranking for six consecutive years in a prestigious American travel magazine.

Guests praise not only the atmosphere and scenery but also the refined dining options, noting that the riverside views and carefully curated hospitality create a uniquely Japanese sense of luxury. The success of Suiran has become a benchmark for Dates approach: identifying exceptional locations that embody the spirit of Japan, restoring historic architecture with sensitivity, and integrating global hotel brands that can attract affluent travelers from around the world.

Through this strategy, Date has positioned Mori Trust as one of Japans most influential developers in the luxury travel market, creating properties that allow guests to experience the depth and richness of regional landscapes while driving economic revitalization in areas long overlooked by mainstream tourism.

Source: BIZ
Nov 17 (News On Japan) - Hong Kong authorities have urged residents to exercise caution when traveling to Japan, calling attention to what they describe as growing safety concerns. The advisory, issued on October 15th, warns citizens to stay alert during visits to Japan.

The announcement referenced several incidents, including an attack in Tokyo in July 2025 in which two Chinese nationals were injured, arguing that incidents targeting Chinese citizens in Japan have been on the rise this year. Officials also noted the recent series of bear attacks across Japan, pointing to broader concerns about public safety.

The move appears to follow Beijings response to comments by Prime Minister Takaichi regarding a potential Taiwan contingency, after which China advised its citizens to refrain from nonessential travel to Japan.

Between January and September 2025, approximately 1.82 million people traveled from Hong Kong to Japan.

On October 16th, Chinas Ministry of Education also raised concerns about Japans public safety, claiming that instability has led to numerous crimes targeting Chinese nationals. The ministry warned that security conditions and the study environment in Japan are deteriorating, increasing the safety risks for Chinese students, and urged those considering study abroad programs to reassess their plans carefully.

Students already studying in Japan were likewise instructed to remain vigilant and pay close attention to local safety developments.

Source: FNN
Microsoft EVP of Cloud + AI Scott Guthrie says the goal is to be able to 10X the AI training every 18-24 months. This likely includes maintaining the 2-4X pace of chip improvement.

Satya Nadella gave Dylan Patel (founder of SemiAnalysis) and Dwarkesh an exclusive first-look at their brand-new Fairwater 2 datacenter.

Microsoft is building multiple Fairwaters, each of which has hundreds of thousands of GB200s & GB300s. Between all these interconnected buildings, theyll have over 2 GW of total capacity. Even a single one of these Fairwater buildings is more powerful than any other AI datacenter that currently exists.

Microsoft is preparing for AGI across all layers of the stack.



Epoch AI view of Microsoft Fairwater  Construction status  Building 1 cooling and backup generators all look complete from above but there is still construction visible around the building. Building 2 is well underway with a foundation and a complete substation. Large carpark and concrete area north of Building 2. Building 3 has a concrete foundation and a substation underway. Microsoft Fairwater data centers have a two-story structure, with GPU racks networked vertically as well as horizontally. Each of these GPU buildings is paired with a one-story building dedicated to data storage and processing using CPUs. Epoch AI estimated compute capacity based on disclosures from Microsoft, and permit applications showing the layout of server racks and mechanical equipment.



Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and EVP of Cloud + AI Scott Guthrie showcase the newly opened Fairwater 2 data center in Atlanta, Georgiabilled as the worlds most powerful AI facility.

Microsoft has brought its data center in Atlanta, Georgia, online. The facility is the companys second Fairwater site, its new data center design that primarily uses a closed-loop liquid cooling system. The data center is connected to the first Fairwater site in Wisconsin with an AI Wide Area Network using dedicated fiber optic cables.



AI companies are competing to build and power the largest AI datacenters. xAI built the 350 MW Colossus datacenter in Memphis, which they plan to expand to 1.5 GW. XAI is building colossus 2 which has about 1-2 gigawatts of power.

XAI Colossus 2 could have about 1.4 Gigawatts of power by Feb 2026.



EpochAI Estimate of XAI Colossus 2.



OpenAIs 240 MW Abilene Stargate datacenter is planned to reach 1.2 GW. At full scale, these single datacenters will rival the most power-hungry facilities in the world today, such as the 1.2 GW Maaden or the 1.6 GW Bahrain aluminium smelters.

Earth based training clusters in single or multiple sites are projected to reach 10 GW by around 2030. This is larger than the capacity of the USs largest power plant, the Grand Colulee Dam, and nearly matches the total installed power capacity for all NVIDIA AI chips at the end of 2024.

Five AI datacenters at a scale of 1GW or more to come online in 2026. The question will be the energy and facilities will be built but how much of the chips will be installed and running?

Fairwater is a 10x increase in training capacity compared to what powered GPT-5, with network optics rivaling the entirety of Azures infrastructure from 2.5 years prior and supporting around 5 million connections.

The design enables aggregation of FLOPs across regional sites for massive training jobs via model and data parallelism, while also supporting data generation and inference.

Fairwater 4 is under construction and is nearby. Fairwater 4 has a high-speed petabit networking linking it to the Atlanta site, and an IWAN (Intelligent Wide Area Network) connecting to multiple Fairwater facilities in the Milwaukee/Wisconsin area for superpod-scale training across a campus and beyond.



This is the Wisconson area facility.

The tour reveals empty server cells, the roar of cooling systems, and design choices using NVIDIA GB200 GPUs with flexibility for future chips like Rubin Ultraemphasizing iterative scaling over static builds.

The facility is critical for a software company powered by hardware bets on AIs future.

Fairwater 2 is in Atlanta. It is currently the most powerful in the world. Fairwater 4 is under construction nearby. Multiple other Fairwaters are being built in Milwaukee/Wisconsin and will be connected via IWAN.

They want 10x training capacity increase every 18-24 months. This is 10x the training from the OpenAI GPT-5 training setup. It is designed for pods and superpods with model parallelism and data parallelism across the campus and to Wisconsin sites.

The networking optics are equivalent to all of Azure 2.5 years ago. There are ~5 million network connections. High bandwidth connects between sites in a region and between two regions. There is a petabit network for Fairwater 4 linkage. IWAN for aggregating training jobs across Wisconsin data centers.

Workloads are primarily for large training jobs but versatile for data generation and inference. It is not limited to one use case.

They are using NVIDIA GB200 GPUs. They are flexible for future chips like Rubin Ultra with varying power densities and cooling needs. Cells (modular units) shown empty, with racks to be filled. The exact racks per cell is not undisclosed. There is a two-story layout implied for latency reduction.

This is a big bet on future scaling. They emphasize scaling in time with iterative builds. They do not want to scale once and get stuck. They is a coupling between model architecture and physical layout.

Microsofts Fairwater data centers represent a new generation of AI-optimized superfactories. They are purpose-built for training and deploying frontier AI models at unprecedented scale. Unlike traditional data centers, they feature dense GPU clusters in a single flat network, advanced liquid cooling, and planet-scale connectivity to form elastic, distributed supercomputers. The initiative stems from surging AI demand, particularly from partners like OpenAI, and aligns with Microsofts $100B+ annual capex on AI infrastructure.

Expansions and Future Builds

Fairwater 4 is under construction adjacent to Fairwater 2 in Atlanta. It shares the same petabit network for seamless linkage, enabling superpod aggregation across the two sites.

Exact size are GPU count are undisclosed. It is designed as an identical Fairwater twin for modular scaling. Expected completion 2026-2027 to support immediate workload spillover.

Wisconsin/Milwaukee Expansions will have $7.3B total investment. There is a $3B initial investment for Fairwater 1 and $4 billion announced Sep 2025 for a second identical Data Center nearby. This includes a recent $38M land purchase (135 acres) in Racine County (Nov 10, 2025) for additional hyperscale sites.

Those costs do not include the chips as each set of 1 million B200s or later chips would be about $50 billion.

There are multiple identical Fairwater builds underway, forming a regional cluster connected via IWAN for cross-campus training. Second DC to break ground soon and targets 2027 operation.

There are 5+ more Fairwater sites under construction nationwide. They are potentially in other Azure regions. This is oart of a planet-scale AI superfactory integrating with 400+ global Azure DCs via AI WAN for distributed training across 70 regions. The total Microsfot capex for AI infra is $34 billion+ in 2025 alone. There is an emphasis on supply chain resilience and multimodal AI support.

Designs prioritize flexibility for next-gen chips like the NVIDIA Rubin Ultra in 2026+.

AI Training Timelines and Usage

Fairwater sites are optimized for trillion-parameter frontier models, supporting pre-training, fine-tuning, RL, and synthetic data gen with over 90% GPU utilization. The transcripts 10x-from-GPT-5 reference aligns with GPT-6. They are expected to leverage the full superfactory for distributed runs across Wisconsin-Atlanta (700+ miles apart) in near real-time.

GPT 6

OpenAI (Microsofts key partner) began initial cluster prep in mid-2025. The full training start is estimated at Q1 2026 on Fairwater infra. There should be a with release by mid-to-late 2026. Acceleration rumors stem from competitive pressure but no firm date confirmed. Sam Altman hinted at amazing new model in 2026 with multimodal/memory features. Wisconsin site online in 2026 would enable this. Atlanta already handling early workloads like Copilot/GPT-image-audio variants.
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After a long day, falling asleep quickly can feel like a blessing. Getting the right amount of sleep can be hard enough as is  especially if you struggle with revenge bedtime procrastination  so when your head hits the pillow, you want to be able to actually sleep, right? At the very least, its better than the alternative: lying in bed for hours.

However, according to sleep specialists, both falling asleep too quickly (and too slowly) can be a symptom of a larger problem. The time it takes you to drift off to dreamland is clinically called sleep latency. And while there is no set normal  or better yet, healthy  amount of time it should take your body to fall asleep, there are some general guideposts.

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The ideal amount of time for the body to fall asleep truly varies from person to person, said Kristen Casey, a licensed clinical psychologist and insomnia specialist. The National Sleep Foundation suggests that it should take about 15 to 20 minutes for a healthy person. However, people are complex, so we may have more issues that stop us from falling asleep soundly that are likely out of our control. People with health conditions, for example, may take 30 or 40 minutes, she said.

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Sleep hygiene can help. Its good to spend the half hour before bed winding ourselves down while were awake and do a kind of night bedtime routine, said Dr. Dave Rabin, a neuroscientist, board-certified psychiatrist, and co-founder and chief innovation officer at Apollo Neuroscience, which developed wearable technology meant to improve sleep. Falling asleep within a half hour is a good goal.

What Your Body Is Telling You When It Falls Asleep Quickly

Falling asleep minutes after your head hits the pillow isnt necessarily a cause for concern overall, but it could be a signal that something is going on in some cases. The specific cause will differ for each person, even if they have similar sleeping schedules or sleep in the same bed. Here are some of the main culprits, though, according to the experts:

You simply need more sleep.

Falling asleep too quickly can be a sign of exhaustion, a sign that we are overworking ourselves, a sign of burnout, and generally a sign that were not spending enough time recovering and resting, Rabin said.

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Further, you may be sleeping long enough, but the sleep you get is junk sleep, or sleep thats not deep enough to truly nourish you.

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As you probably know, addressing a lack of sleep can be easier said than done for many reasons, however. Many of us are busy beyond belief, struggling with anxiety that keeps us awake  the list goes on. And since each persons sleep journey is unique, different people will need different treatments. So what can you do?

Casey recommended seeing your doctor. We choose a treatment that will be clinically indicated based on the origin of sleep latency issues, she said. For example, if someone is falling asleep too quickly because they are exercising too much and working 12-hour days, its likely they have a very high sleep drive. Sleep drive is the bodys biological need for sleep.

For this patient, she continued, treatment might look like carving out more time to sleep, adjusting how much they exert themselves, and getting labs done at the doctor to cover all the bases.

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You have a mental health condition.

Another potential reason Casey mentioned relates to another aspect of your well-being.

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It can also be a side effect of medication or caused by mental health diagnoses, such as depression, she said. So again, youre dealing with a catch-22: Depression may make you sleepy, but so do certain antidepressants.

However, given that untreated depression, for example, can be dangerous, its best to address it head-on. Antidepressants that are less likely to cause fatigue, anecdotally, include bupropion, reboxetine and venlafaxine.

Youre experiencing sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea, most common in older adults, could also be at play. Sleep apnea is a chronic sleep disorder whereby the upper airway is completely or partially obstructed during sleep, leading to a decrease in oxygen content in the blood and sleep fragmentation, said Theresa Schnorbach, a sleep scientist with mattress companyEmma.

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If youre struggling with this, you may also notice fatigue during the day and cognitive dysfunction, she noted. As far as treatment goes, she advised a regular sleep schedule and quitting smoking, if applicable.

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If you suspect you might have a sleep disorder, such as sleep apnea, consider seeing your general practitioner, added Catherine Katie Yu, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner withThriveworks in Portland, Maine, who specializes in depression, anxiety and sleep/insomnia. She also recommends setting aside seven to eight hours for uninterrupted sleep.

Lying awake for hours can also signify a problem. RoxiRosita via Getty Images

What Your Body Is Telling You When It Falls Asleep Slowly

Now, lets talk about the other side of the coin: not being able to fall asleep. Whats up with that?

Interestingly, some of the same causes. Difficulty with falling asleep may be a symptom of insomnia, chronic pain or a psychological or medical condition, Casey said. Most of the time, people who struggle to fall asleep are anxious, experiencing pain or struggle to have a high sleep drive at night.

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Here are a few additional reasons this may be happening:

Your sleep routine isnt the best.

With busy schedules, practicing a routine around sleep (versus just getting in bed) can take effort  but its worth it. While some aspects are harder to address, not all of them are.

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Having an inconsistent bedtime, poor sleep habits, working non-traditional shifts (such as evening/night shifts or rotating schedules), undiagnosed or unmanaged health conditions such as stress, depression, anxiety, COPD, GERD and having an uncomfortable sleeping surface could all contribute to taking too long to fall asleep, Yu said.

She points to drinking too much caffeine or drinking it after 2 p.m., looking at screens an hour before bed, napping during the day, decongestants and eating or exercising a lot right before bed. While you may not be able to change when you work or whether you have a medical condition, consider taking medicine, meditating before bed or not going to bed any later than you need to.

You feel emotional or stressed.

Rabin homed in on the mental health aspect. Pretty much every mental illness often starts with difficulty falling asleep, he said. This doesnt mean if you have difficulty falling asleep you have mental illness, but it does mean that the body is struggling with something that is making it feel unsafe or unable to settle down enough to be able to be vulnerable to enter sleep states  deep sleep states in particular.

Schnorbach agreed distress, anxiety and other emotional concerns can trigger insomnia by leading to an overactive sympathetic nervous system that controls the bodys fight-or-flight mechanism, releasing the stress hormone cortisol. She mentioned the awful cyclical nature of this, too, saying insomnia can lead to depression (and depression can worsen insomnia).

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Again, Casey believes seeing a medical provider is your best bet. We may suggest psychotherapy to address a persons anxiety if thats causing them issues initiating sleep at night, she said. One technique that may be useful includes scheduled worry time. The latter is what it sounds like: giving yourself about 10 minutes to worry, and telling yourself youre only allowed to let yourself worry during that period.

The standard for treating sleep disturbance in the medical community often involves the use of intensive psychotherapy like CBTI, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, which does work but requires a lot of effort from the patient, Rabin added.

He also mentioned the helpfulness of at-home wellness practices, such as breathwork, meditation, yoga, exercise and creating a soothing environment. Certain products can help with this, such as brown noise machines.

You know your body best, Schnorbach said. Listen to it and be conscious of any changes in how you are sleeping.

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Ground was broken last month for a new 3,750-square-foot History Museum at Historic New Bridge Landing. Donors and officials gathered to celebrate a project that will expand education and access to Bergen County history. Bergen County Historical Society

The Bergen County Historical Society recently broke ground on a 3,750-square-foot history museum at Historic New Bridge Landing.

Community leaders, supporters and elected officials gathered in River Edge for a ceremony last month to launch the first phase of the museum project.

Historic New Bridge Landing is a Revolutionary War-era crossroads on the Hackensack River, known as The Bridge that Saved a Nation.

The 13-acre site offers immersive experiences that connect visitors with the people and events that shaped America.

Historical Society President Beverly Hashimoto emphasized the museums importance in preserving local Revolutionary War history.

Especially in this year marking our nations founding, its vital that New Jersey  the state that witnessed more Revolutionary War activity than any other colony  have a museum dedicated to telling that story, Hashimoto said in a statement. Bergen Countys pivotal role in the conflict helped shape the course of world history and cannot be overstated.

The new facility, designed by Arcari & Iovino Architects, will feature galleries, flexible space for educational programs and public talks, and improved visitor amenities.

The fully ADA-accessible building will include climate-controlled storage for the societys collection, much of which has never been on permanent display.

The Bergen County Historical Society, founded in 1902, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing Bergen Countys history through exhibitions, educational programs and events.
A passenger was killed early Sunday when a vehicle struck a concrete barrier on an exit ramp from Interstate 78 in Newark, police said.

A 26-year-old Elizabeth man was driving eastbound around 2:15 a.m. when he took the Exit 57 ramp, according to a New Jersey State Police spokesman.

The driver lost control of the vehicle, ran off the roadway to the left and hit the end of a concrete barrier, police said.

Front-seat passenger Anthony D. Thomas, 28, of Plainfield, was killed, according to police.

The driver was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries.

The crash remains under investigation, police said. No additional details were released.
An aerial view in 2020 of the former railway embankment overgrown reclaimed by nature in Jersey City, New Jersey.

It looks like a forest but in a most unlikely location: Jersey Citys downtown.

Now, after more than a quarter-century of wrangling, officials are proceeding with a plan to transform what was once an elevated rail line into a nearly mile-long linear park.

Jersey Citys council on Wednesday approved a multi-pronged settlement agreement whose key provision will transform the overgrown Sixth Street Embankment into a scenic haven for walking and sightseeing.

Some supporters said the elevated park may someday serve as New Jerseys version of the High Line on the West Side of Manhattan, which was also once an elevated railway. It was revived as a 1.45-mile long greenway in 2009 that attracts an estimated 7 million visitors annually.

Some Jersey City residents have long envisioned their own elevated greenway.

We are dealing with a priceless resource here, Robb Kushner, a 15-year Jersey City resident, told the council.

Its so hard to imagine what this will mean to the city, to have a pathway through nature above the city. If youve ever been to the High Line in New York City, you would know a bit of what Im talking about, but this is going to be even, in many ways, cooler than the High Line, Kushner said.

The Sixth Street Embankment is a vacant elevated train line, owned by Conrail, that sits between Sixth and Fifth streets and stretches from Marin Boulevard to Brunswick Street. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal) Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal

Sean Gallagher  a resident but not the city clerk of the same name  said he has long marveled that a naturally-seeded downtown urban forest is in Jersey City.

Gallagher told the council the space is the lungs to our community, explaining that it captures carbon dioxide, absorbs stormwater and cools streets.

We didnt plant a single tree. We actually didnt spend a single taxpayer dollar on maintaining it and yet this forest up on top of the embankment, its thriving on its own, Gallagher said.

The agreement unanimously approved by the council via an ordinance Wednesday will transfer the future park land to Jersey City while authorizing the construction of more than 600 residential units, including some set aside for affordable housing.

Aerial view of the Harsimus Branch Embankment, also known as the Sixth Street Embankment, in Downtown Jersey City on Nov. 10, 2020. It's an almost mile-long former railroad which extends from Brunswick Street to Marin Boulevard, that has been reclaimed by nature. (Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal)

When it was introduced in October, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said on X that the plan is a historic step in realizing a continuous public corridor connecting Jersey Citys neighborhoods and parks.

The educational potential is vast. Young people are inspired by the strange wild structure in the middle of the city, Katy Lyness, a board member of the Embankment Preservation Coalition, told the council.

The embankment can help us learn about the natural world, about the history of the city, about trains and ultimately about ourselves. We hope that going forward the embankment will continue to inspire us and to be our teacher, Lyness said.

Councilwoman-elect Eleana Little said she was in elementary school when the project was first discussed more than a quarter-century ago. Her Ward E district includes the former railway embankment.

This is truly a generational project, Little told the council.

Downtown Jersey City deserves this quiet, peaceful natural greenway for eventual connection up to the Bergen Arches and the East Coast Greenway. We know how important urban green space is for our physical and mental health. We need to preserve this urban oasis, Little said.

Stephanie Daniels, president of the Historic Paulus Hook Association, also offered support.

I feel like were here on a truly historic night. This has been 25 years, Daniels said.

Nobody gave up. Youre creating this greenway for walking and biking and youre connecting neighborhoods. It really does not get better than that, Daniels said.
Police scour storefronts on Chancellor Avenue after a shooting at the intersection with Leslie Street in Newark, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Rich Cowen | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Newark Saturday that killed a young woman and a child, and injured three others.

A 10-year-old boy and a 21-year-old woman died from their injuries after being rushed to University Hospital, according to a statement from the Essex County Prosecutors Office.

The other victims  an 11-year-old boy, a 19-year-old man and a 60-year-old man  were in stable condition, the office said.

The shooting took place at the corner of Chancellor Avenue and Leslie Street around 7 p.m. Saturday. Just hours later, a $10,000 reward for information was announced.

Investigators examine clothing on the sidewalk near the scene of a fatal shooting in Newark's South Ward, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Rich Cowen | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Police roped off a large area at the intersection as they investigated Saturday night. Cops and plain clothes detectives were seen combing Chancellor Avenue with flashlights, inspecting the sidewalk and the roll-up security doors of storefronts. Several examined what appeared to be a jacket on the ground.

The area is a mostly residential neighborhood of single-family homes. Chancellor Avenue is the main thoroughfare; in the immediate area of the shooting is a liquor store, a nail salon, a laundromat and a storefront mosque.

Residents of an apartment building on Leslie Street were not allowed back in the building late Saturday night. One resident who asked that her name not be used said she was outside on Leslie Street when she heard gunfire erupt.

It was a lot of screaming, she said. Asked how many shots, she said, It was a lot. More than six.

Police talk near the scene of a fatal shooting at the intersection of Chancellor Avenue and Leslie Street in Newark, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Rich Cowen | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

In a statement, Mayor Ras Baraka called it a dark and devastating day in Newark, noting that earlier Saturday a 2-year-old died after falling from a 20th-story window.

We will not rest until there is justice for the parents and families left behind in unspeakable pain and grief. Newark will work tirelessly with the prosecutors office, state law-enforcement, and federal agencies to ensure justice is served. We urge the killer to turn himself in, as there is no safe place to hide, the mayor said.

Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this trauma. Our prayers are with them  and our actions will support them," he said.

Gov. Phil Murphy posted on Facebook asking for prayers for the victims and their families.

The entire Newark Department of Public Safety deeply mourns the devastating loss of a 10-year-old boy and a 21-year-old woman resulting from yesterdays senseless violence, Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda said in a statement. Our heartfelt prayers are with the families as well as for the three surviving victims.

We will work vigorously with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure that the person or persons responsible for this horrific incident are arrested and brought to justice as swiftly as possible.

We respectfully request the publics assistance in reporting any information to help us identify the suspects. Even the slightest bit of information can significantly advance our investigation and begin to bring comfort to the victims and their families.

Anyone with information that leads to an arrest in the case could get a reward of up to $10,000 through the Essex County Crime Stoppers Program, the prosecutors office said.

The prosecutors office did not release any other details about the case. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Essex County Prosecutors Office confidential tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.
Customer Advocate Franck Beaumin, explains the agency's accelerated plan to replace cloudy windows in 400 rail cars in March during a press conference in a car with all new windows. SL

If Franck Beaumin was a stranger to New Jersey and its statewide transit system when he arrived in November 2024, he isnt now.

Beaumin, the agencys second customer advocate, said he moved to Hoboken for its transit accessibility and commutes to and from work in Newark by train and sometimes on light rail. Hes traveled throughout the state by bus, train and light rail to investigate commuter issues.

Named to the post one year ago, he was previously customer service project and customer experience manager for Keolis, a transit operator in Paris. He then oversaw customer communications for Keolis Commuter Services, which operates the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authoritys 14 commuter rail lines serving the Boston region.

Possibly the biggest hurdle for Beaumin is that commuters still dont know about his position, which was mandated by the NJ Transit reform law signed by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2018.

None of the commuters interviewed in Hoboken Terminal on Nov. 6 said they were aware NJ Transit had a customer advocate.

Most said a customer advocate was a good idea and listed concerns they would bring to him. One commuter, who said he is a Libertarian, questioned how much difference the advocate has made if commuters dont know he exists.

All the commuters interviewed said NJ Transit needs to do a better job telling riders that the customer advocate is available to help them.

Its not for lack of trying by Beaumin. He has a regular social media presence on X and just started a Bluesky account. Commuters can use a feedback form on NJ Transits website to bring issues to his attention.

Members of a North Jersey commuter group said hes been effective in his first year.

Franck has been doing a pretty good job; he comes to our meetings to listen, said Sally Jane Gellert, chairperson of Lackawanna Coalition, a rail passenger advocacy group. He shares information, he researches questions if he doesnt have immediate answers. He cares and communicates.

Gellert cited examples of how Beaumin helped a commuter who reported problems when PATH and NJ Transit cross-honor tickets during service disruptions.

On a recent trip, he was challenged, and wondered what plans were in place to ensure that all employees were aware, Gellert said. I received a detailed explanation of the coordinated process in place.

Another issue from a commuter forwarded to Beaumin was related to problems with the Newark Light Rail escalators, she said.

He responded with what she called a compassionate, thoughtful five-paragraph reply explaining that escalators were out of service for so long due to unavailability of parts, Gellert said. They are scheduled to be replaced as part of a Newark Penn renovation.

I think he is doing a good job in communicating, she said. We have seen a few concrete actions, but of course, he is working with an agency long known for being unresponsive, a huge battleship to turn.

Beaumin, who worked for transit systems in Asia, Paris and Boston, said in an interview that commuters want the same basic level of service around the world.

The concerns of New Jersey Transit riders are roughly the same as any other customer in the U.S., Europe and Asia, he said. Number one is on-time performance, service reliability and service comfort. Everywhere its the same.

Beaumin is quick to remind riders that his job is not the same as the customer service office, which handles complaints about individual service issues and employees.

He collects customer feedback sent to him online or from in-person forums and also looks at issues brought to customer service to determine if there is a trending issue to be addressed.

When there are, Beaumin said he rides the train, bus or light rail system to investigate the issue in person. That sends him across the state, as he recalled a weeks travel itinerary that took him to Dunellen, Wood-Ridge, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Summit and the RiverLine light rail.

When I receive customer complaints, I like to verify them myself, he said. I want to verify if the customer complaint is systemic or a one off.

Then, Beaumin meets with the operations workers in the appropriate NJ Transit division to talk about solutions.

While a full list of first year accomplishments will be in an upcoming annual report, Beaumin named a few successes.

His approach to handling issues is to look at how riders start their trip when using information on the website, app and trip planner information.

That led to displaying a yellow triangle on trip search results to warn about planned construction that could affect a trip.

Before that, you had to dig through the advisories page, it will soon be on the app, he said. Now it is available on the home page and soon on the app.

That answered a major complaint from Hudson-Bergen Light Rail riders who said they didnt learn about construction or maintenance disruptions until seeing signs on station platforms on the day of construction or track work.

Posters in stations about service disruptions have been simplified to avoid more text than passengers could read at a glance, he said.

Now theyre like what youd see on social media, Beaumin said.

Real-time light rail train information is coming to the NJ Transit app for Newark and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, he said. Coming improvements to the My Bus app is detailed information about vehicle location.

Beaumin also worked to provide better night access to Newark Penn Station while crews are cleaning the concourse.

Other issues addressed were installing better, more readable signs in the Atlantic City and Trenton train stations and better directional information for customers transferring between PATCO and NJ Transit trains in Lindenwold station.

The long-time problem of closed rail cars on trains is being worked on, he assured riders.
Rare Company Seafood and Steakhouse restaurant announced it has closed permanently. Canva for NJ.com

The owners of Rare Company Seafood and Steakhouse announced Sunday that the restaurant is closing permanently after six years on Long Beach Island.

The restaurant at 605 Long Beach Blvd. in Ship Bottom shared the news in a social media announcement, describing the decision as bittersweet.

The owners cited their growing family as the primary reason for the closure.

As our family continues to grow, weve decided to shift our focus toward this new and beautiful chapter, raising our babies, the restaurants announcement said.

The owners emphasized this may not be a permanent closure, describing it as see you later rather than a final goodbye. They indicated they look forward to potentially returning in the future.

The restaurant appeared on NJ.coms 2022 list of 22 new Jersey Shore restaurants to try when the former Greenhouse Cafe changed its menu to focus on seafood and steaks.

In their closing message signed the Rare Co. Family, the owners thanked customers for their years of business.

Your support, smiles, and loyalty have meant the world to us, and well always be grateful for the community weve built here, the announcement stated.

The restaurant characterized the past six years as filled with laughter, tears, hard work, and the joy of serving the most incredible customers.
Planes taxi in front of an air traffic control tower at Newark International Airport in Newark, N.J., Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) AP

By Annette Quijano and Ana Maria Hill

When people think of airports, they picture pilots in cockpits or air traffic controllers guiding planes safely through crowded skies.

But this summer in Newark, an urgent safety crisis wasnt in the air  it was on the ground, behind the scenes.

Workers on the tarmac and in cargo warehouses endured punishing heat, sometimes exceeding 100 degrees. One Newark cargo agent, Ashley, described feeling dizzy and lightheaded in an office without air conditioning, while colleagues in the metal-sided warehouse worked in conditions that felt like an oven.

This is not just uncomfortable, its dangerous, and it puts the entire airport system at risk.

Every day, tens of thousands of travelers pass through Newark Liberty International Airport. Beyond being one of the busiest transportation hubs in the nation, Newark is also a powerful economic engine, fueling billions of dollars in trade and tourism and supporting countless jobs beyond the terminals.

It is this largely invisible workforce, like Ashley, that keeps the airport running, loading bags, cleaning cabins, securing cargo, and assisting passengers. These jobs are not only support roles. They are essential to Newark Libertys operations, passenger safety, the regional economy, and the security of our transportation system.

Yet for too long, these workers were denied what they deserved.

The people who kept planes moving and cargo flowing often earned poverty wages, struggled with the high cost of housing, and couldnt afford to see a doctor or take a sick day. This instability wasnt just unjust  it left airports more vulnerable, with a workforce underpaid, under-supported, and stretched thin while carrying a critical economic hub.

That is why, in 2021, the Legislature passed the Healthy Terminals Act (HTA), guaranteeing family-sustaining wages, healthcare, and paid time off to airport workers.

These are not luxuries. They are necessities to ensure a stable, skilled workforce we can rely on in emergencies, whether facing terrorism threats, medical crises, or natural disasters.

When we passed the HTA, we made a clear statement: the health and safety of airport workers is inseparable from the safety and functioning of our airports. Airport service workers are the backbone of our transportation system and the frontline defenders of public safety.

Unfortunately, recent reports about Alliance Ground International (AGI)  a Miami-based ground handling company employing more than 150 workers at Newark Liberty  highlight why this law is necessary and why we must defend it today.

According to 2024 OSHA data, AGIs illness and injury rate at Newark is significantly higher than the industry average for employers with 50 or more employees. Workers describe punishing heat and malfunctioning AC systems. At least four have already suffered heat-related illness this summer alone.

Equally troubling, 32BJ SEIU research shows AGI may have withheld as much as $2 million in wages and benefits required under the HTA. Those funds were intended for benefit supplements, vacation, and paid holidays benefits that keep workers healthy, rested, and ready to perform precise, safety-critical jobs. Instead, some AGI workers report skipping doctor visits or forgoing medical care because the company failed to provide benefit supplements state law requires. That is unacceptable.

AGIs Newark workforce demonstrates every day why the HTA matters. Ramp agents carefully balance cargo loads so aircraft can fly safely. Cargo crews ensured medical supplies and PPE reached their destinations during the height of the pandemic. Ticket agents and cabin cleaners support passengers through delays and emergencies.

These are skilled, essential workers whose dedication keeps our airports running and our communities safe. Denying them what state law requires isnt just unjust, it undermines airport safety.

New Jersey recognized this when we passed the HTA. We understood that when airport workers are respected and fairly compensated, the entire airport functions more securely and reliably. Stable, experienced crews mean fewer mistakes, safer flights, and stronger responses in times of crisis.

Companies like AGI cannot be allowed to skirt the law or treat workers as disposable. The HTA was a promise New Jersey made to these essential workers, and we cannot allow that promise to be broken.

Our airports cannot be safe if our workers are not safe. We must defend the Healthy Terminals Act until every worker gets the dignity, respect, and protections they deserve.

Annette Quijano represents the 20th Legislative District in the New Jersey state Assembly. A Democrat, she is the Assembly Majority Leader.

Ana Maria Hill is vice president of 32BJ SEIU, the service employees union.
The honeymoon between the New Jersey GOP and the president, to the extent that it ever existed, is officially over. Every indicator points toward two issues being the root cause of the Republican pantsing that occurred on Election Day, affordability and Trump. For New Jersey Republicans one of those problems is quicker and easier to solve than the other.

Jack Ciattarelli went to great lengths to acquire the endorsement of Donald Trump. Before becoming the presumptive nominee Ciattarelli was locked in a pitched battle with Trump devotee Bill Spadea to decide who was the most MAGA. Winning that war required Ciattarelli, a former moderate, to abandon long held principles and publicly reverse himself on issues like the legal culpability of the January 6th rioters in order to curry favor with the president and his base. It was a strategy that worked until it didnt.

It was always going to be a long shot to get over the finish line in Jersey as a Trump Republican, I dont think anyone knew how long. Ciattarelli lost to Mikie Sherrill by 13 points and Democrats made gains up and down the ballot, even in solid red districts. It was the type of whooping youd expect to serve as a wake up call for a state party that has slowly become more Trump-curious over the past few election cycles, but Im not sure Jersey Republicans see it that way.

Logic would suggest that if you got your clock cleaned by cozying up to Trump, perhaps now would be a good time to distance yourself a tad, but its not that simple. Trump still has a stranglehold on the base of the party both here and nationally. Any public disavowal of the glorious leader is going to elicit exactly the kind of response youd expect from a president who routinely updates his enemies list on social media. Trumps approval ratings have hit new lows, but not with the voters a statewide candidate is going to need to secure the nomination. For the time being, winning the Republican base is going to be dependent on Trumps seal of approval, and judging by the election results, Trumps seal of approval is going to make it very difficult to win a statewide race. Rock meet hard place.

I am personally of the-admittedly biased- opinion that its best to just pull off the band-aid quickly and get it over with. The sooner New Jersey Republicans stop prostrating themselves for the approval of a deeply unpopular president the better, and there are voices within the party starting to echo the sentiment. Earlier this week Republican State Senator Jon Bramnick publicly urged his party to move on from Trump and actively rebrand itself in a more moderate, welcoming image. Seems like sound electoral advice, but it should be noted that when Bramnick ran for the Republican gubernatorial nomination as an anti-Trump candidate he was soundly defeated by the guy who went to Mar-A-Lago and bent the knee over breakfast. Therein lies the rub.
An Islamic nonprofit group has submitted a plan to build a mosque on a 10-acre wooded tract on Colfax Road in Wayne.

The organization is seeking several variances to construct the house of worship next to a church and in the middle of a residential zone.

The nonprofit, IPRAY House, Inc., bought the lot at 225 Colfax Road for $850,000 in 2024. In September, IPRAY House submitted its site plan for a two-story mosque and community center with parking for 250 cars.

Ahmet Anar, the president of IPRAY House, said the vision is to create a community space rooted in Islam but open to all people, not just Muslims.

Our vision is to create a thoughtfully designed mosque and a community center that brings people together at a time when the world often feels increasingly polarized, Anar said. We hope this site will become a place where families, neighbors, and individuals of all backgrounds can participate in meaningful cultural, educational, and community programs.

Anar said IPRAY House was formed by Wayne families in 2021. The group raised money to buy the land for the mosque.

New Jerseys Muslim population doubled between 2010 and 2020 to about 321,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Passaic County is home to an estimated 60,000 Muslims, according to a 2020 report by the Association of Religion Data Archives. That makes the area one of the largest Islamic enclaves in the country.

Most of Passaic Countys Islamic population is concentrated in the cities of Paterson and Clifton. But as more Muslims move up the economic ladder, theyre moving out to suburbs like Wayne.

We envision the center as a social mosaic  a welcoming environment that reflects the diversity of Wayne and encourages harmony, mutual understanding, and unity, Anar said. Our plans include opportunities for cross-cultural learning, community gatherings, and programs that promote citizenship, service, and neighborly connection."

For that vision to bear fruit, IPRAY House will need several variances from the Wayne Board of Adjustment. Waynes planning consultant, Caroline Reiter reviewed the plan and on Oct. 27 sent a letter advising IPRAY House that its application was incomplete and the group needed to supply more information about the plan.

Reiter said IPRAY House would need a conditional use variance to build a house of worship in the residential zone. The lot is next door to St Michaels Russian Orthodox Church, so getting a variance is not expected to be difficult.

A non-profit, IPRAY House, Inc., wants to build a mosque and community center on a wooded lot next to St. Michael's Russian Orthodox Church on Colfax Road in Wayne. The plan calls for the mosque to be built on three acres in the middle of the lot and away from the church. Richard Cowen/NJ Advance Media for NJ.Com

But Reiter wrote that IPRAY House will need a height variance for the proposed 50-foot minarets, which are taller than the 35-foot maximum building height allowed in the residential zone.

And because a good portion of the property is wetlands, IPRAY House will need a letter of interpretation from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Reiter has also asked for more specifics on tree removal, landscaping, signage, fencing and parking setbacks.

Mark Semeraro, the attorney for IPRAY House, described the planners requests as routine.

Theres nothing unusual in the request for more information, Semeraro said. He expects the hearing before the Wayne Board of Adjustment will begin in January.

Semeraro said the plan is to build the mosque on three acres in the center of the 10-acre lot, away from St. Michaels Russian Orthodox Church which sits at one end.

Anar said the mosque is designed with an 8,400-square-foot prayer room that can accommodate roughly 468 people. Theres also an indoor courtyard, a multipurpose community room, museum, library, flex space and administrative offices, he said.

We fully intend to satisfy the townships requests and continue with the application, he said. We remain committed to full compliance with all municipal requirements, environmental regulations, and technical standards. We look forward to working collaboratively with township staff and professionals as the review process continues.
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On 24 July 1875 an inquest was held in Torquay into the violent death of Elizabeth Croker.

Elizabeth was a very hard-working and industrious woman and she lived with a man called Buckpitt in a lodging house in Pimlico. Buckpitt was a lumper, who unloaded trawlers on the harbourside, and the two lived pretty comfortably together, except at times when he was drunk.

Just before she died Buckpitt had been seen to kick and strike Elizabeth across the face with his dinner of bread and meat wrapped in a cloth. Elizabeth cried out, Why did you do that for after my hard days work?

It wasnt the first time. On another occasion Buckpitt had struck Elizabeth in the face with his hand, knocking her to the floor.

After this last assault Elizabeth complained of a pain in her left side and died two days later. However, not being able to establish a link between the attack and Elizabeths death, the Jury returned a verdict of Death from Natural Causes and Buckpitt walked free.

Nevertheless, Buckpitt was chastised by the Coroner who warned him about his conduct. The Coroner believed Buckpitt was able to act in a proper manner when sober, but his conduct when tipsy was very bad. If Buckpitt should ever be allied to another woman, he hoped he would treat her kindly.

The sad death of Elizabeth tells us a great deal about attitudes to relationships and domestic violence in Victorian Torbay.

During the nineteenth century marriage was based on deep-rooted traditions and seen as a crucial institution for upholding social order.

Gender roles were clearly defined, with distinct expectations for husbands and wives. Men were seen as the breadwinners and heads of the household, responsible for providing financial stability and making important decisions.

Women were expected to be dutiful wives and devoted mothers, with a focus on domestic duties and child-rearing. A womans worth was consequently often judged by her ability to maintain a comfortable home, while always being dependent on a man: first as a daughter and later as a wife.

Its worth noting that Elizabeths lifestyle wasnt part of that ideal. She wasnt married, was poor and living in sin in the wrong part of town. She was also without children.

Having children, particularly male heirs, was essential for continuing family lines and securing an inheritance. In 1902 Emma Drake in Maternity Without Suffering made this very clear. A woman should dedicate her life to conception and maternity, without which she had no right to be called a wife.

It is in these kind of marriage and guidance manuals that we can see past attitudes to relationships.

Elizabeth Lanfears 1824 book Letters to Young Ladies on Their Entrance into the World instructs women never to complain. She should remain dignified, allow her husband to prevail in everyday arguments, and bear and forbear even when it came to infidelity and marital rape.

This was a profoundly Christian society with scripture seen as the sole truly reliable guide. In 1837 William Alcotts The Young Wife, or Duties of Woman in the Marriage Relation Gods plan was explained, There was a time, in the history of our world, when woman did not exist. Man was alone until almighty Power called forth woman and presented her to man. She was to be mans assistant.

Reinforcing this traditional argument, Arthur Freeling wrote in 1839 in The Young Brides Book: Being Hints for Regulating the Conduct of Married Women, A sensible woman, to preserve the peace and secure the affections of her husband, will often sacrifice her own inclinations to his.

If marital strife did occur it was unlikely to be the fault of the husband. Men just couldnt help themselves, Men are less called and less accustomed than women, even from their earliest youth, to exercise the virtues of self-denial or self-control; and, being naturally more sensual, and, by the laws of decorum and the usages of society, less restricted in the indulgence of their appetites and the gratification of their passions.

Domestic violence was consequently mostly blamed on the woman. The supposed offences could be indiscipline, talking back, lack of affection, undermining her husband, or just poor cooking. Hence, some domestic violence wasnt just tolerated, it was even seen as necessary, the husband having the right to moderate correction.

What happened behind closed doors was seen to be a private affair. Few police officers would become involved unless the violence was extreme, or there was a public nuisance. Yet, while the law offered little recourse, communities often did frown on violence in the home. Abusive men could be publicly shamed by crowds gathering outside the house to bang pots and pans.

The lack of legal recourse was the outcome of the idea that marriage entailed the husband taking on all responsibility for their wives, including financial support and liability for debts. Before the passing of the 1882 Married Property Act, when a woman got married her wealth was passed to her husband; if she worked her earnings also belonged to him.

Nevertheless, some legislation did improve the situation. In 1853 a law made the punishment for wife-beating up to 6 months in prison. In 1878 further legislation allowed a woman to obtain a separation order from a magistrate if her husband was violent.

Then in 1891 it was established that no person had a right to imprison another, not even if they were husband and wife. When Emily Jackson left her husband Edmund, he abducted and imprisoned her. Emilys family successfully obtained a court order forcing her release.

Leaving an unhappy or violent marriage was not a good option. The Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857 gave men the right to divorce their wives on the grounds of adultery; but not the woman. Once divorced, any children became the man's property and the mother could be prevented from seeing them.

Though the law did gradually make divorce easier during the twentieth century this was still a male-dominated society based on respectability and conformity. After marriage very few women worked, it was unusual for women to go to university, and schools prepared girls for looking after their husband, their children and the house. And so, if a woman wanted to leave a marriage, she often had no money of her own and no career.

However, political, social, and cultural changes accelerated from the 1960s onwards. More women entered the workforce, continuing education became possible, morality evolved, the influence of religion declined, and the creation of the welfare state gave women more options. All these advances towards equality had to be fought for.

In 1971 Chiswick Women's Aid opened the worlds first safe house for women and children and in 1976 the first Rape Crisis Centre opened in North London. By the late twentieth century, women who suffered abuse were seen to be entitled to support, a refuge as a place of safety, and the protection of the police and the courts.

Today we see real progress in public and professional attitudes towards domestic abuse, and the criminal justice system has come a long way towards supporting victims. Nevertheless, much more needs to be done to relegate domestic abuse and sexual violence to our past.

From 25 November to 10 December Torbay will be taking part in the annual 16 Days of Action Against Domestic Violence. During these 16 days, individuals, organisations, and communities across the Bay will come together to advocate for a world free from domestic violence and sexual abuse.

As part of that ongoing campaign let us remember the sad life and tragic death of Torquays Elizabeth Croker and make sure that there are no more Elizabeths out there
I am not quite sure how watching Alan Carr win Celebrity Traitors led me to write an article on kindness.

I just thought it was incredibly kind for him to pick Neuroblastoma UK, which tackles childhood cancer as his chosen charity. Then to win 87,500 prize money for them was amazing, even the losers were kind enough to congratulate him on his victory.

Now I know we have not always got the same opportunities as the stars on that show, but in our own little way we can pick a good cause and support them, I think of it as kindness through giving.

It does not always have to be a financial gift, there are many ways that we can help others. Research shows that being kind is genuinely good for you. It boosts your mental and physical well-being, strengthens relationships, and even contributes to a longer, happier life.

So why wouldnt you want to be kind hearted, you can do it for nothing. I volunteer here at the hospital radio station, but you could equally volunteer at a school, a community event or one of the many charities around the bay.

I always feel so grateful when someone helps me and there are many people who share their skills to help those who need them. Cooking for people perhaps if they are unwell, fixing things which may save the cost of an expensive repair, the opportunities are endless. Maybe you have a skill that could help others?

Torquay has its own repair shop in the Skills Centre in Lime Avenue. With the help of some community development funding from Sanctuary Housing they have opened up their skills centre on a Thursday evening. There is a small team of volunteers who use their expertise to try and fix the items brought in. This might be items of furniture, clothing that needs mending, electrical items or something of sentimental value that just needs a little bit of TLC! Thats kindness for you.

I believe that just a simple hello in the street and a smile to a stranger can brighten my day and hopefully the other person. A smile is incredibly strong, as is holding the door open for someone behind you or letting someone go ahead of you in in a queue if you are not in a rush.

Its not old fashioned to do that, its just kind. It is always nice to receive a compliment so never be afraid to dish out a sincere compliment, especially to someone who might not be expecting it, why not give it a try, trust me it isnt hard.

I know good manners seem to have passed some people by, but you shouldnt let that change your behaviours. A simple please or thank you can get you far in life and it costs nothing at all.

Another thing that gives me an immense feeling of happiness is trying to help others when they are struggling with something or doubting themselves, a bit of encouragement costs nothing but that simple act of kindness through words can set a person on the right track. You could follow it up with a note or message to someone, both you and they will appreciate it, Im sure.

Finally, of course take some time for yourself, encourage yourself like you might a friend and dont be afraid to take a break to refresh your batteries. I had a to do list when I started writing this article, with a few easy to do items first, celebrating those small wins is great way to encourage yourself.

And if you do get something wrong, I suggest you forgive yourself. I just like to thank Alan Carr, who somehow gave me the inspiration for this article. So please be kind it costs nothing and it can make you feel good. Thanks for reading.
The Salvation Army has launched its Christmas Toy Appeal to support families across Torbay

The Salvation Army has launched its Christmas Toy Appeal to support families across Torbay

It is appealing for donations of new and unwrapped toys to ensure that all referred local children will have the opportunity to receive a gift to open this Christmas.

Community Mission Manager Andy Bichard said: Christmas is a time when families come together to share joy, excitement, and see the delight on childrens faces when they open their presents. Sadly, for many families during these ongoing, difficult and turbulent times, this simply isnt possible.

More and more people are struggling to make ends meet which we see at our foodbank and across many services across Torbay and thats why The Salvation Army is once again stepping forward to bring hope and practical support to those who need it most. Especially young families and children who could otherwise go without.

The Salvation Army has been supporting people across Torbay for more than 100 years, providing help through pastoral care and community outreach.

The Christmas Toy Appeal is an important part of this ongoing work, helping local families to experience the joy of Christmas even in difficult times.

Andy said: Were asking the people of Torbay to play their part. By donating brand new, unwrapped toys, you can help us make sure every child we support has something special waiting for them on Christmas morning.

The Salvation Army will also be continuing its partnership with The Entertainer toyshop, whilst also working with a number of businesses across Torbay, who will be able to accept donations for this years Toy Appeal directly.

Torquay partners: The Entertainer, Visto Lounge and Bank Torquay (Fleet Street)

Paignton partners: ToyMaster and The Works

Toys can be donated in-store during their respective opening hours.

Andy said: We have already had fantastic support from the Winners 2000 Gym at Torquay. Thanks to Gess, Wendy, the team and members we have already had a wonderful donation of toys to kick start this years donation. If any business or group would like to support us in the same way, then please do get in touch and together help make a difference this Christmas.

The Toy Appeal is not the only way The Salvation Army are actively looking to support children and young families across Torbay.

Tiny Toes toddler group

The Tiny Toes toddler group has recently started, which is open every Monday morning from 10am to 11.30am during school term times at the Torquay Salvation Army.

This group offers a friendly environment for both parents and children to socialise and engage in play.

Situated centrally in Torquay, Tiny Toes offers a secure and inviting space where children can develop and explore, while parents and carers can find support and a sense of community in a safe space, with a friendly team ready to welcome them.

"We hope that Tiny Toes will become a vibrant little community where toddlers, parents and carers can play, learn and socialise together. Relationships are so important at every stage of life, so if we can give people the opportunity to love and grow together, then we will be delighted to play a part in that. We are timing Tiny Toes to be open during the hours of our foodbank, so we can directly support families with food provision if the need exists, as we want to support families in any way we can, says Andy.

To give The Salvation Army and its referral partners enough time to distribute the gifts, donations should be made by Friday December 5.

Donations to Torquay Salvation Army can be made Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 9am  1:30pm and every Wednesday 9am  3pm and Thursday 9am  1pm at Paignton Salvation Army.

For more information or to donate, please contact:

torbay@salvationarmy.org.uk

Torquay Salvation Army: 01803 294197

Paignton Salvation Army: 01803 527044
A US surgeon donned an Offaly GAA jersey in recent days to deliver "the best news" to the family over Tullamore boy Joey Conway who underwent life-saving surgery last year.

Joey Conway was the subject of the Join Together for Joey fundraising campaign which gained huge traction at the end of 2023 and early 2024 when his family shared his story.

Joey was diagnosed with Portal Vein Thrombosis (PVT), which has led to a serious and rare condition Non-cirrhotic Portal Hypertension. Portal Hypertension has life-threatening symptoms and the risk of death is 40% on a first episode of bleeding. The bleeding comes from varices that develop in his oesophagus.

Natalie and Tommy Conway put the story out there at the time in a bid to save their son's life. They needed to raise over 330,000 for potential life-saving surgery in Chicago and they did it after the community in Offaly and further afield rallied in a big way. They did it and got to Chicago for a number of surgeries in 2024.

OPINION: The Join Together for Joey hitting target is everything I love about Offaly

This week, they posted an amazing update on their Join Together for Joey social media pages, describing the latest update as a "jubilant moment for Joey."

They explained: "We gave Joey's surgeon, Dr Superina, an Offaly jersey after he admired it on Joey a few months back at one of our post op visits in Chicago.

"On Thursday [Nov 6] he surprised us by wearing it and also by giving us the best news, that this is our last post op visit in Chicago. The best news for Joey and our family."

Natalie and Tommy added: "Its two years this December when we shared our story @jointogetherforjoey and thanks to you all he was able to have his surgery four months later.

"Now he is thriving and living life to the full! We are beyond grateful to everyone who helped us along the way," they concluded.

Followers of the page on social media were quick to express their delight with one saying: "A lovely update, so delighted for you all & great to see Joey thrive."

A second said: "This is just wonderful news. May Joey continue to thrive each day. Thank God."
SUSPENDED sentences imposed two years ago on a Rahan man were activated after Tullamore District Court heard he had committed subsequent offences.

Jeffery Moran (36), College View, Rahan, appeared before Judge Andrew Cody in connection with the re-entry of prosecutions dating from a court appearance in September 2023.

Back then he received a six-month suspended sentence for a drugs offence and a three-month suspended sentence for a public order offence.

Mr Moran appeared in custody in court and his solicitor Brian Duffy said that cannabis was a difficulty for him but he had sought assistance for the addiction.

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Mr Duffy also said his client wished to attend school in prison but could not do so after being moved to Wheatfield.

The solicitor asked Judge Cody not to impose much of the suspended sentences and instead focus on Mr Moran's efforts to engage with the underlying issue of cannabis addiction.

If a sentence was to be imposed, he asked the court to back date it to when the man went into prison.

Judge Cody noted that on June 6, 2023 Mr Moran, who was on legal aid, had received a six-month sentence for a breach of the peace and a six-month sentence for having drugs for sale or supply.

He had then offended in 2024 and 2025 and had 37 convictions in all, including nine for drugs offences.

The judge imposed two three-month concurrent sentences, ordering that they commence on the expiry of the sentence he is currently serving.

When Mr Moran was before him in September 2023 Judge Cody criticised him for not admitting at an early date that items in his possession at a house on Eiscir Circle Road, Tullamore on June 17, 2021 were drugs.

The judge said the items, which were valued at 2,000 had to be sent away for analysis. There had been pleas of not guilty from Mr Moran and three bench warrants had to be issued.

The judge noted the State had been put to the expense of having the drugs analysed and observed that Mr Moran had been given legal aid.

He has treated the court with contempt, said the judge.

His solicitor said the man had addiction problems, had been put out of his own house and because of homelessness was in accommodation in Longford which resulted in him rarely seeing his child.

He had a job at the time delivering furniture and was earning 400 per week. He had hoped to have compensation in court but did not have it, Mr Martin said.

The solicitor told the court the drugs found were items that could be got in head shops in England or online.
Honolulu Police Officer Molly Wilt speaks with a woman who gave her name "Helen" on South King Street before giving her a warning about violating Honolulu laws that prohibit sitting or lying on public sidewalks. Jeremy Hay/Honolulu Civil Beat via AP

Yvonne Almond was supposed to be in court to face one of 233 charges she has been hit with in the past year for being homeless in Honolulu. But when the judge in Courtroom 7D called her name, she was nowhere to be seen.

The judge promptly dismissed her case anyway, for lack of evidence. In barely a minute and with a few key strokes by the court clerk, the case was closed and Almonds latest charges  sitting or lying on a public sidewalk and littering  went away.

That had been the outcome for Almond dozens of times already this year and would be again just a week later.

It is the cycle of Honolulus stepped-up campaign against homelessness, a revolving door in which many are cited over and over again for taking up space in public areas, with little lasting effect.

A few hours after the October hearing, Almond could be found seven blocks away in Chinatown sitting on a disposable blanket next to a stained diaper, a torn sheet, a flattened cardboard box and a tube of skin lotion. Her wheelchair was parked nearby.

She looked far older than her 68 years, wild-eyed with thick hair that appeared to once have been blond. She cursed at a companion. She spoke of a lost son, about winning a scholarship in Southern California. Her sentences ran over each other. She lit a cigarette and kept talking.

In August 2024, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi made an ambitious pledge to drastically reduce the number of people sleeping on Honolulu sidewalks, in its parks and on its beaches after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for cities to enforce anti-camping regulations.

He said he would get at least 1,000 people off the street in a year.

Im going to be very aggressive about that, and youre just going to begin to see it now, Blangiardi told Civil Beat.

An analysis of tens of thousands of court records by Civil Beat shows how aggressive the citys enforcement has been. Police issued almost 11,000 citations in the 12 months following Blangiardis promise  a 60% increase from the year before. Violations of the sort Almond was charged with last month quadrupled.

Yet while the number of citations ballooned, the number of people being cited did not, holding firm at about 3,200. In many cases, police are simply penalizing the same people more frequently, some dozens, even hundreds, of times. Sometimes even multiple times in the same day.

Whats unclear is whether increasing the number of tickets meted out to those who often face intractable challenges, many dealing with addiction and mental illness, has resulted in any significant reduction in homelessness.

In the vast majority of cases, people are cited and their cases are dismissed. Citation after citation says they refused services. Of the 10 people police cited the most last year for homeless-related crimes at least seven appear to still be on the streets. The man they cited the most, 286 times, is missing.

City officials said there were 1,700 admissions into the public shelter system in 2025. But they cant say how many of those ended up back on the street.

People on the frontlines of helping homeless people on Oahu say progress is halting, and there is far to go.

If you get one person off the streets, you see like three or four new people (back) on the street, said Castro Masaniai, outreach program manager with the Institute for Human Services, Oahus largest homeless services provider.

Its a cycle trapping everyone involved: the businesses and residents whose worlds are disrupted as people fall apart on their doorsteps, the police tasked with both helping homeless people and keeping them in line, the judges whose courtrooms are filled with ghost cases where no one is really expected to show up or change their ways.

For people living on the streets, the rapid fire citations are another headache in lives already filled with pains and indignities small and large.

Its constant, said Sharolyn Rodrigues, a former police officer who now spends much of her time in Thomas Square guarding shopping carts full of her belongings and tending to four small dogs.

Police cited her 46 times in the year after Blangiardi made his bold statement  nearly once a week.

Rodrigues, now 54, was fired by the Honolulu Police Department in 2014 for assaulting a civilian she said had attacked her daughter and then lying about the incident. After that, her life quickly fell apart.

Shes both resigned to the enforcement routine and practiced at it. When she is cited, she moves on  down the street or around the block and then, eventually, back to the park. Sometimes, Rodrigues said, when she is arrested on a warrant for not showing up in court, she will spend a night or, if its the weekend, two in jail.

Its all, she said, a waste of time.

Yvonne Almond, a homeless woman staying in Honolulu's Chinatown, stands for a portrait Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Kevin Fujii/Honolulu Civil Beat via AP

People lying on every corner

Minutes into her shift on an October Thursday, Honolulu Police Officer Molly Wilt pulled over on South Beretania Street and called out her car window to a man sprawled on the sidewalk, his dark hair matted on the pavement, his slippers askew.

Hi Levan, how are you? Wilt said, stepping out of her patrol vehicle. You know you cant lay on the sidewalk.

The man started to rouse himself and she offered to help. He struggled to sit. Watch out for the poop, she warned, pointing at a brown smear on the sidewalk near his feet. She pulled one of his slippers into place.

Youre just getting a warning today, Wilt said. Youve got to walk to the park, its right there, please.

The sit-lie ordinance is a staple of Wilts policing routine in Chinatown, her patrol beat for more than two years. It requires a verbal warning first. Then, if someone is spotted again within 24 hours, they can be cited  handed a slip of paper that instructs them to show up in court.

Wilt knows most of the homeless people she encounters, and has warned or cited many of them multiple times. Her manner is warm, if efficient. She carries fig bars to dole out, and a pack of cigarettes to lift peoples spirits when they need a smoke.

It wasnt too long into the morning that she spotted Almond, who she knows so well she stopped to ask her about her medications.

It was a circular conversation: Almond said she was going to meet her caseworker. Wilt asked when and where. I dont have a caseworker, Almond said.

Yvonnes crazy, poor thing, Wilt said as she stepped back into her vehicle.

This time, Wilt didnt give Almond a warning because she was not breaking the law. She was sitting on the wall overlooking the Nuuanu Stream, not on the River Street sidewalk.

The crimes homeless people are charged with under the stepped up enforcement are generally sitting or lying on public sidewalks between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m.; blocking sidewalks with tents or other belongings; and engaging in such telltale activities as camping in a public park at night or having a shopping cart in a park.

For Wilt, the combination of laws, the sit-lie ordinance in particular, are essential tools in the daily push to preserve law and order.

Imagine how Chinatown would be if we had nothing to move people to get up off the sidewalk, she said. Were not out to make anybodys life harder  but if we didnt enforce it, people would be lying on every corner.

Over the course of three hours, in interactions with 10 people who live on the streets of her beat, Wilt issued four sit-lie warnings but no citations.

One warning went to a woman wearing a yellow wraparound lava lava and halter top, lying near a bus stop on South King Street. Sitting up grudgingly, she gave her name as Helen. Wilt asked her, Do you want shelter information? but got no response.

So, youre just going to be getting a warning for sitting on the sidewalk, OK, Wilt said, taking the womans photograph for her records. You cant sit on the sidewalk in Chinatown between Richards, Nimitz, Aala and Vineyard.

Wilt asked if the woman wanted some water and said she would return later with some. As the officer drove away, Helen lay back down.

During her shift, Wilt tries to distinguish between what she terms the letter of the law, and the color of the law, the latter meaning she sometimes cuts people slack if they seem to be trying to cooperate.

In an encounter on Nuuanu Street, the color of the law won out.

Wilt asked one homeless man to help her hoist another  an elderly man named Jerry Clark  into his wheelchair from where hed been sleeping half in an entryway, half on the sidewalk. It took more than five minutes and afterward she packed Clarks backpack with his belongings, which had been strewn around him, then gave him a cigarette and lit it for him.

Clark had been cited nine times since January for violating sit-lie, sidewalk nuisance, sidewalk obstruction or park rules laws, plus multiple other times for drinking in public. This time Wilt cut him a break.

I could give him a sit-lie citation, but he obviously needed help, Wilt said later. Its not like he was unwilling to get in his wheelchair and was like F you, Im not getting off the sidewalk.

Orlando Javierto sits at a bus stop in Honolulu's Chinatown on Friday, Oct. 16, 2025. Kevin Fujii/Honolulu Civil Beat via AP

Homelessness campaign is a revolving door

The mayor is quick to point out that even before the Supreme Court ruling, the city had stepped up, investing millions to add 1,000 new shelter beds and increase treatment slots, along with creating an island-wide outreach team to respond to people in crisis.

In an interview, he also emphasized the urgency of acting. At the last official count, at least 3,000 people were living outside on Oahu, making it one of the islands most pressing issues.

Weve got 99% of the people wanting us to do something with the person whos out there on the sidewalk in their neighborhood, perhaps defecating on their sidewalks, out of their minds, Blangiardi said. They dont know what to do with it. And thats what were trying to deal with.

At the same time, were not just picking them up, telling them, go down the street, well take your stuff and get out of here. Were not doing that.

That was an echo of statements he made in his 2020 election campaign, when he criticized his predecessor Kirk Caldwells homelessness policy, known as compassionate disruption. That approach, which emphasized sweeping encampments as a way to prod people into services, only moves the houseless in circles to other neighborhoods and parks and then back again, Blangiardi told the ACLU during his campaign.

Yet more than a third of the homeless citations issued in the year following Blangiardis promise went to 170 people each cited at least a dozen times. More than half of cases involved someone cited six or more times. And of all the citations issued that year, 83% went to people cited more than once.

Its become a tired story for the attorneys assigned to represent Honolulus homeless defendants, First Deputy Public Defender Hayley Cheng said.

We see the same individuals over and over are coming back through the system in the same exact situation with the same exact offenses, Cheng said. On its face, thats indicative that were not or the system is not addressing the underlying issue, which is the fact that they are houseless.

And as the cycle of the same people getting repeatedly cited continues, another does as well: Most cases dont go anywhere.

Sometimes that happens even before the first court date. At other times it comes later in the process, at the arraignment or after defendants have been assigned a public defender and plea deals are made. Judges sometimes rule to dismiss cases or prosecutors elect not to pursue them.

Of all the citations issued in the year following Blangiardis August 2024 promise, at least three-quarters were either dismissed by judges or dropped by prosecutors.

That proportion didnt budge from the year before.

Thats the part were stumbling over right now, Blangiardi said of the high rate of dismissals.

Kaleb Hoosier wasnt aware of any of that in April when he arrived in Honolulu from Oklahoma and sat down on a Hotel Street sidewalk across from the police departments Chinatown substation. He was looking to relax.

The 36-year-old had recently spent his savings on a quixotic run for Tulsa mayor and figured Hawaii was a good place to live outside. And from previous visits to Oahu, he thought Chinatown would be hospitable to a guy down on his luck.

Within the next two months, police would cite him 10 times for sitting or lying on the sidewalk, sometimes while sleeping, and twice for drinking in public.

I didnt know it was illegal to sit, Hoosier, who sleeps behind a bush not far from the courthouse, told Civil Beat in September, as his cases wound through the court system. It shocks the conscience.

By mid-October, though, all of his sit-lie cases had disappeared, five of them as part of a plea deal in which Hoosier pleaded guilty to drinking in public. That came with a $25 fine that was suspended on condition of 60 days of good behavior.

The day after Hoosiers cases were dismissed, Wilt spotted him sitting on a Hotel Street sidewalk again. If she hadnt already been on a call, she said she would have given him another sit-lie warning.

Hoosier has a lot of company getting his charges dismissed.

For example, of 19 sit-lie, sidewalk nuisance and sidewalk obstruction charges incurred this September and October by Levan Balatti, the man Wilt gave a warning to at the start of her shift, 16 were dismissed or dropped. Balatti pleaded guilty to one sit-lie charge. The other two have yet to be resolved.

Then there is Rodrigues, the former police officer: 47 of the 51 charges she faced in the year after Blangiardis vow were dismissed or dropped. Three cases are not yet resolved, and for one, she accepted a no contest plea, meaning she didnt dispute the charge.

In Almonds case, of the 80 charges against her that year that have been resolved in court, just one resulted in a penalty: a two-day jail sentence with credit for time served and a $30 fine that was waived.

For Wilt, the police officer, its a dispiriting reality.

I pretty much assume that theyre all going to get dismissed, she said. But all I can do is my job. What I would really like to see is these people get real help and get off the street, and then I can stop tagging them.

Prosecutors said when they decide whether to take on a case they must use a different yardstick than police do when citing or arresting someone.

Under probable cause, police can arrest or cite someone if they believe the facts show they are breaking the law. But the goal of a prosecution is a conviction, which can result in punishment, and that requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt, said Florence Nakakuni, head of the misdemeanor prosecution division of the Honolulu Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.

We have a higher burden of proof, because in all of these cases, the person is subject to going to jail, Nakakuni said.

Through a Judiciary spokesperson, First Circuit judges declined a request for an interview about the high rate of dismissals. But Cheng, of the public defenders office, said the numbers show the charges being used against homeless people arent the most significant or important.

The justice and correctional systems, Cheng said, are overloaded with more serious criminal matters and dont have the capacity to deal with thousands of people who take up space on sidewalks or in parks.

We process them and allow them to just maybe plead to one, dismiss the others, just as a way to resolve their cases, she said. But on the back end, what is really being done to help these individuals? Were just cycling them through.

Tristan Martinez watches passers-by in Honolulu's Chinatown on Friday, Oct. 16, 2025. Kevin Fujii/Honolulu Civil Beat via AP

Many wont accept what is really needed

The notations are found on citation slip after citation slip: Refused shelter or Refused services.

Wilt has come to expect it.

On her shift, she made the same offer during each exchange: Do you need shelter? There were no takers.

They always say no, Wilt said. They dont want it.

For many people who are homeless, especially if they struggle with mental illness or substance abuse, it is a hard step to take, said Connie Mitchell, executive director of the Institute for Human Services.

People are kind of trapped in a system, you know, that doesnt really guide them to maybe what they need, Mitchell said, but also they wont accept what is really needed.

Wilt has seen firsthand how this cycle can lead people dangerously downhill.

Take Orlando Javierto, known on Chinatowns streets as a former welterweight boxer who now frequents the area around Maunakea Marketplace.

In a 2020 video interview with a food blogger posted to YouTube, Javierto appeared to be already homeless but indicated he slept at times in a friends shop. He easily recalled his childhood in the Philippines, the start of his boxing career, his emigration to Hawaii, his military career, his children.

Five years later, Javierto, 74  cited 29 times in the year after Blangiardi set his goal to get 1,000 people off the street  has slipped far from that capable state, unable to answer basic questions about himself, or even recall the YouTube interview.

Orlando is very sweet, Wilt said. But you cant have a conversation like that with him anymore.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed through legislation to create a separate process to allow judges to order people into court-supervised treatment for schizophrenia and psychotic disorders if certain criteria are met, including that their condition is deteriorating. That program, launched in 2023, is aimed primarily at homeless people.

Current Honolulu laws dont offer means to compel homeless people into treatment in most cases.

Under the states ACT law, a court can order treatment for mental illness or addiction that compromises judgement on two conditions: The person has refused it in the past and is considered a potential danger to themselves or others. But hurdles include a requirement that someone who knows them petition for treatment, a shortage of attorneys to take on cases and a shortage of beds as well.

Only about 50 people have been ordered into treatment in the 12 years since the law was passed.

Blangiardi has called for more attorneys to step up. The mayor also said the city will soon have access to another tool, an existing state law that allows people to be taken into custody for 48 hours for short-term hospitalization for psychiatric evaluations.

Weve been hamstrung, he said, and were very, very close to being able to deal with people who refuse service.

Even from the perspective of someone whose business is delivering services to homeless people and getting them off the streets, a degree of police enforcement is called for, said Mitchell, of IHS.

Ultimately what were dealing with here is a situation where people are occupying public spaces illegally, she said. The big question is can they be led to make a different choice. In some cases they can, in some cases not.

For Jasmine Ochimas, it was yes, then it was no.

Ochimas said she ended up homeless after getting kicked out of a clean and sober recovery house and off of her mothers property. These days she calls the Ala Wai Golf Course home. In the year after Blangiardi announced his goal, she was hit with 50 charges of violating park rules.

Ochimas, 37, said she took advantage of the offer of services once, at the citys mobile Homeless Outreach and Navigation for Unsheltered program, or HONU, a popup offering short-term beds, washrooms and access to medical treatment and housing referrals. Its the primary option for officers who come across someone who wants help  the one they can generally offer on the spot as an alternative to a citation.

A police officer drove Ochimas from the golf course to Kapolei Hale, where HONU was located at the time. In a week or so, she said she was referred to a womens shelter in Iwilei run by the Institute for Human Services, but left days in after a dispute with another resident over a cigarette.

She no longer accepts offers for shelter, or for services like housing assistance, she said, because shes not ready.

Its going to be a little hard for me to go into a house, Ochimas said, because its going to be hard to get used to it or to live inside.

Short vs. long-term solutions

HONU is the homeless transition service the city tracks most closely and it reveals a complex picture.

In the popups last 13 months  in Kapolei and at Old Stadium Park in Moiliili its current location  957 intakes were recorded, city officials said, of which 29 were people who came and went multiple times.

For about half of those who showed up, it was a step away from the streets, at least for a while. People moved a total of 419 times from HONU into shelters  as Ochimas briefly did; 169 entered medical or treatment programs, transitional housing or permanent housing, or boarding houses, or were reunited with their families, said Anton Krucky, director of the Department of Community Services, which manages the citys homelessness initiatives.

He counts those numbers as a success and notes that of those who enter shelter-based treatment programs, 70% to 80% do not return to the street  but he did not have data on how many people entered those programs.

The remaining 400 or so either left for various reasons, with no destinations on record, or were ejected for violating rules. Krucky wants to improve that ratio.

To direct more people toward resources and determine which efforts are working, the city is piloting an AI-driven system that Krucky describes as like an air traffic center to integrate in information from service providers, law enforcement, hospitals and state and city agencies. Its to be set up at the departments new School Street headquarters in January.

The enforcements really not a homeless strategy, Krucky said. The real strategy that the mayor has for homeless is treatment and beds.

In neighborhoods such as Chinatown, where homelessness has long been a major thorn for residents as well as businesses and their customers, the enforcement campaign has been welcome, though.

Its made a difference, there are less camps, put it that way,  said Chu Lan Shubert-Kwock, president of the Chinatown Business and Community Association. Still, on a recent Saturday morning, as she passed by a ragged row of men and women collapsed against a building on Kekaulike Street, she remarked, it is a daily battle.

Homeless services providers also say the Blangiardi administration deserves credit for the work its done to add the roughly 1,000 new beds or treatment slots to the citys inventory, often partnering with the state to purchase property or fund services.

But the citys enforcement efforts need to be more focused on outreach and on adopting models of moving people into housing that are succeeding elsewhere, said Laura Thielen, executive director of Partners in Care, a coalition of nonprofits, and government and community representatives that coordinates Oahu homeless services and funding.

She pointed to the Encampment Resolution model, which has been used in places like Washington State, Denver and New Orleans. In that approach, outreach teams work daily with people who are homeless, sometimes for months, offering them services and support where they are, and moving them off the streets only after they have accepted help and housing has been located for them.

Because of the time it takes to develop those relationships, it can be a difficult sell for politicians and dismaying for the public, Thielen said, but she believes it is both cheaper and more effective in the long run.

As a community member, I dont want to see people living in our parks, but how we get to that solution can either be enforcement or enforcement balanced with true solutions, she said. What were accomplishing with the sit-lie is were exchanging a long-term solution for a short-term solution.
As a University of Oregon student focused on politics and the environment, Amy Bowers Cordalis had every right to feel defeated in 2002 when she returned home and saw evidence of the largest salmon kill in the Klamath River.

The lifelong fisherwoman and member of the Yurok Tribe learned the cause was avoidable: A federal order diverted water just as salmon were spawning.

For generations, destructive dams, logging, mining and development had already impacted the ecosystem of the Klamath River, which once had the third largest salmon runs in all of the lower continental United States.

Cordalis, then 22, decided to change course while she was in her boat, surveying the depth of the salmon die off.

Now 45, the Ashland attorney, activist and environmental defender serves on the front lines of conservation.

As lead lawyer for the Yurok Tribe, she was present at the signing of the agreement that in 2024 resulted in the Klamath River flowing freely from southern Oregon to Northern California for the first time in a century.

The dismantling of four hydroelectric dams that had impacted ancestral lands, altered the ecology, degraded the water quality and disrupted once-prolific salmon runs is considered the worlds largest dam removal project.

A month after the last dam was demolished, thousands of salmon, a cornerstone species for overall ecological health, began repopulating.

The salmon have come home, Cordalis said. We are starting to move back into balance.

In her just-released memoir, The Water Remembers: My Indigenous Familys Fight to Save a River and a Way of Life, Cordalis tells the story of her familys multigenerational struggle to protect the Klamath River and their legal successes to preserve the Yurok peoples sustainable relationship with nature.

In 1973, her great-uncle Aawok Raymond Mattz forced the landmark Supreme Court case reaffirming the Yurok Tribes rights to land, water, fish and sovereignty.

Cordalis devotes a chapter of her memoir to her great-grandmother Genevas protests in the 1970s, inspired by the Civil Rights movement, to end the Salmon Wars, the governments crackdowns on tribal fishing rights.

In 2019, Cordalis led the effort for the Yurok people to declare personhood rights for the Klamath River. For the first time, a North American river has legal right to flourish, free from human-caused climate change impacts and contamination.

She also worked for the Yurok people to recover 73 square miles along the eastern side of the lower Klamath River, now known as Blue Creek Salmon Sanctuary and Yurok Tribal Community Forest.

The area, logged for a century, was acquired over time by the environmental nonprofit Western Rivers Conservancy for $56 million. The transfer to the Yurok people in June is the largest single land back deal in California history.

Cordalis continues to litigate to protect the rights of Indigenous people and the natural and cultural resources that are part of their identity and sovereignty. That includes salmon. She still works to save coho salmon, a listed Endangered Species Act species on the Klamath River.

Through her former work as Yurok general counsel and an attorney at the Native American Rights Fund, and since 2020 as the executive director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, Cordalis message is clear: Respect the earth. Listen to the rivers, protect the land.

Treat the earth, Cordalis said, not as a resource, but as a relative.

Changing course

Amy Bowers Cordalis and her siblings gillnet fishing at Brooks Riffle, Klamath River, 2023 Little, Brown and Company

In 2002, Cordalis spent her summer break from college interning for Yurok Fisheries Department near her familys ancestral home in the Northern California village of Rek-Woi.

That September, she witnessed the salmon kill. Water diverted upstream to farmers and ranchers by federal orders had lowered the river flows, increased the water temperature and allowed diseases to spread to spawning salmon.

Cordalis saw the salmon kill as ecocide, a deliberate effort to end the Yurok peoples way of life and their principles of respect, responsibility and reciprocity with all of creation.

She vowed to fight through the courts, as her family had in the past. She earned a law degree at the University of Denvers Sturm College of Law and became the Yurok Tribes general counsel.

In 2020, she and other representatives of Native American communities with historic ties to the Klamath River faced the owner of the four hydroelectric dams: Berkshire Hathaway, one of the biggest and best known U.S. conglomerates.

Its subsidiary, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, owns PacifiCorp, which operated the four Klamath River dams.

The Indigenous-led coalition told the energy holding companys executives they would never stop fighting for the rivers restoration.

The meeting took place at Blue Creek, one of the most important tributaries on the Lower Klamath River and a salmon sanctuary with spiritual significance, recently returned to the Yurok Tribe.

The coalition handed the executives a document that outlined the key terms and conditions of their proposed agreement. They talked about their proposal and then let the river speak for itself, according to Cordalis.

The next business day, both parties were in discussion. In the end, the $550 million agreement to dismantle the aging dams cost less than it would to upgrade them to meet modern environmental standards.

Cordalis said that the dam removal, one of the largest nature-based solution projects in the world thus far, can be replicated for environmental and economic gain.

When we choose to work together toward sustainability, we can create different outcomes that are better for the planet, better for people, Cordalis said.

We dont have to accept that the only path to prosperity is industrializing nature, she said. We can adjust our practices, find nature-based solutions and continue to enjoy a modern lifestyle, while working to heal nature.

This is a historic time, she said.

We are at a tipping point and what we do matters, she said. Clean air and water, and natural, nutritious food are needed for life to survive.

Ripple effects

Cordalis work and motivations are captured in the 2024 Patagonia Films documentary, Undammed: Amy Bowers Cordalis and the fight to free the Klamath, which plays on a screen inside the Yurok Country Visitor Center in downtown Klamath, a small coastal city in California.

Cordalis has been recognized by various groups for her involvement with the largest river restoration project in history.

She received the United Nations highest environmental honor, UN Champion of the Earth, and selected for Time magazines 100 most influential climate leaders in 2024.

In October, she was announced as one of 10 change makers in the 20th LOreal Paris Women of Worth philanthropic program.

The $25,000 award, given for her climate action work that fuses law, policy and Indigenous knowledge, will help Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, the nonprofit she co-founded in 2022 with Karuk Tribal member Molli Myers, continue to work on life-changing restoration projects.

The LOreal Paris Woman of Worth award is a tremendous opportunity because it will uplift our work and expand our partnerships, Cordalis said. The power of being in partnership, collaborating and combining resources and efforts, expands and strengthens the scope of all of our work.

She said one of her greatest joys is hearing about people restoring nature in their community and the worldwide ripple effects of those efforts.

Cordalis titled her book The Water Remembers because the river and people remember the salmon. We have ancestral knowledge about what it was like to live on a healthy planet, she said.

When the Klamath Rivers ecosystem started collapsing, that put us into this culture of scarcity, she said. Rebuilding ecosystem resiliency lets us recover from the colonial period and move toward a culture of abundance.

Today, tribal members are restoring the Klamath Rivers almost 400 miles of historic salmon spawning habitat. Revegetation efforts include planting native seeds, trees, shrubs and grasses.

When we rebuild salmon runs, we help the ocean, the river, humans and all the creatures who are dependent upon the salmon, Cordalis said.

She writes in her book that the Yurok people are observing the river healing by spending time on it, listening to it.

And when we start using nature-based solutions to restore ecosystems those solutions work their magic, she said, and the salmon come home in a blink of an eye.
Disgraced financier Jeffrey Epsteins emails mentioning President Donald Trump were made public last week by House Democrats, raising questions again about what Trump knew about Epsteins sex trafficking of young women and girls. The names of other powerful men, including Democrats Bill Clinton and Larry Summers, were also found in the emails.

Walt Handelsman leads this weeks editorial cartoon gallery with his view of Trumps signature red tie pinned to the floor by the Epstein files. Nick Anderson assembles them into the Arc de Trump. Mike Luckovich sees Trump caught in the Epstein spider web. Nick Andersons Trump is marooned on an island of Epstein emails. To Bill Bramhall, Trump is Sisyphus rolling the Epstein boulder up the mountain, again.

The weeks other big news was the end of the seven-week government shutdown after a faction of Democrats broke ranks to end the stalemate. Andersons Republican Party claims it won the shutdown by refusing to help Americans get affordable health care. Drew Sheneman sees the Democrats capitulation as treachery. Michael Ramirez draws a train wreck representing the U.S. economy, as the engineer cries, The shutdown is over. Everyone back to work. Bramhalls Uncle Sam resets the shutdown clock to two months from now, when the temporary spending legislation expires.

Other topics in this weeks gallery include Trumps pardon of former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani; high grocery prices; the end of the line for the penny; and Veterans Day.

Cartoons were drawn by Jack Ohman, Nick Anderson, Bill Bramhall, Dana Summers, Drew Sheneman, Scott Stantis, Walt Handelsman, David Horsey, Phil Hands, Joel Pett and Joey Weatherford of Tribune Content Agency; and Mike Luckovich, Steve Breen and Michael Ramirez of Creators Syndicate.
PPS is poised to complete a purchase of a building to house a Center for Black Student Excellence but has no specific goals for how the center will help students succeed academically or a plan to achieve them. Austin De Dios

Portland Public Schools is poised to spend $16 million to buy the One North development in North Portland to turn into the long-promised Center for Black Student Excellence. But the price tag is perhaps the easiest of the issues that school board members and the public must confront before buying the complex that will primarily house nonprofits  not classrooms.

If the sale proceeds, the district would have to spend another $20 million to $25 million on updates, including to the buildings heating and cooling systems and to gird the sleek 10-year-old development for a possible earthquake  even as dozens of rickety elementary and middle schools remain on a waiting list for life-saving seismic repairs. While the district has bond dollars to cover the centers capital costs, operating expenses are expected to total more than $736,000 a year, according to PPS newly-disclosed due diligence report. Even with rent from current commercial tenants covering more than half that cost, the remaining amount and future vacancies will vie for general fund dollars in a district already projecting a $50 million shortfall for 2026.

Those arent the only loose threads. Its unclear how many of PPS Black students would be able to easily access the building at North Fremont Street and North Williams Avenue. Only one-fifth of the districts Black students attend schools within walking distance, while more than a third attend schools five miles away or farther. City restrictions may prohibit students from using the complexs upper floors  the expansive atrium that is a focal point  putting as much as one-fifth of the space off limits, according to a staff memo. And renovations are expected to take up to two-and-a-half years  hardly the quick turnaround that some believed it would be, as The Oregonian/OregonLives Julia Silverman reported.

To top it off, aside from a broad vision for the center, PPS has set no specific goals for how the center will help students succeed academically nor laid out a plan to achieve them. When asked by The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board if PPS directors will have such information before voting on finalizing the sale, PPS Vice Chair Michelle DePass said Thats a great question. I dont know.

No wonder that Portland Association of Teachers President Angela Bonilla panned the proposal for using race as a smokescreen for the conversion of public funds into private and non-profit hands and criticized PPS for rushing to maintain a veneer of racial justice while blatantly ignoring the actual needs of our Black students and families. Black students dont need a new building, far from their schools, with no school bus access.

These are all serious concerns that deserve public debate, community input and thoughtful examination by those elected to provide oversight. PPS board Chair Eddie Wang and DePass, unfortunately, are going in the other direction. They bypassed the usual process for vetting such a deal, blocked an opportunity for public discussion last week and are instead cramming the matter onto the agenda for this Tuesdays board meeting.

No matter how badly they want to launch the long-overdue center, the school board should not short-circuit the evaluation or cut out the public. Failing to ensure this purchase truly fulfills the promise to Black students or ignoring the math on the impact to the district would betray their obligation to put the needs of students  not nonprofit partners  first.

Certainly, PPS sense of urgency to do something is merited. Portland voters authorized up to $60 million to create a Center for Black Student Excellence five years ago as part of the districts 2020 bond. The districts failure to follow through so far is the latest in a long list of broken commitments to Portlands Black community. If PPS is going to make promises, it must deliver.

And the resolution specifically noted the need to work with Black-led community partners, highlighting the work of the influential Albina Vision Trust, which is seeking to redevelop the historically Black district devastated decades ago by discriminatory policies that allowed homes and businesses to be razed. These nonprofits have long provided essential services that support not just students academic goals but their social, health and economic needs as well.

But going all in on a solution that doesnt actually solve the challenge is a failure of a different sort. Buying a building with no detailed plan of how it will serve students or what it will accomplish is a backwards way of meeting this mission. Figuring out transportation for students at schools five or 10 miles away to access the center is a massive unknown, not a simple footnote. Turning the school district into a landlord for commercial and nonprofit tenants is a new responsibility that does not fit with PPS strengths.

And this isnt the only way to fulfill the promise. The PPS resolution outlining the ambitions for such a center envisioned a constellation of community schools and strategies to advance Black student achievement. Creating career-and-technical-education space or building modernized science labs in multiple schools throughout the city, for instance, could offer valuable learning opportunities that students can actually access during the school day  and more quickly than two years from now.

Wang and DePass, however, are not only avoiding the questions, theyre preventing other board members and the public from doing so. When the board two months ago authorized the district to enter into a sale agreement and conduct due diligence on the One North development, board members and PPS staff made clear that the boards facilities committee, chaired by PPS Zone 5 Director Virginia La Forte, would vet the project. Multiple board members specifically noted the need to ensure information was shared and analyzed in digestible amounts rather than dumped on the board on a rushed timeline.

So much for keeping to plan. As La Forte sought to put discussion of the districts due diligence report on her committees Nov. 10 agenda, Wang and DePass quietly directed PPS staff to move it from her committee, according to PPS Chief of Staff Deborah Kafoury  a decision that Wang initially denied making when asked by the editorial board. Instead, the project will be on Tuesdays jammed agenda in the last meeting before Thanksgiving break.

When La Forte tried to hold the discussion in her committee anyway last Monday, DePass objected repeatedly, delaying the meeting and chiding La Forte about what a bad look it would be to discuss the project without many advocates for the center present. Never mind that this was the process that the board had expressly laid out for the public in September and is the routine way to vet projects such as this.

Even after cutting discussion short by a week, Wang and DePass are still eyeing Dec. 2 for a final vote rather than push the date back to allow more public input. Families wanting to know the answers to some of the many concerning questions should let board members know in person or by emailing them. And when the full board takes up the issue this Tuesday, they should be prepared to show whose interests they serve.

-The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board
The renovation of the Portland Art Museum, with its public spaces and emphasis on public access to art, shows that the museum truly belongs to the people, museum director Brian Ferriso writes. Beth Nakamura

Brian Ferriso

For The Oregonian/OregonLive

Ferriso has served as director of the Portland Art Museum since 2006. He is leaving to take over as the new director of the Dallas Museum of Art on Dec. 1.

Shortly after I arrived in Portland nearly 20 years ago, I was riding the streetcar from my temporary apartment near Portland State University to the Portland Art Museum. Coffee in hand, I overheard two people talking.

What is that building? one asked.

The other answered: I think its the museum. But I dont think anything happens there.

As someone who spent a career working in museums, that is not what I wanted to hear. But as the newly hired director of the Portland Art Museum, I listened to the comment and accepted the challenge.

This month, as the museum prepares to celebrate our transformed campus and as I prepare to leave the museum for a new position in Dallas, I wish I could find those streetcar passengers. Not only would they see an institution where a lot is happening; but they would see how that activity benefits the rest of downtown. I hope its not just everyday Portlanders who recognize the changes; our own city leaders also need to remove their blinders and truly see what they must do to encourage and ensure a vibrant downtown.

Let us start by shattering a few myths. The Portland Art Museum is not exclusive. And its not about collecting and preserving art for just a few to enjoy. In fact, our team places equal importance on engagement with art, people and programs. That is why, more than a decade ago, we created the PAM Art Access Endowment which supports free admission to the museum every day for children under age 17. The fund also supports free school tours and quarterly community free days.

The museums $116 million transformation, which adds and renovates nearly 100,000 square feet, prioritizes public spaces, easy access and places where visitors can gather, learn or simply reflect. We have intentionally designed a museum where all can see and experience art, including those who are walking or riding by on the streetcar.

Weve also built on our strengths. When I arrived, The Portland Art Museum already had one of the nations most important Native American art collections. During my tenure, we have invested significantly to broaden the collection by adding renowned curators who have been expanding our engagement with Indigenous artists.

Portlands renovated museum also showcases a new Black Art & Experiences Gallery, with four inaugural exhibitions featuring Portland artists as well as other important works from the museums growing collection.

I believe that the transformation of the museum will play a critical role in the revitalization of Portland and as an iconic landmark reflecting our citys creative spirit. Even as we celebrate the museums next chapter, I also challenge city leaders to be better partners in efforts to build the future of downtown. This project became a reality not because of the city government, but despite hurdles it put in our way.

When the museum began fundraising and design for this expansion in 2014, the projects estimated cost was approximately $50 million. That more than doubled as we persevered through COVID closures, recession, mass protests and a downtown in crisis.

We made changes in the original architectural designs based on public feedback that truly made for a better outcome for all. But we also had to navigate a complexand expensiveapprovals process with the city. Not only did that add to the costs, but it lengthened the project timeline.

For example, in 2018, before the museum secured permission to build a safe and unintrusive new loading dock on SW Jefferson Street, we were required to commission the design and engineering of a series of unrealistic alternatives, including a freight elevator in the Park Blocks and a tunnel from SW Main Street cutting beneath two historic buildings.

Another roadblock  the Parks Bureau rejected our plan to replace four trees with a raised planter and five new trees a few feet away. This was despite support from the citys Historic Landmarks Commission and other city bureaus - resulting in additional legal fees, design consultations, and countless hours in meetings and review.

All these hurdles added weeks  and sometimes months  as well as tens of thousands of dollars to the project. Nonetheless, the museums staff, trustees and supporters kept moving forward. Today, we are on the brink of completing the largest cultural fundraising campaign in Oregons history, securing more than $146 million for our campus transformation and endowment, with 98% of the funds privately donated by more than 1,200 individuals.

I am grateful for the public dollars we received, which included $2 million from the Oregon State Legislature, $750,000 from the National Endowment for the Humanities and approximately $500,000 in smaller grants and fee reductions from the city. That said, if Portland and Oregon value and understand the community benefits of a robust arts and culture ecosystem, they need to invest far more in its sustenance and growth.

As we prepare for a grand reopening on Thursday, I deeply appreciate that the transformation of our museum has occurred because of the steadfast commitment of local donors, local architects, local engineers, local union workers, the dedicated museum staff and so many others. The Portland Art Museum truly belongs to the people.

It is my fervent hope that those who ride the streetcar past the museum will think: Theres my museum. Great things are happening there.
I was glad to see the editorial on the passage of the Portland Parks levy, (Editorial: Dont pop the corks on parks levy win, Nov. 9). Ive been a long-time supporter of funding for schools, libraries, parks and other such community resources. However, I voted no this time, as did many of my neighbors and friends.

Why? The editorial pretty much laid it out. I could find no detail on how these monies would be spent, solidifying my perception that city officials believe we - the taxpayers - will continue to bankroll mismanagement without demanding accountability.

The fact that the levy passed with 56% of the vote, compared to 64% in 2020, should indeed be a wake-up call for officials. They need to show some results before asking for more of our already-stretched dollars.

Linda Galloway, Portland

To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion.
When I heard that eight U.S. senators in the Democratic caucus would vote to reopen the government, I was angry (Senate approves bill to end the shutdown, sending it to the House, Nov. 10). Approval ratings for President Donald Trump and the Republican Partys approval ratings were tanking. Perhaps public pressure would force enough of Trumps enablers in Congress to turn against him and support extending health care subsidies while reopening the government.

Now I believe that it would always end this way, no matter how long the government was shut down and how many people suffered. Even if Congress had passed the Democrats proposals to reopen the government, Trump would have vetoed the bill.

The reason is simple: Trumps cruelty and willingness to inflict suffering are boundless. In fact, the shutdown empowered him to make his heartless choices. All the federal agents arresting  even kidnapping  and deporting immigrants and citizens were flooded with money while food assistance benefits were cut off. Thousands of federal workers singled out by Trump went without pay and were even threatened with receiving no back pay.

Trump benefited in the short run by keeping the Congress out of town (and out of the Epstein files). But no more. We now see Trump for who he is. He is indifferent to public opinion because he thinks he cant be stopped. It is up to all of us to fight back and especially to protect our right to vote as Trump attempts to deploy the military throughout the country. If neither Congress nor the courts can protect us and our democracy, it is up to us as citizens to do it.

Kristie Duyckinck, Portland

To read more letters to the editor, go to oregonlive.com/opinion.
MORE: Thousands watch humpback whale stranded at Oregon Coast

A humpback whale that spent Saturday tumbling in the surf off the coast near Yachats, tangled in fishing gear, and washed ashore alive was still breathing as of 5:30 p.m. Sunday, according to experts at the scene. They estimate the male whale is 3-years-old or younger and roughly 30 feet long.

On Saturday, spectators described what they believed was a dead whale slowly rolling toward shore. But by Saturday evening, accounts of a live humpback stranded on the beach head spread quickly across Facebook and Reddit, prompting people from around Oregon to drive to the shoreline in an impromptu rescue effort. People from Bend, Happy Valley and Eugene flocked to the coast.

Photos and videos showed a crowd gathered in the middle of the night near the whale with phone flashlights, lanterns, blankets, shovels and wetsuits as people poured buckets of seawater over the animal. Some said the whale was vocalizing and others reported they could hear it breathing hard.

17 1 / 17 Live humpback whale stranded on Yachats beachMark Graves

By 10 a.m. Sunday, experts Jim Rice, program manager of the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and Carrie Newell, founder of Whale Research EcoExcursions, were at the scene.

Both urged people not to come to the beach.

Its very important that we tell people not to come out. The whale is still alive. We have experts on site right now, Rice said.

Dont want to endanger people or stress the whale which is still living, Newell added.

Oregon State Police and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration echoed that call for people to keep their distance from the whale.

In a phone interview Sunday evening, Newell said that the whale appeared to be in good condition  it had no large gashes from killer whales or other visible injuries. It was a healthy weight and not emaciated. She suspects the ropes from crabfishing equipment were likely the reason the whale lost its ability to navigate and beached, meaning its distress was humanmade. Newell said the animal had fishing rope in its mouth, wrapped around its body, its pectoral fins and possibly its tail. She noted the rope appeared too clean and new to have been in the water for long.

Gravity is another critical challenge for large whales stranded on land. Their massive bodies are adapted for life suspended in saltwater, where buoyancy supports their weight. On the beach, its as if theyve landed on a planet with crushing gravity  the sheer force of their own weight can cause internal injuries, make it difficult to breathe, and collapse vital organs.

We hope and pray the humpback will survive but chances are slim, Newell wrote on social media.

Newell said the whales best chance of survival is if it can propel itself away from the beach at high tide. It is nearly impossible to tow a full-grown humpback offshore, she said.

According to NOAA tide predictions for Waldport, the nearest station to Yachats, low tide early Sunday was at 3:28 a.m. at about 2 feet, followed by a much larger high tide at 9:50 a.m. at about 7.5 feet. The next low tide is 4:38 p.m., with a smaller evening high tide at 10:33 p.m.

The Yachats stranding comes on the heels of a juvenile humpback found starved to death on the beach at Neskowin last week, more than 60 miles to the north.

Newell said she is incredibly saddened that this is the third humpback to wash ashore in a little over a month.

Humpback whales off the Oregon coast at this time of year are moving south and snacking along the way. After spending spring and summer feeding in the cold, food-rich waters off Oregon, Washington and California, they mostly migrate in late fall to warm winter breeding areas off Mexico and Central America, where they mate and give birth.

Humpback whales live in all of the worlds major oceans, feeding mostly on krill and small schooling fish and consuming as much as 3,000 pounds of food a day. Theyre a reliable crowd favorite  among the most vocal whales and some of the most acrobatic, often slapping the surface with their long fins or launching into full-body breaches. Off the Oregon coast, humpbacks are the second most commonly seen large whale after gray whales.

Thanks to all the loving individuals who tirelessly donated their time and energy to keep this whale alive, one commenter wrote on social media Sunday.

And another: The longer this poor animal is laying there, the worse itll get. Its so sad to see. I really hope and pray this whale makes it back to its home.

Live strandings of large whales on the Oregon Coast are rare. In September 2020, a 38-foot sei whale came ashore south of Bandon alive but died later that night. In August 2019, a juvenile humpback stranded alive on the beach north of Waldport and was euthanized the following day.

Saturdays live whale arrived on the eve of the 55th Exploding Whale Memorial Celebration in Florence on Sunday. The community event commemorates the day in 1970 when a dead sperm whale washed ashore near Florence and engineers with the Oregon Highway Division, unsure how to dispose of the 8-ton carcass, decided to blow it up with 20 cases of dynamite  a spectacular explosion that sent whale blubber raining down on spectators, cars and nearby dunes on Nov. 12, 1970.
Never heard of Foris Vineyards founders Ted Gerber and his late wife, Meri? That is unfortunate, as they are an important part of Oregons early modern wine history. Never tried their Foris wines? Doubly unfortunate, as I cant think of too many other Oregon wineries that deliver this level of wine quality for prices that encourage you to put a case together.

The downside to owning a winery in Cave Junction in southern Oregons Illinois Valley is that Foris isnt exactly on the wine tourism super highway. Their location, a mere seven miles from the Oregon-California border, is a 4.5-hour drive from Portland.

Which means you have to want to go to Foris Vineyards, which is precisely what I did a few days ago. The people and the wines were well worth the drive.

Foris Vineyards is best known for: This question was a tough one to answer. Winemaker Stephanie Pao went with pinot noir, but she couldnt overlook their excellent and impossibly priced pinot blanc and dry gewurztraminer. Both of these dynamite Alsatian white varieties sell for $17 at the winery.

Must try current release: 2023 Foris Vineyards Rogue Valley Pinot Noir ($22 - 13.2% ABV). This is a delightful pinot noir that is easy on the pocketbook.

The wines dried rose petal, dark raspberry and spicy cinnamon aromas lead to flavors of Bing cherries, candied violets and a touch of black pepper. With restrained alcohol and some lively acidity, this is a lithe and nimble pinot noir that will pair beautifully with so many of the dishes that will grace your holiday table.

Best of all, the wine spent a mere 10 months in French oak, only 8% of which was new, so that beautiful pinot noir fruit doesnt have to share the spotlight with oak.

Meet the winemaker: Pao is a skilled winemaker who knows how to stay out of the way as much as possible when working with high-quality fruit. Pao, who earned a degree in molecular biology before studying viticulture and enology, is easily one of the best winemakers in Oregon. Paos been making wines at Foris since 2017.

History: After graduating in 1969 from what was then known as California State University, Hayward, Ted Gerber had a passion for making home wine. His first job out of college was a natural fit  making cardboard wine boxes for a Bay Area glass factory.

Interested in growing grapes and having been told about the Illinois Valley by a friend in college, Gerber began studying the grape ripening and temperature data held by the new Oregon State University Experiment Station in Jacksonville and the Smoke Jumper Station in Cave Junction.

A grape grower in Gilroy, California, told me I could get started in Oregon with a strong back and little money. I showed the temperature data to Amand Kasimati, a professor at the University of California, Davis, in 1971, and he agreed that the numbers looked workable for ripening grapes here, Gerber said.

The Gerbers purchased the Cave Junction land, where their estate vineyard, winery and tasting room are located, in 1974. With cuttings purchased from Myron Redford at Amity Vineyards in the Willamette Valley, the Gerbers planted their first vines in 1975.

The estate vineyard, nestled against the heavily forested Siskiyou Mountains, sits at 1,500 feet above sea level. The location is ideal for ripening grapes and maintaining natural acidity, as warm daytime temperatures are offset by cool nighttime temperatures courtesy of the nearby Pacific Ocean and its evening breezes.

And how many wineries and vineyards do you know that are sitting on a few feet of dirt and a whole lot of gravel and stones excavated from a nearby 1850s gold mine? When Ted Gerber first purchased the property, he said you could still see the old wooden flumes the miners used to dump all the stones onto his property.

Amazingly, all the water needed for the winery and vineyards is supplied electricity-free by gravity flow, as water from nearby Althouse Creek flows downhill through those gold mining tunnels to the Foris estate.

In 2025, Foris Vineyards has approximately 150 acres of 20 grape varieties that grow on four separate estate properties in the Illinois Valley. Annual case production at Foris ranges from 22,000 to 26,000 cases per year.

What we dont know: Meri Gerber operated a grape wreath-making business in the 1980s and 1990s, which helped finance vineyard expansion and the construction of their winery. According to Ted Gerber, at one point, they had 500 customers purchasing their wreaths, which were made with vine cuttings from the estates vineyard.

I can certainly remember making those wreaths on cold December days and tearing up the skin on my hands and fingers, added Alicia Gerber, Meris daughter.

Last book read: For Pao, it is The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim DeFede. Alicia Gerber recently finished 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann.

Biggest inspiration: Ted Gerber named Scott Nearing, an Ohio professor who was blackballed in academia for his anti-World War I stance. Nearings political views even earned him a prosecution in 1917 under the Espionage Act. Nearing was acquitted, but his academic career was over.

Gerber said he admired how Nearing and his wife moved to Maine to live off the land. One of his books taught me how to build a stone wall, which inspired me to build the walls of our tasting room. Nearing was kind of Americas first hippie, in a way, Gerber said.

Thanksgiving plans: The Illinois Valley is filled with roaming bands of well-fed wild turkeys. This got me thinking about Thanksgiving and how this year, close to 20 people would be descending on my house.

Under these conditions, I want to serve wines that are nice, affordable, and will pair well with a wide variety of dishes being served. Foris Vineyards ticks all my boxes.

As people arrive, I will start by serving a Foris pinot gris and pinot blanc. They are light and refreshing and will also go nicely with the cheese appetizers.

For the main courses, I will place bottles of Foris malbec, pinot noir, dry gewurztraminer and rose of pinot noir on the table. If you cant find a wine that makes your turkey meat, white or dark, yams and stuffing taste better, you arent trying hard enough.

For dessert, we will have more cheese and pecan pie available. The lightly spritzy and mildly sweet Foris Moscato will pair well with the blue cheeses. The Foris late harvest gewurztraminer will be a fantastic pairing with the warm, caramelly sweetness of the pie.

Where to buy: In the Portland area, look for Foris wines on the shelves of various Johns Marketplace and Zupans Markets locations. Market of Choice stores are the place to look in the Eugene and Corvallis areas.

For our readers in southern Oregon, look for Foris wines at Shopn Kart in Ashland and Cartwrights Market locations in Grants Pass and Medford.

11 a.m.-5 p.m., daily, 654 Kendall Road, Cave Junction, foriswine.com or 800-843-6747.
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November 16, 2025: The armed forces that perform most efficiently follow five steps: acquire combat experience, analyze it, propose recommendations, distribute the recommendations and lessons throughout the force, and, finally, apply what has been learned throughout the forces.

These methods have been augmented by Operations Research which is, arguably, the most important scientific development of the 20th century. OR, like the earlier Scientific Method, is basically a management technique. Management is also a 20th century concept that gets little respect. In some respects, OR is the combination of management principles and the Scientific Method. Without the breakthroughs in management techniques, the enormous scientific progress of the 20th century would not have been possible. Without OR, World War II and subsequent wars would have been messier, costlier and longer

All these changes indicated some fundamental shifts in how wars were found but, without a war between anyone using these modern weapons, it was hard to understand what had really changed. Then came the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. During that conflict the speed with which modern weapons and other systems could destroy the enemy and speed up combat shocked generals worldwide. At this point everyone began to ponder the impact of this transformation in the way wars were fought. The Russians concluded that speed in decision making would become decisive, as would the growing Western edge in precision weapons. The Russians proposed in the 1980s that computers be used more by commanders to speed up the planning and execution of battles. That took several more decades to become practical.

Meanwhile the destructive impact of all this new technology was, in part, explained in the 1960s by John Boyd, a U.S. Air Force officer. Boyd demonstrated how the speed of assessing a combat situation, developing a plan and executing was decisive in all forms of combat. Boyd came up with the OODA/ Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act loop, which could be applied to air, naval and ground combat. This made sense to World War II veterans who had witnessed the OODA loop in action. It resonated with the Russians as well because superior speed with OODA was a German specialty which the Russians never mastered as well as the Germans did during World War II. But by the 1980s some Russian theorists saw computers as a possible solution. Again, the West had a technological edge and from the end of the Cold War and into the 21st Century it was Westerners who made all this work in combat. The Ukraine War triggered by a 2022 Russian invasion produced multiple examples of OODA in action. The Ukrainians had an edge, especially because they took the lead in developing drone warfare.

The impact of high speed warfare was demonstrated after September 11, 2001, when American forces used computerized data mining and analysis to speed up their OODA during counter-terrorism operations in Iraq. The Sunni terrorists quickly learned that, if an American raid was accompanied by intelligence specialists carrying biometric tools and comm links to huge databases of information on known terrorists and their organizations, there would quickly be additional raids. A few new names found on one raid would spawn additional raids and within 24 hours large terrorist operations could be rolled up. Microsoft contributed by developing a thumb drive that could quickly extract useful data from a laptop while rough but effective machine translation of many Arabic documents could quickly provide more leads, locations and who or what to look for.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan produced even more adaptation of commercial tools and techniques and applied them to intelligence work and combat planning. Data mining and predictive analysis computing what the enemy would do next using their past and current patterns drives modern marketing and much else. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan showed how it could be used to hunt down Islamic terrorists and destroy their networks.

In the works are revolutionary new robotics concepts and tools. Some of these new weapons dont work out as planned. Autonomous combat robots in the form of self-guided torpedoes have been around since World War II. Torpedoes were first developed in the 1800s. They were crude but often effective. A wake homing torpedo was first developed by the Japanese in the 1920s and their Long Lance torpedo used that technology successfully during World War II. The U.S. Navy never developed a wake homing torpedo but did develop countermeasures. These countermeasures didnt work. The United States developed a wake homing torpedo in 1944 but never used it and never developed another one. Despite the failed American wake homing development efforts, the Russians, Germans, Chinese and Turks developed wake homing torpedoes and equipped their naval forces with them.

The flood of new ideas that has accompanied new weapons and tech in general continues. Dramatic change in warfare from one decade to the next has become the norm in the last century. People are still having a hard time getting used to and handling this high rate of change. That, so far, has been the only constant.
The Call That Changed Everything

On January 7, 2025, at 5:02 PM, I received an email with a subject line that immediately caught my attention:

"Order N54HJG3V: Withdrawal of 2.93 ETH initiated. A representative will be in touch shortly before we mark the payment completed"

Minutes later, my phone rang. The caller ID showed 1-805-885-0141. An American-sounding woman who identified herself as a Coinbase fraud prevention representative said someone had initiated a large transfer from my account and she was calling to confirm.

What happened next was chilling: She knew my social security number. She knew my Bitcoin balance down to the decimal point. She knew personal details that should have been impossible for a scammer to possess.

This wasn't just another phishing attempt. This was something far more sophisticated.

Timeline, With Exact Dates

Here's the sequence, using exact dates:

January 7, 2025: I was attacked by scammers with detailed personal information

I was attacked by scammers with detailed personal information January 7, 2025: I reported the attack to Coinbase security@coinbase.com

I reported the attack to Coinbase security@coinbase.com January 7, 2025 (same day): Brett Farmer, Head of Trust & Safety, responded: "This report is super robust and gives us a lot to look into. We are investigating this scammer now."

Brett Farmer, Head of Trust & Safety, responded: "This report is super robust and gives us a lot to look into. We are investigating this scammer now." January 13, 2025: I asked Coinbase: "How did the attacker know the balance of my bitcoin holdings?" (No response)

I asked Coinbase: "How did the attacker know the balance of my bitcoin holdings?" (No response) January 17, 2025: I followed up again, asking for a reply (No response)

I followed up again, asking for a reply (No response) January 22, 2025: Still no answer to my critical question (No response)

Still no answer to my critical question (No response) January 29, 2025: I asked again: "Could I please get a response?" (No response)

I asked again: "Could I please get a response?" (No response) May 11, 2025: Coinbase says they became aware of the breach (when attackers demanded $20M ransom)

Coinbase says they became aware of the breach (when attackers demanded $20M ransom) May 15, 2025: Coinbase publicly disclosed the breach

That's a four-month gap.

For four months, I had concrete evidence that attackers possessed detailed Coinbase customer data. For four months, I repeatedly asked Coinbase to explain how this was possible. And for four months, my questions went unanswered.

Coinbase never replied to a single follow-up email after Brett Farmer's initial response. Despite his promise that they were "investigating this scammer," the most important questionhow the attacker obtained my private account datawas met with complete silence.

What Coinbase Disclosed in May 2025

In May 2025, Coinbase finally disclosed what had happened: cybercriminals had bribed overseas customer support contractorsparticularly employees at TaskUs in Indiato steal sensitive customer data.

The compromised information included:

Names, addresses, and phone numbers

Email addresses

Last four digits of Social Security numbers

Government-issued ID images

Account balances

Transaction histories

Coinbase estimated the financial impact at $180-400 million, affecting less than 1% of their customer base. Over 200 TaskUs employees were ultimately terminated.

But here's the crucial question: If attackers were actively using stolen data to target customers in January, when did the actual breach occur? And when did Coinbase first become aware that something was wrong?

What I Sent Coinbase on January 7, 2025

On January 7, 2025, immediately after recognizing the attack, I sent a comprehensive security report to Coinbase's security team. This wasn't a vague complaintit was a detailed technical analysis that should have raised immediate red flags about a data breach.

My report included:

Full email headers: Complete technical headers showing the email was routed through Amazon SES (a32-86.smtp-out.amazonses.com), not Coinbase's own mail servers, despite appearing to come from commerce@coinbase.com

Complete technical headers showing the email was routed through Amazon SES (a32-86.smtp-out.amazonses.com), not Coinbase's own mail servers, despite appearing to come from commerce@coinbase.com DKIM signature analysis: Documentation that while the email passed DKIM validation for both coinbase.com and amazonses.com, the actual sending infrastructure was suspicious

Documentation that while the email passed DKIM validation for both coinbase.com and amazonses.com, the actual sending infrastructure was suspicious The phishing email content: The complete HTML email with its fake "suspicious activity" warning and fraudulent transaction details (Order N54HJG3V, 2.93 ETH withdrawal)

The complete HTML email with its fake "suspicious activity" warning and fraudulent transaction details (Order N54HJG3V, 2.93 ETH withdrawal) Phone number used: 1-805-885-0141 (later confirmed to be a Google Voice number)

1-805-885-0141 (later confirmed to be a Google Voice number) Voice recording: An audio recording of my second call with the scammer, capturing the entire conversation where she demonstrated knowledge of my personal information

An audio recording of my second call with the scammer, capturing the entire conversation where she demonstrated knowledge of my personal information Specific data the attacker possessed: A detailed list of what the scammer knew, including: My Social Security number My exact Bitcoin balance My account signup date Driver's license information The amount of the fabricated "suspicious transfer"

A detailed list of what the scammer knew, including: Attack methodology: Description of their social engineering tactics, including the attempt to get me to move funds to "a cold wallet" by downloading Coinbase Wallet

Description of their social engineering tactics, including the attempt to get me to move funds to "a cold wallet" by downloading Coinbase Wallet Red flags I identified: The inability of the caller to authenticate herself, the Google Voice callback number, the lack of any notifications in my actual Coinbase account

The inability of the caller to authenticate herself, the Google Voice callback number, the lack of any notifications in my actual Coinbase account Post-call SMS flooding: Documentation that immediately after the call, I received hundreds of spam text messages for random service signupsa potential attempt to hide legitimate 2FA codes or security alerts in the noise

This wasn't a typical phishing report. I specifically highlighted that the attacker had access to non-public account information that should have been impossible to obtain without either a device compromise on my end or a data breach at Coinbase.

Brett Farmer, Coinbase's Head of Trust & Safety, responded the same day, calling it a "super robust" report. But when I followed up with the key question"How did the attacker know the balance of my bitcoin holdings?"the conversation ended. That critical question was never answered.

Inside the Scam Email and Call

Here's what made the email and call feel convincing in the momentand what ultimately stopped me from going through with what the caller wanted.

The Email: Remarkably Convincing

The phishing email I received looked completely legitimate at first glance:

From: Coinbase Commerce <commerce@coinbase.com>

Coinbase Commerce <commerce@coinbase.com> DKIM signatures: Passed validation for both coinbase.com and amazonses.com

Passed validation for both coinbase.com and amazonses.com Professional formatting: Perfect HTML layout, correct branding, legitimate-looking transaction details

Perfect HTML layout, correct branding, legitimate-looking transaction details Convincing narrative: "We detected suspicious activity on your account. A fraud prevention representative will be in touch shortly..."

The email even included what appeared to be a verification code (96841) and assigned me a specific case agent ("Sarah Schueler"). This level of detail gave it tremendous credibility.

The Critical Red Flag: Amazon SES

But when I examined the email headers more carefully, I found something suspicious. Here are the key header fields from the phishing email:

From: Coinbase Commerce <commerce@coinbase.com> To: [REDACTED]@[REDACTED] Subject: Order N54HJG3V: Withdrawal of 2.93 ETH initiated Date: Tue, 7 Jan 2025 17:02:14 +0000 Message-ID: <01000194436f122c-535a7ce0-f493-41c2-b966-dcaa1a9e6b57-000000@email.amazonses.com> Return-Path: <01000194436f122c-535a7ce0-f493-41c2-b966-dcaa1a9e6b57-000000@amazonses.com> Received: from a32-86.smtp-out.amazonses.com (a32-86.smtp-out.amazonses.com. [54.240.32.86]) by mx.google.com with ESMTPS id [REDACTED] for <[REDACTED]@[REDACTED]> Tue, 07 Jan 2025 17:02:18 +0000 (UTC) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; q=dns/txt; c=relaxed/simple; s=224i4yxa5dv34ggfsdwu2l4en6sydsga; d=amazonses.com; t=1736269334; h=From:To:Subject:Date:Message-ID:MIME-Version:Content-Type; bh=xyz123...; b=abc456... DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; q=dns/txt; c=relaxed/simple; s=gdwg2y3kokkkj5a5oi2lpk5uq5uqfm54; d=coinbase.com; t=1736269334; h=From:To:Subject:Date:Message-ID:MIME-Version:Content-Type; bh=xyz123...; b=def789... Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; dkim=pass header.i=@amazonses.com header.s=224i4yxa5dv34ggfsdwu2l4en6sydsga header.b=abc456; dkim=pass header.i=@coinbase.com header.s=gdwg2y3kokkkj5a5oi2lpk5uq5uqfm54 header.b=def789; spf=pass (google.com: domain of 01000194436f122c-535a7ce0-f493-41c2-b966-dcaa1a9e6b57-000000@amazonses.com designates 54.240.32.86 as permitted sender) smtp.mailfrom=01000194436f122c-535a7ce0-f493-41c2-b966-dcaa1a9e6b57-000000@amazonses.com

The email was sent through Amazon SES (Simple Email Service), not Coinbase's own mail servers. Here's what made this suspicious:

Return-Path mismatch: The return path used @amazonses.com, not @coinbase.com

The return path used @amazonses.com, not @coinbase.com Message-ID from Amazon: The Message-ID clearly shows @email.amazonses.com as the origin

The Message-ID clearly shows @email.amazonses.com as the origin Dual DKIM signatures: While both amazonses.com and coinbase.com DKIM checks passed, this is exactly how phishing worksattackers can configure Amazon SES to send "from" coinbase.com

While both amazonses.com and coinbase.com DKIM checks passed, this is exactly how phishing worksattackers can configure Amazon SES to send "from" coinbase.com SPF pass for wrong domain: SPF validated that Amazon SES was authorized to send for amazonses.com, not that it was authorized to send as coinbase.com

While Coinbase might legitimately use Amazon SES for some emails, a security-critical fraud alert should come through more controlled channels with stronger sender verification. The dual DKIM setup is a classic technique: attackers register with Amazon SES, configure it to "send as" the target domain (which Amazon allows), and rely on recipients not checking the actual sending infrastructure.

The Phone Call: Even More Convincing (And Recorded)

When the woman called me, she was professional, intelligent, and sounded exactly like a legitimate customer service representative. She had all the personal information I'd already mentioned, plus more details that seemed impossible for a scammer to possess.

During our conversation, I asked her to authenticate herself. Here's where things got interesting.

How I Detected It Was a Scam

Despite the sophistication of the attack, several red flags eventually convinced me this was fraudulent:

Red Flag #1: The Authentication Problem

I asked the caller to prove she was from Coinbase. She offered to read me my personal informationbut I already knew she had that information. That's not authentication; that's just proving she has stolen data.

When I suggested she send me an email from a verified Coinbase address that I could reply to, she claimed she didn't have access to personal email addresses and could only use generic support channels. A fraud prevention specialist without the ability to send verified emails? That didn't add up.

Red Flag #2: The Callback Issue

When I asked if I could call her back, she said I couldn't reach her because she was "in the fraud department." After the call, I tried calling the number back: it was a Google Voice number.

Legitimate financial institutions always provide callback numbers that route to their main systems. A Google Voice number is a massive red flag.

Red Flag #3: Email Verification Confusion

When I challenged the authenticity of the email sender, the caller insisted that Amazon was just Coinbase's "service provider" and that the DKIM signatures proved legitimacy. But when pressed, she couldn't explain away the anomalies in a satisfactory way.

The conversation on the recorded call shows my growing skepticism:

Me: "I don't think there is enough information provided for me to authenticate you." Caller: "I'm not sure what you would like me to do..." Me: "There are just too many red flags."

Red Flag #4: No Notifications in My Account

After the call, I logged into my actual Coinbase account. There were:

No notifications about the alleged transfer

No new login attempts

No new authorized devices

No actual transaction matching what the caller described

If this were real, there would have been notifications everywhere.

Red Flag #5: The Pressure to Use Coinbase Wallet

The caller wanted me to move my cryptocurrency to "a cold wallet" and started walking me through downloading Coinbase Wallet. This is a classic social engineering tacticget the victim to move funds to an address controlled by the attacker.

I didn't follow through, so I never discovered exactly how they planned to steal the funds, but the intent was clear.

The SMS Flooding Attack

Here's where things got even more concerning. Immediately after I ended the call with the scammer, my phone was bombarded with hundreds of text messagesrandom service signups, verification codes, newsletters, everything imaginable.

At first, I thought this was just a vindictive "FU" from the scammer. But the timing and volume suggest something more calculated: SMS flooding is a known technique to hide legitimate security alerts in noise.

The attack works like this:

Scammer floods your phone with spam texts While you're overwhelmed, they attempt account takeovers on various services Real 2FA codes and security alerts get buried in the flood You miss the critical warnings because they're hidden among hundreds of spam messages

This could have been an attempt to:

Hijack my SMS-based two-factor authentication

Hide real alerts from Coinbase or other services

Overwhelm me while they attempted unauthorized access to various accounts

Create confusion and distract from their next moves

This wasn't just a phishing callit was a coordinated, multi-vector attack.

What Coinbase Got Wrong

Coinbase's handling of this breach raises serious questions:

1. Outsourcing Security-Sensitive Roles

Customer support agents at third-party contractors had access to extremely sensitive data: Social Security numbers, account balances, transaction histories, and personal documents. Why were overseas contractors given such privileged access?

The economics of the bribery scheme tell the story: attackers likely paid relatively small amounts to contractors earning modest wages to access data they then used to attempt thefts worth potentially millions.

2. Failed Detection Systems

Coinbase claims they "discovered" the breach on May 11, 2025, when attackers attempted to extort $20 million. But my caseand likely many othersproves the breach was being actively exploited months earlier.

What monitoring systems failed to detect that customer data was being used in sophisticated phishing attacks? I reported this in January with specific details about how the attacker knew my information. That report should have triggered alarm bells.

3. Inadequate Response to User Reports

Despite Brett Farmer's initial acknowledgment that my report was "super robust" and warranted investigation, my follow-up emails asking how attackers obtained my account data went completely unanswered.

My question was specific and technical. It went to the heart of what should have been a massive red flag: How did attackers have access to non-public account data?

Had Coinbase investigated this seriously in January, they might have discovered the insider threat months earlier and prevented additional victims.

4. The Disclosure Timeline

Coinbase says they "became aware" of the breach on May 11, 2025. But my January attack proves the breach was active at least four months earlier. This raises uncomfortable questions:

When did the actual data exfiltration occur? Late 2024?

How many other victims reported similar attacks between January and May?

Were those reports properly escalated and investigated?

Would Coinbase have disclosed the breach if not for the extortion attempt?

Practical Ways to Protect Yourself

When a major platform gets breached, your personal information may already be in attackers' hands. You can't undo that, but you can still reduce the chances you'll fall for the scams that follow:

1. Never Trust Caller ID

Phone numbers can be spoofed. Even if the caller ID shows a legitimate company, don't trust it. Always hang up and call back using a number you independently verify (from the company's official website, not from the email or caller).

One practical check: Ask the caller for their callback number, then look up that number online before calling it back. Search for "[phone number] scam" or "[phone number] reviews" to see if others have reported it as fraudulent. In my case, when I called back the number the scammer gave me (1-805-885-0141), it turned out to be a Google Voice numberan instant red flag. Legitimate corporate support lines won't use Google Voice.

2. Understand That Scammers May Have Your Personal Info

In the age of massive data breaches, assume attackers may know:

Your name, address, phone number, email

Last 4 digits of your SSN

Your account balances and transaction history

Other "secret" information you thought was secure

Just because someone knows this information doesn't mean they're legitimate. Authentication needs to work both ways.

3. Verify Email Headers

Learn to check email headers. Look for:

The actual sending server (not just the "From" address)

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validation results

Unusual routing or relay servers

In my case, the Amazon SES sending address was the tip-off, even though DKIM signatures technically validated.

One way to sanity-check them: If you're not sure how to interpret email headers, copy the full headers and paste them into a good AI assistant (like ChatGPT or Claude) and ask: "Analyze these email headers and tell me if there are any red flags or signs this could be a phishing email." AI tools are excellent at spotting anomalies in technical data like email routing.

4. Demand Proper Authentication

If someone calls claiming to be from your bank, exchange, or other financial institution, they should be able to authenticate themselves to you, not just read back information they already have.

Legitimate companies can:

Send you emails from verified domain addresses you can reply to

Provide callback numbers that route through their main system

Verify their identity through the app or website you're already logged into

5. Check Your Account Directly

If someone alerts you to suspicious activity, don't trust the email or call. Open a browser, type in the company's URL directly (don't click links), log in, and check for yourself. If there's really a problem, it will show up in your account.

6. Never Move Funds Under Pressure

Legitimate companies will never pressure you to immediately move your funds, download software, or take urgent action to "protect" your account. That pressure is the scam.

7. Use App-Based or Hardware 2FA, Not SMS

My experience with SMS flooding shows why SMS-based two-factor authentication is vulnerable. Use:

Hardware security keys (YubiKey, Titan)

Authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Authy)

Platform-specific authentication (like Coinbase's app-based approval)

SMS can be hijacked, flooded, or intercepted.

8. Report Everything

If you're targeted by a sophisticated attack, report it immediately and provide as much detail as possible:

Full email headers

Phone numbers used

Specific information the attacker knew

Recording of calls if possible (check your local laws)

Your report might be the data point that helps the company detect a breach.

Why This Four-Month Gap Matters

My case represents just one data point in what appears to be a months-long campaign of attacks enabled by the Coinbase breach. How many other customers were targeted between January and May? How many fell for these scams because they didn't catch the red flags I did?

Coinbase has committed to reimbursing customers who were defrauded. But the $180-400 million estimated cost of this breach doesn't just represent reimbursementsit represents the human cost of trust betrayed, security compromised, and warnings ignored.

The cryptocurrency industry promises decentralization and security, but incidents like this expose the risks of centralized custody. When you trust an exchange with your assets and personal information, you're trusting their security practices, their contractor oversight, and their incident response capabilities.

In this case, that trust was misplaced.

Questions Coinbase Still Hasn't Answered

Four months after my attack, and several months after Coinbase's disclosure, key questions remain:

When did the actual breach occur? My January attack suggests late 2024 at the latest. How many customers were targeted before May 2025? Am I one of dozens? Hundreds? Thousands? What happened to the user reports filed between January and May? Were they properly investigated and escalated? Why wasn't the connection made between user reports of sophisticated phishing and a potential data breach? What specific access controls failed that allowed overseas contractors to exfiltrate sensitive data? Will there be regulatory consequences for the delayed disclosure? SEC rules require timely reporting of material cybersecurity incidents. How can users trust that the security improvements Coinbase claims to have made are actually effective?

Conclusion: The Timeline Matters

The discrepancy between my January attack and Coinbase's May disclosure isn't just an interesting footnoteit's a critical part of understanding what went wrong and who bears responsibility.

My emails, timestamped and documented, prove that:

The breach was being actively exploited months before Coinbase's "discovery"

A customer reported detailed evidence of the attack and asked specific questions about data compromise

Those questions went unanswered for months

The breach was only disclosed after attackers attempted extortion

I was one of the lucky onesI detected the scam and didn't lose funds. But how many others weren't so fortunate during those four months of silence?

When I asked the one question that mattered mosthow did the attacker have my data?the company went silent.

That silence lasted 120 days.

And that's the real story behind the $400 million breach.
Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Tony Mattivi speaks at a news conference about a domestic violence incident that resulted multiple casualties, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at the Carbondale City Library in Carbondale, Kan. (AP Photo/John Hanna) AP

By JACK DURA and JOHN HANNA, The Associated Press

CARBONDALE, Kan. (AP)  Four law enforcement officers were shot Saturday morning while responding to a residence in a rural area south of Topeka, Kansas.

The shooting was around 10:30 a.m. Three Osage County sheriffs deputies and one Kansas Highway Patrol trooper were shot, Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Melissa Underwood said.

Their conditions are still very fluid, Underwood said.

A male suspect died from gunshot wounds, leaders from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and state Highway Patrol said. One other male was injured and taken to a hospital and is in stable condition, officials said.

Deputies and troopers were responding to a domestic violence incident north of Carbondale. They were on scene for several minutes when gunfire erupted, authorities said.

This photo provided by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation shows a crime scene truck parked in front of the home where a domestic violence incident resulted in multiple casualties, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Carbondale, Kan. (Kansas Bureau of Investigation via AP) AP

Multiple law enforcement agencies responded immediately to the call of the shooting, officials said.

The area of the shooting is a rural region close to U.S. Highway 75. There is no active threat to the public, Underwood said.

In September, four detectives were shot, three fatally, while issuing a warrant in York County, Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania Air National Guard 193rd Special Operations Wing went into lockdown Saturday morning after shots were heard in the vicinity of a parking lot near the aircraft flight line.

The shots were heard around 10:45 a.m. on the base at the Harrisburg International Airport in Lower Swatara Township. That triggered the bases active shooter response.

Harrisburg International Airport officials suspect the shots may have come from local bird hunters.

Security forces assigned to the 193rd, along with Harrisburg International Airport and Middletown police, quickly secured the base and confirmed it was clear.

One guard member received a minor injury while responding to the lockdown and was transported to a medical facility for treatment. All personnel have been accounted for.
A 19-year-old Lancaster man will spend five to 13 years in state prison after he was found guilty of stealing a vehicle from a female pizza delivery driver at gunpoint last year, the district attorneys office said.

Xavier Velazquez was sentenced on Oct. 27 after pleading guilty in June to robbery of a motor vehicle, criminal conspiracy to commit robbery of a motor vehicle, robbery and firearms not to be carried without a license, the Lancaster County district attorneys office said in a news release.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Ponessa said Velazquez was not taking as much responsibility as he should for the June 7, 2024, armed robbery that happened during the early hours at the 100 block of East Vine Street in Lancaster City.

Velazquez said he had initially planned only to steal a pizza, and while he admitted to holding the gun during the commission of the crime, he claimed the weapon belonged to Matthew Reyes who was also involved in the armed robbery, the DAs office said.

Prosecutors said Velazquez and Matthew Reyes, 22, ordered a pizza to lure the victim to the East Vine Street home. When the delivery driver arrived, Velazquez held a gun to her head as Reyes stood by, and then they stole the victims belongings and the delivery vehicle.

The evidence is clear from the victim that [Velazquez] was the one with the gun, Ponessa said in the news release, noting that the victim heard Velazquez cocking the weapon.

In asking the court to impose a state prison sentence, Ponessa argued that Reyes was sentenced to four to eight years of incarceration after pleading guilty to similar offenses in March, and he was not the one with the gun.

After picking up co-defendant Evian Simmons, 20, Velazquez and Reyes led police on a dangerous high-speed chase and did not stop when the vehicles undercarriage caught fire after scraping against a cement median. Even with the vehicle ablaze, Velazquez and the others continued speeding away from police, Ponessa said.

West Lampeter Township police found the delivery vehicle driving at a high rate of speed on Willow Street Pike. Prosecutors said a gun was found in the vehicle during the arrest.

Judge Reinaker noted that Velazquezs young age made the case challenging.

Reinaker said a lengthy state prison sentence was justified. Every aspect there could be to make this situation worse exists here, Reinaker said in the press release.

Reinaker cited the presence of a weapon, Velazquezs prior juvenile gun conviction, the high speed chase, and the trauma inflicted on the victim, who he said would be terrorized for life.

What truly struck Reinaker, however, was the planning and forethought that Velazquez and Reyes put into the robbery, the press release said.

They thought about this, Reinaker said.

When given the opportunity to address the court, Velazquez apologized for his actions, adding that he regrets his role in the robbery and wishes to change for the better.

Reyes was sentenced to four to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to similar offenses in March, according to the DAs office.

Prosecutors said Velazquez was not allowed to possess a concealed weapon as he was not eligible for a permit at the time.

Simmons is still awaiting prosecution on three felony charges stemming from the incident, the DA office said.
By Jeff Horvath, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa. (TNS)

A mother and son face felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from an investigation into ballot tampering at a West Scranton polling place during the Nov. 4 municipal election.

The Lackawanna County district attorneys office charged Kathie Sico, 67, and Michael Sico, 46, both of Chestnut Street, Dunmore. The probe began after the county Bureau of Elections received a report from a voter who alleged they were handed a ballot with Kathie Sicos name already written in for judge of election for Scranton Ward 6 Precinct 1.

The election bureau referred the complaint about the incident, which occurred at the Jackson Heights polling place, to the DAs office.

Kathie Sico was working as the assigned judge of election for Scranton 6-1 during the municipal election.

Of 141 ballots cast on Election Day, 35 had the name Kathie Sico written in the sections for judge of election and/or inspector of election. Two of five spoiled, or discarded ballots, also had her name written in for judge of election, charging documents note.

In an interview Wednesday at the DAs office, Sico admitted to writing her own name on two ballots.

She stated that she had done so because someone had asked her to and then someone else came and took the ballot instead, county Detective Colleen Catanese wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. She went on to say that she thinks her son wrote on a couple as people were standing there asking them how to spell her last name.

During her interview, Kathie Sico denied prewriting her name on any ballots but said if she did, she didnt remember, per the charging documents.

She stated that she knows it looks like voter fraud, but she has had so much going on the past couple weeks with her medical condition that she didnt even think, the affidavit notes.

District Attorney Brian Gallagher confirmed Friday that his office issued arrest warrants for the mother and son. He expects them to turn themselves in early next week.

Both Kathie and Michael Sico face felony charges of fraud by election officers and interference with primaries/elections, respectively, as well as related misdemeanor counts.

Gallagher stressed the judge of election race was the only one affected. There were no candidates on the ballot for that position in Scranton 6-1.

Sico wouldnt be able to hold the elected position because she lives in Dunmore, he said.
Saks Off 5th is closing nine stores, including several in Pennsylvania. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Imag

Another major discount retailer is shuttering locations as Saks Off 5th has announced that it is closing nine stores across the country.

The closings are set to begin early next year, according to Fox Business.

Saks Off 5th is the discount sister brand of the iconic Saks Fifth Avenue.

As part of our ongoing and comprehensive strategy, we have taken a critical eye to our store footprint and will be closing select store locations in early 2016, a spokesperson for the brand told Fox Business.

The outlet reported that Saks Off 5th currently has about 100 stores across the United States and Canada. According to Saks Off 5th, locations that are set to close include a spot in New Jersey, another in Washington D.C., as well as three in Pa.  Pittsburgh North, Plymouth Meeting and Franklin Mall.

So, why the closings?

Well, Saks Off 5th told Fox that the closings will allow it to place greater attention to our high-performing and high-potential store locations, and refinements across its brand.

We are confident this will better position the Saks OFF 5th business for long-term success and look forward to continuing to deliver for our customers, the brand rep told Fox.

Fox noted that the closings are part of a shift that has seen several major retailers close stores recently.

That includes a couple of iconic brands  per Fox, Macys plans to close 66 stores in 2025, and JCPenney recently announced it will be closing several stores as well.
By BEN FINLEY, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  The nations most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a display of U.S. military power, raising questions about what the new influx of troops and weaponry could signal for the Trump administrations intentions in South America as it conducts military strikes against vessels suspected of transporting drugs.

The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford and other warships, announced by the Navy in a statement, marks a major moment in what the administration insists is a counterdrug operation but has been seen as an escalating pressure tactic against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Since early September, U.S. strikes have killed at least 80 people in 20 attacks on small boats accused of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.

The Ford rounds off the largest buildup of U.S. firepower in the region in generations. With its arrival, the Operation Southern Spear mission includes nearly a dozen Navy ships and about 12,000 sailors and Marines.

The carrier strike group, which includes squadrons of fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers, transited the Anegada Passage near the British Virgin Islands on Sunday morning, the Navy said.

Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the strike group, said it will bolster an already large force of American warships to protect our nations security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.

Adm. Alvin Holsey, the commander who oversees the Caribbean and Latin America, said in a statement that the American forces stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region.

Holsey, who will retire next month after just a year on the job, said the strike groups deployment is a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland.

In Trinidad and Tobago, which is only 7 miles from Venezuela at its closest point, government officials said troops have begun training exercises with the U.S. military that will run through much of the week.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Sean Sobers described the joint exercises as the second in less than a month and said they are aimed at tackling violent crime on the island nation, which has become a stopover point for drug shipments headed to Europe and North America. The prime minister has been a vocal supporter of the U.S. military strikes.

The exercises will include Marines from the 22nd Expeditionary Unit who have been stationed aboard the Navy ships that have been looming off Venezuelas coast for months.

Venezuelas government has described the training exercises as an act of aggression. It had no immediate comment Sunday on the arrival of the aircraft carrier.

The administration has insisted that the buildup is focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S., but it has released no evidence to support its assertions that those killed in the boats were narcoterrorists. Trump has indicated military action would expand beyond strikes by sea, saying the U.S. would stop the drugs coming in by land.

The U.S. has long used aircraft carriers to pressure and deter aggression by other nations because their warplanes can strike targets deep inside another country. Some experts say the Ford is ill-suited to fighting cartels, but it could be an effective instrument of intimidation for Maduro in a push to get him to step down.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the United States does not recognize Maduro, who was widely accused of stealing last years election, as Venezuelas legitimate leader. Rubio has called Venezuelas government a transshipment organization that openly cooperates with those trafficking drugs.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro addresses civilians taking an oath to join a state-organized defense network in the Petare neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) AP

Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S., has said the U.S. government is fabricating a war against him. Venezuelas government recently touted a massive mobilization of troops and civilians to defend against possible U.S. attacks.

Trump has justified the attacks on drug boats by saying the U.S. is in armed conflict with drug cartels while claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations.

He has faced pushback from leaders in the region, the U.N. human rights chief and U.S. lawmakers, including Republicans, who have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the boat strikes.

Senate Republicans, however, recently voted to reject legislation that would have put a check on Trumps ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization.

Experts disagree on whether or not American warplanes may be used to strike land targets inside Venezuela. Either way, the 100,000-ton warship is sending a message.

This is the anchor of what it means to have U.S. military power once again in Latin America, said Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Groups senior analyst for the Andes region. And it has raised a lot of anxieties in Venezuela but also throughout the region. I think everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the U.S. is to really use military force.

Associated Press writers Anselm Gibbs in Port of Spain, Trinidad, and Gabriela Molina in Caracas, Venezuela, contributed to this report.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks to the media, Friday, June 27, 2025, in the briefing room of the White House in Washington, as President Donald Trump looks on. (AP Photo/Manuel Ceneta) AP

By John E. Jones III

When the second-highest official at the Department of Justice calls for a war on federal judges, every American, regardless of party, should be alarmed.

At a recent gathering of the Federalist Society, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described an ongoing war against rogue judges who, in his view, obstruct the administrations agenda.

The Federalist Society audience that applauded Blanches remarks should take no comfort in this so-called war. Indeed, while Blanches pugilistic statement may have delighted the gathering of conservative lawyers, Id suggest that they should take a step back and consider what Blanches bellicose rhetoric truly represents.

Once judicial independence is compromised, no one, regardless of ideology, is safe from vindictive legal action. Today, it may be judges labeled rogue. Tomorrow, it could be any lawyer, journalist, or citizen who dares to challenge those in power.

As a former federal judge who served nearly two decades on the bench, I can say without hesitation that Blanches rhetoric is dangerous, irresponsible, and corrosive to the rule of law. It represents not only a misunderstanding of the judiciarys role but also an unwelcome escalation in an already unseemly battle between two co-equal branches of the federal government.

I am a proud member of the Article III Coalition, a group of more than 50 retired federal judges who came together to defend judicial independence. Today we released a statement condemning Blanches remarks because they strike at the heart of that independence.

We note, The constitutional process that the Founders created did not envision a war between the branches or any other kind of war.

Disagreement between branches of government is normal, even healthy. The separation of powers intentionally creates tension between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. When senior officials cast judges as enemies, they not only erode public confidence in the courts but also invite real-world consequences.

Those consequences are already being felt.

In recent years, threats against federal judges have surged to unprecedented levels. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, many of those threats are credible. In this environment, for a top Justice Department official to invoke the language of warfare is reckless and dangerous. These are public servants doing their jobs. Theyre applying the law as it stands, not as any administration might wish it to be.

For evidence of a war, we need look no further than President Trumps executive orders targeting numerous law firms and lawyers. These prompted litigation and eventual settlements that were spearheaded by the Department of Justice. As such, DOJ defended Trumps retributive actions, which included efforts to limit access to federal courthouses, limitations on employment and canceling contracts. Blanches Department of Justice clearly enabled the unprecedented retaliatory actions by the president against members of the legal profession who in his view committed the sin of zealously and ethically representing their clients.

I am hardly so naive to believe that there should be no interconnectivity between the Department of Justice and the president. After all, John F. Kenndy appointed his brother Bobby as his attorney general. But Id suggest that weve entered a realm where the goals and actions of the president and DOJ have become one and the same. For further proof of that we need look no further than the prosecutions of New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey, top targets on Trumps enemies list.

Whether were lawyers, lawmakers or citizens, we must reject this talk of war. It cheapens our discourse and weakens our institutions. Once the independence of the judiciary falls, the rest of our freedoms can quickly follow.

Every federal official takes an oath to uphold the Constitution. Blanche would do well to remember that his oath, like the one I swore when I became a judge, is to the law, not to any one man.

When government leaders speak of waging war on judges, they are not just attacking individuals, they are attacking the Constitution itself. If its a war, its one none of us can afford to lose.

John E. Jones III is the president of Dickinson College and former Chief Judge of the U.S. Middle District of Pennsylvania. He was appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2002.
The Philadelphia School District is currently exploring how administrators and teachers should use artificial intelligence. The district recently received assistance from the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education to launch "PIoneering AI in School Systems," a pilot program. TNS

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

Authors: Katie Davis, University of Washington and Aayushi Dangol, University of Washington

Todays teachers find themselves thrust into a difficult position with generative AI. New tools are coming online at a blistering pace and being adopted just as quickly, whether theyre personalized tutors and study buddies for students or lesson plan generators and assignment graders for teachers. Schools are traditionally slow to adapt to change, which makes such rapid-fire developments especially destabilizing.

The uncertainties accompanying the artificial intelligence onslaught come amid existing challenges the teaching profession has faced for years. Teachers have been working with increasingly scarce resources  and even scarcer time  while facing mounting expectations not only for their students academic performance, but also their social-emotional development. Many teachers are burned out, and theyre leaving the profession in record numbers.

All of this matters because teacher quality is the single most important factor in school influencing student achievement. And the impact of teachers is greatest for students who are most disadvantaged. How teachers end up using, or not using, AI to support their teaching  and their students learning  may be the most crucial determinant of whether AIs use in schools narrows or widens existing equity gaps.

We have been conducting research on how public school teachers feel about generative AI technologies.

The initial results, which are currently under review, reveal deep ambivalence about AIs growing role in K-12 education. Our work also shows how inadequate training and unclear communications could worsen existing inequalities among schools.

A thought partner for busy teachers

As part of a larger project examining AI integration in education, we interviewed 22 teachers in a large public school district in the United States that has been an early and enthusiastic adopter of AI. The district serves a multilingual and socioeconomically diverse student population, with over 160 languages spoken and approximately three-quarters of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

The teachers who participated in our study spanned elementary, middle school and high school grade levels, and represented a variety of subject areas, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics, social studies, special education, and culturally and linguistically diverse education. We asked these teachers to describe how they first encountered generative AI tools, how they currently use them, and the broader shifts they have observed in their schools. Teachers also reflected on both the opportunities and challenges of using AI tools in their classrooms.

Mirroring a recent survey finding that AI has helped teachers save up to six hours per week of work, the teachers in our study pointed to AIs ability to create more space in the day for themselves and their students. Turning to AI for help writing lesson plans and assessments not only saves time, but it also gives teachers a tool for brainstorming ideas, helping them feel less isolated in their work. One high school teacher with over 11 years experience reflected:

The most significant benefit that AI has brought to my life as a teacher is having work-life balance. It has decreased my stress 80-fold because I am able to have a thought partner. Teachers are really isolated, even though we work with people constantly  When Im exhausted, it gives me support and help with ideas.

Why lack of training matters

However, not all teachers felt well-equipped to benefit from AI. Much of what they told us boiled down to a lack of resources and other professional support. An elementary school classroom teacher explained:

Its just a lack of time. We dont really get much planning time, and it would be a new tool to learn, so we would have to take the time personally to learn how to use it and where to find everything.

Many teachers underscored the need for  and current lack of  professional development offerings to help them understand and integrate AI into their teaching.

Research on previous waves of technological innovations shows that under-resourced schools serving disadvantaged students are typically the least well-equipped to provide teachers with the professional support they need to make the most of new technologies.

Because well-resourced schools are far more likely to offer such support, the introduction of new technologies in schools tends to reinforce existing inequities in the education system.

When it comes to AI, well-resourced schools are best positioned to give teachers time, support and encouragement to tinker with AI and discover how and whether it can support their teaching and learning goals.

You need a relationship to learn

Our research also uncovered the importance of preserving the relational nature of teaching and learning, even  or perhaps especially  in the age of AI. As one middle school social studies teacher observed:

A machine can give you information, but most students we know are not able to get information from something thats just printed out for them and put it into their heads. You need a relationship. Some kids can do online school or read a book and teach themselves, but thats like 2%. Most kids need a social environment to do it.

Even as schools integrate AI into classwork, teachers still need to learn how to implement the technology to help their students learn. Jae C. Hong/AP Images

Here again, prior research shows us that teachers in well-resourced schools are better equippedto introduce new technologies in ways that augment rather than undermine the relational dimensions of teaching and learning. And again, teachers are crucial in determining how and whether AI, like all new technologies, is used to support their teaching and student learning.

Thats why we believe the practices established during this current period of rapid AI development and adoption will profoundly influence whether educational inequities are dismantled or deepened.

Grounded in the classroom

Going forward, we see the need for research to examine how generative AI is changing teachers practice and relationship to their work. Their input can inform practices that empower teachers as professionals and advance student learning.

This approach requires adequate institutional support at the school and district levels. It also means listening to the real experiences of teachers and students instead of responding to the promised benefits touted by education technologies companies.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/ai-could-worsen-inequalities-in-schools-teachers-are-key-to-whether-it-will-266140.
This years judicial retention election in Pennsylvania told an old story with new meaningthe story of David and Goliath.

On one side stood enormous wealth and political influence. A billionaire-funded mail campaign tried to convince voters that our Supreme Court justices were responsible for partisan gerrymandering. The message was simple but false.

In truth, these justices struck down one of the most extreme gerrymanders in the nation, restoring fairness and ensuring that votersnot politiciansdecide our elections.

So why the attack? Because fair maps shift power away from special interests and back to the peopleand thats something those in power rarely surrender quietly.

Despite misleading ads and deep pockets, Pennsylvania voters stood their ground. Civic groups, community volunteers, and everyday citizens spread accurate informationnot with billion-dollar budgets, but through trust and conversation. When Election Day came, voters chose fairness and retained the judges who upheld it.

In an era when many states are watching their courts become politicized, Pennsylvanians reaffirmed that our judiciary remains an essential constitutional guardrail.

By protecting these justices, voters protected the integrity of future electionsand the right of every citizen to have their vote count equally.

David didnt win because he was bigger or richer. He won because he stood for what was rightand so did Pennsylvania.

Margaret A. Hartmann, Cresco, Pa.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a news conference regarding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.) AP

The growing divide between Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and President Donald Trump continued to widen through the weekend.

The Georgia Republican blames the public spat on one thing: Jeffrey Epstein.

She told CNNs Dana Bash on Sundays State of the Union that their high-profile disagreement, which has led to a social media volley of insults and accusations, has all come down to the Epstein files.

I believe the country deserves transparency in these files, and I dont believe that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have done anything wrong, she said Sunday morning. I have no idea whats in the files. I cant even guess. But that is the question everyone is asking is why fight this so hard?

Following the release of thousands of documents detailing emails between Epstein and others  some of which appeared to implicate Trump  the House is expected to vote Tuesday on legislation that would force the files to be released.

As for Trump, he has used Truth Social, his social media platform, to rip into Greene. On Friday, he called her a ranting lunatic and said he was withdrawing his support for her. On Saturday, he called her a traitor.

Greene on Sunday denied being a traitor and called Trumps comments hurtful.

Those are the types of words that can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger, Greene told Bash.

Greene used social media on Saturday to say that multiple private security firms had contacted her after she received a hot bed of threats ... being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world."

That prompted conservative commentator Laura Loomer, a conservative ally of the president, to accuse Greene of lying.

Youre a millionaire, [expletive]. Go hire security if youre so afraid of President Trump, Loomer posted on X. You look pathetic accusing Trump of inciting violence against you. He never did such a thing. You are a compulsive liar and a fraud. Enjoy your new radical left friends. Full time victim.

Greene didnt deny that she has remained silent in instances where the president has used his platform to attack political opponents.

That, she replied, was fair criticism.

I would like to say humbly, Im sorry for taking part in the toxic politics, Greene told Bash. Its very bad for our country.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks during a town-hall style meeting, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, in Acworth, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) AP

Greene has publicly warned in recent weeks that Trump has been too focused on foreign policy and is not doing enough to sell his domestic agenda at home  taking her message to outlets such as CNN and ABCs The View.

While some have questioned whether she has seen the light, others have said they are skeptical.

Former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger called Greene the biggest con artist ever during an event Friday at the Texas Tribune Festival.

She has not found Jesus, OK? Now, I guess its a fair  it is a fair question about, you know, is she playing this role because she sees something coming?

He said that Greenes criticism of her Republican colleagues shows she clearly wants to run for president, a suggestion that drew laughter.

I know, the former lawmaker said. But dude, we giggled when Trump wanted to run in 2015, right?
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., posted this photo to X Saturday, showing the stitches he required following a fall Thursday. Screenshot from X. Screenshot from X

Sen. John Fetterman posted on X Saturday that he received 20 stitches as a result of his fall last week, and is now home after full recovery.

Fetterman was sent to a Pittsburgh hospital for a ventricular fibrillation flare-up that caused him to become light-headed and fall during an early morning walk Thursday in Allegheny County.

20 stitches later and a full recovery, Im back home with @giselefetterman and the kids.



Im overwhelmed + profoundly grateful for all the well-wishes.



Truly.



Grateful for @UPMC for the incredible medical care that put me back together.



THANK YOU SO MUCH.



See you back in DC. pic.twitter.com/j81LXZGLBx  U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) November 15, 2025

Fettermans office said he sustained minor injuries in the fall that occurred as he was walking in Braddock, his home town. While hospitalized, he received a routine observation and medication adjustments.

Ventricular fibrillation is the most serious form of abnormal heartbeat that can cause cardiac arrest, which is when the heart suddenly stops beating, according to the American Heart Association.

It often stems from conditions like cardiomyopathy, which Fetterman disclosed in 2022. Fetterman also said he has atrial fibrillation.

He suffered a stroke that year, caused by a blood clot triggered by atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, which affects the hearts upper chambers.

Fetterman underwent surgery after the stroke to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator to manage the condition.

The lingering effects of his stroke include diminished auditory processing speed, called auditory processing disorder, which makes it harder to speak fluidly and quickly process spoken conversation into meaning.

Weeks after beginning his Senate term in 2023, he was treated for clinical depression, a common post-stroke condition thats treatable through medication and talk therapy, according to UCLA Health.

Fetterman was released six weeks later and has since urged people with depression to get professional help.
Strong winds and lake effect snow will create hazardous travel conditions across northwestern Pennsylvania today through Monday afternoon, with some areas potentially receiving over 6 inches of accumulation amid blowing and drifting snow.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Warren, Elk and McKean counties from 10 a.m. Sunday through Monday afternoon.

Wind Advisories are also in effect for much of central Pennsylvania, with gusts potentially exceeding 40 mph through midnight tonight. The combination of snow and wind will create dangerous travel conditions, particularly in the northwestern counties.

In the affected northwestern areas, lake effect snow bands are expected to develop Sunday morning and continue through Monday.

These bands could produce snowfall rates exceeding 1 inch per hour at times, with the possibility of thundersnow. Visibility will be significantly reduced by both falling and blowing snow, making road-clearing operations difficult.

Temperatures will be cold, dropping into the mid-20s in northwestern areas and mid-30s in southeastern regions overnight. Winds will remain strong throughout the day, with sustained speeds of 10 to 20 mph and gusts between 30 and 40 mph, gradually diminishing Monday afternoon.

For the rest of central Pennsylvania, conditions will be windy but generally drier, though some upslope snow accumulation of about an inch is possible along ridge tops in the Laurel Highlands. Harrisburgs forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and highs in the low 50s, but it will feel chillier than that because of the winds.

Looking ahead, conditions will improve Monday night as high pressure briefly builds into the region.

Tuesday brings a chance of light rain or snow as a weak system moves through the Ohio Valley. Midweek appears drier with high pressure in control Wednesday, before precipitation chances increase toward the end of the week, likely as rain with temperatures trending slightly milder.

Travel in northwestern Pennsylvania should be postponed if possible through Monday afternoon. If travel is necessary, allow extra time and carry winter survival supplies in your vehicle.

Current weather radar

Generative AI was used to produce an initial draft of this story, which was reviewed and edited by PennLive.com staff.
The 2025 season of the 888poker UK Poker League is drawing to a close. The final of the 560 Main Event of UKPL Coventry, the last stop of the year, will kick off at noon local time today, with 47 players returning to the Grosvener Casino inside the Coventry Building Society Arena, and will conclude the past week of poker action.

Several Team 888poker members were among the bumper crowd of 303 entries who smashed the advertised guarantee by creating a prize pool of 143,925, but only Ian Simpson is still in contention to capture the 31,420 top prize. Simpson is no stranger to UKPL success, having conquered the Main Event at UKPL Newcastle in April. Starting Day 2 with 298,000 chips to his name, Simpson will have a healthy stack of 30 big blinds at his disposal on his hunt for title number two.

Simpson is not the only one left aiming to become a two-time UKPL champion, as this year's UKPL Reading champion Dale Wilson and UKPL Edinburgh victor Harry Sandford made it through their starting flights as well. With respectively 223,000 and 156,000 chips to their names, they are among the shorter stacks in the room as they chase continued UKPL success.

Harry Sandford

The chip lead, meanwhile, is in the hands of Terelle Tavares, who will return with a massive stack of 857,000 after steamrolling Day 1b. Day 1a chipleader Ding Fan is in close pursuit with 842,000 in chips, while Day 1d leader Qing Feng Zheng completes the podium, returning with a bag of 686,000.

Other notable names in the top ten include UK crushers Ryan Mandara and Alex Montgomery, and last lady standing Sinead Davenport.

Start of Day 2 Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Terelle Tavares United Kingdom 857,000 86 2 Ding Fan United Kingdom 842,000 84 3 Qing Feng Zheng United Kingdom 686,000 69 4 Ryan Seary United Kingdom 598,000 60 5 Ryan Mandara United Kingdom 510,000 51 6 Jack Rhodes 506,000 51 7 Tyler Read 501,000 50 8 Adam Wilkinson United Kingdom 491,000 49 9 Sinead Davenport United Kingdom 473,000 47 10 Alex Montgomery United Kingdom 452,000 45

Terelle Tavaras

Day 2 is the final day of the UKPL Coventry Main Event, and thus will play as many 40-minute levels as are needed to crown a champion, with the levels reduced to 30 minutes when the final five players have been reached. A shot clock will also come into play today. The blinds will restart in Level 16: 5,000/10,000 with a 10,000 big blind ante, and a small break will take place after every three levels. As has been standard this week, no dinner break is scheduled.

The returning players are not guaranteed a return on their investment yet, as only 38 spots will get paid. Once the bubble has burst, the minimum cash amounts to 1,070, with five-figure payouts awaiting the top four players. The action will also be streamed live on 888poker's YouTube and Twitch channels, on a 20-minute delay.

UKPL Coventry Main Event Payouts

Place Prize Place Prize 1 31,420 11 2,160 2 23,340 12 1,850 3 16,080 13 1,700 4 10,650 14-15 1,570 5 7,340 16-17 1,450 6 5,330 18-19 1,350 7 4,170 20-22 1,270 8 3,670 23-25 1,190 9 3,170 26-29 1,140 10 2,660 30-33 1,090 34-38 1,070

PokerNews will be on the floor for the final day of the 2025 888poker UKPL season to report everything from when cards get in the air to the bursting of the bubble and the eventual declaration of a winner live. Stay tuned as the poker in Coventry will recommence shortly.
The 2025 BSOP Super High Roller Series got off to the best start possible here at the WTC Sheraton in Sao Paulo. The $10,000 SHR Invitational embraced the Brazilian festival spirit, bringing a different kind of energy to the tables  one far removed from the usual mix of headphones, hoods and sunglasses.

There was a shared enjoyment among those competing in this exclusive invite-only event  so much so that you could almost forget there was a $1,130,000 prize pool on the line, with conversation and laughter carrying across the room and smiles at every table.

When all was said and done, one player had the widest smile of all. Brazilian poker star Joao Simao outlasted a 113-strong field that blended part-time players with world-class professionals to claim the first trophy of the 2025 BSOP SHR Series  along with a cool $256,000.

$10,000 SHR Invitational - Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Joao Simao Brazil $256,000 2 Ivan Luca Argentina $174,000 3 Thiago Macedo Brazil $112,000 4 Dennys Ramos Brazil $93,000 5 Eduardo Parra Brazil $75,000 6 Rafael Mota Brazil $60,000 7 Luiz Ferreira Brazil $45,000 8 Vinicius Rezende Brazil $34,000 9 Gabriel Tavares Brazil $26,000

SHR Invitational Top 3

Winners Reaction

Fresh off his victory in the $10,000 Super High Roller Invitational, Simao spoke to PokerNews to reflect on what the win means to him, his experience at the BSOP Millions, and the level of competition he faced.

Im very happy to take home this trophy. Last year, at the BSOP Millions, I made two or three final tables, had some nice deep runs, and didnt win any trophiesnot even for third place. I swear I was left with that feeling of really wanting a trophy, because its something I look at and keep on the shelf next to my computer.

As he continued, it was clear this win carried a personal significance that went beyond the payday.

I didnt keep any of my trophies before moving to the United States, so I dont have any BSOP trophy there. Sometimes I look at the shelf and think how much Id like to have one from the BSOPthat nice feeling of looking at it and remembering Brazil and friends. Now Im taking home a special one.

Simao had been vocal on social media in the lead-up to the event, encouraging players to come and share in what he expected to be a standout festival. Having now lived the experience, he struggledhappilyto put the atmosphere into words.

Its even hard to put into words, because I end up sounding repetitive, but I truly think its spectacular. I really want to support it as much as possible because what theyre building is something very special.

He spoke passionately about what it means to return home for an event of this scale, especially while living abroad.

For me, seeing Brazil at this levelhaving a tournament of this calibre to play in Brazilis great. And since I live abroad, its even more convenient for me to come play the event, visit family, and reconnect with friends. My mom is coming here to meet me, my brother, my uncleit's amazing.

The personal connections run deep for him, and so does his loyalty to the people behind the series.

The people behind the BSOP are my friends, so I genuinely want to support it as much as I can. I take pride and pleasure in promoting the BSOP in the United States. Someone even asked if I was a partner in the tournament because I really invited everyone I met while playing the NAPT and later the PokerGO events. So its all joy.

Finally, the conversation shifted to the final tableone packed with elite Brazilian talent. Simao didnt hide the respect he has for his opponents.

The level is really highBrazilians are very good. That was good in the sense that it required maximum focus from me, but of course, you need luck to beat these guys. You cant win without luck on your side; theyre very, very good.

From his pride in the BSOP community to the emotions tied to bringing home a trophy that reminds him of Brazil, Simaos victory was clearly about more than just chips and cards. It marked a meaningful moment in a career already defined by excellence.

BSOP Invitational Final Table

Final Table Action

The final table got off to an electric start, with Ivan Luca finding an early double up before serving up the first elimination. His pocket kings proved more than enough to send Gabriel Tavares home, whose pocket jacks met an untimely end.

No sooner had one player fallen than Vinicius Rezende followed him out the door, losing a flip against Thiago Macedo.

Luiz Ferreira was next to go, pushing his very short stack all in preflop against two opponents and failing to survive the hand.

Macedo would soon claim another victim. Just as Rafael Mota was gaining some momentum, his pocket twos ran straight into a pair of queens and he was unable to catch up.

Champion Simao then claimed his first victim of the final table, eliminating Eduardo Parra in fifth place.

From there, Simao steadily pulled away. A mix of uncalled raises, continuation bets, and even walks in the big blind helped him extend his lead and keep distance from the rest of the field.

Third and fourth places were decided in quick succession, as Dennys Ramos departed first, followed closely by Thiago Macedo.

Ivan Luca

It was then just Luca that stood between Simao and victory on home soil.

Simao began the heads-up match in the lead, but a series of small pots early on went Luca's way to see him move ahead.

Then, with the players' stacks almost identical, Simao moved all in with ace-six and at was at risk versus king-queen. His hand managed to hold, seeing him take an almighty chip lead.

Despite Luca threatening to stage a comeback, winning three all-ins in a row, the fourth proved to be a step too far. Simao winning a flip with queen-jack versus pocket sixes, to claim the glory, the trophy and the lion's share of the prize pool.

That concludes the coverage for $10,000 SHR Invitational, but be sure to stay tuned as PokerNews coverage continues throughout the BSOP Super High Roller Series.
Day 1 of the Brazilian Series of Poker (BSOP) R$100,000 ($20,000 US) Super High Roller promised to bring together an elite field to Sao Paulos WTC Sheraton, and it lived up to the hype.

Some of the biggest names in the Brazilian poker community, as well as some well-traveled international high rollers, took their shot at the title today, with 26 entries being recorded over 10 levels. Ignacio Sagra ended up as the chip leader with 889,000 as 17 players made it through the day. The Argentine got a big boost when he flopped trips to bust Mehdi Chaoui late in the day and is looking to surpass his previous best score when he finished second in a $1,000 No-Limit Holdem event at the WSOP this summer.

Day 1 Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Ignacio Sagra Argentina 889,000 148 2 Felipe Boianovsky Brazil 768,000 128 3 Rodrigo Seiji Brazil 666,000 111 4 Leonardo Rizzo Brazil 645,000 108 5 Alisson Piekazewicz Brazil 590,000 98 6 Renan Bruschi Brazil 525,000 88 7 Viacheslav Balaev Russia 524,000 87 8 Ruben Lopes Portugal 342,000 57 9 Pedro Padilha Brazil 305,000 51 10 Fabiano Kovalski Brazil 262,000 44

Brazilian superstar Felipe Boianovsky busted in 12th place in the $10,000 Super High Roller Invitational earlier in the day, then jumped into this event and picked up right where he left off. He busted Hugo Machado with ace-queen against ace-deuce, then won a big pot off Ruben Lopes during the last level to finish with 768,000 and in second place. WSOP bracelet winner Rodrigo Seiji was on the right side of two all-in encounters, first turning a set of jacks against Pedro Padilhas queens, then hitting a flush on the river against Ottomar Ladvas two pair to send the Estonian back to the registration desk. Seiji rounds out the podium with 666,000.

Leonardo Rizzo brought his flamboyant personality to the field today and ended up in fourth place with 645,000, while Alisson Piekazewicz (590,000) and Renan Bruschi (525,000) also bagged up big stacks. Padilha finished with 305,000 on his second bullet, while Fabiano Kovalski (262,000), Thiago Crema (202,000), Masato Yokosawa (136,000), Vladas Tamasauskas (121,000), Ladva (78,000), and Allan Mello (54,000) will also return tomorrow at 2 p.m.

Daniel Rezaei was the first to bust on Day 1, losing most of his chips in a set-over-set cooler against Bruschi. Yuri Dzivielevski was also among those sent to the rail today and will have to try again tomorrow if they want to chase the title. Late registration remains open until the end of Level 15, so the field can potentially grow much larger. The action on Day 2 picks up on Level 11 with blinds of 3,000/6,000 and a 6,000 big blind ante. Levels will remain 40 minutes through Level 15, after which they will be extended to 60 minutes.

PokerNews will be back tomorrow following all the action from Day 2 as the field plays down towards the final table.
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NEW YORK CITY, NY AND NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESS Newswire / November 16, 2025 /Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have untilNovember 18, 2025to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against KBR, Inc. (NYSE:KBR), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's securities between May 6, 2025 and June 19, 2025, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of KBR as above and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-kbr/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action by overseeing lead counsel with the goal of obtaining a fair and just resolution, you must request this position by application to the Court byNovember 18, 2025 .About the LawsuitKBR and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On June 19, 2025, HomeSafe Alliance ("HomeSafe"), a KBR joint venture in which KBR has a 72% economic interest, disclosed that it received "a notice from the U.S. Department of Defense's Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) terminating the Global Household Goods Contract, which HomeSafe won in 2021 to transform the military move system for the benefit of service members and their families." On this news, the price of KBR's shares fell $3.85 per share, or 7.29%, to close at $48.93 on June 20, 2025. On June 23, 2025, the next trading day, KBR stock fell a further $1.30, or 2.65%, to close at $47.63 on June 23, 2025.The case is Norrman v. KBR, Inc., et al., No. 25-cv-04464.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. This past year, KSF was ranked by SCAS among the top 10 firms nationally based upon total settlement value. KSF serves a variety of clients, including public and private institutional investors, and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana, Chicago, and a representative office in Luxembourg.TOP 10 Plaintiff Law Firms - According to ISS Securities Class Action ServicesTo learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163CONNECT WITH US: Facebook || Instagram || YouTube || TikTok || LinkedInSOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / November 16, 2025 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Primo Brands Corporation ("Primo Brands" or the "Company") (NYSE:PRMB). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.The class action concerns whether Primo Brands and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.You have until January 12, 2026 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you purchased or otherwise acquired Primo Brands securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained atwww.pomerantzlaw.com [Click here for information about joining the class action]On June 17, 2024, Primo Water Corporation ("Primo Water") announced entry into a merger agreement (the "Merger") with an affiliate of BlueTriton Brands, Inc. ("BlueTriton"). The two companies touted the synergies of the Merger, stating that the combined company was expected to have "significant financial and operating leverage" and "enhanced distribution capabilities" which would position it "for sustained long-term growth." On November 8, 2024, the companies announced the completion of the Merger and the formation of the combined entity, Primo Brands.On August 7, 2025, Primo Brands announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2025. On an accompanying earnings call, Chief Executive Officer Robbert Rietbroek acknowledged that "[t]he speed by which we closed facilities and reduced headcount led to disruptions in product supply, delivery, and service." Following these disclosures, Primo Brands' stock price fell $2.41 per share, or 9.13%, to close at $24.00 per share on August 7, 2025.Then, on November 6, 2025, Primo Brands announced Rietbroek's departure as CEO and disclosed that the Company was drastically reducing its full year 2025 net sales and adjusted EBITDA guidance. During a corresponding earnings call, Primo Brands' new CEO Eric Foss admitted that the Company "probably moved too far too fast on some of the various integration work streams" and that "[t]here's no doubt that speed impacted our ability to get through a lot of the warehouse closures and route realignment without disruption." Foss further revealed that Primo Brands had experienced "customer service issues" as well as "integration issues related to the technology move over." On this news, Primo Brands' stock price fell $8.20 per share, or 36.19%, over the following two trading sessions, closing at $14.46 per share on November 7, 2025.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / November 15, 2025 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Avantor, Inc. ("Avantor" or the "Company") (NYSE:AVTR). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.The class action concerns whether Avantor and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.You have until December 29, 2025 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you purchased or otherwise acquired Avantor securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com [Click here for information about joining the class action]On April 25, 2025, Avantor reported disappointing first quarter 2025 financial results, cut its guidance for 2025, and announced that Michael Stubblefield would be stepping down from his roles as President and Chief Executive Officer. Avantor's management attributed its weak performance and outlook to "the impact of increased competitive intensity." On this news, Avantor's stock price fell $2.57 per share, or 16.5%, to close at $12.93 per share on April 25, 2025.Then, on August 1, 2025, Avantor reported disappointing second quarter 2025 financial results, including a year-over-year decrease in net sales, and further reduced the Company's 2025 guidance-now projecting organic revenue growth of -2% to 0%. Avantor's management again attributed the Company's lackluster results and outlook to "increased competitive intensity" and further admitted that Avantor did not expect the competitive environment to materially improve in the remainder of 2025.On this news, Avantor's stock price fell $2.08 per share, or 15.48%, to close at $11.36 per share on August 1, 2025.Then, on October 29, 2025, Avantor reported weak third quarter 2025 financial results, including -5% organic revenue growth and a net loss of $712 million, which management primarily attributed to a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $785 million. Avantor's management said that the impairment charge was necessary due in part to "competitive pressures" that had "meaningfully impacted" Avantor's margins and further disclosed that the Company had lost several large accounts.On this news, Avantor's stock price fell $3.50 per share, or 23.21%, to close at $11.58 per share on October 29, 2025.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / November 15, 2025 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against WPP Plc ("WPP" or the "Company") (NYSE:WPP). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.The class action concerns whether WPP and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.You have until December 8, 2025, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you purchased or otherwise acquired WPP securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com [Click here for information about joining the class action]On July 9, 2025, WPP published a trading update for the first half of 2025, advising investors that the Company had "seen a deterioration in performance as Q2 has progressed." The Company attributed its misfortune to both "continued macro uncertainty weighing on client spend and weaker net new business than originally anticipated," at least in part due to "some distraction to the business" as a result of the continued restructuring of WPP Media.On this news, WPP's American Depositary Receipt ("ADR") price fell $6.48 per ADR, or 18.09%, to close at $29.34 per ADR on July 9, 2025.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
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NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / November 15, 2025 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Molina Healthcare, Inc. ("Molina" or the "Company") (NYSE:MOH). Such investors are advised to contact Danielle Peyton at newaction@ pomlaw.com or 646-581-9980, (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.The class action concerns whether Molina and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.You have until December 2, 2025, to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class if you purchased or otherwise acquired Molina securities during the Class Period. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com [Click here for information about joining the class action]On July 7, 2025, Molina issued a press release announcing financial results for the second quarter of 2025 and slashing full year 2025 adjusted earnings per share guidance. The press release reported second quarter 2025 adjusted earnings of approximately $5.50 per share, which was "below . . . prior expectations" due to "medical cost pressures in all three lines of business." The Company also announced that it "expects these medical cost pressures to continue into the second half of the year" and cut guidance for expected adjusted earnings per share 10.2% at the midpoint, from "at least $24.50 per share" to a "range of $21.50 to $22.50 per share." The press release revealed Molina was experiencing a "short-term earnings pressure" from a "dislocation between premium rates and a medical cost trend which has recently accelerated." On this news, Molina's stock price fell $6.97 per share, or 2.9%, to close at $232.61 per share on July 7, 2025.Then, on July 23, 2025, Molina issued a press release reporting its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025 and further slashing the Company's full-year 2025 earnings guidance. The press release revealed, in part, that the Company's "GAAP net income was $4.75 per diluted share for the second quarter of 2025, a decrease of 8% year over year;" and it "now expects its full year 2025 adjusted earnings to be no less than $19.00 per diluted share." This represented another 13.6% cut to guidance of earnings per share at the midpoint, from the cut to guidance announced less than two weeks earlier. Molina also cut its guidance for its full year 2025 GAAP net income 27% to $912 million. Molina attributed its results a full year outlook to a "challenging medical cost trend environment," including mere "utilization of behavioral health, pharmacy, and inpatient and outpatient services." The Company claimed that its guidance cut also reflected "new information gained in the quarterly closing process." On this news, Molina's stock price fell $32.03 per share, or 16.84%, to close at $158.22 per share on July 24, 2025.Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
Over $1.9 trillion worth of instant payment transactions took place in Africa in 2024, according to the State of Inclusive Instant Payment Systems (SIIPS) Report released on Thursday.

The annual report, produced by the AfricaNenda Foundation in partnership with the Central Bank of Eswatini (CBE), the World Bank, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), shows significant growth and expansion of instant payment systems across the continent.

The 2025 report was launched in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Instant payment systems (IPS) are open-loop retail payment platforms, enabling irrevocable, low-value, digital credit-push transactions in near real time, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The total transaction value increased from $775.7 billion in 2020 to $1,980.6 billion in 2024, the report stated, indicating a transaction volume of $64.6 billion in 2024.

The report shows an expansion of IPS across the continent, with 36 live systems in 31 countries. Five of the 36 systems were launched within the last 12 months.

Some newly launched IPS include Switch Mobile in Algeria, Fast Payments Module in Eswatini, LYPay in Libya, Salon Pement Switch in Sierra Leone, and the Somalia Instant Payment System in Somalia.

Robert Ochola, CEO of the AfricaNenda Foundation, said in his presentation that countries operating IPS must ensure faster and more inclusive access.

The findings of SIIPS 2025 show clear progress  more countries are adopting instant payment systems, and more people are gaining access to digital financial services that support livelihoods, trade, and growth across the continent.

The latest SIIPS report shows steady progress across Africa in the uptake of fast payments. This is promising and represents a great start, but there is much work to be done. Countries without fast payment systems should begin implementations, while those already operating them should focus on greater inclusivity, innovation, and affordability in digital payment services.

Expansion of regional IPS  cross-border payment

The report also highlighted the expansion of regional payment systems on the continent, which experts say could help deepen cross-border payments across Africa. The regional IPS include GIMACPAY, PAPSS and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) system.

GIMACPAY serves the following countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. PAPSS covers Nigeria and 12 other West African countries, and Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia.

The SADC IPS is live in Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

According to the report, four other regional blocs in Africa are also at different stages of developing payment systems. These blocs include the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

However, experts warned that African countries must address issues around free movement to deepen payment systems across the continent.

READ ALSO: Group seeks financial inclusion for women in Nigeria

Premier Oiwoh, the CEO of NIBSS, said countries must ensure that people can move around and engage in trade to create incentives for cross-border payments.

One of the things we need to fix on the continent is freedom of movement. I mean, we cannot be promoting trade when people cannot visit or enter countries in Africa. That is a major challenge, and, for me, a barrier to trade and to many other activities, Mr Oiwoh said on the sidelines of the event.

Niraj Verma, acting global director of the Finance, Competitiveness & Innovation Global Department at the World Bank, said regional fast payment systems have shown what can be achieved at the regional level and urged scaling and improved efficiency.

Regional FPS models have demonstrated a unique opportunity to facilitate cost-efficient and speedy cross-border payments and could be explored for scaling across regions and ultimately across the entire continent, she said.

Several Central Bank Governors and experts who spoke at the event also called for stronger collaboration to ensure that systems do not operate in silos and are fully interoperable.
In October, Nigerias gender rights space saw renewed activism, policy debates, and controversy.

Women, policymakers, and youth leaders intensified advocacy for the passage of the Reserved Seats for Women Bill to correct political representation imbalances, a measure experts call crucial for overcoming historical barriers.

At the same time, a presidential pardon granted to Maryam Sanda, convicted of killing her husband, stirred controversy and reopened wounds of the victims family. The development drew sharp criticism from the victims family and sparked debate, which prompted the presidency to commute her death sentence, reversing its earlier pronouncement.

Meanwhile, in Zamfara State, worsening insecurity continues to drive an alarming rise in child marriages as parents resort to marrying off their young daughters to protect them from abduction and rape by bandits.

On a more positive note, Pathfinder International launched an initiative to support women-led innovation in health, climate, and economic resilience, aiming to empower women to drive transformative change.

Here are some of the most important gender-related issues from October.

In Zamfara, conflict forces parents to trade daughters for safety

In Zamfara, North-west Nigeria, the rising insecurity has led to an alarming increase in child marriages, with parents seeing it as a desperate measure to protect their daughters from abduction and rape by bandits.

An investigation by PREMIUM TIMES shows how a 13-year-old girl was handed over to a 23-year-old man in marriage, not out of tradition, but fear, as parents try to shield their daughters from violence.

This investigation unpacks how conflict, poverty, and fear collide to normalise child marriage, turning daughters into bargaining chips in the fight to survive.

The conflict has forced many families to flee their homes, abandoning farms and livelihoods. With no stable income or aid, marrying off daughters becomes a way to shift responsibility. However, this protection often backfires, leaving girls abandoned, pregnant, and struggling.

Group mobilises religious, cultural leaders to combat gender violence

In October, the Women Aid Collective (WACOL) mobilised religious and cultural leaders to confront the pervasive issue of violence against women and girls.

Joy Ezeilo, the founder of WACOL, announced partnerships with nine community-based non-governmental organisations across the six geo-political zones in Lagos. By focusing on religious women and cultural leaders, the foundation seeks to leverage key community pillars often overlooked in secular-focused interventions.

Women leaders warn of a backslide on gender equality in Nigeria

Women leaders and gender inclusion advocates have warned that Nigeria risks sliding backwards on gender equality unless urgent steps are taken to expand womens participation in governance.

The female leaders spoke at the 9th edition of the Voice of Women (VOW) Conference and Awards, themed Nigerian Women and the Power of Collective Action, in Abuja.

Special seat bill

In October, women, policymakers, educators and youth leaders from Nigerias registered political parties have renewed their calls for the swift passage of the Reserved Seats for Women Bill, which is currently under consideration by the National Assembly.

Titled, A bill for an act to alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to provide for seat reservation for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; and for related matters, the proposed legislation is one of the most ambitious attempts yet to correct the imbalance in womens political representation.

The Forum of National Women Leaders of Political Parties in Nigeria, in collaboration with the National Youth Leaders of Political Parties, described the bill as a national imperative aimed at correcting long-standing gender imbalances and ensuring that women can express strong support for the proposed constitutional amendment.

Drude Dahlerup, an international expert on electoral quotas, said the measure is a way to jump over the historical barriers that prevent a woman from being included in political decision-making.

The professor of political science spoke during a virtual event organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC).

WimBiz, others push for labour reform, female representation in govt

The Women in Leadership Coalition, a group of womens rights advocates and organisations, is working to push for modern labour reform and increase female representation in government and boardrooms.

The Women in Leadership Coalition includes the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), Women in Leadership and Women in Career.

WIMBIZ is advocating for a minimum of 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, 14 days of paternity leave, and 35 per cent female representation on the boards of listed organisations and at all levels of government.

Women in STEAM

Excellence Joshua, founder of Techy Train Incubator, discusses how she has built a successful career in tech while balancing the responsibilities of motherhood.

This episode of Women in STEAM covers her personal story, the inspiration behind Techy Train Incubator, and how her academic background in medical laboratory science has shaped her career in the industry.

She also gave insights into her challenging projects, discovery of digital skills, her perspective on work-life balance, and advice for women on lifting as they climb and thriving in their desired fields.

Maryam Sanda, presidential pardon and late Bilyaminu Bello

In October, President Bola Tinubus state pardon and clemency to 175 convicted persons, including drug offenders serving various sentences, stirred controversy.

One of those granted reprieve, Maryam Sanda, was sentenced to death in 2020 for killing her husband, the late Bilyaminu Bello, in their Abuja home on 19 November 2017.

Ms Sanda, a mother of two, had stabbed the late Mr Bello to death with a broken groundnut bottle in the neck, chest and genitals after accusing him of infidelity.

The development reopened the wounds of the late Bellos family, who questioned the action of the president.

This prompted the presidency to commute her death sentence, reversing its earlier pronouncement.

Pathfinder International launches initiative to drive women-led innovation in health, climate

Pathfinder International, a global leader in advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), launched a platform to support women-led solutions that advance health, climate, and economic resilience.

The initiative aims to put women at the centre of ideas and help them unlock the capital, partnerships, and influence they need to drive transformative, sustainable change.

Court jails man for life for raping neighbours 7-year-old daughter

The Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja has sentenced a 25-year-old man, Abodurin Apelogun, to life imprisonment for raping his neighbours seven-year-old daughter during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The judge, Rahman Oshodi, delivered the judgment after finding Mr Apelogun guilty of one count of defilement.
Nigerias primary health care system has long faced challenges, from underfunded facilities and staff shortages to service delivery and immunisation coverage gaps.

In this exclusive interview, Muyi Aina, the executive director and chief executive officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), discusses how Nigeria is strengthening primary health centres and developing local vaccine production. He outlines efforts to improve facilities, expand the frontline health workforce, and ensure the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) reaches the communities that need it most.

PT: The NPHCDA has been leading efforts to revitalise primary health centres nationwide, but many communities still report non-functional facilities. What concrete steps is the agency taking to ensure that revitalisation goes beyond infrastructure to include staffing, equipment, and service delivery?

Aina: Thank you very much, you have raised an important point. There are over 30,000 public primary health centres across Nigeria. Over the past few years, the federal government has identified about 8,300 of them to receive direct operational funding through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF).

These facilities were selected based on fairness, equitable distribution, functionality, and quality. So, by definition, historically, these are the best of the facilities. When we came on board two years ago, only about one-fifth of those facilities met the criteria for being fully functional. We looked within our environment to determine, what do we call a fully functional PHC? Of course, there is the World Health Organisations definition of a functional PHC and other global standards, but when you contextualise that for us, we made a call that there are several requirements for a PHC to be called fully functional.

One is a decent, dignified building suitable for patient care. Two, there should be a minimum complement of health workers, including at least four skilled birth attendants, and a residence on-site to provide 24-hour service. The third is to have a reliable backup power supply to support continuous operations. The fourth one is for the facility to have adequate equipment and number five is to have functional water and sanitation facilities, including separate toilets for men and women, and accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Youll agree this is a big leap from where many PHCs are. In the past couple of years, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, about 1,640 PHCs have been refurbished or upgraded, in partnership with states and the World Bank. Combined with those already in good shape, we now have around 3,500 relatively functional facilitiesstill far from the 30,000 total.

So yes, most facilities are still below standard, but were on a transformation journey. The PHC system had been neglected for a very long time, with no money invested in it and people were not being coordinated. This is the first time the government is working in a coordinated way to improve PHCs. So, we are moving as fast as we can to ensure we get PHCs to the most achievable standard.

Its also important to clarify that it is not the responsibility of the federal government or NPHCDA to revitalise PHCs. We develop it, but we dont own these facilities; they belong to the states and, in some cases, local governments. The delivery of services at that level is, structurally, by our health system, a responsibility of the subnational government. The federal government provides coordination, technical guidance, funding support, and oversight.

Because there are many gaps, we have intervened federally to complement state and local efforts. President Bola Tinubu has also signed a compact with states and development partners to jointly invest in improving PHC quality. States are now more involved, but we must accelerate the pace together.

PT: Nigeria faces an ongoing shortage of health workers at the primary care level, worsened by migration and poor working conditions. How is the NPHCDA addressing the retention and motivation of frontline health workers, especially in rural or hard-to-reach areas?

Aina: I agree with you that there is a need to focus on improving the health workforce. However, this is at multiple levels. This is to ensure we have enough health workers, the competence and skills to function effectively, and also to ensure they are retained in the facility.

Regarding having more health workers, we have created programmes and incentives for states and local governments to hire more staff.

The NPHCDA doesnt directly hire PHC workers anymore. That responsibility now lies with states, and were supporting them with resources to pay salaries. So far, about eight states have hired thousands of new skilled birth attendants to work in health facilities. These states are: Kaduna, Yobe, Borno, Ebonyi, Adamawa, Kwara, Ogun and Plateau. Others are in various stages of their recruitment process.

Weve also re-established a community-based health worker cadre. These workers provide basic services within communities, especially for people who cant reach PHCs, under strict supervision and standard protocols. Five or six states have already begun recruitment.

In addition, the federal government has doubled the training capacity of health institutions nationwide. President Tinubu, who also serves as the African Unions champion for community health workers, has mandated us to retrain 120,000 frontline health workers. As of last week, we had completed training for over 70,600, and the next batch is planned. Selection of these health workers is based on a few criteria: they must be employed in a government facility (not volunteers), prioritised for maternal and newborn care, and licensed professionals. We typically select three or four per facility that provides delivery services.

Were also digitising these trainings so that health workers can access them easily and affordably on their phones.

Were also improving motivation through better working conditions. In partnership with the Renewed Hope Initiative led by the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, 60,000 health workers have received new protective kits like scrubs, shoes, and uniforms. Many workers have expressed excitement about this support.

Were also promoting on-site accommodation for health workers in remote or insecure areas so they can stay safely after night shifts. Through the BHCPF, facilities can now pay performance-based incentives to retain staff, especially in rural areas.

These combined measures are helping morale and, over time, should improve retention.

PT: Despite progress in routine immunisation, coverage still varies widely between states. What innovative approaches is the agency implementing to close these gaps and reach zero-dose children, particularly in insecure or underserved regions?

Aina: According to the 20232024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), the Penta 3 coverage, which is the standard metric that is used to assess routine immunisation in Nigeria, was put at 53 per cent. That means nearly half of Nigerian children havent received their third dose of the pentavalent vaccine. The performance varies by state; some states are as high as 80 per cent, while others are below 10 per cent.

Weve mapped areas with large numbers of zero-dose children and are conducting targeted interventions by enumerating, line-listing, and vaccinating these children one by one. In the first phase of our campaign, over 300,000 previously unvaccinated children were reached.

Were also implementing the Big Catch-up initiative, targeting children who missed basic immunisations. Our integrated measles, rubella, and polio campaign aims to reach over 106 million children nationwide, and we are on target to achieve that. So far, 21 states have been covered, and the rest will follow early next year.

All of these efforts are to cover existing gaps in vaccination coverage to reduce the number of outbreaks and deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases. In security-compromised areas, were working with security forces to ensure safe delivery of vaccines.

PT: Nigeria has discussed vaccine production for years, yet progress has been slow. What practical steps are currently underway to ensure that local manufacturing moves beyond talk to actual implementation?

Aina: Several years ago, Nigeria produced yellow fever and even rabies vaccines, but that was abandoned for quite a while. Vaccine production is highly technical as it involves live organisms and complex processes. There have been discussions on this before now, and maybe even efforts in that direction. However, what this government has done is accelerate that effort through the Presidential Value Chain Initiative in Health. Were partnering with global vaccine manufacturers to transfer technology and begin producing basic vaccines suited to Nigerias needs.

Part of the problem that has made it not sustainable in the past is that the process and the cost to establish vaccine manufacturing require a large market to buy from for it to be worth it. To make this sustainable, were collaborating with other African countries to build a continental market. Each country will specialise in certain vaccines to achieve economies of scale.

Building the facilities, transferring technology, and obtaining rigorous licensing takes time to ensure global-quality standards. Were proceeding carefully to protect public confidence in vaccines.

PT: Are you optimistic that Nigeria will eventually produce its own vaccines?

Aina: Im almost certain because we do not have a choice at this point. As the number of children is increasing, as our vaccine portfolio has expanded, the cost of buying and importing those vaccines is becoming more and more difficult for us to meet.

So, its economically and strategically necessary. Local production means we can pay in Naira and reduce dependence on foreign currency. Moreso, it also ensures supply security. During COVID-19, many countries prioritised their citizens first, leaving others waiting. We dont want to be in that situation again.

PT: Vaccine hesitancy remains an issue in Nigeria, and its now being fuelled by some assumptions that the COVID-19 vaccine causes infertility in Women. Whats your take on this?

Aina: That assumption is completely false. There is no scientific evidence linking the COVID-19 vaccine to infertility, none at all. Infertility affects both men and women for many well-established medical reasons, but vaccination isnt one of them. Unfortunately, we have a cadre of health workers who dont follow the science and the evidence. The prevalence, causes, and remedies of infertility are well known, and the COVID-19 vaccine has no link to this. The components of the vaccines are publicly available and have no connection to reproductive organs or hormones.

Its also important to remember that correlation isnt causation. Someone could take a vaccine and later fall ill or have an accident; that doesnt mean the vaccine caused it. Vaccines may have mild side effects like pain or fever, but they prevent severe diseases and save lives.

Many myths about vaccines persist, often spread by people who overlook scientific evidence. Weve seen tragedies where parents refused vaccines for measles or polio and their children suffered lifelong consequences.

Everyone has the right to choose, but such decisions should be based on credible evidence, not misinformation. Vaccines remain one of the most effective public health tools in history.

PT: The NPHCDA is a key gateway for the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. Can you share how much the agency has received and disbursed so far under the fund, and what proportion has directly reached primary health facilities?

Aina: The Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) is the anchor fund for Primary Health Care services in Nigeria, and its disbursed through four gateways. The largest is the National Health Insurance gateway, which takes about half the funds. That portion provides financial protection for vulnerable groups, offering free maternal and child health services in many states, including free caesarean sections for pregnant women.

The second is the NPHCDA gateway, which focuses on ensuring the service readiness of health facilities. Through this channel, funds are sent directly to PHCs every quarter to help keep the lights on, maintain essential operations, procure basic supplies, and hire ad hoc staff where necessary.

Since we came on board in the last two years, weve disbursed N50.8 billion under the BHCPF. For Q1 and Q2 of 2025, N14.01 billion was disbursed through our gateway, and these funds have gone directly to the health facilities.

For Q3, you might have heard about the Ministers Red Letter and the N32.9 billion he mentioned for all four gateways. That allocation is currently being finalised. The slight delay is because the government made additional funds available, allowing us to expand the number of supported facilities and increase the amount each facility receives. We can add about 5,212 PHCs to the existing 8,300 based on our calculations.

PT: Several reports indicate that disbursement of BHCPF funds to states and facilities has often been delayed or inconsistent. What are the major challenges causing these delays, and what steps is the agency taking to ensure the timely and transparent release of funds?

Aina: I think its important to put this in context. We all want to see funds reach facilities efficiently, but we also have to ensure that public resources are properly accounted for and not wasted. In our environment, funds can easily be misused or spent on non-priority items if there arent the right checks and balances.

So, what we require is that each facility account for how the funds they previously received were used. We then review those reports on a facility-by-facility basis before making the next disbursement. That verification process can sometimes lead to delays.

READ ALSO: FG pledges to revitalise PHCs to drive universal health coverage

In this particular instance, as I mentioned earlier, were also implementing a few key changes. We recently launched new BHCPF guidelines that increase both the number of participating facilities and the amount allocated to each one. Were also working closely with states and local governments to determine how the additional facilities will be distributed. These adjustments take some time, but getting them right is important as we dont want to be careless with public funds.

To minimise delays going forward, were digitising more of our processes and leveraging technology to improve transparency and efficiency. Were currently rolling out the PHC Financial Management System across facilities to make disbursement faster and more accountable.

PT: Beyond the financial releases, what mechanisms does the NPHCDA have to track whether BHCPF funds are improving service delivery at the facility level  especially in rural or hard-to-reach areas?

Aina: We have several mechanisms to ensure funds are used effectively. First, we routinely review facility reports before disbursing additional funds. We also have Performance and Financial Management Officers in every local government, who check the books, provide technical assistance to states on fund application, and verify all submitted information.

In addition, we partner with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), which conducts checks in selected areas with potential concerns, and reports back to us.

Very importantly, we are rolling out a Financial Management App that limits the amount of cash facilities can withdraw and encourages them to transfer funds electronically for all expenses. This allows us to track how money is spent in real time.

We believe that combining these approaches will significantly reduce the incidence of fraud and ensure that BHCPF funds are improving service delivery across all facilities, including those in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
The claim of Christian genocide is not just false  it is dangerous. It distorts Nigerias plural identity, fuels mistrust between faiths, and undermines the collective effort to build peace. It erases the shared suffering of ordinary Nigerians  Muslim and Christian alike  who have lost homes, loved ones, and livelihoods to the same wave of insecurity.

On Thursday, 30 October, I joined colleagues from Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR)  publishers of PRNigeria and Economic Confidential  on a courtesy visit to Nigerias Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, at the ministrys headquarters in Abuja.

During the visit, the IMPR Founder, Malam Yushau A. Shuaib, presented Ambassador Tuggar with the Minister of the Year Award for his outstanding leadership in reshaping Nigerias foreign policy. I also had the honour of presenting a book I co-authored during my NYSC service at IMPR, titled Diplomacy and Digital Innovation: Youth Insight, written alongside my colleague Fatima Yusuf Usman.

Ironically, as we were celebrating Nigerias growing diplomatic engagement, global headlines were being dominated by a troubling narrative. On Friday, 31 October, US President Donald J Trump announced via his Truth Social account that Nigeria was being designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for alleged persecution of Christians.

Trump claimed that Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria, citing figures suggesting over 3,000 Christians killed in 2025. He pledged that the US stands ready, willing, and able to defend Christians worldwide. Within hours, the statement was amplified by American evangelical groups, such as the Family Research Council, and reposted by the official White House social media handle.

This declaration marks a serious escalation of a campaign long pushed by Western lobbyists and media outlets who depict Nigeria as a nation enabling Christian genocide. But within Nigerias Ministry of Foreign Affairs, such a move had been anticipated  and thoroughly prepared for.

During our visit, the Ministry shared two policy papers: Nigerias Constitutional Commitment to Religious Freedom and Rule of Law and Nigeria and Religious Persecution: Deconstructing a Linear Narrative. These comprehensive documents dismantle the genocide claim, replacing myth with context and data.

Ambassador Tuggar described Trumps allegations as dangerous fabrications that ignore Nigerias plural reality. He reiterated the governments commitment to interfaith harmony, urging global partners to engage facts, not fear.

At the heart of Nigerias rebuttal lies the 1999 Constitution, which explicitly forbids the adoption of any state religion. Section 10 declares: The Government of the Federation or of a State shall not adopt any religion as State Religion. The Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion  rights that apply equally to Muslims, Christians, and adherents of indigenous faiths.

The Christian genocide claim also collapses under empirical scrutiny. Terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, often portrayed as Islamic militias, are in fact sworn enemies of both Islam and the Nigerian state. They target mosques and churches alike, slaughtering Muslims and Christians in their quest for chaos and attention.

The Ministry also clarified that Nigeria does not operate federal blasphemy laws. Instead, it enforces public order laws aimed at preventing violence or incitement  laws that apply universally, not selectively.

One of the most misunderstood aspects of Nigerias governance is the role of Sharia law. As the Ministry explained, the Sharia jurisdiction operates only in specific northern states and applies exclusively to Muslims who voluntarily submit to it. Non-Muslims are never tried under its provisions, and the appellate courts frequently overturn lower judgments that violate due process.

Moreover, judicial oversight ensures that every legal process  religious or civil  remains subject to constitutional review. Nigerias legal structure, far from being theocratic, is anchored in secular democratic principles.

The Christian genocide claim also collapses under empirical scrutiny. Terrorist groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, often portrayed as Islamic militias, are in fact sworn enemies of both Islam and the Nigerian state. They target mosques and churches alike, slaughtering Muslims and Christians in their quest for chaos and attention.

Research by both government and independent organisations confirms that the majority of Boko Harams victims are Muslims, not Christians. To portray their violence as state-backed religious persecution is not only inaccurate  it dishonours the countless Muslims who have died fighting or fleeing the same terrorists.

The second white paper, Deconstructing a Linear Narrative, goes further by exposing the flawed logic behind labelling Nigerias internal conflicts as religious. It argues that most crises  farmer-herder clashes, communal disputes, and banditry  stem from economic pressures, climate change, and weak governance, not theology.

Religion, the document explains, often becomes the language of conflict, but rarely its cause. Across northern and central Nigeria, Christians and Muslims are equally victims of poverty, displacement, and insecurity.

For Abuja, Trumps CPC designation carries serious diplomatic and economic implications. Such a label can justify sanctions, restrict military cooperation, and damage Nigerias reputation as Africas largest democracy.

Ambassador Tuggars calm but firm response embodies what Nigeria needs most at this critical juncture: diplomacy rooted in fact, restraint, and confidence. The governments position, backed by constitutional law and credible research, reaffirms that Nigeria remains a secular, multi-religious democracy where citizenship, not creed, defines belonging.

Officials describe the move as factually baseless and politically motivated, warning that it undermines years of counterterrorism collaboration between Abuja and Washington. Nigerias legal order does not persecute Christians, the Ministry insists. Our challenge is terrorism and socio-economic instability, not state-sponsored religious discrimination.

Rather than condemnation, the Ministry urges constructive engagement: joint interfaith programmes, judicial reform, and human rights partnerships. Blanket stigmatisation, it warns, risks deepening division and feeding extremist propaganda.

Analysts observe that Trumps declaration coincides with an intensified lobbying effort by American evangelical groups and conservative think-tanks seeking to frame Nigeria as a frontline in a global clash of civilisations. Their rhetoric  echoed in the Western media  transforms complex national security challenges into simplistic tales of Christian persecution.

This narrative, however, is not born of compassion; it is rooted in ideological self-interest. It allows foreign politicians to court domestic religious constituencies, while projecting moral superiority abroad. In the process, Africas largest democracy is reduced to a caricature of chaos.

The claim of Christian genocide is not just false  it is dangerous. It distorts Nigerias plural identity, fuels mistrust between faiths, and undermines the collective effort to build peace. It erases the shared suffering of ordinary Nigerians  Muslim and Christian alike  who have lost homes, loved ones, and livelihoods to the same wave of insecurity.

Ambassador Tuggars calm but firm response embodies what Nigeria needs most at this critical juncture: diplomacy rooted in fact, restraint, and confidence. The governments position, backed by constitutional law and credible research, reaffirms that Nigeria remains a secular, multi-religious democracy where citizenship, not creed, defines belonging.

The international community must rise above sensationalism. Rather than perpetrating polarised narratives, it should invest in peacebuilding, climate adaptation, and inclusive governance  the true solutions to Nigerias internal instability.

Nigerias story is not one of persecution but perseverance. It is the story of a nation struggling, yet striving, to balance diversity with unity; faith with freedom; and democracy with development.

The world must learn to listen beyond the noise.

Umar Farouk Bala is an NYSC Corps member serving at the PRNigeria Centre, Abuja.

[email protected]
More than a decade before her marriage made national headlines, Regina Daniels was simply a child actor learning her craft on Nollywood film sets. It is easy to forget the little girl who once lit up screens amid the ongoing public drama between the actress and her estranged husband, Senator Ned Nwoko.

PREMIUM TIMES has documented the unfolding timeline of their marital crisis, including allegations of underage marriage, domestic tensions, drug use, and the brief detention of her brother, Samuel Sammy West Ojeogwu. Senator Nwoko has dismissed many of these claims as false and malicious, insisting that suggestions he married a minor are politically driven.

For years, public records and earlier reporting placed Reginas birth date at 10 October 2000, a detail widely cited during their 2019 marriage when discussions centred on her being 19. As the couples relationship deteriorated, her age resurfaced as a recurring point of contention. Yet long before these debates, Regina was simply a child star growing up in front of millions.

Revisiting her early Nollywood work serves as a reminder of how long she has been in the public eye and how young she was when Nigerians first encountered her.

One of the films that brought her into wider recognition was My Soul Mate (Parts 1 & 2), released during Nollywoods vibrant DVD boom. Featuring Van Vicker, Mercy Johnson, and Annie Macauley, the movie tells the story of Winifred, a young woman abandoned during pregnancy and pushed into a series of difficult choices.

Plot

When life had mistreated Winifred, she got pregnant, and her boyfriend broke up with her, even without knowing that she was pregnant. She is forced to care for herself and her pregnancy. This marked the beginning of her toils, as she had to survive in a society that sought to take advantage of the vulnerable. First, the man who invited him to help her during her pregnancy, only to use her condition to satisfy his bed, was insensitive to her pregnancy condition. When she refused to grant his desires, he sent her packing from his house; this was at the peak of her pregnancy.

Immersed in her frustration, she managed to give birth, but life hadnt provided her with the favourable conditions to be a mother, so she connected with one Mrs Ngozi, and she was able to sell the baby.

However, after giving up her baby at birth, Winifred returns seven years later under the name Ann and takes a nanny job in the home of Mr Fred Nwokocha, played by Van Vicker. There, she meets the child she once gave up, Sophia, and slowly grows attached to her.

Surprised at the instantaneous bond between Sophia and her new Ann, because Sophia is rarely sociable with strangers. The bond between Sophia and Ann grew spontaneously tight. Fred had an uncompromising love for his daughter; his joy was seeing her form a strong relationship with her new nanny. They shared common traits and were almost like mother and daughter. This drew Fred to form an emotional attachment and chemistry with Ann.

What will happen when Freds wife returns, Uju returns, and wants to take away Sophia? What becomes of Winifred and Mr Fred?

A Take-home

Regina Daniels played one of the child roles as Sophia; her scenes, though brief, were striking for the confidence and ease she displayed so early in her career.

Watching her in that role is a pleasant surprise, seeing how fast the once little girl in the 2010 movie has grown not only into a wife but also a mother.

The renewed arguments about Reginas birth year have prompted many fans to revisit her early films, comparing the child they saw in 2010 to the woman now at the centre of a national debate.

Reginas early colleagues have also resurfaced in the current discussion.

Mercy, who acted alongside her as a child in the movie, in Reginas recent saga, Mrs Johnson publicly expressed concern for Sammy Wests well-being. She called for his release after he was allegedly arrested on Ned Nwokos orders. She was seen actively searching for him, visiting police stations and speaking with officers to find his location.

Although the movie does not answer personal questions about Regina Daniels age, it reminds both fans and onlookers of who Regina Daniel was before adulthood and all the problems that come with it.

Verdict:

The movie offers a compelling story, a beautiful narrative, and a classic delivery.

8/10
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expelled the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, and the partys embattled National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu

The decision was taken on Saturday during the partys elective national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, following the adoption of a motion on alleged anti-party activities.

The party, led by its National Chairman, Umar Damagun, also removed Mohammed Abdulrahman, the factional chairman aligned with Mr Wikes camp.

Three of Mr Wikes allies who challenged the holding of the convention in court, arguing that state congresses were not conducted in accordance with the PDP Constitution, were also expelled. They are Imo PDP Chairman Austine Nwachukwu, Abia PDP Chairman Amah Nnanna, and PDP South-south Zonal Secretary, Turnah George.

Others affected include the National Organising Secretary, Umaru Bature; National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; Mao Ohuabunwa, factional BoT chairman, and Dan Orbih from Edo State.

The expulsion notice was posted on the partys official X handle a few hours into the convention

Reports say the motion for the expulsion was moved by a former National Vice Chairman of the PDP (South), Bode George, and seconded by the partys chairman in Bauchi State, Samaila Buga.

The Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, put the motion to a voice vote..

With the expulsion, the crisis within the opposition party appears to be taking a new dimension.

While calls for the removal of some of these officials particularly Mr Wike had been on for years, the timing and circumstances surrounding the expulsion introduce new political implications.

Before now, the minister was a powerful force within the PDP despite serving in an APC-led administration.

He has accused the Damagum-led NWC of violating party principles and planning an illegitimate convention. For him, the struggle is about controlling the partys structure ahead of 2027 having declared his support for a second term for APCs President Bola Tinubu.

Since the 2023 general elections, the PDP has been engulfed in a series of internal disputes. Specifically, the party split into two factions after disagreeing over preparations for the national convention in which new leaders were expected to emerge to replace the current National Working Committee (NWC), led by Mr Damagum.

Mr Wikes loyalists argue that the party violated its constitution by failing to conduct valid congresses. While Mr Damagun insisted that the convention will hold as scheduled nonetheless.

The disagreement, however, led to conflicting court orders. There are currently three subsisting judgements on the two-day convention.

On 31 October, James Omotosho, a judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, halted the convention, referencing the absence of valid congresses.

He ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to monitor or supervise the exercise. The judgement came a few weeks after he refused an interim injunction sought by Messrs Nwachukwu, Nnanna, and George.

However, on 4 November A. L. Akintola, a judge of the Oyo State High Court, ordered the PDP to proceed with the convention and ordered INEC to monitor it.

Even so, barely a week after the last judgement, Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on 11 November, delivering a judgement in a suit brought by a former Jigawa governor, Sule Lamido, again stopped the convention and directed INEC not to recognise it.

On Friday, 14 November, just a few hours before the scheduled convention, Mr Lifu issued a final order halting the exercise until Mr Lamido was accommodated.

Despite the conflicting court judgements, the party led by Mr Damagum, insisted it would go ahead with the convention.

Basis for expulsion

In the expulsion notice, it was stated that the decision was taken in line with the PDP Constitution, which grants the National Convention supreme authority in all party matters, including discipline.

WHEREAS by Articles 33(2) (1), (2) (j) (n) & (r) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Constitution 2017 (as amended), the National Convention of the Party shall have supremacy in all matters pertaining to the Party and all officers and organs of the Party including matters of discipline of officers and members;

READ ALSO: Manhunt launched after two women burnt alive in Kano home

WHEREAS it is important to underscore the fundamental principles that a political party is a voluntary organisation and members are expected to join it out of their volition as allowed by Section 40 of the Constitution of the FRN 1999 (as amended) and are to be bound by its fundamental principles and aspirations as expressed in its Constitution;

WHEREAS the persons mentioned above have committed various breaches of the Partys Constitution including supporting and canvassing votes for opposition, the notice reads.
Two state governors, who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), have rejected the expulsion of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, from the party.

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State and Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State made their stance known in separate statements on Saturday evening, a few hours after the PDP expelled Mr Wike and 10 others during its national convention, ongoing in Ibadan.

In his statement posted on X, Mr Fintiri said Mr Wikes expulsion was not taken in the best interest of the party and, for that reason, he would not associate himself with it.

Mr Fintiri, who chairs the 2025 elective national convention where the expulsion was announced, warned that sacking Mr Wike from the PDP would further deepen the partys current crisis.

I, Rt. Hon. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, Governor of Adamawa State, wishes to categorically state that I dissociate myself from the position of expelling the Honourable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, from PDP. I believe that this decision is not in the best interest of the party, and I will not be party to any attempt that could further plunge the PDP into unending crisis, he said.

The governor explained that his stance was motivated by the need to safeguard the unity and stability of the party, emphasising that reconciliation remains the only viable path to resolving the PDPs internal conflicts.

As a faithful party member, my position is clear: I stand for the peace and stability of the PDP, and I will not support anything that could lead to its disintegration. I believe that peace and reconciliation are the only ways forward for our great party.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that apart from Mr Wike, the PDP also expelled former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, the partys National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and eight others.

Mr Fintiri, however, did not comment on the expulsion of other affected members.

The party had maintained that the expulsion of the eight members for alleged anti-party activities was carried out in line with the PDP Constitution, which gives the National Convention supreme authority over party matters, including disciplinary actions.

Nonetheless, Mr Fintiri reaffirmed his commitment to supporting efforts aimed at fostering peace, unity, and progress within the PDP.

I urge all stakeholders to work towards healing the divisions within the party and to strive for unity and cohesion. As a party man, I am committed to supporting efforts that promote peace, stability, and progress within the PDP.

Let me reiterate that my position is guided by the desire for peace and reconciliation, and I will continue to work towards achieving this goal, he added.

Plateau Governors Reaction

In his reaction, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang said the decision to expel Mr Wike and ten other party leaders was neither discussed at the PDP Governors Forum nor at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting before it was presented and adopted at the national convention.

Mr Mutfwang stated this in a statement issued on Saturday by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere.

The Executive Governor of Plateau State, His Excellency Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has formally distanced himself from the expulsion of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and former Governor of Rivers State, Barr. Nyesom Wike; former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose; Samuel Anyanwu alongside other leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a press statement, Governor Mutfwang clarified that this subject was neither discussed by Governors Forum nor at NEC before the motion was presented. He emphasised that the proposal does not reflect his position on the matter, he said.

The governor said that expelling Messrs Wike, Fayose, Anyanwu, and others is not the best way to address the division within the party.

Governor Mutfwang further noted that expelling the party leaders at this crucial time is not a strategic step toward resolving the internal challenges currently confronting the PDP. He reiterated the need for unity, dialogue, and collective effort in rebuilding and repositioning the party.

PDP States

The PDP currently governs eight Nigerian states: Oyo, Osun, Rivers, Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Plateau, and Zamfara.

At the ongoing PDP elective national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, some party leaders adopted a motion to expel Messrs Wike, Fayose, Anyanwu and eight others over alleged anti-party activities. All the expelled members are believed to be Mr Wikes allies.

One of the people expelled at the convention, which was convened under the leadership of the PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagun, was Mohammed Abdulrahman, the factional chairman aligned with Mr Wikes camp.

Three of Mr Wikes allies who challenged the holding of the convention in court, arguing that state congresses were not conducted in accordance with the PDP Constitution, were also expelled. They are Imo PDP Chairman Austine Nwachukwu, Abia PDP Chairman Amah Nnanna, and PDP South-South Zonal Secretary Turnah George.

Others affected are National Organising Secretary Umaru Bature, National Legal Adviser Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN), Mao Ohuabunwa, and Dan Orbih.

The expulsion is expected to be challenged in court, alongside any other decisions taken at the convention. This is because the convention was held despite two different orders of the Federal High Court directing that it should not hold until the matters before the court are decided.

Wike

Mr Wike governed Rivers State for eight years on the PDP platform and held other offices, including minister, under the partys governments. He became disenchanted with the party after losing its 2023 presidential primary to Atiku Abubakar, who eventually lost the presidential election to Bola Tinubu of the APC.

READ ALSO: PDP ratifies Damagun as substantive national chairman

Mr Wike subsequently assumed the position of FCT minister under Mr Tinubu despite maintaining his PDP membership. He has been accused of undermining the PDP to the benefit of the ruling APC, but has insisted that he remains a member of the opposition party. He has, however, declared his support for the re-election bid of President Tinubu of the APC.

Mr Wike, as Rivers governor, was a major financier of the PDP and thus built a network of loyalists and supporters within the party across the country.

His expulsion and the expected court cases that will follow are expected to challenge the foundations of the PDP further.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Olayemi Cardoso, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to promptly account for and explain the whereabouts of the missing or diverted N3 trillion of public funds, as documented in the recently published 2022 annual report by the Auditor-General of the Federation.

SERAP said the grave allegations are documented in the latest annual report published by the Auditor-General on 9 September 2025.

SERAP urged him to identify those responsible for the missing or diverted public funds and hand them over to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further investigation and prosecution.

SERAP also urged him to ensure the full recovery and return of any missing public funds to the treasury without further delay.

In the letter dated 15 November 2025 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: These grim allegations by the Auditor-General suggest grave violations of the public trust, the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the CBN Act, and anticorruption standards.

SERAP said, These grave violations also reflect a failure of CBN accountability more generally and are directly linked to the institutions persistent failure to comply with its Act and to uphold the principles of transparency and accountability.

According to SERAP, These violations have seriously undermined the ability of the CBN to effectively discharge its statutory functions and the public trust and confidence in the bank. The CBN ought to be committed to transparency and accountability in its operations.

The letter, read in part: According to the Auditor-General, the CBN in 2022 failed to remit over N1 trillion [N1,445,593,400,000.00] of the Federal Governments portion of operating surplus into the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) account.

The Auditor-General fears that the money may have been diverted. He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.

The CBN in 2022 failed to recover over N629 billion [N629,040,000,000.00] paid to unknown beneficiaries as part of the Anchor Borrowers Programme, a programme meant to support farmers to ensure sustainable food production in the country.

But the numbers of beneficiaries who collected the money are unknown. The CBN has also failed to recover the money. The Auditor-General fears the money may have been diverted, which could have contributed to the difficulty in sustaining food security in the Nation.

He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.

The CBN has also failed to recover over N784 billion [N784,410,108,864.47] being 32 unpaid, overdue loans and interventions disbursed by the Bank between 2018 and May 2022.

The Auditor-General said there was no evidence that the Bank was doing enough to recover the loans/interventions, which ought to have been paid. He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.

The CBN in 2022 also spent over N125 billion [N125,374,000,000.00] on questionable intervention activities. The CBN claimed it spent the money on intervention activities in connection with national security, the federal government, state securities, armed forces and to build the capacity of the financial sector.

But the Auditor-General is concerned that the money may have been spent without the approval of the National Assembly. There was also no document to support the expenditure.

The expenditure also may not have been in the public interest and consistent with the objectives of the CBN in section 2 of the CBN Act. The Auditor-General fears the money may have been diverted. He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.

The CBN in 2022 also unjustifiably spent over N1 billion [N1,792,769,160.00] to buy 43 operational vehicles for the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). The spending is unjustified because there is no connection with buying operational vehicles for the NIS and the objectives of the CBN as stated in section 2 of the CBN Act.

The NIS also failed to provide any evidence to show that the vehicles were actually supplied and delivered. There were also no procurement and payment records or documents. The Auditor-General fears the money may have been diverted. He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.

The CBN also awarded 43 contracts for over N189 billion [N189,50,066,756.73] but the contractors deliberately delayed completion of these contracts by seeking extension of the completion period.

The contractors then requested for variation of contracts due to extension of completion period. Following the request, the CBN paid the contractors over N9 billion [N9,270,849,691.61] irregular variation of contract price.

There were no relevant procurement documents such as contract files, procurement records, and payment vouchers for the payment. The Auditor-General fears the money may have been diverted and the projects may have been abandoned. He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.

The Katsina state branch of the CBN also failed to recover over N90 million [N90,163,610.00] being outstanding loans and interventions disbursed to 33 small and medium enterprises during Covid 19 in 2020.

The Auditor-General fears the money may have been diverted or mismanaged. He wants the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.

We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and the CBN to comply with our request in the public interest.

Paragraph 708 of the Financial Regulations 2009 provides that, on no account should payment be made for services not yet performed or for goods not yet supplied.

Section 15(5) of the Nigerian Constitution requires public institutions to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power. Section 13 of the Constitution imposes clear responsibility on the CBN to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the constitution.

Paragraph 3112(ii) of the Financial Regulations 2009 provides: Where a public officer fails to account for government revenue, such officer shall be surcharged for the full amount involved and such officer shall be handed over to either the EFCC or the ICPC.

Nigerians have the right to know the whereabouts of the public funds. Taking the recommended measures would advance the right of Nigerians to restitution, compensation and guarantee of non-repetition.

The Nigerian Constitution, Freedom of Information Act, and the countrys anti-corruption and human rights obligations rest on the principle that citizens should have access to information regarding their public institutions activities.
In a bid to restore peace and foster intercommunal harmony in Plateau State, President Tinubu dispatched an emissary, Abiodun Essiet, to the state last Thursday.

Ms Essiet, a senior special assistant on community engagement in the North-central Zone, spent two days in the state. She met Christian clerics and Fulani Miyetti Allah community leaders. The efforts culminated in a town hall meeting in Jos.

Delegates from various local government areas, traditional rulers, women, and youth leaders gathered to discuss ways to strengthen community-based peace structures and promote coexistence among diverse communities.

Ms Essiet paid a courtesy visit to Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, Chairman of the Regional Church Council (RCC), in Barkin Ladi, where discussions centred on faith-based leadership and its role in promoting peace, unity, and social development. Along with Mr Dachomo, she addressed some widows and conveyed President Tinubus message of fostering ethnic reconciliation in the state. Dachomo has been the loudest voice of Christian communities in the state.

She also met with Fulani leaders in Barkin Ladi to foster dialogue and mutual understanding between pastoral and farming communities, reaffirming the federal governments commitment to inclusive engagement.

Later in the day, she conducted a workshop on establishing a community peace structure for the 17 local government areas in Jos.

Ms Essiet also held a closed-door meeting with the Irigwe community, the Miyetti Allah group, and representatives from the Youth Council of Bassa LGA. They focused on sustaining peace and discussed how the 17-member peace committee strengthens dialogue, reconciliation, and coexistence between the two communities.

Ms Essiet reiterated President Bola Tinubus unwavering commitment to peace and inclusive governance, noting that the Community-Based Peace Structure serves as a key instrument for grassroots unity, dialogue, and long-term stability in the North Central region. 

A quick win in the peace efforts was the resolution of the conflict between David Toma, the owner of Agha Farm in Gyel district of Jos South and some herdsmen. Mr Toma seized two cows following the destruction of his farm. On 15 November, the MACBAN Chairman of BASSA LGA, Isah Yau, paid a compensation of N500,000 to Mr Toma, who subsequently released the cows. All parties signed an undertaking to embrace peace in the state.

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President,

(Information & Strategy)
The Sokoto State Government has initiated an ICT-based recruitment examination for thousands of applicants seeking placement in the states civil service, in what officials describe as a deliberate shift away from influence-driven hiring to a merit-based system.

The exercise, which kicked off this week across 10 designated centres, is being coordinated by a state-appointed committee chaired by a former permanent secretary and ex-chairman of the Sokoto State Scholarship Board, Jelani Kalgo.

Speaking during an inspection of the examination centres, Mr Kalgo said the state government introduced the computer-based test (CBT) to ensure that only qualified and ICT-literate candidates proceed to the next stage of the recruitment process.

Our duty is clear  this recruitment must reflect merit and merit alone, he told journalists in Sokoto. The ICT exam ensures that every applicant is tested fairly, transparently, and based on the competencies required for todays civil service.

According to Mr Kalgo, more than 31,000 applicants applied to fill 3,000 vacancies, with 21,178 shortlisted for the CBT stage. He said the exam results will determine who advances to the interview and documentation phases.

He added that the committee will find a way to reconcile numbers if successful candidates exceed available slots.

All candidates sitting for the CBT are holders of degrees, HND or NCE from recognised institutions and with genuine certificates, he said.

The committee introduced several safeguards to prevent manipulation, including biometric verification, mandatory identity checks, and real-time monitoring across examination centres.

Committee members moved between centres  including those at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto State University, Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto Education Development Trust Fund, and two centres at the Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko ICT facility  to ensure strict adherence to procedures.

Some applicants who spoke to journalists described the process as orderly, stating that the digital system provides all candidates with an equal chance, regardless of their background or connections.

Civil service recruitment in many Nigerian states has long been accused of being vulnerable to political influence, patronage networks and backdoor placements. The Sokoto government stated that the new model is part of ongoing reforms aimed at reversing this trend.

Mr Kalgo said the state is determined to build a modern, tech-driven workforce capable of delivering efficient service to citizens.

With this process, competence, not connections, is now the gateway to public service in Sokoto, he said.

The committee is expected to release CBT results after the review process, before announcing dates for the next round of interviews.
Abia State Government has reiterated its commitment to ensuring a safe environment for investors.

Jerome Green-Amakwe, special adviser to the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, on Investment Promotion and Public-Private Partnership, said this at the Pre-Event Luncheon of the Abia-Turkey Investment Summit and Product Exhibition in Abuja on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the summit, scheduled from 25 November to 27 November in Umuahia, has the theme, Bridging Continents, Unlocking Prosperity.

Mr Green-Amakwe said the summit, organised by the states Ministry of Trade and Commerce, would bring together business leaders and investors from Turkey and other European countries to explore investment opportunities in Abia.

Abia is hosting Nigeria and the world for the main objective of investors to come and invest in Nigeria.

Through this partnership with Turkey, they will establish many firms in Nigeria.

Our investors have no reason to fear. I can tell you that in the whole of South-east, let me not say the entire Nigeria, there is no place as safe as Abia.

You hardly hear any kind of bad news in Abia. We are secure. We are working with the Nigerian military and police and other security agencies. So Abia is very safe.

Mr Green-Amakwe said about 21 Turkish investors had registered as individuals and corporate entities for the summit.

Darlington Nwokocha, a former senator for Abuja Central, assured investors of a secure investment in Abia, noting that all the necessary elements and variables for business to thrive were available in the state.

Abia is secure for investment; you are sure of your return on investment.

The centrality of the location of Abia and its proximity to many other states is also an added advantage for people to invest in the state.

The summit transcends the diaspora; it will also benefit the more than 200 million Nigerians who will also have the stamp of Abia.

Carl Akwarandu, the general manager and zonal head, Zenith Bank PLC, also expressed confidence in Abias investment potential, stating that Abia is one of the most attractive investment destinations in Nigeria, based on financial statistics.

READ ALSO: NERC transfers regulatory oversight of Abia electricity market to state govt

Mr Akwarandu said the bank would partner with the Abia State Government due to the credibility of the state governor, while assuring investors of a safe investment in the state.

Abia is open for business. We have a personal guarantee from the government that whatever they promise investors, they will get. So your investment is safe.

He said the bank would provide financial advisory services as well as funding to ensure investors had a sustainable return on investment.
Kabiru Turaki, a minister during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, has been elected the new national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, which could fuel speculations that Mr Jonathan may seek re-election on the partys platform.

Mr Turaki, who served as minister of special duties, was elected at the 2025 Elective National Convention of the party in Ibadan on Saturday.

Mr Jonathan has not publicly indicated interest in running again for president, but there have been calls from some PDP leaders that he should be the partys flagbearer for the 2027 presidential election. Mr Jonathan was president on the PDP platform but lost his reelection bid to Muhammadu Buhari (now late) of the APC in 2015.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the PDPs two-day convention is being held despite two orders of the Federal High Court, which mandated that the convention should not be held until the cases at the court are dealt with.

The decision of the opposition party to proceed with the convention means that the decisions reached therein could be reversed by the courts if challenged.

To emerge as the national chairman at the convention, Mr Turaki scored a total of 1,516 votes to defeat his closest rival, Garuba Lado, who scored 41 votes. Sule Lamido, a former Jigawa State governor, who many believe would have posed the greatest challenge to Mr Turaki, was barred from participating in the election. Mr Lamido filed one of the suits at the Federal High Court that led to an order that the convention should not be held.

Ben Obi, secretary of the National Convention Organising Committee, announced the results after the votes were counted late on Saturday night.

Mr Obi said that 3,141 delegates came to the convention, while 2,745 were accredited and 275 votes were voided.

He further said that Solarin Adekunle emerged as the Deputy National Organising Secretary of the party.

Mr Obi said that 17 other positions were contested unopposed.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that earlier at the convention, the PDP expelled 11 people, including FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and ex-Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose, for alleged anti-party activities.
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has explained the reasons behind the observed disparities in the payment of students upkeep allowances under the new scheme.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, NELFUND Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr attributed the disparities to the timing of applications, institutional processes, and the evolving nature of the initiative.

The NELFUND boss acknowledged that, while the Fund had received several complaints from students regarding delayed stipends, many of the issues arose from procedural and timing differences across institutions.

It is not possible to have this kind of scheme without having a complaint somewhere. We receive complaints every day here, about one thing or the other.

When we analyse the complaints, some of them are our fault, some of them are not our fault.

Some students will tell you that they have been waiting for their stipend, they have not gotten it.

When you asked, how long have you been waiting, when did you apply? They will say, last year.

When we look at the books, however, we will discover that they only applied the previous week.

When it comes to money, people want to see how fast they can get it, he said.

He further explained that students varying academic calendars and application timelines had made synchronisation of upkeep payments complex.

This is a relatively new scheme. This is not a scheme that has been running for 10 years or 20 years, where you can say, Ok, we have these people that we are paying.

Remember that we are dealing with students who are applying at different times, who are at institutions with different timetables, who are at different stages, in terms of where they are in their sessions.

The complexity of start date, end date, as people graduate, sessions close, a new session begins, is not small, he stated.

Mr Sawyerr, however, said that the Fund would not make retrospective payments to avoid cases of double disbursement.

According to him, to avoid double payments, once students apply for a new session and they begin the processing, they will stop payments for the previous session, irrespective of how many months stipend they have received.

He admitted, however, that many students misunderstood the process because it had not been clearly explained before.

The truth about it is that we are dealing with many different date points in this business.

A session is generally 12 months. Nine of the 12 months is the period that people are actually in schools.

If a student applies for the loan in time, maybe, based on the school calendar and it is approved, and we start disbursement at the beginning of the session, the student may receive 12 months upkeep stipend.

If another student applies, maybe in the middle of the session, such student will only receive what is left, which might be six months or so.

We will not pay people backwards. Once students apply for the new session, they will start receiving their monthly stipends from the month it is approved till the end of the session.

Once you apply for another new session, lets say, 2025/2026, and we start processing it, we will stop payment for the previous session of 2024/2025.

If we do not handle the process like this, we will find ourselves in a situation where we are paying people double, he clarified.

On the issue of refunding excess fees, the NELFUND chief said the Fund had been encouraging institutions to return excess payments, where both students and the Fund had paid for the same session.

According to him, when students apply for the loan, it takes some time to process because they have to carry out due diligence.

Part of that due diligence is that the institutions have to verify and confirm to us that the people who applied for the loan and whose names were forwarded to them are their students,

They must also verify the approvals and send them back to us.

These processes are time-consuming, but they are worth carrying out.

By the time the confirmation has been done, and we are through with our final checks and disburse the funds to the institutions on behalf of the students, sometimes, it might not meet the deadline set by the school, and the students might have paid

Unfortunately, all we can do is to encourage the schools to refund to the students the money they paid to the school.

We cannot force the money out of the schools, but we are encouraging the schools to make a refund, he said.

He, however, disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Education would soon take a firmer stance to ensure institutions refund such excess payments timeously, rather than carrying them over into a new academic year.

Addressing reports of schools inflating tuition fees, the NELFUND head clarified that institutions themselves input the official fee structures into the student verification system.

Apart from all the other information that we asked for, the schools, on our student verification system, provide us with the fees for each course.

If the fee is N80,000, they load it there as N80,000. If the fee for another course is N200,000, they will load it on our system as N200,000.

READ ALSO: PDP ratifies Damagun as substantive national chairman

When a student applies for the loan, they can see what amount is uploaded on their portal.

If it is higher than what it should be, they can challenge it, and say, My course is N180,000, but on the portal, I saw it as N200,000.

They have always been able to challenge that process, he explained.

Mr Sawyerr recalled that because of initial hitches when the programme started, some schools failed to provide timely data, and the Fund improvised, but it had since been resolved and corrected.

We put in some arbitrary figures, so that the system could work and the students could apply for the loan.

Then, retrospectively, we went and changed the figures to the actual ones, he said.

He assured continuous improvement in the system to nip hitches and discrepancies in the bud and enhance transparency of the process.

(NAN)
Biafra agitator Nnamdi Kanu has filed a N50 billion suit against the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) over an alleged false medical report it submitted in his terrorism trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Mr Kanu, in his fresh suit at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, also sought an order compelling the NMA to conduct a proper, independent medical examination of him by competent specialists not connected with the defendants in the instant suit.

The leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) sued as defendants the NMA, the associations president, Bala Audi, and members of the team that issued the medical report.

The team included medical doctors Benjamin Egbon, Emem Abraham, also a professor; Ajibare Adeola, Temitope Farombi, Sunday Owolade, Mustapha Salihu, Yarima Yusuf, Nwosu Ekeoma and Benjamin Olowojebutu.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the suit marked CV/4584/25 and filed on 12 November by a lawyer, Maxwell Opara, was made available to journalists on Saturday.

The disputed medical report, which is at the heart of the new suit, prompted Judge James Omotosho who oversees Mr Kanus terrorism trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja, to declare him last month medically fit to continue facing prosecution.

Mr Kanu, who is standing trial on terrorism charges over his secessionist activities calling for the independence of Nigerias Igbo-dominated South-east and some parts of the neighbouring states as Biafra, has been in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) in Abuja since June 2021.

The Nigerian government accused him in the case of carrying out terrorist activities, including broadcasting threats and inciting violence and killings in the region, to achieve the secessionist goal.

In September, Mr Kanu, through his former lawyers (that he would later sack without giving reason last month), raised concerns over the IPOB leaders ill health in SSS custody and the capacity of the agencys health facility to take care of him. They requested that he be allowed to be flown to the United States for treatment based on what they referred to as a professor of medicines recommendation.

The prosecution opposed the request, prompting the judge to direct the NMA, the umbrella body of medical doctors practising in Nigeria, to set up a panel to examine Mr Kanus health, determine his fitness to stand trial, and suitability of Nigerian health facilities to attend to whatever health challenges he might have.

The report of the panel declared Mr Kanu fit to face his trial. The report, which concluded that Mr Kanus ailment was not life-threatening and could be treated in Nigeria, was submitted to the court on 13 October. It was brought up for consideration during court proceedings of 16 October, where the judge, relying on its findings and recommendations, ordered the trial to proceed.

Why NMAs medical report is false  Kanu

But IPOB leader is now accusing the NMA and other defendants in his new suit of malice, negligence and professional misconduct, including their alleged failure to perform the duty imposed on them by the trial court to personally examine him.

Mr Kanu, whose suit came about five days after the trial judge foreclosed his defence on 7 November and adjourned for judgement, stated that the NMA and its co-defendants knowingly issued a false and misleading medical report and acted in bad faith, reckless disregard, and gross dereliction of professional ethics.

He also accused them of conspiring to pervert and in fact perverted the course of justice and caused avoidable pain and injury to the claimants person and reputation.

Mr Kanu, in his statement of claim, maintained that no medical examination was conducted on him as ordered by the trial court.

He stated that while standing trial at the Federal High Court in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CR/383/2015, he experienced a significant deterioration in his health condition.

He said, through his counsel, he submitted a medical report to the trial court evidencing his ill-health and prayed for either bail or access to proper medical care.

He said after the prosecution challenged the authenticity of his said medical report, the trial court ordered NMA to constitute a committee to examine him and make an independent medical report on his state of health and fitness to stand trial while in detention.

Pursuant to the said order, the 1st defendant- Nigerian Medical Association- acting through its president; the 2nd defendant, was to constitute a panel and physically examine the claimant at the place of his detention.

The claimant avers that at no time did the 2nd defendant or any committee of the 1st defendant visited, interviewed or examined him medically in compliance with the order of the court, Kanu said.

He said he was, however, surprised that the defendants purportedly forged, prepared and submitted a false medical report dated 23 September to Justice James Omotosho at the Federal High Court.

According to him, the said report is a fabrication, made without any medical examination or consultation with him.

He said such an action constituted a gross professional misconduct, perjury, reckless disregard for the authority of the court and his rights.

He said the false report was intended to mislead the court and in fact, it did mislead the court, discredited the claimants genuine medical condition and subjected him to further suffering, pain, and risk of irreversible deterioration in health.

Prayers

Mr Kanu, therefore, sought a declaration that the purported medical report dated 23 September and submitted by the defendants to Federal High Court is false, fabricated and made in violation of the order of the court and the professional ethics of medical practice.

He urged the court to declare that their conduct constituted a gross violation of his right to fair hearing and to the dignity of the human person as guaranteed under Sections 34 and 36 of the Nigerian constitution.

Mr Kanu also sought an order directing the defendants to withdraw and publicly retract the said false medical report.

He also put forward other prayers: An order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, privies or assigns from further publishing or relying on any false or unverified medical report concerning the claimant.

An order compelling the Nigerian Medical Association to conduct a proper, independent medical examination of the claimant by competent specialists not connected with the defendants herein.

An award of general damages in the sum of N50 billion for injury to health, reputation, emotional distress, and violation of the claimants fundamental rights.

An award of exemplary damages in the sum of N500 million for malicious fabrication and abuse of professional authority.

An award of the sum of N15 million being the cost of this action.

On 7 November, Mr Omotosho, the judge sitting on the terrorism trial, foreclosed Mr Kanus defence and fixed 20 November for judgement, after weeks of fruitlessly persuading him to present his own case to counter the prosecutions case which closed with five witnesses in June.

Mr Kanu stood his ground not to enter any defence on the basis that the terrorism charges instituted against him were invalid because they were brought under a repealed terrorism law.

Six of the seven charges against Mr Kanu were filed under the Terrorism Prevention Act 2013, amended in 2022. The Biafra agitator claimed the seventh count which has to do with alleged illegal importation of a radio transmitter into Nigeria was ordered by the Supreme Court to be removed.

(NAN)
The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has disbursed N116 billion to cover institutional fees and upkeep allowances for students across the country.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, NELFUND Managing Director Akintunde Sawyerr described this move as a milestone in the federal governments commitment to affordable and inclusive tertiary education.

Mr Sawyerr said N65 billion has been paid directly to 239 government-owned institutions, including universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education, on behalf of students whose loan applications were approved.

He said an additional N51 billion was also disbursed directly to the beneficiaries as monthly upkeep allowances,

Providing updates on the progress of the scheme, the NELFUND boss said the Fund received a total of 1,067,000 loan applications, out of which 624,000 students have so far benefited.

We have 1,067,000 loan applications and have been able to pay fees and upkeep for 624,000 students in 239 institutions  government-owned universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, he said.

The 239 institutions in these categories have been paid by us. We have disbursed so far, N65 billion in institutional fees.

We have paid out N51 billion as monthly upkeep. It is a lot of money, and a lot of people have received the upkeep. In total, we have disbursed N116 billion of Nigerias government money.

He added that NELFUND had continued to record students applications daily.

According to Mr Sawyerr, the education loan scheme is one of the flagship social investment initiatives of the President Bola Tinubu administration.

He explained that NELFUND was introduced to remove financial barriers for students in tertiary institutions, ensuring that no Nigerian is denied education due to a lack of funds.

With the growing number of applicants and the volume of funds disbursed, the NELFUND boss reaffirmed commitment to transparency and efficiency in managing the scheme.

Vocational trainings

Mr Sawyerr also said that while NELFUND primarily focused on providing financial support to students in tertiary institutions since its launch, plans were underway to expand access to individuals enrolled in vocational and technical programmes across the country.

He stated that the extension was in line with the federal governments broader education and skills development agenda.

According to him, Nigerias next development phase requires a balance between academic and technical competence.

At NELFUND, we have a mandate to also do vocational skills, he said.

We have not started yet, but I know that the President Bola Tinubu administration has ensured that there is full coverage around the skills issue.

The Ministry of Youth Development is doing skills, the Ministry of Education is involved in skills, and the Ministry of Digital Economy is involved in IT soft skills. So, skills is something that many departments of government have been charged with doing.

Private sector involvement

Mr Sawyerr also noted that the scheme is witnessing a surge of interest from organisations in the private sector and philanthropists eager to support the payment of institutional fees for students nationwide.

He said individuals, companies, and charitable groups have expressed willingness to collaborate with the Fund to expand access to education for underprivileged Nigerians.

According to him, several private companies and wealthy Nigerians have approached NELFUND to use its platform to pay the fees of students they do not personally know.

He said the development signals a new phase of public-private collaboration in education financing.

We have also had a number of people who received loans from the old scheme in the 70s who have given us cheques, he said.

They believe that in giving us money or paying off their loans of 50 years ago, in some cases, shows that they are having some level of trust in government.

Mr Sawyerr said such partnerships would help to sustain the scheme and expand its impact, particularly for indigent students who might otherwise drop out of school.

On NELFUND achievement, Mr Sawyerr noted that the scheme has significantly reduced dropout rates.

A number of people have graduated from various institutions because the Fund came to their rescue. You would be amazed at the number of people that were going to drop out in their final year that took advantage of the loan and the Fund rescued them, he said.

I think at this point, I should give credit to President Bola Tinubu for being visionary to positively affect the lives of many Nigerians.

Funding for NELFUND

NAN reports that there are multiple funding streams, including tax, levy, government budget, and potential external grants that give NELFUND a more diverse and potentially sustainable financial base.

Under the new National Taxation Act, a four per cent development levy is imposed on company profits, and NELFUND is slated to receive 25 per cent of the proceeds from this levy.

NELFUND also receives funding via the federal governments annual budget. For example, in the 2025 budget, the government allocated 175.13 million to the Fund.

According to its founding legislation, NELFUND can also be funded via donations, gifts, grants, endowments, and revenue accruing to the fund from any other source.

The law also allows NELFUND to engage in other productive activities to generate income.

In August 2024, the Fund received N50 billion from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to help expand the loan scheme.

(NAN)
Many Nigerians observing the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been discussing Saturdays dramatic expulsion of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, alongside former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, and nine others, from the party.

The expulsion was approved during the partys elective national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State, after delegates adopted a motion accusing the politicians of alleged anti-party activities.

The motion was moved by a former National Vice Chairman of the PDP (South), Bode George.

Mr George, a former military governor of Ondo State, told the convention that Mr Wikes actions had brought the party into disrepute.

He also accused the minister of recruiting Mr Fayose, former PDP National Secretary Samuel Anyanwu, factional chairman Mohammed Abdulrahman and seven others to destroy the party.

He argued that their conduct violated Articles 58 (1)(b) and (i) of the PDP Constitution.

Quoting from his motion, Mr George said he, Regards and respects the eyes of the public on account of despicable conducts of the former Governor of Rivers States, and these men he recruited to help him destroy the party, contrary to Articles 58 (1) (b) and (i) of our Constitution.

I, Chief Olabode George, hereby move that this convention should expel these persons so mentioned above from the Peoples Democratic Party. I so move.

The motion was seconded by the chairman of the PDP in Bauchi State, Samaila Buga.

Thereafter, Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, put the motion to a voice vote, and the majority of delegates supported it.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that apart from Messrs Wike, Fayose, Anyanwu, and Abdulrahman, three of Mr Wikes allies who challenged the convention in court were also expelled. They are Imo PDP Chairman Austine Nwachukwu, Abia PDP Chairman Amah Nnanna, and PDP South-south Zonal Secretary, Turnah George.

Others expelled were the National Organising Secretary, Umaru Bature; National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; Mao Ohuabunwa, factional BoT chairman; and Dan Orbih, a former chairman of the party in Edo State.

The party maintained that the expulsions were carried out in line with its constitution, which grants the National Convention supreme authority over party matters, including disciplinary measures.

However, two PDP governors, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa and Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, have rejected the expulsions.

Mr Fintiri argued that Mr Wikes expulsion was not taken in the best interest of the party and, for that reason, he would not associate himself with it.

On the other hand, Mr Mutfwang said the decision to expel the politicians was neither discussed at the PDP Governors Forum nor at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting before it was presented and adopted at the national convention.

READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu sues NMA for N50bn over alleged false medical report on his health status

Meanwhile, Kabiru Turaki, a minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, was elected the new national chairman during the convention. His emergence has fuelled speculation that Mr Jonathan might be preparing for a political comeback.

Although Mr Jonathan has not publicly declared interest in running for president again, some PDP leaders have called for him to become the partys candidate in the 2027 election. Mr Jonathan lost his reelection bid in 2015 to Muhammadu Buhari (now late) of the APC.
The Network for Health Equity and Development (NHED) and the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) have declared support for the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) over its decision to enforce the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic drinks in sachets and small bottles by December 2025.

The public health advocacy organisations said the ban, first announced in 2024, was a long overdue measure to protect children, young people, and other vulnerable groups from harmful alcohol exposure.

The position was contained in a joint statement on Sunday, signed by CAPPAs Media and Communication Officer, Robert Egbe.

Sachet ban

Earlier this month, NAFDAC reaffirmed its commitment to enforce the ban on the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in sachets, PET bottles, and small bottles below 200ml by December 2025.

The Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye, made the announcement at a press briefing in Abuja, following a directive from the Nigerian Senate instructing the agency to implement the ban fully and rule out any further extensions.

The ban, which covers spirit drinks packaged in sachets and containers below 200ml, is supported by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Public Health Intervention

NAFDAC has repeatedly argued that the products, widely sold for as low as N100 are linked to escalating cases of underage drinking, domestic violence, road crashes, addiction, and other social vices.

The agency said the ban forms part of wider efforts to curb the rising misuse of cheap alcoholic drinks among youths and commercial drivers.

NHED and CAPPA endorsed this stance, accusing manufacturers of deliberately using low pricing, attractive packaging, and aggressive marketing to push high-concentration alcohol into communities, especially among minors.

Job loss

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) criticised the enforcement of the policy, claiming it could trigger the loss of up to five million jobs and undermine investment in the sector.

The public health groups, however, dismissed these assertions as exaggerated and a familiar scare tactic used by alcohol and tobacco corporations globally.

According to the organisations, the production process for sachets and small-format alcohol is largely mechanised and does not sustain the scale of employment claimed by the manufacturers.

We reject in its entirety the claims by MAN that the ban will trigger a loss of over N1.9 trillion in investment and lead to the retrenchment of over 500,000 workers, the groups said.

These figures are inflated, unverifiable, and designed to pressure the government into prioritising commercial greed over public health.

Phase-Out Timeline

NHED and CAPPA noted that NAFDAC gave companies a multi-year window to phase out the products after the ban was announced in 2024.

The transition period ends in December 2025. Despite this privilege, they said several manufacturers continued production in defiance of the directive.

They accused industry actors of weaponising economic misinformation to blackmail regulators rather than engaging constructively with evidence-based public health policies. Such conduct, the organisations added, was irresponsible, deceptive, and unbecoming.

Children safety

NHEDs Technical Director, Jerome Mafeni, said the long-term social and economic burden of alcohol misuse, including health costs, loss of productivity, and rising violence, far outweighed the short-term financial benefits cited by the industry.

Mr Mafeni said it was unacceptable that children could purchase high-concentration alcoholic products for as little as N100, noting that the harms disproportionately affect poor and marginalised communities, which sachet alcohol specifically targets.

Corporate Bullying

The Executive Director of CAPPA, Akinbode Oluwafemi, said NAFDACs decision aligned with global best practices and reflected what responsible governments worldwide are doing to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Mr Oluwafemi said no credible public health agency would allow the continued marketing of alcohol in packaging designed to encourage unrestricted, on-the-go, and underage consumption.

He called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Finance, the Standard Organisation of Nigeria, and the National Orientation Agency to work with NAFDAC to ensure seamless enforcement of the ban.

Call for Presidency and National Assembly

NHED and CAPPA urged President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly not to bow to pressure from manufacturers seeking to suspend, weaken, or delay the policy.

Beyond the ban, the groups called for broader alcohol-control measures, including higher taxes, strict marketing restrictions to protect children, clearer labelling, and nationwide sensitisation on alcohol-related harm.

The organisations insisted that the long-term costs of alcohol misuse, such as healthcare spending, family breakdowns, reduced productivity, and premature deaths, far outweigh the economic arguments advanced by manufacturers.
Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has distanced himself from a social media supporter who accused President Bola Tinubu of using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to witch-hunt him.

The supporter, identified as Joy Sadiq but popularly known as Real Mamakogi, posted a three-minute video on Facebook alleging that President Tinubu betrayed Mr Bello despite his contributions to the presidents 2023 election victory.

She claimed that rather than rewarding the former governor, the president was harassing him and attempting to manipulate the incumbent Kogi governor, Usman Ododo, against his predecessor.

In the viral video, the woman praised Mr Bellos efforts during the 2023 presidential campaign and accused the president of being ungrateful, stating that the former governor walked across the state in slippers and in the rain and sun to ensure Mr Tinubus victory.

She also alleged that the president was trying to undermine Mr Bellos political influence in Kogi State.

This man called Yahaya Bello walked all over the state for you (Tinubu) to win your presidential election 2023. He wore slippers, he wore three-quarters, and he walked around Kogi State to campaign for you to win the 2023 election. Yahaya Bello entered inside the rain, I remember, he entered inside the sun, crossed river for you to win the Kogi state presidential election in 2023.

Sir, today why are you betraying him? Bola Ahmed Tinubu, why are you denying him today? Dont be an ungrateful father because we all know how this man works so hard for you to make you happy, but after everything you sent EFCC after him. We know it is you. That one is not enough for you. The only power that is in his hand now in Kogi State, which is the governor, youre manipulating everywhere to take it up from him. Sir l, we know everything. Do better things so that youll see better things.

You see, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, he has worked so hard for you to win the 2023 election,, and hes still trying for you to win the 2027 election when youre there sending people after him, betraying him. Sir, do well so that youll see better things. You shared posts with all the former governors in PDP, SDP, and APC, and you gave them posts (political office), but you betrayed Yahaya Bello. Youre still manipulating the small happiness in his hand, she said in the video.

The video, however, triggered mixed reactions online, with some attacking the president and others questioning the motive behind her claims.

In a statement he personally signed on Sunday, Mr Bello dissociated himself from the woman, stressing that he has no personal relationship with her.

He condemned her statements, noting that she had, on other occasions, attacked prominent Nigerians supposedly on his behalf.

For clarity and in the public interest, I wish to state in vehement and unmistakable terms that I have no association with this individual beyond the fact that she can sometimes be found within the ranks of those who claim dubious allegiance to our great party, the APC, in Kogi State.

The said individual, her statements and her activities in this and at least one other instance in which she has attacked prominent Nigerians with whom I have cordial relationships and common interests, purportedly in my support, are thoroughly denounced, he said.

The former governor maintained that all the claims in the video are inaccurate, misleading and do not in any way reflect the realities known to him.

The claims she has advanced, particularly those suggesting betrayal, exclusion from government or actions involving political, financial or security authorities, are inaccurate, misleading and not reflective of any reality known to me.

She does not speak for me, has never represented me, much less any government or entity under my leadership or control and her assertions are made entirely on her own accord, he added.

Mr Bello reaffirmed his loyalty to President Tinubu and his support for his 2027 re-election bid.

My relationship with our leader and father, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR remains strong  grounded in respect, understanding and shared commitment to our collective political goals.

I remain utterly and totally sold-out to the reelection of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for a second term in 2027 and reject any attempt to mischaracterise the relationship I enjoy with His Excellency, directly or through needless speculation, by anyone and from any quarter.

Accordingly, I encourage the public and the media to treat the said Joy Sadiqs statements as uninformed and unconnected to me, actuated by malice to sour my personal and political partnerships with the dignitaries mentioned and to refrain from giving any weight to such material. For the record, all my approved communications are duly and only released on my official channels and national media platforms when approved by me, he said.

Yahaya Bellos corruption case with EFCC

Mr Bello, is currently facing a major corruption case instituted by the EFCC.

The anti-graft agency filed a 19-count charge against him, alleging involvement in money laundering, misappropriation of public funds, and fraudulent acquisition of properties.

The EFCC claimed Mr Bello diverted approximately 80.2 billion of Kogi State funds while in office, using proxies, some of them relatives, to purchase high-value assets in Nigeria and abroad.

The EFCC tendered several documents in court, including bank statements from the Kogi State Government House account, to support its allegations.

Witnesses called by the agency include banking officials who testified about repeated huge amounts of cash withdrawals and foreign currency transfers allegedly linked to the former governor.

The commission also claimed that Mr Bello engaged in complex financial transactions, including the concealment of billions of naira and a foreign wire transfer of more than $700,000, in violation of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.

Mr Bello, however, has consistently denied all allegations, describing the charges as fabricated and politically motivated.

His supporters and officials in the Kogi State government have accused the EFCC of conducting a media trial, arguing that the agency is more focused on public narratives than on following due legal processes. They maintain that no state funds are missing and that the case is an attempt to persecute the former governor for political reasons.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has shared his thoughts on former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayoses past mistakes while celebrating his achievements in the political landscape.

Mr Obasanjo spoke at Mr Fayoses 65th birthday celebration on Saturday.

You are not the best of my political children, you are not, Mr Obasanjo said to Mr Fayose during his closing remarks. But you have made achievements that must not be ignored.

For nearly two decades, the two men nursed animosity towards each other. The hostility between them harked back to 2006 when Mr Fayose and his then deputy governor, Abiodun Olujimi, were removed from office by the state House of Assembly. Mr Fayose believed then-President Obasanjo to be the architect of the plot for his removal from office.

In October 2006, less than a month after Mr Fayose was removed from office, Mr Obasanjo declared a state of emergency in the state, following the turmoil that resulted from the impeachment saga.

The state of emergency saw the state House of Assembly suspended, as President Obasanjo appointed Tunji Olurin as the sole administrator of the state. Mr Olurin governed the state till April 2007.

However, the Supreme Court would years later, in April 2015, declare Mr Fayoses removal by the state House of Assembly illegal. As of that time, his tenure in office had long expired, so he never returned to office, until he staged a comeback in 2014 when he won election for a second term.

While the animosity between them lingered, Mr Fayose never missed an opportunity to attack Mr Obasanjo. He once asked for a refund of the N10 million he donated to the presidential library built by Obasanjo in Abeokuta, Ogun State, in 2005 with interest. He said Mr Obasanjo, as president, compelled the governors who were members of the Peoples Democratic Party to donate N10 million each to his project.

A walk down memory lane

At the birthday celebration, the ex-president recounted how he knew the host, supported his governorship bid, and their relationship turned sour.

I knew you (Mr Fayose) because of the initiative that you took to start giving water in Ekiti, and that was what set you apart, Mr Obasanjo said.

I didnt know you before then. I was told to support SK Babalola, who had a beautiful track record in the NUT for many years, Mr Obasanjo said. But when you came up, then I dropped him  he wasnt even in our (political) party.

The former president said, as governor, Mr Fayose consulted with him on how to help the poultry farmers, and he advised him to subsidise the chick feeds for them instead of going into poultry.

You decided you were going into poultry, and I said,  what will you do? And it comes in four days, Mr Obasanjo said.

He recalled that he once made a trip to his poultry farm and noticed that it was clean.

And I turned to you and said Ayo, your chicks dont poo? And I heard your brother, Oyinlola, saying to you quietly that If he doesnt know anything , he knows poultry.

Apology, forgiveness

Mr Obasanjo said the former governor had come to him at least twice to apologise for his wrongdoings and he forgave him, but that it (insults) didnt stop.

He said at one time, Mr Fayose was accompanied by his wife to seek forgiveness at former Osun State Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlolas residence.

Additionally, he said, even when you were abusing me, I still took an interest in your welfare.

He added that when there was a controversy around Mr Fayoses academic qualification, he spoke up for him.

He urged Mr Fayose to call those he might have wronged and seek forgiveness, and also forgive those who might have offended him.

Surprise invitation

The former president also recounted his surprise when he first learnt of Mr Fayoses invitation.

He recalled that Mr Fayose first reached out to him through former transportation minister Osita Chidoka, whom he described as a political son.

When Osita came to me and said, Ayo, I asked, Ayo who? He said Ayo Fayose. I told him to tell him, the message has been delivered.

He noted that Mr Fayose called him afterwards, and he told him that he could come anytime to see him. Mr Obasanjo said, Everybody should learn a lesson from that, adding that the former governor still took precaution before coming to see him.

You did not come directly to knock at my door, the retired army general said. You sent Folusho as an emissary to feel the pulse and about an hour later, you came, Mr Obasanjo said.

The former president recalled that Mr Fayose subsequently visited him to further persuade him to attend the birthday celebration.

According to Mr Obasanjo, during their meeting at his residence, Mr Fayose telephoned his own wife and handed the phone to Mr Obasanjo to let her talk to him on the birthday invitation. Mr Obasanjo said he took the opportunity to scold the couple over his past grievances.

I told your wife, Madam, you and your husband, you are not Omoluabi (responsible). She admitted and said Baba, you are right. Please, forgive us. Then, when you get that, what else can I do? The former president said with reference to a Yoruba adage that a badly-behaved child cannot be chased into the lions den.

But after making up his mind to honour the invitation, Mr Obasanjo said he was advised against attending the ceremony due to their frosty relationship.

Before I started coming here, some people called me and said, We heard that you are going to Ayo Fayoses birthday (celebration). Cant you remember that he abused you? I said, Thank you for reminding me, Mr Obasanjo recalled his response.

Meanwhile, Mr Obasanjo said he had to cut short his trip to Kigali, Rwandas capital, to be present at the occasion.

He noted that he was supposed to be in Rwanda till Sunday but had to return on Saturday around 1 a.m. to grace the birthday celebration since he had promised Mr Fayose to be present whatever it takes.

He however said he hinged his attendance on Mr Fayoses undertaking to pay for his flight back to Nigeria, as he was not prepared to pay for it from his pension. He said, although Mr Fayose sent some money to him, billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote sent an airplane that brought him back to the country.

Denial

The former president also clarified that he did not compel the former governor and his counterparts to donate toward his library project. I did not ask you to contribute to my library. Did I? I did not, Mr Obasanjo said. The governors decided and you joined them.
The NIPSS controversy is a stark reminder that truth is not optional, transparency is not negotiable, and accountability is not selective. Nigeria cannot afford to lose confidence in its leading policy institutions, especially at a time when national development relies heavily on integrity in governance and trust in public leadership.

The unfolding controversy involving senior officials of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) and PRNigeria publisher, Mallam Yushau A Shuaib, raises urgent questions about institutional accountability, ethical communication, and the sanctity of digital privacy in Nigerias public sector. What began as a petition alleging the unauthorised interception of a private editorial email has now evolved into a test of integrity for one of the countrys most revered policy institutions.

A report published by Daily Trust on 3 November revealed that three senior NIPSS officials  Rear Admiral Abubakar Abdullahi Mustapha, recently deployed to the Western Naval Command as Flag Officer Commanding (FOC); Barrister Nima Salman Mann; and Professor Elias Wahab  did not honour an invitation from the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) regarding a petition submitted by Shuaib. The petition concerns a confidential email belonging to PRNigeria which, according to him, was never shared with NIPSS officials. Yet the email somehow emerged as an attachment in a query issued to him by the institution.

This development raises a troubling and obvious question: If the email was never shared, how did it appear in official institutional documents? The implication is that someone, somewhere, gained unauthorised access to internal editorial communications of a media organisation that routinely handles sensitive security, intelligence, and fact-checking information. If proven, this would constitute a violation of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, particularly the provisions that prohibit the unlawful interception, extraction, or use of electronic data.

Equally disturbing is the initial public response from NIPSS. The Head of its Public Affairs Department, Professor Sola Adeyanju  a respected scholar of strategic communication  told journalists that NIPSS never received the FCID invitation, and even went as far as implying that the official stamp on the letter may have been cloned. This was not merely a denial but an attempt to cast doubt on the authenticity of an official police document.

However, when the Solacebase, another independent media insisted there was incontrovertible proof of delivery  showing the letter had been stamped at the NIPSS headquarters in Kuru, near Jos  the spokesperson reversed his statement. Within hours, the narrative shifted: the letter had indeed been received, and the Director-General had already spoken with the DIG in charge of the FCID, seeking additional time to respond.

Such contradiction is not a harmless miscommunication. For an institution that trains Nigerias highest-level policymakers and senior military and paramilitary officers, this misstep represents a serious blow to its credibility. Ambiguity in public communication from such an institution suggests one of two things: a breakdown in internal information flow, or an attempt  whether intentional or inadvertent  to influence public perception without verifying facts. Either scenario is problematic.

The matter took another dimension when it was alleged that the NIPSS officials refusal to honour the invitation may be connected to the fact that the FCID boss, Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) Sadiq Idris Abubakar, is himself a member of the National Institute (mni), the same prestigious alumni body to which two of the accused officials belong. Critics questioned whether institutional fraternity was being weaponised to quietly defuse the matter.

PRNigeria is a media organisation known for its credible reporting on national security, strategic communication, and crisis response. Its editorial emails often contain sensitive information, confidential sources, or early drafts of investigative content. The idea that such a communication could be intercepted  without authorisation and without the knowledge of the sender  should alarm not only journalists but every stakeholder in Nigerias democratic process.

In response, FCID spokesperson, Funmi Eguajoje, dispelled the insinuation, describing it as unfounded. She requested a brief moment to verify, and within hours confirmed that the three officials had indeed requested more time to appear for questioning, providing a specific date within the month to honour the invitation.

This clarification was needed, but it came after significant public confusion  worsened by conflicting statements from NIPSS itself. For institutions that rely heavily on public trust, accuracy in communication is not optional. Once mistrust sets in, rebuilding confidence becomes difficult and time-consuming.

At the heart of Shuaibs petition is an issue far bigger than institutional embarrassment: the sanctity of digital privacy.

PRNigeria is a media organisation known for its credible reporting on national security, strategic communication, and crisis response. Its editorial emails often contain sensitive information, confidential sources, or early drafts of investigative content. The idea that such a communication could be intercepted  without authorisation and without the knowledge of the sender  should alarm not only journalists but every stakeholder in Nigerias democratic process.

Digital privacy is not merely a convenience; it is a constitutional guarantee connected to press freedom. If editorial emails can be accessed and exploited without consent, then no journalist, researcher, or civil society organisation is safe from institutional overreach.

Another significant aspect of the unfolding saga is the refusal  or delay  by senior officials to honour a police invitation. In a democratic society governed by the rule of law, compliance with lawful directives is not voluntary, especially for public officials. The integrity of governance collapses when those entrusted with authority treat lawful inquiry as optional.

If ordinary citizens are expected to obey the law, senior officials should set the highest example. Failure to honour FCID invitations not only undermines the authority of law enforcement but also creates an impression of attempted obstruction.

This matter is no longer about a single intercepted email or an accidental breach. It is now about the integrity of NIPSS, the moral authority of its leadership, and the confidence Nigerians place in institutions responsible for shaping national policy direction.

It is reassuring that NIPSS leadership has now sought additional time and pledged cooperation. However, cooperation must be accompanied by transparency and accountability. Institutions earn public trust not by avoiding scrutiny but by submitting to it confidently and openly.

This controversy also offers a profound lesson for public relations professionals, communication officers, and students of media practice.

Public relations is not a tool for distortion or spontaneous spin. It is a discipline rooted in truth, verification, and responsible messaging. When a spokesperson issues a statement that contradicts verifiable facts  and later retracts under media pressure  it undermines the credibility of both the messenger and the institution.

For a spokesperson who teaches strategic communication, such an inconsistency sends the wrong signal to students and practitioners who look up to NIPSS as a citadel of best practices in public leadership.

This matter is no longer about a single intercepted email or an accidental breach. It is now about the integrity of NIPSS, the moral authority of its leadership, and the confidence Nigerians place in institutions responsible for shaping national policy direction.

The outcome of this process  legally, ethically, and reputationally  will shape how Nigerians perceive public institutions in the digital age.

The NIPSS controversy is a stark reminder that truth is not optional, transparency is not negotiable, and accountability is not selective. Nigeria cannot afford to lose confidence in its leading policy institutions, especially at a time when national development relies heavily on integrity in governance and trust in public leadership.

Mukhtar Yau Madobi is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC), Abuja.
The Lagos State Police Commands proactive embrace of interagency collaboration represents a mature, modern, and inclusive vision of policing. Its partnerships with Customs, Immigration, NDLEA, FRSC, and other agencies affirm a timeless truth: no single institution can secure a megacity alone.

In Lagos State  Nigerias most populous, fast-paced, and commercially strategic hub  the task of maintaining security is as complex as the citys own rhythm. With over 20 million residents, two seaports, an international airport, and a web of trans-border routes, policing Lagos cannot rely on a single agency. It requires a symphony of cooperation  a shared responsibility anchored on intelligence, trust, and coordination.

Recognising this reality, the Lagos State Police Command, under the leadership of Commissioner of Police Olohundare Moshood Jimoh, has deepened partnerships with other law enforcement and security agencies. The collaboration now extends to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), among others.

This web of alliances represents a maturing approach to security management  one that emphasises intelligence sharing, joint operations, and the synchronisation of resources to protect lives and property in Africas most dynamic metropolis.

One of the clearest demonstrations of this renewed synergy came in March, when the Lagos State Police Command and the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT reaffirmed their commitment to combating maritime crimes. During a courtesy visit by Commodore Paul Nimmyel to CP Jimoh, both agencies agreed to expand joint patrols and improve intelligence-sharing systems.

This partnership has since enhanced coastal surveillance and reduced sea-related crimes such as smuggling, piracy, and illegal oil bunkering  crimes that have historically undermined the states economic stability.

In similar fashion, the Police Commands collaboration with the NDLEA has become a model for institutional cooperation. Earlier this year, Lagos Police officers arrested suspected drug traffickers along the MushinIsolo corridor and immediately handed them over, with their exhibits, to NDLEA officials. The seamless handover underscored the understanding that tackling drug abuse and trafficking is a shared national responsibility that thrives on synergy, rather than rivalry.

This spirit of cooperation not only enhances efficiency but also reinforces public confidence in law enforcement. It sends a powerful message: that Nigerian agencies can, and do, work together with professionalism and unity of purpose.

As the nations economic gateway, Lagos, plays host to major ports, airports, and waterways  making it a magnet for smugglers and traffickers. To address this, the Nigeria Customs Service and the Lagos Police Command have forged closer operational ties.

In May 2025, the Western Marine Command of Customs deepened its collaboration with the Marine Police and NDLEA to curb the smuggling of arms, ammunition, and narcotics through the states waterways. The Customs Service also continues to intercept prohibited goods at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, often acting on intelligence shared by the Police.

These joint efforts have significantly strengthened border surveillance, closing entry points to criminals, while enhancing the credibility and impact of enforcement operations.

Another pillar of Lagoss evolving security ecosystem is the partnership between the Police Command and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). In July, both institutions agreed to establish a real-time intelligence-sharing framework to track suspects and monitor cross-border movement.

This collaboration allows the police to alert immigration officers about wanted persons, while the NIS flags suspicious travel activity for police intervention. The NIS Comptroller in Lagos, Aliyu Akadri, commended the police for providing actionable intelligence that led to several high-profile arrests of suspects attempting to flee the country.

In an increasingly interconnected world, where criminal networks operate without borders, this partnership ensures that the long arm of the law does not end at Nigerias airports or seaports.

Beyond crime control, interagency cooperation is also improving everyday safety. In September, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Zone 2, Lagos, Adegoke Fayoade, pledged to enhance collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) across Lagos and Ogun States.

During his visit to the FRSC Zonal Commanding Officer, ACM Ann Oladayo, both parties agreed to strengthen traffic management, accident response, and road safety campaigns. This partnership underscores the broader understanding that public safety includes both crime prevention and the management of urban risks such as accidents and congestion.

The results of these alliances are already visible. Through shared intelligence, investigations are now broader, quicker, and more effective. Duplication of efforts has been reduced, while operational coordination has expanded the reach of law enforcement across Lagos complex terrain.

Criminal cases are now handled more efficiently  drug prosecutions are handed over to the NDLEA, smuggling cases to the Customs Service, and immigration violations to the NIS  ensuring that each agency focuses on its core mandate. This has improved the speed and credibility of prosecutions while preventing bureaucratic overlap.

Moreover, joint training sessions, logistics sharing, and the use of surveillance technology have optimised resources and reduced operational costs. For citizens, the visual reassurance of seeing multiple agencies working together  at checkpoints, ports, or community patrols  reinforces public trust. It signals unity of purpose in a nation too often divided by institutional rivalry.

Yet, the journey toward full interagency harmony is not without challenges. One major obstacle remains the fragmentation of data systems. Different agencies operate incompatible technologies, making intelligence sharing cumbersome and sometimes delayed.

Jurisdictional overlaps also create occasional confusion about command authority during joint operations. Disparities in training, funding, and infrastructure further complicate cooperation, as some agencies are better equipped than others.

There is also the issue of sustainability. While collaboration tends to intensify during crises, maintaining coordination during normal times requires formal mechanisms  such as memoranda of understanding, shared budgets, and standardised procedures.

Finally, accountability remains a grey area. Determining responsibility during joint operations  especially when procedural lapses or misconduct occur  can be challenging without clear command structures.

For Lagos to sustain and institutionalise these gains, collaboration must move from being personality-driven to being policy-driven. Establishing formal agreements among partner agencies will ensure that cooperation endures beyond leadership changes.

A shared digital intelligence platform linking all security agencies in Lagos could revolutionise coordination, enabling real-time access to criminal databases, surveillance feeds, and case tracking. Regular joint training programmes should also be institutionalised to promote mutual understanding of each agencys mandate, culture, and structure.

Furthermore, transparency must underpin these collaborations. After every major operation, joint debriefs and public communication should be conducted to highlight outcomes, lessons, and accountability. Such openness will not only strengthen interagency trust but also enhance public confidence in the security architecture.

The Lagos State Police Commands proactive embrace of interagency collaboration represents a mature, modern, and inclusive vision of policing. Its partnerships with Customs, Immigration, NDLEA, FRSC, and other agencies affirm a timeless truth: no single institution can secure a megacity alone.

The outcomes  better intelligence, faster response, stronger deterrence, and growing public trust  show that synergy is not just idealistic rhetoric but a practical necessity.

In a city as dynamic, diverse, and demanding as Lagos, the future of public safety will depend not on the strength of any single agency but on the power of collective action.

When agencies share intelligence instead of competing for headlines, when they coordinate rather than duplicate efforts, Lagos becomes not just safer  but smarter.

The security of Nigerias commercial heartbeat will ultimately rest on this unshakable foundation: cooperation, communication, and commitment.

Adebisi Adams Oyeshakin writes via: [email protected]
The Senate now stands at a crucial crossroads. This is a moment not for fear, but for fairness; not for stigma, but for science. Nigeria has an opportunity to create a law that protects women, respects healthcare workers, and upholds our collective commitment to justice, dignity, and public health.

When the 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria chose to step down the proposed amendment to Section 230 of the Criminal Code Act (HB 2038), it did more than delay a legislative process, it demonstrated rare courage and sensitivity. The Senates decision to pause and reflect showed commendable prudence and awareness of the far-reaching implications this clause holds for womens lives, health, and rights.

In a country where legislative decisions can shape the fate of millions, taking time to listen, consult, and review is not a weakness, it is leadership. The Senates restraint affirms that reproductive health issues demand evidence-based deliberation, not rushed legislation driven by moral panic or political expediency.

Understanding the Controversy Around Section 230

Section 230 of Nigerias Criminal Code currently states that anyone who unlawfully supplies or procures anything intended to be used to procure a miscarriage is guilty of a felony and liable to three years imprisonment.

The proposed amendment under HB 2038, passed by the House of Representatives, seeks to increase this penalty from three to five years. However, during the Senate debate, some lawmakers referenced an even stiffer sentence, up to ten years, though such wording does not appear in the House version.

This situation, coupled with the absence of a clear legal definition of what constitutes an unlawful abortion, rightly prompted the Senate to step down the clause for further scrutiny. The ambiguity is not a small matter  it could criminalise life-saving medical care and put both patients and doctors at grave risk.

Why Clarity Matters

The phrase unlawfully used in the current law is dangerously vague. Without clear boundaries, it leaves room for misinterpretation by law enforcement, health professionals, and the courts.

What happens in cases of rape, incest, severe foetal anomaly, or when a womans life or health is in danger? Should a doctor saving a womans life face jail time?

According to national reports, about 4.6 per cent of Nigerian women of reproductive age undergo induced abortions every year. Tragically, around 63 per cent of these are unsafe, contributing to an estimated 6,000 preventable maternal deaths annually  thats roughly ten Nigerian women dying every day from complications that could have been prevented with access to safe care.

Such legal uncertainty does not only endanger women, it paralyses healthcare providers. Many doctors have admitted that they fear prosecution if they act to save a patients life in emergencies involving pregnancy complications.

The Cost of Silence and Fear

According to national reports, about 4.6 per cent of Nigerian women of reproductive age undergo induced abortions every year. Tragically, around 63 per cent of these are unsafe, contributing to an estimated 6,000 preventable maternal deaths annually  thats roughly ten Nigerian women dying every day from complications that could have been prevented with access to safe care.

Criminalising abortion does not eliminate it; it merely drives it underground. The real consequence of harsh or unclear laws is not moral order, it is silent death, stigma, and suffering, especially among the poor and young.

Aligning Law With Medical Reality

Nigerias own laws already recognise that doctors can act in good faith and with reasonable care and skill to save a mothers life (Section 297 of the Criminal Code). The Federal Ministry of Health also issued National Guidelines on Safe Termination of Pregnancy for Legal Indications in 2018, providing medical clarity for such cases.

Any reform to Section 230 must align with these standards, not contradict them. The goal should be coherence, compassion, and care  not confusion and criminalisation.

Punishment Without Purpose Helps No One

While accountability for those who misuse abortion drugs or instruments is necessary, increasing penalties from three to five, or ten, years will not save lives. It will only discourage healthcare providers from offering emergency treatment when it is most needed.

If our laws must punish, let them punish criminal negligence or exploitation, not medical professionals who act in good faith to save lives.

The Senates decision to step back is not a setback; it is a step forward for democracy and human rights. By choosing reflection over haste, lawmakers have opened the door to crafting legislation that truly safeguards Nigerian women.

A Call for Inclusive Consultation

Reproductive health is not a matter for lawmakers alone. It is a social, moral, and medical issue that affects families, communities, and national wellbeing. Any reform of Section 230 must therefore involve broad consultation with:

Womens rights groups and community representatives,

Professional bodies such as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and SOGON,

Legal and medical experts, faith and traditional leaders, and

Survivors and families who have lived through the tragedies of unsafe abortion.

Inclusive dialogue ensures that laws reflect lived realities, not abstract ideology.

A Humane Path Forward

The Senate now stands at a crucial crossroads. This is a moment not for fear, but for fairness; not for stigma, but for science. Nigeria has an opportunity to create a law that protects women, respects healthcare workers, and upholds our collective commitment to justice, dignity, and public health.

Restrictive or unclear laws dont save lives, they cost them. Every delay in reform translates to more women lost to preventable causes. The goal should not be punishment, it should be protection.

Conclusion

The Senates decision to step back is not a setback; it is a step forward for democracy and human rights. By choosing reflection over haste, lawmakers have opened the door to crafting legislation that truly safeguards Nigerian women.

The reform of Section 230 should not be about moral judgment  it should be about saving lives.

Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi is an advocate, a human rights attorney, activist, gender and the law expert, with the University of Lagos.
President Bola Tinubu did the unexpected last Wednesday. He attended the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) Conference 2025. It was the very first for any Nigerian president. Quite absurdly, the watchdog, the Nigerian press, willingly moved into the tigers buba  the lair  for deliberation on its welfare. Ayinla Ade-Gaitor, the Iganna, Iwajowa LGA of Oyo State-born Apala musician of the 1970s/80s fame, equally wondered at this quixotic equation. My compatriots, can a tiger and a dog co-habit in the same lair?  Kaja o duro, kekun o duro, nje yio see se, eyin alara wa? Ade-Gaitor asked in his melodious Iganna-flavoured voice.

But at the 21st NGE Annual Conference (ANEC) 2025 held in its lair  the Aso Rock State House Conference Centre in Abuja  the tiger and the dog became so giddy after clinking wine glasses, so much that they both shared titivating embraces. They had both been soused to their eyeballs. When it was time for the tiger to speak, clanking its incisors menacingly and magisterially, with recent blood dripping from its lips and caked blood stuck round its nose, this strange incest reminded me of Sir Kitoye Ajasa.

Ajasa (1866  1937) was a Nigerian lawyer from the Saro family migrants of Dahomey, present day Benin Republic, which had existed from 1600 to 1904. He studied at the Inner Temple Inn of Court and was called to the bar in 1893. Ajasa was similarly a legislator during the colonial period. He was however conservative, pacifist and a lackey of the colonial authorities. While the likes of Herbert Macaulay fell out with the British rulers over their insistence that British rule was self-serving and a little in the interest of the natives, Ajasa thought otherwise. He believed that national progress could only be made if Africans were subservient to and cloned European ideas and institutions. In pursuit of his grovelling to colonial authorities, Ajasa and others of his persuasion like J.K. Randle, Christopher Sapara Williams and Henry Carr, became apologists of the British government, believing that criticizing it was counter-productive. Their reasoning was that, grovelling before white-haired, long-nosed, pink-skinned men who called themselves salvationists, was the guarantee for development.

To achieve this persuasion, Ajasa became a newspaper founder. Of course, his Nigerian Pioneer newspaper, founded in 1914, the year of Nigerias birth, invited so much reproach. He deliberately founded it as counterpoise to the radical Lagos Weekly Record newspaper of John Payne Jackson that was a thorn in the flesh of the colonialists. Ajasas brand of journalism frowned at anti-government polemics as other papers of the time did. In return, the people of Lagos extremely distrusted it. In 1923, Ajasa wrote that his newspaper existed in order to interpret thoroughly and accurately the Government to the people and the people to the Government. In fact, he was a known confidant of Sir Frederick Lugard, the colonial Governor-General, and the general belief was that the Lugard government funded his Nigerian Pioneer newspaper. In its stories and editorial comments, the newspaper provided staunch support for the colonial governments measures and cynically attacked people and organizations that were thorns in the flesh of government.

The Weekly Record, unlike Ajasas, was uncompromising in its journalism crusade. It was so fierce that Governor-General Lugard was extremely irked by it, intensely sensitive to it and was irritated by Jacksons journalism. The newspaper however stirred racial consciousness in the hearts of the colonized natives and in its leader of February 26, 1910, it wrote: One cannot refrain from speculating upon the bankruptcy of the New Imperialism and the apparent decay of British Imperial genius, so long as Great Britain continues to transcend the limits of political righteousness; to harbor the colour prejudice (the logical outcome of the Americanization of England) ; to legislate away the rights of her coloured subjects (as witness the South African Union Act); and to remain indifferent to the wishes of her subject dependencies.

The Weekly Record newspaper however had a remarkably long existence, spanning forty years, that is, 18911930. After Jacksons death in 1918, his son, Thomas Horatius Jackson, took over the running of the newspaper.

To demonstrate their opprobrium for Ajasas leaflet, the Nigerian Pioneer newspaper, the people scoffed at it on the newsstand. To Ajasas contemporaries, his lickspittling was bothersome. They could not fathom his boot-licking attitude and openly disdained his Nigerian Pioneer as the guardian angel of an oligarchy of reactionaries. Ajasa himself was subject of disdain as the people wondered how any man in Lagos, African by birth, race and descent  should be so wholly devoid of race consciousness, and utterly oblivious of appreciation of the duties, obligations and responsibilities devolving on him.

Ajasas newspaper itself became more or less the unofficial bulletin of the colonial government. It publicly mocked nationalists who fought for development and in a particular case, in the 1916 Lagos water rate protest against the colonial government, Ajasa labeled agitators like Macaulay radicals. In 1921, with the help of Alimotu Pelewura, leader of Lagos Womens Association, the powerful market womens group, who at her death in 1951, was succeeded by Abibatu Mogaji, Macaulay again led a major protest on this agitation. It was part of a broader struggle against colonial policies which revolved round issues like taxation, land ownership and water rates. To Ajasa, the colonized natives must fully adopt European ideas and institutions as expressway to national progress.

Ajasa, in 1906, became an unofficial member of the Legislative Council. In 1914, he was made a member of Lugards Nigerian Council. He was later became a Judge of the High Court of Lagos, Officer of the Order of the British Empire and knighted as Knight Bachelor, becoming the first Nigerian to be so honoured by the British. He was in the Nigerian parliament till 1933 and shortly after 1937 when he died, the Nigerian Pioneer died.

So, when on Wednesday, President Tinubu urged the Nigerian media to report boldly, but do so truthfully; critique government policy but do so with knowledge and fairness. Your aim must never be to tear down, but to help build a better society, my mind told me that that fluid and racy speech was for the klieg. In actual fact, the president wanted Kitoye Ajasa-reincarnates for journalists, an Ajitooba  phlegm-eater  media conscripts who would blind their eyes to governments wobbly feet at national parade. Just as Kitoye Ajasa did for Frederick Lugard and the British colonial lords.

Since Lugard, the Kitoye Adisa-kind press had always been the preference of governments thereafter. Ever since the establishment of the Nigerian Daily Times on June 1, 1926 and even prior, the Nigeria press and Nigerians themselves had always been thirsty for adversarial journalism as a weapon of combating the colonial government. By 1937 when Nnamdi Azikiwe came with his West African Pilot and 1949 when the Nigerian Tribune came on board, ordinary Nigerians had begun to salivate for a press that would stand up to their self-serving colonial governments and native inheritors of their seats who jointly treated Nigerian people with disdain. Nigerian medias treatment of news became binary: it was either they were for the people against government, or against the people, but in romance with government, like Kitoye Ajasas.

Since the Muhammadu Buhari government, the Nigerian media has operated under a very precarious situation. Its first blow was economic. As Eze Anaba, the editors president said, the Nigerian democracy, resilient through the ages, is currently under the bayonet of insecurity, economic hardship, misinformation, and declining public trust in institutions, (as well as) government officials intolerance, sometimes, to freedom of the press. The gravamen of Anabas speech can be found in his quip that editors must therefore defend the sanctity of truth, insist on transparency, and hold power to account  not as adversaries of government, but as constructive partners in the pursuit of national progress.

In what would look like a systematic but gradual decimation of the Nigerian press, governments have since 1999 corroded its powers. The ostensible aim is to ensure that the Nigerian press barks but bites seldom. For those who can recall, the battle to wean Nigeria of military rule was largely fought on the pages of its newspapers. The press literally yielded its space for democracy activists to make use of it for their campaign for democracy. In the process, many journalists were sacrificed. Many were jailed and maimed. Bagauda Kaltho of The News signposted the clan of journalists who paid the ultimate price, in anticipation of liberty for Nigerians today. The newspaper press was so formidable that both Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha had to roll out tanks to extinguish its irritating flame. At the end of the day, the Nigerian press was largely responsible for the rout of military rule in Nigeria and its replacement with civil rule.

By 1999 when Nigeria returned power to civilians, the Nigerian newspaper press was still blistering. Its armaments were still potent and practitioners retained their energy which seemed to be bursting at its seams. Not long after the commencement of the Fourth Republic, the newspaper press made public examples of the carried-over rots of Nigerias governmental dysfunctionality. One after the other, even at a time when its tools were analogue, the press made mincemeat of public officers who, as it was later revealed, were evil doppelgangers of what they claimed to be in public. Salisu Buhari, the young Kano State legislator, who became Speaker of the House of Representatives, had his bubble burst. So also did Evan Enwerem. But for his street craftiness, the man who is the Nigerian president today would have been drowned by that hyper-ventilating press energy of the early 4th Republic.

The press of this periods investigative acumen was top-notch and it could compete with any newspaper press anywhere in the world. My haunch is that, alarmed by the enormous power at its disposal and the system-purifying but dirty people-destroying powers within its grips, governments since 1999, either deliberately or otherwise, perfected plans to castrate the deadly watchdog of the Nigerian press. Today, they have made a huge success of this engagement. The success is such that, the wily politicians in agbada, babariga and Ishiagu can thump their individual chests that the battle to rid the Nigerian governance space of the irritancy of the Nigerian press, which the military, with their tanks and artillery, couldnt achieve in decades, were effortlessly executed by them.

Today, the Nigerian newspaper press has been so mercilessly drubbed that it is barely existing. Gradually, an underground and sustained shellacking was waged on it and what is left is its decimated carcass. Many of Nigerias erstwhile matador press houses, where the warriors who fought military rule to a standstill operated from, are desecrated and abandoned.Their print-runs are caricatures of those noble eras when they proudly bore the tag mass in their media operations. Governments after governments since 1999 would seem to have deliberately jerked up costs of running newspapers to the league of what you needed to procure nukes. The newsroom has emaciated so terribly that you would imagine it was afflicted by a weight-pining cancer.

Putting the ills that plague us in perspective, Daniel Nelson, former editor of The People of Ugandan newspaper, said, What is noteworthy is not that a few papers have been born or that circulations have been going up, but that so few newspapers have been born and that sales have increased so little. So also did William Hachten, a professor at the school of journalism in Wisconsin, whose verdict in Africa Report, with the title, Newspaper in Africa: Change or Decay? was that, Newspapers are still small and under-capitalized; circulations are limited and advertising revenue is sparse; production and distribution are both difficult and expensive; trained journalists are hard to come by, and potential readership is sharply restricted by illiteracy and poverty.

Last Wednesday, I reckon that the tiger was happy that the watchdog had been finally castrated, can bark and cannot bite. It lay prostrate by its feet with a begging bowl. All those ills that plague the Nigerian media today, itemized by Anaba, the Leagues president, are physical manifestations of a conquered press whose conquest is a product of gradual decimation. The graveyard of the print media is luxuriant with lofty memories.

Thanks to the broadcast and social media which have both taken over the mass in print journalisms erstwhile mass media pedigree. But for them, the Nigerian press would have today been a totally conquered battlefield. The watchdog must have entered the tigers lair last Wednesday believing that the tigers smiles approximated its love for it. Truth be told, in the eyes of its newly acquired tiger friend, the press is a gourmet meal it has prepared for the dining table. Odolaye Aremu, Ilorins talented bard, once explained the danger in that emergency dalliance. Adiye opipi is the Yoruba name for a featherless hen which, in stature and outlook, bears striking resemblance to a hawk. The bard warned this hawk-lookalike hen to be wary of its newfound friendship with this carnivore, lest its entrails end in the belly of the raptor. Perhaps deceived that, being a media owner himself, like Odolayes opipi hen, the president is one of them, the Nigerian press, like this mistaken hen, would realize its folly too late when its flesh ends inside the hawks belly.

Any country of the world where the press and government are cosseted in such an amorous and adulterous relationship as we saw in Aso Rock last Wednesday has unilaterally tossed good governance out of its window. It reminds me of a paraphrase of a famous quote by US Supreme Court Justice, Hugo Black. In a concurring opinion for the landmark 1971 case of New York Times Co. v. United States, which is famously known as the Pentagon Papers case, Black wrote: The press was protected so that it could bare the secrets of the government and inform the people. Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government. And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people.

In that short quip, Black brings out the essential function of a free press which is to serve as a crucial check on government power. It should do this by investigating and revealing information the government would want hidden, but which is the responsibility of the press to expose. But, when the press deliberately hands itself over to government, what then happens?

The Nigerian press today lives in The Wailers archetypal concrete jungle. In this jungle, though there are no physical chains around its feet, it is not free. Three young Jamaican boys, which included Bob Marley, had in 1973, in their Catch A Fire album, sang about the melancholic life of a wanderer which the Nigerian press found itself living today. Glory lost, barely living and now captive in the hands of the state, those young Jamaican boys melancholy is a fitting description of todays press: No sun will shine in my day today/The high yellow moon wont come out to play/Darkness has covered my lightWhere the living is harder (concrete jungle)/No chains around my feet but Im not free/I know I am bound here in captivity they sang.

The only way the Nigerian media can play its rightful role in the success of democracy, especially the success of the Tinubu government, isnt by sucking up to people in power or being their lapdog. A century after Kitoye Ajasa played his groveling role to Lugard and British colonialists, history hasnt forgotten him. It reserves a place for him till today. What will it say about us tomorrow?

Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist.
Consensus is also growing around the urgent need for an independent, international investigation and accountability. Meanwhile, Tanzanias young people prepare for nation-wide protests on 9 December. The symbolism is significant: it is World Anti-Corruption Day; it is the anniversary of the adoption of the Genocide Convention; and it is Tanzanias Independence Day.

An unlikely coincidence of ballots, in a forty-five day period from the middle of September to the end of October, has cast a new light on the state of democratic governance in Africa, and this now threatens to unscramble the ritual hollowness that has become the fate of elections on the continent under the indifferent watch of the African Union and other regional institutions in Africa. How the continents leaders and institutions handle the aftermath could have serious implications for the stability of the continent.

On 16 September, Malawians went to the polls to elect their president. The last time the country did that in 2019, it produced results that were so transparently rigged that five judges of the Constitutional Court of Malawi, wearing bullet-proof vests, were needed to set aside the result declared by the electoral commission. That was only the second time in Africas history that a court would nullify the declared outcome in a presidential election.

The annulled result had favoured the then incumbent and fifth president of the Republic, Peter Mutharika (a long-serving Law professor and brother of Malawis third president, Bingu wa Mutharika), in a contest against Lazarus Chakwera, a theologian and pastor with the Assemblies of God Church in Malawi. In the re-run that followed the judicial nullification in 2020, Chakwera prevailed and the people ousted Peter Mutharika from the presidency.

The contest in September pitted 85 year-old Peter Mutharika in a sequel against his nemesis, Lazarus Chakwera. In the preceding five years, President Chakwera had managed to implausibly squander the considerable civic goodwill that powered him into office. Despite being 15 years younger than President Mutharika, President Chakwera lost resoundingly to his older opponent, who secured 56.8 per cent of the vote.

Malawi may have vindicated the trust of both the voters and of the candidates in a test of the will of the people, but it is an outlier in a continent that has grown used to seeing elections as charades. This reluctance for credible ballots was evident when the central African country of Cameroon went to the polls nearly one month later on 12 October, to elect its president. The incumbent, Paul Biya, is a 92 year-old whose sojourn in Cameroons government dates back to his appointment as chief of staff in the cabinet of the Minister of Education in 1964. In 1975, President Ahmadou Ahidjo made him prime minister. On 6 November 1982, two days after the resignation of President Ahidjo on grounds of ill-health, Biya ascended to the presidency and has ruled the country for 43 years since.

At 92, Paul Biya is the oldest serving president in the world, only outlasted in office by Teodoro Obiang, president of the neighbouring Equatorial Guinea, who has been in office since he toppled his uncle, Macias Nguema, in August 1979, before executing him. In the election this year, his main opponent was Issa Tchiroma, a 35-year veteran in the cabinet of President Biya, who stepped down from the ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) and from the cabinet in order to run against his former boss.

With the result, Biya  who was born one month after Adolf Hitler assumed office as German Chancellor and in the month preceding the inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the president of the United States of America  entered upon his seventh presidential term in a country in which the median age belongs to children who were born in 2006. By the time of the next election, he will be nearly one century old.

It took the Constitutional Council 15 days to tabulate the figures in an election which had 8.1 million registered voters, with an average turnout of about 68.5 per cent. When it eventually declared that outcome on 27 October, the Constitutional Council announced Biya as winner with 53.66 per cent of the votes in disputed results and in an election in which he was unable to campaign because of infirmity. Independent analysts who have examined the official numbers insist he couldnt have won.

With the result, Biya  who was born one month after Adolf Hitler assumed office as German Chancellor and in the month preceding the inauguration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the president of the United States of America  entered upon his seventh presidential term in a country in which the median age belongs to children who were born in 2006. By the time of the next election, he will be nearly one century old. In the wake of the announcement, United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, pointedly declined to extend congratulations to President Biya, instead focusing his attention on the need for a thorough and impartial investigation of the post-electoral violence and. reports of excessive use of force.

Paul Biya can, at least, claim that he had a genuine contest against a genuine opponent. In Cote dIvoire, West Africa, the contest two weeks later on 25 October pitted incumbent president, Alassane Ouattara  whose ambitions drove the country to the brink of fragmentation at the beginning of the millennium  against no one.

When the result was announced, President Ouattara, a child of the Second World War, having been born on New Years Day in 1942, contrived at 83 years to award himself nearly 90 per cent of the vote and a fourth term in office, in an election from which he barred every credible competition. That was indeed a generous four percentage points lower than the 94 per cent of the votes that he awarded himself in 2020. In power since 2010, Ouattara was supposed to be term-limited after two terms of ten years in office. At 83, he expects to rule until at least he is 88, which would still be five years younger than President Biyas current age.

The election in Tanzania four days after Cote dIvoires took place in a graveyard. The incumbent and candidate of the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Party of the Revolution) was Samia Suluhu Hassan, who inherited the office when her principal, John Pombe Magufuli, died in March 2021.

Initial estimates putting the casualty count in the hundreds were quickly eclipsed by more updated tallies of over 3,000 killed in under 72 hours. Fresh reporting by the New Humanitarian put the number over 5,000 and suggests that the casualty count may indeed be over 10,000. Around the country, initial trepidation gave way to alarm at the scale of the massacre. That alarm has now been ousted by outrage.

Ahead of the contest, however, it became evident that Samia would not tolerate a contest. Under her leadership, the government unleashed what Amnesty International described as a wave of terror, designed to make her candidacy unopposed and the ruling party unchecked in its march to a pre-determined seventh decade in power. On the day of the contest on 29 October, protests unexpectedly erupted in key cities, such as Dar-Es-Salaam, Arusha, Mbeya, and Mwanza. Under the cover of a media blackout complemented by an internet shutdown imposed on the day of the ballot, Samias government orchestrated a campaign of targeted mass murder in population centres suspected to be opposition strongholds.

President Samias electoral commission declared her winner with 87 per cent voter turnout and nearly 98 per cent of the vote. As Tanzanians in different parts of the country woke up to find bodies on their courtyards with fatal injuries from unknown persons, and morgues overflowing with fresh cadavers reportedly being disappeared under instructions of the government, President Samia turned up at a military base in the new capital city, Dodoma, where on the fourth night following the vote, she was stealthily inaugurated for a new term.

Initial estimates putting the casualty count in the hundreds were quickly eclipsed by more updated tallies of over 3,000 killed in under 72 hours. Fresh reporting by the New Humanitarian put the number over 5,000 and suggests that the casualty count may indeed be over 10,000. Around the country, initial trepidation gave way to alarm at the scale of the massacre. That alarm has now been ousted by outrage.

Meanwhile, for the first time in their histories, official election observer missions deployed by the African Union(AU) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) both concluded separately that the election in Tanzania did not comply with AU principles. This caught many people unprepared. Now both institutions are scrambling to figure out what to do. There is an emerging consensus that President Samia is illegitimate. The leaders of both institutions must articulate consequences and citizens have a right to expect them to do so clearly.

Consensus is also growing around the urgent need for an independent, international investigation and accountability. Meanwhile, Tanzanias young people prepare for nation-wide protests on 9 December. The symbolism is significant: it is World Anti-Corruption Day; it is the anniversary of the adoption of the Genocide Convention; and it is Tanzanias Independence Day.

Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a lawyer, teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and can be reached through [email protected].
If Nigeria were a factory and Nigerians were products of that factory, we would by now be accusing the factory owner of supplying substandard products. Why has the quality of humans who have administered Nigeria and the calibre of people who constitute the electorate declined steadily over the years?

Was it really that long ago when we were sure to see the premiers of the West, east, north or midwest only at the parliamentary sessions or important state events? Was it conceivable that a premier or minister would show up where a culvert was being launched or inaugurated?

Great Leaders

The first time the photograph of Chief Obafemi Awolowo was imprinted in my memory was at the launch of the Western Nigeria Television (WNTV) in October 1959. The opening of the Western Nigeria television service was a great occasion, not only because it was the first of its kind in the whole of Africa but also because of the prodigious efforts which had gone into making it possible in so short a space of time.

As the Western Region advanced from the era of rediffusion (the box which relayed broadcast programmes from a central receiver via cable) to television, the emerging middle class also climbed up the social ladder. I remember the unforgettable day my dad came home early to receive our brand new television set (bought through hire purchase). We became instant celebrities in our neighbourhood.

You had to share your good fortune with neighbours, so the blinds of our sitting room windows were always pulled apart to allow the viewing audience a good view of the magic black-and-white box. The station came alive around 6pm and went to bed before midnight.

WNTV hit the airwaves before tv stations were established in Argentina, Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Philippines, Soviet Union, Norway United Arab Republic, Syria, Congo Brazzaville, Ethiopia, France, Indonesia, Brazil, Spain, Malaysia, North Korea, Sierra-Leone, Greece, Tunisia, Turkey, Senegal, Israel, Italy, Ghana, Qatar, North Vietnam , etc.

Looking through the newspapers, you also saw that similar developments were going on all over the country. Ahmadu Bellos Northern Region advertised its groundnut pyramids (genuine pyramids formed with sacks of groundnut, not the carpenter-constructed 419 pyramids of the Buhari era). Imagine the quality of resource husbandry that enabled the region fund the establishment of the Ahmadu Bello University!

In the East, the region blossomed under Dr Michael Okpara, a medical doctor who turned out to be an astute administrator and revolutionary leader. It was he who gave meaning to the phrase Handshake across the Niger, on which principle he mobilised resources to save the Western Region from the tyranny of the NNA alliance. Under the United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA), Igbos and Yorubas operated as one entity for the few years the romance lasted before more sinister happenings enveloped the region and the country at large.

In those days, the ministers and premiers attended only important events. In the West, you were sure to see Chief Awolowo at Independence Day parades or at the opening ceremony of an important edifice such as the Cocoa House. You would never see him at the flag-off of the construction of a minor road. If the premier was billed to attend an event, you were sure that that event was an important probably life-changing one.

Degenrates

Today, you see so-called governors presiding over the commissioning of a 500-metre tarred road or a village borehole. Expectations have so nosedived that even the people consider it a miraculous privilege of sorts when their governors and local government chairmen come down from their high horses to mingle with the lowly.

If anyone had told us in those days that a day would come when our young men would be crossing the seas in makeshift boats to escape to Europe for a better life, we would have laughed such a person to scorn.

In the days of Bode Thomas, Adelabu (Penkelemesi) SL Akintola and JM Johnson in the West, Jereton Mariere and Osadebey in the Midwest, KO Mbadiwe and Alvan Ikoku in the East, and Ahmadu Bello, JS Tarka and Aminu Kano in the North, would the kind of politicians raising their heads in the various zones today dare to show up?

Leadership was based on discipline. If you couldnt meet the exacting standards, you would be shoved out. The early politicians realised that they had to maintain some minimum level of discipline to retain the respect of the people. In spite of all that, there were infractions. The good thing was that whenever anyone ran foul of the law, the government made a show of it to reinforce its mantra that nobody was above the law.

I remember the famous case of the Western region minister who was on a tour of the provinces and submitted a bill for his tour of his native province for settlement. Premier Awolowo ordered the minister to refund the stipulated hotel expenses because the minister had been staying in his family house in his village during the tour. When the premier brought up the matter at the executive meeting, the offending minister apologised and immediately refunded the controversial expense.

Awolowo was renowned for his strict adherence to financial discipline and probity. He lived by personal example. Many of us have endeavoured to model our leadership principles after the ideals of the great man. It is not easy, but it is clear that there is no other way to win the respect of fellow citizens than by the power of personal example.

The other day, a member of the national assembly was distributing wheelbarrows as part of his constituency projects. Another was giving out one motorcycle tyre each to 200 motorcycle riders. Yet another offered to spend millions of Naira to sponsor the marriage ceremonies of 200 jobless natives who could not afford the expenses associated with the ceremony. They are happy to sponsor marriage ceremonies to produce more out-of-school children, not establish industries to provide jobs!

While not endorsing the sleaze-ridden constituency project scam in the National Assembly, one cant help comparing the intervention of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan with others. Its as if her inspiration is from outer space, while that of her colleagues originated from the first century BC.

In terms of the quality of personnel, can you compare the First Republic Minister of Lagos Affairs, Alhaji Musa YarAdua, with Mr Nyesom Wike or any of the other ministers of the Federal Capital Territory in this Fourth Republic? As I had cause to say in an earlier article, Looking back at the great men and women of the First Republic, it is inconceivable that many of those who call the shots today would have qualified to carry the office files of those gentlemen of yore.

Whos going to smash these mirrors of regression that we may not see our underachieving tomorrows reflected in them?

Shoda: Amazon at 70

Seventy hearty cheers to the renowned educationist, teacher, politician and accomplished public administrator, Dr Mrs Gloria Laraba Shoda, MFR mni, former president of the National Council Of Womens Societies (NCWS), President of the African Regional Council of Women (ARCW) and African member of the Board of the International Council of Women (ICW).

For Shoda, the Yeye Moye of Remoland, wife of a soldier and mother of another serviceman, seventy is the perfect age to reflect on a life well lived and to look forward to additional blessings on the horizon. Ad multos annos, Madam President.

Wole Olaoye is a Public Relations consultant and veteran journalist. He can be reached on [email protected], Twitter: @wole_olaoye; Instagram: woleola2021
Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has congratulated Mohammed Buba Marwa, a retired brigadier-general his reappointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Chairperson of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for another five-year term.

Governor Radda noted that Mr Marwa, who was born in Kaduna, then part of the Northern Region of British Nigeria, and hails from Michika Local Government Area of Adamawa State, has built an outstanding career defined by discipline, integrity, and national service.

In his message, the governor said the renewal of Mr Marwas tenure reflects the nations acknowledgment of his honesty, discipline, and remarkable achievements in the fight against drug trafficking and drug abuse across Nigeria. He added that Mr Marwas leadership has brought new momentum, solid results, and renewed public confidence to the NDLEA.

He highlighted that under his guidance, the NDLEA has recorded historic accomplishments, including the arrest of more than 73,000 drug traffickers and barons, as well as the seizure of over 15 million kilogrammes of illegal substances.

Governor Radda also praised the extensive awareness campaigns and prevention programmes designed to safeguard young people from drug abuse. He further reflected on Mr Marwa long and distinguished career in public service, from his time as Military Governor of Borno and Lagos States, to his service in the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Defence Academy, and Nigerias missions in Washington, DC., and at the United Nations.

He described him as a soldier, administrator, and reform-minded leader whose contributions have strengthened national institutions. General Marwa has displayed courage, competence, and commitment in every public assignment, Governor Radda said. His reappointment is well earned.

I am confident that he will continue to protect our nation from the dangers of drug trafficking and guide our youth away from drug abuse.

The governor urged Mr Marwa to double his efforts in this new term, noting that the national fight against drugs requires sharper intelligence, quicker operations, and deeper community involvement.

He stressed that Nigeria is counting on the NDLEA to further intensify its work as drug networks continue to evolve.

On behalf of the Government and the good people of Katsina State, I extend our congratulations and best wishes to General Marwa, his family, and the entire Adamawa community, recognizing the pride they must feel for his contributions and continued service to the nation.

He prayed for General Marwa sustained strength, wisdom, and success as he begins another term in office, and assured him of Katsina States full cooperation in the ongoing national campaign against drug abuse
Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, has reaffirmed his administrations commitment to expanding opportunities for young people through high-quality, market-ready skills programmes that prepare them for the digital economy and technical sectors. This follows the recent approval granted to the Katsina Youth Craft Village (KYCV) by the Federal Ministry of Education as a certified Training Service Provider (TSP) under the IDEASTVET Initiative, a development described as a major and heart-warming milestone for the Centre, made possible through the Governors unwavering support for youth empowerment.

The recognition came after a rigorous evaluation conducted through the Innovation, Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) Project, supported by the World Bank. During the assessment, the Centre scored 86.25% in its technical evaluation, received a Satisfactory eligibility rating, and earned a Recommended rating following a detailed physical inspection of its facilities.

In a letter dated 5th November 2025, the National Project Coordinator of the IDEAS Project, Mrs. Blessing Ogwu, formally confirmed that KYCV had met all required standards, thereby qualifying the Centre for a training award of Sixty Million Naira (60,000,000).

Under the approved programme, KYCV will train 200 youths in Computer Hardware Maintenance and GSM (Cell Phone) Repair. Each participant will undergo full training from the foundation stage up to NSQ certification and job placement, with the IDEAS Project covering the full 300,000 cost per trainee at no personal expense. The intervention aims to boost employability, support entrepreneurship, and strengthen youth participation in Nigerias growing digital and technical sectors.

In his communication to Governor Radda, the Coordinator of KYCV, Kabir Abdullahi Kofar Soro, an engineer described the award as a significant breakthrough for the Centre. He noted that although the programme is not profit-oriented, it greatly enhances the national visibility of KYCV, reinforces its status as an emerging centre of excellence, and represents a major step toward long-term self-sustainability, reducing dependence on direct government funding.

Mr Kofar Soro added, Your Excellency, this achievement has strengthened my personal commitment to mentor and guide young people in Katsina State. With your steady leadership and support for youth development, I am confident that our trainees will gain the skills they need and grow into creators, problem-solvers, and leaders who will drive real change in our state and beyond.

He further explained that he remains personally dedicated to mentoring and guiding young, innovative youths across Katsina State, ensuring they acquire not only technical competence but also the confidence to excel in competitive global markets. He emphasised that institutions like KYCV must go beyond training; they must inspire, challenge, and support young people to pursue excellence, creativity, and leadership in their chosen fields.

He also noted that this achievement aligns with several other recent strides made by the Centre, including the ongoing TVET Initiative training being implemented across the three centres in the State, as well as upcoming UNDP-supported training programmes currently at advanced stages of preparation. He attributed this progress to the remarkable investment the present administration has made in youth development, skills acquisition, and economic empowerment.

Governor Radda commended the management and staff of KYCV for their professionalism and dedication, which enabled the Centre to compete successfully at the national level. He stressed that his administration remains committed to building strong, relevant, and inclusive skills development systems that prepare young people for sustainable livelihoods and active participation in the modern economy.

This achievement by the Katsina Youth Craft Village reinforces our belief that with the right investment and leadership, our young people can compete and excel anywhere in Nigeria, the Governor said. We will continue to strengthen training institutions and expand opportunities that lead to employment, innovation, and self-reliance.

Governor Radda also addressed young people across Katsina State, both male and female, urging them to take full advantage of the opportunities being created to excel globally in the modern skills economy. He emphasized that the world has become increasingly competitive and that Katsina youths must equip themselves to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their counterparts across the world.

Our message to the youth of Katsina is simple: you have the talent, the resilience, and the potential to excel not only in Nigeria but globally, Governor Radda said. That is why, just recently, I approved the comprehensive upgrading of the Katsina Youth Craft Village to meet global standards of similar institutions anywhere in the world. Our doors remain open at all times to support every young person willing to learn, innovate, and build a better future.

He added that the success of KYCV demonstrates what is possible when government investment aligns with youth determination. He assured that his administration will continue to advance programmes that promote employability, entrepreneurship, and economic independence across the State.

Governor Radda congratulated the Katsina Youth Craft Village on this remarkable accomplishment and assured that the State Government would provide full support as the Centre begins the implementation of the IDEASTVET programme upon the signing of the contract and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Oil, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, has renewed the Federal Governments commitment to unlocking wider financial and institutional support for indigenous oil and gas service companies, citing the success of Tamrose Limited and the Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund) as a strong demonstration of what structured, accessible support can achieve.

Speaking at a landmark stakeholder event held at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) Headquarters in Yenagoa, the Minister commended Tamrose Limited for its financial discipline and operational growth following the full repayment of its $10 million NCI Fund facility. He noted that the companys progress underscores the importance of expanding support mechanisms to enable more Nigerian-owned companies to scale capacity and deepen their participation in the countrys offshore and marine logistics sector.

He said, Over 70 companies have accessed the NCI Fund, yet only 21 have fully repaid their loans  and Tamrose is one of them. Their achievement reflects the very purpose for which the Fund was created: to strengthen local capacity and empower Nigerian service companies to compete at home and across Africa. Through this support, Tamrose has not only grown its operations but expanded beyond Nigerias shores, increasing its fleet from four vessels to fifteen, creating jobs for Nigerians, and setting a clear benchmark for operational excellence. As Minister and Chairman of NCDMB, our commitment is to continue fostering this kind of growth by ensuring that indigenous companies receive the support they need to scale, thrive, and deepen their contribution to the nations oil and gas sector.

Also speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the General Manager, Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Esueme Dan Kikile, described Tamrose as an example of the outcomes envisioned when indigenous firms apply discipline, capability, and innovation in their operations noting, Today is not just a celebration of one company; it is a reaffirmation of what is achievable through the Nigerian Content framework. Tamrose has shown strong leadership, financial fidelity, and accountability. Their growthfrom a small operator to a major marine logistics service provideris proof that the NCI Fund is working. This is why we will continue to support more credible Nigerian companies to access this fund and expand their capacity.

The event themed Celebration of Growth and Impact hosted by Tamrose in collaboration NCDMB, brought together senior government officials, leaders of international and indigenous oil companies, financial institutions, traditional rulers, and other strategic partners. Guests included Dr Olasupo Olusi, Managing Director of the Bank of Industry; Dr Dayo Mobereola, Director-General of NIMASA; Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (Rtd), former Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State; and representatives of Keystone Bank, ExxonMobil, First E&P, and Oriental Energy.

In his remarks, Mr Ambrose Ovbiebo, Executive Chairman of Tamrose Limited, expressed appreciation to the Ministry, NCDMB, and Bank of Industry for their support and reiterated the companys commitment to strengthening indigenous capacity in offshore marine logistics. He said, We are gathered here today using Tamrose as a point of contact, a convergence and amplification of the voices of all Nigerian entrepreneurs in the oil and gas sector and beyond. We are here to say loudly that Nigeria can work, and that indigenous Nigerian companies can scale and dominate Africa and indeed the world  with the right government and institutional support.

In 2019, Tamrose accessed and secured a US $10 million facility through the NCI Fund. That singular support from NCDMB turned out to become not just pivotal, but a foundational catalyst that has propelled and continues to accelerate our growth and evolution as a company. Since then, our operations have grown from four vessels to fifteen active units, comprising ten security patrol vessels and five platform supply vessels  all purpose-built and carefully selected, to safely deliver our hallmark excellent services of reliability and efficiency. 

Over the years, Tamrose Limited has consistently demonstrated its commitment to indigenous capacity development, human capital growth, and community empowerment through a range of initiatives. Since accessing the NCI Fund in 2019, the company has expanded its fleet from four to fifteen vessels  achieving about 300% fleet growth and extending operations from Nigeria to Angola while proudly flying the Nigerian flag everywhere they go. Tamrose has created nearly 250 direct jobs, supported over 600 indirect family livelihoods across the maritime ecosystem, and trained more than 100 cadets under the TamroseCadetship Training Scheme to international seafaring standards.

The company has also enhanced healthcare accessibility for its workforce, enrolling over 1,500 employees in HMOs, and significantly accelerated NCDMBs goal of achieving 70% local content by 2027. Beyond business growth, these initiatives underscore Tamroses ongoing commitment to building a strong, skilled, and sustainable Nigerian maritime sector.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, on Thursday commended Tamrose Limited, a leading indigenous marine logistics and offshore support company, for utilising the loan facility from theNigerian Content Intervention Fund to grow its fleet and expand operations to Angola in Southern Africa and elsewhere on the continent.

Speaking at the Nigerian Content Tower (NCT), Swali, Yenagoa, the Minister expressed happiness that the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) through its US$350 million Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCIF),has been part of the success story of Tamrose.

The company had accessed a US$10 million credit facility from the Fund through the Bank of Industry (BOI), the fund managers, in 2019, and successfully expanded its operating fleet from four patrol vessels in that year to 15 in 2025. It alsocompleted repayment of the entire loan in September 2025.

He said it was a thing of joy to be at the ceremony to celebrate the success of the partnership between NCDMB and Tamrose, adding, I am happy that Tamrose has gone beyond the shores of Nigeria to render logistics services in the oil and gas industry across the continent of Africa.

The Minister pointed out that the NCI Fund was created for a specific purpose, to strengthen local capacity not only to service the oil and gas industry in Nigeria but also to service the oil and gas industry globally. While commending the success of Tamrose as an example for the entire industry, he called on other beneficiaries of the Fund to pay up or face legal action.

He assured indigenous companies in the oil and gas sector that as Chairman of the Governing Council of the NCDMB and Petroleum Resources Minister, the commitment is to continue to grow this Fund so that companies like Tamrose wouldcontinue to acquire more capacity and render the services that are needed in the oil and gas industry.

In his own remarks, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, said the event was to celebrate Tamroseand its success story, and also to show what Nigeria can become when we place our confidence in indigenous talent, Nigerian ownership, and the capacity of our people.

He appreciated the leadership and workforce of Tamrose, noting that their professionalism and commitment to excellence would continue to elevate the Nigerian marine logistics subsector.

The Executive Secretary reiterated that the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act, 2010, was established to ensure that Nigerians sit at the centre of value creation in our energy industry, and that NCDMB has translated its mandate into real impact through deliberate frameworks, clear processes, and strong partnerships.

On the NCI Fund, he said the intention is to provide structured capital to qualified Nigerian companies that demonstrate capacity and are contributors to the Fund, and that TamroseLimited standsas clear evidence that our approach is delivering results.

The NCDMB boss, represented by the General Manager, Human Capacity Development (HCD), Mr. Esueme Dan Kikile Esq., said the Board remains committed to supporting credible Nigerian enterprises and determined to strengthen its frameworks, deepen transparency, and expand programmes that equip companies to match global competition.

The strategic direction of the NCDMB, he explained, is to increase Nigerian participation in the gas value chain, strengthen the Boards role in renewables, expand the blue economy, and to build a strong industrial base that is powered by Nigerian talent, Nigerian capital, and Nigerian innovation.

He announced that on the back of the success of the NCI Fund and the outstanding performance of some beneficiaries, a new product, Nigerian Content Equity Fund (NCEF) would be unveiled at the 2025 edition of the Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) Forum in December. The new Fund is to provide long-term risk capital to support Nigerian companies in high-value and high-impact sectors.

Earlier in a welcome address, the Executive Chairman of Tamrose, Mr. Ambrose Ovbiebo, stated that from a modest beginning with a very small team of professionals the company has grown to become the trusted partner of some of the most respected international and independent oil and gas companies globally.

He said his company had only four small security vessels in 2019 when its Management approached the NCI Fund and obtained the $10 million credit facility for operational expansion. That singular support, he noted, has turned to not just be pivotal but a foundational catalyst that has propelled and continues to accelerate both our growth and evolution as a company.

According to him, since then the companys operations have grown from four vessels to 15 units, comprising 10 security patrol vessels and five platform supply vessels  all purpose-built and carefully selected to safely deliver efficient and excellent services.

He said the outcome of the facility from the NCDMB is a celebration of growth and impact, growth from Nigeria to Angola, proudly flying the Nigerian flag; impact in job creation from 50 to 244 staff and counting, impact in human capacity development, with over a hundred cadets trained under TamroseCadetship Training Scheme and qualified for globalemployment; impact in health care accessibility with over 1,500 enrollees.

The Tamrose boss thanked the companys valued clients including ExxonMobil, SEPLAT Energy, TotalEnergies, Chevron Nigeria Limited, First E&P, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, and Oriental Energy Resources, for their enduring trust and for the privileged opportunity to serve. Healso expressed deep appreciation to the companys financial partners  Union Bank, Keystone Bank, Fidelity Bank,Afreximbank, and Bank of Industry.

He thanked the Hon. Minister, whom he described as an ardent supporter of indigenous capacity building, for finding time to attend the event, and expressed his sincere appreciation to the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB for his visionaryleadership and steadfast partnership.

In a goodwill message, the Divisional Head, Extractive and Natural Resources, of BOI, Mr. Taiye Emagha, described Tamrose as the kind of customer every good bank would want to deal with. According to him, As a beneficiary of the [NCI] Fund, Tamrose consistently demonstrated exceptional repayment discipline, and fully repaid the facility in line with the agreed terms, and without any reminder from the bank. He wished the company more successes.

From the Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. DayoMobereola, represented by Mr. Jibril Abba, were further commendations for the leadership and team of Tamrose for exemplifying operational excellence and, most importantly, for sustaining a fully Nigerian-flagged fleet. He thanked the NCDMB for aiding the company to attain its successes.
The Taraba State Governor, Agbo Kefas, says he will formally defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday, 19 November.

Mr Kefas disclosed this on Saturday while speaking with journalists during an inspection tour of renovation works at the Jolly Nyame Stadium in Jalingo.

He said his decision to dump the PDP was motivated by what he described as the need to secure Tarabas future, insisting it was not driven by personal political ambition.

On the 19th of November, I will officially transition from the PDP to the APC. This movement is about the destiny of the people of Taraba, and we are expecting many visitors for the ceremony, the governor said.

Asked whether the defection followed negotiations or conditions set by the ruling party, Mr Kefas declined to provide details.

My speech at the event will clarify the circumstances and allow residents to judge for themselves, he added.

Mr Kefas planned defection adds to a string of high-profile exits from the PDP in recent months, deepening the crisis within the opposition party.

Earlier in November, Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri, left the PDP for the APC after weeks of speculation, signalling a major political shift in the South-South.

His move followed similar defections by Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori; Akwa Ibom governor, Umo Eno; and Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, who joined the APC earlier in the year.

With Mr Kefas joining the ruling party, the APC will control 25 states across the federation, strengthening its political hold ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Mr Kefas decision also comes amid worsening internal tensions in the PDP, which on Saturday expelled several senior figures, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; former Ekiti governor, Ayodele Fayose; and former PDP National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, at its national convention in Ibadan.
Suspected bandits on Saturday killed a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, Umar Moriki, who was returning from a political rally attended by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, in Gusau.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the assailants blocked the Tsafe-Funtua highway and shot dead Mr Moriki, who was travelling to Kaduna State with three other friends who survived the attack.

He was a former Vice Chairman and Sole Administrator of Zurmi Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Moriki contested the House of Representatives seat for Zurmi/Shinkafi Federal Constituency in the 2023 general election. He lost the election to the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bello Hassan.

In a statement on Facebook, a media aide to former Governor Abdulaziz Yari, Almansoor Gusau, confirmed the incident.

Mr Gusau said, Mr Yari is deeply saddened about the tragic accident that happened on the Gusau Tsafe highway early Saturday morning.

We extend our most heartfelt condolences to his political associates, friends, and colleagues during this unimaginably difficult time.

We condoled his family and the Moriki emirate over the killing and prayed for Allah to overlook his shortcomings, Mr Gusau said.

The deceased politician is among the dozens of APC bigwigs in Zamfara who attended the welcome back rally to receive Mr Matawalle on Thursday in the state capital, the first such reception since he left office in 2023.

Also, the APC spokesperson in the state, Yusuf Idris, said Mr Moriki was killed at Fegi village near Gidan Dawa in Tsafe Local Government Area while on his way to Kaduna from Gusau.

Mr Idris said Mr Matawalle cancelled all his engagements in his hometown of Maradun and would attend the funeral prayer for the deceased around 5 p.m

Late Umar Moriki attended the states APC stakeholders meeting as well as the grand reception into the state organised by the party in honour of the visiting Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle, whos in the state to meet with party members, associates, friends and relations.

The deceased, during his lifetime, had held various political positions in the state, including Vice Chairman of Zurmi local government area, Director-General of the state Revenue Generation and Special Adviser on Rural Electrification, among others.

He died at the age of 62 years and was survived by three wives and many children.

As a result of the sad news, the visiting Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle, has cancelled all his engagements held in his hometown of Maradun for the day to attend the funeral prayer of the party chieftain.

All the APC leaders, executives, members and supporters have already arrived in Sauau to attend the funeral of the fallen leader who contested the Zurmi/Shinkafi House of Representatives constituency of the state in the 2023 elections scheduled for 4:30pm today at the Low-cost Jumaat Mosque, Gusau.

We pray Almighty Allah to reward his soul with Jannatul Firdaus and his family the fortitude to bear the loss. Late Umar S/Fada is a philanthropist who spent his life helping the needy and less privileged people, the APC statement said.
A former Commissioner for Special Duties and Ibom Deep Seaport in Akwa Ibom State, Ini Ememobong, has emerged as the new national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Ememobong, a lawyer and public relations specialist, was elected on Saturday at the partys National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.

His election marks a return to a familiar role. Before his appointment into government, Mr Ememobong previously served as the spokesperson of the PDP in Akwa Ibom State, a position that brought him national recognition within the party.

He resigned from Governor Umo Enos cabinet in June after the governor defected from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC). At the time, Mr Ememobong was widely regarded as one of the governors closest aides and had previously served in Governor Udom Emmanuels administration as commissioner for information.

During his undergraduate days at the University of Uyo, Mr Ememobong served as the national president of the National Association of Nigerian Students, and was later appointed as a special assistant to former governor  now Senate president  Godswill Akpabio on student matters.

Mr Ememobong, in his first official statement on Saturday, stated, I accept this assignment with a deep sense of responsibility, trusting that He who has been my help in ages past will remain my source and strength as I undertake this national duty for our party at a time like this.

He said he was fully aware of the many challenges that the PDP is facing as an opposition party.

Yet, I believe, as my campaign theme stated, that this is our moment of rebirth  a time to build anew from the old, to rekindle the flame, and to present to Nigerians an opposition party they can genuinely trust.

I am confident that the new National Executive Committee, under the able chairmanship of Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN- an experienced leader, a reputable lawyer, and a principled politician, will deliver a PDP that draws from its past successes and failures to rebuild a resilient political machinery, one capable of offering effective opposition to the ruling party and becoming a true home for principled politicians across the country.

We seek the support of Nigerians in the collective task of ensuring democratic consolidation and deepening true democratisation in our nation.

Convention amid court battles

There was uncertainty surrounding Saturdays convention due to ongoing legal battles. Two separate federal high courts had issued orders restraining the PDP from holding the event, while a High Court in Ibadan  the host state  delivered a contrary ruling permitting it to proceed.

Despite the conflicting orders, the convention proceeded, with delegates electing Kabiru Turaki, a minister during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, as the new national chairman of the party, along with other national officers.

The delegates took key decisions aimed at repositioning the opposition party, including the dissolution of the PDP state executive councils in Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Enugu states.

Akwa Ibom PDP crisis

In recent months, the Akwa Ibom PDP has been embroiled in internal conflict, operating under two parallel leadership structures.

Earlier, the PDP National Working Committee dissolved the Aniekan Akpan-led state executive, accusing the leadership of aligning with Governor Eno after the governors defection to the APC. The NWC subsequently inaugurated a caretaker committee to steer the partys affairs, a move that triggered a split within the party in the state.

The dissolution was reaffirmed at the partys convention on Saturday, signalling a new phase in the escalating power struggle within the Akwa Ibom chapter and raising fresh questions about loyalty, party identity, and control ahead of the 2027 general election.

Before defecting, Governor Eno had publicly vowed to retain control of the PDP structure in the state  insisting he would not allow political opponents to use the party against him in the 2027 elections.

He had also asked commissioners unwilling to join him in the APC to resign from their appointments.
The police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom State, Timfon John, stated that she received over 3,000 phone calls on a single day, 4 August, after publishing her phone number on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.

The callers were mostly men, most of whom wanted to profess their love for her, she said.

100 calls in 10 mins? Ms John, a deputy superintendent of police, wrote on X about an hour after publishing the phone number. Abeg, make una try breathe.

She sounded exasperated.

Sir, calls wan wound me, she stated, while responding to a tweet from her Delta State counterpart, Bright Edafe, who told her that she would not be able to breathe because of the numerous calls.

If na me, nobody go call. Chai, Benjamin Hundeyin, the then spokesperson for the police in Lagos State, tweeted at her. Mr Hundeyin is now the force spokesperson.

Ms Johns original post on X has over 1,500 comments and 1.3 million views. It has over 4,000 comments on Facebook, with some asking her if she was married and if she would consider marrying them.

One Twitter user, @king_danyk1, said on X that he noticed Ms John did not wear any ring on her finger. That means Im free to shoot my shot?

What crime can I commit that will make me be in your custody forever? another Twitter user, @walegraced, asked the officer.

Another Twitter user, @Oswald524, told the officer that the numerous calls were a price she had to pay for being beautiful.

Not distracted by the many calls

I have a record of more than 3,000 calls, Ms John told our reporter.

She said that many of the callers told her they would like to marry her, and that some of them just wanted to confirm that she was the person they were talking to on the phone.

She said the many calls did not distract her.

PREMIUM TIMES asked Ms John how she handles callers who stray off professional matters.

First, we need to understand that these people are human. We need to learn how to manage humans. We are not wired the same way, we have different upbringings, different morals at home, she responded.

Do the callers use abusive language? our reporter asked her.

I dont let those things get to me because I dont expect those persons who use abusive language against me to think like me. I try to put myself in the place of those persons. If somebody abuses me, I will say thank you and leave. The most important thing for me is to put across my message.

Most times I make a post, a lot of people dont even take the message. Rather, they are like, You are beautiful, you are this, you are that.

The officer said the romantic words from the men on social media do not distract her from being professional.

Journalists impression of Ms John

On the professional side, many journalists in Akwa Ibom said they enjoy working with the police spokesperson because of her humility and the respect she gives them.

Ms John was appointed police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom last year.

She picks up my calls anytime I call her to confirm a story, Iniabasi Umo, the Daily Trust correspondent in Akwa Ibom, told our reporter. Most of my colleagues have said the same thing about her; we are very comfortable working with her.

She is doing well, Idongesit Ashameri, the Daily Independent correspondent and a former chairperson of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists in Akwa Ibom, said of Ms John.

Of course, we know she is relatively new on the job (as a police spokesperson), but she learns so fast. She is quite good at interpersonal relationships with individual journalists, and she is also quite good in her role as the image maker of the (police) command.

She has won admiration by the way she juggles her job and her personal relationship with journalists. By this, I mean that despite her hectic schedule, she also finds time to attend media-related events and those concerning individual journalists. I am also aware that she intervenes when journalists have issues with the police. I feel she is on the right path.
SINGAPORE, Nov. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GenderGP.com, a global leader in digital gender-affirming healthcare, is proud to announce its official launch in the United States, expanding safe, evidence-based, and affordable access to care for transgender and nonbinary individuals nationwide.

With a monthly subscription of just $29.99, which includes online therapy at no additional cost, GenderGP.com now offers one of the most affordable gender-affirming care options in the United States. While medication costs are separate, the subscription includes access to a wide range of support services.

GenderGP.com's model is designed to work seamlessly with insurance, helping members access gender-affirming care through their preferred provider and making services even more affordable for those with coverage. Prescriptions are sent to 98% of pharmacies across the United States, ensuring convenient access to medication no matter where members live.

Dr Helen Webberley, Founder of GenderGP.com said: "Today marks a pivotal moment in the advancement of transgender and nonbinary healthcare. I'm proud to officially launch GenderGP.com in the United States. For more than a decade, we've seen growing interest from people across America who have engaged with the resources we've gathered on the deeply personal journeys of transgender people around the world. Now, I am thrilled they can directly access our leading platform.

At a time when equitable access to expert care and support is more urgent than ever, our mission is clear: to ensure that every person who needs care receives itwithout barriers or discrimination. GenderGP.com is here to support the millions of transgender and nonbinary individuals whose paths to healthcare have been made unnecessarily difficult. Together, we are making that journey easier."

GenderGP.com's plan is to be available in the majority of States within 12 months, and today opens its digital doors in California, New York, Colorado, Illinois, Washington, Arizona, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Minnesota.

The trans and non-binary (TNB) American community is much larger than originally reported. Of the 260 million adults in the U.S., a conservative estimate places the TNB American population at 1.3%, or 3.4 million people. However, due to stigma and underreporting, this figure likely underrepresents the true size of the community today. In more progressive and accepting environments, especially among younger adults, representation is reported by the Pew Research Center and the Williams Institute to be 35%, making the real number of trans and non-binary Americans 2-3 times larger at 7.8 to 13 million people.

A New Era of Access to Care

GenderGP.com launching in America marks a significant milestone on the journey toward accessible and affordability for gender-affirming healthcare for all who need and deserve it. By combining market leading digital services with over a decade of knowledge development we make accessing evidence-based care simpler and easier. GenderGP.com is setting a new standard for how gender-affirming services should be delivered. GenderGP.com follows international guidelines from:

WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health)

(World Professional Association for Transgender Health) EPATH (European branch of WPATH)

(European branch of WPATH) The Endocrine Society

UCSF Center of Excellence for Transgender Health

Hear from Dr Helen Webberley here.

Notes to Editor:

GenderGP.com is a digital platform that originally launched in the UK in 2015. Founded by Dr. Helen Webberley as a response to long domestic and international wait times for gender-affirming care. The brand has become Europe's leading gateway to gender-affirming care. It is used by trans and non-binary people in over 40 countries including the UK, Europe, Brazil and now the U.S.

GenderGP.com makes gaining access to gender-affirming care, advice, and education more available to gender-diverse people and those who support them using data and analytics. Their long-term goal is to alleviate the suffering associated with discrimination and prejudice too often faced by the transgender community through advocacy and improving the healthcare support available to transgender people.

Web: US: gendergp.com/en-us | UK: gendergp.com | Brazil: vivuna.com/pt-br /

Socials: @gendergp - X, Insta, TikTok | @helenwebberley  X, Insta, TikTok

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2823323/GenderGP_Logo.jpg

SOURCE GenderGP.com
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Health attorney Dennis Hursh discusses his article First physician employment agreement mistakes. Dennis shares his amazement after 30 years in health law at the timidity of new attending physicians during contract negotiations. He explains why the sellers market created by a massive physician shortage means that young doctors have far more leverage than they think. Dennis debunks the myths of the standard contract and the fear of losing the job by asking for reasonable, median compensation. This episode is a critical guide for any new physician, exploring why the employer is the motivated buyer and why the competition is already over once the job offer is made. Learn how to stop being competitive and start negotiating for the reasonable contract youve earned.

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Transcript

Kevin Pho: Hi, and welcome to the show. Subscribe at KevinMD.com/podcast. Today we welcome back Dennis Hursh; hes a health care attorney. Todays KevinMD article is First physician employment agreement mistakes. Dennis, welcome to the show.

Dennis Hursh: Thanks. Its good to be here.

Kevin Pho: All right, tell us what your latest article is about.

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Dennis Hursh: I was just recently talking to some physicians and said, What do you see as the biggest issue that physicians face in employment agreements? Lately, Ive just had a whole spat of starting physicians coming out of training.

The way that I review a contract is I draft a letter on law firm stationery, give it to them to give to the employer, and Ive had several come back and say, I dont know if I want to ask for all of this. Are they going to be mad? I really want this job. I dont want to lose this job. Maybe we should just sign it as is. It just got me thinking about the attitude is what sinks most new physicians, I think.

Kevin Pho: All right, well they did come to you for legal advice and review for the contracts, right? So thats seeking an attorney. To begin with, that in itself is a good first step, right?

Dennis Hursh: Yeah, I think it is. But then the whole idea of paying for an attorney is that you use the advice, and I think thats where sometimes it falls down. Ive had people tell me, Ive read it. I understand the issues. But Im just going to sign it. I mean things where the salary is below median, the signing bonus is below median, theres just a whole lot of issues. Call coverage is whenever we tell you to be on call. Just a whole lot of issues that I felt should be addressed, and they were just concerned that the employer was going to go, Nope, were going to take the next one in line.

Kevin Pho: Now why do you think they have that mindset to just accept anything thats presented in front of them?

Dennis Hursh: Well, I think some of it is theyre competing. Lets face it: You didnt get through college, then med school, then a residency, and then maybe a fellowship or two without being really hyper-competitive. You just cant be a physician and be laid back. Very few people said, Yeah, I partied all night the night before my MCATs and it was great. You have to be very competitive, very focused.

And I think they take that mindset into the employment and they say, OK, theyve offered me a position. Now I really have to compete and make sure that they pick me. They dont realize that they have picked you already. Once they made the job offer, theyve picked you.

Kevin Pho: And a lot of it is because all during that medical school journey and residency journey, theyre conditioned just to do what theyre told, right? And without pushing back, its hard to break that mindset.

Dennis Hursh: Yeah, Im sure it is. And of course, the employers know this. A recruiter will hand an agreement and say, This is our standard agreement and I cant change it. And the recruiter is probably not lying. The recruiter probably cant change the agreement. It probably is the standard agreement thats given to every physician.

What the recruiter doesnt say is, I would have to take it to the department head and legal to change it, and everybody gets this contract, but not everybody signs it like that. So, theres a lot of pressure on them to say, Hey, just like you say, keep following orders. Do what youre told. And its pointless anyway because we cant change it.

And Ive reviewed about 4,000 of these contracts, and I think I could count at this point, it might be on two hands, the times that an employer has come back and said, No, thats our standard agreement. We dont change it.

Kevin Pho: So by your estimation, fewer than ten times out of 4,000 contracts that they werent able to change a standard contract?

Dennis Hursh: Exactly.

Kevin Pho: You said earlier that some of these early-career physicians are terrified of losing the job. So in your experience, how often does an employer actually rescind an offer because a physician asks for some reasonable changes?

Dennis Hursh: Well, four times in my career. One time was a physician came in and said, Ive been around for a while, so they should make me a partner and I shouldnt pay for partnership. And they said, Nope. One time we had a credentialing issue, and I did have two where they just said, No, you seem to want too much. But thats two out of a thousand.

Because you think about it, what I have had people say, and the ones that have standard contracts, just say, No, were not changing it. To say were revoking the offer is kind of crazy. Just say, Nope. It is what it is. Take it or leave it. And that happens on a few of the major employers. As I said, that was ten; thats what happened with them.

Kevin Pho: So in terms of rescinding the offer, you would classify it as a rare but non-zero risk.

Dennis Hursh: Its non-zero, but it approaches zero. Im not good enough at math to say what two out of 4,000 is, but its awfully, awfully low.

Kevin Pho: So what normally happens? Like you said, you normally give these graduating residents a letter with your opinion on a contract. That letter is given to the employer. In normal circumstances, what normally happens after that?

Dennis Hursh: Theyll say, Well give you the first point. We wont give you the second. The third one, were not going to change. The fourth one, were not going to give you exactly what you asked for, but well meet you halfway.

A lot of times the worst case in most of these situations is, We dont want to change the contract. How about if we jump up the signing bonus and the salary a little bit? Would you be OK then? And usually, I think the right answer is no, but a lot of people say, Yeah, OK, Ill take more money. Im happy.

Kevin Pho: And from your experience, what parts of the contract are typically the most malleable, where the employer comes back with some type of counter-offer versus a straight no?

Dennis Hursh: Oddly enough, compensation. I guess you cant blame them. If Im buying your car, I dont know what you would expect me to come in and say, Heres my top dollar. I cant possibly give a nickel over this. Youd expect me to come in a little low. So I think they do a first offer and a lot of times Ill see, Yeah, we can increase the signing bonus or we can increase the salary, or something like that. We can give you a retention bonus after a year. Things like that are absolutely the most malleable.

The rest are some of the stuff that, for a small employer, it doesnt so much matter, but a lot of them say, Well assign you to wherever we want. So if youre in a big health system, theoretically they could say, Hey, tomorrow, youre across the state. Weve got a hospital there that needs your specialty. So tomorrow youre there. Those are the kinds of things I can often get them to narrow it down and say, No, its these hospitals.

And of course the employer uniformly says, Well, we would never send you. We would never do that. My response is, Well, if youd never do it, then you shouldnt have any problem putting that in the contract.

Kevin Pho: What about things like call and non-competes? How often do employers negotiate that?

Dennis Hursh: Less often. Call, at least, is something that you can negotiate. I usually try to get some absolute maximum: This is not going to exceed more than one in five. And theyll say, Well, its a business. You dont understand. And Ill say, No, there are locum tenens out there. You are not going to do more than one in five. I mean, Ive seen as bad as one in three, but at least theres a limit. If youre in a four-physician department and one gets pregnant, one retires, and one takes another job, you dont want to be 24/7, 365 call.

So sometimes theyll be reasonable. A lot of times theyll be reasonable about saying its equitable call coverage. Because Ive seen that. I dont know why it is, perhaps just a coincidence, but everybody seems to get Christmas day the first year. Its probably just a coincidence. But they say its going to be equal call. Well if you think about it, if I get call every Tuesday, there are seven of us. I get call every Tuesday. You get call every Saturday. Thats equal. I got a day. Youve got a day. Its just not equitable.

Kevin Pho: And how about non-competes? Do you find that gets negotiated out?

Dennis Hursh: Less so, but sometimes you can refine it a little better. With private practices, weirdly, I have had that experience. I used to represent practices, though I dont anymore, but years ago I represented one practice that had something like seven physicians, and they all had different non-competes. OK. And I kept telling the owner, Theyre going to talk to each other. This is going to be bad. So they are concerned about physicians talking to each other and saying, What do you mean? You have a shorter one, smaller one than I do?

But a lot of times you can get it refined. The covenant ought to be based on your new office, not your new employer, every location it has. And it should be based on where you are working now, not every location your current employer has.

So a lot of times they will be willing. Theyll always say, Well, nobody will enforce it anyway. But the thing is, the market will enforce it. So again, if you dont care and youd never enforce it, then you shouldnt have any problem clarifying it.

Kevin Pho: You wrote in your article that employers often like seeing that a candidate has retained an attorney. How do you know that and why do you think that is?

Dennis Hursh: Well, again, its because I used to represent private practices and the same owner that had all the different covenants not to compete, he would tell me, Hey, this is great. Hes serious about this. If you think about it, you could apply to eight places and just be playing them off against each other, but the odds are not good that you hired eight attorneys or one attorney eight times to look at eight contracts. So youve signaled, Im really serious about this position. Once youve retained an attorney, it signals that this is the one Im mostly looking at.

Kevin Pho: Its like a mentality shift, right? So I think that the idea that physicians are competing after theyve won is definitely powerful. As you said, a lot of these newly graduated physicians are in that competition mindset. So how can they mentally shift from being a competitor to being the proverbial prize?

Dennis Hursh: Well, I think you just have to tell them, Look, think about it. They offered it to you. They didnt throw it in a pool and say, The first one to sign gets it. They didnt say, Hey, I need this back tomorrow, or were taking it to the second person.' Theyve indicated that they want you.

And the thing is, its not a cheap process for them. They may have had three physicians looking through CVs, interviewing, maybe taking you around town and telling you what a wonderful place and every days a holiday here at Mega Health and all that. And they were doing that instead of seeing patients and billing for the employer. So the employer has invested a lot getting you here.

If theres a recruiter, Ive seen some recruitment agreements for as much as a third of a years salary. So the employer isnt just playing around. The employer has invested a lot of time and money into getting it, and theyve decided they want you. You just have to keep that in mind.

Kevin Pho: In this scenario that you mentioned earlier, where some of these physicians are scared to give the letter you give them to their employer, how do you reassure them? And how often are they actually convinced that its a good idea to bring some of these requests to their employer?

Dennis Hursh: Almost always. Its very, very rare that I cant convince them to just give it. Part of the thing I do is say, Look, its on law firm letterhead. Its signed by this guy Dennis, whos not in the room. Nothing in it is unreasonable. But if they were to come back and say, Hey, this is outrageous, you can shrug and say, Eh, attorneys. Theyre not really asking for it.

A lot of times I think that gives them some comfort that its not me asking for it. Im just handing this letter, and this guy whos not in the room has asked for it.

Kevin Pho: How often does it progress to where you would talk directly to the potential employers attorney and negotiate directly on behalf of the physician?

Dennis Hursh: Maybe one in ten. Most physicians are comfortable doing it themselves. Once they understand the risks, because its all in the letter, they know what they should be talking about. They can talk to me and say, Look, how important is this? And a lot of times well come down and say, Look, this, this, this, and this are what I really think is important. Thats what you should really stand on. Maybe one in ten just like me to do everything.

Kevin Pho: Now, if a new attending is listening to us today, and they can only do one thing, whats the most important step they should take after receiving an offer but before signing it?

Dennis Hursh: Well, Im a little biased, but Id say have an attorney look at it. And I should clarify, if youve got a letter of intent or term sheet and youre going to have somebody look at it, now is the time to do it.

I have so many physicians sign a letter of intent and then come to me and say, Well, it said it wasnt legally binding. But as far as the employers concerned, youve agreed to that salary; youve agreed to everything thats in the letter of intent. So I would say, have it looked at. You dont know what you dont know.

Kevin Pho: Were talking to Dennis Hursh, health care attorney. Todays KevinMD article is First physician employment agreement mistakes. Dennis, lets end with some take-home messages you want to leave with the KevinMD audience.

Dennis Hursh: Just remember how valuable you are when youre coming out of school. You are in a profession. Youve worked very hard. Youve probably taken on a lot of debt. You are enormously talented. They have picked you, and theres a massive physician shortage. So dont feel like you need to jump on the offer and dont feel that theyre doing you a favor by offering you this position.

Kevin Pho: Dennis, thank you again for sharing your perspective and insight. Thanks again for coming back on the show.

Dennis Hursh: My pleasure.
Patients once traveled on foot from Afghanistan to see my father, a Cleveland Clinic-trained doctor who practiced in Peshawar, Pakistan. It is easy to attribute such health care to a developing country. But Californias economy outperforms whole nations, and patients in the Central Valley still drive for hours to get life-saving treatment. I have lived and studied in both of these doctor deserts, one arid and one fertile. Both are plagued by the same crisis: the exodus of the very people trained to heal them. Doctors are trained to save lives. But in Pakistan and Californias Central Valley, their absence speaks louder than their presence. The very systems that are meant to anchor physicians are designed in ways that push them elsewhere. And when medicine becomes unlivable for providers, it becomes unreachable for patients.

Every year, Pakistan trains thousands of new doctors. And every year, it loses them. In 2022, more than 2,500 physicians left the country to work abroad. Surveys show this is not a short-term blip. Nearly one in three medical students openly plan to build their careers overseas.

This brain drain has spiraled into a pipeline. Wealthy countries depend on Pakistans steady export of medical talent, while Pakistan itself is left with barely 1.1 doctors per 1,000 people, which is half the level the World Health Organization recommends.

Why do doctors leave? The reasons are as much about politics as pay: low salaries, limited residency opportunities, insecurity, and a daily grind that makes staying feel like professional suffocation. The cruelest irony is that the country spends years and public money to train doctors who then flee precisely because the system they trained in offers no future. Patients wait in overcrowded wards while their doctors treat strangers overseas.

The story in Californias San Joaquin Valley is less about international migration and more about internal abandonment. The region has the lowest supply of primary care physicians in the state, and nearly one-third of its current doctors are nearing retirement. Yet the problem is not that California does not train enough doctors. It is that they do not stay. UCSF Fresno, the Valleys major medical training hub, graduates new physicians every year. But in 2024, fewer than half chose to remain in the Valley after residency. Family medicine saw only 42 percent retention. Internal medicine, 58 percent. By contrast, 72 percent of graduates stayed in California overall. Doctors for California, but not San Joaquin County. The message is clear: Even when doctors are trained in the Central Valley, the gravitational pull of Californias coast draws them away, with its higher pay, better working conditions, and greater prestige. What is left are federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas.

At first glance, Pakistans exodus and Californias shortage look unrelated: one is global emigration, the other domestic redistribution. But the underlying logic is the same. Health workers move toward the places that value them most. The sicker and poorer the community, the weaker its grip on the people it needs to survive. This is structural neglect, not bad luck. Patients in Karachi and Fresno are not both waiting for doctors by coincidence. They are waiting because both their underfunded, undervalued, and understaffed health systems make those waits inevitable.

There are efforts to slow the bleed. In California, programs like the San Joaquin Valley PRIME track recruit students who grew up in the region, betting that local roots will keep them anchored. Early returns are promising: in 2024, entire graduating classes in psychiatry and pediatrics stayed in Fresno.

Pakistans path is steeper. Retention will require more than appeals to patriotism. It means reshaping the system itself: competitive pay, reliable postgraduate training, and political stability that makes medicine a viable future at home. Without that, the country will continue training doctors for someone elses patients.

Physician shortages are about values. When doctors cannot envision sustainable futures in the places that need them most, the result is predictable: They leave. And when they leave, the communities left behind absorb the cost in longer waits, delayed diagnoses, and diseases that should have been caught earlier.

Doctors leave. Patients wait. And in the silence between the two, entire health systems unravel.

Samah Khan is a premedical student.
On July 6, 2025, in Nanjing, China, a construction worker plunged onto a steel rod that pierced him from pelvis to chest. That night, doctors fought millimeter by millimeter through a five-hour battle against death.

The call at midnight

The phones shriek tore through the heavy summer silence just after midnight.

Professor Ji Zhenling, president of Nanjing Jiangbei Hospital, surfaced from sleep, the warmth of his pillowcase still pressed against his cheek. His hand found the phone in the dark.

A man fell from scaffolding about three or four floors high, came the urgent voice. A steel rod (3 centimeters thick) has pierced him, from pelvis to chest. Hes in the emergency room now.

Ji was already moving, the echoes of the operating room flashing in his mind: the relentless beeping of monitors, the rhythmic whoosh of the ventilator, and the dull scuff of rubber soles on the hospital floor. He could smell it already: the sharp sting of iodine mingling with blood. He knew death was already in the building, waiting.

He pulled on his clothes and slipped into the car. The engine roared to life, shattering the citys uneasy sleep, and his heartbeat rose to match its fury. Once more, the night was calling him into a race with death.

CT/3D reconstruction shows the rods path through pelvis, abdomen, and chest, pressing major vessels like charges in a minefield.

The fall

At around 10 p.m., a scream tore through the humid outskirts of Nanjing: sharp, desperate, then silence.

Zhang, a construction worker, missed his footing. His body hit the ground with brutal finality, but the fall didnt end there. An upright, ribbed steel rod, thick as a mans thumb, met him. It pierced his pelvis and vanished upward, a grotesque exclamation mark on the night.

His coworkers arrived to a nightmare. Zhang was pinned fast by the steel, his body offered up like a sacrifice to the night. His breaths came ragged and wet, iron flooding his mouth. His face was twisted in agony, and his clothes were plastered to him with sweat and blood.

The paramedics spoke no words. They shared a single glance. The trajectory was all wrong: the rod disappeared into his lower body and reemerged beneath his right armpit, as if his torso were nothing but a sheath.

There was no protocol, no checklist, only speed.

Sparks lit the dark as they sawed through the rod 15 centimeters from his skin, leaving most of its cold length buried inside him. IV access was secured, fluids were administered, and the ambulance screamed into the night, cutting a path through the darkness. Another race against death was underway.

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The council of war

When Ji pushed into the emergency ward, the smell hit him first, a sharp blend of disinfectant and blood. Heads lifted. Dozens of eyes turned toward him, charged with a desperate, wordless plea.

A CT technician beckoned him to the glowing screen. The image was a map of disaster: a steel rod cutting straight through the mans core, grazing the aorta, skimming the vena cava, and pressing against the liver. It looked less like an injury than a lit fuse.

CT scan shows the steel rod piercing upward through his torso, its trajectory dangerously close to major vessels.

Summon everyone, Ji said, his voice steady, an order carved into the urgency of the moment.

Within minutes, the ward was alive with motion. General surgeons, anesthesiologists, cardiothoracic specialists, orthopedists, and urologists. One by one, they assembled. A war council gathering around a body that had become a battlefield.

On the table, the patient lay intubated, his chest already drained. A cardiovascular surgeon stood at attention, waiting for the worst: the possibility that the steel had torn a great vessel, and that a single wrong move would turn the body into a deluge no human power could contain.

Ji tied his mask and pulled it over his face. His eyes, above the blue fabric, were sharp as a scalpel.

Remember, he told the room, This is not surgery; this is bomb disposal. We move in millimeters, not centimeters.

The minefield

A reverent hush fell as they began. The rod had carved a savage tunnel. It entered through the pelvis, ravaged the abdomen, punched through the diaphragm, and invaded the chest, finally coming to rest beneath the right armpit. It was a geography of pure violence. Any one of these injuries could have been fatal. Together, they formed an impossible gauntlet.

There was no textbook step-by-step, no standard procedure. Only first principles remained: Clear what contamination they could, stem the bleeding while protecting vital flow, and salvage whatever organs still had a chance.

Decontamination first, Ji instructed, his voice soft but absolute. The abdominal cavity was rinsed with sterile saline. Suction tubes hummed as fecal leakage was evacuated. Areas of ruptured bowel were sutured shut, each stitch a fragile barricade against infection.

Under the harsh lights, surgeons stitched the ruptured bowel, each suture a fragile barricade against chaos.

Then the teams attention turned to the true minefield: the unforgiving steel rod, nestled against the bodys most vital vessels: the aorta, inferior vena cava, iliac vessels, and portal vein of the liver. The steel was an uninvited guest pressed against the very pillars of life. Scalpels moved with the precision of watchmakers, teasing apart tissue micron by micron. Everyone knew that if the rod had already nicked a vessel, the slightest movement could unleash a torrent beyond control.

The battle of millimeters

Under the blinding surgical lights, the exposed end of the rod gleamed with cold indifference.

Deputy director Xu gripped it with both gloved hands, feeling the rough ridges through the thin barrier of latex.

Slowly, Ji commanded. His voice was the only anchor in the suffocating silence.

The ventilator hissed. The monitor beeped. Every gaze fixed on Xus hands as he rotated the rod (a cautious half-turn) then eased it back a single millimeter. A thin trickle of blood slid into the suction tube.

The room froze.

No torrent. No catastrophe.

Under the surgical lights, the team works with millimeter precision, as if defusing a live minefield hidden inside the body.

Minutes stretched into eternity. Sweat beaded on brows, traced down temples, stung eyes, and vanished into masks. The air grew heavy with the acrid sting of cauterized flesh.

For 40 endless minutes, the ritual repeated itself: a fractional turn, a microscopic retreat, a breath held as though the entire room were bound in the same silent prayer. Time itself seemed to dilate, each second honed to a blade, cutting into the nerves of everyone present. The odor of burned flesh lingered like an unspoken omen.

Then, suddenly, the resistance gave way. The rod came free.

Its weight was astonishing in Xus hands, as though he had hauled up a relic from the underworld. When he laid it upon the stainless steel stand, it struck with a brutal, resonant clang, reverberating through the stillness like the final sealing of a vault door.

For a suspended instant, no one moved. Breath caught, shoulders rigid, and the silence almost holy. Then came the collective exhale: a rush of air, the collapse of tension, the heartbeat of the room resuming its course. A nervous laugh trembled through the masks.

The bomb had been defused. Death, for this night, denied.

The dawn

Nearly five hours after it began, it was over. Ji stepped out of the OR. Dawn had broken, washing the world in pale, new light.

He peeled off his mask, the elastic carving red grooves into his cheeks. His scrubs clung heavy with sweat. Down the hall, a nurse wheeled away the culprit on a cart: a sinister, ribbed steel bar, 80 centimeters long and 3 centimeters thick. A relic of a night staring into the abyss.

The ugly relic itself: a ribbed steel bar, 80 centimeters long and 3 centimeters thick, the object that turned one mans body into a minefield.

Outside, the sky was clear, with the clouds scattered like fresh linen. Ji leaned against the wall, allowing himself a single, quiet thought: Hes alive.

For Ji, this night blurred into a hundred others: the midnight call, the frantic drive, the battle measured in heartbeats and millimeters. Yet each was singular. Behind every case number was a universe of fear, hope, and a life dangling over the abyss, a family waiting in the dim corridor.

I dont think of myself as a hero, he would say later, the drama of the night faded into the calm of day: I think of myself as a craftsman. With steady hands, working against chaos, entrusted with the most fragile material of all: human life.

There will always be nights when death presses its face against the glass, patient, waiting for a single mistake.

And there will always be those who stand between it and us (doctors like Ji and his team), trading sleep and safety for the fragile, miraculous, and chance of another sunrise.

In the end, what remained was not the memory of cold steel or the acrid sting of burned flesh, but the sound, faint yet steady, of a man breathing on his own.

Doctors on morning rounds, gathering at the patients bedside, a quiet testament to survival after the nights battle.

Note: This article is based on a real medical case. To protect patient privacy, names have been changed.

Xiang Xie is a writer and former physician.
Every October, there is an unspoken shift that happens on college campuses. The early-semester excitement begins to fade, and the energy that once carried students through move-in week and club fairs starts to drain.

The college Halloween hype just ended and it creates a slump that seems to hang over campus. It is the point in the semester where exhaustion meets anticipation.
President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order retroactively lowering tariffs on a range of agricultural imports, including beef, tomatoes, coffee and bananas, with the change taking effect from November 20, CNN reported.

Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

The order removes these goods from the "reciprocal" tariff system, which applies rates between 10 per cent and 50 per cent.

However, it doesn't eliminate tariffs altogether. For example, tomatoes imported from Mexico -- a major supplier for the US -- will still face a 17 per cent tariff.

That rate has been in place since July, after a nearly 30-year-old trade deal expired, and tomato prices jumped soon after, as per CNN.

For instance, tomatoes from Mexico, a major supplier to the United States, will continue to attract 17 per cent tariff.

That rate took effect in July after a nearly three-decade-old trade agreement expired.

Tomato prices increased almost immediately after those tariffs were put in place.

Many of the products now excluded from the higher reciprocal tariffs have seen steep price increases during Trump's time in office, driven partly by his own tariff policies and by limited domestic supply, according to CNN.

Coffee is one of the most striking examples: Brazil, the largest coffee exporter to the US, has been hit with a 50 per cent tariff since August.

As a result, American consumers paid nearly 20 per cent more for coffee in September compared to the previous year, according to Consumer Price Index data.

Trump's move comes as voters signal growing frustration over the economy.

Exit polls from this month's off-year elections showed economic concerns pushing voters in several states toward Democratic candidates.

In previewing Friday's executive order, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this week the moves targeted goods "we don't grow here in the United States," referring to coffee and bananas.

While coffee is grown in some parts of the country, it's mostly imported.

Earlier on Friday, the Trump administration and the Swiss government announced a new trade framework that calls for lowering tariffs on goods from Switzerland to 15 per cent from 39 per cent, a rate that was among the highest across all countries the US trades with.
A major breakthrough has been achieved in the Red Fort car blast case, with intelligence agencies uncovering a Rs 20 lakh fund trail linked to three doctors, Umar, Muzammil, and Shaheen.

IMAGE: Workers take down the curtains, which were put up at the spot of the car blast near the Red Fort metro station, in New Delhi. Photograph: ANI Video Grab

Intelligence sources on Sunday said that the amount is suspected to have been routed by a Jaish-e-Mohammed handler through a hawala network.

Of this, around Rs 3 lakh is believed to have been spent on purchasing 26 quintals of NPK fertiliser, a nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium-based chemical compound used in agriculture, which is also capable of producing explosives used in the blast.

Officials further revealed that tensions had reportedly emerged between Dr Umar-un-Nabi and Dr Shaheen over the handling of the funds.

Sources added that a key lead was obtained from Muzammil, helping investigators piece together the financial links behind the conspiracy.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police sources on Sunday confirmed that three cartridges recovered from the site, two live and one empty, were of 9mm calibre, a firearm type prohibited for civilian possession and used by security forces.

A senior official said that despite the cartridge recovery, no pistol or any of its parts were found at the scene.

"These cartridges are usually only possessed by the armed forces or those with special permission," police said.

According to sources, no pistol or any part of it was found at the scene...meaning the cartridges were found, but the weapon used to fire them has not yet been found.

The official said that they are now trying to determine how these cartridges came to be there, whether the suspect possessed them.

The discovery of the 9mm cartridges adds a new dimension to the ongoing investigation, as officials probe the source of the ammunition and whether it was linked to any terror or criminal network. Security agencies examined CCTV footage and gathered forensic evidence from the blast site.

On November 10, the blast near the Red Fort complex in the national capital killed 12 people and injured several others.

On Saturday, Delhi Police registered a fresh FIR under sections of criminal conspiracy in the Red Fort blast investigation, officials said.

The new FIR comes days after the car blast near the historic Red Fort area on November 10 killed 12 people.

Further, security around the Red Fort has been heightened in the wake of the blast, with authorities maintaining a strict vigil over entry points and surrounding areas.

On Friday, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had cancelled the registration of four doctors from Jammu and Kashmir -- Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed -- in the Indian Medical Register/National Medical Register with immediate effect, sources told ANI.

All State Medical Councils have been informed about the decision.

An order has been issued to all medical councils regarding the removal of the above four doctors, effective November 14, 2025.

Delhi police have already arrested Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed in connection with the Delhi blast case, as they had an alleged link to past terror cases.

Further, Investigation agencies on Thursday informed that around eight suspects were allegedly preparing to execute coordinated explosions at four locations, with each pair assigned to a specific target city.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the accused groups had intended to move in pairs, each carrying multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for simultaneous attacks.

Delhi Police confirmed that the man who carried out the car blast near Red Fort was Dr Umar Un Nabi, after forensic DNA testing matched his biological sample with that of his mother.

However, Al-Falah University has distanced itself from Dr Umar and Dr Muzammil, stating that the University has no connection with the accused beyond their official capacities, and that no questionable chemical or material is being used or stored on the University premises.

Essential DNA, explosive, and other samples have been collected from the site and sent for forensic examination.

The investigation has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency.

Meanwhile, an accidental explosion inside the Nowgam Police Station late Friday night left nine personnel dead and 32 others injured and caused extensive damage to the nearby building.

Jammu and Kashmir DGP said the blast occurred during the ongoing investigation under FIR 162 of 2025, linked to a major seizure of explosive materials, chemicals, and reagents recovered from Faridabad on November 9 and 10.
Police on Saturday claimed to have busted a Pakistan-linked narcotics racket with the arrest of two peddlers here with three kilograms of heroin, valued at around Rs 15 crore.

Image used only for representational purposes. Photograph: ANI Photo

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Jammu, Joginder Singh, said a patrol party led by sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), south, and the SHO of Gandhi Nagar police station arrested the duo from near a crematorium in Shastri Nagar.

In total, 3.260 kg of heroin was seized from the peddlers, he said, terming the recovery a 'big catch' and a 'significant blow' to drug traffickers in the region.

Police are probing the matter after registering a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the officer said.

"The peddlers are part of a major racket linked to Pakistan-based and Punjab-based smugglers. At least seven more members of the gang have been identified, and efforts are on to bring all the culprits to book," the SSP told reporters in Jammu.

Explaining the modus operandi of the racket, he said the traffickers used to smuggle narcotics through drones into Punjab from Pakistan and send couriers from Jammu to receive the consignment and distribute it in Jammu.

"The arrested accused is part of the supply chain, and this is the seventh racket busted by police this year. So far, 22 peddlers were arrested," the police officer said.

Seeking public support to eradicate the menace of drugs from society, the SSP requested people to report any suspicious activity to the nearest police station.

"Those involved in drug trafficking will not be spared," he said.

Meanwhile, a police spokesperson said dozens of bank accounts involved in the drugs trade in Poonch district have been seized.

The action comes as part of an intensified crackdown on narcotics networks operating in the region, aimed at disrupting their financial lifelines and curbing the flow of illegal funds, he said.

During financial investigations, many accounts under scrutiny were found to have unusually high-volume transactions that raised suspicion, the spokesperson said.

He said these accounts were used to allegedly route proceeds from the sale and distribution of narcotics across multiple districts.

By freezing the bank accounts, authorities have effectively prevented the accused from withdrawing or diverting money that could have been used to further fuel illegal activities, the spokesperson said.

He said this action of the police is part of a broader strategy to dismantle the economic foundations of drug trafficking groups by targeting not only the traffickers but also their financial channels, associates, and facilitators.

Further investigations are underway, and more seizures and attachments may follow as the financial investigations continue, he said, adding that police have also attached immovable properties worth crores as proceeds of drug sales in Poonch district two days ago.
Researchers and students of the Indian Statistical Institute put up posters and took out rallies inside the campus, denouncing graffiti containing hateful messages against a community, which had recently surfaced within its premises.

IMAGE: A view of the Indian Statistical Institute in Kolkata. Photograph: Courtesy ISI/Facebook

Two such graffiti near the ISI men's hostel were found a day after the blast near the Red Fort in Delhi, in which 13 people were killed.

A note that read dogs shouldn't enter the premises on one side of a door was prefixed with two words naming a particular community. A similar message solely targeting the community was also found on an adjacent wall.

The ISI students put up posters that flashed texts such as no place for religious bigots and "no restrictions on memberships on the basis of religion, gender, caste and creed".

Ranvir Kumar, a researcher told PTI, "We also took out a rally inside the campus on Friday against the attempts in some quarters to sully the image of ISI, an institution upholding the spirit of pluralism, secularism and unity in diversity."

Apart from students and researchers, several faculty members also took part in the rally.

The ISI students have demanded stern action against those who wrote the hate messages.

Condemning the act, ISI director Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay had said the institute has always stood for pluralistic traditions and promoted academic and research excellence against any gender-based religious and linguistic discrimination.

"We are working to find the individual or group involved in the act. After the semester exams are over, we will take whatever remedial measures are needed, including counselling of those found to be involved," she had said.
A court on Saturday sentenced a school teacher, who was also a Bharatiya Janata Party activist, to life imprisonment for raping a 10-year-old girl at Palathayi in Kerala's northern district Kannur.

Photograph: / Rediff.com IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only.

Thalassery Fast Track Special Court Judge Jalarajani M T found Padmarajan K alias Pappen Master (48), a resident of Kadavathoor, guilty of repeatedly sexually assaulting the minor between January and February 2020 while he was working as a teacher at a school in Palathayi.

The court sentenced Padmarajan to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh under IPC section 376AB (rape of a girl below 12 years).

He was also sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment each and a fine of Rs 50,000 each under sections 5(f) (penetrative sexual assault on a child) and 5(l) (penetrative sexual assault on a child more than once) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

The court decided not to order a separate sentence under IPC section 376(2)(f)(rape by a person in a position of trust or authority) and section 5(m) (penetrative sexual assault on a child below 12 years) of the POCSO Act, even though he was found guilty of these offences as well.

The court directed that the sentences under the POCSO Act be served first, before the life term.

The fine amount has been ordered to be paid to the victim, and the District Legal Services Authority has been directed to conduct an inquiry and recommend appropriate compensation.

Before announcing the sentence, Padmarajan sought leniency, claiming he was the sole breadwinner, but the prosecution argued that the nature of the crime warranted strict punishment.

He was later shifted to Kannur Central Prison.

According to the prosecution, the 10-year-old student was sexually assaulted by Padmarajan in the toilet of the educational institution and at his residence.

Panoor police registered a case on March 17, 2020, and arrested the accused on April 15.

The BJP had alleged that the case was part of a conspiracy by the Social Democratic Party of India.

The case was later handed over to the Crime Branch, which initially did not include POCSO charges, enabling the accused to secure bail.

Following concerns raised by the victim's family, the Kerala high court ordered a fresh probe.

The investigation team was changed twice due to dissatisfaction with the probe.

A fifth investigation team led by additional director general of police EJ Jayaraj finally completed the probe and filed a chargesheet, officials said.

A total of 42 witnesses and 91 documents were examined during the trial, which began in February last year, the police said.
Security agencies are probing three bullet cartridges, two of them live rounds, recovered from the debris near the Red Fort blast site, a source said on Sunday.

IMAGE: Tourists visit the Red Fort following the recent car blast incident, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photograph: ANI Photo

The empty shell and two live bullets -- a calibre not permitted for civilian use -- were found close to the burnt Hyundai i20 car, which exploded on November 10 near the iconic Delhi monument, killing 13 people and wounding more than two dozen.

According to the source, the 9mm rounds are generally issued to specialised units or individuals with explicit permission.

"The staff deployed at the spot were also asked to check their issued ammunition, but none was found missing. The cartridges were there, but there was no weapon to fire them. We are trying to understand the entire matter that how the bullets reached the spot," said the source.

The person said that security agencies are also preparing to re-create the entire route of the accused, Umar Nabi, from the time he left Faridabad, visited Nuh in Haryana, and had tea in Delhi -- the whole sequence leading up to the blast.

Authorities are stitching together call records, tower locations, and CCTV footage from over 50 cameras for the recreation.

"The reconstruction will include every check-post crossed, all parking entries, and each location he visited or halted at, to identify whether any person met him, followed him, or aided him. Connecting the dots is critical to understanding the hours Umar spent in the NCR," the source said.

Meanwhile, angles of the probe continue to expand.

The source said that security agencies are examining a strong hawala trail, suggesting that the arrested doctors -- Muzammil and Shaheen -- may have received funds through illegal channels.

Initial scrutiny has indicated transactions of nearly Rs 20 lakh, suspected to have originated from foreign-based handlers.

Investigators are verifying whether the amount was routed to the three for the procurement of chemicals and logistics. Evidence recovered so far points to a structured financial link, with about Rs 3 lakh apparently spent on purchasing fertiliser.

Experts are also suspecting the use of Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP) to make the bomb.

Nicknamed 'mother of satan', TATP is extremely unstable, highly sensitive to shock, heat, friction and electrostatic discharge.

All components used in the blast, a compound including ammonium nitrate that significantly amplified its explosive potential, are under the lens.

Parallely, security agencies continue to examine the involvement of people linked to Al-Falah University in Haryana's Faridabad. According to sources, teams of security agencies have been visiting the university daily, checking attendance logs, staff records, and movements of people who may have been in contact with the arrested doctors.

A female doctor associated with the institution has been detained for questioning, a source said. The move came after several people known to be in touch with Umar, Muzammil, and Shaheen were found missing from campus.

A large part of the probe involves tracing dozens of vehicles parked near Umar's car in the hours leading up to the explosion.

Officials said a detailed log of each vehicle entering the Sunehri Masjid parking area during that three-hour window has been prepared.

The log includes registration details, entry-exit timings, driver identities, and vehicle ownership particulars.

Investigators are questioning the drivers and owners to determine whether anyone noticed Umar stepping out of the car, meeting someone, or allowing another person to approach the vehicle.

"Security agencies are showing Umar's photograph to these people to confirm whether he was alone. Even seemingly insignificant movements can help establish whether someone else may have planted or adjusted the explosive," the source said.

A bomb-detection team remains deployed at the parking lot as a precaution.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police registered two separate FIRs against Haryana's Al-Falah University, following red flags by the University Grants Commission and the National Assessment and Accreditation Council.

The FIRs, lodged by the Crime Branch, pertain to alleged cheating and forgery linked to suspicious accreditation claims.

Earlier, another FIR under sections related to criminal conspiracy was lodged to probe the larger network behind the blast.

Raids are being made in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to gain insights into the chemical procurement, financial transactions, hideouts, and the movement of suspects.
An Indian Sikh woman, who had entered Punjab province of Pakistan with a pilgrims' group earlier this month, has converted to Islam and married a local Muslim man who she had met on social media, Lahore police said Saturday.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Pixabay.com

In India's Punjab state, her disappearance is being investigated, police from Kapurthala district said.

Sarabjeet Kaur, 48, was among around 2,000 Indian Sikh pilgrims who travelled to Pakistan via Wagah border to attend the festivities related to the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. The pilgrims returned home on November 13, but Kaur was found missing.

Kaur contracted marriage with Nasir Hussain of Sheikhupura district, some 50 kms from Lahore, a day after her arrival in Pakistan on November 4 and declared that she converted to Islam and married out of free will, a senior police officer in Lahore told PTI.

The couple has gone into hiding and police are searching for them, he added.

When asked whether the intelligence agencies took the couple into custody, he declined to comment but repeated that the police are trying to find the duo.

A copy of her Nikah nama (marriage certificate) available with PTI, shows Kaur (whose Muslim name now is Noor) married Nasir Hussain, a resident of Sheikhupura's Farooqabad area.

In a video circulated on social media, Kaur said she loves Nasir Hussain and that she knew him for nine years through social media. She said she is a divorcee and wanted to marry him.

In the court of judicial magistrate Muhammad Khalid Mahmood Warriach, Kaur said no one has abducted her and she is happily married to Nasir Hussain, the video showed.

Also, she said she brought nothing from India except the clothes she was wearing.

Kaur is a native of Amanipur village in Kapurthala district of India.

Meanwhile, in India's Punjab state, her disappearance is being investigated, police said on Saturday.

According to the police, she had a passport issued to her by the Regional Passport Office in India's Jalandhar in January 2024.

Kapurthala assistant superintendent of police Dheerendra Verma said her disappearance is under probe but said there is no information about her conversion.

Another police officer had earlier said Kaur has three cases of cheating and fraud registered against her -- two at Kapurthala City Police Station and one at Kot Fatta Police Station in Bathinda.

However, proceedings of these cases in courts are almost over, the officer said.

The video also showed Kaur saying that some people entered Hussain's house after she contracted the marriage and misbehaved with both of them.

"They (unknown people) forced us to go with them and threatened to register a false case against us for non-compliance," Kaur claimed. She urged the Pakistan government to provide safety to her and her husband.

Earlier, it was said Kaur's husband has been living abroad for the past many years. She has two sons.

India's Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee secretary Partap Singh said they had just forwarded the list of pilgrims, and it is the job of the government to carry out background checks.

Kaur's case is not the first such incident.

In 2018, Kiran Bala from Hoshiarpur district was part of a jatha to Pakistan and went missing there. Later, she converted to Islam and married a Pakistani man, after which she was renamed Amna Bibi.

She had left her three children behind. Her husband had died in 2013.
Madhya Pradesh Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Inder Singh Parmar has sparked controversy by saying that social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a 'British agent' who started a 'vicious cycle of religious conversion', prompting the Trinamool Congress to call the remarks an insult to Bengal.

IMAGE: MP minister Inder Singh Parmar. Photograph: Courtesy @Indersinghsjp/X

After facing widespread flak, the MP Higher Education Minister apologised on Sunday, claiming his remark was a 'slip of the tongue'.

The row erupted at a time when the BJP, after winning the Bihar elections, has set its eyes on TMC-ruled West Bengal, where assembly polls are due next year.

Recently, a political confrontation erupted between the Trinamool Congress and the BJP over two of Bengal's most revered cultural icons, Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.

In Kolkata, West Bengal Minister Shashi Panja said Parmar's statement showed that the BJP was trying to demean Bengal's intelligentsia and the people in a bid to subdue the pride and the soul of the eastern state.

Parmar made the controversial remark during an event held in Agar Malwa district on the 150th birth anniversary of tribal icon Birsa Munda.

"Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a British agent. He worked in the country as their 'dalal' and started a vicious cycle of religious conversion," he said.

The minister claimed the British had projected several people as "fake social reformers" and promoted those who encouraged conversions.

"If anyone had the courage to stop this and protect the tribal community, it was Birsa Munda," he said, adding that missionary schools were the only educational institutions during British rule, and education was used as a cover for religious conversion.

Parmar said Munda recognised this trend, left missionary education, and fought for his community and against British rule.

Hitting out at the BJP, Panja said the women of the country know that the 'Sati' system was abolished due to Roy's efforts.

"If the BJP wants to axe its own foot, it is free to do so; but it cannot insult Bengal," the senior TMC leader said, claiming that the people of the state are watching the 'attack on the pride of Bengal'.

Reacting to the remarks, Samajwadi Party national spokesman Yash Bhartiya alleged the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh have been acting as 'agents of the British' to date, which makes them find faults with every social reformer.

"Promoting evil practices and superstition is the main objective of the BJP government, which is why fraudulent godmen are flourishing in Madhya Pradesh," he alleged.

He alleged that even though Parmar has displayed 'low and inferior thinking', the BJP won't take action and referred to the controversial remarks made by Parmar's colleague and minister Vijay Shah on a woman Army officer.

"Earlier, MP Minister Vijay Shah made objectionable remarks against the woman Army officer who briefed the media during Operation Sindoor, but no action was taken against him. The Bhind MLA was seen beating and forcing the Collector to vacate his house, yet no action was taken. This shows the BJP supports all these views," the SP leader alleged.

He was referring to a huge row triggered by Vijay Shah after he made controversial remarks on Colonel Sophiya Qureshi, a prominent face of the armed forces, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, during media briefings on Operation Sindoor.

National Students Union of India's (NSUI) national spokesman Viraj Yadav dubbed remarks made by Parmar 'shameful and wilful distortion of history'.

"Raja Ram Roy was a visionary reformer whose monumental contributions shaped modern India. He bravely championed the abolition of the barbaric practice of Sati, advocated for women's rights and education, and founded the Brahmo Samaj to combat social evils like caste discrimination and blind rituals," he added.

His efforts to harmonise Western rational thought with India's philosophical heritage paved the way for a just, enlightened, and progressive society, Yadav said.

"This wilful distortion of history by the minister exposes the dangerous ideological agenda of the BJP and RSS, seeking to undermine the very heroes who laid the foundation of our nation's values.

"Such irresponsible statements from an education minister are unacceptable and must be condemned in the strongest terms," the NSUI leader said, adding that Raja Ram Mohan Roy's legacy belongs to every Indian who believes in liberty, equality, and social justice.

Following widespread criticism, Parmar, in a video statement, said the remark 'came out by mistake'.

"Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a social reformer, and he should be respected. The sentence slipped out of my mouth by mistake, and I am very sad about it. I apologise for it," he said.

The minister said he did not intend to insult any historical figure.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a reformer and one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha in 1828, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj- a socio-religious reform movement. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Indian Renaissance'.
With a landslide victory in Bihar assembly polls, placing the National Democratic Alliance firmly in the saddle, leaders of the alliance on Saturday appeared to have got down to the brass tacks of forming a new government in the state.

IMAGE: Union Minister Chirag Paswan meets Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar after NDA wins the Bihar assembly election, in Patna, November 15, 2025. Photograph: @iChiragPaswanX/ANI Photo

Coalition partners made a beeline at 1, Anne Marg, the official residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the longest-serving incumbent, who heads the Janata Dal-United.

Notable visitors included Union minister Chirag Paswan, who is excited at the prospects of his Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas sharing power in the state as well.

"I have congratulated Nitish Kumar ji on the victory. The NDA's win puts paid to the opposition's false narrative that there has been a rift between the two of us. Even during the campaign, the CM canvassed in seats where our candidate was contesting. We reciprocated the gesture and supported the JD-U candidate in Alauli, which has been our home turf," Paswan told reporters.

Situated in his native Khagaria district, Alauli, a reserved seat, was represented by the Union minister's late father Ram Vilas Paswan in the 1970s, and, after he became the MP from Hajipur, uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras -- now estranged from the family -- represented the constituency several times.

JD-U's Ram Chandra Sada, a former MLA, wrested the seat from sitting Rashtriya Janata Dal MLA Ram Vriksh Sada, while Yash Raj, the son of Paras, who was making his debut from his father's party Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, finished third.

Paswan ducked queries as to whether the LJP-RV was hoping to have one of its MLAs as the deputy CM, saying CM and his deputy are decided jointly by all the legislators.

He, however, added, "Personally, I feel that Nitish Kumar ji should continue to lead the government."

The JD-U president, who would turn 75 in a few months from now, has not been enjoying robust health for some time, though the polls saw him carrying out a dogged campaign.

The JD-U, with 85 seats, has emerged as the second largest party after the BJP, which has a tally of 89. Although Kumar, who has been an MLC, did not contest the elections himself, the polls have been seen as a referendum on him.

Another NDA partner Santosh Kumar Suman, whose father Jitan Ram Manjhi, a Union minister and MP from Gaya, is the founder of Hindustani Awam Morcha, also expressed the view that the JD-U supremo should continue as the chief minister.

"I think Nitish Kumar will continue as the CM. Everything will be finalised in the next two-three days," said Suman, after a meeting with the JD-U chief.

While Suman is also an MLC, his wife Deepa and mother-in-law Jyoti Devi are among the five winning candidates of the HAM, which had contested altogether six seats.

Another notable visitor to the chief minister's residence was Ram Kripal Yadav, a BJP leader and former Union minister whose political career has been resurrected with a victory from Danapur assembly seat.

He expressed bewilderment over speculations that the BJP was trying to back him for the deputy CM's post, in a bid to break the near complete sway of RJD, the main opposition party, over Yadavs, the most populous caste in Bihar.

Once a trusted aide of RJD president Lalu Prasad, Yadav was mocked at his former mentor's son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav for having claimed that the INDIA bloc would be forming its government on November 18.

These are daydreams, said Yadav, who had been in political wilderness since he losing Patliputra Lok Sabha seat to Prasad's eldest daughter Misa Bharti in the general elections last year.

He also refused to comment on outbursts of Bharti's younger sister Rohini Acharya, who has announced that she was quitting politics and disowning her family, blaming the decision on two close aides of Tejashwi Yadav.

BJP OBC national general secretary Nikhil Anand, however, sought to fish in troubled waters, as he came out with a statement, lauding Acharya for having donated her kidney to her ailing father a few years ago.

Anand also exhorted Acharya and Bharti to fight and assume leadership of their father's party.

The RJD, which was the single largest party in the outgoing assembly, has been drubbed, winning less than 30 seats, a performance that is likely to put question marks on the leadership of Tejashwi Yadav.

Meanwhile, the Jan Suraaj Party, the much-hyped political outfit floated by former poll strategist Prashant Kishor, which failed to make a mark in the elections, claimed that many of its supporters ended up voting for NDA out of fear that the RJD may win and bring back the jungle raj.

The party's national president Uday Singh, a former BJP MP, also claimed that polarisation in the aftermath of the Red Fort car blast at Delhi and bribing of voters by the state government through doles and freebies, had played a role in the NDA's better-than-expected performance.
An MBBS student, who was detained by the National Investigation Agency in West Bengal's Uttar Dinajpur district for his alleged links to terror outfits, was released on Saturday evening, a senior police officer said.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: ANI Photo

The accused, identified as Janisur Alam alias Nisar Alam, an MBBS student of Al-Falah University, Haryana, and resident of Ludhiana with ancestral roots in Konal village near Dalkhola in Uttar Dinajpur, was picked up from the Surjapur Bazar area on Friday morning, he said.

Alam was "detained" from the Surjapur Bazar area in Uttar Dinajpur while returning from a wedding ceremony at his ancestral home, on suspicion of alleged terror links by sleuths of the NIA, he said.

"He had travelled to his ancestral home with his mother and sister to attend a relative's wedding. Officers of the NIA intercepted him on his way back, after tracking his movements through mobile-tower location data," the officer said.

Later, on Saturday evening, the accused student, who was questioned at the NIA's Siliguri office, was released, he said.

"He was released after questioning. His mobile phone has been seized, and told to be present if summoned again by the probe agency," the officer said.

"A few days ago, there was a wedding in the family, and Alam had come home to attend the event," he said, adding, they were suspecting his involvement in activities related to the recent Delhi blast.

However, the NIA was yet to provide detailed information on his alleged links.

Another officer earlier stated that Alam was also seen "loitering suspiciously" near a station in the area before being detained.

"During questioning, he allegedly attempted to flee, following which he was taken into custody," a source in the central probe agency said.

"We are yet to establish whether he has any direct connection with the Delhi blast. Digital devices and documents were seized from his possession," he said.

Relatives and family members said Alam was a quiet, studious individual.

"He was a very calm and a polite young man, always busy with studies and showing no interest in anything else. To think that he could be connected to an explosion is simply unbelievable," Alam's uncle said.

His mother claimed that her son has always been law-abiding, and the allegations against him were beyond comprehension.
Political analysts argue that much of the opposition's future in the state depends on the unity and coordination of these two parties.

IMAGE: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav during the Voter Adhikar Yatra, in Arrah on August 30, 2025. Photograph: AICC/ANI Photo

The sweeping victory of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the Bihar Assembly elections has caused ripples across the country, but perhaps more pronounced in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, where Assembly elections are due in 2027.

Political circles across Uttar Pradesh are abuzz with conversations about whether the model that helped the opposition secure substantial gains against the NDA in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections can survive the shockwave sent from neighbouring Bihar.

The results have not only boosted the morale of the ruling BJP, but have also introduced fresh doubts, tensions, and strategic recalculations in the opposition camp.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sharp political attack -- calling the Congress 'Muslim League' and a 'Maoist' party and predicting an impending split in the party -- has further intensified the debate. His remarks are being interpreted as not just an assessment of the Congress' internal state but also as a strategic attempt to shape the political narrative ahead of the 2027 assembly elections.

Political observers in Lucknow believe that Modi's comments will spark ideological as well as strategic discussions within the state's political framework.

Parties desperate to revive themselves or retain their relevance will now look for a new benchmark of performance and organisational discipline in the face of the NDA's renewed confidence after the Bihar results.

The psychological battle in politics -- often as decisive as the electoral one -- appears to have already begun.

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav reacted swiftly to the Bihar verdict, calling the BJP 'not a party but a fraud' while also conceding that there is still much that the opposition parties can learn from the BJP's electoral strategy.

On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya took a pointed dig at the opposition, saying, 'After Magadh, now Awadh', suggesting that the BJP views the Bihar results as a precursor to a sweeping victory in Uttar Pradesh as well.

The party is perceived to be preparing to use the Bihar mandate as a momentum-building tool among its cadre and supporters.

The Congress, which had regained some political life in Uttar Pradesh through its alliance with the SP during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, now appears cautious.

It is avoiding clear answers about the future of the grand alliance in 2027, possibly aware of the cracks that had widened after the joint SP-Congress defeat in the 2017 assembly polls.

Commenting on PM Modi's remarks about an impending split in the party, UP Congress president Ajay Rai, who contested against Modi in Varanasi, told PTI, "He should look at himself first. Why is he repeating what we say? What does he know about the Congress? We know our party better."

His reaction reflects the Congress' attempt to project stability amid external predictions of fragmentation.

However, despite political posturing, a critical question now hangs in the air: Will the SP-Congress partnership -- which delivered 43 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in 2024 -- remain intact till 2027, or will friction arise as the assembly elections approach? Political analysts argue that much of the opposition's future in the state depends on the unity and coordination of these two parties.

While both the SP and the Congress publicly maintain that 'all is well', political history suggests otherwise.

After the debacle of the 2017 Assembly elections, the alliance between Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav collapsed, ending the much-talked-about 'UP ke ladke' partnership. The memory of that fallout still lingers.

Nevertheless, the 2024 Lok Sabha results revived their collaboration and boosted the opposition's morale.

Many political commentators had begun predicting a stronger fight in 2027. But those predictions, they claim, have now been clouded by the Bihar election outcome. The opposition's planned campaign against Special Intensive Revision (SIR) regarding alleged 'vote theft' has also been overshadowed, with doubts emerging over the opposition's capacity to challenge the NDA's expanding influence.

SP's national spokesperson and former minister Rajendra Chaudhary, however, dismissed notions of a political setback.

Speaking to PTI, Chaudhary said, "There is no shock. We will review the results to understand the reasons. The India Alliance will remain strong."

He added the party would learn from Bihar's verdict and SP workers in the state are already vigilant about the alleged 'irregularities' in the SIR process, which has begun in UP with close attention from all political parties.

Chaudhary confidently asserted, "We will form the government in Uttar Pradesh in 2027 under Akhilesh Yadav's leadership. We will perform even better because the SP and the India Alliance have now become alert to the BJP's possible strategies."

The 2024 Lok Sabha results indeed gave the opposition reasons for optimism. Despite inaugurating the grand Ram Temple just months earlier, the BJP lost the prestigious Faizabad (Ayodhya) seat to the SP, and the opposition never lost an opportunity to rub it in.

During the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, which had won 255 seats in the 2022 Assembly polls, secured leads in only 162 Assembly segments. In contrast, the SP secured leads in 183 and the Congress in 40. These numbers had emboldened the opposition to stay united for the 2027 fight, with Akhilesh Yadav amplifying his PDA (backward, Dalit, minority) strategy.

Yet, the Bihar mandate altered the mood overnight. Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said, 'Magadh has won, Awadh will win too. We will repeat 2017 in 2027!' referring to the BJP's historic win of 325 out of 403 seats in 2017 under his leadership as state party president.

Political experts attribute the NDA's resounding success in Bihar to the BJP's ability to maintain cohesion among allies, especially keeping Chief Minister Nitish Kumar firmly on its side.

Analyst Rajiv Ranjan Singh predicts that the Bihar results will push Uttar Pradesh allies -- Apna Dal-Sonelal, Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party, Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal and Rashtriya Lok Dal -- to stay firmly aligned with the BJP, burying their occasional anti-BJP rhetoric.

He also hinted that the INDIA bloc may face internal strain after Bihar results.

State Congress president Ajay Rai, however, maintained caution, saying, "It is too early to comment. We will examine everything in detail."

Leaders from Uttar Pradesh played a significant role in the Bihar campaign.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed 30 rallies across 10 days and even held a roadshow in Darbhanga. Deputy CM Maurya also campaigned extensively.

BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary hailed the Bihar result as proof of Modi's development-oriented governance and welfare schemes, asserting that the NDA will create a 'new record' in Uttar Pradesh in 2027.
Former government cyber security head Lisa Fong has joined cyber security provider Defend in a newly created role as its chief resilience officer.

Fong stepped down as deputy director-general cyber security at the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) and head of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) last month after 13 years with the agency. At the time, Fong said she was leaving to take a role in the private sector.

Defend, which is majority owned by One NZ, announced Fongs appointment in a statement today, saying she brings unparalleled expertise in operational security, deep knowledge of global and local cyber risk, industry trends, and a proven track record of strengthening cyber resilience.

Defend CEO Greg Patchell said the company looked forward to leveraging Fongs leadership to further elevate cyber resilience across sectors.

[Fongs] vision and expertise will be instrumental as we continue to deliver innovative, resilient solutions for our customers in an ever-evolving cyber landscape, said Patchell.

Fong said she was committed to lifting cyber resilience through the industry and looked forward to doing so as part of the Defend team.

The operating context is experiencing increasing pressure with technology advances and coalescing threats. There is more everyone needs to do to respond, she said.

Fong joined the GCSB in April 2013 as chief legal advisor and was appointed as deputy director-general cyber security in May 2016. Last year, she oversaw development of the NCSC, which falls under the GCSB, as New Zealands leading operational cyber security agency following its integration with CERT NZ.
Afghanistan is seeking to significantly bolster trade with the oil-rich countries of Central Asia as it attempts to end its economic dependence on Pakistan, which has historically been Kabuls biggest trading partner.

But experts warn that geography, high costs, and political constraints will hinder efforts by Afghanistans cash-strapped and unrecognized Taliban government to shift trade to Central Asia.

Kabuls attempts to find new trade partners come after the worst outbreak of hostilities with Islamabad in years. The neighbors exchanged military attacks last month, killing dozens of people and leading to Pakistan closing its border with Afghanistan.

The monthlong border closure has inflicted some $200 million in losses for Afghan traders, who rely on Pakistani seaports to access international markets.

'Trade Alternatives'

Senior Taliban officials have urged Afghan traders and investors to end their activities in Pakistan and find new business and trade opportunities in Central Asia.

We are actively working with our northern neighbors to find reliable trade alternatives, Taliban Commerce Minister Nooruddin Azizi said on November 12.

Abdul Ghani Baradar, a Taliban deputy prime minister, accused Islamabad of using trade as a tool of political pressure and framed the ongoing border closure as evidence that Kabul must reduce its reliance on its eastern neighbor.

Swiss-based Afghan expert Torek Farhadi said the Talibans new emphasis on trade with Central Asia is largely political posturing, adding that deep structural hurdles remain to expanding economic ties.

Central Asia is landlocked, and Afghanistan must rely on long-distance overland corridors to reach markets. The regions tariff structures impose high costs on many Afghan exports, especially agricultural goods. The logistics of handling, storing, and transporting perishable goods such as fruits and vegetables remain underdeveloped.

To make the northern route commercially viable, Afghanistan would need to remove tariffs and offer incentives to its Central Asian partners, Farhadi told RFE/RL. But for the government in Kabul, customs revenue is one of their primary income sources.

Meanwhile, several railway projects, crucial for scaling cross-border trade, remain unfinished or lack financing.

The Talibans lack of international recognition also prevents it from accessing funds from global institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, limiting investment in the infrastructure needed to support northbound trade, Farhadi said.

Those factors have ensured that Afghanistans trade with Central Asia, although growing, has remained modest.

Trade between Afghanistan and the five Central Asian states -- Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan -- has grown steadily, reaching nearly $1.7 billion, according to Afghan officials.

Most of that volume consists of Afghan imports, including flour, fuel, cooking oil, and construction materials. Afghan exports to Central Asia remain limited but are slowly growing.

Kazakhstan has emerged as a major commercial partner for Afghanistan. In 2024, Astana and Kabul signed a road map that laid out a goal to increase bilateral trade to $3 billion in the coming years.

Uzbekistan remains one of Afghanistans most active commercial partners. Bilateral trade in 2024 reached $1.1 billion, according to official Uzbek figures. Tashkent and Kabul plan to increase bilateral trade to $2 billion in 2025.

Afghan exports via Turkmenistans Torghundi border crossing have more than doubled compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have officially inaugurated a key component of the CASA-1000 project designed to export electricity to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pakistans Role Still Central

Despite Afghanistans growing trade with Central Asia, Kabul remains dependent on Pakistan.

Islamabad has long provided Afghanistan with the fastest and most affordable access to global markets.

The border crossings at Torkham and Chaman remain the backbone of Afghanistans commercial lifelines, but Islamabad has repeatedly closed the border in recent years, disrupting trade and the movement of people.

That has coincided with Afghanistans trade with Pakistan falling from roughly $5 billion annually at its peak in 2011 to just over $1 billion in 2024.

The most recent border closures on October 12, following armed clashes between Pakistani and Taliban forces, has left thousands of trucks stranded for weeks.

But for Afghan traders, few alternatives can match Pakistans proximity or port infrastructure. Shifting trade away from those routes means higher transport costs, longer transit times, and increased logistical risks, experts say.

The reality is that Afghanistans shortest and cheapest route to seaports as well as India and other South Asian markets is through Pakistan, said Azarakhsh Hafizi, the former head of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce.

We need all transit routes to remain open. It would benefit not only Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it is also important for the regional economic integration, added Hafizi, who previously held membership in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to overhaul the countrys scandal-ridden energy sector as he looks to stem outrage following accusations of wide-spread corruption that have included an old friend and former business partner.

Zelenskyy said the leadership of at least three state-run energy companies would be sacked and quickly replaced and that other changes were in the works.

The scandal comes as Ukraine is under massive pressure from intensifying Russian air strikes on energy installations around the country as the deep cold of winter nears.

In a bid to stem the energy crisis, Zelenskyy on November 16 traveled to Athens, where he signed a deal to import US-supplied liquefied natural gas from next month through March 2026. He will visit Paris on November 17 and Spain on November 18.

'Beginning An Overhaul'

We are beginning an overhaul of key state-owned enterprises operating in the energy sector, Zelenskyy said on social media as he addressed the corruption scandal that has rocked the country.

In parallel with the full audit of financial activities, the management of these companies should be replaced. Today, together with Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Economy Minister Oleksiy Sobolev, we determined the procedure.

It remains to be seen whether the changes will be sufficient to ease pressure on Zelenskyy and satisfy Kyiv's Western allies, who have urged the Ukrainian leader to do more to stem endemic corruption as the country continues to battle against Russia's full-scale invasion.

Politico quoted an unnamed EU official as saying the corruption alleged in the probe is "revolting" and won't help Ukraine's reputation with international partners.

Ukraine's anti-corruption watchdog on November 10 announced a "large-scale operation" alleging tens of millions of dollars of graft in the energy sector in the midst of Russia's war on the country.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), in a joint operation with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), said it found the scheme involves "a high-level criminal organization" aimed to "influence strategic enterprises in the public sector, in particular JSC Energoatom," a state-owned nuclear energy company.

Changes To Come 'Within A Week'

Zelenskyy called for a new supervisory board at Energoatom "within a week" that would enable a "complete overhaul of the company's management."

He also set changes atop Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned gas company, and at Ukrhydroenergo, the state-owned hydro power generator.

"In a week, all conditions should be provided for the formation of a new and professional supervisory board of the company, and thanks to this, a complete reboot of the management board of Energoatom."

"At Ukrhydroenergo -- [there will be] an urgent tender for a new head of the company and additional formation of the supervisory board."

Naftogaz, Ukraine's state-owned gas company, "should announce and hold a competition for work on the company's supervisory board so that this new composition can start working in January 2026."

"In other large state-owned energy companies, the renewal of state representatives on supervisory boards should take place," he added.

Fleeing To Poland

The list of suspects in the anti-corruption probe includes people at the highest levels of government and other high-profile figures, with much centered around Tymur Mindich, a longstanding close collaborator of Zelenskyy's.

Reporting by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, showed that Mindich fled Ukraine for Poland hours before authorities launched raids in connection with their investigation, prompting critics to allege he had been alerted ahead of the action.

Mindich's involvement also led to uproar due to his past connections to leading political figures, including Zelenskyy. Mindich is a co-owner of the Kvartal 95 comedy troupe that Zelenskyy also co-owned before he ran for political office.

The business was an important vehicle for Zelenskyy to gain popularity as a comedian and actor before entering politics. Mindich was also a business partner with billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskiy, who backed Zelenskyy's 2019 presidential campaign and who has been in pretrial detention since 2023 on fraud and money-laundering charges.

Zelenskyy has moved to distance himself from Mindich and the other seven people formally suspected in the investigation. On November 13, he signed a decree imposing sanctions including asset freezes on Mindich and Oleksandr Tsukerman, who is also charged and also left the country

The probe has been carried out by anti-corruption institutions that Zelenskyy tried to muzzle before major street protests forced him to back down in the summer.

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Ukraine's Western allies -- who have provided billions of dollars in military and financial aid -- have urged Zelenskyy to do more to fight longstanding corruption in the war-torn country.

In a statement on X, Group of 7 (G7) ambassadors on November 15 said they "welcomed Zelenskyy's cooperation and support for NABU/SAPOs independent investigation. We count on Ukraine's leadership to continue its anticorruption efforts, which is key to Ukraine/Euro-Atlantic integration.

"As Russian attacks persist, we continue to support Ukraine's energy resilience," the statement added.

Moscow kept up those attacks early on November 15, hitting the Odesa and Sumy regions.

In Odesa, where a key port city with the same name lies on the Black Sea, Russian drones hit a solar power plant, while in Sumy, residential buildings were hit.

"The enemy continues to intentionally strike at the civilian infrastructure of the south of the Odesa region. Despite the active work of the air defense, this night, drone strikes again damaged energy facilities, including a solar power plant," the head of the regional military administration, Oleh Kiper, said on social media, adding there were no casualties.

Russia says it has not targeted civilian infrastructure, though residential buildings have been hit on an almost daily basis.

Moscow does say, however, that energy plants are legitimate targets as they power facilities used by Ukraine's military.

Zelenskyy's trip to Greece will mitigate some concerns over energy supplies.

In Athens, he signed a deal that "will be another gas supply route to secure imports for the winter as much as possible."

"We will not only receive natural gas from Greece. Through Greece's infrastructure, Ukraine will be able to receive energy from the United States," Zelenskyy added at a news conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Zelenskyy has said a "major deal" -- possibly concerning weapons systems --will soon be announced with France, but it wasn't immediately clear if it would be finalized in his upcoming visit to Paris to meet with President Emmanuel Macron.








For each of the past three winters, Maria Morozova, her husband, and their daughter have prepared for tough conditions in eastern Ukraine created by Russia's war on its neighbor. But this year, they're bracing for the worst.

Moscow's campaign targeting energy infrastructure -- especially electricity production and an electrical grid that is battling to deliver power to millions of Ukrainians -- has knocked much of the country's power suppliers offline.

Ukraine's Energy Ministry said in October that generation capacity was around 17.6 gigawatts (GW), which is less than half the 38 GW before the war broke out in February 2022. And a cold winter, which is expected this year, could put consumption needs at around 18 GW.

"Luckily, we still have central heating," Morozova, 28, told RFE/RL from her hometown of Kamyanske in the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region as she listed preparations for the winter, where temperatures can drop to minus 20 degrees Celsius.

"For electricity, we bought an inverter storage battery. Also, we have a generator on our balcony, but hopefully we won't have to use it, as it is too noisy."

Continued Russian Strikes, Blackouts

Russian strikes this week have already sparked power reductions to customers in several areas across the country, intensifying fears of what may come.

Power was reduced in most regions for eight to 16 hours on November 9, state energy provider Ukrenergo said, with more days following suit.

"The reason for the introduction of restrictions is the consequences of massive Russian missile and drone attacks on energy facilities," the company said.

"It is difficult to remember such a number of direct strikes on energy facilities since the beginning of the invasion," said Svitlana Hrynchuk, the energy minister who recently resigned.

In the northern town of Nizhyn, just a few hours from the Russian border, some families have been busily drawing up survival plans such as what to do if heating fails, where to collect firewood and coal, and how to create at least basic living conditions in subzero temperatures.

Nataliya, a resident of Nizhyn, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service that while her daughter has fled the country, she has chosen to stay. The only thing that would force her to leave her apartment, she says, is the complete loss of heating.

She says people in her neighborhood are already gathering supplies: stacking firewood, filling bottles with water, checking flashlights. Some families have drawn up plans to crowd into the few private houses that can still be warmed by wood stoves.

"If I had a private house, I would definitely help someone. Life does not stop even though attacks and shelling have increased," she says.

Preparing Homes, And Children, For The Dark

Morozova says almost everyone she knows has stocked up on candles and battery-powered lamps.

But, she adds, "it will be very hard if heating disappears. My family will have to move to my father's house, where we can have heating with wood."

When the electricity goes out, she and her husband tell their 4-year-old daughter: "Russia wants us to stay in the dark, and our engineers are trying to fix everything. We need to wait."

Morozova says that even if this winter turns out to be the worst one so far, people in Ukraine have become more experienced at coping with the cold during wartime.

Russia has been able to increase its attacks on energy infrastructure, according to Volodymyr Omelchenko, director of energy programs at the Razumkov Center, a think tank in Kyiv, because of Russia's increases in the production and capabilities of Shahed drones, while Ukraine has fewer air-defense systems than before.

Andriy Herus, chairman of the parliament's Energy Committee, says that although national power producer Ukrenergo has fortified 70 substations, "it is impossible to fully protect energy facilities from all attacks -- especially ballistic missiles."

Generators And Drones

In Kyiv, the loud hum of generators has become a constant companion on the streets. They appear in front of cafes, shops, and apartment blocks, often switched on within minutes of strikes cutting electricity.

"Sometimes it feels like a computer game -- so much noise at the same time," says Margarita Sytnyk, a former journalist and civic activist who lives in the capital.

"The generator noise is sometimes similar to Shaheds. I confuse them. It's not good; we may not hear the real drones and take precautions."

In her building, residents collected money to buy a generator, but she knows many families who cannot afford one. With prices rising and incomes shrinking, she says, "people with lower salaries simply have no way to prepare."

Like Nataliya in Nizhyn and Morozova in Kamyanske, Sytnyk in Kyiv says the only real plan is to lean on one another.

"If there is no heating, we'll go to work from offices that still have warmth," she says.
A County Roscommon company has announced an 800,000 investment to support the continued rollout of its new low-carbon product Harvest Flame, and to expand its biochar product range for use in the horticulture, agriculture, and construction industries.

The Western Development Commission (WDC) provided matching funding of 400,000 for the Arigna Group through its Western Investment Fund, alongside private co-investors contributing an additional 400,000.

The investment represents a major step forward in Arigna Groups transition from traditional solid fuels to sustainable alternatives, underpinning the companys long-term commitment to decarbonisation and regional employment.

Brendan Layden, CEO of Arigna Group, said the investment will help the company maintain momentum on its transformation journey. This funding allows us to accelerate the rollout of our new product, Harvest Flame, and further develop our biochar range for horticulture, agriculture, and construction applications. Its a vital step in our ongoing transition from black to green energy. This investment ensures the stability of our existing workforce in the short term and positions us to scale and grow employment in the medium term.

Established in Arigna, North Roscommon, the company has a heritage rooted in the regions industrial past and is now firmly focused on sustainable energy innovation.

Allan Mulrooney, CEO of the Western Development Commission, said the WDC is proud to back companies that are redefining the economic landscape of the West. Arigna Group is a great example of a business embracing change and leading the shift toward sustainable industry. Their move from traditional solid fuels to greener, more innovative products reflects both the resilience of the company and the opportunity that exists across the western region. The WDC is delighted to support Arigna through the Western Investment Fund as they continue to innovate and build a more sustainable future for the local economy.

The WDCs Investment Fund provides equity and loan funding to enterprises across the western region, supporting job creation, regional innovation, and climate-conscious business growth.

Gillian Buckley, head of investment at the Western Development Commission, added: Supporting businesses like Arigna Group shows how investment can drive innovation and sustain quality jobs in rural Ireland. Its about ensuring that counties like Roscommon continue to thrive as we move toward a low-carbon future.

"Following on from previous financial support in 2019 this investment underscores the WDCs commitment to backing the next generation of green enterprises, while reinforcing Arigna Groups role as a cornerstone of sustainable industry in the west of Ireland."
Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Hands Over List of 243 Newly Elected MLAs to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan

The NDA registered a landslide victory in the Bihar Election 2025, winning 202 of the 243 seats in the state.

Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjyal and Principal Secretary, Election Commission of India, Arvind Anand, on Sunday afternoon handed over the list of 243 newly elected MLAs for the Bihar Assembly elections, along with a notification published by the Election Commission, to the Governor of Bihar, Arif Mohammad Khan, ANI reported.

The Model Code of Conduct has now ended in the state.

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Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjyal told the media, "The election process has been completed. We have provided the list of 243 elected MLAs to the Governor. Yes, (Model Code of Conduct) has now ended. Further action will be informed by the Governor's office."

The NDA registered a landslide victory in the Bihar Election 2025, winning 202 of the 243 seats in the state.

Bihar BJP President Dilip Jaiswal, who was earlier this evening seen arriving at the Chief Ministers residence in Patna, told the media, "Earlier I was not able to meet the Chief Minister, so today I went to congratulate the Chief Minister. We have received an overwhelming majority..."

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Bihar DGP Vinay Kumar was also seen arriving at the CM's residence in Patna this evening.

(For more news apart from Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Hands Over List of 243 Newly Elected MLAs to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
TVK Stages Statewide Protest against SIR in Tamil Nadu

"DMK is not passing a resolution against SIR in the State Assembly": TVK General Secretary

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is staging a statewide protest against SIR (Special Intensive Revision) in Tamil Nadu, today.

Addressing a gathering during the protest, TVK General Secretary Aadhav Arjuna, according to news agency ANI, said, "TVK Chief Vijay is not just a candidate but will be the Chief Minister in 2026. Our leader said we must continue to move forward like a river despite hurdles... DMK is not passing a resolution against SIR in the State Assembly."

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Chennai, Tamil Nadu: TVK General Secretary Aadhav Arjuna says, "TVK Chief Vijay is not just a candidate but will be the Chief Minister in 2026. Our leader said we must continue to move forward like a river despite hurdles... DMK is not passing a resolution against SIR in the https://t.co/09yzykqZxc pic.twitter.com/Ldl1OqVIAH  ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2025

(For more news apart from TVK Stages Statewide Protest against SIR in Tamil Nadu: Says DMK is not passing a resolution against SIR" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
United Hindu Front Holds Protest Against Red Fort Terror Blast in Delhi

The explosion claimed 12 lives, sending shockwaves across the nation.

The United Hindu Front is currently staging protests in Delhi against the terror blast that occurred near the Red Fort on the evening of 10 November.

The explosion claimed 12 lives, sending shockwaves across the nation.

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#WATCH | Delhi | United Hindu Front holds protests against the terror blast that occurred near the Red Fort on 10th November. 12 people died in the blast. pic.twitter.com/TDdZn8kOUV  ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2025

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In the visuals from the protest site, protesters can be seen holding placards. One of the placards reads, Hang till death all the accused in the Delhi bomb blast.

Meanwhile, authorities have opened all the gates of Lal Quila Metro Station for commuters, days after the deadly blast.

#WATCH | Delhi: All the gates of Lal Quila Metro Station are now open for commuters, days after they were shut following the 10th November blast.



Visuals around the area. pic.twitter.com/16Ut6zurJh Advertisement November 16, 2025

(For more news apart from United Hindu Front Holds Protest Against Red Fort Terror Blast in Delhi" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Naveen Arora, Associated with RSS, Shot Dead in Ferozepur: BJP National Spokesperson Lashes Out (Image courtesy: ANI)

Poonawalla held the state government responsible for the alleged rise in crime in Punjab.

A youth identified as Naveen Arora, who was reportedly associated with the RSS, was shot dead in Ferozepur, Punjab.

Speaking on the incident, SSP Bhupinder Singh, on Sunday morning, told ANI that the attack was allegedly carried out when the victim was on his way home from a shop on his motorcycle. Two men shot him dead, he added.

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SSP Bhupinder Singh assured that the accused would be arrested at the earliest and strict legal action would be taken against them.

We have technical leads, CCTV footage, and we have also received some information, which we are verifying. We are working on all angles, SSP Bhupinder Singh added.

#WATCH | Punjab | A youth identified as Naveen Arora, who is reportedly associated with the RSS, was shot dead in Ferozepore.



SSP Bhupinder Singh says, "...Naveen Arora was going from his shop to his house on his motorcycle when two men shot him dead. This is an unfortunate pic.twitter.com/5pf4dFXyXB Advertisement November 16, 2025

SSP Bhupinder Singh said that "3-4 SHOs, 2 DSP" are currently investigating the matter.

Relative of the deceased, Anil Kumar, told ANI that the incident occurred Last night around 6 PM.

"He had no conflict with anyone. The men just came and shot him without saying anything... The family has always helped and supported everyone... The police have been backing us since last night, and we trust that they will bring justice to us..." hte relative added.

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#WATCH | Firozpur, Punjab | Relative of the deceased, Anil Kumar says, "Last night around 6 PM, when he (deceased Naveen Arora) was going on his way, two men shot him and fled the spot. He had no conflict with anyone. The men just came and shot him without saying anything... The https://t.co/SyAwcBUIKG pic.twitter.com/KAQ82nzLoY  ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2025

BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, commenting on the alleged murder of the RSS associate, launched sharp attacks against the ruling state government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Poonawalla said, Since the Aam Aadmi Party has come to power in Punjab, the law and order situation has completely collapsed. Incidents include the murder of Sidhu Moosewala, an attack on a renowned Kabaddi player, a daylight attack on Shiv Sena leaders, and the killing of Naveen Arora, the son of an RSS swayamsevak.

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Poonawalla held the state government responsible for the alleged rise in crime in Punjab.

Continuing, Poonawalla said, It is because AAP has used all the Punjab police resources for the VVIP protection of Kejriwal and other AAP leaders from Delhi. They are using it for vendetta politics against their political rivals. Meanwhile, grenade attacks are taking place, women are unsafe in Punjab, the drug trade is spreading, and radicals have been given a free run Law and order has been completely destroyed since the AAP came to power.

In a separate development in the state, acting on specific intelligence amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar has successfully foiled a planned target killing by busting a Madhya Pradesh (MP)based illegal weapons smuggling module with the arrest of one operative and recovered nine pistols from his possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Saturday.

The arrested person has been identified as Arun Singh, a resident of village Naushehra Pannuan in Tarn Taran. The recovered pistols include seven .32 bore pistols and two .30 bore pistols along with magazines and five live cartridges.

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigation has revealed that the weapons were procured to execute a targeted killing arising from inter-gang rivalry in the region. Probe has also revealed that the accused was in contact with illegal weapon suppliers in Madhya Pradesh through social media platforms and was facilitating the flow of arms to criminals in Punjab to support unlawful activities, he said.

Sharing operational details, he said that CI Amritsar had received specific intelligence about the retrieval of a huge consignment of illegal weapons from Madhya Pradesh. Acting swiftly, the police team of CI-Amritsar intercepted the suspect from near HP Petrol Pump situated on the bypass road near the village Ghanupur Kale and recovered the cache of illegal weapons from his possession, he said.

The DGP stated that further investigation is underway to uncover the entire supply chain and identify additional operatives involved. More arrests and recoveries are likely in the coming days, he added.

In this regard, A case FIR No. 68 dated 15-11-2025 has been registered under sections 25 and 25(1)(a) of the Arms Act and section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station State Special Operation Cell, Amritsar.

Additionally, continuing Punjabs war against drugs, Yudh Nashian Virudh for the 259th consecutive day, Punjab Police conducted raids at 348 locations on Saturday, leading to the arrest of 113 drug smugglers after registration of 86 first information reports (FIRs) across the state. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 36,754 in 259 days.

The raids have resulted in the recovery of 3.1 kg of heroin, 1.5 kg of opium, 24 kg of poppy husk, 84,304 intoxicant pills, and Rs 45,570 drug money from the possession of arrested drug smugglers.

Over 120 Police teams, comprising over 1000 police personnel, under the supervision of 71 gazetted officers, have conducted 348 raids across the state. Police teams have also checked as many as 366 suspicious persons during the day-long operation.

The state government has enforced a three-pronged strategy Enforcement, Deaddiction and Prevention (EDP) to eradicate drugs from the state, the Punjab Police as part of 'De-addiction has convinced 40 persons to undergo de-addiction and rehabilitation treatment on Saturday.

(For more news apart from Naveen Arora, Associated with RSS, Shot Dead in Ferozepur: BJP National Spokesperson Lashes Out"" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
Punjab will also hold a special Vidhan Sabha session on November 24 at Anandpur Sahib, commemorating the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur.

the Cabinet approved several public welfare and administrative reforms.

Punjab Cabinet Launches Major Reforms: 2,458 BBMB Posts, Healthcare Hiring & Historic Initiatives





Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has cleared a series of major administrative and developmental reforms aimed at strengthening the states governance, social welfare systems, water rights and healthcare services. The most significant decision is the creation of a separate service cadre of 2,458 employees for postings on the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB)a longstanding demand that is linked to Punjabs water and power rights.



For years, nearly 1,784 of Punjabs 3,043 quota posts in BBMB remained vacant, forcing the board to fill these positions with employees from Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Despite Punjab contributing 60% of BBMBs operational expenses, representation from the state continued to decline. With the new cadre, employees will be recruited exclusively to serve in BBMB. It will allow Punjab to restore its influence over the critical body that regulates water and power supply from the Bhakra-Nangal and Beas projects.



The decision also comes amid friction between the AAP government and the Centre over issues such as CISFs takeover of dam security and the Centres proposal to grant permanent membership to Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan in the BBMBa move Punjab terms a threat to its constitutional riparian rights.



Alongside this, the Cabinet approved several public welfare and administrative reforms. A major highlight is the recruitment of 311 nurses, with 400 more nurses already in the hiring pipeline, strengthening healthcare institutions across the state. Recently, the government also completed the recruitment of 800 doctors, including over 175 specialists, marking one of Punjabs largest healthcare hiring drives.



Further, the Cabinet revived 16 Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) posts for better implementation of ICDS and welfare schemes, raised the retirement age for medical and dental faculty from 62 to 65 years, and launched the Navi Disha Scheme to provide free sanitary napkins along with menstrual hygiene awareness.



In a historic cultural move, Punjab will also hold a special Vidhan Sabha session on November 24 at Anandpur Sahib, commemorating the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur.


Police personnel and other officials at the spot after a portion of a stone quarry collapsed, trapping some labourers under the rubble, in Sonbhadra, UP, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. (PTI Photo) Boulder Kills One at Sonbhadra Mine; Several Workers Still Trapped, Rescue Operation Underway

Considering the seriousness of the incident, the SP said that NDRF and SDRF teams were called to the spot the same night

A stone quarry has collapsed at a mine in Sonbhadras Obra region in Uttar Pradesh, killing one worker, while several others from Krishna Mining Workers remain trapped, according to SP Abhishek Verma.

SP Verma told ANI that police received information late yesterday evening that a huge boulder had fallen on several workers at the mine site in Obra. Local police and the administration reached the spot immediately.

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I reached the incident site along with ADG Kashi Zone, IG, Mirzapur Commissioner and the DM, and rescue operations were started immediately, SP Verma added.

According to PTI and the hindu, 10 bodies in total are feared trapped.

#WATCH | Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh | On stone mine collapse incident, SP Abhishek Verma says, "The police received information late evening yesterday that a huge boulder fell on some workers of the stone mine in Sonbhadra's Obra region... Local police and administration https://t.co/TOfuRiGsZA pic.twitter.com/hiSQtv0yqE Advertisement November 16, 2025

Considering the seriousness of the incident, the SP said that NDRF and SDRF teams were called to the spot the same night, and the rescue operation began.

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We have recovered the dead body of a worker and sent it to the mortuary, and the rest of the workers stuck under the boulder are being rescued, he further stated.

An FIR has been registered at Obra Police Station after recording statements from witnesses.

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A wall inside the Krishna Mines quarry in Billi Markundi village of Obra suddenly caved in, trapping the workers. Some workers are feared trapped under the debris, a government official is quoted as saying in The Hindu report.

The Hindu report said citing locals that at least 10 people were present at the site when the incident occurred. The process of drilling holes in the rock was ongoing using machines when a portion of a rock cracked and collapsed, one eyewitness said, speaking to mediapersons.

(For more news apart from Boulder Kills One at Sonbhadra Mine; Several Workers Still Trapped, Rescue Operation Underway" stay tuned to Rozana Spokesman.)
This initiative is a major milestone for the diaspora, highlighting the importance of community-driven support and legal advocacy in protecting immigrant workers' rights.File Photo.

This decision effectively allows non-domiciled CDL holders to continue working without fear of losing their livelihood.

Fateh! Sikh Coalition Launches Helpline Following Legal Win for Truck Drivers

The Sikh Coalition has launched a Punjabi-language helpline to support Sikh and Punjabi truck drivers in the United States facing discrimination due to their identity. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a stay on the Trump Administrations Interim Final Rule (IFR) that had stripped roughly 200,000 non-domiciled commercial drivers licenses (CDLs).

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Under the IFR, drivers were barred from obtaining or renewing CDLs not because of their skills, driving record, or language ability, but solely based on their immigration statuseven though all affected individuals were legally authorised to work in the U.S. The court recognised that the rule had no demonstrable public safety benefit and highlighted its harmful impact on communities, including Sikh truckers and trucking company owners. This decision effectively allows non-domiciled CDL holders to continue working without fear of losing their livelihood.

In response to the evolving regulatory landscape, the Sikh Coalition launched the Truckers helpline to provide confidential assistance in Punjabi and English. Drivers facing discrimination can leave messages at 212-287-9169 in Punjabi or English, and the coalitions team ensures timely support. The helpline is part of a broader effort to protect drivers rights, offering guidance, resources, and advocacy for those navigating complex workplace and regulatory issues.

Beyond the phone line, the Sikh Coalition continues its hands-on outreach, hosting in-person gurdwara clinics in states such as Indiana and New Jersey. They also provide free, bilingual resources, including updated brochures and legal guidance available online at [thesikh.co/truckers](https://www.thesikh.co/truckers).

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According to the Sikh Coalition, The helpline empowers Sikh and Punjabi truck drivers to report discrimination and access the support they need. We encourage everyone to practise their faith fearlessly and know that they are not alone.

This initiative is a major milestone for the diaspora, highlighting the importance of community-driven support and legal advocacy in protecting immigrant workers rights. It ensures that Punjabi truckers can continue their work safely, confidently, and without fear of unjust treatment.

Sources:

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(1.)Sikh Coalition, November 14, 2025- Official Announcement

(2.)Times of India, November 16, 2025- Article on Sikh Coalition Helpline
Music Time: Noise404

A collective of composers and performers, set out to take the contemporary music scene by storm

Listen to RRI in English

Ana-Maria Popescu, 16.11.2025, 15:33

The violinist Larisa Nicolae, the pianist Sofia de la Hoz Bello and the composer Ariadna Ene Iliescu, three of the members of Noise404, discuss what brought them together and their plans for the future.
A senator has lashed a federal proposal to lower default speed limits for unsigned roads as "stupidity", merely days after the New South Wales regional transport minister unleashed similar criticism.

The proposal recommends reducing the 100 km/h default speed limit to a range of 90-70 km/h on roads without signs, as part of the National Road Safety Action Plan released in September.

The plan has been met with praise from many road safety experts but also criticism from sections of both the public and private sectors, highlighting the tension between advocates calling for stronger national standards and communities who argue the proposal is out of touch with on-the-ground realities.

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WA Labor senator Glenn Sterle, who previously drove road trains and worked with the Transport Workers Union, branded the proposal "rubbish". "Our road transport industry struggles day in and day out to be safe, sustainable and viable," he said. "It is just nonsense that we would even entertain or put up something like this."

Livestock and Rural Transporters Association of WA chief executive Jan Cooper shared similar concerns, saying that while road safety was a priority, the proposal failed to take a broader view.

"It ignores other options that might be more viable," she said.

"For our drivers, journeys that take longer, you are obviously increasing the possibility of fatigue. "It's going to add an extra layer of difficulty in terms of [the animals] time off water and managing heat stress during the journey."

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The deadline for public submissions ended on November 10, with 11,000 received.

New South Wales' Regional Transport and Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison told NSW Parliament that there were no plans for NSW to follow in recommending speed restrictions.

"Let me be very clear, the government does not support blanket speed zone reviews across NSW," she said. "[We] will not be implementing blanket speed zone reductions across regional NSW. "

Do you have a story? Contact newsroomau@yahoonews.com

Jenny Aitchison, New South Wales' Regional Transport and Roads Minister, has hit out at the proposal. Source: Jenny Aitchison/CarExpert

The national road death toll has been steadily climbing, with campaigners consistently targeting the federal government to take action.

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Both sides of Australian politics have come out in recent weeks, blaming one another for the state of rural roads. Aitchison called out 'scare' tactics used by the opposition, placing the blame for ruined rural roads on the Nationals.

The default speed limit on some regional and rural roads could soon be lowered. Source: Getty

Calls for 'common sense' approach to speed limit change

NSW Farmers' president Xavier Martin told The Land he'd like to see a "common sense" response to the proposed speed limit slash.

"Band-aid solutions won't fix the problem of crumbling roads and bridges, or deal with the growing road toll here in the regions," he said.

"Fixing the real driver of road trauma - that is, our ruined roads - is what will make a real difference. We need to get people home safely each day, and farmers need to be able to get their food and fibre to market safely as well.

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"It's not the speed limits that are the problem - they've been set for decades - it's the fact that our roads aren't as safe as they used to be."

WA MP calls for better roads, not lower speed limits

On the other side of the country, Melissa Price, MP for Durack in Western Australia, previously called on Labor to abandon the "misguided proposal", arguing that the government should "instead focus on maintaining, upgrading and investing in the safe, reliable roads that regional West Australians not only deserve but rely on every day".

"Instead of funding repairs, theyre slowing us down, hurting jobs, freight and families across the region," she told The Geraldton Guardian.

The government is proposing to reduce default speed limits on outback roads from 100 km/h to somewhere between 70 and 90. Source: Federal government

Federal government defends divisive proposal

However, the federal government has consistently argued that on many country roads, while conditions can be poor, it isn't always safe to drive at the default speed limit of 100km/h.

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Globally, Australia's default limits are among the highest in the world, and research shows that on roads with higher limits, road trauma is much more likely to occur, with increased severity of crashes, higher fatality rates, and a reduced margin for driver error.

The default open road speed limit is something safety experts across the country are desperately trying to change, including WA Centre for Road Safety Research Director Teresa Senserric.

"In other parts of the world, they are looking to reduce those 100km/h [default limits] to 90. And in fact, in Sweden, the rural default is actually 70 km/h unless otherwise signed," she told Yahoo News last year.

The organisation Safer Australian Roads and Highways supports the government's proposal to reduce the default speed limit.

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"When we have dangerous roads, absolutely we should be talking about speed reduction so we can get people home safe," President Peter Frazer told the ABC.

"Setting a speed limit of 100km/h is actually creating circumstances where people are going to get killed."

In 2023, the federal government reported that Australia had around 860,000 kilometres of unsealed roads, accounting for about 66 per cent of the national road network.

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Between 2020 and 2024, the country recorded a 10 per cent rise in road fatalities per 100,000 people, with 1,294 deaths occurring last year.

Have your say on the proposed plan here before 23:59 AEDT on November 10.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Chimpanzees may share more with human thinkers than researchers once realized. A new study published in Science presents compelling evidence that chimpanzees can revise their beliefs in a rational way when they encounter new information.

The study, titled "Chimpanzees rationally revise their beliefs," was carried out by an international team that included UC Berkeley Psychology Postdoctoral Researcher Emily Sanford, UC Berkeley Psychology Professor Jan Engelmann and Utrecht University Psychology Professor Hanna Schleihauf. Their results indicate that chimpanzees, similar to humans, adjust their decisions based on how strong the available evidence is, which is a central component of rational thinking.

At the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda, the researchers designed an experiment involving two boxes, one of which contained food. The chimps were first given a hint about which box held the reward. Later, they received a clearer and more convincing clue that pointed to the other box. Many of the animals changed their choice after receiving the stronger information.

"Chimpanzees were able to revise their beliefs when better evidence became available," said Sanford, a researcher in the UC Berkeley Social Origins Lab. "This kind of flexible reasoning is something we often associate with 4-year-old children. It was exciting to show that chimps can do this too."

Testing Whether Chimps Are Reasoning or Acting on Instinct

To confirm that the animals were truly engaging in reasoning rather than reacting on impulse, the researchers used tightly controlled experiments combined with computational modeling. These methods helped rule out simpler explanations, such as the chimps favoring the most recent clue (recency bias) or simply responding to the easiest cue to notice. The modeling showed that their decisions followed patterns consistent with rational belief revision.

"We recorded their first choice, then their second, and compared whether they revised their beliefs," Sanford said. "We also used computational models to test how their choices matched up with various reasoning strategies."

This work challenges long-held assumptions that rationality, defined as forming and updating beliefs based on evidence, belongs only to humans.

"The difference between humans and chimpanzees isn't a categorical leap. It's more like a continuum," Sanford said.

Broader Implications for Learning, Childhood Development and AI

Sanford believes these findings may influence how scientists think about a wide range of fields. Learning how primates update their beliefs could reshape ideas about how children learn and even how artificial intelligence systems are designed.

"This research can help us think differently about how we approach early education or how we model reasoning in AI systems," she said. "We shouldn't assume children are blank slates when they walk into a classroom."

The next phase of the project will apply the same belief revision tasks to young children. Sanford's team is now gathering data from two- to four-year-olds to see how toddlers handle changing information compared to chimps.

"It's fascinating to design a task for chimps, and then try to adapt it for a toddler," she said.

Expanding the Study to Other Primates

Sanford hopes to broaden the work to additional primate species, creating a comparative view of reasoning abilities across evolutionary branches. Her previous research spans topics from empathy in dogs to numerical understanding in children, and she notes that one theme continues to stand out: animals often demonstrate far more cognitive sophistication than people assume.

"They may not know what science is, but they're navigating complex environments with intelligent and adaptive strategies," she said. "And that's something worth paying attention to."

Other members of the research team include: Bill Thompson (UC Berkeley Psychology); Snow Zhang (UC Berkeley Philosophy); Joshua Rukundo (Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary/Chimpanzee Trust, Uganda); Josep Call (School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews); and Esther Herrmann (School of Psychology, University of Portsmouth).
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood was expected to unveil a series of changes to the UK's asylum system on Monday, aimed at addressing growing public concern over immigration levels, according to The Guardian.

The proposed reforms would amend existing laws that guarantee housing and financial support to destitute asylum seekers, shifting assistance to a discretionary basis. That would allow the government to withhold support from individuals deemed capable of working or holding assets.

Mahmood described the package as "the most sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration in modern times", and said the measures were designed to "restore control and fairness to the system". She added that while the UK had a proud tradition of offering refuge, its generosity was increasingly attracting illegal crossings and placing pressure on local communities.

The Guardian also reported that at least 120 people, most of them police officers, were injured during a protest in Mexico City on Saturday, as thousands took to the streets to oppose the government of president Claudia Sheinbaum.

The demonstration, initially organised by members of Generation Z, drew broader support from older opposition party backers before descending into violence. Mexico Citys security chief Pablo Vazquez said the march had proceeded peacefully for several hours before a group of hooded individuals began committing acts of violence.

BBC executives have reportedly come under pressure not to use licence fee funds to settle a potential defamation claim from Donald Trump, according to The Sunday Times.

Trump said on Saturday that he intended to sue the broadcaster over alleged "corrupt" editing in a Panorama episode aired last October, and claimed his lawyers would "probably" file for damages of between $1bn and $5bn this week. He also said he planned to raise the matter with Labour leader Keir Starmer.

The BBC was expected to argue that Trump suffered no material harm from the programme, which was not broadcast in the United States. The episode, titled Trump: A Second Chance?, was directed by veteran producer Matthew Hill.

Elsewhere, the Sunday Times reported that advertising giant WPP has reportedly attracted takeover interest from French rival Havas and private equity firms Apollo and KKR, following a sharp decline in its market value and an impending exit from the FTSE 100.

WPP is currently valued at around 3bn, down from a peak of 24bn in 2017. Hedge funds have built an 8.5% short position in WPP shares, reflecting expectations of further downside as index-tracking funds prepare to divest. While interest has been expressed, the Times also noted that it remains unclear whether any formal bids will emerge.

Elsewhere, Angela Rayner was reportedly preparing the ground for a potential leadership challenge against Labour leader Keir Starmer, according to The Telegraph.

The former deputy prime minister and housing secretary was said to be offering shadow Cabinet roles to MPs in exchange for support, with one source claiming she was "on manoeuvres" and "getting her ducks in a row" for a bid. The Telegraph also suggested Rayner could count on union backing.

Rayner has recently joined Tribune, a soft-left Labour grouping linked to the partys welfare rebellion. Senior figures within the group said it currently has around 70 members and is on track to reach 100, which would make it the largest caucus of Labour backbenchers.

On another note, the Telegraph reported that George Osborne was reportedly among the final candidates being considered for the role of HSBC chairman.

The former chancellor, who strengthened UK-China ties during his time in government, was understood to be one of three names still in the running for the top job. He was approached by HSBC over the summer, according to Sky News. Osborne, 54, will succeed Mark Tucker if appointed.

Finally, US congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said on Saturday that she feared for her safety after Donald Trump publicly labelled her a "traitor" over her support for releasing the remaining Epstein files, The Independent reported.

Greene, once a vocal ally of the president, said she had received warnings from private security firms amid a surge in threats, which she claimed were being |fuelled and egged on" by Trump. The president had earlier taken to social media to denounce Greene as a "FAKE politician", "lightweight congresswoman", and "disgrace", revoking his support.

The Republican representative has adopted an increasingly oppositional stance in recent months, culminating in her backing for a House vote that could compel the White House to release further documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Greene said the experience had given her "a small understanding of the fear and pressure" felt by Epstein's victims.
Stratis Morfogens gloomy take on NYC dining sparked a conversation: Is the city still a place for restaurant growth, or are policy shifts pushing operators away? (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Having owned a restaurant, worked in food service most of my life and now writing about it, not much surprises me. But Stratis Morfogens sensationalized interview in the New York Post rankled meespecially that headline: NYC restaurateur cancels expansion plans following Zohran Mamdani victory: Im not signing.

Gloomy doesnt begin to describe it. Wheres the Big Apple positivity? The love? Weve had lousy mayors before, yet New York always finds a way forward.

Why Stratis is making headlines

Most Staten Island restaurateurs avoid going public on politics or money. It feels declasse, and customers dont want to hear it. But Stratis? He put his name on it  and now hes the talk of the town.

Ive met Stratis before, about five years ago on Staten Island, and even have one of his books, Damn Good Dumplings: 60 Innovative Favorites for Every Occasion. (His better-known book is Be a Disruptor: Streetwise Lessons for Entrepreneursfrom the Mob to Mandates.) So I called him and asked him to explain further.

More empty storefronts or vibrant restaurants? What's the future? The recent past: Reggianos II of Great Kills closed permanently on June 30, ending a chapter for the sit-down Italian restaurant business with roots in Tottenville. The establishment at 4126 Hylan Blvd. had built its reputation on brick oven pizzas and generous portions of Southern Italian cuisine. (Advance/SILive.com | Pamela Silvestri)

His bite of the Big Apple

Stratis Morfogen has decided to stop expanding his restaurant operations in New York City, citing a proposed minimum wage increase and concerns about the citys business climate. He walked away from three Manhattan diner leases and is shifting focus to Miami instead.

His reasoning? Uncertainty. Im not comfortable opening more 24-hour diners if the minimum wage is going to $30 an hour, he told me. That would make it impossible for fast-casual restaurants to survive  unless you want to pay $22 for that $12 hamburger.

He pointed out that restaurants with average tickets of $15$25 per person cant absorb those costs the way fine dining spots charging $80$90 can. Add to that worries about police funding cuts for 24-hour operations and a lingering 6% rent tax from the previous administration that slashed margins from 1620% down to barely 10%.

Despite his criticism, Stratis, 58, says hes open to dialogue. I actually think [the mayor] is a very smart young man, but his small business knowledge is zero because hes never run one. Id love to talk with him.

His argument boils down to this: job creation comes from working people with moderate assets, not billionaires. The billionaires dont create jobs. Its the hard-working people with $500,000 in assets  the ones who open bodegas, fast-casual spots, diners. Those are most of the people who create jobs.

Chef Marta Viguri and owner George Burke pose in a dining room at Burkes Landing in Rossville, circa 1970. The beloved restaurant later became the Historic Old Bermuda Inn. Staten Island Advance

A call to action

Heres my take on the conversation: The restaurant business has been around for thousands of years  from ancient Romes thermopolia to Parisian cafes to Delmonicos in 1827 and one of Staten Islands first restaurants, the Rose & Crown, commemorated by a stone marker at the top of New Dorp Lane. Automats, fast food chains, delivery apps  every era brings disruption. Yet the fundamentals remain: margins matter as do policies.

And my message to restaurant owners, to Stratis, and to everyone who loves dining out: unless youre running for office, its time to get more involved in local politics. Step out of the kitchen. Attend community board meetings. Join collectives like the NYC Restaurant and Hospitality Alliance  theres strength in numbers. Call your local legislators: city council members, state senators, assembly representatives and the lean staff at the Borough Presidents office. Local is the key  these are the people who can change laws before issues spiral further.

If you dont, voices like Stratis will keep sounding alarms about a new mayor before hes even begun  and about policies that exist because the food industry hasnt spoken up. I hope owners can pull together and put their collective feet down to make changes. Otherwise, well be staring at a landscape of legal weed shops or, perhaps worse, empty storefronts.
James Pickens Jr. poses backstage with the award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for "Grey's Anatomy" at the 43rd NAACP Image Awards on Friday, Feb. 17, 2012, in Los Angeles. The actor recently revealed a cancer diagnosis. AP

Beloved actor James Pickens Jr., known for his longtime role on Greys Anatomy, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, according to Page Six.

The actor, 73, shared the news with Black Health Matters, noting that prostate cancer runs in his family. Its not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family, Pickens said.

My father had it,' he said. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it. I would have been surprised if I hadnt gotten it."

Pickens also mentioned a 90-year-old cousin who is still alive despite his diagnosis, along with other family members who have had the disease. No one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it, he said.

On-screen, Pickens plays Dr. Richard Webber, who is currently facing a similar health scare on the ABC medical drama.

James Pickens, Jr. arrives at the People's Choice Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Los Angeles. The actor recently revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

In the shows recent fall finale, Webber confides in Dr. Miranda Bailey, played by Chandra Wilson, that he has been diagnosed with cancer, though the specific type was not disclosed.

Pickens has portrayed Dr. Webber throughout all 22 seasons of Greys Anatomy.

According to Cleveland Clinic, prostate cancer develops in the prostate, a small, walnut-shaped gland in men located below the bladder and in front of the rectum.

The prostate produces fluid that combines with semen to support sperm health and aid in conception.

James Pickens, Jr., left, and Gina Taylor arrive at "Grey's Anatomy" 200th Episode event at The Colonon on 2013 in Los Angeles. Pickens has revealed that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

More on prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is a common and serious disease. About 13 out of every 100 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Most cases are detected before the cancer spreads beyond the prostate, and early treatment can often be curative. Still, prostate cancer claims roughly 35,770 lives in the United States each year.

Early-stage prostate cancer often does not cause noticeable symptoms. As the disease progresses, however, men may experience changes that warrant medical attention.

These can include frequent or urgent urination, particularly at night, a weak or interrupted urine stream, or pain and burning during urination.

Some men may notice difficulty controlling their bladder or bowel movements, while others experience painful ejaculation or erectile dysfunction. Blood in urine or semen can also occur, as can pain in the lower back, hips, or chest.
The hospital needed millions in state funding to sustain operations, according to its health care parent company. Jackie Roman | For NJ Advance Media

Editors note: This article has been updated to include a comment from the New Jersey Department of Health.

A Jersey City hospital will close its doors after 152 years of service after failing to get millions in support from the government, its parent company announced Friday.

Heights University Hospital will operate only as a standalone emergency department and support services starting on Saturday, said Dr. Nizar Kifaieh, president and chief executive officer of Hudson Regional Health.

The news, announced at a press conference, was not entirely a surprise. Hudson Regional, which owns the hospital, announced in October that it would begin to lay off staff and wind down services. As of Friday, just five patients remained in the hospital, said Kifaieh.

Hudson Regional has been strapped for cash.

Just seven months after Hudson Regional took over Heights University Hospital from CarePoint Health System, which had its own share of problems, the company made a public appeal for financial support.

On Friday, Kifaieh said that critical funding failed to materialize and the hospital will close.

Unfortunately, we couldnt get commitment from the governors office regarding funding for such an endeavor and we are where we are here today, said Kifaieh.

Gov. Phil Murphys office directed questions to the state health department. A spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Health said Friday that good faith efforts were made to support Heights Hospital, including $2 million in October to assist with payroll and prevent closure.

Despite all of these efforts, Hudson Regional Hospital has failed to fund their payroll this week and failed to fully perform as it represented in its Plan of Restructuring, which was approved by the Bankruptcy Court as a condition of exiting bankruptcy. And it has not followed through on its commitments to the community it serves and to the State to turn things around after taking over the hospital, said Dalya Ewais, a spokeswoman with state Department of Health, in a statement.

Kifaieh said Hudson Regional has been trying hard to keep the hospital open and has pumped $300 million into operations, with a major portion dedicated to Heights University Hospital. Despite that investment, the hospital is losing $1.5 million per week.

We believe that we put a lot of effort during this past year to make something out of what we have here, the unfortunate situation that were in financially. But again, we got to a point where we just could not, said Kifaieh.

The hospital will continue to operate a standalone emergency department and provide other health care services out of its auxiliary building. The areas where there are no services will be shut down.

Employees at Heights Hospital also learned Thursday night about a delay in processing payroll and were notified that paychecks scheduled for Friday will be delayed.

In an email, employees were told the delay is due to insufficient financial support from the State of New Jersey, along with severely constrained cash flow.

The employees union, a local of Health Professionals and Allied Employees, said Hudson Regional has surpassed CarePoint as the worst employer in Hudson County.

Hudson Regional has made this decision illegally with no regard for Department of Health regulations or the WARN Act. What will happen to the patients in this community? Their employees have been left without a paycheck for two weeks of work and without future employment, union president Debbie White said in a statement Friday.

The company said all employees will be paid in full as soon as feasible. Heights Hospital has about 699 employees, said Kifaieh.

The larger Hudson Regional health network has already absorbed 100 full time employees affected by the hospitals downsizing and plans to absorb about 100 more, he added.

Ward E Councilman James Solomon called on Murphy and the state health department to file an emergency injunction to prevent the hospital from closing.

Enough of playing with peoples lives and playing with peoples health care, Solomon said in an Instagram reel posted Nov. 13.

Gov. Murphy, Commissioner Brown take action. Do not wash your hands of this situation. File the restraining order now, said Solomon, whos currently in a runoff election against former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey to become the citys next mayor.

Grim as the situation may be, a restraining order isnt the answer, said Ewais, a spokeswoman with state Department of Health.

Given the low patient volume (soon to be zero today), staffing reductions, and the refusal of HRH to appropriately fund facility operations, a TRO would not be effective nor appropriate at this time. The State will continue its review of the newly filed closure CN and its oversight to ensure the emergency room remains functioning, Ewais said in a statement Friday afternoon.

The hospital, located on Palisades Avenue, has been a fixture in the city through many seasons of change. It was originally founded in 1872 as Christ Hospital.

A Jersey City News article from 1897 describes the hospital as one of the most admirable institutions in the city.

But even a century ago, the hospital struggled to provide care with limited resources.

The 1897 news report said: We have always understood that the hospital was cramped in its resources. It has no public aid whatever. It relies almost entirely upon the contributions of citizens, and these have hardly kept pace with the needs of a house which never closes its doors to the victims of sickness or disaster.

Its unclear whats going to happen to the hospital site. Hudson Regional expressed interest last month in using part of the site for a residential housing development and using the profits to replace Heights Hospital, which has aging infrastructure.

Opponents to that plan, including Solomon, allege that replacing the hospital with development was the companys plan all along.

Hospital officials denied that was their plan.

None of us wanted to get to this point. This is not driven by any of the allegations out there that this is related to real estate development, said Kifaieh.

Either way, that plan now faces an uphill battle.

On Wednesday, Jersey City officials voted to introduce an ordinance that would prevent senior housing and assisted living residences from being built in the citys medical zone. If approved, the ordinance could impede Hudson Regionals plans for future use of the property.
European fashion brand Jack & Jones is making its debut in the United States with two stores, including one at the Freehold Raceway Mall. Freehold Raceway Mall

European fashion brand Jack & Jones is making its debut in the United States with two stores, including one at the Freehold Raceway Mall.

The second store will be at Danbury Fair Mall in Connecticut.

Both locations will feature Jack & Jones, a menswear brand founded in Denmark, and JJXX, its womens fashion line.

The store openings mark the first phase of the companys U.S. expansion, with more locations planned.

Freehold mall officials hope the store will open early next year.

Jack & Jones started as a denim-focused menswear label and has grown into an international retailer operating more than 4,000 stores worldwide.

The brand offers collections including denim, tailoring, casual wear, urban sportswear, and accessories.

JJXX, the womens fashion line, delivers bold, contemporary styles with a focus on high-quality denim and versatile wardrobe essentials, giving women the tools to express their individuality with confidence.

Anders Gam, brand director of Jack & Jones, said the U.S. has always been an important fashion market for the company.

Were excited to introduce our unique blend of denim expertise and accessible fashion, Gam said in a statement. We cant wait to meet the U.S. consumers and share what Jack & Jones is all about  great denim, on-trend fashion, and prices that make it easy to keep your style fresh, Gam said in a statement.

Eric Bunyan, senior vice president of leasing at Macerich, the real estate company that owns Freehold Raceway Mall, said the brands bring fresh energy to the shopping centers.

Their focus on quality, style, and versatile fashion perfectly complements the shopping experience our guests expect, Bunyan said in a statement.
NBC television correspondent Jim Avila, center, speaks to his U.S. based network office by satellite phone as injured soundman David Moodie looks on with an arm bandage after being evacuated from the al-Aike Hotel in Baghdad after a bomb was detonated outside the NBC staff hotel rooms Thursday Sept. 25, 2003. ABC announced Avila died earlier this week. He was 69. AP

Jim Avila, a former senior correspondent with ABC News, has died at the age of 69 after a long illness, the network announced Thursday morning.

ABC News Live anchor Diane Maced delivered a tribute to Avila regarding his work and journalistic achievements during his career.

Jim was an L.A.-based correspondent specializing in politics, justice, law and consumer investigations for nearly two decades, Macedo said. He also worked in the White House and broke the news that the U.S. and Cuba had reopened diplomatic relations. That story earned him the prestigious Merriman Award from the White House Correspondents Association.

Avila was a correspondent for the ABC program 20/20 and previously reported on the White House from 2012 to 2016 while President Barack Obama was in office.

Avila left ABC News in 2021 and became a senior investigative reporter with ABC affiliate KGTV in San Diego.

ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic said that, Jim was a gifted journalist and a generous colleague, according to an internal email on Avilas passing.

We send our heartfelt condolences to his family, including his three children, Jamie, Jenny, and Evan, and we thank him for his many contributions and unwavering commitment to seeking out the truth, Karamehmedovic said.

According to the Los Angeles Times, NBC News correspondent Josh Mankiewicz, who is Avilas friend, said Avila died from complications after a fall.

Prior to joining ABC in 2004 Avila also worked with NBC News, where he covered the O.J. Simpson murder case for KNBC helping the station win several awards for their coverage.

Avilas other honors include being named reporter of the year in 1999 by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and being inducted into the associations Hall of Fame in 2019.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A historic Staten Island site may be under consideration by ICE to hold detained immigrants, raising concern among local officials.

Federal authorities have reportedly considered using the Fort Wadsworth Coast Guard facility, a former military installation overlooking New York Bay, as a site to temporarily detain immigrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the New York Times is reporting.

ICE officials visited the base last week to assess its suitability, the Times reported. It remains unclear if ICE will proceed with the plan. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, declined to comment to the Times.

For now, the future of Fort Wadsworth as a potential detention site remains uncertain, with local officials raising concerns over its possible use.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told SILive.com that her concerns have been shared with Trump officials, citing the sites strategic importance for U.S. Coast Guard operations and its historical significance.

The site is not suitable to house migrants, Malliotakis, a Republican who represents Staten Island and part of Brooklyn, said. Weve made this very clear, both publicly and privately, and we do not anticipate any such plans.

The U.S. Coast Guard in New York had not returned requests for comment by SILive.com at the time of publication.

In 2023, Malliotakis publically opposed using Fort Wadsworth to shelter migrants when the Biden administration, state and city officials considered opening an emergency shelter for thousands of migrants arriving in New York City.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and other local elected officials gather at the gate of Fort Wadsworth to note their disapproval of the choice of this site and other sites to house migrants on Staten Island on Wednesday, August 23, 2023.

Currently, most immigrants arrested by ICE in NYC are processed at the agencys office in Lower Manhattan and then transported to jails and detention facilities in New Jersey, upstate New York or Pennsylvania. The city has no long-term ICE-run detention centers.

Fort Wadsworth, a 226-acre federal property, is currently home to U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Park Police housing and offices.

According to the New York Times, ICE has been steadily expanding its detention capacity in the New York region this year, including arrangements to hold more than 100 detainees at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, up to 50 for short periods at Nassau County jail on Long Island, and a 1,000-bed facility across the Hudson River in Newark. The agency also has contracts with several county jails in upstate New York.

NYC has not had a major immigration detention center since 2010, when ICE closed the Varick Street Detention Facility, which had held as many as 250 immigrants above a Greenwich Village post office.
Richmond University Hospital is in the middle of a three-phase capital improvement plan. Pictured here is the Lucille and Jay Chazanoff Surgical Pavilion, which opened its doors at the West Brighton health-care facility in 2024. (Courtesy of Richmond University Medical Center)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The ongoing metamorphosis at Richmond University Hospital is guided not only by management and architects  but by all levels of medical personnel with an up-close view of patient experience and outcomes  the hospitals CEO and president, Dr. Daniel Messina, recently told the Advance/SILive.com.

And though it was once solely a North Shore-centered hospital, RUMC continues its transformation into a robust provider of outpatient care at nearly 30 facilities. These include ambulatory sites and group physician practices across Staten Island and in Brooklyn, with another in Manhattan, bringing care to patients where they need it, Messina said during a recent conversation focusing on the hospitals three phases of transformation.

Within its West Brighton walls, RUMC continues to experience a rebirth' of sorts, he said, on the heels of more than $200 million in capital projects completed, and several currently in progress.

And as other independent hospitals merge or become acquired by larger health networks, RUMC instead aims inward, he said, focusing on better serving the community it has focused on for the past 100 years.

We are very committed to giving people every reason to want to stay on Staten Island and not feel like, Oh, if I get sick, I have to go into Manhattan, Messina said.

Completed improvements include an expanded $15 million Medical Intensive Care Unit, offering advanced care for the most critically ill patients, which was completed in 2022.

Its not your moms, not your fathers RUMC, so to say,' Messina said. That transformational renaissance is basically a rebirth of the RUMC that Staten Island has come to know.

Trauma bays are shown at Richmond University Medical Center's recently renovated Emergency Department. (Courtesy of Richmond University Medical Center)

The transformation is taking place in every corner of the hospital, from a brand-new 35,000-square-foot, $101 million Emergency Department opened in 2023  expanding capacity and improving flow for one of Staten Islands busiest trauma centers  to a modernized mother-baby maternity unit with private suites, significantly improving patient experience.

And in 2024, a new state of the art 40,000-square-foot, $42 million Lucille and Jay Chazanoff Surgical Pavilion opened its doors to the public, featuring modern operating rooms, private bays for surgical prep and recovery, and state-of-the-art robotic surgery technology.

In the ER, wait times have been shortened, and now rarely exceed 10 minutes, Messina said. A quick glance at his RUMC phone app during a mid-week interview showed a wait time of six minutes, based on patients processing times. A second later, it updated to five.

I think thats been the important part of our projects, that they are very patient-focused and staff-focused to attempt to, you know, improve patient safety, improve throughput, reduce work intensity on the staff,' Messina said.

The new design gets those who need critical care to integrated diagnostic testing, such as high-speed CAT scans, and ultimately operating rooms via direct elevator, if needed, for time-critical care as quickly as possible, he said.

Anytime you have somebody in the ED thats there for a trauma, the less that you have to move them around or risk moving them, the better,' he said. You know, you want to stabilize them, immobilize them. So this CAT scan is right there. And youre not traveling by gurney to the other side of the hospital and going up and down an elevator."

Seeking input

Whats unique as the transition continues, Messina said, is that management continues to seek input from medical staff.

If you look at some of the blueprints and the drawings ... youll see a sign-off on these drawings from, in some cases, 20-, 30-plus signatures, whether it be nurses, technicians, physicians, etc.,' he said. You will not find a more advanced, more patient-focused Emergency Trauma Department in the country. I think its super ahead of its time.

The goal is to continue to evolve, as Phase Two of the hospitals transition is currently underway, he said, with the Joan and Alan Bernikow Heart and Vascular Institute slated to open in summer 2026. The institute will consolidate cardiology and neurovascular services under one roof.

The $11.5 million project features an expanded Catheterization Suite and advanced biplane imaging  a real-time, high-resolution technology that helps detect blockages, aneurysms, and vascular disease with unmatched precision.

Opening later this year will be a $40 million cogeneration plant that will generate both electricity and thermal energy from a single natural gas source. Here, Dr. Daniel Messina, the hospitals CEO and president, tours the site in 2022. (Advance/SILive.com | Jan Somma-Hammel)

Also in the works is a new $40 million cogeneration plant that will generate both electricity and thermal energy from a single natural gas source, which will ensure uninterrupted power in any crisis while lowering emissions and cutting energy costs.

This is a very fast-paced health-care world and you can never just sit back and just rest on your laurels Messina said. I mean, you have to be thinking of tomorrow every day.

Whats next?

While initial design and construction has already begun, Phase Three will officially commence next year with projects slated to reach completion before 2030.

When you finally reach the end of all these projects, RUMC itself is going to look entirely different, both internally and externally,' Messina said.

With support from New York City capital funding, RUMC is upgrading its CAT scan equipment and renovating its Emergency Department and Radiology Department scan suites  a combined $2.9 million project expected to be completed in 2026 or 2027.

And work on the Wayne Zenna Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is already underway. When complete, it will have 18 private infant bays, a new isolation room, a renovated nursing station, and a larger waiting area for families inside the Level III NICU, thanks to private grants and public funding.

So rather than being in a big open room with bassinets like you would typically envision, these are little pods where the family and the baby will have their own protected space with half walls designed in a way that will ensure patient safety and staff monitoring ability,' Messina said, describing the unit for the tiniest patients.

Not too long ago, we had a baby that was about 16 ounces, and that baby did really well he said, proudly. So we do some amazing things. Our survival rate is something thats out there on the internet  997 out of a thousand newborns. So we have an amazing NICU survival rate of 99.7."

Also, a $25 million redesign and expansion of the hospitals Adult Psychiatric Unit aims to preserve and enhance critical inpatient mental health services on Staten Island.

It will include 10 new beds and enhanced communal spaces, Messina said, noting that the project is due to be wrapped up sometime in 2027 or 2028.

One of my favorite sayings in the hospital is, remember the power of one, Messina said. You make a difference.

All three phases of improvements have presented financial challenges, he explained, noting that those needs have been met by the hard work of staff, support of local elected officials and extraordinary private donations.

If you wanted to talk to our foundation, just literally on Saturday, someone signed a $2.5 million pledge, he said. Im most proud of what the board, the medical staff and the community have done together to really move the needle.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A solemn gathering was held Saturday at the 121st Precinct station house in Graniteville, where more than 30 families of fallen members of the New York Police Department assembled to honor their loved ones who made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting the public.

They were joined at the 10th Annual Staten Island Remembers by friends, neighbors, community leaders, elected officials, and police officers from across Staten Island who came to pay tribute and honor 111 members of the NYPD - dating back to 1922 - who laid down their lives in the line of duty.

The room in front of the station house desk was filled with seated guests, while an overflow crowd stood three rows deep behind them.

Assistant Chief Melissa Eger, the Patrol Borough Staten Island commanding officer, and her executive officer, Deputy Chief Terry Hurson, were on hand to greet everyone as they arrived.

Staten Islands four precincts were represented by Captain Aiman Ahmed of the 120th, Captain Gzim Jimmy Palaj from the 121st, Captain Luigi Carrubba of the 122nd, and Captain Kevin Russell of the 123rd.

The NYPD Ceremonial Unit opened the event with a Color Guard and singing of the National Anthem. Bishop Victor Brown, an NYPD Chaplain, gave the Invocation.

Deputy Chief Terry Hurson began by saying, They say when you join the NYPD, its less of a job and more of a calling, a calling of service and a commitment to our community. But we also join a brotherhood and sisterhood. With that bond comes a commitment to our fellow cops who have made the ultimate sacrifice, never to forget them.

Hurson explained the ceremony first started: Ten years ago, a group of Staten Island business leaders came to us with an idea to publicly thank the NYPD. The first Staten Island Remembers was on June 1, 2015, in the Staten Island Mall parking lot. It was on a small stage, and we didnt have microphones. We werent sure how many people would attend, but over 100 community members wearing blue lives hats and shirts came to show their support for us. And thus was born this admiral ceremony, which is now held here in the 121st precinct station house.

Staten Islands chief law enforcement officer, District Attorney Michael E. McMahon, was joined by New York State Assembly Members Michael Reilly and Sam Pirozzolo, and Councilmember David Carr, who came to support the families.

In addressing the families, McMahon said, Its not how these officers died that made them heroes  its how they lived. These fallen heroes lived for an idea, an idea that some are called into the highest form of service the NYPD.

And to fulfill that calling, they must serve and protect, ensure safety and civic calm, seek justice for society and the victims...those weaker preyed upon by the stronger oppressor, to right wrongs...to build and strengthen communities and families. All while demanding sacrifices from themselves and their own families.

McMahon continued, Although these heroes are gone, the idea lives. We come here every year to honor them, their loved ones, and those who have come after them, the heroes among us today. To be sure, as President Kennedy said. A man may die, nations may fall.but an idea endures. I pledge to you to never forget these heroes.

Co-chairs Marlene Markoe-Boyd and Denise Leahy-Henick read the names of the fallen members, followed by co-chair Jerry Amerosis solemn ringing of a bell for each name read.

Family members who wished to speak were invited up to the podium to share emotional memories of their loved ones.

Russel Timoshenko, a Tottenville High School graduate, was 23 when he was fatally shot on July 9, 2007, during a traffic stop in Brooklyn.

When his name was read, his mother, Tatyana, with her husband, Leonid, by her side, gave a heart-wrenching account about their only child.

He was attending college, and one day, when he came home early, I asked him why he was home. He said his teacher had not shown up. The next day, the same thing happened, and I thought, Something is not right; a mother always feels it.

So I told him to please tell me the truth, and he told me that he was going to the police academy and wanted to become an officer."

Timoshenko went on to say, As the mother of an only child, I was always worried about him, but I knew he loved his job, so I accepted it because I knew this was what he wanted to do for his life.

When I lost him, my life changed forever. The pain is always with me... my life is divided by before and after.

I decided to change my lifestyle by leaving my private sector job in computers to work for the police department, ensuring my sons legacy continues.

Captain Kevin Russell said, We never forget our fallen and the sacrifices that they made. We can never replace a parent who has been lost, but one thing we can do is be there for the families to show we still do care, even after time passes by, that youre not forgotten, and youre still part of our family.

Who Was Honored

Patrolman John Kennedy  1922  Struck and killed by a train, was assigned to the 123rd Precinct Patrolman Alfred A. VanCleaf  1923  Was killed in a motorcycle accident while assigned to the 63rd Precinct (Todays 122 Precinct) on Dec. 4, 1923 Patrolman Joseph McBreen  1937  Building collapse, assigned to ESS#10, Staten Island Patrolman John Wilson  1937  Shot and killed, was assigned to the 1st Precinct Patrolman Daniel Sullivan  1937  Was injured in a motorcycle accident on Manor Road south of Brielle Ave, and succumbed to injures ten days later at the former St. Vincents Hospital, was assigned to Motorcycle Squad 2 Patrolman Emmett Cassidy  1939  Shot and Killed, was assigned to the 120th Precinct Patrolman Norman Dixon  1941  Was struck and killed by an automobile, was assigned to the 120th Precinct Sergeant Matthew McCormick  1943  Struck and killed by an automobile at the ferry terminal, was assigned to the 120th Precinct Patrolman Henry Walburger  1964  Shot and killed while assigned to the 9th Precinct Patrolman Philip Schultz  1965  Shot and killed while attempting to disarm a subject off-duty armed with a knife, was assigned to Brooklyn/Staten Island, Housing Authority Police Department Patrolman Edward Monzillo  1966  Killed in a motorcycle accident while on duty, was assigned to Motorcycle Precinct 2, the present-day Highway 2 Patrolman John Joseph Darcy  1967  While on a foot post in the 28th Precinct, he was struck and killed by a truck Patrolman Gerald Murphy  1970  Was fatally shot while being robbed and beaten off duty  Awarded the Medal of Honor in 1971  Assigned to the 9th Precinct Patrolman Arthur Pelo - 1971  Was fatally shot while pursuing a robbery suspect  First Italian-American Police Officer killed in the line of duty Patrolman Carson Terry  1971  Was fatally shot while attempting to make an arrest off-duty, was assigned to Brooklyn/Staten Island, Housing Authority Police Department Police Officer Rocco Laurie  1972  9th Precinct - Was shot and killed by the Black Liberation Army while walking his patrol beat with his partner, Police Officer Gregory Foster Police Officer Walter Bolembach  1974 (plaque on wall in 120 Precinct) - heart attack from car crash while on duty  assigned to 120th Precinct for over 19 years  daughter Maureen also retired out of 120th Precinct Police Officer Timothy Murphy  1974  Was shot and killed when he was mistaken for an offender while off duty, he was assigned to the 120th Precinct Police Officer Joseph Garcia- 1975 - Assigned to the 6th Precinct, was shot and killed while pursuing an armed robbery suspect Police Officer John Brideson  1977 (name on plaque in 122nd Precinct) Police Officer Robert Manzione  1979  while assigned to the 7th Precinct, collapsed and died while chasing a robbery suspect Captain Richard Jason  1979- (name on plaque in 122 Precinct) Police Officer Thomas Schimenti  1979  Assigned to MTS Precinct, while pursuing a bank robber, was shot and killed Police Officer Robert Seton-Harris  1982  While assigned to the 122nd Precinct, died of a heart attack Police Officer Patrick Raccioppi  1982 (name on plaque in 122 Precinct) Police Officer Charles Ferris  1983 (plaque on wall in 120 Precinct) Police Officer Francis LaSalla  1987  while assigned to ESS 1, died from injuries sustained after dashing into a burning building in Manhattan Police Officer William Jasko, Jr.  1990  (name on plaque in 122nd Precinct) Retired Police Officer Irwin Rutman  1991  was shot and killed during an attempted robbery. Rutman lived on Staten Island Police Officer Michael Morrissey - 1991- (name on plaque in 122nd Precinct) Detective Luis Lopez  1993  while assigned to NBMS as an undercover, was fatally shot during a buy-and-bust operation Sergeant William Nelson  1996 (name on plaque in 122nd Precinct) Detective Kenny Fung  1997  while in Puerto Rico, extraditing a fugitive, Detective Fung suffered a massive heart attack. Housing Police Officer Gerard Carter  1998  Was shot and killed in the West Brighton Houses. PO Carter was assigned to Staten Island Housing Police Officer Monica Jesselli  1998 (plaque on wall in 123rd Precinct) (murdered by Police Officer husband who worked in 122 squad) Police Officer Matthew Dziergowski  1999  Assigned to the 123rd Precinct, was killed in an automobile accident on the West Shore Expressway Police Officer Benny Marciante  2000 (plaque on wall in 120th Precinct)  Passed away from a heart attack, assigned to the SITF Evidence Collection Unit Police Officer John Kelly  2000  Assigned to SITF Auto Larcency Unit, was killed in an automobile accident involving a stolen motorcycle. Police Officer James Leahy  2001  Killed in 9/11, was assigned to the 6th Precinct Detective Salvatore Cafiso  2002  NBSI - While engaged in an anti-narcotics operation on Staten Island, Det. Cafiso suffered a fatal heart attack. Detective James Nemorin  2003 - assigned to OCCB, was killed after being shot during the undercover operation in the confines of the 120th Precinct Detective Rodney Andrews  2003 - assigned to OCCB, was killed after being shot during the undercover operation in the confines of the 120th Precinct Lieutenant Robert Rice  2003  Died from a 9/11 Related illness on April 12, 2003 Detective William Titus  2003  NBBN - Died from 9/11 Related illness on Aug. 24, 2003 Police Officer Kevin Lee  2006  Suffered a fatal heart attack following a foot pursuit while assigned to the Manhattan North Grand Larceny Unit on Jan. 27, 2006 Police Officer Angelo Peluso  2006 License Division, Officer Peluso died from 9/11 related illness on May 24, 2006 Detective Russel Timoshenko  2007  71st Precinct - Fatally shot during a car stop on July 9, 2007 Detective Kevin G. Hawkins  2007 - Intelligence Bureau - Died from a 9/11 related Illness, on May 7, 2007 Sergeant Edward Thompson  2008  Intelligence Bureau - Died from a 9/11 related Illness, on March 9, 2008 Sergeant Alex Baez  2008  84th Precinct - Died from a 9/11-related illness on Nov. 11, 2008 Lieutenant Gerald Rex  2009  PBMS - Died from a 9/11-related illness on March 30, 2009 Detective Michael Morales - 2009 122nd PDS - Died from a 9/11-related illness on June 10, 2009 Police Officer Frank Bolusi - 2010 120th Precinct - Died from a 9/11-related illness on Jan. 12, 2010 Sergeant Harold Smith  2011  NBSI - Died from a 9/11-related illness on March 5, 2011 Admin TEA Eugene P. Hourican 2012  Died from a 9/11-related illness on June 25, 2012 Detective Carmen Figueroa 2013  Major Case Squad - Died from a 9/11 related illness on May 26, 2013 Detective Joseph Cavitolo  2013  DCPI - Died from a 9/11-related illness on Oct. 25, 2013 Detective Angel Creagh  2014  NBBS - Died from a 9/11-related illness on Jan. 14, 2014 Sergeant Mark Lawler  2014  DBBN  Died from a 9/11-related illness on Aug. 11, 2014. Sergeant Patrick Murphy  2014  ESS#5 - Died from a 9/11-related illness on Aug. 20, 2014 Detective Rafael Ramos - 2014 - formerly assigned to School Safety on Staten Island, was fatally shot in the head while on a fixed post in the confines of the 84th Precinct. Sergeant Louis R. Pioli  2015 61st Precinct, Sgt. Pioli died from a 9/11-related illness on Oct. 29, 2015 Sergeant Donald Conniff  2015  Succumbed to injuries after a car accident in 1998 on duty, was assigned to the Mayors Detail Detective Ronald Richards  2015  Bomb Squad - Died from a 9/11-related illness on October 10, 2015 Sergeant Anthony Napolitano  2016 123rd Precinct - Died from a 9/11-related illness on April 3, 2016 Police Officer (SA) William T. Walsh- 2016 D.A.R.E., PO Walsh died from a 9/11 related illness on January 11, 2016 Detective Michael E. Glazer, 2016 NBBN, Det. Glazer died from a 9/11 Related illness on May 26, 2016 Lieutenant John Rowland, 2017 Counterterrorism Division, Lt. Rowland died from a 9/11 related illness on Jan. 26, 2017 Police Officer Kelly Korchak, 2017 PBSI ECT, died from a 9/11 associated illness on June 10, 2017 Sergeant Michael Incontrera, 2017 HWY District, died from a 9/11 associated illness on Dec. 10, 2017. Captain Carmine Cantalino, 2017 62nd Precinct, died from a 9/11 associated illness on Sept. 29, 2017 Detective John C. Ryan  2017  66th Precinct Detective Squad  Det Ryan died of a 9/11 associated illness on May 19, 2017, and was recently approved in 2023. Chief William Allee, 2018 Detective Bureau, Chief Allee died from a 9/11 associated illness on May 24, 2018 Police Officer Anthony R. Hanlon, 2018 ESU Canine Team, PO Hanlon died from a 9/11 associated illness on Oct. 21, 2018 Detective Philip T. Perry - 2019  Det. Bureau - Det Perry died from a 9/11 associated illness on March 14, 2019 Detective Anthony N. Brognano, 2019  Brooklyn South Gang, Det Brognano died from a 9/11 associated illness on Aug. 8, 2019 Detective Christopher E. Cranston, 2019 - 60 Precinct PDS, Det Cranston died of a 9/11 associated illness on July 20, 2019 Detective Thomas Santoro  2019 - Counterterrorism Division, Det. Santoro died of a 9/11 associated illness on July 21, 2019 Detective Scott G. Lovendahl, 2019 - DBSI  Det. Lovendahl died of a 9/11 associated illness on Sept. 14, 2019 Detective Anthony L. Lombardo  2019  DOI SQD- Det Lombardo died of a 9/11 associated illness on Nov. 17, 2019 Police Officer Nancy Puca  2020  Med Division  PO Puca died of a 9/11 associated illness on March 2, 2020 Police Officer Michael H. Grannis  2020 - 5th Precinct  PO Grannis died of a 9/11 associated illness on March 10, 2020 Police Officer Frank L. Gagliano  2020 - TD#34  PO Gagliano died of a 9/11 associated illness on May 13, 2020 Detective Emilio Laboy  2020  Warrant Section  Det. Laboy died of a 9/11 associated illness on May 9, 2020. Detective Peter Gianfrancesco  2020  Warrant Section  Det. Gianfrancesco died of a 9/11 associated illness on September 2, 2020 Supervisor Mechanic Edwin O. Lim  2020  Fleet Services PBQN, Supervisor Mechanic Edwin Lim died of a 9/11 illness on Oct. 12, 2020 Police Officer Nicholas Purpero  2021  Bus Unit  PO Purpero died of a 9/11 associated illness on Feb. 20, 2020. Police Officer Lawrence J. Prehn  2021 - 7th Precinct - PO Lawrence J. Prehn died of a 9/11-associated, illness on November 10th, 2021 Detective Ronald A. Gray  2021 - Arson & Explosive Squad - Detective Ronald Gray died of a 9/11 associated illness on June 22, 2021 Electrician Joseph M. Abate - 2021 - 9/11 associated illness Police Officer Daniel Sanchez  2022  HW#5  PO Sanchez died of COVID-19 on Jan. 19, 2022, 9/11-associated while receiving treatment in a rehabilitation facility Detective Frank D. Randell  2022  Operations Tech Support Unit  Det Randell died of a 9/11 associated illness on January 28, 2022. Sergeant Thomas F. Roche  2022  Narcotics Division, Brooklyn South Initiative  Sgt Roche died of a 9/11 associated illness on May 10, 2022 Police Officer Donald E. Cossean  2022  Strategic Response Group #5  PO Cossean died of a 9/11 associated illness on May 17, 2022 Detective Nicholas M. Holovinsky  2022  Internal Affairs Bureau  Det. Holovinsky died of a 9/11 associated illness on July 26, 2022 Detective Eric M. Calleja  2022  123rd Precinct Detective Squad  Det. Calleja died of a 9/11 associated illness on August 7, 2022 Lieutenant Maureen Gill  Donohue  2022  79th Precinct  Lt. Donohue died of a 9/11 associated illness on December 7, 2022 Police Officer Jordan Silver  2022  68th Precinct  PO Silver died of a 9/11 associated illness on Dec. 9, 2022 Detective Joseph S. Cordaro - 2022 - died of a 9/11 associated illness Detective Lawrence Bromm - 2022 - shot in the 78th precinct Police Officer Stephen M. Liell - 2022 - died of a 9/11 associated illness Police Officer Brian J. Rutherford - 2022 - died of a 9/11 associated illness Police Officer Randy Van Name - 2022 - died of a 9/11 associated illness Chief Michael Ansbro - 2023 - died of a 9/11 associated illness Lieutenant CD James V. Buebendorf - 2023 - died of a 9/11 associated illness Lieutenant Raymond Buzzo - 2023 - died of a 9/11 associated illness Sergeant Leonard C. Davis - 2023 - died of a 9/11 associated illness Police Officer Carlos S. Krecic - 2023 -died of a 9/11 associated illness Sergeant Jack J. Santora - 2023 -died of a 9/11 associated illness Detective Scott A McKenna - 2023 - died of a 9/11 associated illness Detective Herbert Fonseca - 2024 died of a 9/11 associated illness

Co-chair Sal Sottile, who helped organize the first Staten Island Remembers, closed the ceremony by quoting Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, who said, It has been said, time heals all wounds. I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue, and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.

187 photos from last years Staten Island Remembers event are available here.

SUBSCRIBER BENEFIT: SILive.com is offering a perk exclusively for subscribers: Log in, click on the photo gallery and choose GET PHOTO to download print-quality images free of charge. Plus, get 50% off the purchase of keepsakes. If youre not already a subscriber, sign up here. Note to SILive.com mobile app users: To download high-resolution photos, please access this report and gallery from a standard mobile or desktop/laptop web browser.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It was an eventful Election Day with New Yorkers electing a new mayor and new members of the City Council, but less discussed have been the various passed ballot proposals that will make significant changes to the City Charter.

Residents voted on five citywide ballot proposals, four of which passed despite overwhelming opposition from local elected officials here on Staten Island.

The first three passed proposals focus on enabling New York City to build more affordable housing more quickly, complementing the controversial City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning text amendment, but were rebuked by local members of the City Council and the borough president who claimed they will strip away power from the community.

The only ballot proposal that failed to pass was one that would have moved the citys primary and general election dates so that city elections were held in the same year as federal presidential elections.

Heres a look at the four citywide ballot proposals that passed and how they could impact Staten Island in the years to come.

Fast Track Affordable Housing to Build More Affordable Housing Across the City

This ballot proposal will add two new fast-track mechanisms for affordable housing projects across the five boroughs.

The first mechanism, the Fast Track Zoning Action, will allow publicly-financed affordable housing developments to seek zoning relief through the Board of Standards and Appeals as opposed to going through the traditional Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which can be a months-long process with input from the mayor, City Council, borough presidents and community boards.

In order to approve any zoning actions, the Board of Standards and Appeals will need to determine that the development will fit into the existing character of the neighborhood for which its proposed.

It provides assurance that an approved project will not clash with a neighborhoods existing built context. In a low-density neighborhood where buildings have a modest maximum height of 35 feet, for instance, a four-story, 45 foot affordable housing development is a far better candidate for this action than an out-of-place 14-story affordable housing development, according to a Charter Revision Commission report.

The second mechanism, the Affordable Housing Fast Track, will create a shortened public review process for affordable housing developments in the citys community districts that produce the least affordable housing.

Starting in October 2026, the city will release a report every five years on the rate of affordable housing permitted in each of New York Citys 59 community districts.

In the 12 districts found to have permitted the least affordable housing, rezoning applications that are required to deliver affordable housing under the Citys Mandatory Inclusionary Housing program will be able to opt for the abbreviated Affordable Housing Fast Track as opposed to the traditional ULURP process.

While its still unclear which community districts will fall within the bottom-12 in affordable housing production as the analysis will not take place for another year, a City Limits report found that two Staten Island districts, Mid-Island and the South Shore, would be included if the analysis were conducted today.

Given that there is currently a very slim margin for being included in the bottom-12 in terms of affordable housing production, its possible that districts that would be included if the analysis were conducted today could potentially build their way out by approving affordable housing projects over the next year.

The primary point of contention regarding these new fast tracks stemmed from the fact that both remove the City Council from the decision-making process.

Under ULURP, final say on zoning approvals rests with the City Council. With these new fast track mechanisms, that power will be transferred to the Board of Standards and Appeals for the Fast Track Zoning Action and the City Planning Commission for the Affordable Housing Fast Track.

A Charter Revision Commission spokesperson told the Advance/SILive.com that the Affordable Housing Fast Track will not change anything about what developers can apply for in terms of zoning changes, nor will it mean an automatic approval.

The only change will be which party has the final vote on approval.

For example, developers can already apply for zoning changes that would allow for large, multi-story apartment buildings in low-density areas like Mid-Island or the South Shore.

However, theyre unlikely to be approved, as the City Council often defers to the local councilmember who may oppose the project due to constituent concerns regarding its impact on the character of the neighborhood.

With the ballot proposal passed, the City Planning Commission will be able to approve the zoning change without input from the City Council; a change that local elected officials have said will strip away power from the community.

Simplify Review of Modest Housing and Infrastructure Projects

This ballot proposal will create a new Expedited Land Use Review Procedure as a complement to the existing Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.

Traditionally, projects that need land use permissions, like zoning map changes or non-city public improvements, must go through ULURP, which can be a months-long process with input from the mayor, City Council, borough presidents and community boards.

With this proposal now passed, the city will create a new expedited system for certain proposals that currently need ULURP approvals, including smaller housing proposals, city map changes and resiliency projects.

Borough presidents and community boards review periods will now run concurrently under the expedited process instead of one after the other, as they do currently. The Charter Revision Commission estimates that the ELURP will cut the time it takes to complete the public review process in half.

Like the Affordable Housing Fast Track, final approvals for ELURP will now come from the City Planning Commission, as opposed to the City Council, prompting concerns from local elected officials about the loss of community input.

While ELURP will not allow any property to be upgraded from low-density to medium- or high-density zoning, it will allow for changes to higher levels of low-density zoning that would permit larger, multifamily developments in places theyre not currently permitted.

Specifically, the ELURP process would be used for the following land use changes and projects:

Modest housing proposals that increase residential capacity by no more than 30% or allow housing with a standard height no taller than 45 feet.

Acquisition, disposition, and City Map changes related to affordable housing.

Minor infrastructure and resiliency projects, like raising the grade of a street to protect a community from flooding and adding solar panels on public land.

Establish an Affordable Housing Appeals Board with Council, Borough, and Citywide Representation

This ballot proposal will create a new Affordable Housing Appeals Board, which will consist of the mayor, the speaker of the City Council and the borough president for the borough where the affordable housing project is proposed.

The appeals board would have the power to reverse City Council decisions related to affordable housing developments if two of the three board members are in agreement.

Currently, the mayor has the power to veto such decisions made by the City Council, but the City Council is able to override that veto with a two-thirds vote.

This change would elevate the role of the borough president in the land use review process, as a democratically accountable official who occupies a middle point between hyperlocal and citywide perspectives. It would empower the speaker as an official who can channel local interests as well as citywide needs, given that a speaker is both elected by one council district and selected by, and accountable to, the Council as a whole. And while removing the mayors veto power in ULURP for these applications, it would give the citywide perspective of the mayor a concrete  but qualified  role, according to a Charter Revision Commission report.

The appeals board would only weigh in on applications that are disapproved or approved with modifications by the City Council, while applications that are approved by the City Council with no modifications will not be reviewed.

By empowering officials with borough-wide and citywide perspectives, the Affordable Housing Appeals Board would make it more likely that consideration of proposals involving affordable housing includes appropriate attention to the citywide interest in addressing the housing crisis, the report states.

Create a Digital City Map to Modernize City Operations

This ballot proposal will replace the current City Map, which consists of more than 8,000 individual paper maps scattered across the five boroughs, with a single digital City Map.

The new City Map, which will be administered by the Department of City Planning, is intended to speed up development while reducing costs for housing and infrastructure projects.

Confirmation of jurisdiction for an infrastructure project in a waterfront area, where coastlines have changed over time and property records can be spotty, can require a physical trip to consult fragile canvas maps from over 100 years ago. A street demapping for an HPD-sponsored affordable housing project can add close to a year of additional time, even for projects that are already going through ULURP, according to a Charter Revision Commission report.

The Department of City Planning has been given a Jan. 1, 2028 deadline to consolidate the thousands of paper maps into a single map, and a Jan. 1, 2029 deadline to enter the digital map into review for formal approval through a citywide ULURP city mapping action.

The changes have prompted concerns from some borough presidents, including Borough President Vito Fossella, about what it will mean for their topographic offices and staff, who are currently responsible for maintaining each boroughs respective maps.

In its final report, the Charter Revision Commission said it strongly believes that any transition to a City Map maintained by the Department of City Planning will rely on the expertise of the borough presidents topographic staff, and that administration of a unified City Map will likewise rely on that expertise. However, it adds that the now passed proposal will remove the Charter requirement that borough presidents maintain a bureau staffed by a professional engineer.

Fossella previously told the Advance/SILive.com that the centralization of all these maps and responsibilities could result in extended response times to simple inquiries, a lengthy backlog of requests and a staff who isnt familiar with the historical context that borough-specific staff is able to provide.

When a resident has a question, they will no longer be able to come here, will no longer be able to call this office. Theyll have to call the agency of City Planning in order to get it, and our concern - and I think its a huge concern - is that people are going to get shut out of the process, the borough president said last month.
Horiatiki (C8) may be the fancy name for Greek salad, asserts John McCartney of Mount Coolum (Qld), but Im indebted to a correspondent across on the Traveller page for his air travel suggestions: natural yeast and soy banh mi (Vegemite sandwich) and fruit compote roll (jam sandwich).

I was caught out being all high and mighty when, on a helpline, I was offered to get transferred to Siri, says Susan McLaren of Windradyne. My reply was that I did not want to speak to a robot. Unfortunately, it was a woman named Sri.

As well as distinguishing between those of breeding and class, compared with the great unwashed (thanks, Bill Irvine), guineas (C8) had a very useful purpose for some professionals in pre-decimal currency days, reckons Ted Richards of Batemans Bay. By doing nothing more than charging in guineas instead of pounds, they increased a 20 pound fee to 21 pounds. A nice little earner, as Arthur Daley might say.

Meri Will of Baulkham Hills sees it from a more sadistic point of view: The main purpose of the guinea was to confound school students tasked with solving shopping transaction problems without the use of calculators.

Why wasnt Abe Saffron given a state funeral? asks David Greatorex of Bondi. What an outrage!
A struck-off doctor, who has been declared a vexatious litigant, has been prevented from acting on behalf of a woman who is suing several doctors over the treatment of her bunions and rashes.

Over the past 25 years, Michael Bar-Mordecai has failed on 42 occasions to have his medical licence reinstated.

Michael Bar-Mordecai leaving the Supreme Court in 2004. Credit: Peter Rae

In 1994, Bar-Mordecais 83-year-old patient, Eveline Hillston, died six minutes after the Clovelly GP had given her a shot of morphine. Bar-Mordecai, 36 years her junior, claimed the pair had been having sex four times a week and, as her de facto partner, he was entitled to her estate.

In 1998, the judge hearing Bar-Mordecais claim to Hillstons estate made note of his highly unusual medical records, in which he had listed Hillstons wealth at $2 million; stated he was her de facto; and that she was a virgin until the age of 72 as she had never had sex with her late husband. According to Bar-Mordecais records, she was now having Coitus 4 x week, with 100% Orgasm Frequency.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: Egor Kamelev from Pexels

Researchers have identified that the precisely timed transcription of two genes named grim and reaper is responsible for the targeted death of neurons within the developing nervous system of female flies. This group of neurons normally survive in males and play a key role in the neural circuits underlying courtship song.

More cells are born than are needed in the adult

Neurons are highly specialized to perform specific roles. For example, neurons that innervate muscles are extremely long so that they can reach from the nervous system to their distant targets in the body, whereas other types of neurons that communicate with cells close by are highly branched and span short distances.

To build a functional nervous system, you need the right type of components and the right number of those components. One key mechanism that orchestrates this patterning is programmed cell death during development.

Cell death patterns the nervous system by deletion, ensuring that the appropriate numbers of specific neuron subtypes are present, so that they can be wired together later in development.

"Just as Michelangelo sculpted the statue of David from the gargantuan block of marble known as 'the giant,' the segmental and sex-specific circuits in the fly are carved piece by piece from developing neurons using programmed cell death. Despite decades of work on the molecules that execute programmed cell death, little is known about the mechanisms that control when and where it happens," said Dr. Darren Williams, Reader in Developmental Neurobiology at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN).

Genes grim and reaper are essential for creating the adult nervous system

In a new study, King's College London researchers at IoPPN's Center for Developmental Neurobiology investigated how the developing neurons are assigned their future roles in the adult fly.

Their paper, "Hemilineage-specific deployment of the pro-apoptotic RHG genes reaper and grim during neurogenesis sculpts segment and sex-specific neural network composition in Drosophila" is published in Development.

The researchers found that the transcription of two pro-death genes, called reaper and grim, decide the fate of the cells by selectively killing those that will not be required in the adult nervous system in a process known as programmed cell death.

"This work is one of the most exciting things to come out of our lab. The conceptual framework it forwards and its implications are startling. The work gives us an in-road into the logic of how lineages of neurons can be finely tuned during development and in evolution," commented Dr. Darren Williams, the senior author on the study.

"Until now, this specific type of cell death has been largely ignored, even though it removes more than half of the neurons that are born in flies."

Time-specific genetic switch controls selective death of 'song neurons' in females

Using fluorescent labels and new genetic tools, the team tested whether differences in the nervous system between sexes were caused by precisely timed gene expression events.

At certain windows during development, a subset of neurons in female flies die. These neurons are required in adult males to produce the "love song" that females listen to during courtship.

When the researchers removed reaper and grim from developing flies, this subset of neurons remained in the females, showing that this process of cell death is instrumental in determining the neural differences between sexes.

The team also artificially switched on a gene that causes flies to develop into females, in a small number of neurons in male flies. They found that this "turned up" the levels of grim and reaper expression and killed the same type of neurons that naturally die in the developing females.

This same "switching on" of a death program just after a neuron has been born also sculpts regional differences throughout the length of the nervous system. Understanding how such patterns of death are orchestrated during development is critical for understanding how nervous systems are built.

"When we saw that differences between males and female nervous systems were regulated by this specific mode of death in neurons that were the recently born we realized just how critical type of death is for sculpting developing neural circuitry," said Dr. Connor Sproston, first author on the study.

The research was performed in collaboration with researchers at the Tokyo University of Science and Technology.

"Being able to collaborate with the Kondo Lab really elevated the work through the generation of powerful new genetic tools. Visiting Dr. Kondo in the summer of 2019 was a definite highlight of my time working on the project," said Dr. Connor Sproston, the first author of the study.

More information: Connor J. Sproston et al, Hemilineage-specific deployment of the pro-apoptotic RHG genes reaper and grim during neurogenesis sculpts segment and sex-specific neural network composition in Drosophila, Development (2025). DOI: 10.1242/dev.204902 Journal information: Development
Warning: graphic content

A man allegedly lured a university student, a teachers aide and another woman into relationships before raping them dozens of times over two years, including in public places such as a doctors clinic and shopping centre.

Egyptian national Ahmed Nassef, who is in Australia on a bridging visa, is accused of raping two 21-year-old women and one 28-year-old woman 32 times between 2023 and 2025 in Sydney, threatening to expose intimate images if they spoke out.

Court documents obtained by the Herald outline many allegations that are too graphic to publish, but paint a disturbing picture of how the 31-year-old allegedly drew the women into his web of abuse and used threats to keep them trapped.
A 23-year-old man has died and a 41-year-old man has been taken to hospital as police investigate whether the discovery of a ute found crashed in a nearby paddock is linked to a suspected hit-and-run nearby.

The younger man was found on the side of Old Kurrajong Road at Richmond, in Sydneys north-west, about 7.45pm on Sunday.

A passing motorist tried to assist until paramedics arrived, but the man died at the scene.

Crash investigators determined the man had been struck by a vehicle which failed to stop.
Police are called to a domestic violence incident once every three minutes in NSW. General duties officers, who spend much of their careers responding to domestic violence, report fatigue and frustration at the cycle of violence Operation Amarok is trying to interrupt. Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon wants to treat perpetrators of domestic violence as seriously as organised criminals or terror threats. Credit: Steven Siewert During the Amarok operation last week, two constables were called to Wentworth Point just after midnight on Wednesday, following reports of a man and woman arguing. At the scene, police realised a woman had jumped into the dark water of the Parramatta River to escape her 33-year-old partner as he assaulted her  and she could not swim to shore.

One of the constables swam into the water and managed to haul the woman back to safety before she was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Her 33-year-old partner was arrested and charged with assault causing actual bodily harm, choking and stalking/intimidation. The man was refused bail until next May. Five hours later, at Yagoona, Amaroks high-risk squad intercepted a bus as it drove down the Hume Highway. The officers boarded the bus and pulled a 23-year-old tradie off  he was wanted for two domestic violence warrants and had been avoiding attempts to track him down.

The Herald was there as the officers swept through Blacktown, conducting compliance checks against known abusers on Wednesday. On Bruce Street, police allegedly found a 39-year-old man hiding under a blanket in a bedroom  he had been banned from being in the home under an AVO, and was arrested. A woman is arrested for breaching an AVO by the Domestic Violence unit of Blacktown police station. Credit: Janie Barrett Minutes later, on the same street, a 39-year-old woman was allegedly found hiding under a sheet on a balcony in breach of her own AVO. Last Sunday, police went to a third Blacktown home after a man allegedly slammed a door on a womans leg. On Wednesday, Amarok returned to lay charges of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Domestic violence remains an intractable scourge police forces across the world had struggled to reduce, Lanyon said. Much focus has been put on supporting victims through police and other responsible services. But Amarok, which Lanyon established in 2023 with Assistant Commissioner Stuart Smith, was designed to treat perpetrators of domestic violence as seriously as organised criminals or terror threats. So far, 6600 offenders have been arrested; 13,500 charges laid; and 1400 firearm bans handed out. Some numbers deeply concern police: Amarok has detected more than 2400 breaches of AVOs and recovered 658 guns and a further 389 weapons from the most dangerous targets. It shows, not only that those people provide the greatest threat to their victims, but it also shows that our intelligence-based operations are targeting the right people, Lanyon said.

These offenders that put fear in their victims, use power over their victims, they feel far less power when the police attend. They know exactly why were there. They know that were going to take action against them. Domestic and Family Violence spokesman, Assistant Commissioner Peter McKenna, urged anyone experiencing domestic violence to come forward and report to police. Domestic and family violence is unacceptable, and it has no place in our communities, he said. We urge anyone experiencing or witnessing domestic and family violence to come forward. Police will listen, investigate and take action.
A surge in development proposals for childcare centres in Sydney streets is leaving parts of the city clogged with an oversupply as other suburbs face a dire shortage of centres to meet demand.

A government push to boost childcare spaces in NSW has resulted in record numbers of development applications for childcare centres, prompting backlash from residents and local councils over impacts on traffic congestion, property prices and noisy children disturbing the residential peace.

The increase has been reflected in record numbers of planning appeals to the Land and Environment Court lodged by developers of new childcare centres  including some as tall as five storeys  after their plans were initially refused by councils.

The court has this year handed down an average of more than one judgment for new childcare centre developments per week  and approved each, paving the way for the construction of 53 new centres with a combined capacity of 4563 childcare spaces.
Disability workers have been caught bribing vulnerable clients with fast food, illegal drugs, cash, laptops and other incentives to exploit them into signing over their National Disability Insurance Service packages.

Inspectors charged with monitoring Victorias residential accommodation services have also uncovered an NDIS support worker trying to siphon funds from a patients bank account among a series of cases they claim demonstrate unchecked opportunism and a lack of oversight or reporting in the system.

Victorias Office of the Public Advocate and community visitors have reported cases of exploitation of vulnerable clients by unscrupulous NDIS providers.

In a paper highlighting the manipulation of vulnerable supported accommodation residents, Victorias Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) has called out the tactics of unscrupulous NDIS providers, which include bribery and the delivery of incentives.

The OPA claims it is regularly seeing NDIS workers pushing clients to switch their Supported Residential Services arrangements, including using coercive control to exploit people with disabilities to move packages worth tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Shire of Derby West Kimberley is expected to fly its flags at half-mast tomorrow in his honour.

A beloved West Australian icon known for his work as a stockman, roadman, musician and as the father of Aboriginal tourism has died.

Warning to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers: This story contains images and references to deceased people.

President Peter McCumstie said he was personally honoured to know Lovell throughout his life.

It was an absolute honour and a privilege to have known Sam most of my life, he said.

He was the most unassuming giant of a man who set an example for us all.

Lovell was born in January 1933, at Calwynyadah Station in the states north, where his father Jack was a part owner.

He was taken from his family at age four as part of the stolen generation, where he was taken to live on government-run station Mulla Bulla Station in Halls Creek, near the edge of the West Australian border with the Northern Territory.
World-leading experts and clinicians were among more than 1500 delegates from more than 30 countries who spent three days focussing on research, innovation, and lived experience to improve the lives and experiences for Autistic people.

The Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2025 just held in Perth, showcased more than 200 presentations from an international lineup of experts and advocates with a diverse range of cultural and international experiences on topics such as autisms biological foundations, support for individuals with profound autism, clinical innovation, autism across the lifespan, and community inclusion.

WA Labor minister Hannah Beazley speaks on day one of the Asia Pacific Autism Conference 2025 in Perth last week. Credit: APAC2025

We are continually learning more about autism and how best to support autistic children and autistic adults in their later years. The story is still being written about how autism impacts people across their lives and autistic people are our guides.

Cognitive neuroscientist Professor Francesca Happe, from Kings College London, said autism was a global phenomenon that needed to be better understood.
The prospect of the Coalition subsidising coal plants sparked vigorous argument among MPs in a joint party room meeting on Sunday afternoon, just as warring factions arrived at a fragile truce on climate change and energy with an agenda to elevate power prices above climate targets.

Pointing to the still-open wounds of the Liberals who argued to keep net zero, a group of MPs including Anne Ruston, Dave Sharma, Zoe McKenzie, Tim Wilson and Maria Kovacic peppered energy spokesman Dan Tehan with questions on coal power.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, Nationals leader David Littleproud and energy and emissions reduction spokesman Dan Tehan (centre) release the Coalitions energy policy on Sunday. Credit: Edwina Pickles

The fossil fuel quarrel emerged as the final straw for moderates in their losing campaign to prevent the opposition from abandoning its net zero emissions targets.

Though energy companies and investors are not petitioning to start new coal-powered plants, Liberals pushed for answers on the largely academic, but symbolically important, question of whether to replace a renewables-only subsidy scheme with one that could fund coal, as some state governments are doing.
Australia is using the lure of critical minerals needed by luxury carmarkers such as BMW and Ferrari for their EVs and hybrids as a bargaining chip in free trade talks with European Union negotiators this week.

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will meet federal Trade Minister Don Farrell this week in Melbourne on the sidelines of a meeting of ministers on the Pacific pact known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Trade Minister Don Farrell (left) with EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic at a previous meeting. Credit: X

While Farrell played down the prospect of the exclusive Pacific trading club inviting China or Taiwan to join any time soon, he was optimistic of the breakthrough in talks with the Europeans, who have renewed interest in striking a deal with Australia that gives European brands tariff-free access to the minerals needed for high-tech production.



Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has lobbied leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron in recent months and Farrell has lured Sefcovic to Australia for in-person talks on the agreement that could supercharge $156 billion worth of goods trade.
Leaked polling has revealed voters in almost all state Liberal seats support keeping net zero by 2050, highlighting the electoral peril the NSW Coalition faces as it negotiates a path forward on energy.

Polling, undertaken by YouGov for the Coalition-aligned Blueprint Institute, reveals a majority of voters in almost all 24 Liberal-held seats support keeping the commitment to reducing emissions to net zero by 2050, with metropolitan electorates strongly in favour. In nearly half the seats held by the Nationals, more respondents favoured keeping net zero by 2050 than dropping it.

Mark Speakman and Dugald Saunders. Secret polling undertaken on behalf of the NSW Liberals highlights the electoral peril of abandoning net zero by 2050. Credit: Fairfax Media

The leaked 47-page presentation demonstrates the existential risks facing the NSW Coalition 16 months from the state election if it abandons its emissions reduction policy of net zero by 2050. A split has been on the cards after the NSW Nationals agreed in principle to follow their federal colleagues plan to walk away from Australias clean energy commitments.

The polling will be presented to NSW Liberal MPs during a caucus meeting on Tuesday morning. NSW Liberal Leader Mark Speakman, a one-time minister for the environment, favours sticking with the net zero policy.
A 13-year-old girl from Sativali in Vasai East died after her health deteriorated allegedly due to physical punishment meted out by a teacher for coming late to school. The Class 6 student, Kajal Gaur, studied at school in Kuvara Pada, where students from Classes 1 to 8 are enrolled.

According to preliminary information, on the morning of November 8, several students, including Kajal, arrived late. The teacher reportedly ordered all of them to perform 100 sit-ups, with some students even made to do the punishment while wearing their school bags. After returning home, Kajal began to feel unwell. She was first admitted to Aastha Hospital in Vasai, shifted to another private facility, and later taken to JJ Hospital, where she died around 11 pm during treatment.

Following the incident, Valiv Police visited the school and hospitals, collected statements, and initiated further action. An officer from Valiv Police Station said, We have gathered all preliminary information and registered an accidental death report. We are waiting for the final postmortem report. A detailed probe is underway to determine responsibility for the students death.

Education Department officials also reached the school to examine the circumstances leading to the tragedy. Vasai Group Education Officer Pandurang Galange, while confirming the inquiry, stated, Physical punishment of any child is strictly prohibited under the RTE Act, 2009. We have taken serious note of the incident and a detailed investigation report will be prepared. Every school has been repeatedly instructed to ensure students safety above all else.

Social worker Rohit Sasane condemned the incident, calling it a complete failure of supervision and basic sensitivity within the school system.

He said, No child should lose their life because of such outdated and harmful disciplinary methods. Parents approached us in distress, with no support initially. We immediately visited the hospital and informed the authorities. The police have assured us that action will be taken, including keeping the school closed until the cause of death is clearly established.

The incident has sparked outrage in the community, with parents demanding accountability and strict measures to prevent such punishments in educational institutions.


The Ages in-depth coverage of the next generation of football stars, ahead of this years AFL national draft at Marvel Stadium.

Expect things to get wild on Wednesday night. That is the safest assumption for one of the most unpredictable AFL drafts in years.

Others have predicted what might happen in each years draft for longer than me, but I have done it for long enough to appreciate the 2025 edition is a doozy.

Carlton will need to match an early bid on father-son defender Harry Dean to draft him. Credit: AFL Photos

My first two draft rankings this year, in August and October, were a talent order based on my discussions with scouts and my own thoughts, whereas my most-recent one attempted to link to clubs based on educated industry scuttlebutt.

My phone always gets a serious workout, and I sweated and agonised before releasing the previous mock draft two Fridays ago, with one more still to come.
The Smart Band 10 is a small and light wearable with a premium feel. Credit: Xiaomi Smart Band 10  $90 If youre more of a Fitbit person than a smartwatch person, this tiny fitness tracker is noticeably more premium than the Watch 5 Active, though obviously more focused on quietly tracking. It has an aluminium body (or ceramic if you go for the fancy $110 version), and the included TPU strap is comfy enough, though youll find heaps of additional options on Amazon, Temu or AliExpress. The app even lets you choose if the device is being worn on your wrist, as a necklace or with a shoe strap. What is Xiaomi? Founded in Beijing, in 2010.

Faced early criticism for copying Apple products and marketing.

Expanded into electronics, IoT, smart appliances, fitness tech, robotics, AI and cars.

In 2019, was the youngest company ever to enter the Fortune Global 500.

In 2021, the US government attempted to blacklist Xiaomi over security concerns.

A US federal court dismissed the move as baseless.

Xiaomi is now the third-biggest smartphone brand by global share.

It makes products across 200 categories.

Claims to have nearly 944 million devices connected to its global IoT network.

The smart band was Xiaomis first popular wearable more than a decade ago, and you can tell this is a design thats been iterated upon. It has access to most of the same apps as the watch, including blood oxygen tracking, and can also display notifications from your phone, but its clearly best at tracking steps and workouts in the background. Its very light, looks good and has an elongated OLED screen thats just big enough to show your steps and stats at a glance. Like the watch, it also has various face options, plus an always-on display option for glanceable info. Even with that feature active, I still got through the week with battery to spare, and Xiaomi says the battery will last twice as long with always-on display deactivated. During a workout, it does everything youre likely to need, measuring your progress and vitals while giving access to media playback from your phone, and its all saved to the app for charting or to export to a different health platform. Its also 5 ATM water-resistant, and unlike the watch, offers swim tracking. Though far from the worst wireless earbuds Ive used, these Redmis are probably the cheapest. Credit: Redmi Buds 6 Play  $30 These buds are so cheap that I struggle to evaluate them without unfairly comparing them to products that cost three times as much or more. On looks alone I would have believed they cost $100, but after using them I probably would have believed they cost $50. So if all you need are the bare basics of wireless earbuds, these may suit.

The buds come with three sizes of ear tips, and while they have no fins or stems, they feel quite stable. This is because theyre small enough to sit inside your ear, and theyre extremely light. Pairing is quick and easy, there are touch controls for playing and pausing, and they have no problem going for six hours before needing a top-up in their battery case. 10 other products from Xiaomis Australian launch Electric Shaver S200, $50.

Smart Jump Rope, $50.

Body Composition Scale S400, $70.

Electric precision screwdriver, $90.

Outdoor Camera BW300, $110.

Vacuum Cleaner G20 Lite, $200.

Cordless Pressure Washer, $200.

Watch S4, $270.

Redmi Note 14 Pro+, $700.

Robot Vacuum X20+, $1200. As nice as they are for $30, though, theres no getting around the fact the sound is thin and harsh for music, and uneven for podcasts. Theres an EQ in the app, but theres only so much you can do with these cheap and tiny drivers. A lot of ambient noise gets in, meaning youll probably be turning the volume up when listening in public. Combined with the pretty ordinary microphone performance and quite a short range on the Bluetooth, you could do a lot better by spending just a little more. The Xiaomi 15T Pro certainly isnt cheap at $1300, but it is competitive with some other more expensive phones. Credit:

Xiaomi 15T Pro  $1300 The company offers several smartphones, starting as low as $350, but the model it lent me for its Australian launch is much further up the price spectrum. Explaining the name is a bit complicated; Xiaomis T series are tweaked versions of its regular flagship phone, and since it jumped from 15 last year to 17 this year (presumably to match the iPhone), what we have here is a take on the 2024 high-end model. Pro in this case indicates some gaming-forward features, more power and better cameras. Put simply, this is a well-made smartphone with features that compare favourably with more expensive phones, such as Samsungs Galaxy S25+. But I do feel like Xiaomi loses a bit of its edge when its competing closer to the high end. At $1300, its difficult to recommend above an iPhone, Galaxy or Pixel purely on the grounds of their more established services and ecosystem, even if the 15T Pro offers more grunt and saves you a little money. Loading I do like the Android-meets-Apple of Xiaomis HyperOS quite a bit more than Samsungs OneUI, and the full line-up of Google apps is here, including the Play Store and Gemini. Xiaomi also offers its own AI suite, with tools for rewriting and translating text, generating and editing images, subtitling, and even turning still wallpaper images into looping videos. Theres also a vibe of generosity in all the included animated lock screens and colourful themes, not to mention the screen protector and case that are included in the box. The device also supports dual physical SIM cards.

On the tech specs side of things theres a brilliant 6.8-inch Dolby Vision OLED with a refresh at 144Hz, the powerful Mediatek Dimensity 9400+ chip, excellent battery life and charging speeds, and a trio of Leica-branded rear cameras. I have no complaints about the camera results, which are competitive with the most expensive phones on the market. The 50MP main camera and 5x telephoto hand in great shots even in low light, as well as nice portraits. Selfies from the front camera, however, are just OK. If you dont need top performance or a 5x telephoto, the $1000 15T could be worth a look instead. The Redmi Pad 2 is a decent alternative to the standard iPad, which costs almost twice as much. Credit: Redmi Pad 2  $350 Finally, we have a budget-friendly HyperOS tablet, which is a great entry-level alternative to an iPad if youre primarily after a screen for videos, browsing and games. Android never really caught up to Apple when it comes to an app ecosystem specifically tuned for tablets, but these nevertheless make great devices if you dont need an iPads power, and the Redmi Pad 2 is nicer than the similarly priced Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+.
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InspirationLondon I tried Londons new $60-a-night capsule hotel Francesca Syz November 17, 2025  5:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 40 View all comments

You know that anxiety dream where you get trapped in one of those refrigerated body drawers in a morgue no? Just me then. The new Zedwell Capsule Hotel in Piccadilly Circus gave me those vibes when I arrived. Other things that occurred to me as I clambered up a little flight of steps and into my capsule: I wish I hadnt packed those pyjamas that look weirdly like scrubs. Then, a sort of catch-all thought occurs to me and lingers for the duration: Well, it aint the Ritz. A new capsule hotel near Piccadilly Circus Zedwell Capsule Hotel. Zedwell I should know, as I usually stay in and write about the worlds most high-end hotels, so this was a bit of a departure for me. For which Im not expecting to hear even a single tiny violin. I am a serious journalist and any travel writer worth their salt should be prepared to embrace the high-low lifestyle. This is the first Japanese-style capsule offering by Zedwell Hotels, which specialises in adapting empty or underutilised, windowless dead-space buildings in amazing central London locations into well-maintained, no frills, energy-efficient, budget hotels. It now has five properties including one in Knightsbridge that was once a Burberry storeroom and one on Great Windmill Street that was once the Trocadero. Then theres this new Zedwell Capsule Hotel, immediately across the street from the latter (20 seconds from Piccadilly Circus) and by the end of the year the two properties will be connected by an underground tunnel and share a co-working cafe, gym and automated laundry room.

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The new Zedwell Capsule Hotel is situated in the former London Pavilion building. Zedwell The Capsule Hotel will also shortly have a bigger lobby and lockers for suitcases both in the basement and on every floor. There will even soon be a passage going directly from the Tube station into the hotel, which was once the London Pavilion, originally a 19th-century music hall. Like many feats of modern design, the capsule concept originated in Osaka, with the first such property opening in 1979. Zedwell claims this is the worlds largest capsule hotel, with 1,000 capsules each sleeping one person. Dynamic pricing means they can cost from just 30 ($60) per night if you book far enough in advance and, because there are so many, sometimes even when you book on the day. After both quizzing the manager and doing my own research online, I can tell you that youll never pay more than about 65 ($130) for a capsule and that will be for a last-minute Friday or Saturday night, but usually a lot less. For comparison, a bed in a shared single-sex dorm at the YHA London Central tomorrow night will set you back 25 ($50). Pods at the Zedwell Capsule Hotel cost from just $A60 per night. Zedwell

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You dont get anything in the nightly rate besides your capsule, its bed, bedding and a towel. If you want bottled water, you buy it from a vending machine in reception, which also sells hotel slippers, dental kits, padlocks for your capsule, etc. If you want to use a locker to store things, you pay for that on the spot. Key card-locked corridors have capsules stacked two- or three-high on either side and little staircases between them leading up to the higher ones, sleeping between eight and about 40 people in each over five floors. Several are women only. While they are all above ground, there are no windows and as if to really hammer home that detail, the building will soon be wrapped in Piccadilly Circuss famously bright billboards. I brought an eye mask, despite being told that there is complete blackout once your shutter is down and the lights are off, but I wanted the option of keeping the light on, in case I suddenly felt claustrophobic and needed to escape in a hurry. The Zedwell Capsule Hotel has 1000 individual pods Zedwell After a simple automated check-in I headed to my small women-only dormitory on the first floor. My immediate neighbour and someone two feet across from us were at home, which I knew because one had left sensible work shoes outside theirs, the other a pair of flowery flip-flops. A long, well-maintained shared bathroom with multiple toilets is two key-card taps away and includes shower cubicles with little changing areas and sinks with decent soap in dispensers.

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Shared bathrooms have multiple toilets and shower cubicles with changing areas. Zedwell If Im honest, when I rolled up the shutter on my capsule I was shocked: apart from the bed (slightly bigger than a single mattress, which takes up the entire floor space), Scandi-style light wood panelled walls and ceiling and a big mirror behind the bed, the only other features are two hooks for hanging your towel and coat, and a ledge with a plug socket, USB and USBC charging ports, light and temperature controls, just behind my head. Lets be clear, its a crawl-in situation, although once Id dragged my overnight bag in beside me and stopped internally freaking out, I realised I could sit up comfortably. Then I started to clock the important stuff: a Hypnos mattress, crisp white linen sheets, a decent duvet and perfectly acceptable pillow. Its basically glamping but without the cold. Shared bathrooms. Zedwell After doing my ablutions in the almost empty bathroom (obviously I forgot my towel on the first trip but nailed it the second time), I scampered back to my capsule feeling pleased with myself, hopped in, rolled down the shutter, dimmed the lights to camping lantern level and cosied up under the duvet with my book. I fully expected to hear the rumble of the Tube below but instead only heard the occasional shutter being raised or lowered nearby and once or twice brief chatter. I fell asleep at 10.30pm, at least an hour earlier than I have in about a decade and didnt wake up until 6.30am.

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Related Article Japan A cheap night in Tokyo: My entire family stayed in a capsule hotel In the lift down the next morning was a group of young Asian tourists, two Italian students, a man in a suit and a middle-aged woman who told me she had just stayed a week while in London for work and will definitely stay again. Given the absurd price of good hotel rooms in London today, I came away thinking its pretty astonishing that you can stay somewhere this clean and efficiently run in such a central location for so little. If you worked in the area and were going out for the evening, it could easily cost you less to stay here than to get a late-night cab home. Yes, getting dressed while half-lying on my bed would drive me to distraction after one night, but this is a pretty clever offering for the capital. If you think you might need to escape your family this Christmas, Ive just noticed that right now, you could book both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day for 35 ($70) each. Youre welcome. The Telegraph London

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Harira, Morocco

Thick Moroccan Harira soup a hearty way to end a fast. Getty Images

Plate up

Picture this: youve been fasting for an entire day. You have had nothing to eat or drink from dawn until dusk. But then, finally, the sun dips below the horizon, and someone places a steaming, fragrant bowl of soup in front of you. And its time to eat. The scene youre imagining is one played out in Morocco every day during the Islamic celebration of Ramadan (which next takes place in February). Observers of the Muslim faith will spend the entire day abstaining from any food or drink, and then will typically break their fast at sunset with harira, a traditional and delicious tomato-based soup.

Harira is a hearty dish, perfect for breaking a fast: it features both chickpeas and lentils, as well as either rice or broken strands of vermicelli. The soup begins with lamb, chicken or beef stock  though it can also be vegetarian  which is cooked with various aromatics, herbs and spices (every household has its own blend), as well as plenty of tomatoes, and the aforementioned stomach-fillers. Its then thickened with tedouira, like a roux, and served piping hot with fresh coriander and a wedge of lemon. Ramadan Mubarak!
She also said she is worried about her safety because threats against me are being fuelled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world. Trump backed Greene from the start Greene is not the first lawmaker to earn Trumps anger. Their split, however, is the most notable of his second term. She has been closely tied to him since 2020, when she began her political career in Georgias rural northwest. Backing the QAnon conspiracy theory, appearing with white supremacists and brandishing assault rifles, Greene was opposed by party leaders but supported by Trump. He called her a future Republican Star and a real WINNER!

Jason Shepherd, a Republican in Georgia who resigned from party office over disagreements with Trump supporters, said 2020 was a perfect storm of political bizarreness during upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Georgia was one of the closely contested states where Trump disputed his loss to Democrat Joe Biden, even pressuring Georgias secretary of state to find enough votes to overturn the results. Shepherd, a lawyer and political science professor who lives in Greenes district, said, we never know what position Marjorie Taylor Greene is going to pop up with next. I dont know if she has any core convictions, except for what will help her the most, he said. Greene started her congressional tenure as Trump was leaving the White House, and she supported the election lies that fuelled the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. She became a media fixture as a target of liberal scorn and a promoter of Trump-style conservatism, and was a loyal lieutenant in his comeback campaign in 2024.

But tension seemed to begin earlier this year when Greene was exploring a potential 2026 campaign against Jon Ossoff, one of Georgias two Democratic senators. Trump said he sent Greene a poll showing that she didnt have a chance. She ultimately passed on the race and later declined to run for Georgia governor while attacking a political good ole boy system that she accused of endangering Republican control of the state. Loading A new Greene? Greene has recently set a different, more conciliatory tone. She went on ABCs The View, a daytime talk show considered a safe space for Democrats, to say that people with powerful voices, especially women, need to pave a new path.

The rhetoric sparked speculation that Greene might be considering a run for president herself, which was later denied by her boyfriend, Brian Glenn, a conservative reporter known for his friendly questioning of Trump. Greene also has been criticising Trump, particularly his work with other countries. She told Tucker Carlson last month that the administrations support for Argentina was a punch in the gut at a time when Americans are angry about prices for everyday needs. Loading Greene is one of a handful of Republicans supporting an effort to force the Justice Department to release more documents involving Epstein, a convicted sex offender who was connected to some of the countrys most powerful people. Trump has struggled to stop questions about his own links to Epstein, who was found dead in his jail cell in 2019 in what authorities have ruled was a suicide. Trump has dismissed Greenes criticism, telling reporters on Monday that shes lost her way.

Shawn Harris, a retired Army general and Democrat who lost to Greene in 2024, is running against her again in 2026. He said Greenes shift is part of her attention-seeking behaviour. Marjorie always picks fights with people to stay in the news and its finally President Trumps turn, Harris wrote in a text message. But neither of them has done a single thing for the hardworking people here in north-west Georgia. The way things are going lately, its not clear his endorsement would help anyone. Trump battles Democrats and Republicans in the midterms Its common for political coalitions to fray over time, especially when presidents are serving their second term and members of their party start pondering a future without them at the helm. Trump has mostly avoided that so far. He has flirted with the possibility of running for a third term, despite the constitutional prohibition on extending his time in office, and exerted ironclad influence over the Republican-controlled Congress.

He faces a crucial political test next year as Democrats try to retake control of the House, which would empower them to block legislation and launch investigations of his administration. The president has been trying to improve his partys chances by pressuring states to redraw congressional districts to benefit Republicans, but he also is trying to purge lawmakers whom he considers disloyal. Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is already the target of a Trump-backed primary challenge, and Greene could be the next if she and the president do not reconcile, as has occasionally happened after Trump falls out with allies. Loading Although no one immediately announced they were jumping into the race, some are considering it. State Senator Colton Moore, a Republican from the region who previously floated a run against Ossoff, criticised Greene. Im more frustrated with her than President Trump and she doesnt care, he said.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Former Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport of Sint Maarten, Wycliffe Smith, was the sole representative from Sint Maarten at the international conference Christianity and Slavery in the Dutch Caribbean Islands, Surinam, and the Netherlands, held November 1014 at the University of Curacao.

The conference was organized by the University of Curacao, the Protestant Theological University of Utrecht, and the Free University of Amsterdam. It brought together scholars and clergy and researchers from the Netherlands, the USA, Africa, Surinam, Indonesia, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, Aruba, and Curacao. Over four days, participants examined how Christian denominations shaped, supported, or resisted the structures of slavery throughout the Dutch colonial world. With some 40 presentations delivered, the event offered a rich comparative view of religions role during the era of enslavement.

Only two presentations focused on the Dutch Windward Islands. Ms. Alma Louise de Bode-Olten presented on the Anglican/Episcopal Church in Saba, St. Maarten, and St. Eustatius. Smiths presentation followed, entitled The Role of the Christian Church in the History of Slavery on the Dutch Windward Islands (16431863), which was met with enthusiasm for its clarity, depth, and historical precision.

Drawing on extensive archival research, Smith compared the six major churches active on St. Eustatius, Saba, and St. Maarten during slavery: the Dutch Reformed, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, Methodist, and Roman Catholic churches. He emphasized that the first four, aligned closely with the colonial powers, offered little spiritual outreach to the enslaved. Their ministries largely excluded the enslaved population, reflecting the social and racial divisions of the time.

In contrast, the Methodist and Roman Catholic churches sought to evangelize the enslaved, promote literacy, and encourage moral and spiritual development. Smith highlighted how these churches became vital spaces of dignity, community, and hope, offering the enslaved a faith that empowered rather than suppressed.

Smith also pointed to the striking legacy of these contrasting approaches. The Reformed, Lutheran, and Presbyterian churches, once influential among the colonialists, have largely disappeared from the islands. The Methodist and Catholic churches, however, remain vibrant, filled with the descendants of those who were once denied entry, he noted. His closing line resonated deeply with attendees: That, brothers and sisters, is God at work. The gospel that was meant to control the enslaved became the gospel that set them free.

On the final day, participants toured several historic religious sites on Curacao, including the islands earliest Dutch Reformed and Roman Catholic churches; spaces where the intersections of faith and slavery remain preserved until this day.

Smith shared that he is finalizing his research for publication and is in discussion with House of Nehesi Publishers. His forthcoming work will offer an important contribution to the understanding of the complex role that Christianity played on the Dutch Windward Islands.

Through his presentation, Wycliffe Smith ensured that the stories of St. Maarten, Saba, and St. Eustatius were firmly represented within the broader Caribbean narrative of faith, oppression, resilience, and redemption.
Cul de Sac:--- St. Maarten Academy has copped 10 top spots from among more than 100,000 candidates who wrote the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) examinations in May/June this year, three more than the previous year.

Most notable is the performance of Ferley Feliz Valerio, who for the second consecutive year, earned a number one spot on the Regional Merit List, which was released last Thursday via the CXC website.

Ferley, who was the best performing student in Human and Social Biology at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations last year while in Form 5, can now boast of being the best Digital Media Unit 1 student at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).

Academy candidates for Digital Media Unit 1 were taught by Ms. Kester Small, whose guidance each year has placed students in the top 10 at the regional examinations. This year, Digital Media Unit 1 students copped six of the 10 top spots, with Meer Lalwani emerging behind Ferley in second place, Yovarsha Singh at fifth, Kailah Caines at sixth place, and Leondre Mullings and Nathan Sagnia copping tenth place due to a five-way tie.

Rounding off the CAPE top performers are Fara Colas, who placed fifth for Performing Arts, and Sarai Willemsburg, the latter of whom tied with another candidate in Trinidad for ninth place, also in Performing Arts. Due to the shortage of teachers on Sint Maarten, the 31Year 2 CAPE students followed Performing Arts online under the tutelage of Mrs. Abigail Joefield, who, for the second consecutive year, guided students to the top spots. She expressed her joy at their outstanding performance, as it was sometimes a challenge not being able to conduct face-to-face classes.

CAPE Coordinator, Mrs. Doreen Edwards Mac Intosh, who took over the helm of the Division from Ms. Small last year, congratulated her teachers for their hard work and dedication. She reminded them that it always takes a team to do great things.

Ms. Small, who joined the Information Technology Department of St. Maarten Academy in 2017, began teaching Digital Media in 2019, and ever since then, she has produced exceptional results. In 2021, three of her students merited. The following year, she secured four of the top 10 spots. In 2023 and last year, again, her students grabbed a total of four places between Units 1 and 2.

At the CSEC level, two out of the schools 54 candidates made it into the top 10. Kushi Jeetendra Soneji, who will be graduating as Salutatorian in December, placed third for Human and Social Biology (HSB); while Magdalina Dorlis copped eighth place for Music, which was taught by one of Anguillas veteran Music instructors, Mrs. Daphne Jacobs-Richardson. Mrs. Jacobs-Richardsons students have consistently performed well each year since the school entered its first CXC Music candidate, Jabari Jabz York, in 2015, who placed fourth in the region.

Commenting on Dorliss achievement, Mrs. Jacobs Richardson said she worked with the child, as Music was an additional elective that could not be taught during the regular scheduled hours. She was juggling between Music and another elective, so I had to work with her extra during breaktime and on the weekend for her to catch up. Music is a demanding subject, so I feel proud of her because, despite her heavy workload, she was able to make it into the top 10.

Mrs. Thekara Chandler, who heads the schools Science Department, too, was excited over Khushis performance in HSB. Im elated to hear that Khushi made the CSEC Merit list for Human & Social Biology. This achievement reflects her hard work and dedication in the subject. It's a significant milestone that not only showcases her academic abilities but also opens up opportunities for her future studies and career in the sciences. Celebrating her success is truly inspiring as she continues striving for excellence, stated Mrs. Chandler.

The schools Principal, Mrs. Kim Lucas-Felix, could not contain her joy at the Academys performance this year at the CXC examinations, both at CSEC and CAPE. She noted that once again, the students continue to put this tiny island on top among other big countries where thousands of students sit the regional examinations. The repeated outstanding performance, she said, not only speaks volumes about the quality of education at the school, but by extension, the island of Sint Maarten.

We are a competitive school. I must give props to our School Board - the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE) - that supports the Management in trying its best to provide all that is needed to ensure that our students receive quality education. Apart from that, all of us must recognise our childrens greatness and encourage them to do their best. Let us continue to speak positive words into their lives and stop criticizing them when they slip up. Always remember that none of us is perfect and along the way, our villages guided us and made us who we are today, so let us do the same for our youth, and they will shine.

I would also like to recognise our hardworking teachers, who give so much more than they are being paid for. Without them, we could not have accomplished this feat year after year. So thank you, teachers! Thank you to my Management team, especially Vice Principal Joanna Trim, who took over as CXC Coordinator last year and held the helm for most of 2025 while I was out on medical leave. Also, I have much gratitude to the parents who trusted us with their childrens education and well-being, the principal stated.

The Principal would also like to express appreciation to the CXC Local Registrar and Head of Examinations Division within the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, drs. Yvette Halley, who often goes beyond the call of duty to guide us (the CXC schools), among her many other responsibilities. She makes herself available at any hour of the day or night, and despite her heavy workload forwards our queries and provides clarification.

The Board of the Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE), under which the school falls, stated through its Executive Director, drs. Tallulah Baly-Vanterpool: This outstanding performance shows what becomes possible when students, teachers, families, and leadership pull in one direction with purpose and belief. It reminds us that excellence is never accidental, but the result of vision, discipline, and a community that believes deeply in its young people. As FAVE continues to reimagine education, we remain committed to nurturing every students potential so they can lead, innovate, and uplift our island and the wider Caribbean.

Reflections from our students

Ferley Feliz Valero - First Place (Digital Media Unit 1)

The now Sixth Form student, who emerged as valedictorian for the Class of 2024, said: I am feeling grateful to be first on the CAPE Digital Media Unit 1 Merit List for 2025. I just want to give a huge thanks to my teacher, Ms. Small, for her guidance and support throughout the. Words cannot express how proud I am of my students on this incredible feat. These six students record number of placements in this years merit list serves as a testament to the hard work and dedication of the entire Digital Media Unit 1 cohort, all of whom returned Grade Ones at this years sitting. Ferley was an exemplary student throughout, and I knew she was a shoo-in for first place regionally.

Meer Lalwaniu - Second Place (Digital Media Unit 1)

I am truly honored to have tied for second place on the CAPE Digital Media Merit List. Although I knew I did well, earning this recognition was a pleasant surprise. Im deeply grateful to my teachers and parents for their support, and Im proud to have made my schools name shine.

Yovarsha Singh - Fifth Place (Digital Media Unit 1)

Being named on the regional merit list is truly an honor. Im grateful for this recognition and for everyone who helped me along the way.

Kailah Caines - Sixth Place (Digital Media Unit 1)

It's an honour to be recognized on the regional merit list. This achievement inspires me to keep striving for excellence and reminds me that hard work pays off.

Leondre Mullings - Tenth Place (Digital Media Unit 1)

I am deeply honored to be included on the regional merit list. This recognition means a lot to me and reflects the hard work, dedication, and support from my teachers, family, and friends.

6. Nathan Sagnia - Tenth Place (Digital Media Unit 1)

Knowing that I made it on the merit list for Digital MediaI do appreciate that Ive gotten it, and I am thankful that I did.
Samsung plans $310 bn investment to power AI expansion



Seoul, Nov 16 (AFP) Nov 16, 2025



South Korean conglomerate Samsung unveiled on Sunday a plan to invest $310 billion over the next five years mostly in technology powering artificial intelligence, aiming to meet growing demand driven by a global boom.

The business group's flagship Samsung Electronics is already one of the world's top memory-chip makers, providing crucial components for the AI industry and the infrastructure it relies on.

South Korea is also home to SK hynix, another key player in the global semiconductor market.

The five-year investment package includes plans to build a new semiconductor facility, Pyeongtaek Plant 5, designed "to meet the needs of memory-chip demands", Samsung said in a statement.

Once in full operation, "the Pyeongtaek plant is expected to play an even greater strategic role in both the global semiconductor supply chain and South Korea's domestic chip ecosystem," it said.

The new line is scheduled to begin operations in 2028.

Samsung SDS, the group's IT and logistics arm, will establish two AI data centres in South Jeolla and Gumi, the company said, without providing further details.

Samsung Group is a network of affiliated companies with complex cross-shareholdings under the Samsung brand, rather than a single legal holding company.

It is South Korea's largest chaebol, the family-run conglomerates that dominate the country's economy.

The $310-billion plan also includes some projects unrelated to AI.

Under the investment package, the company said that Samsung SDI, its electric-vehicle battery affiliate, was exploring the creation of a domestic production line "for next-generation batteries, including all-solid-state batteries".

The AI boom has delivered a major tailwind for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, whose high-performance memory chips have become indispensable for AI computing.

Samsung Electronics has reported that its profit increased more than 30 percent year-on-year in the third quarter, driven by AI-fuelled demand.

AI-related spending is soaring worldwide and sky-high tech share valuations have fed concerns of an AI market bubble that could eventually burst, like the dot-com boom that imploded at the turn of the millennium.

The investment package announced on Sunday comes after the South Korean government had pledged to triple spending on artificial intelligence next year.

President Lee Jae Myung has vowed to "usher in the AI era" and make the country one of the world's top three AI powers, behind the United States and China.

kjk/ami
It was 7.45 pm when I clicked on the Zoom link. Then ping  Virs iPhone popped up, streaming in from New York City. It was surreal. My parents are massive Vir Das fans; my mother once set an alarm to snag tickets to his show in Worli, where he filmed Fool Volume. She hit book just seconds before the stadium sold outthis was a first for her. Das, meanwhile, has made a habit of firsts.

Hes the first Indian to win an International Emmy for comedy (Vir Das: Landing) and the first to headline a residency at Lincoln Center with Hey Stranger. Its like being back in drama school in my 40s, he laughs. The show, he says, sits halfway between a stand-up and a one-man show  characters, arcs, even moments of silence sneaking between the laughs.

Now hes also turned that restless outsider energy to the page with The Outsider: A Memoir for Misfits (HarperCollins). After his Emmy win, publishers came calling, but he hesitated. I didnt feel I had done enough yet, he says simply. He agreed only if the book could be about cluelessness and failure. The result, he says, is about a feeling most people share. Success isnt that interesting  its boring. Struggling with it, complaining about it  thats where the story is.

The accidental author

Writing, he admits, was hard. Im dyslexic, so I talk first and then write it down, he says. Its tough, but my favourite chapter is about my dog, Watson. Hes spoken before about how dyslexia shapes his rhythm  a performers ear guiding his prose. The trickiest part, though, was leaving out arrogance and entitlement and making it connect with people who may not know me, who feel mid-journey rather than on top of the mountain.

His Emmy, by the way, isnt displayed on a shelf. Its wrapped with the sweaters, in the cupboard where we keep the garam kapda, he grins. It hasnt changed my life, and it shouldnt. Im a comedian; if I went on stage with an Emmy in my hand, the show would be harder. He admits hes proud of it, but in the end, its just something that belongs on a shelf. When he won it though, in 2023, he dedicated that Emmy  the first ever for an Indian comedian  to India, calling it a win for every artist who dares to speak their truth.

That ability to deflate grandeur with a joke isnt new; its a reflex thats been with him since childhood, a time that also makes an appearance in his memoir. I faked appendicitis to get out of boarding school, he laughs, calling it his most convincing performance so far. He and his sister, author-filmmaker Trisha Das, were together at The Lawrence School, Sanawar. Trisha was the first to read my book. Were brutally honest; theres no sugarcoating. The award-winning writer, known for feminist retellings Ms Draupadi Kuru and The Misters Kuru, surprised him by being quite complimentary.

The education of a misfit

His time at Knox College in Illinois, Das says, changed everything. Hed gone there to study economics and left as a theatre student. In India, education is thought-based; in the US, it was about emotion and expression. That suited me. Its also where he first tried comedy. For my graduation, I did a stand-up show called Brown Men Cant Hump. It went really well, and I thought, maybe this is for me. Years later, Knox would honour him with its Young Alumni Award, a full circle moment for the student who switched majors and never looked back.

What followed was a hustle: acting, theatre, late-night TV, even a rock-comedy band called Alien Chutney. Then came global visibility through his OTT specials and tours that sold out across continents. His Two Indias monologue, performed at the Kennedy Center in 2021, earned both standing ovations and backlash  he became the accidental face of the free-speech debate in Indian comedy, a flashpoint that made him, for better or worse, one of Indias most internationally recognisable comics.

Lost (and found) in translation

If Knox shaped his craft, the years that followed tested his resilience . Six weeks before filming Fool Volume, Das lost his voice. It was like losing your life force, he says. The recovery taught him to take himself less seriously. I wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy, but Im grateful it happened. The episode softened his delivery and lent his quick-fire humour a disarming warmth.

Im five foot eight and a half, from Delhi Public School, he laughs. So the fact that I get to play Carnegie Hall or star in a movie  its statistically insane. Bollywood, stand-up, writing, music  hes tried them all. That cluelessness comes with gratitude, he says. I just feel like Ive been invited to the coolest party in the world. Now my job is to make people laugh.

The line he keeps walking

Yet, he also says, Comedians arent the life of the party. Were the ones sitting in the corner making fun of the life of the party. Were losers, socially anxious  and thats what makes us comics. Its a strange job, he says, getting on stage to talk about your problems to strangers. Best-case scenario, they see something of themselves in you.

Clearly, many do. Das now tours sold-out venues from Melbourne to Montreal, Edinburgh to New York. The audience keeps changing, he says. And so does the line [where creative liberty starts to feel like provocation]. My jobs just to keep walking it.


Six minors killed in Colombian airstrikes on guerrillas this week: ombudsman



Bogota, Nov 15 (AFP) Nov 15, 2025



Six minors were killed this week in Colombian military airstrikes against an alleged drug-running armed group in the country's southern Amazon region, the national ombudsman's office said Saturday.

Iris Marin, head of the office, told reporters that "six minors who had been victims of forced recruitment" died in the operation ordered by President Gustavo Petro, who is under US pressure to crack down on drug trafficking.

Colombia's military announced on Tuesday that it had carried out airstrikes in the Amazon region in the early hours of November 10, killing 19 members of an ex-FARC splinter group.

The military also reported the "rescue" of three minors from rebel hands following the bombing.

Additionally, a defense ministry source told AFP on Friday that the military had killed nine suspected guerrillas in strikes in Arauca province, near the Venezuelan border.

The operations are part of Petro's intensifying attacks against armed groups involved in cocaine trafficking, following fierce criticism from US President Donald Trump over his alleged inaction on drug production.

In a Saturday post on X, Petro defended the military's actions in the Amazon operation.

"Of course, every death is regrettable, especially those of minors. But if I had let Ivan Mordisco's 150 men advance through the jungle, they would have ambushed 20 young soldiers who were stationed just a few kilometers ahead," the leftist president said.

"I made the decision, at a risk, to save their lives. It's easy to stain maps red; it's hard to acknowledge the risks of reclaiming territory," Petro added.

The president has launched a manhunt with million-dollar rewards to capture Mordisco, whom he likens to cocaine baron Pablo Escobar, who was slain in 1993.

Local media reported that authorities were investigating whether the latest strike killed Antonio Medina, a high-ranking rebel commander responsible for a bloody war between ex-FARC fighters and the National Liberation Army (ELN) guerrilla group.



- Pressure from US -



Colombia's president has been facing pre-election criticism and US sanctions for his alleged reluctance to target armed cocaine-trafficking groups.

In October, Washington slapped unprecedented sanctions on Petro, his wife, son, and a top aide, accusing them of enabling drug cartels.

The US government provided no evidence linking Petro directly to drug trafficking.

Since taking power in 2022, Petro, himself a former guerrilla, had previously opted to engage well-armed cocaine-producing groups in talks, rather than conduct open warfare.

He is constitutionally barred from running for president again, but the criticism risks damaging his political allies during next year's elections.

lv/mr/iv/aha
Maduro decries US-Trinidad and Tobago military exercises as 'irresponsible'



Caracas, Nov 16 (AFP) Nov 16, 2025



Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday slammed new joint military exercises by the United States and its ally Trinidad and Tobago as "irresponsible," with Washington increasing its armed presence in the Caribbean.

Caracas claims recent US military activity in the region -- which Washington says is directed against drug gangs -- is really a ploy to overthrow leftist leader Maduro.

This is the second joint training exercise carried out by the United States and Trinidad and Tobago in less than a month.

In October, a US guided missile destroyer docked at Trinidad for four days for another round of practice drills -- within firing range of Venezuela, whose government called it a "provocation."

"The government of Trinidad and Tobago has once again announced irresponsible exercises, lending its waters off the coast of Sucre state for military exercises that are intended to be threatening to a republic like Venezuela, which does not allow itself to be threatened by anyone," Maduro said during an event in Caracas on Saturday.

Maduro called on his supporters in the eastern states of the country to hold "a vigil and a permanent march in the streets" during the military maneuvers, scheduled for November 16-21.

The United States has deployed warships, fighter jets and thousands of soldiers to Latin America in recent weeks and launched strikes on 21 alleged drug-smuggling boats, killing at least 80 people.

Washington has provided no evidence those targeted were traffickers, and rights observer groups say the strikes are illegal regardless.

On Tuesday, a US aircraft carrier strike group also arrived in the region, prompting Caracas to announce a "massive" retaliatory deployment.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday announced a military operation aimed at "narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere," but it was unclear how it might differ from the existing US military deployment.
Israeli leaders voice opposition to Palestinian state before UN Gaza vote



Jerusalem, Nov 16 (AFP) Nov 16, 2025



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his government underscored their opposition to a Palestinian state ahead of a UN Security Council vote Monday on a resolution endorsing a US-backed Gaza peace plan.

The draft resolution would follow up on the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas brokered by US President Donald Trump, giving the council's blessing for a transitional administration and a temporary international security force in the devastated territory.

Unlike previous drafts, the latest version of the resolution mentions a possible future Palestinian state, which the Israeli government is vehemently against.

"Our opposition to a Palestinian state on any territory has not changed," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Netanyahu had come in for criticism from coalition members, including far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who had accused him of failing to respond to a recent wave of recognition of Palestinian statehood by Western countries.

"Formulate immediately an appropriate and decisive response that will make it clear to the entire world -- no Palestinian state will ever arise on the lands of our homeland," Smotrich urged Netanyahu on X.

The premier replied Sunday that he did "not need affirmations, tweets, or lectures from anyone".

Other ministers likewise expressed their opposition to Palestinian statehood, though none explicitly referred to the resolution.

"Israel's policy is clear: no Palestinian state will be established," Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X Sunday.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also said on X that the country would "not agree to the establishment of a Palestinian terror state in the heart of the Land of Israel".

Far-right firebrand and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir went even further, calling the Palestinian identity an "invention".

The Security Council resolution would effectively usher in the second phase of the US-backed deal reached last month, which brought about a ceasefire after two years of war sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The first phase has seen the release of the last 20 living Israeli hostages and nearly all of the 28 dead captives held by Palestinian militants.

In exchange, Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returned 330 bodies.
FM says 'no undeclared nuclear enrichment facility' in Iran



Tehran, Nov 16 (AFP) Nov 16, 2025



Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the country had no undeclared uranium enrichment sites and that all of its facilities were monitored by the UN's nuclear watchdog.

The assertion came after US media outlets, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, reported that Iran had accelerated construction at a secret underground nuclear site called "Pickaxe Mountain", or Kuh-e Kolang, near its Natanz facility.

"There's no undeclared nuclear enrichment facility in Iran; all of our facilities are under the safeguard and monitoring of the agency," Araghchi said during a forum in Tehran.

He added there was "no enrichment" taking place at present because the sites were damaged in the recent war with Israel.

There has been no mention of the Pickaxe Mountain site by officials or any Iranian media.

In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war during which the US briefly joined with strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

The war, which prompted Iranian missile and drone attacks on Israel, derailed nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington that had begun in April.

During those talks the two sides were at odds over Iran's right to enrich uranium, which Araghchi insisted on Sunday was "undeniable" and "inalienable".

Iran has said its nuclear facilities were severely damaged in the strikes and that enriched material remained under the rubble.

Araghchi's remarks came ahead of a Board of Governors meeting by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meeting slated for later this week.



- 'Fundamental review' -



During Sunday's forum in Tehran, Iranian officials warned the UN body against adopting an anti-Iran resolution.

"In case of a resolution, Iran will consider a review of its relations with the IAEA and will conduct a fundamental review," said Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

In the aftermath of the war, Tehran suspended its cooperation with the IAEA and restricted the watchdog's inspectors from accessing the bombed sites, accusing it of bias and failing to condemn the attacks.

In September, Iran and the IAEA agreed on a new cooperation framework, but weeks later Tehran deemed it invalid after Britain, France and Germany triggered the return of UN sanctions that had been lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal.

That deal officially expired in October, but was effectively torpedoed years earlier after Washington withdrew from it during President Donald Trump's first term.

A ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been in place since June 24, but both Israel and the United States have threatened new strikes if Tehran revives its nuclear programme.

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization chief Mohammad Eslami called on the IAEA Sunday "to clarify its role and responsibility in the context of a military attack and damage to facilities, so that then we can sit for negotiations on this basis."

He added that Iran's situation after the war has "changed" and the threat was "still active".
Israeli leaders voice opposition to Palestinian state before UN Gaza vote



Jerusalem, Nov 16 (AFP) Nov 16, 2025



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his government underscored their opposition to a Palestinian state ahead of a UN Security Council vote Monday on a resolution endorsing a US-backed Gaza peace plan.

The draft resolution would follow up on the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas brokered by US President Donald Trump, giving the council's blessing for a transitional administration and a temporary international security force in the devastated territory.

Unlike previous drafts, the latest version of the resolution mentions a possible future Palestinian state, which the Israeli government is vehemently against.

"Our opposition to a Palestinian state on any territory has not changed," Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Netanyahu had come in for criticism from coalition members, including far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who had accused him of failing to respond to a recent wave of recognition of Palestinian statehood by Western countries.

"Formulate immediately an appropriate and decisive response that will make it clear to the entire world -- no Palestinian state will ever arise on the lands of our homeland," Smotrich urged Netanyahu on X.

The premier replied Sunday that he did "not need affirmations, tweets or lectures from anyone".

Other ministers likewise expressed their opposition to Palestinian statehood, though none explicitly referred to the resolution.

"Israel's policy is clear: no Palestinian state will be established," Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X Sunday.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar also said on X that the country would "not agree to the establishment of a Palestinian terror state in the heart of the Land of Israel".

Far-right firebrand and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called the Palestinian identity an "invention".

The Security Council resolution would effectively usher in the second phase of the US-backed deal reached last month, which brought about a ceasefire after two years of war sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The first phase has seen the release of the last 20 living Israeli hostages and nearly all of the 28 dead captives held by Palestinian militants.

In exchange, Israel has freed nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and returned 330 bodies.

Late on Sunday, the Israeli military said in a statement that it had killed a "terrorist" in northern Gaza after the individual was "identified crossing the yellow line and approaching IDF (Israeli) troops".

The so-called yellow line demarcates where Israeli troops have withdrawn to inside the Gaza Strip as part of the ceasefire.

The military said it "struck and eliminated the terrorist".
LOS ANGELES (AP)  The Justice Department on Thursday sued to block new congressional district boundaries approved by California voters last week, joining a court battle that could help determine which party wins control of the U.S. House in 2026.

The complaint filed in California federal court targets the new congressional map pushed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in response to a similar Republican-led effort in Texas backed by President Donald Trump. It sets the stage for a high-stakes legal and political fight between the Republican administration and the Democratic governor, whos seen as a likely 2028 presidential contender.

Californias redistricting scheme is a brazen power grab that tramples on civil rights and mocks the democratic process, Attorney General Pam Bondi said in an emailed statement. Governor Newsoms attempt to entrench one-party rule and silence millions of Californians will not stand.

Newsom spokesperson Brandon Richards said in a statement, These losers lost at the ballot box and soon they will also lose in court.

The legal move against heavily Democratic California marks the first time the Justice Department has sued over a flurry of unusual, mid-decade House map revisions across the country that were drawn to maximize partisan advantage in advance of next years elections.

Three Republican-led states  Texas, along with Missouri and North Carolina  have not faced federal legal action after revamping district lines following Trumps call for new maps to expand GOP numbers in the House. Civil rights advocates have argued that the new boundaries in Texas and Missouri illegally disadvantage minority communities at the ballot box.

California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 50, a constitutional amendment changing the congressional boundaries to give Democrats a shot at winning five seats now held by Republicans in next years midterm elections.

The Justice Department is joining a case challenging the new map that was brought by the California Republican Party last week. The Trump administration accuses California of racial gerrymandering in violation of the Constitution by using race as a factor to favor Hispanic voters with the new map. It asks a judge to prohibit California from using the new map in any future elections.

Race cannot be used as a proxy to advance political interests, but that is precisely what the California General Assembly did with Proposition 50  the recent ballot initiative that junked Californias pre-existing electoral map in favor of a rush-job rejiggering of Californias congressional district lines, the lawsuit says.

Prop 50 was Newsoms response to Trumps maneuvers in Texas, where Republicans rejiggered districts in hopes of picking up five seats of their own ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when House control will be on the line.

Democrats need to gain just a handful of seats next year to take control of the chamber, which would imperil Trumps agenda for the remainder of his term and open the way for congressional investigations into his administration. Republicans hold 219 seats, to Democrats 214.

The showdown between the nations two most populous states has spread nationally, with Missouri, North Carolina and Ohio adopting new district lines that could provide a partisan advantage. Other states are considering similar moves.

The national implications of Californias ballot measure were clear in both the money it attracted and the high-profile figures who became involved. Tens of millions of dollars flowed into the race, including a $5 million donation to opponents from the Congressional Leadership Fund, the super political action committee tied to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger opposed it, while former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, appeared in ads supporting it, calling it a smart approach to counter Republican moves aimed at safeguarding House control.

The contest provided Newsom with a national platform and he has confirmed he will consider a White House run in 2028.

___

Richer reported from Chicago.

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL R. BLOOD

Associated Press
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UTOPIA  As Jada Jo Smith wades into the clear water of the Sabinal River, she can see down to the stony base of the waterway, which is shaded by overhanging cypress trees.

Shes spent countless summer days here, swimming alongside the Guadalupe bass and turtles as they navigate through the river grass. Her daughter, Viola, is growing up around the pristine waters. She recently celebrated her sixth birthday along the river, which is usually quiet save for the sounds of the trickling spring feeding it, humming insects and chirping birds.

Many Texans have spent time here swimming, kayaking and fishing. The Hill Country the Sabinal runs through offers visitors an escape from the rapidly growing cities nearby, with a night sky still dark enough to view the Milky Way and a long history of ranches that have been in families for generations.

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Now, Smith says, one of the few parts of Texas still untouched by development is in danger.

Soon, a 370-mile-long swath of the Hill Country stretching from San Antonio to Fort Stockton could be sliced by a massive electric transmission line. Though the precise route of the 765-kilovolt line has yet to be determined, it would potentially cut through 14 counties including Uvalde, which includes the tiny town of Utopia.

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Its so important to save the uniqueness of it, the rawness of it, Smith said. Once its gone, you can never get it back.

A view of the green hills in the Texas Hill Country is seen from Ranch to Market Road 337, which runs between Leakey and Camp Wood, on Tuesday morning, Sept. 23, 2025. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

The transmission line is a project of CPS Energy and American Electric Power. Known as the Howard-Solstice Transmission Line, its just the first step in what state officials say is a larger plan to improve grid reliability and transmission efficiency, with the immediate focus now on getting more electricity to the Permian Basin.

Hill Country residents have been told the 160-foot towers carrying the highest-voltage lines ever seen in Texas are necessary to meet the states booming energy demand. But theyre questioning why pristine land and rivers must be sacrificed in the process.

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What do we need this power for? 

The headwaters of another Hill Country waterway, the West Nueces River, are the site of a ranch thats been in Ted Flatos family for nearly a century.

The San Antonio architects father married into the ranch family and Flato said he and his dad learned together about fishing on the clear stream. Now, another generation  Flatos daughter  lives on the property. So, when he heard about the power line project, he was concerned.

There was just a great deal of anger over it, Flato said of learning about the proposed routes. A lot of the lines were shown just slicing all the way through the heart of our Hill Country.

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The plan grew out of an effort to prepare the statewide electric grid for an unprecedented surge in demand driven by the boom in power-hungry data centers, electrification of the oil and gas industry, statewide population growth and other factors.

In 2023, state lawmakers passed a measure requiring the Public Utility Commission to work with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to develop a reliability plan to prepare for the surge, which is forecast to double statewide demand by 2030. The plan pitched by ERCOT, which operates the Texas grid, was approved last year.

The next step came in April, when the PUC authorized the use of 765-kilovolt lines  the first ever to be used in the Lone Star State. One set will be used for whats been dubbed the Howard-Solstice Transmission Line through the Hill Country and two more for projects further north. Currently, Texas electrical infrastructure is built around 345-kilovolt lines.

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The Howard-Solstice project will cost an estimated $1.4 billion, a small part of the overall $33 billion project known as the Permian Basin Reliability Plan.

ERCOT declined to discuss the project but shared information outlining the driving factors behind it: The further electrification of oil and gas processes in the Permian Basin and continued interest in connecting large loads (i.e., data centers, hydrogen and hydrogen-related manufacturing, crypto mining, and general electrification) to the ERCOT region.

LeeRoy Perez, CPS Energys vice president of transmission and distribution engineering and grid transformation, said its about meeting demand.

Theyve been projecting that loads can grow up to 150 gigawatts by 2031, he said. Building this infrastructure is going to really help ERCOT and us meet the transmission capability needed to support that load growth.

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But those in the Hill Country who could be most intimately impacted by the project are skeptical about who really benefits.

It seems to me what its really doing is just creating the opportunity for more companies to come in and use more electricity where the land is cheap, Flato said. I worry about that.

The natural beauty of Texas Hill Country could come under threat from the largest voltage line in the state if CPS and American Electric Power have their way. It will extend through 14 counties and could bring growth to a unique region where land is inexpensive. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News (4)

READ MORE: Microsoft buys 90 acres to expand its data center hub in San Antonio

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Amanda Griffin, a homeowner in Real Countys Camp Wood, said she attended one of four open houses hosted by CPS to inform communities about the project. She asked a question she said now sounds naive to her.

What do we need this power for? Griffin recalled asking the CPS attorney at the open house. His answers were two things: fracking companies are changing their pumps from gas power to electric power and data centers.

Though the term grid reliability is often heard in discussions of the project, Griffin said thats not the real intent.

Dont call it grid reliability when its really just for data centers, she said. Tell us the truth. Were not just dumb country folk out here. We know what weve got and its a treasure.

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Amanda Griffin stands at an overlook on Ranch to Market Road 337, which runs between Leakey and her home in Camp Wood, to gaze over the sprawling green hills of the Texas Hill Country on Tuesday morning, Sept. 23, 2025. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

We can preserve both

Gazing at the sprawling green hills casting shadows on each other on a recent sunny day, Griffin points down the winding road that leads to her home. She said its easy to imagine someone unfamiliar with such topography looking at the area on a map and seeing the abundance of undeveloped land as the perfect path for a transmission line.

But its more complicated than that, she said. Just imagining the development sparks deep concerns.

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Charles Watson, an ecologist and biology professor at Texas A&M University, understands why. The heavy equipment required to construct the transmission line, he said, would disturb and compact the soil and leave deep ruts. Its damage that may never be repaired, and that could lead to more flooding.

Its a really fragile area, Watson said. If you really disturb that, you can cause some significant issues with both that area of land but also the way that river or stream functions.

Clearing out vegetation for the project would create an open area that could change how animals like white-tailed deer move across the Hill Country, he said, but would also increase the risk of damaging erosion.

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With vegetation intact, fast-moving water coming off slopes can be slowed and absorbed into the water table. But if its cleared, the water moves quickly and takes soil with it, Watson said. Much of the landscape is limestone with only a thin layer of soil. It doesnt take much to strip away that layer, leaving a territory inhospitable to new growth.

Another major concern of residents like Griffin, who has paddled the Nueces River for 20 years, is the impact the project will have on rivers. Where there is disturbed land, Watson said, there is increased runoff. And anything that runs into Hill Country rivers is going to change the makeup of the water.

READ MORE: Texas buys land for new state park right next to Garner State Park

When you alter that, youre going to change the playing field for everything in that stream, he said.

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There are also economic concerns. The rivers and surrounding environment are the primary drivers of the tourism industry that fuels much of the Hill Countrys economy. Griffin is worried the transmission line project will transform a wilderness treasure  into just another industrial corridor.

Residents arent alone in deriding the project.

In an interview, U.S. Rep. Chip Roy called it an eyesore, noting that it poses a significant problem for landowners and others.

As much as he wants to support free enterprise, the free flow of capital and generation of power, the Republican lawmaker said that it appears the project is being planned without much thought to how it will affect the nature of the region.

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When God gives you something like the Hill Country, maybe think about preserving and protecting it, he said in an interview. Roy represents the Hill Country, South Austin and North San Antonio.

While he and others opposing the project know it will be built, theyre advocating for a less invasive path for the towering lines, one thats constructed near existing infrastructure like highways rather than across their rural land.

Its our belief that we can preserve both, Griffin said. We can preserve these treasures of natural spaces that still exist out here in the Hill Country and promote additional power generation. We dont have to ruin one to do the other.

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Amanda Griffin, a resident of Camp Wood, walks along an overlook on Ranch to Market Road 337 outside Leakey to gaze over the sprawling green hills of the Texas Hill Country on Tuesday morning, Sept. 23, 2025. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

Fears of fragmentation and devaluation

Smith describes herself as a conservationist at heart but a real estate broker by trade  and thats another reason she opposes current plans for the project.

In the 20 years shes been in the industry, she said, shes repeatedly seen the same reaction when showing a property that has a view of electric lines or cellphone towers: negative.

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People dont want to buy them and people dont want to live by them, Smith said.

In February, CPS plans to submit an application for the project to the Public Utility Commission, along with an environmental analysis. Once the commission approves the application and route, CPS will survey the entire route. Then it will start acquiring land  or taking it.

We will have to then go to the City Council and get our authorization to use eminent domain when we have to, Perez said, referring to the process governments can use to take private property for public use. Were hoping we dont have to. Theres a step in there where we negotiate with landowners.

Those whose property the transmission line will cross will have an opportunity to negotiate easements. Perez said an independent appraiser will help to establish fair market prices by comparing sales in a similar area.

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But Smith said that even those who merely live nearby will see their propertys market value diminished by the towering lines.

Once these lines are in existence, the value of your property is no longer what it used to be, she said.

In the Hill Country, much of the land has not been subdivided. Heritage ranches that have been in families for over 100 years are common, she said.

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Flato said the big transmission line puts that uniquely Texan culture at risk, as many owners will consider selling their land and historical ranches will shrink  leading to other negative impacts.

It means more and more wells needing to be built and drilled. It means more roads, he said. It means the decline of what is a really great natural resource.

Jada Jo Smith points out a fish to her 6-year-old daughter Viola as they stand beside the Sabinal River, which flows through their property near Utopia, on Tuesday morning, Sept. 23, 2025. Smith is a member of a new conservation group called the Hill Country Preservation Coalition, fighting against the proposed Howard-Solstice Transmission Line, which would bring a 765-kilovolt transmission line through the area. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News

Clockwise from left, Six-year-old Viola examines a small frog she found hopping around. A juvenile bass swims in the Sabinal River and Cyprus trees line the banks along their property near Utopia in the Texas Hill Country. Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News (3)

Not in my backyard, or my neighbors

Smith, Flato and Griffin all said they learned about the project by word of mouth.

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Since then, theyve been collaborating with grassroots organizations  like the Headwaters Alliance and Bandera Canyonlands Alliance  to create a new group: The Hill Country Preservation Coalition. In late September, more than 60 people gathered at 4 p.m. on a Monday at Lake|Flato, Flatos architecture office in San Antonio, to plan their fight.

Until Sept. 3, CPS was accepting responses via a questionnaire that inquired about factors like sensitive ecological factors and archeological sites. In a two-week mad dash prior to the deadline, Smith and members of her community called senior centers and libraries asking to host their own town meetings in Medina, Utopia, Rocksprings, Leakey and Camp Wood.

The coalition helped provide information to complete questionnaires, such as which counties have certain endangered species. They include the golden-cheeked warbler, a black and white bird with a strikingly bright yellow profile. The Hill Country is a breeding ground for the bird, which is on the endangered species list due to loss of habitat.

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Sign-in sheets recorded 376 people turned out for the meetings. CPS said it received a total of 1,200 questionnaires.

Perez explained that the map of proposed routes shows about 230 preliminary links that are being evaluated as a step toward choosing a final route. The hope is for the line to be built and energized in January 2031, a little more than five years from now.

Flato, who said he hopes to collaborate with CPS to find the best route, said the effort in the Hill Country has a different flavor than many land-use disputes. In many places, he said, when a map like one with the projects proposed routes is released, neighbors begin fighting to ensure that their own home is not impacted.

In this case, people are coming together, Flato said. Its bringing neighbors together with neighbors. Thats a beautiful thing.

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Smith agreed that for most folks in the Hill Country, the concern isnt just about their personal interests. Its about the region.

I dont want it in my backyard, she said. But I sure dont want it in my neighbors backyard either.
The Texas Senate is in the midst of a major transition.

There are currently two vacancies, and by the time the 2026 elections are complete, at least five of the 31 senators who served in this year's legislative session will have gone on to other roles or retirements. Five newcomers are expected to take their places by January 2027.

But wait, as they say in the infomercials, there's more. Two senators who arent up for election this cycle have announced plans to run for Texas attorney general. Another plans to run for Congress, and can do so without leaving the Senate. If one of the attorney general candidates and the congressional hopeful both win, that would mean seven freshmen senators next session  more if any of the incumbents on next year's ballot lose their bids for reelection.

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And those freshman would join a body that has welcomed seven new members since 2023. That would mean nearly half of the upper chamber would still be climbing the legislative learning curve.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks gavel rests on the dais in the empty Senate chamber at the Capitol in Austin, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, after the House and Senate adjourned Sine Die. Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman

For the past half-century, the Senate has been a fairly stable institution. Most sessions start with two or three freshmen, but rarely more than that.

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Who better to offer perspective on how the Texas Senate evolves than Patsy Spaw, who since 2001 has been the secretary of the Senate, which means she's the top of the Senate staff hierarchy. For 20 years before that, she was a management-level employee, a status she reached after a decade as a rank-and-file staffer in the chamber.

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Spaw, drawing on her half-century of institutional knowledge with help from researchers in the Texas Reference Library on the Capitol's second floor, was nice enough to compile a highlights reel of turnover trends in the Senate.

She found that the biggest freshman class in the modern era of Texas politics came in 1973, when 16 of the 31 members were new, driven by a voter throw the bums out mood after what became known as the Sharpstown stock fraud scandal  a web of self-dealing and financial misconduct involving several lawmakers and other elected officials. Half of the House membership also consisted of freshmen.

Looking back to 1876, when Reconstruction was ending and the current Texas Constitution was ratified, voters sent 27 wet-behind-the-ears senators to Austin.

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Both infusions of new blood pale in comparison with 1861, the year the Civil War began and Texas seceded from the Union. According to Spaws research, the Senate had 33 members that year, but 44 different individuals served in part because some supported the Confederacy and others the Union.

"Of those 44 senators who served in the 9th Legislature, 34 were new to the Senate  the most freshman senators in Texas history," Spaw said in an email. Fun fact: Spaw also edited "The Texas Senate," Volumes 1 and 2, which trace the history of the chamber from 1836, when Texas was an independent republic, through most of the rest of the 19th century.

The value, or lack thereof, of turnover in the legislative body depends on one's view of representative government. In Texas, much of how both the House and Senate operate is rooted in tradition. That's where rules of decorum, such as prohibitions on name-calling and personal attacks during floor debates, carry over from one session to the next. Legislating is also often a multi-year process, so institutional knowledge amassed by members can provide both roadmaps to success and speed bumps to excess.

On the other hand, the 1876 Constitution established a citizen legislature. That's why Texas lawmakers meet infrequently and for a limited number of days. The career politician was meant to be the exception, not the rule.

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Over the decades, the Texas model has evolved. To counterbalance the influx of newcomers, the Senate still includes veterans. Two of them, Laredo Democrat Judith Zaffirini and Dallas Democrat Royce West, began their careers in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively.

More than a generation ago, when Republicans were outnumbered in the Legislature and blamed the unwillingness of long-serving Democrats to stand aside, many candidates for the House and Senate made term limits a centerpiece of their campaigns.

By the mid-1990s, Republicans gained the majority in the Senate without the aid of term limits. By 2003, the House followed suit. And, as human nature would have it, many long-serving Republicans proved just as reluctant to end their political careers as their Democratic counterparts.

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One of those Republicans, Sen. J.E. "Buster" Brown of Lake Jackson, served 22 years before retiring in 2002. In the late 1990s, a reporter reminded him of his long-forgotten early-career pledge to enact term limits.
April Martinez holds Eudora, left, Curtis and Artemis while husband Shawnpail Fields holds Denahi. They were finally able to take home all four babies from St. David's North Austin Medical Center on Nov. 9. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman

April Martinez, 25, knew something was up when her uniform pants no longer fit and were causing her severe pain. She had started as a corrections officer in Bartlett in December and by the end of January, she was in pain. She knew she was pregnant and she and her husband Shawnpail Fields would be giving their 5-, 4- and 2-year-olds another sibling.

She went to the emergency room because the pain was intense and she thought maybe she had a cyst. There, the technician was doing the ultrasound for "a really long time," said Martinez. Person after person kept coming into the room and looking at the screen.

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Fields quadruplets Curtis, left, Artemis, Eudora and Denahi celebrate Artemis going home from the St. David's North Austin Medical Center on Nov. 9. The four babies were conceived naturally, and were a set of triplets and their fraternal twin. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman April Martinez holds her quadruplets, Eudora, left, Curtis, Artemis while husband Shawnpail Fields holds Denahi. They were finally able to take home all four babies from St. David's North Austin Medical Center on Nov. 9, 2025. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman April Martinez holds her quadruplets, Eudora, left, Curtis, Artemis and Denahi, while husband Shawnpail Fields makes sure no one falls. They were finally able to take home all four babies from St. David's North Austin Medical Center on Nov. 9, 2025. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman April Martinez holds her quadruplets, Eudora, left, Curtis, Artemis and Denahi, while husband Shawnpail Fields makes sure no one falls. They were finally able to take home all four babies from St. David's North Austin Medical Center on Nov. 9, 2025. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman The quadruplets turned heads as they headed out of the St. David's North Austin Medical center on Nov. 9. The babies were born on July 13. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman

"One of the nurses joked, 'what would you do if you are having multiples?'" Martinez said and her reaction was "quit playing with me."

The doctor there told her he had never told anyone this in his 20 years: "You are having four babies."

Martinez's reaction was "There's no way at all."

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But it was true.

Martinez was pregnant with a set of identical triplet boys and a fraternal twin daughter. She and Fields conceived these babies naturally.

"It's a 1 in a million pregnancy," said Dr. Jabir Singh, a maternal fetal medicine doctor at St. David's North Austin Medical Center, who took care of Martinez. "She's a rare bird."

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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/k-bJDJD_mcs

How do quadruplets happen?

This pregnancy was St. David's North Austin's only second set of quadruplets. The last set, five years ago, was conceived through fertility treatments, which makes the chances much more likely even if only one embryo was implanted, Singh said.

In Martinez's case, family history was at work. Both she and Fields have sets of twins and he has a set of triplets in their families.

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Singh explained that particularly maternal family history creates the higher chances of twins because the mom is the one that provides the egg's cellular structure and the increased chances of that egg splitting or the ovaries releasing more than one egg in one cycle.

The first thing Martinez and Fields did after hearing the news was tell their families and then buy an 11-passenger van.

April Martinez holds Artemis, the last quadruplet to go home from St. David's North Austin Medical Center. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman

Waiting for the babies

Singh began seeing Martinez in the first trimester and explained to her that she would need to be monitored and have her babies at St. David's North Austin instead of St. David's Georgetown, where she and her other children were born.

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St. David's North Austin's Women's Center of Texas has the maternal fetal medicine specialist as well as a level III neonatal intensive care unit, the second-highest level. It also had experience carrying for multiples.

She should not expect to go to full term with this pregnancy. With twins the chance of preterm delivery is 50%, with triplets 75%, and that risk continues to go up with each added baby, Singh said.

She was told she could expect to go on bed rest by 26 weeks and have the babies by 30 weeks.

Each ultrasound would take multiple hours and they tried to see each baby and track which baby was which.

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"It's just crowded in there," Singh explains. "They are sitting on top of each other. They create shadows and overlapping things."

Martinez continued to work through that first trimester and into the second trimester. She received bigger, more comfortable pants every few weeks, but at 4-foot-11, the pant legs swallowed her, and her mom would alter them.

Her boss had her doing work that didn't require a lot of movement, and the prisoners at the Bartlett Unit jail were protective and supportive of her. Every day, one of them would tell her "we're praying for you," or "that's a blessing" or "we're wishing you the best."

Shawnpail Fields snaps in the quadruplets into their car seats as the family gets ready to take all the babies home on Nov. 9. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman

This pregnancy, Martinez said, was not her hardest. She did have gestational diabetes but it was managed. She only gained 32 pounds. In other pregnancies, she had gained more than 50 pounds.

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By 24 weeks, she started having contractions every few minutes and ended up at St. David's North Austin's special emergency room for pregnant women.

She was admitted into the hospital, where she would stay until she gave birth.

"I stayed really positive the first two weeks," she said, but then "I was going through it. I was missing my babies (at home), I was missing my husband. I was sad and always hungry."

Her husband, who was taking care of the kids at home and working, brought a PlayStation to the hospital on one of his visits. She would play "Call of Duty" with her father every night.

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Her nurse navigator, Barbie McCartney, would visit regularly to help her work through what to expect and how she was feeling.

"She would always show up on the right day," Martinez said of McCartney.

While waiting for the babies being born, "we are there to watch them like a hawk," McCartney said of the medical team. "The babies come when they want."

Fields quadruplets Curtis, left, Artemis, Eudora and Denahi celebrate Artemis going home from the St. David's North Austin Medical Center on Nov. 9. The four babies were conceived naturally, and were a set of triplets and their fraternal twin. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman

Preparing for 4 babies at once

Behind the scenes, the team was getting ready, McCartney said. They were training for what four babies at one delivery would mean: A separate neonatology team and separate equipment for each baby and a team for Martinez and all of the Cesarean surgical equipment. That meant a specific operating room had to be used to fit all the people and equipment.

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The neonatology team also planned for how they would move other babies around or keep space open so the quadruplets could be in the same area.

The babies let the team and Martinez know when it was time. Artemis, one of the triplets, was not developing at the rate of his brothers and the blood flow in his cord was diminished. Martinez was told that "if he gets worse, we're not doing any good for him to stay," she said.

All the babies would have to be delivered. "We can't just deliver one," Singh said.

April Martinez checks on the quadruplets as she waits for her husband to pull up the 11-passenger van they bought for the family of nine. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman

On Artemis' time table

On July 13, Artemis let them know it was time. His cord blood flow had diminished to a level that wasn't safe. Martinez called Fields to come quickly, which meant dropping off the other kids at her mother's house and heading to the hospital 35 minutes away.

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As the doctors were setting up the teams and the equipment, "I was really nervous," Martinez said.

With each delivery, she could feel the doctors tug on her uterus to get each baby out.

"Every time I heard their little cry, I know they are good," she said.

They were born at 29 weeks and four days. Artemis, was 2 pounds 1 ounce; Denahi 3 pounds 1 ounce; Curtis 3 pounds 2 ounces; and Eudora, who surprised them all because they thought she was a boy, was 2 pounds 13 ounces.

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The babies were little because of their prematurity and needed to be on CPAP machines to help with their breathing initially. They also had some jaundice.

Soon they were breathing on their own and growing.

Even after the quadruplets were born, Martinez was still shocked.

"Quadruplets don't happen to regular people. That happens on TLC," she said.

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It took seeing them all lined up after they were born to understand it was four babies for sure.

Curtis and Denahi were able to come home Aug. 28. Eudora came home Aug. 29.

Artemis still needed help with feedings, but in October, they tried a new formula, and he was able to come home Nov. 9.

Making it work at home

Now that Artemis is home, they expect their lives will actually get easier. Before that, the couple was taking shifts to come see Artemis while taking care of the children at home and working.

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Artemis Fields was the last quadruplet to go home on Nov. 9. The babies were born July 13, but Artemis needed more time to learn how to eat on his own. Nicole Villalpando/American-Statesman

Because Martinez was new to her job, she returned to work three weeks after they were born, and works nights to trade off care with Fields.

"It's going to be hard for a while," she said. "But we make it through the day. We have our shifts."

Fields was able to take paternity leave until Nov. 3 from his job in Georgetown.

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McCartney continues to check in on them. "They are amazing people," she said. "They love each other very much. They have made it work."

The babies each have their own personality. Curtis likes to sleep, but when he's up, he's mad until he eats. Denahi likes to be awake and see what's going on. His cry is much smaller.

Eudora has a cute cry like a little goat, Martinez said. She's very alert, but if she wakes up crying, the boys will get up. "That's bossy lady," Martinez said. "She's got them watching out for her."

Artemis loves to be held and has a more dynamic cry like Curtis and makes sure you hear him.

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The triplets look alike and are sometimes hard to tell apart if they are not together, Martinez said, but Curtis has chubby cheeks and is more bald. Artemis is smaller and Denahi is in the middle.

Martinez has tried painting the boys toenails different colors to tell them apart. If Artemis catches up in weight as he's expected to do, it will be even harder to tell by sight.

Eudora, being the fraternal twin to her triplet brothers, does look a bit different. She looks more like the Fields side of the family and the boys look like the Martinez side, Martinez said.

With seven children, the family is complete, Martinez said, and she has had her tubes tied.

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The older kids help with the babies at home. Wynter, 5, "is a mini mom. She helps wrangle the wild ones  4-year-old Evangeline and 2-year-old Koda, Martinez said.

Koda "just wants to love on them," Martinez said, and Evangeline wants to be in their face and give them toys.

"It's really good," Martinez said of her family.

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Artist Armin Alaniz finishes a new mural last year at Martin Middle School, one of 10 campuses the Austin ISD school board will vote on closing. Closing those campuses would move students to neighboring schools with a higher rating, where the district could pump more resources into raising student performance. Jay Janner/American-Statesman

Editor's note: Austin ISD updated its proposal late Friday, including additional changes to the dual language programs that would shift to new schools. Find the latest news coverage here.

For decades  amid declining student enrollment and deficient state funding  the Austin Independent School District avoided the most difficult decisions.

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Closing campuses and redrawing attendance zones was plainly, numerically necessary, given the thousands of empty seats spread across Austin schools. Yet such a systemwide reset was politically impossible, given families well-earned affection for their neighborhood schools and district officials reluctance to reshuffle them.

The scars remain from one attempt to right-size the district: the 2019 vote to close four elementary campuses, which disproportionately heaped the pain on lower-income communities of color in East Austin in what Austin ISDs then-equity officer called a map of what 21st century racism looks like.

Now facing a $19.7 million deficit, more than 22,000 open seats and the threat of a state takeover if Austin ISD fails to boost underperforming schools, the school board faces a crucial decision: a vote on Thursday to close 10 schools across Austin and redirect dual-language and Montessori programs to other campuses, starting in the 202627 school year. Doing so would save an estimated $22.1 million a year.

It is the first step in a comprehensive process that is long overdue. We urge Austin ISD trustees to proceed.

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We recognize the loss these campuses represent to the families that cherish them  and to the teachers devoted to nurturing young minds, the PTA volunteers who rally to support their schools, and the parents who treasure having a campus close to home. Schools embody the heart of a community. They are gathering spaces of learning and wonder, connection and support, not only for students but for everyone in their household.

Austin ISD owes it to those families, and to all taxpayers, to maximize the resources that bolster schools and their communities. Instead, as Austin lost thousands of families over the years to charter schools and more affordable suburbs, and as state lawmakers repeatedly stiffed districts on the funding required to educate tomorrows workforce, fewer students have become spread across more campuses.

The gap has become unsustainable. And Austin is hardly alone: Districts from Bexar County to North Texas have consolidated campuses in recent years, confronted with the inescapable math of declining enrollment and stagnant funding.

Today Austin has about 70,000 students across 116 campuses. Three decades ago, Austin had about 73,000 students across 96 campuses. In the intervening years, the district added schools as the population grew  then failed to scale down as enrollment did.

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Austin ISD cannot afford to spread its resources so thin  not when a dozen schools face turnaround plans for failing to meet state performance standards. Those students need better opportunities and investment. And the district needs to show improvement in order to prevent the Texas Education Agency from taking over the district  a scenario that would place operations in the hands of state officials, not a locally elected school board invested in Austin values.

Seven of the 10 schools coming before the board Thursday  Barrington, Dawson, Oak Springs and Widen elementaries; Winn Montessori; and Bedichek and Martin middle schools  face turnaround plans. Closing those campuses would redirect the students and their turnaround plans to neighboring schools with a higher rating, where the district could pump more resources into raising student performance.

The proposal would also relocate four dual-language programs to campuses that would serve more emerging English speakers, a more equitable deployment of these valuable programs. And unlike 2019, this proposed slate of closures is spread across the district.

All told, the proposed changes would move 3,796 students and eliminate 6,319 vacant seats  a meaningful start in better matching resources to needs.

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Austin ISD must handle these transitions with care, providing robust communication, engaging families in the planning and providing opportunities for new school communities to knit themselves together. While studies have found potentially negative academic impacts on students shifted from one school to another, experts have also found those impacts can be overcome if the new school is substantially higher performing  making it imperative for Austin ISD to infuse the receiving schools with the highest level of support for student success.

To be sure, there is more work to do. Superintendent Matias Segura abruptly postponed a decision on the closures of three other schools  Bryker Woods, Maplewood and Palm elementaries  and a tangle of other attendance zone changes after he became concerned that some of the community feedback wasnt getting the vetting it deserved. Two administrators were placed on leave while the district reviews the problem.

This is hard enough, Segura told our Editorial Board this past week. I need to make sure  because these are 50-year decisions  that nothings left on the table. And so the directive throughout the entire process has been we incorporate the communitys voice, we analyze, we evaluate, and if theres a way to improve our plan, were going to do it.

Segura expects to bring these additional closures and boundary changes to the school board in the spring, for changes that would go into effect for the 202728 school year.

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We recognize some voters who last year supported a substantial property tax hike for Austin schools are now questioning that investment, given the plans now to close so many schools. Those events are not at odds. Voters dedicated more funding to public education, and now the district aims to maximize those dollars by spending less on empty seats and underenrolled campuses. Both represent responsible decisions.

As weve noted, the Legislature has done more to exacerbate Austin ISD's fiscal strain than alleviate it. After failing to adjust the basic student allotment for six years, lawmakers added just $55 per student this year  a pittance compared with the $1 billion poured into a new voucher program.

That leaves Austin ISD in a familiar place: facing the prospect of painful choices. But this time the district has a superintendent willing to tackle the difficult but necessary work of rebalancing its schools and students. Now its up to the school board to match that resolve and deliver the improved investment Austin ISD families deserve.

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Military personnel in uniform, with the Texas National Guard patch on, are seen at the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, in Elwood, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley) Erin Hooley/Associated Press Members of the Texas National Guard assemble in Elwood, Illinois, at the Army Reserve Training Center in the southwest suburb of Chicago, on Tuesday, Oct. 7. 2025. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/TNS) Brian Cassella/TNS

Texas National Guard troops will soon head home from the Chicago area, weeks after President Donald Trump ordered them there to guard an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, a U.S. defense official told Hearst.

The official said the 200 Texas National Guard troops in Illinois would begin their departure in the coming days, but did not specify an exact timeframe. The Pentagon is also withdrawing 200 California National Guard troops from Portland, Ore., where they were similarly sent to quell protests outside of an ICE building.

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In the Chicago area, federalized Texas soldiers have spent the past month in training after federal courts blocked them from deploying to the streets, and a lawsuit Illinois filed over the mission is now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Another 200 National Guard members have remained in limbo in Texas since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called them up in early October.

While the legal challenge plays out, the Pentagon will keep 200 Texas National Guard soldiers on standby in their home state for future federal protection needs, including guarding ICE facilities, the defense official said.

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The U.S. Northern Command, which is overseeing the mission, said in a statement that under the direction of the Pentagon, the Department will be shifting and/or rightsizing our Title 10 footprint in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago to ensure a constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city. Officials with the command, the White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to Hearsts request for confirmation that Texas troops would withdraw.

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Our work to protect federal functions, personnel, and property remains a top priority  each and every day, the Northern Command wrote in a statement posted to X on Thursday. We are prepared to commit as many troops as needed, for as long as needed, to support our law enforcement partners in cities across the country.

CNN first reported that the troops would be withdrawing, and the New York Times confirmed the report.

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The combined deployment of Texas and Illinois soldiers has likely cost the federal government between $4.3 million and $6.2 million in total for the past month, per a Hearst analysis of military pay and per diem meal reimbursements. By the 60-day mark, the missions cost would have doubled to at least $8.5 million, or around $12.5 million if the soldiers are being housed in the relatively pricey Chicago area.
Presbyterian Blue Hose (3-2) at Sacramento State Hornets (2-2)

Sacramento, California; Sunday, 4 p.m. EST

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Hornets -4.5; over/under is 153.5

BOTTOM LINE: Sacramento State hosts Presbyterian after Jeremiah Cherry scored 22 points in Sacramento States 77-73 loss to the UC Davis Aggies.

Sacramento State finished 7-25 overall with a 5-11 record at home during the 2024-25 season. The Hornets averaged 5.9 steals, 3.0 blocks and 12.8 turnovers per game last season.

The Blue Hose are 1-1 in road games. Presbyterian is 1-2 in games decided by 10 or more points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

By The Associated Press
KATHMANDU, Nov 16: Nepal and Australia celebrated 65 years of diplomatic relations at a special reception hosted by the Australian Embassy in Kathmandu, highlighting a partnership that has steadily expanded across education, development, trade, and cultural exchange.

Addressing the function organized on Saturday, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sushila Karki, who attended the commemorative event as the chief guest, praised the enduring friendship between the two nations and their shared commitment to democratic values and inclusive development.

Related story German Unity Day and 66 years of Nepal-Germany diplomatic relat...

Over more than six decades, our partnership has grown to cover key areas like education, trade, development and culture. Nepal truly values Australias friendship, its continued development assistance and its principled support to our democratic and inclusive transformation, she said.

A key highlight of the celebration was the launch of 65 Years Together, a souvenir book published by the Association of Nepalese Alumni from Australia. The publication traces the evolution of bilateral ties and underscores the depth and diversity of people-to-people connectionsparticularly through Nepali students, professionals, and communities who have made Australia their second home.

Diplomatic relations between Nepal and Australia were formally established in 1960. Since then, the Nepali diaspora in Australia has grown rapidly, becoming one of the countrys most vibrant migrant communities. Nepalis contribute actively to Australias multicultural society while maintaining strong social, cultural, and economic linkages with Nepal.

Officials noted that cooperation between the two countries continues to deepen not only at the bilateral level but also through regional and multilateral platforms, including the United Nations. Both nations work closely on shared priorities such as climate action, sustainable development, gender equality, and peacekeeping, reflecting a mutual commitment to global peace and prosperity.

With expanding people-to-people connections, respect for each others sovereignty, and a shared commitment to democratic principles, the AustraliaNepal partnership stands poised for even greater collaboration in the years ahead.
The U.S. Navys Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, including the flagship USS Gerald R. Ford, left, USS Winston S. Churchill, front, USS Mahan, back, USS Bainbridge, and embarked Carrier Air Wing Eight F/A-18E/F Super Hornets assigned to Strike Fighter Squadrons 31, 37, 87, and 213 on Nov. 13, 2025. (Tajh Payne/U.S. Navy)



The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group transited the Anegada Passage and entered the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, according to a service news release.

The strike group will join U.S. forces already operating in the region  including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine expeditionary unit  as part of Joint Task Force Southern Spear.

It will be the largest U.S. military presence in the Caribbean in decades, with nearly 20% of the Navys deployed warships in the region, according to Stars and Stripes analysis of data from the USNI News fleet tracker.

Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region, Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said in the release. Holsey announced in October he would retire by the end of 2025, less than a year into his tenure.

The U.S. Navys Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, including the flagship USS Gerald R. Ford, front, USS Winston S. Churchill, right, USS Mahan, left, USS Bainbridge, and embarked Carrier Air Wing Eight F/A-18E/F Super Hornets assigned to Strike Fighter Squadrons 31, 37, 87, and 213 on Nov. 13, 2025. (Gladjimi Balisage/U.S. Navy)



Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month ordered the strike group to U.S. Southern Command to bolster U.S. efforts there to disrupt drug trafficking and degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organizations.

On Friday, President Donald Trump said he has decided on his next steps toward Venezuela, signaling that the U.S. may take new military action as it increases its forces in the Caribbean, the Miami Herald reported.

The Washington Post reported that Trump had met with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon officials on Friday to discuss options to advance the administrations strategy against Venezuela, whose leadership U.S. officials increasingly accuse of turning the country into a narco-state.

The carrier strike group departed for deployment from Naval Station Norfolk, Va., in June, with eight warships, P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones, an F-35 fighter squadron and more than 6,000 sailors and Marines.

Alongside Gerald R. Ford, the carrier strike group includes the nine embarked squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Eight, Destroyer Squadron Twos Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan and the integrated air and missile defense command ship USS Winston S. Churchill.
(Monte Morin/Stars and Stripes)



Ghazni province, Afghanistan, June 2007: Soldiers with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division sweep for mines on a dirt road in Afghanistans Ghazni Province.

Roughly four months into their deployment in Afghanistans eastern Ghazni province, troops with the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment are finding that the weapon of choice among Taliban insurgents there is the anti-tank mine.

Read the story of Company D here.
USS Gerald R. Ford transits the Strait of Gibraltar on Nov. 4, 2025, as it leaves the Mediterranean Sea on its way to the Caribbean. (Triniti Lersch/U.S. Navy)



(Tribune News Service)  President Donald Trump said Friday night he has already decided on his next steps toward Venezuela, offering his clearest indication yet that Washington is preparing new military actions against Nicolas Maduros government as the United States dramatically expands its presence in the Caribbean.

I sort of made up my mind, Trump told reporters when pressed about recent high-level meetings on Venezuela within his administration and the deployment of U.S. forces near the countrys shores. Speaking briefly as he walked toward Air Force One before departing Washington for a weekend trip to Florida, the president declined to elaborate. I cant say what it will be, he added.

Trumps comments  captured in an audio recording by a reporter traveling with the press pool  came less than an hour after The Washington Post reported that he had met with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon officials on Friday. According to the paper, the discussions focused on a series of options to advance the administrations strategy against Venezuela, whose leadership U.S. officials increasingly accuse of turning the country into a narco-state.

Those accusations escalated in August, when U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled the reward for Maduros capture to $50 million, calling him one of the worlds biggest drug traffickers and alleging he leads the regime-led Soles drug cartel. Bondi cited alleged collaboration between Maduro and criminal groups, including Venezuelas Tren de Aragua, Mexicos Sinaloa cartel, and other transnational networks.

A senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously to The Post, said the American forces already positioned in the Caribbean are awaiting orders to strike and respond to new operations. The official said Trump prefers to maintain strategic ambiguity, withholding clear signals about timing or targets to keep adversaries off balance.

Concerns about a looming escalation intensified Friday after Doral-based U.S. Southern Command posted a video on X showing the destruction of another vessel in the Caribbean, saying four alleged drug traffickers on board had been killed. Since Thursday, the administration has begun referring to the mission as Operation Southern Spear  a campaign Hegseth says is designed to block narcotics shipments bound for the United States.

Even ahead of the announcement, the U.S. Navy had already surged unprecedented firepower into the region. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the worlds largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, entered SOUTHCOMs area of responsibility this week, expanding what officials describe as the largest U.S. military presence in the Caribbean in decades.

Under Operation Southern Spear, an estimated 15,000 to 16,000 personnel are now operating near Venezuela. Washington describes the mobilization as part of a counter-narcotics effort, while Caracas denounces it as a prelude to regime change and has triggered a nationwide military mobilization in response.

At the center of the buildup is the Ford Carrier Strike Group, which arrived Tuesday. The nuclear-powered carrier  capable of launching more than 75 aircraft  is usually escorted by seven Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, including the USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, USS Winston S. Churchill, and USS Gravely. The deployment also includes two guided-missile cruisers.

A major amphibious force is also in place. The USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale are carrying roughly 4,500 Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, along with helicopters, Osprey tilt-rotors and landing craft. Live-fire drills near the Venezuelan coast and the presence of the fast-attack submarine USS Newport News further underscore U.S. readiness. Additional assets include Coast Guard cutters, F-35Bs, MQ-9 Reapers, CH-53 helicopters, and P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft operating from Puerto Rico. A special-operations support vessel, the MV Ocean Trader, is providing logistics and covert-insertion capabilities.

The escalation follows more than 20 U.S. strikes on suspected drug-running boats since September, which have reportedly caused about 80 deaths, including alleged civilian casualties. Although Trump has not authorized land strikes, options under review reportedly include attacks on ports and airstrips tied to trafficking networks.

Venezuela has activated more than 200,000 troops and militia members under Plan Independencia 200, reinforcing coastal air defenses  possibly including Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile systems  and hardening strategic sites. With U.S. naval forces operating ever closer to Venezuelan waters, analysts warn the risk of miscalculation is rising.

While the deployments are officially framed as part of an anti-narcotics mission, they coincide with growing tensions with Caracas, which is scrambling to reinforce its Russian- and Iranian-backed air defense network amid speculation that U.S. forces may strike targets inside the country.

In recent days, multiple news outlets, including the Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal, have reported that the administration has identified several Venezuelan military facilities allegedly linked to drug trafficking as potential targets. Regional diplomats quoted in those stories have described the expanding U.S. flotilla as an armada, warning that the buildup has raised alarm across Latin America.

Inside Venezuela, the arrival of the Ford has heightened public anxiety. Many residents view the deployment of the carrier  rarely used in counter-drug missions  as a symbolic threshold that could signal the next phase of Trumps pressure campaign. With U.S. officials suggesting orders could come at any moment, uncertainty is deepening in Caracas and among Venezuelas neighbors, who are watching closely to see whether Washingtons posture shifts from deterrence to action.

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It was a tragedy that shocked the world. Six people, most of whom were young and on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, lost their lives in a mass methanol poisoning in the notorious Laos party town of Vang Vieng.

Two of the victims were Australian. Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones were just 19 years old when they died after consuming tainted spirits in a hostel bar. To this date, no one has been held accountable for their deaths.

The tragedy in November, 2024 became a pivotal moment for those who have been desperate to raise awareness of methanol poisoning across parts of Asia. Twelve months on, relentless campaigner Colin Ahearn told Yahoo News Australia it would be hard to find anyone who was now oblivious to the threat, but he says it shouldn't take a mass casualty incident to have reached this point.

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Since the deaths, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has committed to improving awareness through a range of campaigns targeting young travellers, including messaging at airports and added material to its Smartraveller site.

Bianca Jones (left) and Holly Bowles (right). Source: Herald Sun

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said her department will now ramp up efforts to warn Australians ahead of Schoolies later this month. Senator Wong said the deaths of Jones and Bowles are a "heartbreaking reminder of the dangers young people face travelling abroad".

It's the first time Ahearn, who has been raising awareness about methanol poisoning on Facebook for more than a decade, says he's seen any meaningful contribution from the government. But he says much more needs to be done.

"I am about the only actual human you can get hold of and talk to when s*** hits the fan and you need help fast," he told Yahoo. "Whilst the government has certainly made attempts to reach and educate people, their efforts to actually effectively help people when it's crisis time still falls way short.

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"When people suspect they have methanol poisoning and don't know where to turn, that's when they generally find me online."

It's important to note Ahearn does not hold any medical qualifications, but he has helped guide dozens of people on what steps to take in suspected methanol poisoning cases, often proving to be life-saving advice when people are in a foreign country with limited knowledge of local languages and processes.

New signage displayed in Aussie airports' toilets about the risks of methanol poisoning. Source: Yahoo News Australia

Schoolies reminded of dangers one year after tragedy

With schoolies just weeks away, Ahearn is gearing himself up to be on call for any young Australians who need him once more, with a wave of teens set to head over to Bali at the end of the month.

His message remains the same as previous years. "Don't leave your brain on the plane."

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The easiest way to avoid drinking laced spirits is by ditching free-poured drinks altogether. Ahearn's biggest piece of advice, as his Just Don't Drink Spirits in Bali Facebook page suggests, is to buy other alcoholic drinks like pre-mixed bottles, beer and wine, or buy your spirits in duty-free before arriving.

"If you do this, you're giving yourself the best chance of getting home safely to your family," he said.

Ahearn is well aware of the excitement of heading abroad as a young person, calling the annual Schoolies trips a "time to shine" for many. Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlethwaite recognised such trips as "a rite of passage". But both argue Australians need to have their wits about them to ensure they remain safe, which includes familiarising themselves with all they need to know about methanol.

Bali is full of young tourists, but some aren't fully aware of the dangers of methanol. Source: Getty, file.

What is methanol?

Methanol is odourless and tasteless and people can often mistake its effects with the consumption of alcohol, according to the World Health Organisation. It is a byproduct of the distillation process, and is often left in bootleg liquor to save on costs, or isn't properly removed.

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With its consumption alongside ethanol, there is a delay in metabolism resulting in a delay in the onset of toxicity for many hours.

Symptoms include drowsiness and victims may become unsteady and disinhibited.

As time passes, those affected may suffer headaches, as well as vomiting and shortness of breath. In the worst cases, methanol poisoning can cause blindness and death from respiratory arrest. While reported poisoning cases are rare, it can take just 25ml of methanol to kill someone.

Methanol survivor Bethany Clarke campaigns for more education

Someone who has experienced some of those symptoms is Bethany Clarke. The British woman, who lives in Brisbane, is one of the survivors who was poisoned in the Laos tragedy. Her best friend, lawyer Simone White wasn't as lucky, and was one of the six victims.

Bethany Clarke (left) survived the Laos methanol tragedy. However her best friend Simone White (right) didn't. Source: Supplied

Living in Australia, Clarke has been able to see firsthand how the government has responded.

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"DFAT have been very proactive in their messaging surrounding methanol poisoning," she told Yahoo.

"They've been working with the families and have had a meeting with myself to assure me that they are investing heavily in their campaign to prevent further poisoning."

Clarke has also been encouraged by the responses she's received at state level when proposing awareness campaigns could be integrated into school curricula, while Senator Wong said schools and universities will have access to new educational material. Clarke has received more than 24,000 signatures supporting the idea across Australia and the UK.

But for Ahearn, Australians should not be counting on the government to assist when an emergency methanol scenario occurs.

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"The best way to drink and stay safe in Bali is to look after yourself with safe choices, not to rely on the government to be there for you," he said.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
The Indian government has simplified its rail freight corridor access for Biratnagar and Bhairahawa, giving Nepali exporters and importers an opportunity to reduce freight transportation charges and improve the trade timeline. Nepal will now be able to transport all types of bulk goods over the rail link of Jogbani and Biratnagar, and they will also get similar access over the Nautanwa and Sunauli route for transporting goods from Bhairahawa. The new understanding is significant for Nepal, as earlier it was allowed only to transport limited types of bulk goods by Biratnagar, which may sometimes compel businessmen to go for longer routes as well as longer transportation lengths. With the new agreement in place, Nepali businessmen importing or exporting goods through India can gain faster and less costly transportation facilities from both the ports of Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. The transportation system in Nepal is always accompanied by complex layers that have increased transportation costs severalfold. The seaports are distant, and land transportation within India is longer. Nepali exporters and importers have been forced to use trucks to ferry goods to railway stations situated far from Bhairahawa, Biratnagar, Birgunj and other cities. The transportation of goods through roads is still slow, costly, and full of uncertainties at border control posts. Trains will reduce fuel costs, damages, and the process of continual reloading. Nepals businessmen will now have a route through Indias wide rail networks to Biratnagar and Bhairahawa.

Related story Cooperation for trade

To benefit from this initiative, Nepals exporters need to be ready well in advance. As exports and imports of a high bulk of goods will help reduce freight rates, they must be ready to increase the volume of goods to be transported. Obstacles related to capacity, availability of material, and processing of paperwork have been a pain for Nepali exporters. Planning and attention to detail on the part of both factories and rail companies are required to make optimal use of the more affordable train routes for Nepali goods. Meanwhile, the Nepali side requires improved logistics, which can be gained by improving the status of dry ports in Biratnagar and Bhairahawa. Increasing storage capacity and improving the handling of containers are essential. Customs clearance must be speedy because it will help build confidence among businesspeople because they are more concerned about their goods being held up at ports. Equally essential are the clarity on the schedule of the freight trains and regular communication with the India side.

The reduction in transportation cost will offer an opportunity to promote goods that are already in demand in other parts of South Asia and elsewhere. But to convert this into an actual export boom, there is a need for collaboration on improving quality and certification assistance. Given the fact that many exporters are still struggling with Indian standards, Nepal should push more for faster certification by India. In Nepals case, as it is experiencing an increasing trade deficit, any measure of reduced transportation cost is valuable. After India agreed to easy access to rail freight, it might have appeared small, but this has indeed given Nepal the opportunity to secure more routes and allow Nepals exporters to gain a competitive advantage by cutting ferrying costs. To seize this opportunity for achieving larger benefits in due course, Nepal needs to carry out diligent planning at home and reform its trade fundamentals.
Individuals named Aala typically exhibit a remarkable balance of strength and sensitivity, embodying the name's core meaning of 'she who hunts and heals.' They often possess keen observational skills and strategic thinking, allowing them to 'hunt' for solutions, opportunities, and truths with precision and determination. This hunting aspect manifests as goal-oriented behavior, resilience in facing challenges, and the ability to protect what they value.



Simultaneously, their healing nature makes them deeply empathetic, intuitive caregivers who can mend emotional wounds and foster growth in others. Aalas are often drawn to professions that allow them to solve complex problems while making a positive impact on people's lives. They tend to be natural leaders who can both make tough decisions and provide compassionate support, creating environments where people feel both challenged to grow and safe to be vulnerable. This unique combination makes them particularly effective in crisis situations where both decisive action and emotional intelligence are required.
H. C. / P. T. / D. D. Huelva / Seville/ Cordoba Sunday, 16 November 2025, 10:14 | Updated 10:49h. Share

Storm Claudia, which has caused more than 620 incidents in the Andalucia region since Thursday, hit the province of Huelva the hardest yesterday, causing the Junta to activate operational situation 1 of the Flood Risk Plan (PERI). The Minister of Health, Presidency and Emergencies, Antonio Sanz, gave the order after half past five in the afternoon, as reported through the 112 Andalucia emergency service's account on the social media network X.

Activada la fase de emergencia en situacion operativa 1 en Huelva tras las incidencias de la borrasca 'Claudia' https://t.co/85WUzOfo5h pic.twitter.com/dm7w9S0ZIv  Europa Press (@europapress) November 15, 2025

While this alert is active, caution is recommended and not to travel unless necessary.

The Junta explained on X that "operational situation 1 refers to emergencies that can be controlled through the use of ordinary means and resources available within the regional government of Andalucia or with occasional support from resources whose mobilisation requires specific coordination by the central bodies of the national civil protection system".

La alerta se extiende por la huella de 'Claudia': la borrasca amenaza con un fin de semana complicado en Andalucia



La actualidad del dia con @cfranganillo > https://t.co/HLydyHqOSQ pic.twitter.com/hi8R9DtPZs  Informativos Telecinco (@informativost5) November 14, 2025

It was after the storm had hit Nerva with particular virulence, where a waterspout caused the Santa Maria ravine to overflow. Although the rapid action of the emergency services and local residents prevented major damage, the event brought to mind the serious flooding suffered in the municipality in 2019.

Zoom One of the local shops in Nerva flooded by an overflowing ravine. EFE

The incident happened in the early afternoon when the Santa Maria ravine, which crosses the municipality underground, was already accumulating a large amount of water at its headwaters. The heavy downpour dragged trunks, branches and other plant debris that have been clogging small bridges and dams along the riverbed, until it finally collapsed, causing the overflow at the height of the Pozo Bebe neighbourhood, in the northern part of the town.

Immediately, streams of water formed and ran through several streets of the town. The Local Police and the town council's works services reacted quickly, opening channels and manholes to facilitate the evacuation of the water, with the cooperation of the residents themselves. Thanks to this rapid response, the damage was limited.

The storm cuts the road to El Castillo de las Guardas

The same emergency warning also affected the province of Seville, which yesterday experienced some complicated moments. The heavy rains caused the collapse of part of the main road near El Castillo de las Guardas with a vertical drop of several metres that split the road in two. Guardia Civil officers and road maintenance workers were quickly on the scene after a vehicle carrying four occupants fell into it, cordoning off the area and diverting traffic. The four people were treated by medical professionals, but their condition after the incident has not been released.

 Las lluvias en Sevilla han provocado un espectacular socavon en la A-476 que une El Castillo de las Guardas con El Garrobo. El hundimiento de la carretera ha supuesto la caida de un coche con cuatro heridos.



Mas en https://t.co/bSKgLQK0Sl#Sevilla #Lluvias #Socavon pic.twitter.com/YZ1QynwTPV  101TV Sevilla (@101TVSevilla) November 15, 2025

Small tornadoes in Cordoba

In the province of Cordoba, up to 60mm were recorded, which flooded some roads, although without damage. In addition to significant rainfall, the extreme atmospheric instability of storm Claudia caused unusual phenomena in this area, such as small tornadoes and "tubas", which were seen in several parts of the province, including Pedro Abad and La Carlota.

 La borrasca Claudia provoca fenomenos poco comunes en Cordoba, como pequenos tornados o tubas, avistados en localidades como Pedro Abad y La Carlota, ademas de lluvias intensas que afectan a la provincia.



https://t.co/VsTFi3V49I pic.twitter.com/OPG8SIxU7U  ABC Cordoba (@abccordoba) November 15, 2025

Tubas are small vortices of air that develop within thunderstorm clouds. Although they are usually smaller than tornadoes, they can be equally dangerous. They occur when rising air in a thunderstorm begins to spin due to a change in wind direction or speed. If this spinning intensifies, a tuba can form, in some cases touching the ground.

The state meteorological agency (Aemet) maintained the yellow warning active in the countryside, Sierra and Pedroches, and Subbetica areas for heavy rainfall (up to 40mm may accumulate in some areas) and winds with gusts that could reach up to 70 kilometres per hour.
Don't put your umbrellas just yet. The forecast suggests that they will continue to be necessary this Sunday in Malaga province. Storm Claudia is expected to deliver its last blows in the the Andalucia region, but without any weather alerts in force since the yellow warning for rain and storms activated by Spain's state meteorological Agency (Aemet) ended earlier this morning.

In the last 12 hours, according to the Hidrosur data, collected by the Junta de Andalucia regional government, the highest accumulated rainfall has been recorded in Alfarnate (29.3mm), Colmenar (22.6), Rio Benamargosa (21.8), Ojen (20.6), Santo Pitar in the Montes de Malaga (19.2) and Alcaucin (18.6mm).

At four o'clock this morning the warning for heavy rainfall was deactivated, however the state agency's forecast points to a still unstable day with possible showers - weaker and sporadic - that could fall throughout the day. In the case of the capital of the Costa del Sol, Aemet raises the probability of rain to 65% between 12 noon and 6pm. From the early evening onwards, this possibility drops to 30% except in municipalities on the western coast such as Marbella, Estepona and Manilva and in inland areas such as Ronda, where it could continue to fall throughout the night, with a probability of between 75 and 100%.

Meanwhile, minimum temperatures will drop slightly, while maximum temperatures will rise on the coast and remain unchanged inland. In the capital, the thermometer will range from an expected minimum of 15C to a maximum of 21C. Winds will blow lightly from the west, occasionally moderate.

Andalucia will enjoy a relative calm at the end of an intense week full of rain, with no active warnings in any province this Sunday. Storm Claudia has already left more than 900 incidents in the region since the heavy rains began. However, Aemet forecasts cloudy to overcast skies in the region this 16 November, with some showers that may be accompanied by thunderstorms.

Storm Claudia will have its last moments on Monday, and from then on the cold weather will arrive

According to Europa Press sources, minimum temperatures will fall, as will maximum temperatures in the interior of the eastern third of the region, although the latter will rise slightly or remain unchanged in the rest of the areas. In addition, there will be light to moderate westerly winds, which will increase to strong on the eastern Mediterranean coast.

Cooler

The last remnants of storm Claudia will be on Monday, while from Tuesday onwards the maximum and, above all, the minimum temperatures will drop. According to local weather expert Jose Luis Escudero in his SUR blog Tormentas y Rayos , the cold will be more pronounced in Malaga on Wednesday, and will remain so until the weekend. In fact, he points out that on Thursday and Friday "maximum temperatures will be below average in Malaga city, and minimum temperatures will also be below average". Furthermore, in the interior of the province, next Friday and Saturday could see the first frosts of autumn.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Law enforcement agencies across Onondaga County will increase DWI patrols through the holiday season, officials announced Saturday during the 42nd annual Donald H. Barrett Lights On Caravan.

The increased enforcement will run from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 and again from Dec. 13 to Jan. 1 as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

Officials said the added patrols are meant to curb impaired driving during one of the highest-risk times of the year, according to the Onondaga County Traffic Safety Advisory Board.

The morning began at 10:30 a.m. with first responders, police and fire crews driving through the city and county streets with their lights on to honor victims of impaired driving.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh signed a joint proclamation declaring December 2025 Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month in both the city and county.

Officials pointed to recent data showing impaired driving remains a serious public safety threat.

In 2023, New York states five-year average for alcohol-impaired driving deaths rose to 288. Locally, agencies in Onondaga County made more than 9,200 adult arrests last year. Nationally, drivers ages 21 to 24 made up the largest share of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes, the advisory board said.

Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile urged people to plan a safe ride home, use the states Have A Plan mobile app, or step in when someone shouldnt be driving.

Members of Don Barretts family also spoke, honoring Barretts legacy and the lives remembered through the annual event. Barrett, of Baldwinsville, was a victim advocate after his son was killed by a drunk driver in 1984. He passed away at the age of 80 but devoted his life to assisting crime victims, founding A.V.I.D. (Assisting Victims of Impaired Drivers) and later Justice Services Info-net.
A site two blocks from the Syracuse Inner Harbor  and the $100 million aquarium being built there  is the wrong place to put a concrete batch plant that would generate noise, dust and truck traffic 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The plant, at 411 and 421 Spencer St., is incompatible with plans to make the lakefront a center of tourism and recreation anchored by the aquarium.

The area is already home to a hotel, apartments and a taproom. There is lots of room to build more housing, restaurants, office space and retail  which has been the plan since the city acquired the harbor from New York state in 2011.

The lakefront neighborhood also has changed significantly in the decade or so the concrete plant has been dormant.

Oil City is no longer dotted with oil storage tanks and vacant, polluted buildings. Within blocks of the proposed concrete plant are a popular restaurant, apartments and office buildings. Developer Len Montreal has poured millions of his own money into rehabbing small commercial buildings around that part of the West Side.

Widening out from the Inner Harbor, the area around Onondaga Lake has been transformed by the lake cleanup, completion of the Creekwalk, construction of the Loop the Lake trail and the success of the Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview.

Heidelberg Materials needs a special permit from the city to restart the concrete plant. It would demolish one plant that is too far gone to repair and fix up a second one on the site, plus install equipment to control dust.

Despite objections from neighbors and from Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, the company insists it wants to go ahead. It cites the plants proximity to Interstate 690 and the demand for concrete for the Interstate 81 project.

McMahon has offered to help Heidelberg find a more suitable site. Sounds like a great idea to us.

City planners advised the planning board to disapprove of the project. The company pulled its application from Mondays agenda for the second time, avoiding a negative recommendation from the planning board, for now.

Whatever your feelings about the aquarium, Onondaga County is sinking $85 million of public money into it. The Common Council, which has the final say on special permits, should protect that investment, as well as the citys interests in seeing its only sliver of waterfront developed to its full potential.

Heidelberg should see the handwriting on the wall. A concrete plant simply doesnt fit in with the current and future plans for the Inner Harbor and Syracuse lakefront.

About Syracuse.com editorials

Editorials represent the collective opinion of the Advance Media New York editorial board. Our opinions are independent of news coverage. Read our mission statement. Members of the editorial board are Tim Kennedy, Trish LaMonte and Marie Morelli.

To respond to this editorial: Submit a letter or commentary to letters@syracuse.com. Read our submission guidelines.

If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion lead, at mmorelli@syracuse.com
The Oswego County Department of Social Services needs to be held accountable for its failure to protect a vulnerable adult.

At least seven times since January, people called DSS to report ill treatment of Danielle Killmore, a person with developmental disabilities. No one ever came to investigate the squalid conditions Killmore was enduring in her town of Hastings home: trash, rodents, no running water.

They wouldnt even come when a state trooper called in July to report finding Killmore near death in a sweltering shed, with flies coming out of her mouth and a bucket for a toilet.

When the county workers responsible for protecting vulnerable adults wouldnt act, State Police Sgt. Aaron Eastwood did. He gathered the evidence and the legal paperwork necessary to get the county named as Killmores guardian and to get her medical attention and a safe, clean place to live.

We commend Eastwood  a military veteran who chooses to live in the community he polices  for the compassion he showed Killmore and his stubborn refusal to take no for an answer from an unresponsive DSS staff. He sets a powerful example of caring and bold action, well above the call of duty, in contrast to the morally repugnant failures of the agency responsible for protecting people who cant protect themselves.

Staff writer Marnie Eisenstadt investigated Killmores hellish life in her Nov. 3, 2025, story (Her mother and Oswego County workers left her in squalor. A state trooper refused to walk away.). Lee Sullivan, administrator for the Oswego County DSS, would not discuss the particulars of Killmores case with the reporter. Sullivan claimed that DSS acts in ways you dont see to protect vulnerable adults.

We dont accept that  not when multiple neighbors called 911 and a state trooper called DSS four times. Neither should County Administrator Philip Church nor the Oswego County Legislature. They should demand to know why DSS failed to protect Killmore.

Killmores mother, Maria Traub, clearly has challenges that make helping her and her daughter difficult. Traub has been charged with two felony crimes: first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and first-degree reckless endangerment. It should never have come to that.

From the top, the agency sends the impression that it is not interested in taking on these hard cases. Oswego DSS has a long and sordid history of failure, often with fatal consequences. Erin Maxwell, Lance Dotson and Jordan Brooks are among the children and teens who died of abuse or neglect under the noses of county caseworkers.

While Oswego County is challenged by poverty, drug abuse and other social ills, it is not some Third World country. The job of investigating abuse is difficult but necessary. The public deserves better performance and more accountability.

Where to start? DSS Commissioner Sullivan should set and enforce expectations for DSS workers to respond to calls from the police and the public. Then, she should invite Eastwood for a cup of coffee and just listen. After that, she should call a staff meeting of adult protective services and invite Eastwood to tell his story to them. They have something to learn from his experience and his example.

We are horrified that Killmore and others like her continue to suffer, and sometimes die, due to the failures or malpractice of Oswego County social services. The official silence out of Oswego County government is deafening. We will not be silent.

About Syracuse.com editorials

Editorials represent the collective opinion of the Advance Media New York editorial board. Our opinions are independent of news coverage. Read our mission statement. Members of the editorial board are Tim Kennedy, Trish LaMonte and Marie Morelli.

To respond to this editorial: Submit a letter or commentary to letters@syracuse.com. Read our submission guidelines.

If you have questions about the Opinions & Editorials section, contact Marie Morelli, editorial/opinion lead, at mmorelli@syracuse.com
Accalon is typically portrayed as a knight of considerable skill and courage, but ultimately defined by his passionate nature and emotional vulnerability. His most prominent trait is his deep, almost obsessive love for Morgan le Fay, which clouds his judgment and leads him to participate in treasonous plots against King Arthur. This romantic devotion suggests a personality that is intensely emotional, loyal to a fault, and susceptible to manipulation by stronger-willed individuals. Despite his martial prowess, Accalon demonstrates a certain naivety in political matters, trusting Morgan's schemes without fully considering the consequences.



His character arc shows a man torn between his knightly vows and his personal desires, ultimately choosing love over loyaltya decision that leads to his tragic downfall. This complexity makes him one of the more psychologically interesting secondary characters in Arthurian literature, representing how even noble knights could be undone by their passions. Accalon's personality combines chivalric excellence with emotional weakness, creating a figure who is both admirable in his combat skills and pitiable in his romantic blindness. His story serves as a medieval exploration of how love can both elevate and destroy, making him a timeless symbol of romantic tragedy.
Five people  four Americans and one Ukrainian  have pleaded guilty to helping North Korean operatives secure remote IT jobs at U.S. companies, generating more than $2.2 million for Pyongyangs sanctioned government, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced on Friday.

According to the prosecutors, the group acted as facilitators, using their own identities  along with false and stolen identities belonging to at least 18 U.S. citizens  to place North Korean workers in U.S. jobs. To make the ruse more convincing, they also kept company-issued laptops in their homes and installed remote-access software, enabling them to bypass company vetting systems.

In total, the scheme affected 136 U.S. companies nationwide, from 2019 through 2024, with salaries funnelled directly to the North Korean government and, in some cases, accompanied by data theft.

Who Pleaded Guilty

Oleksandr Didenko , a Ukrainian national and identity broker, admitted to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. He stole the identities of U.S. citizens and sold them to overseas IT workers, including North Korean IT workers, who then landed jobs at 40 companies. He agreed to forfeit $570,000 in fiat currency and an additional $830,000 worth of cryptocurrency.

, a Ukrainian national and identity broker, admitted to one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. He stole the identities of U.S. citizens and sold them to overseas IT workers, including North Korean IT workers, who then landed jobs at 40 companies. He agreed to forfeit $570,000 in fiat currency and an additional $830,000 worth of cryptocurrency. Erick Ntekereze Prince , of Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. From approximately June 2020 through August 2024, Prince ran a pipeline of overseas workers through his company, Taggcar Inc., placing them at 64 U.S. companies with stolen or fake identities. He was paid more than $89,000.

, of Florida, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. From approximately June 2020 through August 2024, Prince ran a pipeline of overseas workers through his company, Taggcar Inc., placing them at 64 U.S. companies with stolen or fake identities. He was paid more than $89,000. U.S. nationals Audricus Phagnasay, Jason Salazar, and Alexander Paul Travis, in Georgia, each pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy for providing their identities and hosting corporate devices and help North Korean workers secure U.S.-based roles. They even sat for drug tests on behalf of the overseas workers. Travis, an active-duty U.S. Army soldier at the time, earned more than $51,000 for his role. Phagnasay and Salazar earned at least $3,450 and $4,500, respectively.

Their actions enabled the North Korean workers to collect approximately $1.28 million in salary payments from the victim U.S. companies, the vast majority of which were sent to the IT workers overseas.

These prosecutions make one point clear: the United States will not permit the DPRK to bankroll its weapons programs by preying on American companies and workers, said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quinones for the Southern District of Florida, in a press release.

We will keep working with our partners across the Justice Department to uncover these schemes, recover stolen funds, and pursue every individual who enables North Koreas operations.

DoJ Also Targets $15 Million In Stolen Crypto

In a separate action, the Justice Department filed two civil forfeiture complaints seeking over $15 million in cryptocurrency seized from APT38, the North Korean hacking unit responsible for several high-value crypto thefts in 2023.

The hacking group  linked to the infamous Lazarus Group  stole $382 million from crypto exchanges in Panama, Estonia, and Seychelles in 2023, and laundered the funds through mixers, bridges, and OTC traders. Investigators have since traced and seized a portion of the stolen funds, with more seizures expected.

Crackdown On A Global North Korean Revenue Network

Officials said the guilty pleas underscore the scale of North Koreas remote IT worker operation. They warn that these workers not only generate revenue for Pyongyangs weapons program but also pose a cybersecurity threat, given their access to sensitive corporate systems.

These actions demonstrate the Departments comprehensive approach to disrupting North Korean efforts to finance their weapons program on the backs of Americans. The Department will use every available tool to protect our Nation from this regimes depredations, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.

The FBI has urged companies to strengthen their identity-verification checks for remote hires, noting that the threat continues to evolve.
Massive march in Brazil marks first big UN climate protest in years



Belem, Brazil, Nov 16 (AFP) Nov 16, 2025



Tens of thousands of people thronged the streets of the Amazonian city hosting COP30 talks on Saturday, dancing to thumping speakers in the first large-scale protest at a UN climate summit in years.

As the first week of climate negotiations limped to a close with nations deadlocked, Indigenous people and activists sang, chanted and rolled a giant beach ball of Earth through Belem under a searing sun.

Others held a mock funeral procession for fossil fuels, dressed in black and pretending to be grieving widows as they carried three coffins marked with the words "coal," "oil" and "gas."

"We are here to try to apply pressure so that countries fulfill their promises and we don't accept a regression," Txai Surui, a prominent 28-year-old Indigenous leader, told AFP.

It was the first major protest outside the annual climate talks since COP26 four years ago in Glasgow, as the last three gatherings were held in locations with little tolerance for demonstrations -- Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan.

Called the "Great People's March" by organizers, the Belem rally comes at the halfway point of difficult negotiations and follows two Indigenous-led protests that disrupted proceedings earlier in the week.



- Forest 'massacre' -



"Today we are witnessing a massacre as our forest is being destroyed," Benedito Huni Kuin, a 50-year-old member of the Huni Kuin Indigenous group from western Brazil, told AFP.

"We want to make our voices heard from the Amazon and demand results," he said. "We need more Indigenous representatives at COP to defend our rights."

Tyrone Scott, a 34-year-old Briton from the anti-poverty group War on Want, said it was an "Indigenous-led, movement-led, people-powered march."

"It's just really exciting and a little bit of a nice antidote to the staleness and sterileness of the inside of the COP," Scott told AFP.

Their demands include "reparations" for damage caused by corporations and governments, especially to marginalized communities.

A giant Palestinian flag and "free Palestine" banners appeared throughout the crowds.

One protester on stilts dressed as a greedy Uncle Sam denouncing "imperialism," while other artwork took aim at Donald Trump, the US president who denigrates climate science and champions fossil fuels.

"Here we are talking about agroecology, feminism, we are talking about how trade unions are defending the life and better employment," 33-year-old Giovani Del Prete told AFP.

"These are the politics that we must move forward to defeat the climate crisis."

After a 4.5-kilometer (2.8-mile) march through the city, the demonstration stopped a few blocks from the COP30 venue, where authorities deployed soldiers to protect the site.

Ultimately, the crowd -- which organizers put at 50,000 -- dispersed peacefully.

On Tuesday, Indigenous protesters forced their way into the Parque da Cidade -- the COP30 compound built on the site of a former airport -- clashing with security personnel, some of whom sustained minor injuries.

Then on Friday, dozens of Indigenous protesters blocked the entrance for roughly two hours to spotlight their struggles in the Amazon, prompting high-level interventions to defuse the situation.



- High stakes -



Inside the venue, COP30 president Andre Correa do Lago conceded the first exhaustive week of negotiations had failed to make a breakthrough and urged diplomats not to run down the clock with time-wasting maneuvers.

"The stakes are too high for us to allow procedural tactics or stalled discussions to stand in the way of progress," he said.

He promised to publish a "note" on Sunday to summarize the positions of parties -- a to-do list of sorts for government ministers taking over the negotiations on Monday.

Countries locked horns over trade measures and weak climate targets, while a showdown looms over demands that rich nations triple the finance they provide poorer states to adapt to a warming world.

Countries including Denmark, the UK and Kenya are also rallying support behind Brazil's proposal to agree a "roadmap" for advancing the phaseout of fossil fuels.

"We're very much up for supporting them on that roadmap... We would love to see an outcome on that," said UK climate minister Katie White, adding such a proposal would need the support of "the vast majority of countries".

Such efforts are fiercely opposed by Saudi Arabia, among other oil-producing nations, and some parties told AFP they strongly doubted the proposal would be approved by consensus at COP30.

bur-ia-lth-np/bjt
Ashfall warning in Japan as volcano erupts



Tokyo, Nov 16 (AFP) Nov 16, 2025



A volcano in southern Japan erupted early Sunday sending a plume of ash and smoke into the sky and prompting a warning over ashfall.

Sakurajima, one of Japan's most active volcanoes, erupted before dawn, sending ash and smoke up to 4,400 metres (14,400 feet) into the sky, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

No damage has been reported, an official in Kagoshima prefecture, where the volcano is located, told AFP.

But the weather agency forecast ashfall in part of Kagoshima and neighbouring Miyazaki prefecture, as the eruption continued several times.

"In areas where a moderate amount of ashfall is expected, please take measures to protect yourself from ash, such as using umbrellas or masks, and make sure to drive slowly," the agency said.

The agency has kept its alert level unchanged at three on a scale of five, which restricts access to the mountain.
Turkey seeks to host next COP as co-presidency plans falter



Istanbul, Nov 16 (AFP) Nov 16, 2025



Turkey wants to host next year's UN climate change talks and is prepared to do so independently if consensus on co-presidency cannot be reached, a Turkish diplomatic source told AFP Sunday.

Australia and Turkey are locked in a stalemate over who should host the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in 2026.

The host is selected by consensus, so unless Australia or Turkey withdraws its bid or the countries somehow agree to share the duty, both will miss out.

If no consensus is reached, the summit would revert to Bonn, the western German city that hosts the UN's climate secretariat.

The Turkish source said discussions with Australia on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's annual meetings initially yielded mutual understanding, including proposals for joint management of the presidency and shared high-level meetings.

But a letter from Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rejected prior agreements, citing UN rules against co-presidency and concerns about diverting COP's Pacific-focused agenda, the source said.

Ankara supports developing flexible arrangements through good-faith consultations to help ensure the success of COP31, they said.

"Turkey continues to advocate a co-presidency model as a step to strengthen multilateralism but is prepared to host the conference independently if consensus cannot be reached," the source told AFP, adding that Erdogan underlined this position in his response to the Australian prime minister.



-'Inclusiveness'-



World leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attended a summit on November 6 and 7 to kick off COP30, but Erdogan and Albanese were not among them.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz attended the summit, while Australia was represented by Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen at the conference.

Brazil has appointed a representative to help resolve the disagreements between Australia and Turkey, but diplomats say that so far, no progress has been made toward reaching an agreement before the summit wraps up on November 21.

Some observers view Turkey's close ties with Russia and Saudi Arabia -- countries seen as hindering progress on climate action -- as a potential disadvantage.

Turkey wants COP31 to focus on the world's most vulnerable regions, with potential special sessions addressing Pacific issues, the same source added.

The Turkish candidacy is framed as a call for global solidarity and constructive dialogue in climate action.

"Turkey will continue to act on the principles of cooperation and inclusiveness rather than competition in combating climate change," the source said, adding that it invites all parties to advance the process on the basis of "constructive dialogue and mutual respect".
Women named Adriana are often perceived as confident, passionate, and sophisticated individuals with a natural elegance that commands attention. They typically possess strong leadership qualities combined with emotional depth, making them both formidable and compassionate. The name suggests someone who is creative and artistic, with an appreciation for beauty in all its forms, from art and music to nature and human relationships.



Adrianas are frequently described as having a magnetic personality - they can be both intense and charming, capable of deep emotional connections while maintaining an air of mystery. Their 'dark' association doesn't imply negativity but rather depth, complexity, and the ability to navigate life's challenges with resilience and wisdom. They often exhibit a balance between traditional values and modern independence, making them adaptable yet grounded individuals who value both family connections and personal achievement. This combination of strength and sensitivity makes Adrianas particularly effective in roles requiring both emotional intelligence and decisive action.
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There are more zingers than youd expect in Nuremberg, which dramatises the trial of Nazi commander Hermann Goring. Stretches of it, in fact, are paced like were chasing the downfall of crafty mobsters rather than the architects of the unthinkable. Various high-ranking members of the party are introduced with the zap-pow of newspaper headlines, technicolour recreations, and salacious details. Robert Ley was captured in his pyjamas, didnt you know?

It makes sense, in part, for the story being told here. Yet Nuremberg can ultimately only justify its Hollywood sheen for so long. The films written and directed by James Vanderbilt, behind the screenplays for both David Finchers Zodiac (2007) and the Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston Murder Mystery comedies, and he draws here mostly from Jack El-Hais 2013 non-fiction book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist.

The Nazi in question is Goring (Russell Crowe). The psychiatrist is Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek), brought in to ensure the imprisoned Nazi high command dont kill themselves before they can stand trial. Kelley has a bigger picture in mind: if he can dissect evil  slap a label on the psychological dysfunction that drives these men to barbarity  then hell have a bestseller on his hands.

Crowe and Malek are well cast for this kind of dance. The former is a battering ram of an onscreen presence, mixed here with an unnerving sense of comfort in his surroundings  at one point, we see him lounging on his prison cell mattress like hes expecting to be hand-fed grapes. Malek, meanwhile, can do a slippier, quieter charm, a smile with a thousand lines of code doing the analysis behind it.

And while its a little much to follow the line, whos bigger than the president? with a comedy smash cut to the Vatican, the form at least fits the function: the Allies have freshly won the war, and while there are whispers of whats gone on in the so-called labour camps, these men all wear the thrill of victory on their breasts.

But, while lawyers Robert H Jackson (Michael Shannon) and David Maxwell Fyfe (Richard E Grant) postulate about righteous justice, all while Brian Tylers score rallies them onward, youre quietly waiting for the curtain to draw back and the mouth of hell itself to be revealed.

Russell Crowe as Hermann Goring in Nuremberg ( Sony Pictures Classics )

When it does, Vanderbilt presents it starkly and truthfully, in the same way Stanley Kramer did in 1961s Judgment at Nuremberg, by showing the audience real footage captured by American and British soldiers after the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. For a few moments, everything stills. All we hear is the whir of the projector. All we see is the horror. Kelleys pristine world, built out of the lies he swallowed so he could sit across from Goring each day and talk to him like an associate (or maybe even a friend), collapses in an instant.

And yet, the film doesnt follow where he goes. Soon enough, were back in safe, old Hollywood world, with a declaration nearly to camera that we might as well go finish the war. Nurembergs closing titles reveal how much Kelley was truly affected by the trials, in his fears that all these promises that only the rule of the law can break the terrible cycles of history were for naught, or that the perpetrators of genocide and slaughter possess some unique quality unseen in their fellow man.

What should represent the soul of this film is merely its coda. While it pleads for us to reckon with the ugliest of truths, it shuts the curtains before its own reckoning is done.

Dir: James Vanderbilt. Starring: Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Mark OBrien, Colin Hanks, Wrenn Schmidt, Lydia Peckham, Richard E Grant, Michael Shannon. Cert 15, 148 mins

Nuremberg is in cinemas from 14 November
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The women of MomTok, the glossy-haired group of twenty-something influencers who make up the cast of Hulus The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, have built an empire. The group  all current or former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  have secured book deals, brand sponsorships and spots on Dancing with the Stars. Its no surprise, really, since Secret Lives became Hulus most-watched unscripted premiere of 2024, proving to be just as messy as a Real Housewives installment, with a side order of contentious theology. Think catfights, icy brunches and plastic surgery recovery scenes in between aerial shots of temples and churches.

Reality TV fans have lapped it up  but for some Latter-day Saints (their preferred term over Mormons), the series doesnt sit well. This is not the first time that the film and TV industry has misrepresented us, or sensationalized things in some way, says Dallin Shumway, a 27-year-old social worker in Texas. He can see why the show has been successful: the title alludes to an assumed secrecy associated with the religion. The angle always seems to be these are the crazy Americans who live out West. It doesnt really represent the life of a Latter-day Saint very clearly at all  at least if were talking about self-identified, practising members of the faith.

Ken Brueck, a 43-year-old Latter-day Saint who lives in Utah and works in software, jokingly tells me that he would prefer the show to be named: The Open Lives of People that Left the Church. He says that Hulus title panders to the stereotype that Latter-day Saints are these wholesome people, but secretly were oppressed and dying to break free, and were living this double life. The reality is quite different, he says. Thats where Secret Lives makes me uncomfortable, because theres gonna be some percentage of people who will form their opinions of people like me based on the people in that show, and the things they do.

Secret Lives returned for a third season on Thursday, following the cast as they grapple with an affair that sent shockwaves through MomTok and the spousal group DadTok. MomTok  created in 2022 by cast members Taylor Frankie Paul, Whitney Leavitt, Mayci Neeley and Mikayla Matthews  began as a space for dance videos and relatable parenting content. The series itself was born in the wake of a soft swinging scandal that nearly tore the clique apart, after Paul revealed in a TikTok livestream that she and her husband were divorcing following intimate encounters with other couples in Salt Lake City. The fallout from the controversy almost broke MomTok as other members saw themselves sucked into the swinging accusations. Still, there are plenty more issues for them to reconcile across the newest 10 episodes.

Throughout the series, the cast are engaged in an ongoing discussion about the social conservatism of their faith  where sex before marriage and homosexuality are prohibited  and whether they can change it. In the first episode of the series, Paul admits that she was forced into marrying her first husband by her mother and the Church because they were sexually active. Other stars have discussed wanting to break stigmas and modernize the faith. A handful of them drink alcohol; some abstain in line with the Churchs doctrine, but have looser interpretations of its teachings when it comes to ketamine therapy.

open image in gallery Taylor Frankie Paul is among the major stars to be born out of Hulus beloved reality series ( Disney/Natalie Cass )

open image in gallery A clash between #Momtok and #Dadtok erupts in the third season of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives ( Disney/Fred Hayes )

Last year, the Church issued a statement saying that recent media portrayals sometimes rely on sensationalism and inaccuracies that do not fairly and fully reflect the lives of our Church members or the sacred beliefs that they hold dear. Though it did not name Hulu or Secret Wives, the memo said that some recent productions resort to stereotypes or gross misrepresentations that are in poor taste and have real-life consequences for people of faith.

When it comes to the portrayal of women in the series, Dr Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, a Chicago-based sex therapist and marriage counselor who works with people in the faith, says that the show feeds into the narrative that women in the Church are hapless and want to break away. Its salacious and immature, she says. It makes women look like repressed idiots, and then [the women in the series] are busting out, but in this very idiotic way. Theyre breaking the bounds, but they're doing it in this very indulgent, reckless way.

Much of Dr Finlayson-Fifes work is helping people establish their identity in a religious culture that she calls high demand. She says that there is some truth in how people feel restrained by these demands. What is true to a lot of Latter-day Saints experience is a sense that there's a narrow way in which you should live to be considered a good Mormon, and women have a particular version of it  you have to be a virgin at marriage, have children, to support your husband. In many ways, the women of MomTok are responding to this. Its as if theyre freeing themselves, right? And I would just argue that they arent free at all.

Women from across the Latter-day Saint community have spoken out about the series since its release. Sarah Jane Weaver, editor of the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, called the shows cast members outliers of the Church who are profiting by flaunting their bad behavior, adding that the show mischaracterizes what it means to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives is not a representation of me or my friends or my daughters or their friends or of the women I have met across the globe, she wrote in an article published last year.

Finlayson-Fife says that people not familiar with the faith would be surprised that Mormons are exactly like them. These are normal people trying to have happy marriages and families, trying to live lives that have meaning.

When it comes to other criticisms of the series, some Latter-day Saints have taken issue with the shows lack of dialogue about the faith, even as it leans heavily on religious imagery  from sweeping temple shots to Church steeples dotting the Utah skyline. David Snell, host of the Keystone podcast, says that the show uses his religion as clickbait. It felt forced to me, he says. They put Mormon in the title and their inclusion of Latter-day Saint buildings felt sort of like a desperate attempt to tie the Church into the series.

Snell adds that it is sad that his faith has become somewhat of a spectacle to people It makes you feel a little bit like a zoo animal sometimes.

For his podcast, Snell watched all 10 episodes of the latest series of the show and recorded his live reaction. He found that there was a deliberate vagueness in the show over which members of MomTok and DadTok are still active in the religion. I wish they were more transparent about where they're actually at with their faith, because then I think that would set proper expectations for viewers who might be less familiar with what an actual orthodox Latter-day Saint actually looks like, he tells me.

open image in gallery Latter-day Saints admit there is some value in portraying them as people that come in all shapes and sizes ( Disney/Natalie Cass )

All of the interviewees I speak with acknowledge that reality TV carries a certain trashiness and isnt meant to be taken too seriously. It might not all be bad press for the faith, either. Snell can see how the show might actually help destigmatize long-standing stereotypes about the Church, and even reveal how nuanced the culture is. Some people have viewed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as if they are dressed like pioneers, and theyre out milking cows all the time, he says. There is some value in portraying Latter-day Saints as people that come in all shapes and sizes, and that they're not just a monolith. Because on an individual level, you'll find people all over that spectrum. But generally, orthodoxy is somewhere in the middle.

Life within the Church, Shumway points out, exists on a spectrum. He has friends who have left the Church and others who lead very orthodox lives. For those who have left, I believe that their experience is valid, you know? I hope that we can all just do a better job of seeing each other and trying to make it work. He points out that Secret Lives does highlight criticisms of the Church, which he does not deny. I would be remiss if I tried to paint this picture where, in terms of all the criticism that the Church gets, its all invalid and it's always misunderstood, because that's simply not the case, he says. You cant have an institution as large as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints without some criticism that is actually warranted.

We are real people and weve got our own stories, adds Snell. And I think Secret Lives is an extreme end of that spectrum, but I do see value in the show as something that might help people move away from traditional stereotypes, he pauses. But, you know, thats me looking for the silver lining.

All three seasons of Secret Lives of Mormon Wives are now available on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in the U.K.
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What was the question again? Sorry, Im dreadful Its the third time  or is it the fourth?  that Shirley Henderson has said this during our interview. Not that she has anything to apologise for; I honestly cant remember what the question was either by this point. Nor do I much care. Its hard not to feel hypnotised, in fact, as the actor drifts away on a meandering, mesmeric tide of anecdotes, reflections and tangents in her soporific, Scottish lilt.

Appearing far younger than her soon-to-be 60 years, Henderson is instantly recognisable, having barely changed since her star-making turns in Bridget Joness Diary (as high-flying am I codependent? financier Jude) and Harry Potter (as the brilliantly comic ghost Moaning Myrtle) at the turn of the millennium. Bizarrely, both roles required her to hide in the loo and sob. Theres still an innocence and guilelessness to her wide, hazel eyes and thick, untamed brows set in that familiar, childlike face  as if shes somehow managed to live outside of time itself, immune to its ruthlessness and ravages. Her famously small 5ft 1in frame is today wrapped in a big black coat, her soft brown hair casually pinned back, as she chats to me over Zoom from her home in Fife.

Indeed, theres a gentle, otherworldly quality to Henderson that belies her incredibly wide-ranging performances over the past four decades. Shes played everything from a Canadian grappling with advanced Parkinsons disease in poignant drama Never Steady, Never Still to the scene-stealing, rip-roaring Matron in tween romcom Wild Child, taking on characters that run the gamut from hilarious to heartbreaking. Despite a distinctive look and that voice  which can be cranked up to her signature helium-pitched squeak on demand  Henderson has somehow managed to sidestep being typecast or pigeonholed. The only thing her parts seem to have in common, in fact, is that they are all undeniably interesting.

Thats certainly true of her latest project, the dark and gripping six-part Channel 4 drama Summerwater. The series, adapted from the Sarah Moss-authored novel of the same name, explores one day on a small holiday site in the Scottish Highlands from multiple characters perspectives. The 24-hour period ends in tragedy, but events are shrouded in brooding mystery; the truth is oh-so-gradually spooled out via intersecting timelines across episodes.

Henderson plays Annie, a woman whose declining health and cognitive functioning, due to dementia, mean shes often at one remove from reality, increasingly residing in the realm of the past. For the first four episodes, Henderson barely has any dialogue, and yet theres heft to her presence  with just a flash of the eyes or a twitch of a smile, she conveys an entire internal world that the viewer isnt yet privy to. I liked the idea of a woman for whom things are changing, says Henderson thoughtfully. Part of her is leaving, and other parts of her are coming in through memories and the past. Shes questioning things and haunted by things.

Another draw was the idea of working with fellow Scot Dougray Scott (Mission: Impossible 2, Desperate Housewives), who plays her husband David, oscillating between barely contained fury and seismic grief and regret. In one of those quirks of serendipity, Henderson met Scott for the very first time the night before she was offered the part of Annie. That was another huge appeal and a surprise  I couldnt believe it, she says. The timing was very strange, as if it was meant to be.

open image in gallery As the troubled Annie in Summerwater ( Channel 4 )

The scenes between them are taut and powerful, showing the wafer-thin line between love and hate that spouses dance along in a long-term marriage. I think thats life, isnt it? Henderson muses. Who said life was going to be easy? We could all just walk away, we could just say, OK, Im fed up. But people dont  we cling on. You need the battles in life.

Amid emotionally charged scenes, Henderson and Scott would defuse the tension by sitting around drinking endless cups of tea, eating cheese toasties and having gentle conversations about books and soup. Henderson describes the process as lovely: We just hung about together, and tried to make it nice for each other, because its a journey. When its big, emotional stuff  for me, anyway  its nice to not be that off set. Its nice to just have a laugh or a giggle or just be quiet. Bring it down to ordinary, and then you can kind of cope.

I would never have expected to be in a film like Bridget Joness Diary. It just seems such a pretty, chocolate-box type thing: beautiful colours, beautiful storylines

Its not the first time Henderson has played a character grappling with dementia. Her depiction of Elizabeth Laine in the Bob Dylan jukebox musical The Girl from the North Country earned her a best actress Olivier award in 2018. Henderson gave an astonishing performance, pendulum-ing between catatonic detachment and childlike wonder. As well as the mentally and emotionally taxing process of embodying such a character, Henderson was also contending with the physicality of singing every night  a challenge she dealt with by isolating herself.

Its hard  the way youve got to look after yourself, and look after your voice, while youre doing it, she recalls. I didnt speak to anyone, really. I just did the job and then went home every night. I didnt go out socialising, I didnt do anything, because I was nervous of the singing. Despite this, she thoroughly loved it. I loved it much more than I maybe imagined.

open image in gallery Hendersons Moaning Myrtle gives Ron (Rupert Grint) a fright ( Warner Bros )

Audiences who werent previously familiar with Hendersons origin story may well have been surprised at the staggering set of pipes on her  but singing was her first love, touting her vocals in local working mens clubs around her hometown of Kincardine-on-Forth in Fife. Experience of drama was confined to local am-dram, pantomimes and school plays. Then, at the age of 16, it was time to make a call about her future career path. By that point I was thinking Id like to be an actress, Henderson explains. I dont know quite where it came from, because Id never even seen a professional theatre show. Id never been to see a play. But you just sort of decide these things, dont you?

Its a comment that feels oddly indicative of Henderson; everything she does has a flavour of the unconventional, offbeat and idiosyncratic. Luckily, she was encouraged to attend the one local college that offered a drama course. From there, she learnt about drama schools and auditioned successfully for the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, moving down to London at the age of 17. Its a far cry from the trajectory of many British actors, plenty of whom get a leg-up via existing theatrical connections or benefit from the buffer of wealthy parents.

As it turned out, Henderson needed neither to jump into an eclectic range of roles. She went from playing reporter and love interest Isobel in the BBCs gentle dramedy series Hamish Macbeth in 1995, to Spuds girlfriend Gail in cult heroin flick Trainspotting the following year. She followed up starring in Michael Winterbottoms unsparingly realistic portrait of London, Wonderland, with her iconic portrayal of posh singleton Jude in Bridget Joness Diary  which painted an altogether more aesthetically pleasing vision of the capital. I would never have expected to be in a film like that, she admits. It just seems such a pretty, chocolate-box type thing: beautiful colours, beautiful storylines.

open image in gallery Henderson with her Bridget Jones family ( Universal Studio )

What was it like, being part of Bridgets urban family across the phenomenally successful four-part film franchise? Our little unit is just lovely  its a very caring, nice family, Henderson says warmly, reminiscing about the heady early days when she and her castmates would hang out in London bars and practise pretending to chain-smoke to get into character. I love these people: James [Callis, who plays gay best friend and former Eighties popstar Tom] and Sally [Phillips, who plays foul-mouthed journalist Shazzer] and Renee [Zellweger, the eponymous Bridget]. Thats our wee group. We sit in Sallys caravan and eat lunch together and James tells story after story. Theyre just so smart and so lovely.

Henderson describes every project shes ever worked on as nice, without any sense that shes being the faintest bit disingenuous. One gets the impression, rather, that here is a contented soul who appreciates everyone she meets, every opportunity shes been given, every role she gets to inhabit.

In fact, the only experience that gets anything less than a glowing review was filming one scene opposite James McAvoy in 2013s black comedy crime thriller Filth  and thats only because she got stuck inside a prosthetic chicken head. Were meant to be having mad sex in the living room, and he sees me as a chicken, Henderson tells me gleefully. And I had to wear a rubber chicken head made for my face. But because wed forgotten youre meant to put powder in it, it got stuck on my face  we couldnt get it off. It was absolute agony trying to get this rubber chicken head off and half my hair went with it! I was like, Jesus Christ, I am never doing prosthetics again!

It is a quintessentially Henderson story  somehow inherently grounded and down to earth, despite featuring a major Hollywood star. Shes so unassuming, in fact, that even her cameo in one of the biggest film franchises ever made did not, she claims, propel her into the fame stratosphere. No, not at all, is her response when I ask about life after playing the flirtatious ghost of former Hogwarts student Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter films. I dont think anybody recognised me at all.

Her eternally youthful looks were instrumental in landing her the coveted role in The Chamber of Secrets and The Goblet of Fire  Henderson was, unbelievably, 37 years old at the time of depicting a 14-year-old schoolgirl. The casting director said, Go for it  and dont mention your age. Henderson attended the audition, did her best impression of a hormone-fuelled adolescent ghoul, did a wee bit of moaning on request, and the rest is history. Though it perhaps wasnt as glamorous a job as people might imagine: nearly all of Hendersons scenes were shot alone on green screen. Still, it was, I am by this time unsurprised to hear, a nice job.

Are there any more nice jobs on the horizon? Ive done a wee film with Brian Cox, but I dont know when theyre bringing that out, she reveals. Hes directed it as well, and its a lovely piece of writing. But beyond that I dont know what happens next. We shall just have to wait and see.

Whatever it is, Id be willing to bet that it will be, like Henderson herself, nice. And lovely. And exceptionally interesting...

Summerwater airs at 9pm on Channel 4 on Sunday 16 November
Individuals named Aeshan are typically perceived as spiritually inclined, compassionate, and intuitive. They often possess a natural grace and calm demeanor that draws others to them for guidance and support. Their connection to the name's meaning of divine grace often manifests as a strong moral compass and deep empathy for others. Aeshans tend to be reflective individuals who value meaningful connections over superficial relationships, and they often demonstrate wisdom beyond their years.



These individuals are known for their ability to remain composed in challenging situations and their tendency to seek deeper meaning in life's experiences. While they may appear reserved initially, they form strong, loyal bonds with those they trust and are often seen as pillars of strength in their communities. The spiritual connotation of their name frequently inspires them to pursue paths of service, wisdom-sharing, or creative expression that benefits others. They typically exhibit patience, understanding, and a natural inclination toward resolving conflicts through peaceful means.
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The Strictly Come Dancing ballroom has seen plenty of tears over the years, but very few episodes have proven to be as emotional as Saturday nights.

The biggest sobs came not from one of the celebrities taking part but a professional dancer. The adorable, and phenomenal, Carlos Gu - who always wears his heart on his sleeve - was the first of the Strictly gang to break down during Saturday nights hour-and-a-half long show.

The dancer and his partner Karen Carney had performed a thrilling and dramatic take on the American Smooth  and the cracks started to show as they received praise from the judges. I love watching you dance, Craig Revel Horwood told the former England player. The performance was out of this world, added Motsi Mabuse, before Shirley Ballas commended Carney for how her posture is coming along beautifully.

The comments about posture, in particular, resonated with the pair as Carney has Scheuermann's disease, a spinal condition that causes a curved spine  meaning she has to work even harder than the other celebrities to achieve the stance needed for ballroom.

open image in gallery Karen and Carloss routine ( BBC )

Through tears, Gu told Claudia Winkleman: "[Karen] worked so hard this week. I know the ballroom is not her strength, but she came into the training room and she said, 'Carlos, I really want to try hard. I know my back has problems, but I really want to try and I really want to show that I'm improving just a little bit'. And just hearing them saying that... you have no idea how hard she's been working." The sobs didnt stop there.

Having been denied a poignant Couples Choice earlier in the series, George Clarke finally got to bring the emotion with a rumba set to Somewhere Only We Know, which his sister sang at their grandads funeral. Adding to the emotion, he revealed in his VT that the performance was dedicated to his mum. Unfortunately, recently she got diagnosed with cancer, he said. Nobody deserves what she has gone through, but least of all her. It feels like its taking up so much of her life now.

Finally, La Voix closed the show in her typical, glamorous style with a Couples Choice to Barbra Streisands Dont Rain On My Parade. The drag queen - who trains out of character, as Christopher Dennis - explained his drag journey in his VT. Having heaped praise on his father, who was cheering him on in the audience, he said his mother died just months ago. "My mum was the same as my dad, equally supportive, she was there at every single show, Dennis said. I did a massive West End show in London and she wasn't well and I remember I'd gone from 1,500 people clapping and cheering to the next day, just your world's gone."

Was it Strictlys most emotional episode of all-time? Aside from the finals, I cant think of a single episode that has seen quite so many tears. And while emotions were running high thanks to the poignancy of the routines, the stakes were upped thanks to something on the horizon: Blackpool.

open image in gallery La Voix delivered a joyful Couples Choice ( PA Media )

Blackpool Week was born out of necessity back in 2009, when Children In Need used to take over the BBC Television Centre studio used by Strictly for a week in November. The show stopped needing to move when Television Centre closed in 2013 but by that point, making it to the Tower had already become a goal for many Strictly stars and the BBC decided to keep it as a fixture in each series.

Its not an overstatement to say the annual trip up north is the holy grail of Strictly. Even more so than the final. This is perhaps, in part, thanks to the fact it gives even the technically-challenged celebrities something to aim for. Viewer votes alone cant carry you to the final - but they can get you to the iconic Tower ballroom. Just look at Ed Balls and Pete Wicks.

Saturday nights tears proved just how much making it to Blackpool means to both the celebrities and their professional partners. At this point in the competition - when the themes have dried up and the dance-offs are starting to get tougher - Blackpool brings a much-needed (and incredibly camp) dose of joy to both the show and the winter months. Who can blame the cast for being desperate to make it that far?
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Beloved EastEnders character Barry Evans is set to make a poignant return to Albert Square, appearing alongside Pat Butcher as part of an unfolding dementia storyline centred on Nigel Bates.

Shaun Williamsons character met his demise on 2 January 2004 after being pushed from a cliff by his wife Janine Butcher.

However, he will soon feature as a vision within the iconic Queen Vic pub.

His appearance alongside Pam St Clements Pat will occur as Nigels dementia symptoms intensify.

Nigel, played by Paul Bradley, rejoined the long-running BBC soap on Christmas Eve 2024 after a 26-year absence.

His current storyline explores the progressive neurological condition.

open image in gallery Janine (Charlie Brooks) killed Barry (Shaun Williamson) in a 2004 episode ( BBC )

Williamson, 60, said: It was a complete shock getting the call to go back to Albert Square, but so exciting!

I have to admit to a few nerves (loads!) when I walked back onto the set of The Queen Victoria, but it was so great to work with old friends and colleagues on such a brilliant episode.

Just goes to show, you never know whats around the corner!

Years ago Barry had a feud with his stepmother Pat, who he refused to forgive following her affair with Frank Butcher, but the two will put aside their differences to help Nigel in his time of need in a special episode transmitting next month.

Ben Wadey, EastEnders executive producer said: Im delighted to welcome Shaun Williamson back to EastEnders for Nigels special episode.

Barry Evans was renowned for being one of Walfords unluckiest residents, most notably for his choice of shoes, and so it was a privilege to welcome him back alongside Pat for these special scenes in The Vic.

open image in gallery Shaun Williamson says it was so great to work with old friends and colleagues again

Barry, a hapless minicab boss, first appeared on the soap on 27 December 1994 and had a spate of bad luck, which started with his first wife Natalie (Lucy Speed) leaving him amid an affair with her friends boyfriend, and ended with his second wife murdering him.

Feisty matriarch Pat, known for her bright outfits and eccentric earrings, was often seen arguing with Queen Vic landlord Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor).

The character, who became Pat Evans after marrying Barrys father in 1996, died of cancer on New Years Day in 2012 but made a return to Albert Square in May 2016 as a figment of Peggys imagination on the night of her death.

EastEnders has been working with Dementia UK on Nigels young onset dementia storyline.

The charity said the condition is considered young onset when symptoms, including memory loss and personality changes, develop under the age of 65.
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Netflix has released a brand new psychological thriller series thats already rising up the charts  but is it worth watching?

The Beast in Me is a new eight-part series from Gabe Rotter, a protege of X-Files creator Chris Carter who wrote the show five years ago.

It was dusted off by 24 and Homeland producer Howard Gordon, who brought the show to Netflix and enlisted Claire Danes, star of the latter, to play the lead role.

Danes stars as Aggie Wiggs, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer whose world is dangerously rocked by her new neighbour Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys), a famous business magnate who was suspected of killing his wife.

Also starring in the series, directed by Lila Neugebaue (Causeway) and Antonio Campos (The Devil All the Time) are Brittany Snow, Natalie Morales and Breaking Bad favourite Jonathan Banks.

The Independents Chief Film & TV correspondent Jacob Stolworthy has watched the show  and you can find his verdict below.

Rhys recently opened up about playing the sociopathic Nile in The Beast in Me, sharing his partner Keri Russells reaction to some of the more shocking scenes.

When she saw it, she was like, 'This is tailor-made for you. This is the person you truly are. It's about time the world knew who you are, Rhys joked with The Independent at the series New York City red carpet premiere earlier this month.

The 50-year-old Welshman added: She saw the beast in me a long time ago and wasnt that impressed then.

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Rhys and Russell began dating in 2014 while co-starring on FXs spy drama The Americans. The pair share three children and refer to each other as husband and wife, although Rhys admitted earlier this year that they literally havent got round to marriage yet.

Russell heads up her own Netflix show, The Diplomat, which is on its third season. The Beast in Me is available to stream now.
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An angry driver shot and killed an 11-year-old boy who was on his way to school in a road rage incident outside of Las Vegas, according to police in Nevada.

Tyler Matthew Johns, 22, was arrested Friday and charged with murder and two gun offenses over the incident, city records show.

"An 11-year-old was on his way to school and this senseless act took his life," Henderson Police Chief Reggie Rader said at a news conference.

"I would rather you be stuck in traffic and late for your destination than have to go to a funeral for a loved one or potentially spend the rest of your life in prison.

Johns and the slain boys stepfather were jockeying for positions in heavy traffic heading westbound on Interstate 215 around 7:30 a.m. Friday, according to police.

open image in gallery Police say Tyler Matthew Johns, 22, fatally shot an 11-year-old boy during a road rage incident outside of Las Vegas ( Henderson Police Department )

The drivers then rolled down their windows and had a heated exchange, police said.

Johns, driving a four-door sedan, then allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired a single round into the mans SUV, striking the child in the back seat.

The boy was treated by Henderson Fire Department first responders and staff at the University Medical Center but later died of his injuries.

Police have not released the names of the boy or his stepfather.

open image in gallery Drivers were jockeying for positions in heavy traffic outside Las Vegas while the boy was headed to school, police said ( AP )

Johns had his first court appearance on Saturday and was returned to police custody.

He does not currently have any bail amount set, city records show.

The 22-year-olds mother declined to comment when reached by The Independent for comment.

Johns is due back in court on Tuesday.

Road rage shootings have recently been on the rise, according to the advocacy organization Everytown for Gun Safety, with such killings doubling between 2018 and 2023, when 118 people were killed.

Research has found that motorists with a gun are more likely to exhibit road rage, such as making obscene gestures and cutting off other cars, the group wrote about the topic. Just the presence of a gun in the car is associated with a greater likelihood of dangerous driving.

open image in gallery Nearly all respondents told a recent survey they exhibit aggressive driving behaviors like speeding or cutting off other drivers ( Getty Images )

Between 2015 and 2024, 51 people were killed in road rage shootings in Nevada, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The states with the highest concentration of such killings include New Mexico, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Texas, per the data.

In a 2025 survey from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 96 percent of drivers admitted to aggressive driving behaviors over the past year, 11 percent of whom said they committed violent actions like intentionally ramming another car.

About half of Americans say people in their area have been driving more dangerously since the Covid pandemic, Pew Research found in 2024.
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Authorities are searching for a gunman after two people were killed, including a 10-year-old boy, in a shooting that left three others injured in New Jersey.

A 10-year-old boy and a 21-year-old woman died from their injuries in the shooting, which took place just after 7 p.m. Saturday in a residential part of Newark, a city about 13 miles west of New York City, the Essex County Prosecutors Office said.

The three other victims  an 11-year-old boy, a 19-year-old man and a 60-year-old man  were in stable condition in a local hospital, according to NJ.com.

It was not immediately clear what led to the shooting. No other information about the victims has been shared. However, hours after the shooting, authorities offered a $10,000 reward for any information that would lead to the arrest of the gunman.

Residents who live on the street where the shooting unfolded described hearing screams as gunshots rung out.

open image in gallery Authorities are searching for the gunman responsible for killing a 10-year-old boy and a 21-year-old woman and injuring three others Saturday in Newark, New Jersey ( Anadolu )

It was a lot of screaming, one resident told NJ.com, noting that more than six gunshots were fired.

In a statement, Mayor Ras Baraka called it a dark and devastating day in Newark. The shooting unfolded hours after a 2-year-old died after reportedly falling from a 20th-floor window, according to the report.

We will not rest until there is justice for the parents and families left behind in unspeakable pain and grief. Newark will work tirelessly with the prosecutors office, state law-enforcement, and federal agencies to ensure justice is served. We urge the killer to turn himself in, as there is no safe place to hide, the mayor said.

Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this trauma. Our prayers are with them  and our actions will support them, he added.

open image in gallery It was not immediately clear what led to the shooting ( Anadolu )

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy addressed the shooting on social media, urging others to Please pray for the victims and their families.

The gunman fired off so many shots that people were ducking for cover, WABC reported. There were at least 17 evidence markers on the scene Sunday morning as police searched through the largely residential area.

Police could be seen early Sunday morning with flashlights examining what appeared to be a jacket on the ground.

Authorities have not shared any information about the suspected gunman, but say their investigation is active and ongoing, according to NBC New York.
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A man was charged with smuggling after Customs and Border Protection officers at the U.S.-Mexico border noticed a suspicious bulge in his pants  only to learn he had two parakeets hidden in his underwear.

Jesse Agus Martinez, a 35-year-old U.S. citizen living in Tijuana, Mexico, was indicted Friday after authorities said he tried to smuggle two heavily sedated orange-fronted parakeets  a protected species  into the United States late last month, the U.S. attorneys office for the Southern District of California said.

The birds, an endangered species native to Mexico, were found on October 23, apparently unconscious but breathing and heavily sedated inside two brown sacks, prosecutors said.

When questioned by customs officers, Martinez claimed several times that the bulge in his pants was his pirrin, a Spanish word for penis.

However, when authorities took a closer look, they discovered the two parakeets hidden inside his underwear.

open image in gallery A man was indicted Friday after he was caught smuggling two protected parakeets from Mexico into the U.S. ( U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California )

open image in gallery Jesse Agus Martinez was caught smuggling the protected birds on October 23 at the U.S. Mexico border ( U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California )

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents then examined the birds and identified them as juvenile orange-fronted parakeets.

The birds were sent to a Department of Agriculture Animal Import Center for quarantine and are reportedly now in stable condition.

Orange-fronted parakeets, also known as Eupsittula canicularis, are listed as vulnerable on the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.

The group notes that the pet trade poses the biggest threat to the critically endangered birds as their population continues to decrease due to trappings.

open image in gallery The birds were heavily sedated and stuffed inside sacks that were in Martinezs underwear. They are now said to be in a stable condition ( U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California )

Between 1998 and 2008, more than 8,000 of the green and orange parakeets were legally captured, making them the second most sought-after parrot species in Mexico. While Mexico banned the commercial and subsistence trade of its 22 parrot species in 2008, smugglers still attempt to make a profit off of the highly sought-after species.

If convicted, Martinez would face a fine of up to $250,000 and a maximum of 20 years in prison.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is investigating the incident.
The French Quarter is known for its architecture, where layers of history and different Spanish, French, Creole and other influences coalesce into a unique style.

One reader was curious about the streets that serve as boundaries of the French Quarter. They wanted to know whether Rampart Street marked the site of a literal wall. Did the French Quarter once have ramparts, or walls, around it?

Jason Wiese, chief curator for The Historic New Orleans Collection, pointed to the era when the city was governed by Spain in answering the question.

"The colonial city was at one point enclosed by fortifications  during the Spanish colonial period, Wiese said.

The French Quarter, New Orleans oldest neighborhood, was first constructed under French rule. French authority waned after the Seven Years War, an 18th-century worldwide conflict that pitted the global powers of France and Great Britain. A series of peace negotiations made to end the war left New Orleans ceded to Spain, as part of the 1762 Treaty of Fontainebleau. After power changed hands, Spanish authorities began to make their mark on the New Orleans architectural landscape, with some guidance from the former French rulers.
Individuals named Ahmadou are typically associated with a personality characterized by wisdom, calm authority, and strong moral principles. They are often perceived as natural leaders who command respect through their thoughtful approach and reliable character rather than through overt displays of power. The name carries expectations of intellectual depth and spiritual awareness, with many Ahmadous being seen as people who carefully consider their actions and words before speaking or acting. This contemplative nature often makes them excellent mediators and advisors in their communities.



There is also a strong association with responsibility and family devotion connected to the name Ahmadou. Those bearing this name are often expected to be pillars of their families and communities, demonstrating loyalty and commitment to collective well-being. The personality traits commonly attributed to Ahmadou include diplomatic skill, patience, and a quiet confidence that inspires trust in others. While they may not be the most flamboyant or outgoing individuals, their steady presence and reliable judgment make them valued members of any social or professional circle. These perceived traits reflect the historical figures who have borne the name and the cultural values it represents in West African societies.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has fielded repeated questions on the details of the Coalitions energy policy and how her party can prove it will bring down both prices and emissions, which remains a welcome outcome but without clear aspirations to deliver.

On prices, she said: [Australians] will have a look at our plan, and theyll see that it will work, because theyll know that immediately it starts to put downward pressure on prices by being technology-agnostic about base load power, injecting more gas supply into the system, opening up gas fields in Australia.

Sussan Ley and David Littleproud have announced their energy policy. Credit: Edwina Pickles

On how it would bring down emissions, Ley said: on average, year-on-year, in line with comparable countries, and as fast and as far as technology will allow.

She said the Coalition would focus on breakthrough technology that did not yet exist.

In 25 years time, will be technologies that were not talking about today, she said. Meanwhile, we know that carbon capture and storage has come a long way. We know that blue hydrogen has come a long way.

Littleproud added: The technology, whether it be carbon capture and storage, with balance in terms of nuclear, the whole facet of where our economy can be balanced, and one day, it would be a great achievement.
What to do about the neo-Nazis, not only their blatantly racist and menacing protests but  perhaps more frightening  their apparent plan to form a political party with an explicitly anti-democratic and hate-based platform.

Our current protest laws are broadly fit for purpose: they allow the police to protect public safety while allowing legitimate political protests.

The National Socialist Network rally outside the NSW parliament on November 8. Credit: Flavio Brancaleone

Police could have  and should have  done more to challenge the protest outside NSWs Parliament House this month. This could have involved seeking an order that the protests were prohibited, and hence not protected from charges being brought under the Summary Offences Act. Or it could have involved more robust use of their powers to move on protesters once the threat of intimidation became clear.

But the current law gave them the power to balance rights to protest with legitimate public safety and public interest concerns.
Of the suburbs analysed by terminal provider Square, The Gap, Eagle Farm, Virginia and St Lucia ranked among the areas with the highest concentration of repeat customers, followed by Ashgrove, Bardon and Yeronga. Cafes and restaurants in those suburbs saw between 18 and 20 per cent of their clientele three or more times in the first half of 2025, higher than the CBD rate of 16.2 per cent. Businesses in some southern suburbs, including Camp Hill, Greenslopes and Mount Gravatt, saw between 11 and 13 per cent of their customers three or more times during the same period. And suburban customers are spending more in each transaction.

The average outlay per transaction at cafes, restaurants and bars was $10.29 in Brisbanes CBD, compared to $15.22 in the inner suburbs, including New Farm, Fortitude Valley, Newstead, West End and South Brisbane, $13.64 in the southern suburbs, and $12.57 in the northern suburbs. The transaction data was collated from businesses in selected clusters of suburbs across eight regions of Brisbane by Square, which provides technology and payment terminals to cafes and restaurants. The Square data included the findings of an August survey of just over 1000 respondents, indicating Australians were actively choosing to spend more locally. On average, respondents said they chose to spend 73 per cent of their monthly dining budget at local venues, with 27 per cent in the CBD.

The survey also found people gravitating towards suburban hubs, with two in five respondents saying they visited the CBD less than once a month, and almost one in five saying they avoided going into the city centre entirely. Loading These insights make one thing clear: people want to feel connected to their local communities, and thats where the real opportunity lies for businesses, said Squares head of business development, Colin Birney. The sellers who thrive will be the ones who build deep, long-term relationships in their neighbourhoods. Its not just about selling more, its about becoming part of peoples daily lives. Spending on food and beverages increased 34.7 per cent in the CBD in the first half of the year, but that was outstripped by growth of more than 40 per cent in nearly all other regions of Brisbane.

But the biggest boom has been in the northern suburbs, including Chermside, Aspley, North Lakes, Everton Park and Stafford, where spending on food and beverages jumped 53.2 per cent. Anna Lumsden has owned North Lakes coffee spot Told You So for the past nine years. She estimates that 70 per cent of her clientele are repeat customers, with more of them choosing to sit down and enjoy a bagel, a toasted crumpet, or a sweet treat with their coffee. Anna Lumsden with her husband, son and daughter at their North Lakes coffee shop, Told You So. Takeaway coffees were the bread and butter of our business ... but I would definitely say that Ive seen a big shift since COVID, and then again in the past 12 months, where people are putting more value on the dining experience, she said. While the focus is very much on making an excellent cup of coffee, Lumsden also encourages her staff to connect with customers.

With where the world is at the moment, people value us knowing their name, knowing their coffee order, and then something else random about their life, she said. It just feels genuine. Squares analysis confirms spending at CBD venues peaks during weekday lunchtimes, while suburban and inner-city venues are busiest on weekends, particularly Saturday mornings. Tomorrow morning, Goodwin will send a text message to Blackbird Espresso with her coffee order, even though they already know it. They will have her coffee pulled and her milk warmed, waiting for her to arrive with her keep cup.
Tim Wilsons zero

Being new to the area I am aware of how much more diverse the electorate of Goldstein is than Church Street, Brighton and its rusted on Liberals (14/11).

I still hear many concerns about climate change locally, but over the last weeks I have increasingly heard concerns expressed about our lack of influence over policies that affect us.

The fact that Tim Wilson has zero influence over his party and that his party has little influence in parliament is highlighting to many that it is the independents now who hold the centrist position and who are able to demonstrate influence  even over a majority government. Maybe time to get rid of that rust?

Chrissie Pickin, Brighton

Keep close to home

It is concerning to read about the privatisation of the public housing system that will have deleterious consequences for the many aged and infirm current residents. (Communities under threat, 16/11).

The destruction of 44 high-rise towers has been contentious as has the plan to rebuild by leasing the land to private consortia. Supposedly, there will be a mix of private rentals as well as defined public housing.

This rebuild does not appear to guarantee a place for current residents in their local community but rather many are being relocated into other properties. As a community, we are yet to address the pressing issues of housing affordability and the need for quality public housing for our most vulnerable community members.

On a recent trip to Canada, I saw many examples of publicly owned and established co-op housing developed under relevant state and territorial laws. Theirs is an example worth considering and would provide better use of our money than the suburban rail loop costs.

Denise Stevens, St Kilda

Failure to care

The proposed reforms announced by the premier and corrections minister Friday using the catchphrase, serious consequences, early interventions, and proposing so-called reforms under which 14 -17-year-olds who commit serious crimes be tried in adult courts is contrary to the UN childrens human rights law, which requires that child offenders be treated in a way that considers their age and promotes rehabilitation not just punishment.

I am a retired child, adolescent and family psychotherapist, and have spent 40 years working with young people and their families, many of whom had been neglected, abused and abandoned.

I have witnessed state and federal governments systematically either decreasing or cutting funding, support, or staffing in this critically important area.

Proven effective programs such as early intervention programs for parents struggling with their children, and outward bound programs for teenagers have been systematically cut back or stopped. These interventions have proven to be effective and long lasting.

There is a failure of duty of care in youth detention. Our response by locking them up ensures a continuing cycle of crime and imprisonment. This abuse and neglect of our youth is an indictment of our collective lack of care and responsibility for those young people most at risk in our society. Surely, we can do better.

Annette Fliegner, Alphington

Sensationalist justice

An excellent and eminently sensible article about youth crime by Mirko Bagaric (The truth about youth crime? A body reacts the same whether stabbed by a 16 or 40-year-old, 14/11).

No doubt, Premier Allans rhetoric aims to appease peoples worst fears, albeit in a disconcertingly sensationalist way, but in reality, surely no judge or magistrate would ever sentence an adolescent to life in prison, or even 10 or 20 years. Surely, most people would not think that this is a good approach.

Allan is correct that there must be significant and swift consequences for violent crimes, but this could happen through a rigorous and risk-averse approach to bail, more timely court proceedings, longer sentences within the current Childrens Court framework, and very focused, consistent educational and restorative justice approaches in youth training centres.

Of course, the best model of all is to prevent young people from feeling such disenfranchisement in the first instance through intensive family and community support, and the elimination of poverty and family violence, but sadly, there seems to be little appetite for this.

Fiona White, Alfredton

Tough on crime mantra

Despite Melbourne being home to some of the most internationally recognised experts in many fields, there is evidently something profoundly wrong with the preselection process for both major political parties, if all they can offer is pandering to the voters and, simplistically, get tough on crime.

Of course, the bail and legal system is malfunctioning, providing only a revolving door for aggravated burglary offenders, but surely, we all know by now, its only offering false hope to offer a tough on crime mantra.

The current state government and its predecessors are paying the price for paying less attention to what young people need in their school years to thrive in adults life. Is it any wonder we have a crime wave when so many young people feel theres no way to ever but their own home or drive a nice car.

Its all too easy to blame the children for the chronic neglect by those in government, the latter now only interested in re-election prospects, not actually governing in the best interests of everyone.

By all means, throw the book at machete-wielding maniacs and their parents but please lets not delude ourselves that building more prisons is going to fix the social dysfunction that is at the heart of Melbournes crime wave right now.

Bernadette George, Mildura
Secondary schools keen to advantage their students have already started classes for the next academic school year.

Its what some schools call term 1a, or early commencement period (ECP). Most high schools have a two-week transition for the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), but some private schools are extending it to four or five weeks, believing it helps their students stay engaged.

Coco Pearce (right), who has started ECP this week, with tutor Ben Long at Avivo Elite Tutoring in Ivanhoe. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui

Year 9 Ivanhoe Grammar student Coco Pearce said that while most of her friends at other schools had effectively finished for the year, after a week of transitioning classes, she was about to start the first topics in her 2026 year 10 curriculum.

I like it. I get to have a feel of what its like before other people, she said.
What is the point of the Liberal Partys moderate faction?

Its not an unfair question. After six months of infighting over net zero, the federal opposition has adopted the Nationals climate change policy.

And after months of internal warfare over climate policy, the press conference announcing a detente between the Liberals and Nationals felt like an anticlimax.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, Nationals leader David Littleproud and energy and emissions reduction spokesman Dan Tehan (centre). Credit: Edwina Pickles

Some moderates, led by South Australian senator Anne Ruston, put up a fight on the prospect of a Coalition flagging to the voters that it could subsidise new coal plants one day, as part of its technology neutral approach.
Burgess, who analysed more than 20 years of medium-density approvals data for Melbourne, said the new code was yet to shift the trajectory of townhouse development towards the fringes, but that it was too soon to assess its impact. I would expect it would remove one of the barriers to townhouse development, he said. Medium-density developments, such as the Lothian in North Melbourne, are increasingly rare in the inner suburbs. Credit: Derek Swalwell If you are proposing a development, and you know that its going to be approved within 10 days, that removes a lot of the uncertainty, particularly for those smaller builders and developers for whom the prospect of being in a planning process for 18 months or two years is enough to kill off the project. Ten years ago, 80 per cent of townhouses were being built in Melbournes inner and middle suburbs. Today, it is closer to 60 per cent, while nearly 40 per cent of new medium-density housing is being built in the citys outer-suburban growth areas.

Analysis of approvals data reveals medium-density approvals have fallen 16 per cent in established suburbs this year to 5741 and risen 24 per cent in growth areas to a record 3354 approvals. The City of Casey, in Melbournes outer south-east, has approved more townhouse developments than any other municipality this year, followed by Whittlesea, Hume, Melton and Wyndham. All are growth areas. In Melbournes middle ring, inner-northern Merri-bek had the highest number of townhouse approvals, while Bayside and Boroondara both bucked the downtrend, despite being frequent targets of state government animus about their resistance to increased housing density. The municipalities of Melbourne, Port Phillip, Nillumbik, Yarra and Stonnington  all but one of which are in the inner city  each approved fewer than 100 medium-density homes this year.

Burgess said townhouse development in inner Melbourne was minimal because medium-density housing wasnt financially viable for many developers. It fundamentally comes back to the costs of development, he said. Ultimately, what you need to sell your projects for is exceeding what the market is willing to pay. Music therapist Jim Slattery and wife Kirsty Hopper will move into a townhouse in Lyndhurst, in the City of Casey, next month. The couple bought their two-bedroom property for $600,000 in October and will soon depart their rental in Keysborough, which is closer to the city. Slattery, 29, said the location of their first home purchase was dictated by affordability.

Weve spent a bit of time here [in Keysborough], and we really like it, but when we were looking to buy a place, it just felt like the prices were just pushing us further and further out, he said. Slattery bought his townhouse through Chaminda Gunasekara, a partner at Ray White. A row of townhouses in Craigieburn in the outer north, an area that has become a hot spot for medium-density approvals. Credit: Luis Enrique Ascui Gunasekara said the number of townhouses being built in the outer south-east had exploded. Ten to 15 years ago, people had this thing that, I dont want a townhouse, I want a house with land because the land appreciates, he said.

But things have changed a lot, probably in the last five years in this area. In all the new estates that are being developed, 10 years ago, they probably had 20 to 30 townhouses in one estate, now you have 100 to 200. Because the demand is there, they keep building them. Gunasekara said the interest in townhouses was mostly from first home buyers. Dr David Hayward, an emeritus professor in public policy at RMIT University, said the data suggested the intentions and the outcomes of the governments planning reforms were parting company. Since theyve introduced the reforms to take away local planning powers, approvals have actually been declining, they havent been increasing, he said. It does confirm the idea that really, meddling with planning isnt the way to solve a housing crisis.

David Hayward of RMIT University. Hayward said the long-term government retreat from building housing had done far more to create a housing shortage in inner and middle Melbourne than a failure by councils to approve higher-density housing. Weve got ample evidence over the last 40 years that the private market isnt working, and its not able to work effectively, he said. You need to have significant levels of government direct investment in order to achieve the goals that youre setting yourself. Its no good pretending that the market is perfect, except for those pesky planners. The evidence doesnt support that. Social housing makes up just 2.8 per cent of Victorias housing stock, well below the national rate of 4 per cent. In its 30-year strategy, released last week, Infrastructure Victoria recommended the government build 60,000 new social homes in well-serviced suburbs over the next 15 years, to address the states affordable housing shortage.
London: Asylum seekers who enter the United Kingdom illegally will have to wait 20 years before they can apply for permanent settlement, British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is to announce.

Mahmood plans to end what she claims is the golden ticket of Britains excessively generous immigration system, which currently guarantees migrants permanent residency after they have spent five years in the UK.

On Monday, she will announce that refugee status is to become temporary, and those whose countries become safe will be immediately returned to their home nations. Their refugee status will be reviewed every 30 months.

Britains Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, says her reforms represent the biggest change to the immigration system since the Second World War. Credit: AP

Migrants who arrive illegally either in small boats across the Channel or in lorries, or those who overstay their visas and then claim asylum, will have to wait 20 years to secure permanent settlement.
Musk endorsed far-right German leader Alice Weidel in January before the national elections the following month, when she and the Alliance for Deutschland, or AfD, doubled their vote share to 20.8 per cent. Also in January, he accused Starmer of being an accomplice to sexual assault by claiming he shielded child grooming gangs from prosecution  a claim at odds with the findings of public inquiries and rejected by the prime minister. The latest clash pits Musk against von der Leyen over the EU plan to toughen its measures under the Digital Services Act to counter misinformation and curb foreign interference in elections. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen favours social media controls. Credit: AP EU agencies fined Apple and Meta earlier this year over concerns related to competition and content, while they have also made findings against Musks social media platform, X. The EU investigation into X continues.

Network of fact-checkers Loading Von der Leyen last week unveiled the new plan to regulate content, called the European Democracy Shield, with the promise that it would include fact-checkers to verify news and tougher protocols for online content. An independent European network of fact-checkers will be set up to boost fact-checking capacity in all EU official languages, the plan says. The European Digital Media Observatory will develop new independent monitoring and analytical capabilities for situational awareness on elections or in situations of crises.

This will include measures on the responsible use of AI in elections. Loading When von der Leyen declared that democracy was the foundation of freedom and the new measures would protect those values, Musk questioned her authority as an elected leader. If democracy is the foundation of freedom, surely your position as leader of the EU should be elected directly by the people? he posted on X. The leader of the EU should be elected by the people of the EU, not appointed by a committee! The commission president leads the executive arm of the union and is nominated by the European Council, the peak group of 28 national leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Von der Leyen, previously a federal minister in Germany, gained nomination in 2019 and again in 2024. The decisions were endorsed by the European Parliament in secret ballots, giving her majority support among 720 elected members from across the EU. Musk is ranked by news service Bloomberg as the worlds richest man, with a net worth of $US431 billion. He is followed by Oracle founder Larry Ellison, with $US280 billion, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, with $US256 billion. Next test While tumbling Tesla sales measure the rejection of Musk, the next test of his influence in Europe will be in elections that pit his preferred parties against traditional conservatives and social democrats. Musk has supported the Netherlands far-right politician Geert Wilders, but his party stalled at the national elections last month, and the community swung to centrist party Democrats 66 and its leader, Rob Jetten, who is in a strong position to become the next prime minister.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel speaks during an election event at the partys Berlin headquarters. Credit: AP In Britain, Musk made an incendiary speech to a right-wing protest in London in September, calling for a dissolution of parliament and saying violence was coming to the UK. Loading The billionaires support for far-right activist Tommy Robinson, however, has proven too divisive for others on the right. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, has distanced himself from Robinson  whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon  and has fallen out with Musk. Musk gave the AfD explicit support before the February elections in Germany, and the party doubled its vote to 20.8 per cent nationwide, but it fell far short of the support required to take office.

There is discontent in Germany and the major parties are doing badly, said Antonios Souris, the chair of German Politics at the Free University of Berlin. Souris noted that some polls have shown a significant increase in support for the AfD in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in the former East Germany, making the state election in September 2026 a test of public opinion. Loading In Berlin, where the state parliament representing the capital city also goes to an election in September, the AfD increased its support to 15 per cent in an opinion poll published in October, up from 9 per cent at the last election in 2023. The poll was conducted by Insa for the news site Nius. Activist groups are campaigning against the AfD to try to curb its gains ahead of the elections next year, countering the support from Musk.
Women named Aintzane are often perceived as strong-willed, dignified individuals with a natural sense of leadership. They typically exhibit confidence and grace under pressure, embodying the 'glorious' meaning of their name through their composed demeanor and ability to inspire others. Their strength is often tempered with compassion and cultural awareness, making them effective in both personal and professional relationships.



Aintzanes are frequently described as culturally grounded individuals who value tradition while embracing modernity. They tend to be articulate communicators with a deep appreciation for arts and heritage. Their personality often reflects a balance between traditional values and progressive thinking, making them effective bridges between generations and cultural perspectives. They typically demonstrate loyalty to family and community while maintaining strong personal convictions, and are often seen as pillars of strength in their social circles.
New York: US President Donald Trump, unswayed by the BBCs apology and resignations of its top officials, is persisting with his threat to sue the network for as much as $US5 billion ($7.7 billion) despite significant legal barriers to prove he was deliberately defamed.

I think I have to do it, Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday (Saturday AEDT), continuing his quest to punish the British television network over an edit of his January 6, 2021, speech that made it seem he was directly calling for violence at the US Capitol.

The effort faces a host of legal questions.

First, its not clear that US courts even have jurisdiction, given that the documentary never aired in the US and was geo-blocked in the US on the BBCs streaming service.
RLX Technology (NYSE:RLX  Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Friday. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.01), Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $158.63 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $139.99 million. RLX Technology had a net margin of 22.32% and a return on equity of 4.54%.

RLX Technology Price Performance

Shares of RLX Technology stock traded up $0.24 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $2.57. The company had a trading volume of 7,679,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,711,256. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $2.47 and a 200 day simple moving average of $2.28. The firm has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a PE ratio of 36.65 and a beta of 1.10. RLX Technology has a one year low of $1.64 and a one year high of $2.84.

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RLX Technology Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th were given a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 38.0%. RLX Technologys dividend payout ratio is currently 14.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

RLX has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered RLX Technology from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of RLX Technology in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, RLX Technology presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $2.25.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On RLX Technology

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of RLX. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new position in shares of RLX Technology during the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. Cresset Asset Management LLC bought a new position in RLX Technology during the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of RLX Technology by 308.2% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 54,064 shares of the companys stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 40,819 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of RLX Technology in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $323,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of RLX Technology by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 482,778 shares of the companys stock worth $1,270,000 after acquiring an additional 10,522 shares during the last quarter. 22.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About RLX Technology

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RLX Technology Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of e-vapor products in the People's Republic of China and internationally. It serves partner distributors and retail outlets. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Beijing, China.

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Individuals named Akando are often perceived as strategic thinkers with a natural ability to assess situations carefully before acting. They tend to possess keen observational skills and patience, waiting for the right moment to make their move rather than rushing into decisions. This calculated approach to life often makes them excellent problem-solvers who can see patterns and opportunities that others might miss.



Their strategic nature is balanced by a deep sense of loyalty and protection toward their community and loved ones. While they may appear reserved initially, they reveal strong leadership qualities and decisive action when circumstances demand it. The name suggests someone who combines thoughtful contemplation with sudden, effective action when the time is right, embodying the wisdom of knowing both when to wait and when to strike.
Shares of goeasy Ltd. (TSE:GSY  Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the seven research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is C$203.00.

GSY has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Securities lowered their price target on goeasy from C$210.00 to C$160.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of goeasy from a hold rating to an outperform rating and set a C$225.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on goeasy from C$225.00 to C$194.00 in a report on Monday, November 10th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on goeasy from C$232.00 to C$226.00 in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on goeasy from C$194.00 to C$156.00 in a report on Friday, November 7th.

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goeasy Stock Down 0.4%

GSY opened at C$122.95 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of C$1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 8.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.92. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of C$169.35 and a 200 day moving average price of C$172.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 287.63, a quick ratio of 28.46 and a current ratio of 82.04. goeasy has a 1 year low of C$120.75 and a 1 year high of C$216.50.

goeasy (TSE:GSY  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported C$1.98 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of C$440.22 million during the quarter. goeasy had a return on equity of 25.26% and a net margin of 19.49%. Sell-side analysts expect that goeasy will post 20.3207343 earnings per share for the current year.

goeasy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th were issued a $1.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 26th. This represents a $5.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. goeasys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 40.48%.

goeasy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

goeasy Ltd provides financial services to own furniture, electronics, computers, and appliances. It offers merchandise leasing of household furnishings, appliances, and home electronic products to consumers under weekly or monthly leasing agreements. The company also offers unsecured installment loans to consumers.

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BayWa Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:BYW6  Get Free Report)s share price dropped 21.5% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as 3.50 and last traded at 3.50. Approximately 536,784 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 1,911% from the average daily volume of 26,697 shares. The stock had previously closed at 4.46.

BayWa Aktiengesellschaft Price Performance

The stocks fifty day moving average price is 7.40 and its 200-day moving average price is 8.50. The firm has a market cap of $112.70 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.26, a P/E/G ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1,613.93.

About BayWa Aktiengesellschaft

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BayWa Aktiengesellschaft provides wholesale, retail, logistics, and support and consultancy services in Germany and internationally. The company's Renewable Energies segment is involved in the planning, managing, and construction of wind farms and solar parks; production of power; and sale of photovoltaic systems and components.

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Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of BigBear.ai (NYSE:BBAI  Free Report) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on BBAI. Weiss Ratings reissued a sell (d-) rating on shares of BigBear.ai in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. HC Wainwright restated a buy rating and issued a $8.00 price target on shares of BigBear.ai in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $7.00 price objective on shares of BigBear.ai in a research report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $6.33.

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BigBear.ai Price Performance

NYSE:BBAI opened at $6.06 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of -4.26 and a beta of 3.42. BigBear.ai has a 1-year low of $1.68 and a 1-year high of $10.36. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $6.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $5.78. The company has a current ratio of 3.13, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18.

BigBear.ai (NYSE:BBAI  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The company reported ($0.07) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.06) by ($0.01). BigBear.ai had a negative net margin of 274.70% and a negative return on equity of 26.11%. The firm had revenue of $33.14 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.05) EPS. The businesss revenue was down 20.1% compared to the same quarter last year. BigBear.ai has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts expect that BigBear.ai will post -0.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other BigBear.ai news, CFO Sean Raymond Ricker sold 11,978 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.35, for a total transaction of $64,082.30. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 296,345 shares in the company, valued at $1,585,445.75. This trade represents a 3.88% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.54% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On BigBear.ai

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in BigBear.ai by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 86,166 shares of the companys stock worth $562,000 after purchasing an additional 1,823 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of BigBear.ai by 22.3% during the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 10,344 shares of the companys stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 1,885 shares during the period. Pure Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of BigBear.ai by 19.4% during the third quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,060 shares of the companys stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 1,960 shares during the period. Toth Financial Advisory Corp raised its position in shares of BigBear.ai by 20.0% in the third quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 12,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealthspan Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of BigBear.ai by 16.0% in the third quarter. Wealthspan Partners LLC now owns 16,350 shares of the companys stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 2,250 shares during the period. 7.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BigBear.ai Company Profile

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BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc provides artificial intelligence-powered decision intelligence solutions. It offers national security, supply chain management, and digital identity and biometrics solutions. The company also provides data ingestion, data enrichment, data processing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive analytics, and predictive visualization solutions and services.

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Shares of Continental AG (OTCMKTS:CTTAY  Get Free Report) passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $7.45 and traded as low as $7.3650. Continental shares last traded at $7.4299, with a volume of 22,849 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CTTAY has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Oddo Bhf raised shares of Continental to a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, September 1st. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Continental in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of Continental from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an overweight rating on shares of Continental in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Continental has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

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Continental Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $14.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.44. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $7.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

Continental (OTCMKTS:CTTAY  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported ($0.55) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.38) by ($0.17). Continental had a net margin of 4.54% and a return on equity of 13.20%. The firm had revenue of $5.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.93 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Continental AG will post 0.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Continental Company Profile

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Continental Aktiengesellschaft, a technology company, offers intelligent solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic, and transportation worldwide. It operates through four sectors: Automotive, Tires, ContiTech, and Contract Manufacturing. The company offers safety, brake, chassis, motion, and motion control systems; solutions for assisted and automated driving; display and operating technologies; and audio and camera solutions for the vehicle interior, as well as intelligent information and communication technology solutions.

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Cornerstone Advisors LLC raised its stake in Transdigm Group Incorporated (NYSE:TDG  Free Report) by 39.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,300 shares of the aerospace companys stock after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLCs holdings in Transdigm Group were worth $8,059,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Winch Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Transdigm Group by 53.8% in the first quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC now owns 20 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 7 shares during the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in Transdigm Group in the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust grew its holdings in Transdigm Group by 84.6% in the 2nd quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 24 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in Transdigm Group by 1,250.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 27 shares of the aerospace companys stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Transdigm Group during the 2nd quarter worth $47,000. 95.78% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on TDG. KeyCorp reduced their target price on shares of Transdigm Group from $1,700.00 to $1,600.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Transdigm Group from $1,710.00 to $1,650.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Transdigm Group in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Transdigm Group from $1,600.00 to $1,660.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price target on shares of Transdigm Group from $1,650.00 to $1,490.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 17th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $1,563.88.

Transdigm Group Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of Transdigm Group stock opened at $1,339.26 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $75.43 billion, a PE ratio of 44.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a 50 day moving average of $1,297.21 and a 200-day moving average of $1,402.56. Transdigm Group Incorporated has a 1-year low of $1,183.60 and a 1-year high of $1,623.82.

Transdigm Group (NYSE:TDG  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The aerospace company reported $10.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.33 by $0.49. Transdigm Group had a net margin of 20.98% and a negative return on equity of 35.27%. The business had revenue of $2.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.40 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.83 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Transdigm Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 36.490-38.530 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Transdigm Group Incorporated will post 35.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Transdigm Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a special dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were given a dividend of $90.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 2nd. This is an increase from Transdigm Groups previous special dividend of $75.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Transdigm Group

In related news, Director Kevin M. Stein sold 700 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,360.00, for a total value of $952,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 8,158 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,094,880. This trade represents a 7.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director W Nicholas Howley sold 2,736 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,298.87, for a total value of $3,553,708.32. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,548 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $27,988,050.76. The trade was a 11.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 22,802 shares of company stock worth $29,917,993 over the last quarter. 4.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Transdigm Group Company Profile

(Free Report)

TransDigm Group Incorporated designs, produces, and supplies aircraft components in the United States and internationally. The Power & Control segment offers mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, specialized pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, specialized AC/DC electric motors and generators, batteries and chargers, databus and power controls, sensor products, switches and relay panels, hoists, winches and lifting devices, and cargo loading and handling systems.

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Cornerstone Advisors LLC lifted its position in The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW  Free Report) by 23.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 132,800 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 25,000 shares during the period. Cornerstone Advisors LLCs holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $12,117,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of SCHW. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Charles Schwab in the second quarter worth $25,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Mid American Wealth Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Charles Schwab during the second quarter worth $32,000. Hoese & Co LLP lifted its stake in shares of Charles Schwab by 131.6% during the second quarter. Hoese & Co LLP now owns 352 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Charles Schwab by 97.9% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 386 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 84.38% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Charles Schwab

In other Charles Schwab news, insider Paul V. Woolway sold 3,205 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.33, for a total transaction of $299,122.65. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 34,778 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,245,830.74. This represents a 8.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, General Counsel Peter J. Morgan III sold 50,016 shares of Charles Schwab stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total value of $4,851,552.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 68,938 shares of company stock valued at $6,671,953. 6.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Charles Schwab Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:SCHW opened at $94.37 on Friday. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $94.06 and its 200-day moving average price is $92.43. The Charles Schwab Corporation has a 1 year low of $65.88 and a 1 year high of $99.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $167.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $6.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.93 billion. Charles Schwab had a net margin of 35.93% and a return on equity of 21.26%. The firms revenue was up 26.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.71 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Charles Schwab Corporation will post 4.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Charles Schwab announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, July 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 11.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the companys board believes its shares are undervalued.

Charles Schwab Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio is 25.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on SCHW shares. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a buy rating and issued a $114.00 target price on shares of Charles Schwab in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Charles Schwab from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Charles Schwab from $119.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of Charles Schwab in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, JMP Securities reaffirmed a market outperform rating and set a $110.00 price objective on shares of Charles Schwab in a research note on Friday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Charles Schwab presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $106.45.

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Charles Schwab Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services.

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Volatility and Risk

Maxcom Telecomunicaciones has a beta of -6.69, meaning that its share price is 769% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, OI has a beta of -16.94, meaning that its share price is 1,794% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Maxcom Telecomunicaciones and OIs gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Maxcom Telecomunicaciones $42.56 million 0.29 -$24.46 million N/A N/A OI $1.94 billion 0.13 -$1.58 billion ($0.12) -13.78

Profitability

Maxcom Telecomunicaciones has higher earnings, but lower revenue than OI.

This table compares Maxcom Telecomunicaciones and OIs net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Maxcom Telecomunicaciones -34.92% -37.49% -9.86% OI N/A N/A N/A

About Maxcom Telecomunicaciones

(Get Free Report)

Maxcom Telecomunicaciones SA de CV operates as an integrated telecommunication service operating company. The firm provides widespread voice and data services to residential and small and medium sized business customers in metropolitan markets in Mexico. It also offers local and long-distance voice, data, dedicated, and dial-up Internet access, public telephony, voice over Internet Protocol telephony, and paid television. The company was founded on February 28, 1996 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico.

About OI

(Get Free Report)

Oi S.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunication services in Brazil and internationally. The company offers fixed telephony services; domestic and international long-distance services; and maintenance and repair services. It also provides call center and telemarketing, Internet, network, and Wi-Fi Internet services; and financial, and payment and credit system services, as well as consulting services. In addition, it engages in the investment management activities. The company was formerly known as Brasil Telecom S.A. and changed its name to Oi S.A. in February 2012. Oi S.A. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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Zurich Insurance Group (OTCMKTS:ZURVY  Get Free Report) and Old Republic International (NYSE:ORI  Get Free Report) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, profitability, earnings and valuation.

Dividends

Zurich Insurance Group pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. Old Republic International pays an annual dividend of $1.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Old Republic International pays out 38.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Old Republic International has increased its dividend for 45 consecutive years.

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Profitability

This table compares Zurich Insurance Group and Old Republic Internationals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Zurich Insurance Group N/A N/A N/A Old Republic International 9.53% 17.11% 3.59%

Valuation and Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Zurich Insurance Group $59.51 billion 1.77 $5.81 billion N/A N/A Old Republic International $8.75 billion 1.25 $852.80 million $2.99 14.84

This table compares Zurich Insurance Group and Old Republic Internationals top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Zurich Insurance Group has higher revenue and earnings than Old Republic International.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Zurich Insurance Group and Old Republic International, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Zurich Insurance Group 2 2 0 0 1.50 Old Republic International 0 0 1 2 3.67

Old Republic International has a consensus price target of $46.50, suggesting a potential upside of 4.81%. Given Old Republic Internationals stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Old Republic International is more favorable than Zurich Insurance Group.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.0% of Zurich Insurance Group shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 70.9% of Old Republic International shares are held by institutional investors. 0.0% of Zurich Insurance Group shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.1% of Old Republic International shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Risk and Volatility

Zurich Insurance Group has a beta of 0.7, meaning that its share price is 30% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Old Republic International has a beta of 0.79, meaning that its share price is 21% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Old Republic International beats Zurich Insurance Group on 11 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Zurich Insurance Group

(Get Free Report)

Zurich Insurance Group AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides insurance products and related services in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through Property & Casualty Regions, Life Regions, Farmers, Group Functions and Operations, and Non-Core Businesses segments. It offers car and motor, home, travel, general liability, life and critical illness, and other insurance products; and saving and investment, and pension and retirement planning products. The company also provides property, casualty, energy and engineering lines, and marine; commercial management liability, financial institutions, and professional indemnity; and cyber, accident and health, and credit lines and surety insurance products, as well as and non-claims and ancillary services to the farmers exchanges. In addition, it offers employee benefit insurance products; and climate resilience, risk engineering, captive, and cyber resilience, as well as climate risk assessment and reinsurance services. The company serves individuals, small businesses, and mid-sized and large companies, as well as multinational corporations. It sells its products through agents, brokers, and bank distribution channels. Zurich Insurance Group AG was founded in 1872 and is based in Zurich, Switzerland.

About Old Republic International

(Get Free Report)

Old Republic International Corporation, through its subsidiaries, engages in the insurance underwriting and related services business primarily in the United States and Canada. It operates through three segments: General Insurance, Title Insurance, and Republic Financial Indemnity Group Run-off Business. The General Insurance segment offers aviation, commercial auto, commercial multi-peril, commercial property, general liability, home and auto warranty, inland marine, travel accident, and workers' compensation insurance products; and financial indemnity products for specialty coverages, including errors and omissions, fidelity, directors and officers, and surety. This segment provides its insurance products to businesses, state and local government, and other institutions in transportation, commercial construction, healthcare, education, retail and wholesale trade, forest products, energy, general manufacturing, and financial services industries. The Title Insurance segment offers lenders' and owners' policies to real estate purchasers and investors based upon searches of the public records. This segment also provides escrow closing and construction disbursement services; and real estate information products, national default management services, and various other services pertaining to real estate transfers and loan transactions. The Republic Financial Indemnity Group Run-off Business segment offers private mortgage insurance coverage that protects mortgage lenders and investors from default related losses on residential mortgage loans made primarily to homebuyers. Old Republic International Corporation was founded in 1923 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.

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Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH grew its position in shares of Edwards Lifesciences Corporation (NYSE:EW  Free Report) by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,484,222 shares of the medical research companys stock after purchasing an additional 89,122 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.25% of Edwards Lifesciences worth $116,081,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of EW. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Edwards Lifesciences by 9.8% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,455 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $114,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares during the period. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. Prosperity Consulting Group LLC now owns 4,304 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $337,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 57.8% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 366 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Edwards Lifesciences by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 6,048 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $473,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in Edwards Lifesciences by 1.0% during the second quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 14,971 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $1,171,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.46% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on EW. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays reaffirmed an overweight rating and set a $99.00 target price (up from $95.00) on shares of Edwards Lifesciences in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Daiwa America upgraded Edwards Lifesciences from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Edwards Lifesciences from $89.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Edwards Lifesciences from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $91.39.

Edwards Lifesciences Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:EW opened at $86.35 on Friday. The stocks 50-day moving average is $78.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 4.68 and a quick ratio of 3.87. The stock has a market cap of $50.11 billion, a PE ratio of 12.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.97 and a beta of 1.03. Edwards Lifesciences Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $65.31 and a fifty-two week high of $87.21.

Edwards Lifesciences (NYSE:EW  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The medical research company reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.49 billion. Edwards Lifesciences had a net margin of 72.96% and a return on equity of 15.01%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 14.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.67 earnings per share. Edwards Lifesciences has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.560-2.620 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 0.580-0.640 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Edwards Lifesciences Corporation will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Daniel J. Lippis sold 1,020 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.55, for a total value of $84,201.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 22,002 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,816,265.10. This represents a 4.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Larry L. Wood sold 8,950 shares of Edwards Lifesciences stock in a transaction on Monday, August 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.06, for a total value of $698,637.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 206,900 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $16,150,614. The trade was a 4.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 22,970 shares of company stock worth $1,862,878 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.29% of the companys stock.

Edwards Lifesciences Company Profile

(Free Report)

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation provides products and technologies for structural heart disease and critical care monitoring in the United States, Europe, Japan, and internationally. It offers transcatheter heart valve replacement products for the minimally invasive replacement of aortic heart valves under the Edwards SAPIEN family of valves system; and transcatheter heart valve repair and replacement products to treat mitral and tricuspid valve diseases under the PASCAL PRECISION and Cardioband names.

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Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF (NYSEARCA:IPAC  Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 59,306 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,074,000. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. owned approximately 0.23% of iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF by 216.7% in the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 570 shares of the companys stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Security National Bank bought a new stake in shares of iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF in the second quarter worth approximately $143,000. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF during the second quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Alaska Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in shares of iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF during the second quarter valued at approximately $207,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. bought a new position in iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF during the first quarter valued at approximately $224,000.

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iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF Trading Up 0.8%

NYSEARCA:IPAC opened at $74.90 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 15.73 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $74.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $70.55. iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF has a 12 month low of $54.90 and a 12 month high of $75.70.

iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF Company Profile

The iShares Core MSCI Pacific ETF (IPAC) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI Pacific IMI index, a market-cap-weighted index of developed Pacific securities. IPAC was launched on Jun 10, 2014 and is managed by BlackRock.

Further Reading

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Cultural & Historical Significance

Alane has deep roots in Celtic culture, particularly among the Breton people of northwestern France. The name likely derives from the Celtic word 'alaind' meaning 'fair' or 'handsome,' reflecting the Celtic appreciation for physical beauty and noble qualities. In Breton tradition, the name was borne by several early saints, including Saint Alane of Brittany who played a crucial role in establishing Christianity in the region during the 5th century migration from Britain. The name's persistence through centuries demonstrates its cultural resilience and the strong connection Celtic peoples maintain with their linguistic and naming traditions.



Throughout medieval times, Alane remained popular among Breton nobility and clergy, serving as a marker of cultural identity distinct from French naming conventions. The name's variations across different Celtic regionsfrom Brittany to Wales, Scotland, and Irelandshow the interconnectedness of Celtic cultures while maintaining regional distinctiveness in pronunciation and spelling. In modern times, the name continues to symbolize Celtic heritage and serves as a conscious choice for parents seeking to honor their ancestral roots while giving their daughters a name that is both traditional and distinctive.
Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of First Horizon (NYSE:FHN  Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Saturday morning.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial set a $23.00 target price on shares of First Horizon in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on First Horizon from $24.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of First Horizon in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. They issued a hold rating and a $25.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird set a $25.00 price target on shares of First Horizon in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of First Horizon from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $24.41.

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View Our Latest Analysis on First Horizon

First Horizon Stock Down 0.2%

First Horizon stock opened at $21.39 on Friday. First Horizon has a fifty-two week low of $15.19 and a fifty-two week high of $23.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.53 billion, a PE ratio of 12.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.70. The companys 50-day moving average is $21.96 and its 200-day moving average is $21.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.95.

First Horizon (NYSE:FHN  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.45 by $0.06. First Horizon had a return on equity of 11.03% and a net margin of 18.08%.The business had revenue of $893.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $848.08 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.42 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that First Horizon will post 1.67 earnings per share for the current year.

First Horizon announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Monday, October 27th that permits the company to buyback $1.20 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to reacquire up to 11.3% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the companys management believes its stock is undervalued.

First Horizon Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. First Horizons payout ratio is presently 36.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Horizon

In other news, CAO Jeff L. Fleming sold 7,619 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.74, for a total value of $165,637.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 128,626 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,796,329.24. This represents a 5.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David T. Popwell sold 155,149 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.31, for a total transaction of $3,306,225.19. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 307,432 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,551,375.92. This represents a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 262,768 shares of company stock valued at $5,721,862 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.87% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Horizon

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of First Horizon during the second quarter worth about $131,399,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of First Horizon by 53.5% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 12,594,944 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $244,594,000 after acquiring an additional 4,392,405 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in First Horizon during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $79,776,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of First Horizon by 78.4% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,755,510 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $131,192,000 after purchasing an additional 2,968,012 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in First Horizon in the first quarter valued at $46,640,000. Institutional investors own 80.28% of the companys stock.

About First Horizon

(Get Free Report)

First Horizon Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Horizon Bank that provides various financial services. The company operates through Regional Banking and Specialty Banking segments. It offers general banking services for consumers, businesses, financial institutions, and governments.

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Profitability

This table compares First Niles Financial and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets First Niles Financial N/A N/A N/A First Niles Financial Competitors 12.22% 5.07% 0.78%

Volatility & Risk

First Niles Financial has a beta of 0.3, meaning that its stock price is 70% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, First Niles Financials peers have a beta of 0.63, meaning that their average stock price is 37% less volatile than the S&P 500.

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Dividends

First Niles Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.0%. First Niles Financial pays out 400.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, FIN  SVGS & LOAN companies pay a dividend yield of 2.8% and pay out 28.5% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Earnings & Valuation

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio First Niles Financial $12.49 million $860,000.00 133.33 First Niles Financial Competitors $211.06 million $34.74 million 14.22

This table compares First Niles Financial and its peers revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

First Niles Financials peers have higher revenue and earnings than First Niles Financial. First Niles Financial is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

50.0% of shares of all FIN  SVGS & LOAN companies are owned by institutional investors. 23.4% of First Niles Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 8.8% of shares of all FIN  SVGS & LOAN companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

First Niles Financial peers beat First Niles Financial on 8 of the 11 factors compared.

First Niles Financial Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

First Niles Financial, Inc. operates as a holding company for the Home Federal Savings and Loan Association of Niles that provides various banking products and services in Ohio, the United States. The company offers personal and business checking and savings, money market deposit, and Christmas club accounts, as well as certificates of deposit. It also provides various loans, including mortgage and consumer loans, home equity lines of credit, and commercial loans and lines of credit. In addition, the company provides e-statement, and night depository services; debit and ATM cards; safe deposit boxes; direct deposits; I.R.A. certificates of deposit and savings accounts; and online banking services. First Niles Financial, Inc. was founded in 1897 and is based in Niles, Ohio.

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Grafton Group PLC (OTCMKTS:GROUF  Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $12.50, but opened at $11.97. Grafton Group shares last traded at $11.97, with a volume of 1,000 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Grafton Group in a report on Friday, October 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Grafton Group presently has a consensus rating of Buy.

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Grafton Group Stock Performance

Grafton Group Company Profile

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $11.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $11.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.94, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

(Get Free Report)

Grafton Group plc engages in the distribution, retailing, and manufacturing businesses in Ireland, the Netherlands, Finland, and the United Kingdom. Its Distribution segment distributes building materials, paint, tools, ironmongery, fixings, and accessories, workwear and PPE, and spare parts; materials and plant for mechanical services, heating, plumbing, and air movement; and trade, DIY, and self-build markets with building materials, timber, doors and floors, plumbing and heating, bathrooms, and landscaping products under the Selco, Leyland SDM, Chadwicks, MacBlair, Isero, Polvo, Gunters en Meuser, TG Lynes, and IKH brands.

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Hedeker Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Amcor PLC (NYSE:AMCR  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 83,367 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $766,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. NewSquare Capital LLC boosted its position in Amcor by 377.9% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 2,810 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 2,222 shares in the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its stake in Amcor by 839.8% during the second quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 3,026 shares of the companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 2,704 shares during the period. Adirondack Trust Co. bought a new stake in Amcor in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Brentview Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Amcor during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Amcor in the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. 45.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Amcor

In other Amcor news, Director Stephen E. Sterrett bought 10,000 shares of Amcor stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $8.55 per share, with a total value of $85,500.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 10,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $85,500. This trade represents a  increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Amcor Price Performance

Shares of AMCR stock opened at $8.50 on Friday. The stocks 50-day moving average is $8.16 and its 200 day moving average is $8.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Amcor PLC has a 1-year low of $7.66 and a 1-year high of $10.70. The company has a market cap of $19.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.60, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.72.

Amcor (NYSE:AMCR  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.19. Amcor had a net margin of 3.40% and a return on equity of 19.43%. The company had revenue of $5.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.77 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.16 earnings per share. Amcors revenue was up 71.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Amcor PLC will post 0.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Amcor Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Friday, November 28th will be given a $0.13 dividend. This is an increase from Amcors previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. Amcors payout ratio is currently 152.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AMCR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus raised Amcor from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $10.20 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Amcor from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Amcor in a research report on Wednesday, September 10th. They set a buy rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Amcor in a report on Friday, September 19th. They set an overweight rating and a $10.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of Amcor in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a sector perform rating for the company. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $10.91.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Amcor

About Amcor

(Free Report)

Amcor plc develops, produces, and sells packaging products in Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions. The company operates through two segments, Flexibles and Rigid Packaging. The Flexibles segment provides flexible and film packaging products in the food and beverage, medical and pharmaceutical, fresh produce, snack food, personal care, and other industries.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMCR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Amcor PLC (NYSE:AMCR  Free Report).

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Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) by 74.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 79,215 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 33,840 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLCs holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $14,427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Philip Morris International by 0.9% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 140,621,675 shares of the companys stock valued at $22,320,878,000 after acquiring an additional 1,189,283 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,181,107 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,760,346,000 after acquiring an additional 672,983 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Philip Morris International by 26.4% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 21,840,422 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,466,730,000 after purchasing an additional 4,563,632 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 24,968.0% in the 2nd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 11,275,606 shares of the companys stock worth $2,041,223,000 after purchasing an additional 11,230,626 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International in the first quarter worth $1,712,994,000. 78.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $180.00 price target on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Sunday, November 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Philip Morris International currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $194.00.

Philip Morris International Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:PM opened at $155.35 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $157.45 and a 200 day moving average of $167.88. The company has a market capitalization of $241.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.43. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.12 and a 52 week high of $186.69.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The business had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.14% and a net margin of 9.33%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 EPS for the current year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd were issued a $1.47 dividend. This is a boost from Philip Morris Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 3rd. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio is presently 106.52%.

About Philip Morris International

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

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Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in QXO, Inc. (NYSE:QXO  Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 39,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $840,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of QXO by 48.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cherry Creek Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 69,780 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,503,000 after purchasing an additional 22,800 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in shares of QXO by 26.4% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 715,087 shares of the companys stock worth $9,861,000 after acquiring an additional 149,504 shares in the last quarter. Brown Miller Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of QXO during the 2nd quarter worth about $592,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its stake in QXO by 530.3% during the second quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 376,483 shares of the companys stock worth $8,109,000 after purchasing an additional 316,754 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deltec Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in QXO by 250.0% during the second quarter. Deltec Asset Management LLC now owns 35,000 shares of the companys stock worth $754,000 after purchasing an additional 25,000 shares during the last quarter. 58.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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QXO Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of QXO stock opened at $17.47 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $11.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -83.16, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 2.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $19.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $19.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 3.00. QXO, Inc. has a one year low of $11.85 and a one year high of $24.69.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

QXO ( NYSE:QXO Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.78 billion. QXO had a negative net margin of 1.09% and a positive return on equity of 2.15%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 20726.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that QXO, Inc. will post -0.13 earnings per share for the current year.

QXO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of QXO from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada started coverage on shares of QXO in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an outperform rating and a $33.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp set a $28.00 price target on shares of QXO in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on shares of QXO in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. They issued an overweight rating and a $30.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stephens started coverage on QXO in a report on Wednesday, August 13th. They set an overweight rating and a $29.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, QXO has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $32.85.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on QXO

QXO Company Profile

(Free Report)

QXO, Inc operates as a business application, technology, and consulting company in North America. The company provides solutions for accounting and business management, financial reporting, enterprise resource planning, human capital management, warehouse management systems, customer relationship management, and business intelligence.

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Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. raised its stake in shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica (NYSE:ERJ  Free Report) by 22.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,172,217 shares of the aerospace companys stock after purchasing an additional 217,015 shares during the period. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica accounts for approximately 2.3% of Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. owned 0.64% of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica worth $66,711,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GQG Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica during the first quarter worth $276,246,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica by 654.5% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,500,799 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $161,737,000 after purchasing an additional 3,036,797 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica in the 1st quarter valued at about $84,931,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica by 116.8% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,678,821 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $123,762,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443,186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica by 80.1% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,433,113 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $66,210,000 after acquiring an additional 637,585 shares during the last quarter. 34.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

ERJ has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. UBS Group upped their target price on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from $39.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c+) rating on shares of Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from $79.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $63.86.

Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica has a fifty-two week low of $33.06 and a fifty-two week high of $67.44. The stock has a market cap of $11.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.79, a P/E/G ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.82. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $61.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.57.

Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica (NYSE:ERJ  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The aerospace company reported $0.30 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.67 by ($0.37). Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica had a net margin of 5.43% and a return on equity of 13.38%. Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica will post 2.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, November 6th that allows the company to buyback 0 shares. This buyback authorization allows the aerospace company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the companys board believes its stock is undervalued.

About Embraer-Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica

(Free Report)

Embraer SA designs, develops, manufactures, and sells aircraft and systems in North America, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, Brazil, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Commercial Aviation; Defense & Security; Executive Aviation; Services & Support; and Other segments. The Commercial Aviation segment designs, develops, manufactures, and sells commercial jets, as well as leases aircraft.

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Shares of James Hardie Industries PLC. (NYSE:JHX  Get Free Report) reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $16.59 and last traded at $16.7210, with a volume of 2522968 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $16.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on JHX shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on James Hardie Industries in a research note on Friday, August 8th. They issued a buy rating and a $34.00 price objective for the company. CLSA upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Macquarie raised shares of James Hardie Industries from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of James Hardie Industries from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of James Hardie Industries from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $27.91.

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James Hardie Industries Price Performance

The businesss 50 day moving average is $20.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 3.31 and a current ratio of 3.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.19 billion, a PE ratio of 21.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.34 and a beta of 1.82.

James Hardie Industries (NYSE:JHX  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 19th. The construction company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.07). James Hardie Industries had a return on equity of 27.95% and a net margin of 8.75%.The company had revenue of $899.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $982.60 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. James Hardie Industriess revenue was down 9.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that James Hardie Industries PLC. will post 1.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On James Hardie Industries

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in James Hardie Industries by 70.4% during the second quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 1,101 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in James Hardie Industries by 641.2% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,223 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 1,058 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management grew its position in shares of James Hardie Industries by 4,266.7% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 1,310 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of James Hardie Industries by 11,238.5% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,474 shares of the construction companys stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 1,461 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of James Hardie Industries in the second quarter worth $52,000. 7.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

James Hardie Industries Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

James Hardie Industries plc manufactures and sells fiber cement, fiber gypsum, and cement bonded building products for interior and exterior building construction applications primarily in the United States, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and the Philippines. The company operates through North America Fiber Cement, Asia Pacific Fiber Cement, and Europe Building Products segments.

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Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (LON:JAR  Get Free Report) passed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 62.63 and traded as high as GBX 67.56. Jardine Matheson shares last traded at GBX 67.56, with a volume of 200 shares.

Jardine Matheson Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 71.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 62.63 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 59.09. The firm has a market capitalization of 199.90 million, a P/E ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.40.

Jardine Matheson Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates in motor vehicles and related operations, property investment and development, food retailing, health and beauty, home furnishings, engineering and construction, and transportation businesses in China, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom, and internationally.

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JinkoSolar (NYSE:JKS  Get Free Report) is projected to announce its Q3 2025 results before the market opens on Monday, November 17th. Analysts expect JinkoSolar to post earnings of ($2.56) per share and revenue of $2.7174 billion for the quarter. Individuals may review the information on the companys upcoming Q3 2025 earningreport for the latest details on the call scheduled for Monday, November 17, 2025 at 7:30 AM ET.

JinkoSolar Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of JKS opened at $26.93 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.33. JinkoSolar has a one year low of $13.42 and a one year high of $29.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $24.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $22.44. The company has a market capitalization of $1.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.36 and a beta of 0.60.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On JinkoSolar

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in JinkoSolar in the second quarter worth approximately $47,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of JinkoSolar by 7,759.6% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 11,082 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 10,941 shares during the period. Man Group plc purchased a new position in JinkoSolar in the 3rd quarter worth about $329,000. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new stake in JinkoSolar during the 3rd quarter worth about $384,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC purchased a new stake in JinkoSolar during the third quarter valued at about $512,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 35.82% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on JKS shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of JinkoSolar from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, October 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of JinkoSolar from $15.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d) rating on shares of JinkoSolar in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Strong Sell and an average target price of $28.99.

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About JinkoSolar

(Get Free Report)

JinkoSolar Holding Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, production, and marketing of photovoltaic products. The company offers solar modules, silicon wafers, solar cells, recovered silicon materials, and silicon ingots. It also provides solar system integration services; solar power generation and solar system EPC services; and energy storage system, as well as undertakes solar power projects.

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Individuals named Alaric are often perceived as natural leaders with strong, commanding personalities. They typically exhibit confidence, determination, and strategic thinking, reflecting the name's royal and warrior heritage. These individuals tend to be ambitious and goal-oriented, with a natural ability to inspire and lead others. Their noble bearing suggests someone who values honor, tradition, and responsibility, often taking on leadership roles in both professional and personal contexts.



While they can be assertive and decisive when necessary, they also possess a protective nature toward those they care about. The historical weight of the name often instills a sense of purpose and destiny, making Alarics particularly driven to achieve significant accomplishments and leave their mark on the world. They are often seen as people who can handle pressure and make difficult decisions, combining intellectual depth with practical action. Their leadership style tends to be both visionary and grounded, able to see the big picture while attending to important details.
John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III (NYSE:HPS  Get Free Report)s stock price passed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $15.35 and traded as low as $14.99. John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III shares last traded at $15.0450, with a volume of 33,415 shares trading hands.

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III Price Performance

The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $15.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $14.73.

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John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 13th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 13th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III Company Profile

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III in the second quarter worth $52,000. Wolverine Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III in the second quarter valued at about $59,000. Fifth Third Bancorp acquired a new position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III during the 2nd quarter worth about $72,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. bought a new stake in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III during the 3rd quarter worth about $159,000. Finally, Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its position in John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III by 10.9% in the 2nd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 11,398 shares of the companys stock valued at $163,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116 shares in the last quarter.

(Get Free Report)

John Hancock Preferred Income Fund III is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by John Hancock Investment Management LLC. It is co-managed by John Hancock Asset Management. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in securities of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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Kinetik Holdings Inc. (NYSE:KNTK  Get Free Report)s share price reached a new 52-week low on Thursday after Scotiabank lowered their price target on the stock from $51.00 to $45.00. Scotiabank currently has a sector outperform rating on the stock. Kinetik traded as low as $33.81 and last traded at $34.15, with a volume of 141699 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $33.86.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their price target on Kinetik from $43.00 to $40.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $46.00 target price on shares of Kinetik in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Kinetik in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research restated an outperform rating and issued a $42.00 price objective on shares of Kinetik in a report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Kinetik from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $50.30.

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Read Our Latest Research Report on Kinetik

Insider Buying and Selling

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kinetik

In other Kinetik news, insider Jamie Welch acquired 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $34.57 per share, with a total value of $276,560.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 3,687,791 shares of the companys stock, valued at $127,486,934.87. This trade represents a 0.22% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . 3.83% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in Kinetik in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Kinetik by 141.6% during the first quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,133 shares of the companys stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 664 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Kinetik during the third quarter worth about $54,000. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Kinetik in the second quarter valued at about $56,000. Finally, Comerica Bank boosted its holdings in Kinetik by 91.5% in the 1st quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 1,532 shares of the companys stock valued at $80,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 21.11% of the companys stock.

Kinetik Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 82.48, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 3.07. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $39.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.58.

Kinetik (NYSE:KNTK  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.20). Kinetik had a negative return on equity of 5.74% and a net margin of 6.70%.The business had revenue of $463.97 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $604.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.35 EPS. The companys revenue was up 17.1% on a year-over-year basis.

About Kinetik

(Get Free Report)

Kinetik Holdings Inc operates as a midstream company in the Texas Delaware Basin. It provides gathering, transportation, compression, processing, and treating services for companies that produce natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, and water. The company is headquartered in Midland, Texas.

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Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA  Free Report) by 5.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 80,453 shares of the credit services providers stock after selling 4,735 shares during the period. Mastercard makes up about 0.8% of Kingsview Wealth Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Kingsview Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Mastercard were worth $45,210,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MA. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the 2nd quarter valued at $11,421,213,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Mastercard during the first quarter valued at about $4,238,764,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Mastercard by 38.6% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 13,526,118 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $7,413,936,000 after purchasing an additional 3,765,378 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 25.6% in the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 6,372,404 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $3,580,909,000 after buying an additional 1,299,977 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in shares of Mastercard by 3,493.6% in the 2nd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 934,110 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $524,914,000 after buying an additional 908,116 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,816 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $586.89, for a total transaction of $10,456,032.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,330,922.26. This trade represents a 36.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock.

Mastercard Stock Down 1.8%

Mastercard stock opened at $545.31 on Friday. Mastercard Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $465.59 and a fifty-two week high of $601.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.16. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $568.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $569.93. The stock has a market cap of $489.68 billion, a PE ratio of 36.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.92.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.38 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.31 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $8.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.53 billion. Mastercard had a net margin of 44.93% and a return on equity of 200.01%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.89 EPS. Research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercards dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on MA shares. TD Cowen reiterated a buy rating and issued a $645.00 price target on shares of Mastercard in a report on Monday, August 11th. UBS Group upped their target price on Mastercard from $690.00 to $700.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Mastercard from $645.00 to $654.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Cowen restated a buy rating on shares of Mastercard in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Mastercard from $669.00 to $660.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $652.50.

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About Mastercard

(Free Report)

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions.

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Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS  Free Report) by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,823,966 shares of the casino operators stock after buying an additional 31,153 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLCs holdings in Las Vegas Sands were worth $382,294,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LVS. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Las Vegas Sands by 69.3% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 567,101 shares of the casino operators stock worth $21,907,000 after acquiring an additional 232,091 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Las Vegas Sands by 0.4% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,101,190 shares of the casino operators stock worth $119,799,000 after purchasing an additional 12,593 shares in the last quarter. Ground Swell Capital LLC purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the first quarter valued at $225,000. Everett Harris & Co. CA purchased a new position in Las Vegas Sands in the first quarter valued at $657,000. Finally, Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in Las Vegas Sands by 560.4% in the first quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 70,685 shares of the casino operators stock valued at $2,731,000 after buying an additional 59,982 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 39.16% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on LVS shares. UBS Group upped their price objective on Las Vegas Sands from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Susquehanna upped their price target on Las Vegas Sands from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c+) rating on shares of Las Vegas Sands in a report on Thursday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Las Vegas Sands from $52.50 to $58.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Sunday, September 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $64.13.

Las Vegas Sands Stock Down 0.4%

LVS stock opened at $65.37 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $44.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $55.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.42, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 1.21. Las Vegas Sands Corp. has a 12 month low of $30.18 and a 12 month high of $67.83.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The casino operator reported $0.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.16. Las Vegas Sands had a net margin of 12.69% and a return on equity of 73.14%. The company had revenue of $3.33 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.44 EPS. Las Vegas Sandss revenue for the quarter was up 24.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Las Vegas Sands Corp. will post 2.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Las Vegas Sands Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 4th were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, November 4th. Las Vegas Sandss payout ratio is 45.25%.

Insider Activity at Las Vegas Sands

In other news, EVP D. Zachary Hudson sold 100,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $64.99, for a total transaction of $6,499,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,735 shares in the company, valued at $892,637.65. This represents a 87.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Robert G. Goldstein sold 360,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.05, for a total value of $22,698,000.00. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,100,000 shares of company stock valued at $126,218,200. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Las Vegas Sands Company Profile

(Free Report)

Las Vegas Sands Corp., together with its subsidiaries, develops, owns, and operates integrated resorts in Macao and Singapore. It owns and operates The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, the Londoner Macao, The Parisian Macao, The Plaza Macao and Four Seasons Hotel Macao, Cotai Strip, and the Sands Macao in Macao, the Peoples Republic of China; and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

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Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE  Free Report) by 3.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,985,888 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after purchasing an additional 138,300 shares during the quarter. Pfizer accounts for approximately 1.8% of Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc.s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Letko Brosseau & Associates Inc. owned about 0.07% of Pfizer worth $96,618,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in PFE. Westbourne Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Pfizer in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,411,000. Bourne Lent Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 90.8% in the 2nd quarter. Bourne Lent Asset Management Inc. now owns 38,255 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $927,000 after acquiring an additional 18,200 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Pfizer in the 1st quarter valued at $49,968,000. IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 1,127,143 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $27,322,000 after purchasing an additional 41,263 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intrua Financial LLC grew its holdings in shares of Pfizer by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. Intrua Financial LLC now owns 78,392 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $1,986,000 after purchasing an additional 11,643 shares during the last quarter. 68.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on PFE shares. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Scotiabank began coverage on Pfizer in a research note on Thursday. They issued a sector outperform rating and a $30.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a neutral rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. UBS Group reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Pfizer in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Pfizer from $28.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Pfizer has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $28.28.

Pfizer Stock Performance

NYSE:PFE opened at $25.08 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Pfizer Inc. has a twelve month low of $20.92 and a twelve month high of $27.69. The stock has a market cap of $142.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.54. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $24.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.45.

Pfizer (NYSE:PFE  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $16.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $16.94 billion. Pfizer had a net margin of 16.84% and a return on equity of 21.42%. Pfizer has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.000-3.150 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Pfizer Inc. will post 2.95 EPS for the current year.

Pfizer Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.9%. Pfizers dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%.

Pfizer Company Profile

(Free Report)

Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company offers medicines and vaccines in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular metabolic, migraine, and women's health under the Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura, Zavzpret, and the Premarin family brands; infectious diseases with unmet medical needs under the Prevnar family, Abrysvo, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac, and Trumenba brands; and COVID-19 prevention and treatment, and potential future mRNA and antiviral products under the Comirnaty and Paxlovid brands.

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Luxottica Group SpA (OTCMKTS:LUXTY  Get Free Report)s stock price traded up 0.4% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $55.90 and last traded at $55.80. 2,900 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 14,259 shares. The stock had previously closed at $55.60.

Luxottica Group Stock Up 0.4%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firms 50 day moving average price is $55.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.80. The firm has a market cap of $27.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.37 and a beta of 0.27.

About Luxottica Group

(Get Free Report)

Luxottica Group S.p.A., together with its subsidiaries, provides fashion, luxury, sports, and performance eyewear worldwide. It operates through two segments, Manufacturing and Wholesale Distribution, and Retail Distribution. The Manufacturing and Wholesale Distribution segment engages in the design, manufacture, distribution, and marketing of proprietary and designer lines of prescription frames and sunglasses.

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Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW  Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on MPW. Zacks Research raised shares of Medical Properties Trust from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Medical Properties Trust from $5.00 to $4.50 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, August 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a sell (d-) rating on shares of Medical Properties Trust in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Reduce and an average price target of $5.40.

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View Our Latest Report on Medical Properties Trust

Medical Properties Trust Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:MPW traded down $0.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $4.96. The company had a trading volume of 7,135,824 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,954,328. The stock has a market cap of $2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.07 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.76 and a quick ratio of 2.76. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $4.67. Medical Properties Trust has a one year low of $3.51 and a one year high of $6.34.

Medical Properties Trust (NYSE:MPW  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.16 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $237.52 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $244.89 million. Medical Properties Trust had a negative net margin of 155.20% and a negative return on equity of 28.80%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Medical Properties Trust will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medical Properties Trust

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Medical Properties Trust by 346.5% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 7,274 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 5,645 shares in the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Medical Properties Trust during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Rothschild Investment LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Medical Properties Trust in the 3rd quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Medical Properties Trust during the 1st quarter worth $41,000. 71.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Medical Properties Trust Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Medical Properties Trust, Inc is a self-advised real estate investment trust formed in 2003 to acquire and develop net-leased hospital facilities. From its inception in Birmingham, Alabama, the Company has grown to become one of the world's largest owners of hospital real estate with 441 facilities and approximately 44,000 licensed beds as of September 30, 2023.

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Generali Investments Management Co LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK  Free Report) by 30.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,273 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 5,911 shares during the quarter. Generali Investments Management Co LLCs holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,998,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 252,513,381 shares of the companys stock valued at $22,665,601,000 after buying an additional 1,417,274 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 1.1% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 81,669,651 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,330,668,000 after acquiring an additional 927,621 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 144.6% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 49,229,283 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,418,820,000 after acquiring an additional 29,104,112 shares during the last quarter. Amundi increased its position in Merck & Co., Inc. by 37.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 13,077,716 shares of the companys stock worth $1,130,397,000 after purchasing an additional 3,542,036 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 1st quarter valued at about $991,553,000. 76.07% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Up 0.1%

MRK opened at $93.00 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1 year low of $73.31 and a 1 year high of $105.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $85.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $230.82 billion, a PE ratio of 14.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.34.

Insider Buying and Selling at Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. ( NYSE:MRK Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $2.58 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.22. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 25.79% and a return on equity of 41.05%. The firm had revenue of $17.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.57 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc.s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.930-8.980 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 9.01 earnings per share for the current year.

In related news, EVP David Michael Williams sold 8,614 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $83.59, for a total transaction of $720,044.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 24,578 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,054,475.02. This represents a 25.95% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.13% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Thursday. They set a sector outperform rating and a $105.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $98.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Citigroup began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a neutral rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Merck & Co., Inc. from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $104.50.

Read Our Latest Report on Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

(Free Report)

Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.

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Geode Capital Management LLC cut its stake in Molina Healthcare, Inc (NYSE:MOH  Free Report) by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,512,797 shares of the companys stock after selling 8,848 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLCs holdings in Molina Healthcare were worth $448,897,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in Molina Healthcare during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Elequin Capital LP raised its stake in Molina Healthcare by 170.6% during the 1st quarter. Elequin Capital LP now owns 92 shares of the companys stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Molina Healthcare by 2,140.0% during the 2nd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 112 shares of the companys stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Molina Healthcare by 2,744.4% during the second quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 256 shares of the companys stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of Molina Healthcare during the second quarter valued at about $94,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.50% of the companys stock.

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Molina Healthcare Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:MOH opened at $137.38 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 1.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92. Molina Healthcare, Inc has a 12-month low of $136.48 and a 12-month high of $359.97. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $176.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $219.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.51 and a beta of 0.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Molina Healthcare ( NYSE:MOH Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The company reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.97 by ($2.13). The company had revenue of $11.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.99 billion. Molina Healthcare had a net margin of 1.98% and a return on equity of 22.95%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.01 EPS. Molina Healthcare has set its FY 2025 guidance at 14.000-14.000 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Molina Healthcare, Inc will post 24.4 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on MOH shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Molina Healthcare from $231.00 to $165.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $165.00 price target on Molina Healthcare in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $158.00 price target on shares of Molina Healthcare in a report on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Molina Healthcare from $272.00 to $184.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald dropped their target price on Molina Healthcare from $210.00 to $180.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 24th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $198.93.

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Molina Healthcare Company Profile

(Free Report)

Molina Healthcare, Inc provides managed healthcare services to low-income families and individuals under the Medicaid and Medicare programs and through the state insurance marketplaces. It operates in four segments: Medicaid, Medicare, Marketplace, and Other. The company served in across 19 states. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Long Beach, California.

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MTM Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE:DVN  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 5,042 shares of the energy companys stock, valued at approximately $160,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Devon Energy in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Devon Energy during the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its position in shares of Devon Energy by 241.3% during the 2nd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 942 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 666 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Devon Energy in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, SouthState Corp raised its position in shares of Devon Energy by 350.5% in the 1st quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 991 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 771 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.72% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Siebert Williams Shank decreased their target price on Devon Energy from $52.00 to $46.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 13th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Devon Energy from $51.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Roth Capital assumed coverage on shares of Devon Energy in a research report on Monday, October 13th. They issued a buy rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Devon Energy from $49.00 to $47.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d+) rating on shares of Devon Energy in a research report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Devon Energy presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $43.86.

Devon Energy Stock Performance

Shares of DVN opened at $35.80 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $33.92 and a 200-day moving average of $33.39. The company has a market cap of $22.45 billion, a PE ratio of 8.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.01. Devon Energy Corporation has a one year low of $25.89 and a one year high of $39.74.

Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The energy company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.11. Devon Energy had a return on equity of 18.59% and a net margin of 16.57%.The company had revenue of $0.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.10 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Devon Energy Corporation will post 4.85 earnings per share for the current year.

Devon Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. Devon Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.59%.

About Devon Energy

(Free Report)

Devon Energy Corporation, an independent energy company, engages in the exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in the United States. It operates in Delaware, Eagle Ford, Anadarko, Williston, and Powder River Basins. The company was founded in 1971 and is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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Daimler is a name many recognize as a powerhouse in the car manufacturing business. It has been associated with some of the best-known car brands in the world, including Mercedes-Benz (Daimler-Benz) and Chrysler (DaimlerChrysler), before ultimately rebranding as Daimler AG from 2007 through 2022 when it was renamed Mercedes-Benz Group. This followed the decision to split the Mercedes-Benz luxury car unit from the truck-making division, Daimler Truck, which had been established as a subsidiary of Daimler AG in 2019.

Despite being a relatively young company in its current form, Daimler Truck controls several brands that collectively make it one of the largest manufacturers of heavy vehicles. But not every Daimler-operated brand is into semi truck production. Setra, for one, is a bus manufacturer known for models like the ComfortClass S 407 and Setra S 515 HD. It's similar with Thomas Built Buses, which, as the name suggests, produces models such as the Thomas Minotour school bus. And while brands like Rizon specialize in truck manufacturing, the company only makes Class 4 and Class 5 medium-duty electric trucks. With that in mind, here are the Daimler-owned brands that are actually in Class 8 truck production.

Read more: This Is Every Car Brand Killed By GM

Freightliner Trucks

Freightliner Cascadia semi tractor trailer big rig parked on a paved surface. - Jonathan Weiss/Shutterstock

Freightliner is the largest semi truck manufacturer in the U.S., holding 33.4% of market share as of October 2025, according to data from Transport Topics. But it didn't just stumble upon success by chance. Based in Portland, Oregon, Freightliner started as the truck-manufacturing division of Consolidated Freightways (CF). The company was the brainchild of then-CF president Leland James, who sought to build an aluminum cab-over-engine truck, as he believed that using aluminum instead of traditional steel would reduce weight and enable drivers to tackle climbs better when driving up a steep hill.

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The company was known as Freightways Manufacturing at its inception in 1940 but was renamed Freightliner Corporation in 1942, the same year it gave us the industry's first all-aluminum cab, the Model 600. However, like many auto manufacturers at the time, the corporation turned to making ship and aircraft components to support the World War II effort. After the war, Freightliner moved truck production from Salt Lake City, Utah, to a new manufacturing facility in Portland, Oregon, where it started building factory order trucks based on customers' specifications. However, it wasn't until 1950 that Freightliner sold its first vehicle outside Consolidated Freightways, to the Portland-based forklift manufacturer Hyster Company.

Freightliner saw further success thanks to increasing demand and remained a CF-owned brand until 1981, when it was purchased by Daimler-Benz AG. With Daimler's backing, Freightliner was able to find new customers and bolster sales for its vehicles over the next 10 years, becoming the top-selling heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America by 1992. It also acquired several brands over the years, including the heavy truck division of Ford Motor Company, which it rebranded as Sterling Trucks -- one of the many ventures Ford has sold over the years.

Mercedes-Benz Trucks

Blue Mercedes-Benz Actros driving on the highway - Azulblue/Shutterstock

After World War I, Gottlieb Daimler's Daimler Motoren-Gesellschaft (also known as DMG) and Carl Benz's Benz & Cie. experienced financial difficulties due to post-war economic changes. And so the two companies decided to collaborate, beginning life as a joint venture in 1924 and formally merging in 1926 to fully exploit economies of scale. That decision resulted in the formation of Daimler-Benz AG, which marketed its vehicles under the Mercedes-Benz name.

True to the purpose for which it was founded, Mercedes-Benz has since become a popular brand. Today, its truck manufacturing arm ranks among the leading brands in Europe, thanks to perennial favorites such as the Mercedes-Benz Actros series, known for their blend of driving comfort and fuel efficiency. In addition to its combustion-powered models, Mercedes-Benz Trucks also offers electric trucks such as the ambitious all-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600, which even set a reverse driving record.

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Mercedes-Benz Trucks also serves markets in Asia, Africa, South America, and the Middle East, where it offers light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks. The automotive behemoth equips these vehicles with its own powertrains, which it makes in various production sites across Germany and Brazil.

BharatBenz Trucks

3/4 front-left static shot of a BharatBenz 5528. - YouTube/Behind The Wheels

In 2008, Daimler teamed up with Indian firm Hero Group to form a new joint venture  60% owned by Daimler  dedicated to building medium and heavy commercial vehicles for the Indian market. However, both companies were forced to backtrack on plans for the Daimler Hero Commercial Vehicles (DHCV) joint venture the following year due to the economic crisis in India. Hero Group exited the alliance a year later in 2009, bringing an end to DHCV in the process.

Daimler AG pressed forward with its plans anyway, launching Daimler India Commercial Vehicles (DICV) as its Indian subsidiary, establishing BharatBenz in 2012. The same year saw the launch of BharatBenZ's first heavy-, medium-, and light-duty trucks. BharatBenz trucks are produced at DICV's Oragadam manufacturing facility near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. In a little over a decade of operation, more than 200,000 vehicles have been produced for the domestic market at the plant, with a further 73,000 units shipped overseas.

Fuso Trucks

3/4 shot of a Mitsubishi Fuso Super Great - VanderWolf Images/Shutterstock

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When Mitsubishi Fuso Truck & Bus Company (MFTBC) was spun off into its own entity in 2003, DaimlerChrysler AG had already been involved with Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC). The German automotive group had purchased a significant 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motor Corp(worth 2.1 billion) in March 2000 in a bid to expand its presence in Japanese and East Asian markets. So when the opportunity arose to secure a further foothold, DaimlerChrysler didn't hesitate to spend an additional $767.7 million for a 43% stake in MFTBC, with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and other Mitsubishi Group companies retaining ownership stakes of 42 and 15%, respectively.

In January of 2004, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. agreed to sell 22% of its shares in MFTBC to DaimlerChrysler AG in a deal worth $489.4 million. That gave the German giant a larger 65% stake, which was further increased to 85% in February, when it was granted an additional 20% as compensation for financial damages resulting from quality issues and defect coverups at Mitsubishi Fuso. In 2011, Daimler raised its stake in MFTBC to 89.29% through a 271 million investment, leaving Mitsubishi Group Companies with only 10.71%. By 2017, Mitsubishi Fuso had introduced a couple of interesting vehicles, including the all-new Mitsubishi Super Great.

Now, MFTBC is looking to push even further into truck stratosphere, as it prepares to merge with Toyota's truck subsidiary, Hino, in 2026 to form a new holding company, Archion. Operations are expected to begin in April 2026, although Fuso and Hino will continue to run as two separate companies.

Western Star Trucks

Western Star 57X driving down a road - YouTube/The Joy of Trucking

Western Star was one of the companies acquired by Daimler through Freightliner, and is by virtue of that takeover now owned by Daimler Truck North America. The $670 million investment gave DaimlerChrysler ownership of several properties, including Western Star's headquarters and truck plant in Kelowna, British Columbia, along with a 460,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in North Charleston, South Carolina. Ontario Bus Industries  and its bus manufacturing sites in Mississauga, Ontario and Oriskany, New York  was also part of the deal.

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Western Star has since moved production to Portland, Oregon. It currently offers premium Class 8 trucks for special-purpose and long-distance haulage. These include models such as the Western Star 47X and 49X for vocational applications, as well as on-highway trucks like the Western Star 57X. However, Western Star's niche focus means it doesn't turn out as many vehicles as some of its competitors. Western Star's sales remain well below those of larger rivals such as Freightliner and Kenworth.

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Cultural & Historical Significance

Albrecht has deep roots in German aristocracy and intellectual history, originating from Old High German elements meaning 'noble' and 'bright.' The name gained prominence during the Holy Roman Empire and became associated with powerful noble families, particularly in Bavaria and Austria. Throughout medieval and Renaissance Germany, Albrecht was favored by ruling houses, including the Habsburgs and Hohenzollerns, cementing its status as a name of authority and distinction.



The name's cultural weight extends beyond nobility into the arts and sciences, representing the German tradition of combining intellectual rigor with noble character. During the Reformation and Enlightenment periods, bearers of the name often stood at the intersection of political power and cultural advancement, embodying the German ideal of gebildete Bildungeducated cultivation. This dual association with both ruling classes and intellectual achievement has made Albrecht a symbol of Germany's cultural heritage, particularly in fields like art, science, and governance where excellence and leadership converge.
MTM Investment Management LLC decreased its holdings in Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (NYSEARCA:SPLV  Free Report) by 6.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,693 shares of the companys stock after selling 865 shares during the quarter. MTM Investment Management LLCs holdings in Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF were worth $924,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SPLV. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF by 723,173.3% in the second quarter. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC now owns 193,822,792 shares of the companys stock worth $14,114,176,000 after acquiring an additional 193,795,994 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC boosted its position in Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF by 20.0% during the first quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 3,584,663 shares of the companys stock valued at $267,846,000 after acquiring an additional 597,838 shares during the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF by 42.7% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 1,592,513 shares of the companys stock valued at $118,994,000 after purchasing an additional 476,779 shares in the last quarter. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF by 7.8% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,411,700 shares of the companys stock worth $105,483,000 after purchasing an additional 102,504 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 1,115,712 shares of the companys stock worth $83,366,000 after buying an additional 136,011 shares in the last quarter.

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Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF Stock Down 0.2%

NYSEARCA:SPLV opened at $72.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.11 and a beta of 0.62. Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF has a twelve month low of $67.13 and a twelve month high of $75.43. The company has a fifty day moving average of $72.31 and a 200-day moving average of $72.73.

Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF Company Profile

The Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility ETF (SPLV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P 500 Low Volatility index. The fund tracks a volatility-weighted index of the 100 least-volatile stocks in the S&P 500. SPLV was launched on May 5, 2011 and is managed by Invesco.

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Shares of Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Get Free Report) dropped 2.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $48.91 and last traded at $49.1190. Approximately 18,796,595 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 49% from the average daily volume of 12,632,513 shares. The stock had previously closed at $50.26.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets reissued a market perform rating and set a $55.00 price objective (up from $50.00) on shares of Novo Nordisk A/S in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of Novo Nordisk A/S from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $54.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Novo Nordisk A/S from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered Novo Nordisk A/S from an overweight rating to an underweight rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $59.00 to $47.00 in a report on Monday, September 29th. Finally, Dbs Bank raised Novo Nordisk A/S from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $59.20.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Novo Nordisk A/S

Novo Nordisk A/S Trading Down 1.9%

The company has a market capitalization of $215.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.25, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a current ratio of 0.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $54.55 and a 200 day moving average of $61.01.

Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.25. Novo Nordisk A/S had a return on equity of 78.64% and a net margin of 35.60%.The business had revenue of $11.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.98 billion. Novo Nordisk A/S has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Novo Nordisk A/S will post 3.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Novo Nordisk A/S

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NVO. Warther Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 2.6% in the third quarter. Warther Private Wealth LLC now owns 407,995 shares of the companys stock worth $22,640,000 after purchasing an additional 10,263 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Novo Nordisk A/S by 12.4% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 1,421,526 shares of the companys stock worth $78,880,000 after buying an additional 157,344 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Novo Nordisk A/S in the 3rd quarter worth $1,904,000. Logan Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Novo Nordisk A/S by 86.8% during the third quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 20,071 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 9,324 shares during the period. Finally, Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Novo Nordisk A/S by 10.7% in the third quarter. Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,001 shares of the companys stock valued at $222,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 11.54% of the companys stock.

Novo Nordisk A/S Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Novo Nordisk A/S, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research and development, manufacture, and distribution of pharmaceutical products in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North America, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Diabetes and Obesity Care, and Rare Disease.

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Wall Street Zen cut shares of Nu Skin Enterprises (NYSE:NUS  Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on NUS. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Nu Skin Enterprises in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised Nu Skin Enterprises to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Nu Skin Enterprises currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $7.00.

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Nu Skin Enterprises Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of Nu Skin Enterprises stock opened at $9.66 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $477.90 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 0.97. Nu Skin Enterprises has a twelve month low of $5.32 and a twelve month high of $14.62. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $11.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.61.

Nu Skin Enterprises (NYSE:NUS  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.30 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $364.21 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.20 million. Nu Skin Enterprises had a return on equity of 8.23% and a net margin of 6.20%. Nu Skin Enterprises has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.250-1.350 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 0.250-0.350 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Nu Skin Enterprises will post 1.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Nu Skin Enterprises Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be given a $0.06 dividend. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 28th. Nu Skin Enterprisess dividend payout ratio is 11.01%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Laura Nathanson sold 6,489 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.22, for a total transaction of $79,295.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 33,149 shares of the companys stock, valued at $405,080.78. This trade represents a 16.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Daniel W. Campbell sold 23,391 shares of Nu Skin Enterprises stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.10, for a total value of $283,031.10. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 53,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $645,837.50. The trade was a 30.47% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 58,926 shares of company stock worth $711,364. 2.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nu Skin Enterprises

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new stake in Nu Skin Enterprises during the first quarter valued at approximately $619,000. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in Nu Skin Enterprises in the first quarter worth approximately $279,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises in the first quarter valued at $4,577,000. Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda acquired a new stake in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises during the 2nd quarter valued at $331,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Nu Skin Enterprises by 4.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,133,109 shares of the companys stock worth $30,006,000 after acquiring an additional 193,038 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.84% of the companys stock.

Nu Skin Enterprises Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the development and distribution of various beauty and wellness products worldwide. It offers skin care devices, cosmetics, and other personal care products, including ageLOC LumiSpa and ageLOC LumiSpa iO; and nutricentials skin care products.

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Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its holdings in shares of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG  Free Report) by 28.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 42,839 shares of the energy exploration companys stock after purchasing an additional 9,561 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Boards holdings in EOG Resources were worth $5,124,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of EOG. StrongBox Wealth LLC raised its position in EOG Resources by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. StrongBox Wealth LLC now owns 4,817 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of EOG Resources by 45.1% in the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 283 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the period. Ameriflex Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 31.6% during the second quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 379 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of EOG Resources by 3.2% during the first quarter. Granite Harbor Advisors Inc. now owns 3,034 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 94 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in EOG Resources by 2.0% during the second quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 5,032 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $610,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. 89.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EOG has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of EOG Resources from $141.00 to $136.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on EOG Resources from $141.00 to $149.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Susquehanna raised their target price on EOG Resources from $156.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wolfe Research cut their price target on EOG Resources from $139.00 to $138.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of EOG Resources from $140.00 to $133.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and fifteen have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $140.31.

EOG Resources Stock Performance

Shares of EOG opened at $110.31 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $111.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $115.45. The stock has a market cap of $59.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.72, a PEG ratio of 8.20 and a beta of 0.72. EOG Resources, Inc. has a 52 week low of $102.52 and a 52 week high of $138.18.

EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The energy exploration company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.42 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $5.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.48 billion. EOG Resources had a return on equity of 20.51% and a net margin of 25.25%.The businesss quarterly revenue was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.89 EPS. On average, analysts expect that EOG Resources, Inc. will post 11.47 EPS for the current year.

EOG Resources Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a $1.02 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. EOG Resourcess dividend payout ratio is 40.64%.

EOG Resources Profile

(Free Report)

EOG Resources, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, explores for, develops, produces, and markets crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas primarily in producing basins in the United States, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and internationally. The company was formerly known as Enron Oil & Gas Company.

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Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board boosted its holdings in US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE:USFD  Free Report) by 265.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 72,797 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 52,853 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Boards holdings in US Foods were worth $5,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of US Foods in the first quarter valued at about $31,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in shares of US Foods by 58.7% during the 2nd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 541 shares of the companys stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its stake in US Foods by 41.1% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 931 shares of the companys stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in US Foods by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,302 shares of the companys stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its holdings in US Foods by 1,474.0% during the 2nd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 1,149 shares of the companys stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 1,076 shares during the last quarter. 98.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on USFD. Guggenheim boosted their price target on US Foods from $80.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, August 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an outperform rating on shares of US Foods in a research note on Friday, November 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of US Foods from $84.00 to $96.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an overweight rating and set a $87.00 price target (up from $80.00) on shares of US Foods in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of US Foods in a research note on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, US Foods currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average target price of $82.00.

US Foods Trading Down 0.6%

NYSE USFD opened at $71.72 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $15.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 1.34. US Foods Holding Corp. has a 12 month low of $57.36 and a 12 month high of $85.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 1.15 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $75.67 and a 200-day moving average of $76.98.

US Foods (NYSE:USFD  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.05 by $0.02. US Foods had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 17.71%. The firm had revenue of $10.19 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.85 earnings per share. US Foodss revenue was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that US Foods Holding Corp. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Steven Guberman sold 58,632 shares of US Foods stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.00, for a total value of $4,221,504.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 113,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,165,520. This trade represents a 34.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About US Foods

(Free Report)

US Foods Holding Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in marketing, sale, and distribution of fresh, frozen, and dry food and non-food products to foodservice customers in the United States. The company's customers include independently owned single and multi-unit restaurants, regional concepts, national restaurant chains, hospitals, nursing homes, hotels and motels, country clubs, government and military organizations, colleges and universities, and retail locations.

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Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new stake in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM  Free Report) (TSE:CM) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 46,050 shares of the banks stock, valued at approximately $3,271,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 405.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 5,187,068 shares of the banks stock valued at $292,032,000 after acquiring an additional 4,160,938 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 31.6% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,581,914 shares of the banks stock worth $595,762,000 after purchasing an additional 2,538,808 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce during the first quarter worth approximately $124,797,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 19.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 7,547,548 shares of the banks stock valued at $542,697,000 after purchasing an additional 1,244,271 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce by 23.0% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 6,055,999 shares of the banks stock valued at $340,721,000 after buying an additional 1,133,715 shares during the period. 49.88% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, August 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $107.50.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:CM opened at $87.13 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $80.92 billion, a PE ratio of 14.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.03. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce has a 1 year low of $53.62 and a 1 year high of $87.29. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $81.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $74.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM  Get Free Report) (TSE:CM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, August 28th. The bank reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.14. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce had a return on equity of 14.67% and a net margin of 12.94%.The company had revenue of $5.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.12 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.93 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce will post 5.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 28th. Investors of record on Monday, September 29th were issued a $0.97 dividend. This is an increase from Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 29th. This represents a $3.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.5%. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces dividend payout ratio is presently 47.64%.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Profile

(Free Report)

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, a diversified financial institution, provides various financial products and services to personal, business, public sector, and institutional clients in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Canadian Personal and Business Banking; Canadian Commercial Banking and Wealth Management; U.S.

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Dover (NYSE:DOV  Get Free Report) had its price objective upped by stock analysts at Oppenheimer from $225.00 to $228.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the industrial products companys stock. Oppenheimers price objective indicates a potential upside of 24.54% from the stocks current price.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on DOV. Robert W. Baird set a $235.00 target price on shares of Dover in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Dover from $183.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings raised Dover from a hold (c+) rating to a buy (b-) rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Dover from $180.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Dover from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 15th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Dover presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $212.27.

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Dover Stock Up 0.6%

DOV opened at $183.07 on Friday. Dover has a fifty-two week low of $143.04 and a fifty-two week high of $222.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.26, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.29. The companys 50-day moving average is $172.59 and its 200 day moving average is $177.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.44.

Dover (NYSE:DOV  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 30th. The industrial products company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.78 billion for the quarter. Dover had a net margin of 28.37% and a return on equity of 17.62%. Research analysts expect that Dover will post 9.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dover

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Dover by 1.4% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,573,281 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $3,036,722,000 after acquiring an additional 231,146 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Dover by 2.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,447,149 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,181,311,000 after purchasing an additional 171,934 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Dover by 1.0% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 3,453,121 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $629,996,000 after buying an additional 33,539 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new position in shares of Dover during the first quarter valued at about $526,081,000. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its holdings in shares of Dover by 10.6% in the second quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 2,376,279 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $435,406,000 after buying an additional 227,653 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.46% of the companys stock.

Dover Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Dover Corporation provides equipment and components, consumable supplies, aftermarket parts, software and digital solutions, and support services worldwide. The company's Engineered Products segment provides various equipment, component, software, solution, and services that are used in vehicle aftermarket, waste handling, industrial automation, aerospace and defense, industrial winch and hoist, and fluid dispensing end-market.

Further Reading

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Parker Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL  Free Report) by 4.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 17,411 shares of the technology companys stock after buying an additional 806 shares during the period. Dell Technologies accounts for 0.3% of Parker Investment Management LLCs holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Parker Investment Management LLCs holdings in Dell Technologies were worth $2,135,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in DELL. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Dell Technologies by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,106,218 shares of the technology companys stock worth $2,653,032,000 after acquiring an additional 1,145,658 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Dell Technologies by 14.9% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,896,622 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $724,578,000 after purchasing an additional 763,745 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Dell Technologies by 38.1% in the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 4,141,618 shares of the technology companys stock worth $377,508,000 after purchasing an additional 1,142,012 shares during the period. Alkeon Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Dell Technologies by 41.4% during the first quarter. Alkeon Capital Management LLC now owns 3,177,809 shares of the technology companys stock worth $289,657,000 after purchasing an additional 931,032 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Dell Technologies by 20.5% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,952,829 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $269,150,000 after purchasing an additional 502,764 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.37% of the companys stock.

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Dell Technologies Trading Down 0.3%

DELL stock opened at $133.58 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $143.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $128.69. Dell Technologies Inc. has a 12 month low of $66.25 and a 12 month high of $168.08. The company has a market cap of $89.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.02.

Dell Technologies Announces Dividend

Dell Technologies ( NYSE:DELL Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 5th. The technology company reported $1.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Dell Technologies had a negative return on equity of 236.21% and a net margin of 4.73%.The business had revenue of $26.43 billion during the quarter. Dell Technologies has set its FY24 guidance at $6.10-6.50 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Dell Technologies Inc. will post 6.93 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Tuesday, October 21st were issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, October 21st. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Dell Technologiess dividend payout ratio is currently 30.88%.

Insider Activity

In other Dell Technologies news, Director Ellen Jamison Kullman sold 79,806 shares of Dell Technologies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.56, for a total transaction of $12,255,009.36. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 65,662 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,083,056.72. The trade was a 54.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director William D. Green sold 42,736 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $160.00, for a total transaction of $6,837,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 47,619 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,619,040. This trade represents a 47.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 4,537,755 shares of company stock valued at $642,644,973 in the last quarter. Insiders own 42.00% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on DELL. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on Dell Technologies from $152.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Dell Technologies from $167.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 1st. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Dell Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. They issued an overweight rating and a $172.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Dell Technologies from $145.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Dell Technologies from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $162.80.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Dell Technologies

Dell Technologies Company Profile

(Free Report)

Dell Technologies Inc designs, develops, manufactures, markets, sells, and supports various comprehensive and integrated solutions, products, and services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) and Client Solutions Group (CSG).

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Shares of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. (OTCMKTS:PIAIF  Get Free Report) were down 1.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $7.71 and last traded at $7.71. Approximately 8,200 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average daily volume of 18,955 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.80.

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China Price Performance

The stocks 50 day moving average price is $6.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $6.61.

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Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 24th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 11th were given a dividend of $0.95 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 10th. Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of Chinas payout ratio is currently 15.89%.

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China Company Profile

Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd. provides financial products and services for insurance, banking, asset management, and technology businesses in the People's Republic of China. The company operates through Life and Health Insurance; Property and Casualty Insurance; Banking; Asset Management; and Technology segments.

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Booking, Chipotle Mexican Grill, McDonalds, Brinker International, and Toast are the five Restaurant stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Restaurant stocks are shares in publicly traded companies that operate, franchise, or supply restaurant chains and dining concepts, from quick-service outlets to full-service brands. Investors view them as a way to gain exposure to consumer dining trends and discretionary spending and typically evaluate metrics like same-store sales, unit growth, average check, margins and franchise fees, while monitoring risks such as labor and commodity costs, real estate expenses, and sensitivity to economic cycles. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Restaurant stocks within the last several days.

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Booking (BKNG)

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc., is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It sells food and beverages through offering burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company also provides delivery and related services its app and website. It has operations in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Read Our Latest Research Report on CMG

McDonalds (MCD)

McDonalds Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the U.K.

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Brinker International (EAT)

Brinker International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the ownership, development, operation, and franchising of casual dining restaurants in the United States and internationally. It operates and franchises Chili's Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant brands.

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Toast (TOST)

Toast, Inc. operates a cloud-based digital technology platform for the restaurant industry in the United States, Ireland, and India. The company offers software products for restaurant operations and point of sale, such as Toast POS, Toast now, multi-location management, kitchen display system, Toast mobile order and pay, Toast catering and events, Toast invoicing, Toast tables, and restaurant retail; and hardware products, including Toast flex, Toast flex for guest, Toast go 2, Toast tap, kiosks, and Delphi by Toast.

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Individuals named Alixandre in Arthurian tradition typically exhibit a complex blend of noble virtues and human vulnerabilities. They are characterized by unwavering loyalty to their lords and family, demonstrated through Alixandre's faithful service to his uncle King Mark despite the complicated political dynamics of Cornwall. These characters often possess a strong sense of honor and justice, acting as moral compasses in narratives filled with betrayal and moral ambiguity.



Their chivalric ideals are tempered by practical wisdom, allowing them to navigate the treacherous waters of court politics while maintaining their integrity. However, this noble disposition often leads them into tragic circumstances, as their commitment to honor conflicts with the messy realities of human relationships and political intrigue. The personality associated with Alixandre represents the ideal medieval knightbrave in battle, eloquent in court, faithful in love, and ultimately human in their struggles between duty and desire, making them compelling figures who embody both the aspirations and limitations of the chivalric code.
RLX Technology (NYSE:RLX  Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.01), Zacks reports. RLX Technology had a net margin of 22.32% and a return on equity of 4.54%. The business had revenue of $158.63 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $139.99 million.

RLX Technology Stock Up 10.1%

Shares of RLX Technology stock traded up $0.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $2.57. The companys stock had a trading volume of 7,679,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,711,256. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $2.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.28. RLX Technology has a 52 week low of $1.64 and a 52 week high of $2.84. The firm has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a PE ratio of 36.65 and a beta of 1.10.

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RLX Technology Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced an annual dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th were issued a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 12th. This represents a dividend yield of 38.0%. RLX Technologys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Two Sigma Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of RLX Technology in the third quarter valued at approximately $323,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in RLX Technology by 308.2% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 54,064 shares of the companys stock worth $119,000 after acquiring an additional 40,819 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its holdings in RLX Technology by 53.7% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 3,804,284 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,407,000 after acquiring an additional 1,329,500 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new stake in shares of RLX Technology during the 3rd quarter valued at $7,900,000. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its holdings in shares of RLX Technology by 82.4% during the 3rd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,067,228 shares of the companys stock worth $5,437,000 after purchasing an additional 934,135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 22.68% of the companys stock.

RLX has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered RLX Technology from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of RLX Technology in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, RLX Technology presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $2.25.

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RLX Technology Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

RLX Technology Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of e-vapor products in the People's Republic of China and internationally. It serves partner distributors and retail outlets. The company was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Beijing, China.

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Shares of Rxo Inc (NYSE:RXO  Get Free Report) traded down 11.4% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $10.93 and last traded at $10.9560. 1,385,440 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 1,757,307 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.36.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on RXO shares. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of RXO from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 7th. Zacks Research lowered RXO from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on RXO from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays cut their target price on RXO from $17.00 to $15.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 7th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded RXO from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research report on Friday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, RXO has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $16.69.

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Read Our Latest Research Report on RXO

RXO Trading Up 2.0%

The firm has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.22 and a beta of 1.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $16.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.97.

RXO (NYSE:RXO  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.03 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $1.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.44 billion. RXO had a negative net margin of 1.25% and a positive return on equity of 0.88%. The companys revenue was up 34.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.05 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Rxo Inc will post 0.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Thomas A. Szlosek bought 20,308 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $12.37 per share, with a total value of $251,209.96. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 36,508 shares in the company, valued at approximately $451,603.96. This trade represents a 125.36% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Andrew M. Wilkerson bought 7,775 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, November 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $12.88 per share, with a total value of $100,142.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 7,775 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $100,142. This represents a  increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders bought 31,933 shares of company stock worth $400,632 over the last ninety days. 2.80% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of RXO

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in RXO by 87.1% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 94,527 shares of the companys stock worth $1,805,000 after purchasing an additional 44,001 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of RXO during the first quarter valued at approximately $56,693,000. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in shares of RXO by 19.0% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 754,778 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,416,000 after purchasing an additional 120,275 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of RXO in the first quarter valued at $8,107,000. Finally, Douglas Lane & Associates LLC lifted its position in RXO by 4.1% in the second quarter. Douglas Lane & Associates LLC now owns 3,739,778 shares of the companys stock worth $58,789,000 after purchasing an additional 148,738 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.73% of the companys stock.

About RXO

(Get Free Report)

RXO, Inc provides full truckload freight transportation brokering services. It also offers brokered services for managed transportation, last mile, and freight forwarding. The company was incorporated in 2022 and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Samson Rock Capital LLP purchased a new stake in Kellanova (NYSE:K  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 10,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $795,000. Kellanova makes up approximately 3.2% of Samson Rock Capital LLPs portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of K. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its position in shares of Kellanova by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 6,373 shares of the companys stock worth $526,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its stake in shares of Kellanova by 1.8% in the first quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 7,334 shares of the companys stock valued at $605,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. Cigna Investments Inc. New grew its position in Kellanova by 5.3% during the second quarter. Cigna Investments Inc. New now owns 2,797 shares of the companys stock worth $222,000 after buying an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Ethic Inc. increased its stake in Kellanova by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 17,216 shares of the companys stock worth $1,360,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its holdings in Kellanova by 32.7% in the 2nd quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 718 shares of the companys stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.87% of the companys stock.

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Kellanova Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE K opened at $83.32 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $28.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87, a PEG ratio of 5.16 and a beta of 0.23. Kellanova has a 12 month low of $76.48 and a 12 month high of $83.45. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $81.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $80.91.

Kellanova Dividend Announcement

Kellanova ( NYSE:K Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $3.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.25 billion. Kellanova had a net margin of 10.56% and a return on equity of 32.54%. The firms quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.91 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Kellanova will post 3.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.58 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. This represents a $2.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Kellanovas dividend payout ratio is 63.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Kellanova from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kellanova from a buy (b-) rating to a hold (c+) rating in a research note on Saturday, October 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Kellanova in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a neutral rating and a $83.50 target price for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Kellanova currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $83.50.

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Insider Activity

In other news, major shareholder Kellogg W. K. Foundation Trust sold 114,599 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.55, for a total value of $9,116,350.45. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 45,097,438 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,587,501,192.90. This represents a 0.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.80% of the companys stock.

Kellanova Profile

(Free Report)

Kellanova, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures and markets snacks and convenience foods in North America, Europe, Latin America, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Australia, and Africa. Its principal products include crackers, crisps, savory snacks, toaster pastries, cereal bars, granola bars and bites, ready-to-eat cereals, frozen waffles, veggie foods, and noodles.

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Sse Plc (OTCMKTS:SSEZY  Get Free Report) shares saw unusually-high trading volume on Thursday . Approximately 848,871 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 483% from the previous sessions volume of 145,674 shares.The stock last traded at $30.20 and had previously closed at $30.48.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SSEZY shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating on shares of SSE in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an outperform rating on shares of SSE in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research cut SSE from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Citigroup lowered SSE from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

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SSE Stock Down 1.6%

About SSE

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 1.01 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.48 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.44.

(Get Free Report)

SSE plc engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, and supply of electricity. It generates electricity from water, gas, coal, oil, and multi fuel. The company distributes electricity to approximately 3.8 million homes and businesses across the north of the central belt of Scotland and central southern England; and owns, operates, and develops high voltage electricity transmission system in the north of Scotland and remote islands.

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Westpac Banking Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS  Free Report) by 1.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,658 shares of the investment management companys stock after selling 384 shares during the period. The Goldman Sachs Group accounts for 0.9% of Westpac Banking Corps portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Westpac Banking Corps holdings in The Goldman Sachs Group were worth $13,913,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd acquired a new stake in The Goldman Sachs Group during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in The Goldman Sachs Group by 1,800.0% in the second quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 38 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Clearstead Trust LLC bought a new position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Ridgewood Investments LLC raised its position in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group by 45.9% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgewood Investments LLC now owns 54 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 17 shares during the period. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of The Goldman Sachs Group during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $39,000. 71.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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The Goldman Sachs Group Stock Performance

GS stock opened at $790.56 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $785.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $710.58. The company has a market capitalization of $237.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.06, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.23. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $439.38 and a fifty-two week high of $841.28.

The Goldman Sachs Group Dividend Announcement

The Goldman Sachs Group ( NYSE:GS Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 14th. The investment management company reported $12.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $10.27 by $1.98. The company had revenue of $15.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.68 billion. The Goldman Sachs Group had a net margin of 13.18% and a return on equity of 14.79%. The Goldman Sachs Groups revenue was up 19.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.40 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. will post 47.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $4.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 2nd. This represents a $16.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The Goldman Sachs Groups payout ratio is presently 32.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on GS shares. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Dbs Bank boosted their price target on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $800.00 to $890.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research lowered shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lifted their price objective on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $850.00 to $870.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, HSBC upped their target price on shares of The Goldman Sachs Group from $652.00 to $677.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $786.00.

View Our Latest Stock Report on The Goldman Sachs Group

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other The Goldman Sachs Group news, COO John E. Waldron sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $750.51, for a total transaction of $6,754,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 106,268 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $79,755,196.68. This trade represents a 7.81% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

The Goldman Sachs Group Profile

(Free Report)

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc, a financial institution, provides a range of financial services for corporations, financial institutions, governments, and individuals worldwide. It operates through Global Banking & Markets, Asset & Wealth Management, and Platform Solutions segments. The Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial advisory services, including strategic advisory assignments related to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, corporate defense activities, restructurings, and spin-offs; and relationship lending, and acquisition financing, as well as secured lending, through structured credit and asset-backed lending and involved in financing under securities to resale agreements.

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Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC cut its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM  Free Report) by 35.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,271 shares of the business services providers stock after selling 3,377 shares during the period. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLCs holdings in Waste Management were worth $1,435,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. acquired a new position in Waste Management in the first quarter valued at about $38,000. Wealth Watch Advisors INC bought a new stake in Waste Management during the second quarter worth about $43,000. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Waste Management during the first quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its stake in shares of Waste Management by 381.0% in the first quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 202 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. 80.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Waste Management Trading Up 2.2%

NYSE WM opened at $208.97 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.36, a current ratio of 0.84 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The stocks 50-day moving average is $212.87 and its 200-day moving average is $224.39. Waste Management, Inc. has a one year low of $194.11 and a one year high of $242.58. The firm has a market cap of $84.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.62.

Waste Management Dividend Announcement

Waste Management ( NYSE:WM Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The business services provider reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.01 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $6.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.51 billion. Waste Management had a return on equity of 33.00% and a net margin of 10.35%.The businesss quarterly revenue was up 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.96 earnings per share. Waste Management has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Waste Management, Inc. will post 7.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 5th. Waste Managements dividend payout ratio is 51.97%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. CIBC cut their price objective on Waste Management from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. National Bankshares lowered their target price on Waste Management from $250.00 to $243.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. William Blair reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Cowen reiterated a buy rating on shares of Waste Management in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Waste Management presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $248.25.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on WM

Waste Management Company Profile

(Free Report)

Waste Management, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States and Canada. It offers collection services, including picking up and transporting waste and recyclable materials from where it was generated to a transfer station, material recovery facility (MRF), or disposal site; and owns and operates transfer stations, as well as owns, develops, and operates landfill facilities that produce landfill gas used as renewable natural gas for generating electricity.

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Wabash National (NYSE:WNC  Get Free Report) and Autoliv (NYSE:ALV  Get Free Report) are both auto/tires/trucks companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, risk, earnings, profitability and valuation.

Dividends

Wabash National pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.2%. Autoliv pays an annual dividend of $3.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Wabash National pays out 5.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Autoliv pays out 36.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Autoliv has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Wabash National is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

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Profitability

This table compares Wabash National and Autolivs net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Wabash National -6.38% -7.91% -1.65% Autoliv 7.09% 31.22% 9.20%

Valuation and Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Wabash National $1.64 billion 0.19 -$284.07 million $6.08 1.25 Autoliv $10.61 billion 0.86 $647.00 million $9.68 12.45

This table compares Wabash National and Autolivs revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Autoliv has higher revenue and earnings than Wabash National. Wabash National is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Autoliv, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Risk and Volatility

Wabash National has a beta of 1.73, suggesting that its share price is 73% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Autoliv has a beta of 1.35, suggesting that its share price is 35% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and price targets for Wabash National and Autoliv, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Wabash National 1 2 0 0 1.67 Autoliv 0 6 10 2 2.78

Wabash National currently has a consensus target price of $9.00, suggesting a potential upside of 18.66%. Autoliv has a consensus target price of $128.00, suggesting a potential upside of 6.21%. Given Wabash Nationals higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Wabash National is more favorable than Autoliv.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

97.1% of Wabash National shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 69.6% of Autoliv shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.2% of Wabash National shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Autoliv shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Autoliv beats Wabash National on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Wabash National

(Get Free Report)

Wabash National Corporation provides connected solutions for the transportation, logistics, and distribution industries primarily in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Transportation Solutions and Parts & Services. The Transportation Solutions segment designs and manufactures transportation-related equipment and products dry and refrigerated van trailers, platform trailers, tank trailers, and truck-mounted tanks; truck bodies for dry-freight transportation; cargo and cargo XL bodies for commercial applications; refrigerated truck bodies; platform truck bodies; and used trailers, as well as laminated hardwood oak flooring products. The Parts & Services segment provides aftermarket parts and services; steel flatbed bodies, truck body mounting, shelving for package delivery, partitions, roof racks, hitches, liftgates, thermal solutions, and others; truck body repair parts; and door repair and replacement, collision repair, and basic maintenance services. It also develops and scales a digital marketplace for the transportation and logistics distribution industry; operates a parts and services distribution platform; and stainless steel storage tanks and silos, mixers, and processors for the dairy, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, craft brewing, and biotech markets; trailers as a service; and composite products, including truck bodies, overhead doors, and other industrial application products, as well as used trailers. The company offers its products under the Wabash, DuraPlate, DuraPlateHD, DuraPlate AeroSkirt, and AeroSkirt CX brands, as well as EcoNex brand. It serves its products to truckload common carriers, leasing companies, private fleet carriers, less-than-truckload common carriers, and package carriers. Wabash National Corporation was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana.

About Autoliv

(Get Free Report)

Autoliv, Inc., through its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and supplies passive safety systems to the automotive industry in Europe, the Americas, China, Japan, and rest of Asia. It offers passive safety systems, including modules and components for frontal-impact airbag protection systems, side-impact airbag protection systems, seatbelts, steering wheels, and inflator technologies. The company also provides mobility safety solutions, such as pedestrian protection, battery cut-off switches, connected safety services, and safety solutions for riders of powered two wheelers. It primarily serves car manufacturers. Autoliv, Inc. was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.

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WealthShield Partners LLC lessened its holdings in iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM  Free Report) by 7.8% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,558 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 554 shares during the period. WealthShield Partners LLCs holdings in iShares Russell 2000 ETF were worth $1,415,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 211.1% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 120 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Proathlete Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Financial Network Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 2000 ETF during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in iShares Russell 2000 ETF in the first quarter valued at $30,000.

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iShares Russell 2000 ETF Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA IWM opened at $237.48 on Friday. iShares Russell 2000 ETF has a 52-week low of $171.73 and a 52-week high of $252.77. The business has a fifty day moving average of $243.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $226.15. The stock has a market cap of $65.77 billion, a PE ratio of 17.69 and a beta of 1.13.

About iShares Russell 2000 ETF

iShares Russell 2000 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 2000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 2,000 smallest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IWM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM  Free Report).

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Westwood Holdings Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Extra Space Storage Inc (NYSE:EXR  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 50,032 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock, valued at approximately $7,377,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Extra Space Storage by 0.9% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,969,485 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $5,044,129,000 after acquiring an additional 295,556 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Extra Space Storage by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,795,253 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $851,070,000 after purchasing an additional 100,637 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position in shares of Extra Space Storage by 205.7% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,094,555 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $608,001,000 after purchasing an additional 2,755,265 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Extra Space Storage by 18.7% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,056,384 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $453,843,000 after purchasing an additional 480,642 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Extra Space Storage by 1.7% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,922,828 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $434,011,000 after buying an additional 47,779 shares in the last quarter. 99.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Extra Space Storage Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:EXR opened at $132.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.14. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $141.77 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. Extra Space Storage Inc has a 12-month low of $121.03 and a 12-month high of $175.57.

Extra Space Storage Announces Dividend

Extra Space Storage ( NYSE:EXR Get Free Report ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.08 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.02. Extra Space Storage had a return on equity of 6.53% and a net margin of 28.40%.The company had revenue of $858.46 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $736.26 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.07 EPS. Extra Space Storages quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Extra Space Storage has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.120-8.20 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Extra Space Storage Inc will post 8.1 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were given a dividend of $1.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.9%. Extra Space Storages dividend payout ratio is presently 144.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

EXR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Extra Space Storage in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Extra Space Storage from $166.00 to $162.00 and set a sector outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Extra Space Storage from $165.00 to $150.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a $146.00 price objective (down from $169.00) on shares of Extra Space Storage in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Extra Space Storage from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Saturday, November 1st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Extra Space Storage has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $148.36.

Get Our Latest Report on EXR

Insider Transactions at Extra Space Storage

In other Extra Space Storage news, CEO Joseph D. Margolis sold 7,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.41, for a total value of $1,060,575.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 19,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,794,261.60. The trade was a 27.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Extra Space Storage Profile

(Free Report)

Extra Space Storage Inc, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a self-administered and self-managed REIT and a member of the S&P 500. As of December 31, 2023, the Company owned and/or operated 3,714 self-storage stores in 42 states and Washington, DC The Company's stores comprise approximately 2.6 million units and approximately 283.0 million square feet of rentable space operating under the Extra Space, Life Storage and Storage Express brands.

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Wilmar International Ltd. (OTCMKTS:WLMIY  Get Free Report)s share price crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $23.24 and traded as high as $25.67. Wilmar International shares last traded at $25.6450, with a volume of 25,074 shares traded.

Wilmar International Trading Down 0.3%

The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.24 and a 200 day moving average of $23.23.

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Wilmar International Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 12th. Investors of record on Monday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.2491 per share. This represents a yield of 417.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 22nd.

About Wilmar International

Wilmar International Limited operates as an agribusiness company in Singapore, South East Asia, the People's Republic of China, India, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, and internationally. The company operates through four segments: Food Products, Feed and Industrial Products, Plantation and Sugar Milling, and Others.

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Women named Alonza are typically perceived as strong-willed, determined individuals with natural leadership qualities. They often exhibit a combination of strategic thinking and emotional intelligence that allows them to navigate complex situations effectively. Their 'ready for battle' namesake manifests not as aggression, but as a resilient spirit and the ability to face challenges head-on. Alonzas tend to be protective of those they care about, showing fierce loyalty to family and friends. They often possess a quiet confidence that inspires trust in others, combined with practical wisdom that makes them excellent problem-solvers.



These women typically display a remarkable balance between strength and sensitivity, understanding when to be assertive and when to show compassion. Their warrior spirit is tempered by a deep sense of justice and fairness, making them advocates for those who cannot defend themselves. Alonzas are often drawn to careers and pursuits where they can make a tangible difference in people's lives, whether through leadership positions, community work, or creative endeavors. While they can be independent and self-reliant, they value deep, meaningful relationships and often become the emotional anchors in their social circles. Their combination of practical strength and emotional depth makes them uniquely equipped to handle both personal and professional challenges with equal grace.
Y.D. More Investments Ltd lowered its position in Veeva Systems Inc. (NYSE:VEEV  Free Report) by 35.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,973 shares of the technology companys stock after selling 11,695 shares during the period. Y.D. More Investments Ltds holdings in Veeva Systems were worth $6,040,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VEEV. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Veeva Systems in the first quarter valued at about $365,684,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Veeva Systems by 20.9% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,992,372 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $924,754,000 after acquiring an additional 689,700 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Veeva Systems by 423.8% in the 2nd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 841,303 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $242,278,000 after acquiring an additional 680,702 shares during the last quarter. Linonia Partnership LP lifted its stake in Veeva Systems by 52.7% in the 1st quarter. Linonia Partnership LP now owns 1,836,557 shares of the technology companys stock worth $425,402,000 after purchasing an additional 633,585 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Veeva Systems by 48.2% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,799,931 shares of the technology companys stock worth $416,918,000 after purchasing an additional 585,785 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.20% of the companys stock.

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Veeva Systems Price Performance

NYSE VEEV opened at $293.24 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $48.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 60.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $288.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $277.67. Veeva Systems Inc. has a 1-year low of $201.54 and a 1-year high of $310.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Veeva Systems ( NYSE:VEEV Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The technology company reported $1.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.90 by ($0.64). The business had revenue of $789.08 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $768.49 million. Veeva Systems had a return on equity of 13.72% and a net margin of 27.29%.Veeva Systemss quarterly revenue was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.62 earnings per share. Veeva Systems has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.940-1.950 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 7.780-7.780 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Veeva Systems Inc. will post 4.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VEEV shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded Veeva Systems from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. BTIG Research reiterated a buy rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of Veeva Systems in a report on Friday, October 17th. Raymond James Financial reissued an outperform rating and issued a $340.00 price objective (up previously from $310.00) on shares of Veeva Systems in a report on Thursday, August 28th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Veeva Systems from $285.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, William Blair reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Veeva Systems in a report on Friday, October 17th. Seventeen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Veeva Systems currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $307.28.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Veeva Systems

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Veeva Systems news, SVP Jonathan Faddis sold 720 shares of Veeva Systems stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $298.12, for a total transaction of $214,646.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 7,868 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,345,608.16. The trade was a 8.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Thomas D. Schwenger sold 3,350 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.04, for a total value of $1,005,134.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,773 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,132,850.92. This represents a 12.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 24,665 shares of company stock worth $7,438,000. Company insiders own 10.30% of the companys stock.

Veeva Systems Profile

(Free Report)

Veeva Systems Inc provides cloud-based software for the life sciences industry. It offers Veeva Commercial Cloud, a suite of software and analytics solutions, such as Veeva customer relationship management (CRM) that enable customer-facing employees at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies; Veeva Vault PromoMats, an end-to-end content and digital asset management solution; Veeva Vault Medical that provides source of medical content across multiple channels and geographies; Veeva Crossix, an analytics platform for pharmaceutical brands; Veeva OpenData, a customer reference data solution; Veeva Link, a data application that allows link to generate real-time intelligence; and Veeva Compass includes de-identified and longitudinal patient data for the United States.

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Those bearing the name Amalthea often exhibit a remarkable blend of gentle nurturing and quiet strength. They typically possess deep empathy and intuitive understanding of others' needs, making them natural caregivers and confidantes. Their protective nature extends beyond immediate family to friends, colleagues, and even broader community concerns. Amaltheas tend to be resourceful problem-solvers who create environments where others can thrive and grow. They often demonstrate remarkable patience and resilience, able to sustain their caring nature through challenging circumstances. While gentle in demeanor, they possess an inner fortitude that enables them to protect and provide for those in their care. Their nurturing qualities are balanced by practical wisdom, making them both compassionate and effective in their relationships and endeavors. This combination of tenderness and strength makes Amaltheas particularly valued in helping professions and leadership roles where both empathy and resilience are required.
Abort Sangai Fest: UCM to Govt

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IMPHAL, Nov 15 : The United Committee Manipur (UCM) has urged the Pre-sident's Rule (PR) adminis- tration to cancel preparations for the Sangai Festival 2025, calling it "insensitive" amid the crisis besetting Manipur.

UCM, in a press note issued by its information and public relations secretary Soibam Anil, questioned the PR administration's decision to host the festival.

The committee appealed to all artistes and performers to refrain from partici- pating in the festival this year.

Why resources are being allocated to the event instead of prioritizing efforts to restore normalcy and address the State's protracted crisis, it asked. Asking what interest people would have in participating the festival when they are unable to move freely across the State, the committee expressed doubt that the festival would promote Manipur's identity, culture, and tourism under these circumstances. Stating that its units, component organisations, and subsidiary bodies are prepared to boycott the festival, UCM appealed to the people of Manipur to boycott the event collectively.
NDA begins Govt formation talks after Bihar victory

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Patna, Nov 15: Following the NDAs sweeping victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, hectic political activity has begun around the formation of the new Government in the State.

Senior leaders of the BJP, JD(U), and allied parties have intensified discussions on power sharing, Cabinet composition, and the swearing-in ceremony.

Since Saturday morning, Chief Minister Nitish Kumars residence at 1 Aney Marg has turned into the centre of political deliberations.

JD(U) working president Sanjay Kumar Jha and Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh were among the first to arrive at the Chief Minister's house.

Soon after, Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary and Union Minister Chirag Paswan also visited Nitish Kumar for detailed discussions.

Senior JD(U) leaders Vijay Kumar Chaudhary and Shyam Rajak, along with newly-elected MLAs and officials, later joined the meeting.

According to sources, these meetings are focussed on finalising the Cabinet structure, deciding portfolios, and preparing for the upcoming oath-taking ceremony.

After meeting Nitish Kumar, LJP-Ram Vilas leader Chirag Paswan credited the NDAs massive win to the Chief Ministers leadership and united efforts.

He highlighted that Nitish Kumars decision to visibly support the alliance  such as publicly showing his inked finger during voting  sent a strong message of cohesion.

LJP-Ram Vilas support to the JD(U) on the Alauli seat played a positive role.

Chirag Paswan said, Rumours of internal differences within the NDA were politically motivated, and the landslide victory itself proved the strength of the alliance.

He added that the NDAs victory was a mandate for stability, unity, and development, and that the new Government would move forward with even stronger coordination.

With all NDA partners indicating full cooperation and confidence in Nitish Kumars leadership, the final outline of the new Government is expected to be announced soon.

The Cabinet is likely to include a balanced representation from the BJP, JD(U), and smaller allies, mirroring the unity showcased during the campaign. IANS


The symbolic resonance of Antiope extends far beyond its literal meaning of 'against voice.' It represents the eternal human struggle between individual conscience and social conformity, between wild nature and civilized order. Psychologically, Antiope symbolizes what Carl Jung might call the 'anima' in its most powerful manifestation - the feminine principle as both creative and destructive force. The name embodies the archetype of the woman who refuses to be silenced or subdued, who maintains her integrity against external pressures.



Metaphorically, Antiope represents the integration of opposites: warrior and mother, rebel and founder, foreign and familiar. In literary terms, she's what Northrop Frye might classify as a 'green world' character who challenges the established social order. The name carries echoes of resistance movements, feminist activism, and personal authenticity. In contemporary symbolic interpretation, Antiope represents the courage to speak truth to power, the strength to protect what one loves, and the wisdom to know when to fight and when to nurture. For modern name-bearers, it serves as a constant reminder that true strength comes from integrating multiple aspects of identity rather than choosing between them.
Individuals named Arend are often perceived as possessing leadership qualities and strong vision, much like the eagle that inspires their name. They tend to be ambitious, focused, and determined, with an ability to see the bigger picture in complex situations. Their natural authority and confidence often position them as natural leaders in professional and social settings. These individuals typically exhibit a blend of strategic thinking and practical action, allowing them to navigate challenges with precision and grace.



Beyond their strong exterior, Arends often possess a protective nature toward those they care about, demonstrating loyalty and commitment in relationships. They value independence and freedom, both for themselves and others, and can be quite perceptive in reading people and situations. While they may appear reserved at first, they develop deep, meaningful connections with trusted companions. Their combination of strength and sensitivity makes them well-rounded individuals who can inspire others while maintaining genuine emotional connections.
Individuals named Aubry are typically perceived as possessing a unique blend of practical leadership and intuitive wisdom. They often demonstrate thoughtful decision-making abilities, combining analytical thinking with deep insight that seems to transcend ordinary understanding. This 'elf-wisdom' manifests as an uncanny ability to read situations and people accurately, often anticipating outcomes that others might miss. Their leadership style tends to be more collaborative than authoritarian, guiding rather than commanding.



Aubrys are often described as having a calm, measured presence that inspires confidence in others. They typically value knowledge and learning, showing particular aptitude for understanding complex systems and human nature. While they can be reserved, their insights when shared are usually profound and well-considered, earning them respect as wise counselors and fair leaders. This combination of traits makes them particularly effective in roles requiring both strategic thinking and interpersonal sensitivity, often excelling as mediators, advisors, or visionary leaders who can see beyond immediate circumstances to larger patterns and possibilities.
Aesop told the tale of a shepherd boy who, bored of his duties, decided to raise a false alarm. Wolf! he cried, and the villagers came running. There was no wolf, only laughter. He tried it again and again until the day the real beast appeared. He shouted for help, but by then, no one believed him.

Indian politics has its own shepherd boy. For more than a decade, he has stood upon his favourite hilltop, waving his arms and warning of monsters that never arrived. Each time, the public gathers, patient and curious. And each time, they discover not the wolf of corruption or collapse, but merely another mirage of melodrama.

The first outcry was over tailored suits and imagined biasthe charge that the government served only the rich. But soon, schemes like Jan Dhan, Ujjwala, and Ayushman Bharat revealed a welfare revolution unfolding beneath the rhetoric. The so-called suit-boot government, it turned out, was busy giving shoes to those who had none.

Illustration: Deni Lal

Then came Rafalea thunderous accusation delivered with moral indignation and political choreography. Scam! he shouted, confident the echo would turn into truth. But the highest court of the land and the national auditor both found no trace of wrongdoing. When the people went to the polls, they reaffirmed their faith in the very chowkidar he had accused. The wolf, once again, was nowhere to be seen.

Next came Pegasus, the phantom of surveillance that was said to lurk in every phone. Committees were formed, headlines flared, and conspiracy bloomed like monsoon moss. Yet, when the dust settled, the Supreme Court-appointed panel found no evidence of foul play. The villagers, summoned yet again, trudged back to their lives.

By 2023, the wolf had found a new mask, this time corporate. When the American short-seller Hindenburg released its report attacking Indias home-grown corporate giant, the shepherd boy seized it like scripture. He accused the market regulator of complicity and predicted an economic collapse. The markets steadied, the regulators integrity stood firm, and in a twist of poetic justice, Hindenburg itself later wound up, undone by its own distortions.

Defeat, however, needed new villains. When none could be found among men, machines were blamed instead. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) became the convenient culprit for every loss, despite being the same devices that had delivered earlier victories. The shepherds imagination had expanded from wolves to wires.

And now, the latest cry is of vote theft. Having exhausted every script, the boy has turned upon democracy itself, insisting that the peoples voice has been stolen. There is no proof, no logic, only the weary sound of disbelief. The villagers do not come anymore. They have learned to tell the difference between danger and drama.

Aesops fable ends not with the wolfs triumph but with the boys loss of credibility. The shepherd still shouts from his lonely hill, but his words drift unheard across the valley. Truth, once squandered, cannot be restored by volume. In politics, as in life, trust is the only currency that appreciates with silence and evaporates with noise!

Bansuri Swaraj is the Lok Sabha member from New Delhi.
If the cortex is the city where thoughts are born, the white matter is the road network that carries them around. It is what lets the brains neighbourhoods talk to each other. The motor area sends a memo to the spinal cord. The temporal lobe files a report to memory. The frontal lobe emails the cerebellum (sometimes forgetting to cc logic). Its a busy place. The white matter doesnt sparkle under the microscope like the grey matter does, but it is the reason we function as one coherent story instead of as a collection of confused committees.

A few months ago, I saw Ravi, a burly man in his late 50s who came in after a small stroke. He could move his limbs, remember his address, even crack jokes. But his wife noticed something odd. Doctor, she said, hes talking fine, but not connecting. When I asked him to show me his left hand, he showed me his right. When I asked him to draw a clock, he placed all the numbers on one side. His brain was a city with working buildings but a collapsed bridge. The cortex was intact; the white matter had short-circuited.

On the MRI, a lesion sat in the deep white matter near the internal capsulea small clot in a critical junction. The cortex was sending instructions; the body just wasnt receiving them on time. I explained to his wife that the white matter is made up of fibre tracts, bundles of nerve fibres (axons) that carry messages between distant parts of the brain. When these cables fray, it is like losing network coverage. So, hes in airplane mode? she asked. Exactly, I said.

Imaging: Deni Lal

Under the microscope, white matter looks less like matter and more like meaninggleaming fibres running in every direction, shimmering like silk threads. Theyre coated in myelin, the brains version of insulation, helping signals travel fast. Every emotion, every gesture, every word that escapes our mouths depends on these fibres firing in synchrony. When they falter, people lose not just movement or speech, but connection. They become islands.

Ravis stroke was small, and with therapy, his words slowly began to find their roads again. Watching him recover was like watching a city rebuild its flyovers, one lane at a time. By the fourth week, his wife said, Hes back to arguing, doctor! Thats how I knew the white matter had reconnected.

The brain, like society, survives on connection. The cortex may create ideas, but it is the white matter that carries them into the world. It is the unsung middleman, the Mumbai local that makes the city function. When it breaks down, chaos ensuesboth in the brain and on the tracks.

We surgeons are always navigating through these white matter tracts to reach deeper tumours or aneurysms. The challenge is to get where you need to without cutting the wrong cable. Each fibre bundle carries a different signal: movement, vision, speech, thought. It is a daily exercise in restraint. Operating in the brains white matter feels a bit like rewiring an entire city during a power cut and hoping the lights come back on in the right homes.

I sometimes think our white matter is also a metaphor for how we live today: endlessly connected, rarely communicating. We have more networks than ever, but fewer true connections. The brain, at least, has the excuse of anatomy; we have only distraction.

One evening, Ravi came for a follow-up. He was sharper, laughing, even driving again. Im fine now, he said, but my wife still said I forgot her birthday! Thats not your white matter, I said. Thats a universal male deficit. No known cure.

The white matter is not glamorous. It doesnt think or dream or compose poetry. But it keeps everything that does in conversation. It is the quiet fabric that turns thought into motion, intention into speech, and chaos into coherence. When I look at it under the microscope, it reminds me that medicine is not just about fixing organs but restoring connectionsbetween brain and body, and sometimes, between people.

We spend our lives trying to stay connected: to Wi-Fi, to work, to one another. But the most important connections are still inside our headsunseen, silent, endlessly patient. And when they falter, all we can do is wait, hope, and try to rebuild the bridge. The next time your internet drops, be grateful it isnt your white matter. One reconnects with a reboot; the other requires a miracle (or me).

The author is consultant neurosurgeon at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai.
There are many minuses and pluses to children moving out of the nest to fly on their own. The house suddenly feels empty and too quiet. There is no one to help search for my misplaced spectacles. If I drop the TV remote, I myself have to stoop to the floor to pick it up. A big plus is that because of those two extra rooms, my wife and I manage to keep out of each others hair. I now have a whole room as my study in which I pursue my hobbies! The missus has commandeered the other vacant bedroom for mysterious activities like power yoga and Zumba drops.

There is, however, one aspect of this broodless existence which is very distressingand that is the absence of a beneficiary of my wifes mothering instincts. She used to lavish tender loving care on the brats but, now that they are gone, I often become the hapless target of all the TLC. Please understand that my wife is hardly the Sati Savitri kind. You know the Sati Savitri I am referring to, dont you? Sati Savitri is the six-sigma standard of virtue and devotion that all Hindu women are exhorted to achieve by becoming all-sacrificing, self-effacing, husband-caring creatures. But even as the missus pooh-poohs this concept of the ideal wife, she does not remain totally immune from the cultural influences of the ecosystem she lives in.

These compel her to fitfully stifle me with overwhelming affection and enforce random restrictions for my betterment. Thus, the command, Never leave home without a cap in winter is accompanied with the Hukum Nama to never use my cell phone in bed. And there are other fatwas. Dont eat more than two eggs a week. No red meat. No samosas. No jalebis. No this. No that. And, above all, no medicinal nectar in the evening. And no salted peanuts!

Illustration: Job P.K.

To be honest, though I would never want the missus to know it, even with her bossy ways and recidivist maternal predilections, life with her is sufferable. But it becomes truly insufferable when I fall ill; as I did recently. It is then that her mothering instincts become all-powering smothering instincts.

For the six or seven days that I was laid up with fever, I had to suffer extreme care which only a wife can inflict on her husband. My dear missus is the brand ambassador for big pharma, as also the greatest practitioner of ayurveda this side of Kerala. She has mastered the Unani and homeopathic systems and could teach a trick or two about Tibetan medicine to HH the Dalai Lamas personal physician. In addition, she has a compendium of home remedies as long as her arm. So, besides suffering the fever, body ache and the burning sensation in my eyes, I had to submit to whatever slings and arrows outrageous fortune and a multidisciplinary medical regimen threw at me. The different schools of medicine ultimately impinged upon my happiness in the form of a wide array of tablets, potions, unguents and miracle-rubs.

My wife also insisted on taking my temperature every 15 minutes and cast aspersions on the ancestry of the thermometer for refusing to show any decrease. So, she got one more thermometer to check the temperature in my armpit. She would have got yet another one, but I told her that there was no question of going further south to take my temperature as they do for infants.

The vilest treatment was the special concoction that the missus so carefully prepared according to some secret recipe. She called it kadha. I called it the witches own brew. It may not have had among its ingredients the traditional eye of newt, wool of bat and fillet of a fenny snake but it certainly tasted as if it did. For all seven days that I had fever, I was subjected to extreme care and attention and a six-hourly dose of kadha.

My wifes ministrations included waking me up several times at night to inquire solicitously whether I was asleep.

No, I am awake, now, I would confess each time.

Dont you worry, she would say. Youll be able to sleep soon. Sleep is the best medicine. Go to sleep!

Sleep indeed worked its magic, and I have now been fit and fine for the past 10 days.

Fully recovered, I have taken up a new hobby. I have started keeping notes about techniques that I will use to look after the old girl when she is down with the flu or some other bug. So far, I have jotted down only a few random tips. One is to tell her that for a quick recovery she must keep silent from morning till evening. Another is waking her up in the middle of the night and asking if she would like a cup of tea. Yet another is to make her sit up all afternoon, breathing only through her mouth. I feel these remedies are good for starters. I am certain that by the time she next falls ill, I will have compiled many more adoring therapies that will be as effective as the kadha she cured me with.
Zohran Mamdani, who has Indian blood running in his Mississippi-long veins, has become New York mayor. Yet most Indians and expats, who had burst crackers when Rishi Sunak kissed the kings hand, are washing their hands off him. Bad grammar, bad politics.

First the grammar. If you dont want to be responsible for what someone else is doing, the right thing to do is to wash your hands of itnot off. Read King James Bible. Roman magistrate Pontius Pilate washed his hands of the Jesus case, when Jewish priests asked for his blood. Did Covid-era rules prevail under lex Romana?

Modern judges dont get into this handwash business. They recuse themselves, or cite limited jurisdiction. Theyd have said the Jesus case involved Jewish law, whereas they had been sent to administer Justinians law, and disposed of the case.

Illustration: Deni Lal

Rightly so, juridically and grammatically. Most of us dispose off the stuff that we want to throw away, when we can actually dispose of all the stuff with a single f.

Now lets talk politics. Indians usually toast with scotchthese days distilled in India, and named Indianly as Indri or Amrutwhen anyone with an Indian first name, middle name or surname makes it to a town criers post in Thimphu or Timbuktu. Yet Mamdani, who has become the lord of the richest city in the richest country, hasnt been adopted by flag-wavers in India or Diwali lamp-lighters in America.

Last July, Mamdani had made a strong case before them. He set the Mississippi (with his mother-made masala) on fire by eating rice with hands. Yankee WASPs and such nasty creatures in the west stung him like hornets on social media with unsocial comments.

I thought all the cultural rightists and those of us who lead hand-to-mouth lives in the literal sense would jump to his side and beat the cutlery-armed white knights with bare hands. Nothing of the sort. Most of them kept their hands off him, rightly with a double f.

Why? Simple! Though his mother has an Indian surname that is spelt like a Malayali but is actually Punjabi, he was fathered by an India-born Ugandan citizen of Muslim faith.

The libs and the lefties have since adopted him to trash the Trumpists, racists, monoculturists, cultural supremacists, and running dogs of imperialists. Sociological treatises are being readied in PhD factories about culinary imperialism, bromatological bias, and gastronomical racism, while cultural nutritionists are coming out with WhatsApp treatises on the health benefits of eating with hand, quoting all the medical and spiritual texts from Arabic to Persian to Sanskrit. The hypotheses are already out on social media.

Id sayhands off, manyavar, janab and gentlemen! When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Ayurvedic texts may tell us that its healthier to eat with hands, but Cardinal Richelieu invented the table knife because you cant eat a steak with bare hands. Try it, and William Hanson will cook you alive and eat you with Sheffield cutlery.

We dont have to impose our values on others. Eating a banana leaf-spread Kerala sadya with knife and fork would be as ridiculous as eating fish-and-chips with bare hands. Theres nothing nationalistic about either; Gandhi, the greatest nationalist who wore loincloth, also ate with a fork.

The rule is simple. Eat western food with your household silver or restaurant cutlery; eat your roti-rice and curry with your hands. Eating habits are conditioned by climatic conditions and culinary traditions.

And the ultimate lessoneat with your hands, fork or chopsticks, but wash them well before eating.

prasannan@theweek.in
The Su-30MKI of the Indian Air Force (IAF) jets will operate alongside French multi-role fighters in complex simulated air combat scenarios, as part of a bilateral exercise 'Garuda 25' to be held from November 16-27 at Mont-de-Marsan, France.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent arrived in France on November 10 for the eighth edition of the bilateral air exercise with the French Air and Space Force (FASF).

"The airlift support is being provided by the C-17 Globemaster III, for the induction and de-induction phases of the exercise, while the IL-78 air-to-air refuelling tankers are utilised for extending the range and endurance of the participating fighters," the defence ministry said in a statement.

During the exercise, the Indian Air Force's Su-30MKI aircraft will operate alongside French multi-role fighters in "complex simulated air combat scenarios, focusing on air-to-air combat, air defence, and joint strike operations," it said.

The joint exercise is aimed at refining tactics and procedures in a "realistic operational environment", enabling mutual learning and fostering interoperability between the Indian Air Force and the French Air and Space Force, the officials said.

Exercise 'Garuda 25' also provides an opportunity for professional interaction, exchange of operational knowledge, and sharing of best practices between the two air forces, they said, reported news agency PTI.

Participation in this exercise underscores the lAF's commitment to engage constructively with friendly foreign air forces through multi-lateral exercises, promoting mutual understanding and cooperation in the field of air operations, they added.
A new World Health Organization (WHO) report has once again placed India at the top of the global tuberculosis (TB) burden chart, in terms of incidence of all TB cases, drug-resistant types of TB, and even TB-related deaths. The Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 states that India, despite seeing a drastic drop in incidence rates since 2010, still accounted for 25 per cent of all TB cases, 32 per cent of drug-resistant variants of TB cases, and about 28 per cent of TB-related deaths in 2024.

This comes despite Indias ambitious goal to eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the United Nations global target of 2030. With only months left for this deadline we set ourselves in 2018, when India had vowed to reduce TB incidence by 80 per cent and mortality by 90 per cent from 2015 levels by this deadline, it is important to revisit the causes behind this surge and what we can do to arrest its progress.

What is the scale of tuberculosis cases according to the new report?

Tuberculosis (TB) is "one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide and the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent," claiming over 12 lakh lives and affecting over 1 crore people in 2024, according to WHO.

Eight countries accounted for two-thirds of the incident cases in 2024.

This included India, which continued to lead globally, accounting for 1 in every 4 of such incident cases in 2024. Indonesia came a distant second, with 10 per cent of the global cases. The other high-burden countries were Philippines (6.8 per cent), China (6.5 per cent), Pakistan (6.3 per cent), Nigeria (4.8 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.9 per cent) and Bangladesh (3.6 per cent).

India also bore the brunt of the TB-related deaths as well-- with the country accounting for 28 per cent of all TB-related deaths among HIV negative people, and 25 per cent of such deaths among those who were diagnosed HIV positive. This is despite India seeing a 28 per cent reduction in TB deaths overall between 2015 and 2024.

The latest report also brings cautious optimism, highlighting that in recent years the number of people falling ill with TB and dying of the condition had seen a fall.

"Globally, the absolute number of people falling ill with TB decreased in 2024 for the first time since 2020, following three consecutive years of increases (20212023) due to COVID-related disruptions to TB diagnosis and treatment. The total of 10.7 million was a small (1 pc) reduction from 10.8 million in 2023, but still above the level of 2020 (10.3 million)," it said, adding that between 2023 and 2024, the global rate of people falling ill with TB declined further by nearly 2 per cent.

"The estimated global number of deaths caused by TB fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, continuing the reversal of increases that occurred during the worst period of COVID-related disruptions to TB diagnosis and treatment in 2020 and 2021," it said, adding that in the last year, it had fallen by 3 per cent.

However, these are far behind the goals set by the international body to eliminate the disease by 2030. "The net reduction from 2015 to 2024 (in incident cases) was 12 pc, far from the 'End TB Strategy' milestone of a 50 pc reduction by 2025 and the target of an 80 pc reduction by 2030," it said. The number of deaths had also fallen by 29 per cent between 2015 and 2024, but again much below the target of "a 75 pc reduction by 2025" and "a 90 pc reduction by 2030."

How does variants of TB that are resistant to drugs make the crisis worse?

Drug-resistant varieties of the disease also make progress particularly difficult. The WHO Global TB Report 2025 notes that drug-resistant TB continues to be a public health threat. Resistance to rifampicin  the most effective first-line anti-TB drug  is of greatest concern.

When TB bacteria become resistant to both rifampicin and isoniazid, it is classified as multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). Four countries accounted for more than half of global MDR/RR-TB (rifampicin-resistant TB) cases in 2024India (32 per cent), China (7.1 per cent), the Philippines (7.1 per cent), and the Russian Federation (6.7 per cent).

What are India's biggest challenges when it comes to TB?

In March 2018, at the End TB Summit held in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Indias intent to eliminate TB by 2025five years ahead of the global target. Since then, India has made measurable progress as the TB incidence rates fell from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 195 per lakh in 2023, marking a 17.7 per cent decline.

However, progress has plateaued in recent years. Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel, said in March 2025 that India reported 25.5 lakh TB cases in 2023 and 26.07 lakh in 2024, the highest ever notified. According to the government, this increase reflects that they are missing fewer cases now due to a more comprehensive screening and detection process, rather than a resurgence of the disease.

Among the most pressing concerns in Indias TB fight is drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). Indias first anti-TB drug resistance survey (2018) revealed that one in four new TB patients was resistant to at least one of 13 key treatment drugs. This poses a serious threat to treatment outcomes. Upfront NAAT testing identifies resistance at diagnosis, allowing tailored treatment, Niraj Sinha, state lead, TB Alert India, told First Check earlier.

However, Dr Tanvi Bhatt, Pulmonologist at Zynova Shalby Hospital, Mumbai, explained that one of the main reasons for the rise in drug-resistant tuberculosis is the use of empiric anti-TB treatment without proper microbiological confirmation. She noted that in many private healthcare settings, affordability and diagnostic challenges, especially when TB affects hard-to-sample sites, often prevent accurate detection.

This can lead to delayed diagnosis, where patients are treated as drug-sensitive cases while underlying drug-resistant TB goes unrecognised, Dr Bhatt said. She emphasised the importance of testing all family members of drug-resistant TB patients, explaining that if this is not done, there is a high risk that other family members may contract drug-resistant tuberculosis over time.

The BPALM regimen, a six-month treatment for DR-TB, has reduced therapy duration from two years, significantly improving patient outcomes. However, non-compliance in the private sector worsens resistance.

Universal drug sensitivity testing costs Rs 2,000 Rs 5,000 in the private sector, so many patients skip it, he said, adding that the Nikshay portal plays a crucial role in tracking resistance patterns and adherence.

Despite technological advancements, India hasnt conducted a new resistance survey since 2018, leaving critical gaps in understanding the current landscape. Social stigma and treatment fatigue further complicate the issue. Patients often stop treatment after one or two months when symptoms improve, risking relapse and resistance, Sinha added.

Former WHO Chief Scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan has also voiced skepticism about the feasibility of complete elimination without a new vaccine. No infectious disease has been eliminated without one, she said, speaking to First Check earlier this year, noting that the BCG vaccine, developed over a century ago, offers only partial protection, mainly against severe childhood TB, and provides little defence against adult pulmonary TB, which drives most transmission.

What are the other major reasons behind India's continued struggles with TB?

In February 2025, the government told Parliament that while procurement systems have improved to ensure uninterrupted medicine supplies, reliance on smear microscopy, an outdated diagnostic technique, remains high. The India TB Report 2024 revealed that in 2024, only 26.2 per cent of tests used modern NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test), with most facilities still depending on conventional methods.

Dr Bhatt highlighted that social and health factors also contribute to the overall surge in TB cases. While TB care is free under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), a 2024 study found that 45 pc of TB-affected households faced catastrophic costs, exceeding 20 per cent of their annual income. The study attributed about two-thirds of this financial strain to indirect costs such as lost productivity, travel, and nutritional expenses rather than treatment fees.

Most TB patients in India belong to the unorganised workforce, which lacks social protection such as paid leave, health insurance, or job security. As a result, many are forced into lower-paying jobs after prolonged illness. The same study reported that only 55.9 per cent of TB survivors remained employed, and just 33.6 pc were primary earners, highlighting how the disease deepens economic vulnerability.

Poor nutrition, poverty, and overcrowded living conditions increase susceptibility, while chronic illnesses such as diabetes, HIV, and lung problems further raise the risk. Dr Bhatt added that lifestyle factors including smoking and alcohol use, weaken the lungs and reduce immunity. Dr Bhatt also pointed out that lack of awareness, social stigma, and fear of losing employment often cause people to delay testing or discontinue treatment, which facilitates further spread in the community.

What is India's plan to eliminate TB?

According to a recent government press release, the Government of India has implemented a range of focused strategies under its National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), according to a recent government press release. These initiatives aim to strengthen diagnosis, treatment, and prevention efforts, accelerating progress toward a TB-free India.

In 2020, the government renamed the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP) as the National TB Elimination Programme, reflecting Indias goal to eliminate TB by 2025, five years ahead of the global target. The NTEP operates under the National Strategic Plan (20172025) and focuses on four key actions: Detect, Treat, Prevent, and Build (DTPB) to control and ultimately eliminate TB in the country.

One of the key components of the programme is the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (PMTBMBA). The press release states that the initiative aims to unite communities, businesses, and institutions to support TB patients and their families, focusing on nutritional, diagnostic, and vocational support to improve treatment outcomes, reduce illness and deaths, and fast-track Indias TB elimination goal. PMTBMBA is also recognised as the worlds largest crowd-sourcing initiative for nutritional support to TB patients.

The Nikshay TB notification incentive for the private sector, launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, incentivises private healthcare providers to report TB cases, improving both surveillance and treatment coverage. Nutritional support for patients has also been expanded under the Ni-Kshay Poshan Yojana (NPY).

The press release notes that financial support has increased from Rs 500 to Rs 1,000 per month, providing Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000 per patient throughout treatment, provided the patient is registered and notified on the Nikshay portal. To further strengthen recovery, the government has introduced Energy Dense Nutritional Supplementation (EDNS) for underweight TB patients with a body mass index below 18.5. Around 12 lakh patients are expected to receive these supplements during the first two months of treatment, improving overall health outcomes.

The Ni-Kshay Mitra initiative, another component of PMTBMBA, encourages individuals, NGOs, corporates, and faith-based organisations to adopt TB patients for at least six months, providing nutritional, social, or economic support. The scope of this initiative has been expanded to include food baskets for household contacts of TB patients, aiming to boost immunity, reduce infection risk, and lower the financial burden on families.

What are the gaps in the national plan to eliminate TB?

Dr Bhatt said that while the governments TB programme has made significant progress, several challenges still remain. She explained that many patients first visit private doctors, where proper TB tests and reporting are not always done. Early testing for drug resistance is still not available everywhere, especially in smaller towns and villages.

She also pointed out that some areas face delays in medicine supply or a shortage of trained staff. The financial and nutrition support provided to patients is often insufficient or delayed, which affects their ability to complete treatment, Dr Bhatt added. She emphasised that better coordination and stronger ground-level work are needed to make the programme more effective.

Regarding healthcare-level interventions, Dr Bhatt stressed that all patients should get quick and reliable TB testing, including tests for drug resistance, right from the start. Hospitals and clinics must ensure that medicines are always available and that patients receive proper counselling to complete their treatment.

On the community level, she highlighted the importance of awareness and support. There should be more campaigns to educate people about TB symptoms, testing, and treatment. Support for nutrition and income can help patients stay on treatment. Involving local health workers, using digital tools like reminder calls or messages, and strengthening public-private partnerships can also help reduce TB spread and prevent drug resistance, Dr Bhatt said.

This story is done in collaboration with First Check, which is the health journalism vertical of DataLEADS.
Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjees allegation that the Raj Bhavan was distributing weapons to the BJP criminals in the state has drawn a sharp reaction from Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who said the MP should either apologise or face legal action.

Emphasising the serious implications of such allegations, Bose stated that Banerjees remarks undermine the credibility of the Kolkata Police, which is responsible for guarding the premises.

"There are serious implications of these allegations. When a ruling party MP says that arms and ammunition are available inside the Raj Bhavan, is he expressing his lack of confidence in the police force of the state? Does it show any kind of inner party politics?, he asked while talking to ANI news agency.

#WATCH | Kolkata: On TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee's allegations of arms distribution from West Bengal Raj Bhavan, Governor CV Ananda Bose says, "...Searching for arms and ammunition in the Raj Bhavan is like a blind man searching in the dark a black cat who is not there. I have thrown pic.twitter.com/NbRWw2jT3H  ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2025

Bose cautioned that any claim of arms smuggling in Raj Bhavan would mean that the Kolkata Police had connived with the act.

"He (Banerjee) has to make amends; he has the option to apologise to the people of Bengal, or there are legal options that can be taken against him," Bose said.

The governor said he would open the Raj Bhavan to the public for scrutiny and transparency.

From 5 am onwards today, people, civil society members, and media are coming in to see whether there are any arms and ammunition in the Raj Bhavan," he said.

Earlier, talking to the media in the morning, Bose said he would meet the reporters again in the evening to explain how he is going to handle the issue. I will make up my mind on the matter and will come back to you this evening, the Governor said.

VIDEO | Kolkata: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose responds to TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee's allegation.



He says, "The allegations made by the honourable MP are highly inflammatory, explosive, and extremely irresponsible. The moment I heard them, I decided to open the Raj Bhavan pic.twitter.com/I7i8EuTnwa  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 16, 2025

Meanwhile, a Raj Bhavan insider told IANS that the office of the Governor was mulling all possible legal actions, including approaching the Lok Sabha Secretariat for action against Banerjee.

The TMC MP had launched a scathing attack on Bose on Saturday after the latters remarks on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision, saying the Raj Bhavan was being used to shelter "BJP criminals.

"He (Bose) is keeping criminals there, giving them guns and bombs, and telling them to attack Trinamool workers. Let him stop this first," Banerjee had alleged.

The MP further called Bose an incompetent governor, saying nothing good will happen in West Bengal as long as he remains in the post.
Women named Aurnia are typically perceived as warm, radiant individuals who naturally illuminate their surroundings with positivity and grace. They often possess an inner strength and resilience reminiscent of gold's enduring quality, combined with a nurturing presence that makes others feel valued and cherished. Aurnias tend to be creative, intuitive, and deeply connected to beauty in all forms, whether in art, nature, or human relationships. Their golden nature manifests not just in appearance or demeanor but in their ability to find value in challenging situations and transform ordinary moments into something precious and meaningful.



These individuals often exhibit a natural elegance and poise that draws people to them, yet they maintain a grounded, authentic quality that prevents them from being perceived as aloof or superficial. Aurnias are typically excellent communicators who can articulate complex ideas with clarity and warmth, making them effective in roles that require both intelligence and emotional intelligence. They tend to be loyal friends and partners who invest deeply in relationships, viewing them as golden threads that weave together the fabric of a meaningful life. Their combination of strength and sensitivity often makes them natural peacemakers and bridge-builders in both personal and professional contexts.
As the BJP plans to hold a legislative party meeting on Monday in Patna, speculations are rife that current deputy chief ministers Vijay Sinha and Samrat Chaudhary will likely be replaced. The BJP could also replace veteran leaders with upcoming faces, according to reports.

While it is almost certain that atleast one deputy chief minister post will go to the BJP, the names doing the rounds include Ramkripal Yadav and Mangal Pandey. Rajneesh Kumar and Nitin Naveen are other potential names.

Like last time, the BJP will demand the Speakers post this time too. Reports are that Vijay Sinha is in the race for the post of Speaker too. It is expected that the BJP could follow the pattern of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in Bihar too, by removing old and veteran leaders and replacing them with fresh faces. In Rajasthan, the BJP has placed its bet entirely on new faces. Seventeen of the 22 ministers were given new opportunities. Similarly, in Madhya Pradesh, 22 of the 28 ministers were given new cabinet positions.

What the Cabinet will look like

According to sources, this time the cabinet could consist of 30-32 ministers. JDU and BJP could have equal numbers of ministers. Chirag Paswan's party could receive three ministerial positions, while Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha's parties could receive one each. Based on the current assembly strength, Bihar could have a total of 36 ministers.

Though the JD(U) has three seats fewer than the BJP in the alliance, the party is unlikely to compromise on a ministerial berth. In the previous government, there were 13 ministers from the JDU quota. It's possible that 10 of these ministers could be reappointed in the new government. As per reports, the party is not in the mood for a Cabinet reshuffle.

The 10 potential ministers from JD(U) include Vijay Choudhary, Bijendra Yadav, Shravan Kumar, Ashok Choudhary, Lacey Singh, Madan Sahni, Jayant Raj, Maheshwar Hazari, and Santosh Nirala.
How many ministers will each NDA ally get in the upcoming Bihar cabinet? More importantly, will Nitish Kumar return as the Chief Minister of the state after BJP emerged the party with the best strike rate in the state?

If reports coming from Patna and New Delhi are to be trusted, the NDA have reached a consensus on both matters and the oath-taking ceremony will take place on or before November 20, Thursday.

ALSO READ | Who will be next Bihar CM? JDU deletes 'Nitish will remain CM' post as BJP turns single largest party

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called a cabinet meeting on Monday to approve a resolution dissolving the outgoing 17th Legislative Assembly. He will soon submit his resignation to Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, paving the way for the next step in forming a new government. Following this, the NDA constituent parties will meet to elect a coalition leader and then stake claim to form a new government.

BJP decides to back Nitish

Quoting reports, Hindi news portal Jansatta reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's schedule will decide the date of the new government's swearing-in ceremony, which is said to be a grand affair. NDA leaders and allies from across the country are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony which will witness the return of Nitish Kumar as the Chief Minister of the state. The decision on the matter was finalised in the national capital on Saturday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the report said.

ALSO READ | Bihar assembly election results: The rise and rise of Chirag Paswan, and LJP (Ram Vilas)

Initially, the BJP wanted to stake claim for the Chief Ministerial berth given that they have more MLAs than Nitish's JD(U), Jansatta said. However, the central leadership was capable of convincing the state unit that they should let Nitish return to the post. The superior performance over JD(U) did not go unnoticed as the cabinet will have more ministers from the saffron party.

How many ministers will each NDA member get?

It has been decided by the NDA that a party will get a cabinet berth for every six MLAs. As per the formula, the BJP may get 15 or 16 ministerial positions, while the JD(U) may get 14. Upendra Kushwahas Rashtriya Lok Morcha and Jitan Ram Manjhis Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) will get one minister each while Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) may get as many as three. The reports, however, didn't hint who the Deputy Chief Ministers will be and what the formula was.

ALSO READ | NDA's landslide victory: Decoding the impact of women voters in Bihar elections

The JD(U) president, who would turn 75 in a few months from now, has not been enjoying robust health for some time, though the polls saw him carrying out a dogged campaign. The JD(U), with 85 seats, has emerged as the second largest party after the BJP, which has a tally of 89. Although Kumar, who has been an MLC, did not contest the elections himself, the polls have been seen as a referendum on him.
The Congress partys dismal performance in the Bihar Assembly elections has given rise to a wide range of debates, with many pointing out the partys poor political engineering and ground machinery.

In a state where it ruled for 40 years, the grand old party has reduced to a peripheral role, winning just six of the 61 seats it contested.

Former MP and Jan Suraaj Party spokesperson Pavan Varma says he is not surprised by the Congresss poor performance in the election. He claims that the partys ambitions have, of late, exceeded their actual electoral capacity.

According to Varma, the Congress has adopted a fantasy-driven politics while its on-the-ground organisation has almost collapsed.

"The Congress party's ambitions exceed their electoral capacity, and they don't understand one basic thing: that, except in fantasy, the first floor of a house can't be built without a foundation. Congress's on-the-ground organisation has almost collapsed. In Bihar, they were virtually nonexistent, Varma, a former ambassador, told ANI news agency.

Taking a potshot at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Varma said his campaign stunts cannot be a substitute for the partys hard work and grassroots presence.

"Rahul Gandhi might come during elections and ride a motorcycle, or jump into a pond to take a bath. It would make headlines, but the Congress party isn't strong," he said.

The Mahagathbandhan, led by Congress and RJD, was reduced to 35 seats in the Assembly elections, with the ruling NDA pulling off a landslide victory, bagging 202 seats in the 243-member house.

The Jan Suraaj Party, which made its electoral debut, failed to win even a single seat, though it had fielded candidates in all 243 seats.

Asked about it, Varma said: "We offered the public a third option. But the people of Bihar did not want the RJD to return, so they used their vote to keep the party in power that was already there."
More chilling details have emerged in the November 10 Delhi blast case, with the investigators claiming that Dr Umar Un Nabi, the man who drove the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near the Red Fort, had set up a laboratory at his home to test the bomb making techniques.

The Pulwama-based doctor was residing at a rented home near the Al-Falah University in Haryanas Faridabad.

Umer allegedly received the know-how of bomb making from Jaish-e-Mohammed's Pakistani handlers, with whom he was in touch on Telegram.

Quoting sources in the investigation team, the Times of India reported that the suspect might have put together the "loosely assembled" improvised explosive device responsible for the Red Fort blast at his home lab.

Police unearthed the laboratory, equipped with several testing devices, during a recent raid conducted at Umars house. According to the report, the investigators got information about the facility during the interrogation of the accused arrested in the Faridabad terror module case.

Three doctors linked to the Al-Falah University were among nine people arrested after Jammu and Kashmir Police raided several places in Faridabad and seized nearly 3,000 kg of explosive materials, including ammonium nitrate, potassium chlorate and sulphur.

Umar, who managed to evade the arrest, and his associates were allegedly in direct touch with three Pakistan-based handlersFaisal, Hashim and Ukashavia Telegram.

The TOI report further quoted the investigators as saying that Umar would work at his home lab, mostly alone, to put together the IEDs as per instructions in the DIY videos sent by the Pakistani handlers. He would also test the explosive chemicals and the triggering mechanisms.

Thirteen people were killed and over 30 others injured when the blast ripped through a slow-moving car in Delhi on November 10. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over the probe after the government officially declared it as a terrorist act.
Achieving a major breakthrough in the Delhi Red Fort Metro blast case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested the close aide of the suicide bomber, Dr Umar Un Nabi, from Delhi. The accused reportedly facilitated the purchase of the i20 car used for the tragic blast.

"The NIA has arrested a Kashmiri resident who had conspired with the suicide bomber to carry out the terror attack," the investigation agency said in a statement. Over 10 people died and 30 suffered injuries in the tragic blast on November 10. The accused was identified as Amir Rashid Ali, a resident of Samboora, Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to sleuths, the car used for the blast was registered in Ali's name, and he was in close touch with Dr Nabi. "The accused had conspired with the alleged suicide bomber, Umar Un Nabi, to unleash the terror attack," it said.

"Amir had come to Delhi to facilitate the purchase of the car which was eventually used as a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to trigger the blast. NIA has forensically established the identity of the deceased driver of the vehicle-borne IED as Umar Un Nabi, a resident of Pulwama District and Assistant Professor in general medicine department in Al Falah University at Faridabad," investigators revealed.

The NIA is "pursuing multiple leads to unearth the larger conspiracy behind the bombing and identify others involved in the case". Investigators have also seized another car belonging to Nabi, purportedly arranged by the accused for another blast.

The blast occurred on the day when security forces from Jammu and Kashmir uncovered a "white-colour module" and seized over three tonnes of explosives and ammunition. A nationwide probe is being conducted by the NIA to uncover the terror module.
The terror module involving several doctors, which is allegedly behind the car blast outside the Red Fort Metro Station in Delhi, was on the lookout for a radicalised suicide bomber with conviction since last year, a fresh report said. The report once again asserted that Dr Umar un Nabi, who was inside the Hyundai i20 when the blast happened, was the key figure behind the incident.

ALSO READ | Who is Dr Umar Mohammad, the suspected suicide bomber, involved in the Red Fort blast?

The "hunt" for the suicide bomber was revealed when the Srinagar Police managed to arrest a youth identified as Jasir alias 'Danish' based on interrogations of Adeel Rather and Dr Muzammil Ganaie, who were part of the terror module. A Political Science graduate, Jasir confessed to having met the members of the terror module at a mosque in Kulgam last October.

ALSO READ | Delhi blast suspect Dr Umar Un Nabi didn't have many friends, was engaged: Relative

A native of Qazigund in south Kashmir, the youngster told the police that after the initial meeting, the doctors took him to a rented accommodation at Al Falah University in Faridabad. While some of the members wanted to use Jasir as a resource person on the ground, Dr Umar un Nabi wanted him to carry out a suicide blast, Times of India said in a report. The chief conspirator spent the following months trying to convince Jasir to carry out the blast, the daily added.

Dr Umar un Nabi chose himself to be a Fidayeen?

However, the plan did not materialise and the youngster backed out. Around April, Jasir categorically told Dr Umar that he couldn't kill himself when his family was not doing well financially. He also pointed out that suicide was against the preachings of the religion, the TOI report said. According to the probe team, the grand plan was to execute serial blasts in India on a date not far away from December 6  coinciding with the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary.

ALSO READ | Delhi Red Fort blast: DNA test confirms Dr Umar Nabi drove the explosive-laden i20 car

While the plan was still going on, Dr Muzammil Ganaie was caught by the police, and large quantities of explosives were seized from him. This started the undoing of the doctor module, and Dr Umar un Nabi died while trying to execute a hastily devised and attempted blast. The daily added that the police currently do not believe the Kashmir native decided to become the suicide bomber himself. He would have wanted to park the car at a busy location and flee before it went off, but the unstable 'Mother of Satan' went off while he was still driving.
The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) engaged in special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala have decided to boycott work related to the exercise on Monday. The decision comes following the suicide of a BLO, owing to the work pressure related to SIR on Sunday.

The boycott was announced by the Action Council of State Government Employees and Teachers, the Joint Committee of Teacher Service Organisations, and the Kerala NGO Association. The trade unions announced they will boycott work on November 17. The government employees have reportedly also planned to take out protest marches to district collectorates and the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Kerala.

Aneesh George, 44, a BLO in Kannur, Kerala, was found hanging in his house on Sunday. Family members and people close to George alleged that he took the extreme step due to work-related pressure linked to the SIR, PTI reported.

The government employees' organisations alleged BLOs in Kerala are undergoing severe stress due to SIR and duties related to the upcoming local body elections. Though several political parties and service organisations opposed conducting SIR close to local body polls in the state, the Election Commission refused to postpone the exercise.

"Instead, it imposed an unrealistic workload with high targets in a very short period. This pressure is pushing BLOs toward suicide," a statement from the organisations said. The association leaders said the SIR process should be stopped immediately to prevent further suicides.

The associations alleged the BLOs are forced to work round-the-clock to revise a voters' list that was published 23 years ago, without being given sufficient time. The associations warned they would conduct further agitations in the state if an immediate solution is not found to challenges faced by BLOs.

Kerala Opposition leader V.D. Satheeshan demanded a thorough probe into the incident. "SIR was initiated by the central government. The ongoing process is more intensive than even the preparations for the Assembly elections," he told PTI.
Yesterday, a daughter, a sister, a married woman, a mother was humiliated, filthy abuses were hurled at her, a slipper was raised to hit her. I did not compromise on my self-respect, I did not surrender the truth, and solely because of this, I had to endure this insult, read a post on X by Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD patriarch Lalu Prasad Yadav. Yesterday, a daughter, out of compulsion, left behind her crying parents and sisters and came away; they tore me away from my maternal home. They left me orphaned," her post further read.

                     ,    ,       ..   -  ,              -   ,           Rohini Acharya (@RohiniAcharya2) November 16, 2025

Amidst the emotionally charged post stirring conversations across the state, a news report said that Rohini Acharya, who had donated a kidney to save her ailing father, was not exaggerating about her kin raising a footwear at her. Tejashwi Yadav, who led RJD during the disastrous campaign, blamed his sister for the Mahagathbandhan's defeat, the report said. In the heat of the moment, the former Deputy Chief Minister raised a slipper at his sister, the report claimed.

It was on Saturday afternoon that the siblings had an ugly spat, NDTV said in a report. An infuriated Tejashwi told his elder sister that, "Tumhare karan ham chunaav haar gae... Tumhara haay lag gaya ham logo ko (We lost the election because of you. We are cursed because of you)," NDTV added. It was then that the slipper was raised and she was abused.

Later in the day Rohini had told the press that Lalu Prasad's household has come to the point where those who dare to question Tejashwi's aides are thrown out. "I don't have a family anymore. Go ask Sanjay, Rameez, and Tejashwi Yadav. They have thrown me out of the family because they don't want to take responsibility. People who want to be Chanakya will be the ones questions will be asked of. When a party worker is asking questions of Chanakya... the world is asking how the party ended up in such a situation (in the Bihar polls)," she said.

"When you take Sanjay and Rameez's name, however, you are thrown out of the house, you are defamed, and you are attacked with slippers," she alleged.

Rohini Acharyas social media revelations

Elaborating on the episode, 46-year-old Rohini wrote on X on Sunday that her family went to the extent of saying that the kidney she had donated to her father Lalu Prasad was "dirty".

FULL REPORT | 'They called my kidney dirty': Rohini Acharyas fresh outburst as Lalu family feud explodes

Acharya said she was accused of taking crores of rupees and a ticket to contest the election by donating her dirty kidney to her father. I got my father to have my dirty kidney transplanted, and today I am told that the same kidney is a curse," she said.

For the uninitiated, Rohini Acharya had unsuccessfully contested last year's Lok Sabha polls from Saran. A doctor by qualification, she later chose to become a homemaker and settled with her Singapore-based husband.
Dousing the alliance hopes of Tamil Nadu Opposition leader Edappadi K. Palanisami, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam on Sunday ruled out any alliance with All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). A senior functionary of the party said it would form an alliance with those who accept Vijay as the chief minister candidate.

Dismissing rumours about TVK's alliance for the upcoming elections, TVK joint secretary, C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, said that TVK leader Vijay has not spoken with Congress or any other political parties regarding alliance for the upcoming assembly polls in the state. On allying with the AIADMK, Kumar said there isn't even "1 per cent chance" for the party to ally with AIADMK, part of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu.

"Today, the DMK in power is our main political enemy. The BJP is our ideological enemy. There is not even a 1 per cent chance of forming an alliance with the ideological enemy, the BJP, or any party in alliance with that party. Our leader Vijay is the chief ministerial candidate. We welcome those who accept his leadership and join the alliance," Kumar said.

The TVK organised statewide protests condemning the special intensive revision of electoral rolls underway in Tamil Nadu. The TVK leader's statement comes as the AIADMK was hoping to strengthen its alliance in the state and win the 2026 assembly polls.

Soon after the tragic stampede during actor-politician Vijay's rally in Karur, Palaniswami and AIADMK leaders had given ample cover for Vijay and the TVK from criticisms, hoping for an alliance. The Opposition targeted the state government and said poor security arrangements led to the attack.
Two days after Bihars mandate became clear, government formation talks have gained pace within the NDA. While JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar will retain the post of Chief Minister, speculation is rife about who all will be inducted into the Cabinet.

The JD(U) and the BJP have decided to call a legislative party meeting on Monday, and Nitish is also expected to submit his resignation to the Governor on Monday. He may also stake a claim to form a new government on the same day. Though not confirmed, sources within the Chief Ministers Office told reporters that Nitish might be sworn in as Chief Minister for the 10th time on November 20th.

Though the BJP is the single largest party in the legislative, it is expected that the JD(U) will continue to maintain its foothold in the government once again. According to reports, 11 JDU ministers, along with Nitish Kumar, are expected to take the oath of office.

But what has set tongues wagging is how Lok Janashakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan may claim his due. In line with the BJP tradition of appointing two deputy Chief Ministers in Bihar, Paswan might claim the post for himself. Paswan is said to have raised the demand, albeit in hushed tones. But it will be the BJP that has to make the decision.

#WATCH | Patna, Bihar | Union Minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan offered prayers at Baba Yogeshwar Nath Dham in Khagaul. NDA saw a landslide victory yesterday in the Bihar Assembly elections, with the LJP (Ram Vilas) securing 19 seats. pic.twitter.com/YzajkeaKzK  ANI (@ANI) November 15, 2025

Paswan also met Nitish Kumar on Saturday, though he said the meeting was just to congratulate the Chief Minister on his victory.

Chirag, who has always been vocal about his 'Bihar and Bihari First' policy, secured 19 seats for his party, successfully consolidating Dalit votes. This is when the party, which fielded candidates in 135 seats in the 2020 elections after going solo, managed to win just one. That MLA, however, joined JD(U) later.

Now that Chirag, who has earned the tag of NDAs Hanuman, has proved his might, and will have to be taken seriously by the NDA. Chirag, however, has refused to comment on whether he aspires to be the Deputy CM.

Meanwhile, speculations are that LJP (Ram Vilas) could receive three ministerial positions, while Jitan Ram Manjhi and Upendra Kushwaha's parties could receive one each. Based on the current assembly strength, Bihar could have a total of 36 ministers.
Individuals named Ayalisse are often perceived as creative, intuitive, and possessing a natural elegance that draws others to them. They tend to have strong artistic sensibilities and an eye for beauty in all aspects of life, from aesthetics to interpersonal relationships. Ayalisse's typically exhibit a blend of confidence and sensitivity, allowing them to navigate social situations with grace while maintaining their unique perspective.



Their creative nature often manifests in various forms of self-expression, whether through art, fashion, writing, or other creative pursuits. They are frequently described as having a magnetic personality that combines warmth with sophistication, making them memorable to those they encounter. The name suggests someone who values authenticity and isn't afraid to stand out from the crowd while maintaining a compassionate and understanding nature toward others. This combination of traits often leads Ayalisse's to become influencers in their social circles and successful in creative or people-oriented professions.
In a significant development in the ongoing probe into the November 10 blast in Delhi, the investigators have recovered three 9mm cartridgestwo live and one emptyfrom the site.

According to officials, the ammunition is of a calibre prohibited for civilian possession, which has raised concerns about the source of the cartridges. No pistol or any firearm component was found at the site.

"These cartridges are usually only possessed by the armed forces or those with special permission," police said.

The absence of a corresponding weapon has now prompted forensic experts to examine whether the cartridges were discharged at the spot or brought to the location as part of a staged attempt to mislead investigators.

Officials said the recovery has added a new dimension to the ongoing probe as investigators are also trying to verify whether it was linked to any terror or criminal network.

A slow-moving i20 car exploded near the historic Red Fort on November 10, killing 13 people and injuring over 30 others.

Police have identified the man behind the wheel as Dr Umar Un Nabi, a medical practitioner at the Al-Falah University in Faridabad, who evaded arrest when Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana Police recently busted a terror module in a joint operation.

Nearly a dozen people, including several doctors, have been arrested in connection with the case.

Police recovered around 3,000 kg of explosive materials, including ammonium nitrate, potassium chlorate and sulphur, during their raids in Faridabad.

It has later emerged that the members of the terror module had pooled around Rs 26 lakh to buy explosive substances and spent Rs 3 lakh out of it to purchase NPK fertiliser, which is commonly used to make bombs.
As speculations are abuzz about the Karnataka cabinet reshuffle, senior Congress leaders say that while a cabinet rejig is on the cards, a change in leadership is unlikely, hinting Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar may not replace Siddaramaiah soon.

Senior Congress leader and Karnataka Home Minister, G. Parameshwara, confirmed on Sunday that cabinet reshuffle is on cards, however, there won't be any leadership change in the state. Parameshwara's comments come while Shivakumar's supporters have been urging the Congress high command make the latter the state's chief minister.

#WATCH | Delhi | On Cabinest reshuffle, Karnataka Dy CM DK Shivakumar says, "There is no discussion, no question, and no one is in a hurry to do anything. The party will make whatever decision is best for the party. We are only aiming for 2028, that's all." pic.twitter.com/tPFqAbHYtU  ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2025

Speaking to reporters In Bengaluru, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah and the Congress high command will decide on the Cabinet reshuffle. "It is said that the high command has given permission for a reshuffle. Media is saying it and this subject is coming out in the open. Now you can guess what's happening with regard to the change of guard. Normally, leadership changes do not happen when the Cabinet reshuffle takes place," the home minister said.

Fresh speculations come after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's recent visit to Delhi on Saturday. Siddaramaiah met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the visit. While Siddaramaiah said there were no discussions on the reshuffle, sources in Congress claimed that discussions about cabinet rejig were held.

Another senior Congress leader from the state, Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi, also said the party high command and the chief minister will decide on the reshuffle. "On Saturday, the chief minister met the party high command. Only he knows what discussion took place with the high command. The decision on the cabinet reshuffle is left to him and the party top brass," Jarkiholi told presspersons.

However, Deputy CM Shivakumar dismissed rumours about cabinet reshuffle. "There is no discussion, no question, and no one is in a hurry to do anything. The party will make whatever decision is best for the party. We are only aiming for 2028 (assembly polls), that's all," he said.
India and South Korea are looking to deepen maritime ties in line with India's Maritime Amrit Kaal 2047.

The onus is on reconciling New Delhi's expanding manufacturing prowess with Seoul's advanced shipbuilding technologies.

Day 3 in South Korea: Another action packed day. Visited the world-class shipbuilding facility of Hanwha Ocean in Geoje. India, with talented youth, favourable policies and incredible journey into the future, is a perfect partner for global shipping majors and our thrust to pic.twitter.com/FpiqVTncxS  Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) November 16, 2025

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, who was in South Korea from November 13-15, shared details of his meeting with important Korean shipping leaders in an X post.

"Witnessed the worlds largest shipyard at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, and held fruitful meetings with Koreas top shipping leaders," Puri wrote in the post.

Day 2 in Seoul: Witnessed the worlds largest shipyard at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, and held fruitful meetings with Koreas top shipping leaders. Explored opportunities to partner with Korean shipbuilders to Make in India for the World, harnessing Koreas technology pic.twitter.com/kfgtAwwyxK  Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) November 15, 2025

He added that the discussions would aid in not only meeting India's growing energy needs, but also support global ship markets.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan and Hanwha Ocean (a major shipbuilder) in Geoje were the two key companies that stood out among Puri's engagements in South Korea (posted online), and with which India is expected to majorly collaborate in the maritime field.

Day 1 in Seoul: Key moments from meetings with Hanhwa Ocean and HD Korea Shipbuilding. Exploring strategic India-Korea collaboration to combine Koreas cutting-edge shipbuilding technology with Indias manufacturing strengths under PM @narendramodi Jis @makeinindia vision. pic.twitter.com/oRUVw83obv  Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) November 14, 2025

Over his three-day visit, the energy minister underscored that the strong performance of the Indian economy, combined with the rapid expansion of Indias energy sector, created significant opportunities for collaboration.

He also pointed out that Indias energy PSUs spend approximately $5-8 billion annually on freight, and have an immediate requirement of nearly 59 vessels.

Puri noted that this was because Indias energy importsvalued at more than $150 billion per annumare entirely seaborne, and yet, only around one-fifth of this cargo is transported on Indian-flagged or Indian-owned ships.

With demand for crude oil, LNG, LPG, and ethane projected to rise sharply and the India's flagship energy major, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), expected to require nearly 100 offshore service and platform supply vessels by 2034, partnering with global shipbuilding leaders will be essential to expanding domestic capacity, he said.

The energy minister also declared he was confident that vessels built under such collaborative arrangementsor what he called the Make in India for the World' plancould recover costs within five years as it moved India closer to its goal of becoming a major global maritime hub.
In what is seen as a rare achievement, actor Shah Rukh Khan now has a commercial tower in Dubai named after him.

Name Shahrukhz, the skyscraper is set to be completed by 2029. Sharing the news, King Khan took to his Instagram account, saying he is "humbled" by the gesture that will turn his name into an integral part of Dubai's cityscape.

The 55-storey skyscraper will be located on Sheikh Zayed Road. It will also feature a statue of Shah Rukh Khan in his iconic pose, where he spreads his arms at the entrance. The statue is expected to be one of the busiest selfie points in Dubai once open to the public.

"It is humbling and deeply touching to have a landmark in Dubai carry my name and to be an integral part of the cityscape forever. Dubai has always been a special place for me - a city that celebrates dreams, ambition, and possibility," he posted.

In the video that was uploaded with the post, Shah Rukh says in Hindi: "We don't chase dreams, we turn them into reality. Legacy isn't inherited, it is made. This building is part of that legacy."

The project was initially announced on Friday during an event in Mumbai when the project named Shahrukhz by Danube was unveiled.

The one-million square feet skyscraper by Danube Group will have properties starting from Dh 1.7 million and aims to provide a base for global entrepreneurs and businesses in Dubai.

Interestingly, Shah Rukh was one of the first Indian superstars to own a property in the UAE, calling Dubai his second home. He owns a luxurious villa, Jannat, in Palm Jumeirah.






























A new low-cost airline from Saudi Arabia, flyadeal, will start services to India by 2026, according to reports. Flyadeal, the fast-growing budget sister concern of national carrier Saudia, is eyeing India and Pakistan in its next phase of growth, according to reports.

The services will mostly be from its hubs in Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dammam to six Indian cities. The plan is to launch flights to Delhi and Mumbai by the first quarter of next year. We were ready to launch services to several cities in India this year, Greenway said. But the continued supply chain headachesespecially delayed new aircraft deliveriesmean weve had to slow down and rethink our timeline, Flyadeal CEO Steven Greenway told Gulf News.

Once the services start, it is expected to be a huge relief for pilgrims, expats, and tourists, not just to Saudi Arabia but to Dubai and Sharjah as well.

Besides the top-tier cities, Flyadeal is also exploring the possibility of flying to some secondary cities, though they are yet to be determined. Its not just about Saudi travellers anymore, Greenway explained. We see huge growth in Indians heading home, expats crossing to the UAE, and especially people coming for Umrah and business. Our network is designed to work for all these segments.

According to reports, Flyadeal faces delays in the delivery of new aircraft and is forced to make do with its existing fleet, flying planes for up to 13 hours a day to maximise capacity. The airline has stated that it will only see a net gain of one aircraft next year.
Iranian authorities have begun a cloud seeding operation to induce rainfall in the country that is facing an acute water shortage. Tehran authorities were scrambling to find a solution as the country's water resources have dried up.

"Today, a cloud seeding flight was conducted in the Urmia Lake basin for the first time in the current water year," an IRNA news agency reported on Saturday.

Lake Urmia, one of the Middle Easts largest salt lakes, have reportedly completely dried up and has been reduced to a bed of salt.

Cloud seeding is a process that involves spraying silver iodide and salt into clouds to trigger rain. Last year, Tehran announced that it had developed its own technology for the practice.

 NEW  Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite imagery shows that Irans Karaj Dam, one of the largest water sources supplying Tehran, is now almost completely dried up. Years of the Islamist regimes incompetence, corruption, and poor infrastructure planning have led to severe water pic.twitter.com/hpRkDwjwet  Shayan X (@ShayanX0) November 12, 2025

The country's reservoirs have reached historically low levels as one of its major dams has completely dried out.

Officials even considered evacuating a city of 10 million if there was no sign of water or rain in Tehran by next month.

President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Friday that if there is no rainfall in the country soon, Tehrans water supply would have to be rationed, and if rationing is not enough to prevent a disaster, we may have to evacuate Tehran."

One of Tehrans main water sources, the Latian dam, is now almost empty, according to its manager. The manager of Karaj Dam told the BBC that there was a 92 per cent decrease in rain from last year and that the 8 per cent water left in the reservoir is considered dead water and is unusable.

What has caused the water shortage?

Researchers say that the main causes of the water shortage include long-term impacts of climate change, mismanagement of water resources, dam construction, and inefficient agriculture.

Studies say that more than 90 per cent of Irans water is extracted for farming, and much of it is lost due to inefficient farming methods. The countries' dam-building projects have also disrupted ecosystems, which has led to the draining of lakes and wetlands. Lake Urmia, of of the Middle Easts largest salt lakes, have completely dried up and has been reduced to a bed of salt.

Iran's water crisis also affects its neighbours, as the country shares its water bodies with Afghanistan and Iraq. The country has already had tensions with the Taliban over the Helmand River.

The leadership in the country is at odds with each other when it comes to proposing solutions.

A former Tehran mayor, Gholamhossein Karbaschi, criticised the president's suggestion of evacuating a whole city, calling it a joke

Iran Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said that using Persian Gulf water for Tehran can be done as a last resort.

The minister said that large desalination sites were being built in Chabahar, Bandar Abbas, and Khuzestan to strengthen water supplies in the south and draw in private investment. Once the water supply in the south is strengthened, the water upstream could be saved for tehrand the northern regions, the minister said. He also said that the idea needed a detailed study.

The idea was criticised by Former transport minister Abbas Akhoundi, who said that it overlooks environmental limits and the long-term cost for the public.

Water specialists have said that Iran is nearing what they describe as water bankruptcy, which means that the water has exceeded demand for years, and the reserves feeding the major cities have been depleted.
Saudi Arabias plan to get F-35 advanced stealth fighter jets from the US got a major fillip last day when US President Donald Trump stating that he was considering agreeing to the deal. His statement comes in the wake of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans impending visit to Washington.

But, latest reports hint that Israel is lobbying hard to ensure Trump places conditions on the monarchy before the sale of the F-35s, according to Axios.

The report added that while Israel isnt averse to the idea of the US selling the jets to Saudi Arabia, it wants to ensure that the sale needs to takes place as part of full normalisation of relations with Israel. We told the Trump administration that the supply of F-35s to Saudi Arabia needs to be subject to Saudi normalisation with Israel," one Israeli official said.

Netanyahu believes that selling the advanced stealth jets to the Kingdom without getting any diplomatic deliverables in return would be "a mistake and counterproductive."

That said, Tel Aviv has not yet opposed the idea. "Unlike the supply of F-35s to Turkey that we strongly oppose, we are less concerned about such a weapons system in Saudi Arabia if it's part of a regional security cooperation as part of the Abraham Accords, like we have with the United Arab Emirates," a second Israeli official told Axios.

Israel is the only country in the region that currently has F-35 fighter jets. So, there is a concern that Saudi Arabia getting hold of the advanced jet would mean that Israel loses its all-important qualitative military edge (QME), a long-standing security doctrine guaranteeing the Jewish state's survival in the region. The F-35 is an extremely advanced fighter jet that can reach a top speed of Mach 1.6, roughly 1,200 miles per hour. Each jet costs at least $101.5 million.

Also, the report hinted that Israel would insist that the jets wouldnt be deployed to the Saudi air forces bases in the Western parts of the country. "It takes minutes for an F-35 to fly from Saudi Arabia to Israel," the official said.

Such a defence deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel could, however, reset the political and security landscape in the Middle East, especially strengthening the US influence in the region.
A plane carrying 153 Palestinians from Gaza landed at South Africas OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday, triggering confusion and an investigation by the local authorities.

The passengers did not carry proper travel documents and did not know how long they would be staying in the country.

South African authorities soon discovered that their journey was arranged by a shadowy NGO body called 'Al-Majd Europe'.

South African activists are now alleging that Israel is using the humanitarian group to force Palestinians out of Gaza, Middle East Eye reported.

The Palestinian Embassy in South Africa said in a statement that the flight was registered by an unregistered and misleading organisation that exploited the tragic humanitarian conditions of our people in Gaza, deceived families, collected money from them, and facilitated their travel in an irregular and irresponsible manner. This entity later attempted to disown any responsibility once complications arose.

An Israeli military official who spoke anonymously said that the organisation Al-Majd arranged the transport of about 150 Palestinians from Gaza to South Africa.

The official said that Israel escorted buses organized by the NGO from a point in the Gaza Strip to the Karem Shalom crossing. Then Al-Majd buses picked up the passengers and took them to an airport in Israel, where they flew out of the country.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the Palestinians were flushed out of Gaza . Even though they do not have the necessary documents and papers, these are people from a strife-torn, a war-torn country, and out of compassion, out of empathy, we must receive them and be able to deal with the situation that they are facing, he said.

Two South African NGO representatives later claimed that the Al-Majd was affiliated with Israel and was working to remove Palestinians from Gaza.

One Palestinian man who was on the flight that landed in South Africa said that there was a strong coordination between the Al-majd group and the Israeli army. He described the process as routine to Al-Jazeera. He also said that there was a thorough search of his personal belongings before he got on a bus that reached the Karen Shalom. The man had paid $6000 to get himself and two other family members out of Gaza.

The group Al Majd Europe claims to have been founded in Germany in 2010. The website does not provide office locations and credible contact information.
Youssef Chahine was to Egyptian cinema what, for example, Satyajit Ray was to Indian cinema and Akira Kurosawa to Japanese cinema. If someone is looking to get into Egyptian cinema for the first time, Chahine would be the ideal place to start. For this writer, his 1958 film Cairo Station (also called Bab el-Hadid, or "The Iron Gate") is the perfect entry point. This is especially true for serious Indian cineastes. The reasons are several. To begin with, the too-familiar image of the train station, which not only announces the arrival and departure of locomotives from various destinations, but also serves as a catalyst for the beginning and ending of someone's careers and lives. The train station is often associated with tragic events, some informed by the newspapers, others witnessed unwillingly by daily commuters.

Chahine's film  bearing strong influences of the Italian neorealism movement and film noir  opens with the voiceover of the station's chief newsagent, Madbouli (Haasan el Baroudi), an old man who, when not uttering his daily prayers, is busy observing daily occurrences. He comes off as someone who has seen way too much. Its possible that the rosary in his hands prepares him for any trauma-inducing eventuality  and later deal with its memory. The man's narration, which precedes the opening credits, tells us that sometimes he witnesses events stranger than the ones he reads in the papers. Something disturbing will happen soon, and before it does, Chahine, as though to hammer home the point of the salability and sensationalist appeal of tragedy, inserts an image of a knife concealed in a newspaper.

A filmmaker with a cosmopolitan sensibility, Chahine is both director and actor, directing himself as the crippled protagonist Kenawi, a vagrant rescued by Madbouli and turned into a news vendor. Madbouli will soon come to regret his decision when he realises that Kenawi is not only mentally unsound but also sexually frustrated. And in a constantly teeming venue bustling with incessant activity, that's not good news. Meanwhile, we are told of a vicious murderer wreaking havoc. The true-blue newspaperman that he is, Madbouli relates every gruesome detail to Kenawi.

The train station is also home to many other residents. We are then introduced to the female cool drink seller, Hannuma (Hind Rostom), who becomes the object of Kenawi's affection. The most prominent among them is a porter, Abu Serih (Farid Shawqi), who dreams of forming a union to ward off exploitation and find improved working conditions. Things get more complicated when we learn that Abu is Hannuma's would-be, instantly rendering Kenawis love story one-sided.

Cairo Station (1958)

Director: Youssef Chahine pic.twitter.com/QojvLpZSFy  DepressedBergman (@DannyDrinksWine) September 6, 2022

Chahine tells the story through a fair amount of close-ups, mostly of Kenawai's eyes, and, in one unsettling juxtaposition, of a cat. Parallels can be drawn to Robert De Niro's portrayal of the sexually repressed Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese's iconic 1976 film, Taxi Driver. Bickle frequented pornographic theatres; Kenawi has centrespreads of scantily-clad women adorning the walls of his ramshackle dwelling. Where the two films differ is in the direction in which their makers take their characters. Chahine's intentions, we learn soon, are relatively bleak  possibly a major reason for the film's box-office failure when it was first released. Moreover, Chahine presents several other characters, with varying screen durations and complex, implicitly suggested characteristics that both the left and right would find unacceptable.

Chahine didn't shy away from on-the-nose depictions elsewhere. In brief stretches placed in different parts of the film, we see: staunchly conservative men voicing their disapproval of youngsters dancing to Western music; a women's liberation group protesting against marriage; police constantly trying to apprehend Hannuma and her women gang's illegal soda-selling business; and Hannuma's independent-submissive duality when it comes to her dynamic with different kinds of men. That the film was made in the wake of the Egyptian revolution of 1952, which turned a kingdom into a republic, accords it bigger significance. The era of the reformist President Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt's second, encouraged the creation of social-realist films that depicted working-class struggles with the sensitivity and anger they demanded.

Would Cairo Station get made today? Unlikely, according to film critic, curator, and lecturer Joseph Fahim. In his insightful Criterion essay, he observes that with the "authoritarian leader" currently in power, one can only dream of making cinema of this variety. "Censorship has hardened over the past decade, surpassing the sternest of the Nasser years," adds Fahim. "Acute social changes and a political climate hostile toward critical art have eliminated any chance of films like Cairo Station being made."
Thousands of people marched through Mexico City to protest against Mexicos president, Claudia Sheinbaum, on Saturday. The protests left at least 120 people, mostly police officers, injured.

In Mexico City, what started as a small protest by Gen Z against the government over its collision with the cartels has quickly grown into a movement much larger than anything the country has seen in years. Makes Jan 6 look like a small protest. pic.twitter.com/QLw4tiLk4v  Ian Miles Cheong (@ianmiles) November 16, 2025

The demonstrations were reportedly organised by members of Generation Z, but were later supported by older members who support the opposition in the country, the Guardian reported. About 17,000 people were reported to have attended the protests.

Many of the protesters held banners and shouted chants saluting Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodriguez, the mayor of Uruapan in Michoacan state, who was assassinated on November 1, at a Day of the Dead event, after leading a movement against drug trafficking.

Protesters tore down fences around the National Palace, prompting a clash with the police who deployed tear gas, media reports said.

The National Palace in Mexico is under siege by its citizens amid discontentment with Claudia Sheinbaum.



Follow: @AFpost



pic.twitter.com/X2mwM0eZnQ  AF Post (@AFpost) November 15, 2025

Mexico Citys public safety secretary, Pablo Vazquez, said that at least 100 police officers were injured and 40 of them required hospital treatment. 20 civilians were also injured.

Media reports also say that protesters were met with stones and beatings from the police. Elderly people were reportedly gassed with irritants.

Who organised the protests?

The protest was organised by a group called Generation Z Mexico. In a manifesto that spread online, the group claimed to be non-partisan and said that they represent Mexican youth who are fed up with violence, corruption, and abuse of power.

The protesters started at the Angel of Independence and marched towards Zocalo and ended their route at the National Palace. They were later joined by farmers and producers who demanded fair prices.

The situation turned violent in Zocalo when hooded figures tore down metal barriers at the national palace, triggering a clash with the police. About 800 police officers were deployed.

Why did they protest?

One of the key demands of the group was justice for the murder of Carlos Manzo. Many protesters wore white clothing and carried hats that were attributed to the mayor. Many targeted the ruling party, chanting Out Morena, and others blamed the government's inaction for Manzos death, chanting Carlos did not die, the government killed him.

Protesters were also seen carrying One Piece flags, a symbol that has become synonymous with Gen Z demonstrations and movements.

Others protested against the injustice in the system and called for justice in an arson case at the ABC Daycare centre. Shortage of medicines, growing insecurity, and a lack of responses to disappearances were other demands.

Is the protest really a Gen Z protest?

Many media reports say that the demonstrators belonged to all age groups and did not just consist of Gen Z members. The protesters primarily expressed their discontent with the current government.

Some Gen Z influencers even said on social media that they no longer supported the protests.

However, mainstream figures like the former president Vicente Fox and Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, published messages in support of the demonstrations.

Mexicos president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has accused right-wing parties of trying to infiltrate the Gen Z movement and using bots on social media to try to increase engagement. Days before the protest took place, she said, It is a movement promoted from abroad against the government.

An Al Jazeera reporter in Mexico City said that they had a hard time believing that this is an organic protest. There are not a lot of young people out there on the streets, and we are thinking that may be a reflection or a sign that this is not really coming from the young people. Because weve seen protests here in Mexico City against the genocide in Palestine, for example, and weve seen young people by the thousands marching in the streets.

The Mexican president, Claudia Shienbaum, assumed office in October 2024, and she has maintained her approval rating at about 70 per cent for her first year in office. However, she has recently been faced with criticism due to several high-profile murders like Manzos.

Responding to the protests, Shienbaum said at an event, There was a demonstration in Mexico City, where they say young people marched, but in reality, there were very few young people, and they violently removed some barriers and broke windows. We say no to violence. She then added, If one does not agree, one must demonstrate peacefully. We should never use violence to bring about change.

The Gen Z protests, driven by the demographic born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, are one of several around the world this year. Similar protests against the government took place in Nepal, which eventually led to the resignation of the countrys prime minister.
Individuals named Baigh are often perceived as possessing strong leadership qualities and a natural authority that aligns with the name's meaning of 'from the upper part.' They tend to be ambitious, determined, and resilient, characteristics that mirror the rugged Highland landscape from which the name originates. There's typically a sense of tradition and heritage in their personality, combined with practical wisdom and strategic thinking. Many Baighs are known for their loyalty to family and community, reflecting the clan values deeply embedded in Scottish culture.



They often exhibit a blend of quiet strength and thoughtful decision-making, with an ability to see situations from a broader perspectivemuch like someone viewing the world from an elevated position. Their communication style tends to be direct yet respectful, and they frequently demonstrate patience and perseverance in pursuing their goals. While they can be traditional in their values, they also possess the adaptability needed to navigate modern challenges while maintaining their core principles and cultural identity.
In India, over 65 per cent of health care spending is out of pocket, and access to qualified medical advice is often a privilege reserved for those in big cities. Only about a fifth of cancers are caught in early stageswhen they are most treatablebecause screening programmes and radiologists are scarce. Even among patients whose cancers could benefit from targeted therapies such as trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer or tyrosine kinase inhibitors for EGFR-positive lung cancer, only about a third receive the necessary diagnostic tests. India has barely a fifth of the radiologists and pathologists it needs, and even fewer oncology experts. The contrast with western systems, where early diagnosis and precision care are routine, is stark.

Artificial intelligence is often hailed as the great equaliser for such shortages. But we must be clear about what it canand cannotdo. AI cannot conduct clinical trials, invent drugs, perform surgeries, or offer the empathy that defines care. What it can do is improve prevention, early detection, diagnosis, treatment planning and hospital operations. It can transcribe notes, route patients efficiently, predict resource needs and flag anomalies in scans for doctors to review. Used wisely, AI can be the overworked doctors ally and force multiplier, not his or her replacement.

Yet health care is not a market commodity. Education, policing, defence and health care exist for public welfare, not shareholder value. Left to market forces, profit motives can lead to unnecessary procedures, inflated claims and catastrophic medical debtas the US experience shows. If guided solely by commercial interests, AI-driven health care risks deepening inequities and creating new silos. The government must therefore play a pivotal role, not just as regulator, but as a mission leader ensuring AI serves national health goals first.

The starting point must be a clear definition of health challenges that demand national-scale action. India has proven its capability with polio, smallpox and Covid-19 eradication efforts. The same mission-driven resolve is needed to combat tuberculosis, sickle-cell anaemia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and our most prevalent cancers. A problem-first mindset ensures that AI is used where it truly helps, not where it is easy or fashionable.

We must also chart our own course rather than mimic the west. Their health priorities are shaped by their environments, lifestyles and demographics. Nor should India chase the prestige of massive, resource-hungry AI models designed for publication glory. Just as ISRO succeeded not by being the biggest but the most resource-efficient, Indias AI for health must focus on frugal innovationsmaller, focused models solving real problems.

To power this, India needs a strong data backbone. US researchers rely on The Cancer Genome Atlas, a vast open repository of cancer images and genomic data. Indias department of biotechnology has begun similar initiatives such as the Cancer Image Biobank at the Tata Memorial Centre, but these must scale beyond major hospitals to reflect Indias diversity. Representative datasets spanning geography, hospital type and patient backgrounds will allow AI to learn patterns unique to Indian populations. With scale and diversity, our data can also serve global science, just as India already supplies medical professionals, treatment services and IT expertise to the world.

Responsible data sharing requires balance. Privacy is essential, but excessive fear of data exchange can paralyse research. Indias success with Aadhaar and UPI shows it can build secure, interoperable digital systems at massive scale. Health care deserves similar clarity: anonymised, standardised datasets accessible under strict oversight. The Indian Biological Data Portal and initiatives like the Biotech PRIDE Guidelines and FeED protocol are promising steps in that direction.

Focus, too, is vital. Medical AI cannot thrive if resources are spread thin across general AI research. India needs centres of excellence in medical AI embedded within hospitals, led jointly by clinicians and technologists. Senior doctors must be freedat least part-timefrom routine clinical duties to lead AI initiatives. These centres must also attract skilled AI engineers with competitive pay, autonomy and growth paths. Tata Memorial Centres department of digital and computational oncology exemplifies this visiontraining oncologists to use and guide AI responsibly. Partnerships like the Koita Centre for Digital Oncology and Koita Centre for Digital Health at IIT Bombay show how public-private collaboration can amplify government initiatives and ensure last-mile reach.

At the heart of this transformation lies trust. Doctors must remain in the pilot seat. AI systems should be explainable, transparent about uncertainty and cautious when data quality is poor, just as a junior doctor knows when to defer to a senior. The goal is not to make doctors complacent or over-reliant, but to strengthen their judgment with reliable, well-calibrated insights.

Trust grows when AI developers work within hospitals rather than apart from them. At Tata Memorial Centre, for instance, predictive models for cancer mutations and survival rates have emerged from close collaboration between oncologists, pathologists and computer scientists. AI adoption, like medicine itself, is built on confidence and shared responsibility.

Still, enthusiasm must be tempered with humility. AI trained on biased or poor-quality data can amplify inequities. Automated predictions should never replace clinical judgment. The promise of AI is not to make medicine more mechanical but more humane.

India has already shown through UPI that interoperability and open standards can transform public systems. If we apply the same mission-oriented design to health care data, AI infrastructure and talent development, we can not only reform our health care system but set a global example for equitable, data-driven medicine.

AI alone will not heal Indias health care. But guided by public purpose, scientific discipline and compassion, it can help deliver what every Indian deserves: timely, trusted and affordable care.

Amit Sethi is a professor of electrical engineering at IIT Bombay, and Dr Swapnil Rane is a professor of pathology and head of digital and computational oncology at Tata Memorial Centre. They are developing open cancer image datasets and AI models for clinical testing, focusing on systems that remain robust to noisy data and cautious in their recommendations when faced with poor quality data or difficult cases.
At the morgue in Delhis Maulana Azad hospital, a woman in her 30s leaned over a covered body. Maa... Kriti, she whispered hoarsely, voice trembling as she pointed to tattoos on the charred forearm that she recognised as her husbands.

Amar Kataria, a Chandni Chowk businessman, had been in his car near the Red Fort metro station on the evening of November 10. At about 6:52pm, a sudden flash and a deafening boom tore through the air, instantly taking Kataria from his family. A blazing inferno raged as nearby vehicles caught fire. Human bodies and body parts lay strewn all around. He loved tattoos, said Mohan Sharma, a relative of Kataria. Sharma confirmed to THE WEEK that they identified Kataria based on his tattoosmaa and Kriti (daughter). The doting fathers phone, recovered from the debris, still showed his last call: Kriti Home.

At last count, 13 people have lost their lives in the explosion, while dozens were injured. Among the dead were Ashok Kumar Singh, a 34-year-old DTC bus conductor; Nouman Ansari, a 29-year-old cosmetics trader from Jhinjhana in Uttar Pradeshs Shamli district, and Pankaj Sahni, a 22-year-old cab driver from Bihars Samastipurordinary people going about their daily lives.

Grief beyond measure: Family of victim Nouman Ansari after seeing his remains | Kritajna Naik

Different place, same loss, said Ashok Randhawa, president of the Sarojini Nagar Market Traders Association and a survivor of the 2005 Delhi serial blasts.

Randhawa was among the first to reach the LNJP Hospital and the Maulana Azad Medical College. Every time theres a blast, I rush to the hospitals, he told THE WEEK. Its not duty, its memory.... After 20 years, the same pattern repeats.

A series of connected events preceded the November 9 blast.

From October 19 onwards, police in Jammu and Kashmir began investigating the sudden appearance of posters, purportedly put up by Jaish-e-Mohammad, vowing vengeance on security forces. These posters appeared in Bunpora, Nowgam and Srinagar.

Questioning of three suspected JeM overground workers led to a maulvi in Shopian, Irfan Ahamed, who revealed an intricate network spanning Kashmir, Faridabad and Mewat in Haryana, Delhi and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Rapid response: A suspects father being taken in for questioning in Pulwama | PTI

Investigations uncovered a white-collar terror ecosystem involving radicalised professionals and students in contact with foreign handlers operating from Pakistan and other countries.

Significantly, before the Delhi blast, J&K Police had issued an official statement announcing the unearthing of an inter-state and transnational terror module. The release stated: The group has been using encrypted channels for indoctrination, coordination, fund movement and logistics. Funds were raised through professional and academic networks, under the guise of social/charitable causes.

Soon, several people including the now infamous doctorsDr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie from Faridabad (originally from Pulwama), Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather from Saharanpur (originally from Qazigund) and Dr Shaheen Sayeed from Lucknowwere arrested.

The accused are believed to have links with JeM and the Al Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, both based in Pakistan, though recent investigations suggest connections with handlers in Afghanistan and Turkey. These outfits have declared the liberation of Kashmir as their central goal in waging war against India.

What has alarmed security agencies is the modules extensive activity so close to the national capital.

Several aspects stand out.

One, Kashmir-centric terror outfits may be shifting focus from hit-and-run guerrilla operations in J&K to targeting urban centres elsewhere.

In a couple of years leading up to 2023, hybrid terrorists in J&K targeted soft civilian and migrant worker populations to derail signs of normalcy in the Union Territory. As security forces tightened their grip, militants altered tactics in 2023luring security personnel into ambush zones in the hills and forests, where they could engage with volleys of heavy gunfire from vantage positions, provisioned with ample supplies of weapons, ammunition and food. As with jungle warfare techniques, the vantage point was selected to also ensure a secure exit route after inflicting the maximum possible damage. As a result, such encounters often stretched on but ultimately ended with the terrorists being neutralised.

Now, evidence suggests a new shift: sleeper cells are being activated to strike beyond Kashmir. For this, terror elements from the valley are said to be establishing contact with the remnants of dormant fundamentalist groups in other parts of India.

Two, attacks in major cities outside Kashmir attract far greater international attention.

On October 31, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, speaking at the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture in Delhi, had said that terrorism had been effectively countered and that the last major attack in Indias hinterland took place in 2013. Except for Jammu and Kashmir, which had been a theatre of a proxy war or a covert warfare for Pakistan, which is a different ballgame, the whole country has remained secure from terrorist attacks, he noted. The November 10 blast may well have been intended to challenge that assertion.

Three, the perception of a terrorist as uneducated or economically deprived no longer holds true. As the arrests of the doctors show, the new-age militant may be educated, articulate and well-heeled with a degree of sophistication that may not typically be associated with an ultra orthodox Islamist radicalmaking detection far more difficult for security agencies.

Though the busting of the terror module may have prevented more spectacular attacks, it remains alarming that the group managed to stockpile around 2,900kg of ammonium nitrate, along with detonators, timers, batteries and sophisticated firearms right under the nose of the security forces.

A dilemma for New Delhi is to whether publicly name Pakistan as the key patron of the module and the Delhi blast. Doing so would raise pressure to respond, especially since Operation Sindoorafter the April 22 Pahalgam terror attackhad already brought India and Pakistan to the brink of an all-out war.

Two days after the Delhi blast, in Bhutans Thimphu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed retribution: Our agencies will get to the bottom of this conspiracy, and the conspirators will not be spared... all those responsible will be brought to justice.

That same day, a suicide bomber struck a district court in Islamabad, killing 12. Pakistans prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, promptly blamed India, while also terming the Delhi blast mysterious.

As narratives and counter-narratives continue and probe into the Red Fort explosion unfolds, many questions remain.

Was the November 10 blast intentional or accidental? Is there a broader strategy driving these networks? What could be the impact on regional security?

With the network and its tentacles unravelling by the day, one thing grows clearer: the danger may no longer be coming from across the border alone. It may already be withinlurking in more sleeper cells waiting for the next opportunity to strike.
3i Group (LON:III  Get Free Report) shares fell 17.4% on Thursday after Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on the stock from GBX 4,600 to GBX 4,300. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a buy rating on the stock. 3i Group traded as low as GBX 3,295 and last traded at GBX 3,360. 7,001,480 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 31% from the average session volume of 5,335,145 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 4,069.

III has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group reiterated a buy rating and set a GBX 4,700 price target on shares of 3i Group in a report on Friday, November 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an overweight rating on shares of 3i Group in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Citigroup restated a buy rating and issued a GBX 4,800 price target on shares of 3i Group in a report on Friday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 4,600.

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Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on 3i Group

Insider Buying and Selling

3i Group Trading Down 1.3%

In related news, insider Peter McKellar bought 4,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 14th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 3,345 per share, with a total value of 133,800. Also, insider Simon Borrows purchased 30,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 3,367 per share, with a total value of 1,010,100. Insiders have acquired a total of 34,007 shares of company stock valued at $114,419,647 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.14% of the companys stock.

The stock has a market capitalization of 32.69 billion, a PE ratio of 6.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.35 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 3.25, a quick ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.20. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 4,144.45 and a 200-day moving average price of GBX 4,128.63.

3i Group (LON:III  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 13th. The company reported GBX 340.20 earnings per share for the quarter. 3i Group had a net margin of 96.45% and a return on equity of 19.97%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that 3i Group will post 622.7106227 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About 3i Group

(Get Free Report)

3i is an investment company specialising in Private Equity and Infrastructure. We invest in mid-market companies headquartered in Europe and North America.

We generate attractive returns for our shareholders and co-investors by investing in private equity and infrastructure assets.

As proprietary capital investors we have a long-term, responsible approach.

We aim to compound value through thoughtful origination, disciplined investment and active management of our assets, driving sustainable growth in our investment companies.

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Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) (OTCMKTS:ULTRF  Get Free Report) and International Seaways (NYSE:INSW  Get Free Report) are both transportation companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, institutional ownership, valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, dividends and profitability.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and International Seawayss top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A International Seaways $770.04 million 3.46 $416.72 million $4.39 12.28

Volatility and Risk

International Seaways has higher revenue and earnings than Ultrapetrol (Bahamas).

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) has a beta of -0.79, indicating that its share price is 179% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, International Seaways has a beta of -0.02, indicating that its share price is 102% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and International Seaways net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) N/A N/A N/A International Seaways 29.88% 11.35% 8.27%

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) and International Seaways, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) 0 0 0 0 0.00 International Seaways 0 2 2 0 2.50

International Seaways has a consensus target price of $52.67, suggesting a potential downside of 2.27%. Given Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)s higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) is more favorable than International Seaways.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

67.3% of International Seaways shares are held by institutional investors. 2.0% of International Seaways shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

International Seaways beats Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) on 9 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ultrapetrol (Bahamas)

(Get Free Report)

Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited, an industrial shipping company, provides marine transportation services in South America, Europe, Central America, North America, and Asia. The company operates in three segments: River Business, Offshore Supply Business, and Ocean Business. The River Business segment owns and operates dry and tanker barges, and push boats in the Hidrovia region of South America. Its dry barges transport agricultural and forestry products, iron ore, and other cargoes; and tanker barges carry petroleum products, vegetable oils, and other liquids. As of December 31, 2015, this segment had 681 barges with approximately 1.3 million dwt capacity; and 34 push boats. The Offshore Supply Business segment owns and operates vessels that provide logistical and transportation services for offshore petroleum exploration and production companies. It transports supplies, such as containerized equipment, drill casings, pipes, and heavy loads; fuel, water, drilling fluids, and bulk cement; and various other supplies to drilling rigs and platforms. This segment's fleet consisted of 13 platform supply vessels and 1 remotely operated vehicle. The Ocean Business segment owns and operates oceangoing vessels, which transports petroleum products, as well as a container line service in the Argentine cabotage trade. The company serves petroleum, agricultural, and mining companies. Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Nassau, the Bahamas. Ultrapetrol (Bahamas) Limited is a subsidiary of Sparrow Capital Investments Ltd.

About International Seaways

(Get Free Report)

International Seaways, Inc. owns and operates a fleet of oceangoing vessels for the transportation of crude oil and petroleum products in the international flag trade. It operates in two segments: Crude Tankers and Product Carriers. As of December 31, 2023, the company owned a fleet of 73 vessels. It serves independent and state-owned oil companies, oil traders, refinery operators, and international government entities. The company was formerly known as OSG International, Inc. and changed its name to International Seaways, Inc. in October 2016. International Seaways, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

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Lifezone Metals (NYSE:LZM  Get Free Report) is one of 103 publicly-traded companies in the MINING  MISC industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its competitors? We will compare Lifezone Metals to related businesses based on the strength of its valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, profitability and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Lifezone Metals and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Lifezone Metals N/A N/A N/A Lifezone Metals Competitors -982.74% -10.79% -3.71%

Insider and Institutional Ownership

35.5% of shares of all MINING  MISC companies are owned by institutional investors. 9.4% of shares of all MINING  MISC companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Lifezone Metals 1 0 2 0 2.33 Lifezone Metals Competitors 747 1842 3519 170 2.50

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for Lifezone Metals and its competitors, as reported by MarketBeat.

Lifezone Metals presently has a consensus price target of $10.50, suggesting a potential upside of 170.90%. As a group, MINING  MISC companies have a potential upside of 16.75%. Given Lifezone Metals higher possible upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Lifezone Metals is more favorable than its competitors.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Lifezone Metals and its competitors revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Lifezone Metals $140,000.00 -$46.31 million -0.83 Lifezone Metals Competitors $10.00 billion $439.04 million -16.43

Lifezone Metals competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Lifezone Metals. Lifezone Metals is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Risk & Volatility

Lifezone Metals has a beta of 0.62, indicating that its stock price is 38% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Lifezone Metals competitors have a beta of 0.63, indicating that their average stock price is 37% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Lifezone Metals competitors beat Lifezone Metals on 7 of the 13 factors compared.

Lifezone Metals Company Profile

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Lifezone Metals Limited engages in the extraction and refining of metals. It supplies lower-carbon and sulfur dioxide emission metals to the battery storage, EV, and hydrogen markets. The companys products include nickel, copper, and cobalt. Its flagship project is the Kabanga nickel project in North-West Tanzania. The company is based in Ramsey, Isle of Man.

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Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR  Get Free Report)s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $65.35 and last traded at $65.74, with a volume of 1145983 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $66.66.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WHR has been the subject of several recent research reports. Bank of America restated an underperform rating and issued a $70.00 price objective (down from $100.00) on shares of Whirlpool in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d) rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Whirlpool from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Whirlpool from $80.00 to $69.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an underperform rating on shares of Whirlpool in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and three have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $86.43.

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Whirlpool Stock Up 6.8%

The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.33. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $77.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.24. The company has a market capitalization of $3.94 billion, a PE ratio of -20.87 and a beta of 1.18.

Whirlpool (NYSE:WHR  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, October 27th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.68. The firm had revenue of $4.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.92 billion. Whirlpool had a negative net margin of 1.18% and a positive return on equity of 19.49%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.43 earnings per share. Whirlpool has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Whirlpool Corporation will post 9.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Whirlpool Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Friday, November 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 21st. Whirlpools dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -107.14%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Whirlpool

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Whirlpool in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Whirlpool by 129.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 369 shares of the companys stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 208 shares in the last quarter. Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new position in Whirlpool in the first quarter valued at $38,000. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Whirlpool by 77.2% in the first quarter. HHM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 560 shares of the companys stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Whirlpool during the 2nd quarter worth about $51,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.78% of the companys stock.

Whirlpool Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Whirlpool Corporation manufactures and markets home appliances and related products and services in the North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The company's principal products include refrigerators, freezers, ice makers, and refrigerator water filters; laundry appliances, and commercial laundry products and related laundry accessories; cooking and other small domestic appliances; and dishwasher appliances and related accessories, as well as mixers.

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Shares of Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER  Get Free Report) traded down 2% during mid-day trading on Thursday after an insider sold shares in the company. The stock traded as low as $91.35 and last traded at $91.7270. 16,341,284 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 21% from the average session volume of 20,607,486 shares. The stock had previously closed at $93.57.

Specifically, CFO Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah sold 5,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.41, for a total transaction of $519,255.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 20,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,919,355.30. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

UBER has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a buy rating on shares of Uber Technologies in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $122.00 target price on Uber Technologies in a report on Tuesday, November 4th. Wedbush reduced their price target on Uber Technologies from $85.00 to $84.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Uber Technologies in a research note on Monday, September 29th. They issued an outperform rating and a $130.00 price target for the company. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a buy rating and set a $109.00 price objective on shares of Uber Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirty have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $108.26.

Uber Technologies Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.15. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $95.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $91.74. The company has a market capitalization of $190.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 1.46.

Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The ride-sharing company reported $3.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.67 by $2.44. The business had revenue of $13.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.25 billion. Uber Technologies had a return on equity of 68.17% and a net margin of 33.54%.The firms revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.20 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Uber Technologies, Inc. will post 2.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UBER. Westend Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Uber Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new stake in Uber Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Uber Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH bought a new stake in shares of Uber Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Imprint Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Uber Technologies during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.24% of the companys stock.

Uber Technologies Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Uber Technologies, Inc develops and operates proprietary technology applications in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia excluding China and Southeast Asia. It operates through three segments: Mobility, Delivery, and Freight. The Mobility segment connects consumers with a range of transportation modalities, such as ridesharing, carsharing, micromobility, rentals, public transit, taxis, and other modalities; and offers riders in a variety of vehicle types, as well as financial partnerships products and advertising services.

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Insynergy Products (OTCMKTS:STCB  Get Free Report) and Samsonite Group (OTCMKTS:SMSEY  Get Free Report) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership and dividends.

Profitability

This table compares Insynergy Products and Samsonite Groups net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Insynergy Products -3.23% -5.67% -2.45% Samsonite Group 8.46% 20.98% 6.19%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for Insynergy Products and Samsonite Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Insynergy Products 0 0 0 0 0.00 Samsonite Group 0 1 0 3 3.50

Valuation & Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Insynergy Products $58.67 million 0.26 -$17.65 million N/A N/A Samsonite Group $3.59 billion 0.92 $345.70 million $1.08 11.06

This table compares Insynergy Products and Samsonite Groups revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Samsonite Group has higher revenue and earnings than Insynergy Products.

Volatility and Risk

Insynergy Products has a beta of 0.22, suggesting that its share price is 78% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Samsonite Group has a beta of 0.69, suggesting that its share price is 31% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Samsonite Group beats Insynergy Products on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Insynergy Products

(Get Free Report)

Starco Brands, Inc. markets consumer products through retail and online in the United States. It offers products in various categories, including household cleaning, DIY/Hardware, paints, coatings and adhesives, household, hair care, disinfectants, automotive, motorcycle, arts and crafts, personal care cosmetics, personal care FDA, sun care, food, cooking oils, beverages, and spirits and wine under the Winona, Whipshots, Skylar, Soylent, and Art of Sport brands. The company was formerly known as Insynergy Products, Inc. and changed its name to Starco Brands, Inc. in September 2017. Starco Brands, Inc. was incorporated in 2010 and is based in Santa Monica, California.

About Samsonite Group

(Get Free Report)

Samsonite International S.A. engages in the design, manufacture, sourcing, and distribution of travel luggage bags in North America, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The company offers luggage, business, computer, outdoor, casual, and women's bags; and travel accessories and slim protective cases for personal electronic devices primarily under the Samsonite, Tumi, American Tourister, Speck, High Sierra, Gregory, Lipault, Kamiliant, Hartmann, and eBags brands, as well as other owned and licensed brand names. It sells its products through various wholesale distribution channels, as well as through company operated retail stores and e-commerce. The company was founded in 1910 and is based in Luxembourg, Luxembourg.

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Shares of Grindr Inc. (NYSE:GRND  Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $22.50.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Citizens Jmp dropped their price objective on Grindr from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a market outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 10th. JMP Securities lowered their target price on shares of Grindr from $27.00 to $23.00 and set a market outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Grindr in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Grindr from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, October 18th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Grindr from $26.00 to $20.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 8th.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Grindr

Institutional Trading of Grindr

In related news, insider Zachary Katz sold 13,781 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.39, for a total transaction of $198,308.59. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 490,520 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,058,582.80. This represents a 2.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, major shareholder James Fu Bin Lu sold 205,579 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $14.45, for a total transaction of $2,970,616.55. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 22,832,596 shares of the companys stock, valued at $329,931,012.20. The trade was a 0.89% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure . Insiders sold 3,402,942 shares of company stock valued at $46,057,857 in the last ninety days. 67.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in GRND. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Grindr by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,292,256 shares of the companys stock worth $34,430,000 after acquiring an additional 9,952 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its position in Grindr by 93.5% in the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,259,449 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,589,000 after purchasing an additional 608,554 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Grindr in the first quarter valued at $20,049,000. Bwcp LP raised its holdings in shares of Grindr by 61.8% in the 1st quarter. Bwcp LP now owns 1,096,586 shares of the companys stock valued at $19,629,000 after purchasing an additional 418,994 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC grew its position in shares of Grindr by 7.7% during the first quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,049,011 shares of the companys stock worth $18,777,000 after acquiring an additional 74,703 shares during the last quarter. 7.22% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Grindr Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of Grindr stock opened at $14.02 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $2.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.88 and a beta of 0.22. Grindr has a fifty-two week low of $11.73 and a fifty-two week high of $25.13. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $18.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.73.

Grindr (NYSE:GRND  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.04. Grindr had a positive return on equity of 80.21% and a negative net margin of 11.99%.The business had revenue of $115.77 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $113.53 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.09 EPS. The firms revenue was up 29.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Grindr has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Grindr will post 0.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Grindr Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Grindr Inc operates social network and dating application for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities worldwide. Its platform enables LGBTQ people to find and engage with each other, share content and experiences, and express themselves. The company offers ad-supported service and a premium subscription version.

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Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:MSI  Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $506.4286.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Motorola Solutions from $500.00 to $525.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, August 29th. UBS Group upped their target price on Motorola Solutions from $490.00 to $510.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Piper Sandler reissued a neutral rating and set a $465.00 price target (down from $495.00) on shares of Motorola Solutions in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Barclays reduced their price target on Motorola Solutions from $509.00 to $495.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 31st.

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Motorola Solutions Price Performance

Motorola Solutions stock opened at $379.44 on Thursday. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $443.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $435.15. The firm has a market cap of $63.20 billion, a PE ratio of 30.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.86, a current ratio of 1.73 and a quick ratio of 1.54. Motorola Solutions has a one year low of $376.74 and a one year high of $503.62.

Motorola Solutions (NYSE:MSI  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, October 31st. The communications equipment provider reported $4.06 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.85 by $0.21. Motorola Solutions had a net margin of 19.08% and a return on equity of 134.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.74 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 7.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Motorola Solutions will post 13.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Motorola Solutions Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 15th were issued a dividend of $0.0109 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 15th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.0%. Motorola Solutionss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.99%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP James A. Niewiara sold 1,700 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $485.43, for a total value of $825,231.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 14,542 shares in the company, valued at $7,059,123.06. The trade was a 10.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Gregory Q. Brown sold 50,000 shares of Motorola Solutions stock in a transaction on Friday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $483.50, for a total transaction of $24,175,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 46,936 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $22,693,556. This trade represents a 51.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 148,128 shares of company stock valued at $70,431,641. 1.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MSI. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Motorola Solutions by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,171,959 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $10,139,015,000 after acquiring an additional 286,366 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors lifted its position in shares of Motorola Solutions by 5.5% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 9,386,519 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $4,292,310,000 after purchasing an additional 490,354 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Motorola Solutions by 1.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 7,681,622 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $3,237,985,000 after purchasing an additional 101,408 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Motorola Solutions by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,386,899 shares of the communications equipment providers stock worth $1,839,569,000 after purchasing an additional 51,474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. increased its stake in Motorola Solutions by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 3,433,482 shares of the communications equipment providers stock valued at $1,570,096,000 after buying an additional 31,744 shares during the last quarter. 84.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Motorola Solutions Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Motorola Solutions, Inc provides public safety and enterprise security solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Products and Systems Integration, and Software and Services. The Products and Systems Integration segment offers a portfolio of infrastructure, devices, accessories, and video security devices and infrastructure, as well as the implementation and integration of systems, devices, software, and applications for government, public safety, and commercial customers who operate private communications networks and video security solutions, as well as manage a mobile workforce.

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There's no escaping that recalls are part of automobile ownership today  almost 30 million vehicles were affected in 2024. And 2025 has continued the trend, with a particularly bad year for Ford. So far, the Blue Oval has been hit with 134 safety recalls this year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Ford's record-setting statistic isn't something you'll find being touted in the company's press releases, but NHTSA records show that the automaker's troubles cover numerous areas, especially the electrical system, back-over prevention, and power trains.

Ford isn't alone; it's just that no other manufacturer has yet crossed into triple-digit territory in 2025. Second-place honors go to Chrysler with 44 recalls, followed by RV manufacturer Forest River with 36. Compared to Ford, other automakers are doing quite well. General Motors, Volkswagen, BMW, Honda, Mercedes, and Hyundai have yet to reach the two-dozen recall threshold. NHTSA publishes a continuously updated chart of recalls by manufacturer; it's worth a look if you're curious.

Recall announcements can be easy to overlook because they're so frequent, but you shouldn't ignore them. Every recall involves a potentially serious safety risk flagged by the federal government, and repairs are free. Waiting for an official notification, typically sent by mail within 60 days after the recall announcement, could leave you uninformed if you've moved recently or aren't the original owner. Staying on top of potential recalls is easy, however, through online tools offered by NHTSA and the automakers. We'll walk you through what's involved.

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Read more: These Are The Most Dangerous Cars Our Readers Have Driven

Step 1: Verify with NHTSA's VIN tool

A smartphone with an on-screen NHTSA logo in front of a monitor displaying the NHTSA recall website. - T. Schneider/Shutterstock

NHTSA administers all auto recalls in the United States, so the agency's website is the logical place to start. General recall announcements will appear at NHTSA.gov/search-safety-issues before the manufacturer mails notifications.

NHTSA.gov/recalls offers a tool to use a vehicle identification number (VIN) to check on a specific car. Enter the VIN to learn if there are any open recalls. You'll receive a "0 unrepaired recalls associated with this VIN" message if there are no active safety campaigns. Alternatively, you can use license plate information, but the results may be inaccurate if you've recently transferred the plates to a different car. The 17-character VIN is located on the dashboard (near where the windshield and dash meet), on the driver's door (or door jamb), or on the vehicle registration.

Given that almost 60 million cars in the U.S. have unresolved recalls, you might be curious about other vehicles subject to safety campaigns. The same NHTSA tool can search by year, make, and model, providing information about investigations, consumer complaints, and manufacturer notices. It's a helpful resource for used-car shopping.

Step 2: Check with the manufacturer

A man using a smartphone. - Dikushin/Getty Images

With NHTSA launching hundreds of vehicle recall campaigns annually since 2002, automakers have become adept at managing recalls. All major automakers, including Ford, General Motors, and Toyota, have online recall portals for consumers. Enter the VIN to look up recall information and determine whether your car has been affected. Checking recalls with the manufacturer can provide specifics about the repair process and timeline, information not available through NHTSA.

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For example, Ford's portal notes that a permanent fix for a recent recall affecting newer Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs with a possible cracked fuel injector is on standby, as "a hardware replacement remedy for this issue is currently under development." Checking the Hyundai site for a recall involving the seat belt in the first-generation Palisade also shows a similar status: "Incomplete. Remedy not yet available." So just because NHTSA says there's a recall doesn't mean the automaker is ready to make repairs.

A manufacturer's recall website may also provide additional details and resources, such as dealer contact information and appointment scheduling. Remember, NHTSA regulations require that recalled vehicles up to 15 years old are eligible for free repairs.

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Women named Battista typically exhibit strong moral character and natural leadership qualities, reflecting the name's association with John the Baptist's unwavering commitment to his beliefs. They often possess a blend of traditional values and independent thinking, creating individuals who respect heritage while forging their own paths. Battistas are frequently described as determined, principled, and spiritually aware, with a deep sense of purpose that guides their decisions and relationships. Their personality often includes a protective nature toward loved ones and a willingness to stand up for what they believe is right, even in challenging circumstances. Many develop a reputation for reliability and wisdom, becoming trusted advisors within their social circles. The historical weight of the name often inspires a sense of responsibility and the desire to make meaningful contributions, whether through family, community, or professional endeavors.
Shares of British American Tobacco p.l.c. (NYSE:BTI  Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of Hold from the eight analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $51.00.

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BTI. Wall Street Zen cut British American Tobacco from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of British American Tobacco from a sector perform rating to an underperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Morgan Stanley restated an underweight rating and set a $40.00 price target on shares of British American Tobacco in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Argus upgraded shares of British American Tobacco from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $62.00 price objective for the company in a report on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of British American Tobacco in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th.

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British American Tobacco Price Performance

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Shares of NYSE BTI opened at $54.10 on Tuesday. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $53.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $51.17. British American Tobacco has a 1-year low of $34.82 and a 1-year high of $59.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its position in British American Tobacco by 81.7% in the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 20,167 shares of the companys stock worth $1,070,000 after acquiring an additional 9,067 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. grew its stake in shares of British American Tobacco by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,852,780 shares of the companys stock worth $151,426,000 after purchasing an additional 95,221 shares during the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of British American Tobacco in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $83,000. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in British American Tobacco during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,521,000. Finally, Exit Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new stake in British American Tobacco during the third quarter worth approximately $382,000. Institutional investors own 16.16% of the companys stock.

British American Tobacco Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

British American Tobacco p.l.c. engages in the provision of tobacco and nicotine products to consumers worldwide. It also offers vapour, heated, and modern oral nicotine products; combustible cigarettes; and traditional oral products, such as snus and moist snuff. The company offers its products under the Vuse, glo, Velo, Grizzly, Kodiak, Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Rothmans, Camel, Natural American Spirit, Newport, Vogue, Viceroy, Kool, Peter Stuyvesant, Craven A, State Express 555 and Shuang Xi brands.

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SunCoke Energy (NYSE:SXC  Get Free Report) and Puda Coal (OTCMKTS:PUDA  Get Free Report) are both energy companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, profitability, dividends, risk and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares SunCoke Energy and Puda Coals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets SunCoke Energy 3.99% 10.43% 4.44% Puda Coal N/A N/A N/A

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for SunCoke Energy and Puda Coal, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score SunCoke Energy 0 2 0 0 2.00 Puda Coal 0 0 0 0 0.00

Institutional & Insider Ownership

SunCoke Energy presently has a consensus price target of $10.00, indicating a potential upside of 48.08%. Given SunCoke Energys stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe SunCoke Energy is more favorable than Puda Coal.

90.4% of SunCoke Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 1.5% of SunCoke Energy shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 48.3% of Puda Coal shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares SunCoke Energy and Puda Coals top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio SunCoke Energy $1.84 billion 0.31 $95.90 million $0.76 8.89 Puda Coal N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

SunCoke Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Puda Coal.

Summary

SunCoke Energy beats Puda Coal on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About SunCoke Energy

(Get Free Report)

SunCoke Energy, Inc. operates as an independent producer of coke in the Americas and Brazil. The company operates through three segments: Domestic Coke, Brazil Coke, and Logistics. It offers metallurgical and thermal coal. The company also provides handling and/or mixing services to steel, coke, electric utility, coal producing, and other manufacturing based customers. In addition, it owns and operates cokemaking facilities in the United States and Brazil. The company was founded in 1960 and is headquartered in Lisle, Illinois.

About Puda Coal

(Get Free Report)

Puda Coal, Inc., through its indirect equity ownership in Shanxi Puda Coal Group Co., Ltd., supplies metallurgical coking coal in the People's Republic of China. Its processed coking coal is used by coke and steel producers for the purpose of making the coke required for the steel manufacturing process. The company primarily markets its products in the Shanxi Province, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hebei Province, Beijing, and Tianjin. It also operates as an acquirer and consolidator of two coal mine consolidation projects, including the Pinglu project in Pinglu County; and the Jianhe project in Huozhou County, Shanxi Province. The company was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Taiyuan, the People's Republic of China.

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Cornerstone Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX  Free Report) by 21.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 87,136 shares of the medical equipment providers stock after buying an additional 15,500 shares during the quarter. Cornerstone Advisors LLCs holdings in Boston Scientific were worth $9,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its stake in Boston Scientific by 35.1% during the 2nd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 14,160 shares of the medical equipment providers stock valued at $1,521,000 after purchasing an additional 3,675 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Boston Scientific by 16.7% in the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 49,719 shares of the medical equipment providers stock valued at $5,340,000 after purchasing an additional 7,103 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Boston Scientific by 2.7% during the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 392,601 shares of the medical equipment providers stock valued at $42,169,000 after buying an additional 10,436 shares during the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV bought a new stake in Boston Scientific during the second quarter worth $204,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in Boston Scientific by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 348,145 shares of the medical equipment providers stock valued at $37,394,000 after buying an additional 13,412 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.07% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BSX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $125.00 target price on shares of Boston Scientific in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Boston Scientific from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $118.00 to $125.00 in a report on Monday, September 8th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Boston Scientific from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a hold rating on shares of Boston Scientific in a research note on Monday, July 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $124.00 target price on shares of Boston Scientific in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Boston Scientific presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $123.77.

Boston Scientific Stock Down 2.1%

Boston Scientific stock opened at $102.73 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $99.72 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Boston Scientific Corporation has a twelve month low of $85.98 and a twelve month high of $109.50. The company has a market capitalization of $152.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 54.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.58.

Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 22nd. The medical equipment provider reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.04. Boston Scientific had a return on equity of 19.74% and a net margin of 14.43%.The business had revenue of $5.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.63 earnings per share. Boston Scientifics revenue for the quarter was up 20.3% on a year-over-year basis. Boston Scientific has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.020-3.040 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 0.770-0.790 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Boston Scientific Corporation will post 2.85 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Boston Scientific

In other news, Director Ellen M. Zane sold 12,891 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $98.28, for a total transaction of $1,266,927.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 24,134 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,371,889.52. This represents a 34.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Joseph Michael Fitzgerald sold 50,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.47, for a total value of $4,923,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 178,342 shares in the company, valued at $17,561,336.74. This represents a 21.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 175,782 shares of company stock valued at $17,742,314 in the last quarter. 0.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Boston Scientific Profile

(Free Report)

Boston Scientific Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets medical devices for use in various interventional medical specialties worldwide. It operates through two segments, MedSurg and Cardiovascular. The company offers devices to diagnose and treat gastrointestinal and pulmonary conditions, such as resolution clips, biliary stent systems, stents and electrocautery enhanced delivery systems, direct visualization systems, digital catheters, and single-use duodenoscopes; devices to treat urological conditions, including ureteral stents, catheters, baskets, guidewires, sheaths, balloons, single-use digital flexible ureteroscopes, holmium laser systems, artificial urinary sphincter, laser system, fiber, and hydrogel systems; and devices to treat neurological movement disorders and manage chronic pain, such as spinal cord stimulator system, proprietary programming software, radiofrequency generator, indirect decompression systems, practice optimization tools, and deep brain stimulation system.

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Blankinship & Foster LLC trimmed its position in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:AGG  Free Report) by 7.8% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 101,632 shares of the companys stock after selling 8,621 shares during the period. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF accounts for about 2.4% of Blankinship & Foster LLCs holdings, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Blankinship & Foster LLCs holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF were worth $10,082,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. US Bancorp DE lifted its stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 29.1% during the second quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 43,988,044 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,363,640,000 after buying an additional 9,922,958 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 138,625,924 shares of the companys stock valued at $13,686,743,000 after acquiring an additional 9,678,339 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 11.8% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 54,218,326 shares of the companys stock worth $5,378,443,000 after purchasing an additional 5,728,914 shares during the period. RWA Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF by 8,534.9% during the 1st quarter. RWA Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,916,363 shares of the companys stock worth $486,327,000 after purchasing an additional 4,859,427 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF during the second quarter worth $395,573,000. 83.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Trading Down 0.1%

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF stock opened at $100.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $134.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 124.57 and a beta of 0.25. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $100.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $99.11. iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF has a 52 week low of $95.74 and a 52 week high of $101.35.

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF Profile

IShares are index funds that are bought and sold like common stocks on national securities exchanges as well as certain foreign exchanges. iShares are attractive because of their relatively low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account.

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Creative Planning lifted its position in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Free Report) by 6.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 289,306 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 18,763 shares during the quarter. Creative Plannings holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $40,752,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Morgan Stanley by 111.0% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 211 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Morgan Stanley by 645.8% in the second quarter. Princeton Global Asset Management LLC now owns 179 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Morgan Stanley by 50.0% in the first quarter. Hopwood Financial Services Inc. now owns 264 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Compass Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Morgan Stanley in the second quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Abound Wealth Management lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 58.5% during the second quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 252 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the period. 84.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity at Morgan Stanley

In related news, CEO Edward Pick sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $164.34, for a total value of $16,434,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 574,986 shares in the company, valued at $94,493,199.24. This trade represents a 14.82% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.19% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on MS. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on Morgan Stanley from $175.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Morgan Stanley from $122.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 21st. Dbs Bank upgraded Morgan Stanley to a moderate buy rating in a research note on Wednesday. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $145.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b-) rating on shares of Morgan Stanley in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Morgan Stanley has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $168.23.

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Morgan Stanley Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE MS opened at $163.75 on Friday. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $159.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.30, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.78. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $94.33 and a fifty-two week high of $171.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $260.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.33.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.07 by $0.73. The company had revenue of $17.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.42 billion. Morgan Stanley had a net margin of 13.85% and a return on equity of 16.55%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 18.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.88 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 8.56 EPS for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 31st were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. Morgan Stanleys payout ratio is presently 41.03%.

Morgan Stanley Company Profile

(Free Report)

Morgan Stanley, a financial holding company, provides various financial products and services to corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. It operates through Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management segments.

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Geode Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE:LUV  Free Report) by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 13,961,084 shares of the airlines stock after selling 547,898 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned approximately 2.66% of Southwest Airlines worth $452,009,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines in the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. Pandora Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Airlines in the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in shares of Southwest Airlines by 81.4% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,056 shares of the airlines stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 474 shares during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 1st quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Armstrong Advisory Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Airlines during the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. 80.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Southwest Airlines Price Performance

Shares of LUV stock opened at $32.83 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $32.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $32.33. The company has a market capitalization of $16.98 billion, a PE ratio of 50.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 1.23. Southwest Airlines Co. has a twelve month low of $23.82 and a twelve month high of $37.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Southwest Airlines ( NYSE:LUV Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The airline reported ($0.38) EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $6.17 billion during the quarter. Southwest Airlines had a return on equity of 6.39% and a net margin of 1.38%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Southwest Airlines Co. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Airlines declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, July 23rd that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the airline to reacquire up to 9.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the companys board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on LUV. HSBC downgraded Southwest Airlines from a hold rating to a reduce rating in a report on Thursday, July 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Southwest Airlines in a report on Thursday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Southwest Airlines from $21.00 to $24.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Southwest Airlines from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $33.73.

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Southwest Airlines Company Profile

(Free Report)

Southwest Airlines Co operates as a passenger airline company that provides scheduled air transportation services in the United States and near-international markets. As of December 31, 2023, the company operated a total fleet of 817 Boeing 737 aircraft; and served 121 destinations in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, as well as ten near-international countries, including Mexico, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Aruba, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Belize, Cuba, the Cayman Islands, and Turks and Caicos.

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Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Thomson Reuters Co. (NYSE:TRI  Free Report) (TSE:TRI) by 13.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,997,516 shares of the business services providers stock after acquiring an additional 240,062 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 0.44% of Thomson Reuters worth $405,266,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of TRI. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. grew its stake in shares of Thomson Reuters by 772.2% during the 1st quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 157 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Curio Wealth LLC grew its position in Thomson Reuters by 16,200.0% during the second quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 163 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 162 shares during the period. Westside Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Thomson Reuters during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in Thomson Reuters during the second quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its position in Thomson Reuters by 41.3% in the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 236 shares of the business services providers stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 69 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 17.31% of the companys stock.

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Thomson Reuters Price Performance

Shares of Thomson Reuters stock opened at $141.13 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $63.04 billion, a PE ratio of 28.86, a PEG ratio of 5.67 and a beta of 0.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $156.29 and a 200 day moving average of $179.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. Thomson Reuters Co. has a 12 month low of $134.50 and a 12 month high of $218.42.

Thomson Reuters Dividend Announcement

Thomson Reuters ( NYSE:TRI Get Free Report ) (TSE:TRI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The business services provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.04. Thomson Reuters had a return on equity of 14.62% and a net margin of 30.45%.The business had revenue of $1.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.78 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.80 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Thomson Reuters has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Thomson Reuters Co. will post 3.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.595 per share. This represents a $2.38 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 18th. Thomson Reuterss dividend payout ratio is presently 61.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on TRI. Huber Research raised shares of Thomson Reuters to an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $172.00 price objective on Thomson Reuters in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Thomson Reuters from $208.00 to $182.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Thomson Reuters from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price target for the stock from $187.00 to $212.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Finally, Scotiabank restated an outperform rating and set a $189.00 price objective (down from $200.00) on shares of Thomson Reuters in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $195.27.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters Profile

(Free Report)

Thomson Reuters Corporation engages in the provision of business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments.

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Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Pampa Energia S.A. (NYSE:PAM  Free Report) by 42.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 304,174 shares of the utilities providers stock after acquiring an additional 90,500 shares during the period. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.s holdings in Pampa Energia were worth $21,104,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Pampa Energia by 9.7% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 557,474 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $43,037,000 after purchasing an additional 49,099 shares in the last quarter. Helikon Investments Ltd raised its position in shares of Pampa Energia by 11.2% in the first quarter. Helikon Investments Ltd now owns 492,578 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $38,027,000 after buying an additional 49,709 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Pampa Energia by 85.4% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 162,521 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $12,547,000 after buying an additional 74,841 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Pampa Energia by 6.5% during the second quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 89,640 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $6,219,000 after acquiring an additional 5,450 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ping Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Pampa Energia by 74.9% during the second quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. now owns 76,200 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $5,287,000 after acquiring an additional 32,633 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 12.77% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on PAM. Citigroup raised Pampa Energia from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $113.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c-) rating on shares of Pampa Energia in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Pampa Energia from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Pampa Energia from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $103.25.

Pampa Energia Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of NYSE:PAM opened at $89.78 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $68.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.03. Pampa Energia S.A. has a 52-week low of $54.95 and a 52-week high of $97.55. The company has a quick ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 2.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $4.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.57 and a beta of 1.18.

Pampa Energia (NYSE:PAM  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.42 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.97). The business had revenue of $591.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $864.09 billion. Pampa Energia had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 13.01%. As a group, analysts forecast that Pampa Energia S.A. will post 9.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Pampa Energia Profile

(Free Report)

Pampa Energia SA operates as an integrated power company in Argentina. The company operates through Electricity Generation, Oil and Gas, Petrochemicals, and Holding and Other Business segments. It generates electricity through thermal plants, hydroelectric plants, and wind farms with a 5,332 megawatt (MW) installed capacity.

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Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (NYSE:BAH  Free Report) by 1,111.9% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 97,779 shares of the business services providers stock after buying an additional 89,711 shares during the quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Booz Allen Hamilton were worth $10,182,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Creative Planning raised its position in Booz Allen Hamilton by 18.7% in the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 12,457 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,297,000 after purchasing an additional 1,964 shares during the last quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton by 37.6% during the second quarter. Calamos Advisors LLC now owns 80,500 shares of the business services providers stock worth $8,382,000 after purchasing an additional 22,000 shares during the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey increased its stake in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton by 4.4% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 19,316 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $2,011,000 after buying an additional 813 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton by 1.6% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,417,306 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $251,000,000 after buying an additional 37,519 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden raised its holdings in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton by 52.6% in the second quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 49,600 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $5,165,000 after buying an additional 17,100 shares during the last quarter. 91.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Horacio Rozanski purchased 23,800 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 30th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $84.66 per share, for a total transaction of $2,014,908.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,745 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $58,224,491.70. The trade was a 3.58% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.91% of the companys stock.

Booz Allen Hamilton Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE BAH opened at $82.87 on Friday. Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $82.23 and a fifty-two week high of $154.43. The firm has a market capitalization of $10.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.89, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.78. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $95.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.18.

Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE:BAH  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The business services provider reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.49. Booz Allen Hamilton had a net margin of 7.06% and a return on equity of 71.87%. The company had revenue of $2.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Booz Allen Hamilton has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation will post 6.44 EPS for the current year.

Booz Allen Hamilton Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Booz Allen Hamiltons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.59%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on BAH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from $122.00 to $90.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from $93.00 to $80.00 and set a sell rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 27th. Truist Financial set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Booz Allen Hamilton in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Bank of America lowered Booz Allen Hamilton from a buy rating to an underperform rating and set a $90.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Cowen cut Booz Allen Hamilton from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $110.82.

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Booz Allen Hamilton Company Profile

(Free Report)

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation provides management and technology consulting, analytics, engineering, digital solutions, mission operations, and cyber services to governments, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations in the United States and internationally. It focuses on artificial intelligence services comprising of machine learning, predictive modeling, automation and decision analytics, and quantum computing.

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Kingsview Wealth Management LLC decreased its position in Northern Lights Fund Trust IV  Monarch Select Subsector Index ETF (NYSEARCA:MSSS  Free Report) by 19.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,055,184 shares of the companys stock after selling 756,436 shares during the quarter. Northern Lights Fund Trust IV  Monarch Select Subsector Index ETF makes up 1.5% of Kingsview Wealth Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest position. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC owned approximately 1.00% of Northern Lights Fund Trust IV  Monarch Select Subsector Index ETF worth $90,202,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Northern Lights Fund Trust IV  Monarch Select Subsector Index ETF Stock Performance

MSSS opened at $29.94 on Friday. Northern Lights Fund Trust IV  Monarch Select Subsector Index ETF has a 52-week low of $23.74 and a 52-week high of $31.24. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $30.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.46.

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About Northern Lights Fund Trust IV  Monarch Select Subsector Index ETF

(Free Report)

Further Reading

The Monarch Select Subsector Index ETF (MSSS) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Monarch Select Subsector index. The fund is a fund-of-funds that tracks an index of 10 US-listed ETFs that are selected for its sector or subsector that can take advantage of a particular phase in an economic cycle.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MSSS? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Northern Lights Fund Trust IV  Monarch Select Subsector Index ETF (NYSEARCA:MSSS  Free Report).

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Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Battzion holds profound significance in Jewish culture as it directly translates to 'Daughter of Zion,' where Zion represents both the physical city of Jerusalem and the spiritual heart of the Jewish people. Historically, the term 'Daughter of Zion' appears throughout Hebrew scriptures, often symbolizing the Jewish people collectively or Jerusalem personified as a woman. This name carries deep religious and national meaning, connecting the bearer to Jewish heritage, the Land of Israel, and the messianic hope of return and redemption.



In modern times, the name has been embraced by families seeking to maintain strong ties to Jewish identity and Zionist ideals, particularly among those with deep connections to Israeli culture and history. It represents a living link between ancient biblical promises and contemporary Jewish life, serving as a powerful statement of cultural continuity and spiritual connection to the Jewish homeland. The name embodies the resilience of Jewish tradition and the enduring bond between the Jewish people and their historical roots.
Kingsview Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of iShares Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:IAU  Free Report) by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 347,422 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 13,080 shares during the quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLCs holdings in iShares Gold Trust were worth $21,665,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IAU. Diversified Enterprises LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Diversified Enterprises LLC now owns 3,683 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $230,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC boosted its holdings in iShares Gold Trust by 0.4% in the second quarter. Red Mountain Financial LLC now owns 46,314 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,888,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. New Hampshire Trust increased its position in iShares Gold Trust by 4.2% during the second quarter. New Hampshire Trust now owns 4,286 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $267,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in iShares Gold Trust by 0.3% during the second quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 60,987 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $3,803,000 after buying an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Wealth Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of iShares Gold Trust by 0.4% in the second quarter. Confluence Wealth Services Inc. now owns 43,721 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,726,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. 59.67% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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iShares Gold Trust Stock Performance

IAU opened at $76.98 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $63.44 billion, a PE ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $74.20 and a 200-day moving average of $67.00. iShares Gold Trust has a 52-week low of $48.32 and a 52-week high of $82.55.

iShares Gold Trust Company Profile

iShares Gold Trust (the Trust) is to own gold transferred to the Trust in exchange for shares issued by the Trust (Shares). Each Share represents a fractional undivided beneficial interest in the net assets of the Trust. The assets of the Trust consist of gold held by the Trusts custodian on behalf of the Trust.

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Forsta AP Fonden lifted its position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE  Free Report) by 21.6% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 45,000 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fondens holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities were worth $3,268,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 729.5% in the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 871 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 766 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 95.6% during the first quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,916 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $825,000 after purchasing an additional 4,358 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its stake in shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 4.6% in the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 12,003 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,110,000 after purchasing an additional 525 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC increased its holdings in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 195.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 7,767 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $719,000 after purchasing an additional 5,135 shares during the period. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in Alexandria Real Estate Equities by 91.8% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 189,366 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $17,518,000 after purchasing an additional 90,624 shares during the last quarter. 96.54% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Alexandria Real Estate Equities Stock Performance

Shares of ARE stock opened at $52.30 on Friday. The companys fifty day moving average price is $73.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $74.82. The stock has a market cap of $9.04 billion, a PE ratio of -21.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.06 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.63 and a 12 month high of $112.42.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Dividend Announcement

Alexandria Real Estate Equities ( NYSE:ARE Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $2.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.31 by ($0.09). Alexandria Real Estate Equities had a negative net margin of 13.43% and a negative return on equity of 1.89%. The business had revenue of $751.94 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $752.90 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.37 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Alexandria Real Estate Equities has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.980-9.040 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. will post 9.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 30th were given a $1.32 dividend. This represents a $5.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 30th. Alexandria Real Estate Equitiess payout ratio is currently -213.77%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ARE. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $104.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Friday, October 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $95.00 to $65.00 in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities from $98.00 to $65.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Alexandria Real Estate Equities in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Alexandria Real Estate Equities currently has a consensus rating of Reduce and an average target price of $79.38.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on ARE

Alexandria Real Estate Equities Profile

(Free Report)

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc (NYSE: ARE), an S&P 500 company, is a best-in-class, mission-driven life science REIT making a positive and lasting impact on the world. As the pioneer of the life science real estate niche since our founding in 1994, Alexandria is the preeminent and longest-tenured owner, operator, and developer of collaborative life science, agtech, and advanced technology mega campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, including Greater Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle.

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Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Parker-Hannifin Corporation (NYSE:PH  Free Report) by 6.5% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 131,602 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 8,036 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.s holdings in Parker-Hannifin were worth $91,920,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC bought a new position in Parker-Hannifin during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Parker-Hannifin during the first quarter worth $31,000. Interchange Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Parker-Hannifin in the second quarter valued at $31,000. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Parker-Hannifin during the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its stake in Parker-Hannifin by 421.4% in the 1st quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 73 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. 82.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

PH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Parker-Hannifin from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Saturday, September 20th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Parker-Hannifin from $785.00 to $906.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, November 7th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Parker-Hannifin from $726.00 to $723.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 20th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on shares of Parker-Hannifin from $735.00 to $845.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Parker-Hannifin in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $860.71.

Insider Transactions at Parker-Hannifin

In other Parker-Hannifin news, EVP Joseph R. Leonti sold 4,625 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $750.84, for a total transaction of $3,472,635.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 13,878 shares of the companys stock, valued at $10,420,157.52. This trade represents a 25.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Berend Bracht sold 3,507 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $864.58, for a total transaction of $3,032,082.06. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 2,580 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,230,616.40. The trade was a 57.61% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 9,569 shares of company stock valued at $7,730,464 in the last 90 days. 0.32% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Parker-Hannifin Stock Down 1.4%

PH stock opened at $830.42 on Friday. Parker-Hannifin Corporation has a 52 week low of $488.45 and a 52 week high of $869.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $104.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.62, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $767.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $722.21.

Parker-Hannifin (NYSE:PH  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $7.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $6.62 by $0.60. Parker-Hannifin had a net margin of 17.79% and a return on equity of 26.80%. The business had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.94 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.20 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Parker-Hannifin has set its FY 2026 guidance at 29.600-30.400 EPS. FY 2026 guidance at 29.600-30.400 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Parker-Hannifin Corporation will post 26.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Parker-Hannifin Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a $1.80 dividend. This represents a $7.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. Parker-Hannifins dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.65%.

About Parker-Hannifin

(Free Report)

Parker-Hannifin Corporation manufactures and sells motion and control technologies and systems for various mobile, industrial, and aerospace markets worldwide. The company operates through two segments: Diversified Industrial and Aerospace Systems. The Diversified Industrial segment offers sealing, shielding, thermal products and systems, adhesives, coatings, and noise vibration and harshness solutions; filters, systems, and diagnostics solutions to ensure purity and remove contaminants from fuel, air, oil, water, and other liquids and gases; connectors used in fluid and gas handling; and hydraulic, pneumatic, and electromechanical components and systems for builders and users of mobile and industrial machinery and equipment.

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Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new stake in Matson, Inc. (NYSE:MATX  Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 3,390 shares of the shipping companys stock, valued at approximately $377,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Matson by 67.1% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 254 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Ethic Inc. boosted its stake in Matson by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 4,092 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $537,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Matson by 4.3% during the first quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 2,767 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Matson by 4.6% in the first quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 2,637 shares of the shipping companys stock valued at $338,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Matson by 19.1% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 749 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 84.76% of the companys stock.

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Matson Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MATX opened at $106.78 on Friday. Matson, Inc. has a 1-year low of $86.97 and a 1-year high of $164.84. The company has a 50-day moving average of $100.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $106.32. The company has a market cap of $3.33 billion, a PE ratio of 7.22 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13.

Matson Announces Dividend

Matson ( NYSE:MATX Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The shipping company reported $4.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.25 by $0.99. Matson had a return on equity of 18.90% and a net margin of 14.26%.The firm had revenue of $880.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $837.72 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $5.89 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Matson, Inc. will post 13.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 6th will be issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 6th. Matsons dividend payout ratio is currently 10.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MATX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Matson in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a hold rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Matson in a research report on Friday, August 1st. Wolfe Research upgraded Matson from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $142.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Matson from $160.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Matson from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Matson currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $141.75.

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Matson Company Profile

(Free Report)

Matson, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of ocean transportation and logistics services. It operates through two segments, Ocean Transportation and Logistics. The Ocean Transportation segment offers ocean freight transportation services to the domestic non-contiguous economies of Hawaii, Japan, Alaska, and Guam, as well as to other island economies in Micronesia.

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Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Wipro Limited (NYSE:WIT  Free Report) by 56.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 755,416 shares of the information technology services providers stock after acquiring an additional 273,016 shares during the quarter. Wipro accounts for about 0.7% of Integrated Quantitative Investments LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest position. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLCs holdings in Wipro were worth $2,281,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of Wipro by 178.5% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 70,881 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $217,000 after purchasing an additional 45,430 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in Wipro by 63.5% in the 1st quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 970,796 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $2,971,000 after buying an additional 376,892 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its position in Wipro by 55.5% in the first quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 58,420 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $179,000 after acquiring an additional 20,854 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in Wipro by 16.5% during the first quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 396,805 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $1,214,000 after acquiring an additional 56,342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. bought a new position in shares of Wipro during the first quarter valued at $77,000. Institutional investors own 2.36% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. CLSA lowered shares of Wipro from an outperform rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Wipro in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Reduce.

Wipro Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:WIT opened at $2.65 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $27.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.63, a P/E/G ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 1.02. Wipro Limited has a 12 month low of $2.55 and a 12 month high of $3.79. The companys 50-day moving average price is $2.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.82.

Wipro (NYSE:WIT  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 16th. The information technology services provider reported $0.03 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.04 by ($0.01). Wipro had a return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 15.06%.The company had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $224.40 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Wipro Limited will post 0.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wipro Profile

(Free Report)

Wipro Limited operates as an information technology (IT), consulting, and business process services company worldwide. It operates through IT Services and IT Products segments. The IT Services segment offers IT and IT-enabled services, including digital strategy advisory, customer-centric design, technology and IT consulting, custom application design, development, re-engineering and maintenance, systems integration, package implementation, cloud and infrastructure, business process, cloud, mobility and analytics, research and development, and hardware and software design services to enterprises.

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Thomas Story & Son LLC boosted its position in shares of Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN  Free Report) by 1.7% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,183 shares of the information technology services providers stock after acquiring an additional 556 shares during the period. Accenture accounts for 3.8% of Thomas Story & Son LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest holding. Thomas Story & Son LLCs holdings in Accenture were worth $9,918,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ACN. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Accenture by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,814,234 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $19,912,594,000 after purchasing an additional 3,419,577 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Accenture by 1.1% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,042,843 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $4,182,331,000 after buying an additional 147,931 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Accenture by 0.6% in the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,998,826 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $2,689,659,000 after acquiring an additional 56,108 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Accenture by 63.9% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 8,953,621 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $2,793,889,000 after acquiring an additional 3,490,569 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC bought a new position in Accenture during the second quarter worth $2,637,640,000. 75.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at Accenture

In other Accenture news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total value of $623,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $346,763.30. The trade was a 64.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 5,917 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.62, for a total value of $1,459,250.54. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 8,599 shares in the company, valued at $2,120,685.38. The trade was a 40.76% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 33,319 shares of company stock valued at $8,335,225 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Rothschild Redb lowered shares of Accenture from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. UBS Group decreased their target price on Accenture from $363.00 to $315.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Cowen restated a buy rating on shares of Accenture in a research note on Friday, September 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price objective on Accenture from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Accenture from $355.00 to $315.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $294.25.

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Accenture Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $245.29 on Friday. The companys fifty day moving average is $244.66 and its 200-day moving average is $273.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.42 and a current ratio of 1.42. Accenture PLC has a 52 week low of $229.40 and a 52 week high of $398.35. The company has a market capitalization of $161.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.28.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The information technology services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.98 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $17.34 billion. Accenture had a net margin of 11.02% and a return on equity of 26.45%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.66 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.190-13.570 EPS. Q1 2026 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Investors of record on Friday, October 10th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is a boost from Accentures previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 10th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Accentures dividend payout ratio is currently 53.66%.

About Accenture

(Free Report)

Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management; intelligent automation comprising robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents; and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprising turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services.

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Jensen Investment Management Inc. trimmed its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR  Free Report) by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,297,083 shares of the business services providers stock after selling 89,526 shares during the period. Broadridge Financial Solutions makes up 3.7% of Jensen Investment Management Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Jensen Investment Management Inc.s holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions were worth $315,230,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 56.1% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,530 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,344,000 after purchasing an additional 1,987 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 40.8% in the second quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 220,314 shares of the business services providers stock worth $52,900,000 after buying an additional 63,798 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 62.5% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 689 shares of the business services providers stock worth $167,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. Triangle Securities Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Broadridge Financial Solutions in the second quarter worth about $784,000. Finally, Achmea Investment Management B.V. boosted its position in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 13.1% during the 2nd quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 5,880 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,429,000 after acquiring an additional 682 shares in the last quarter. 90.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Up 0.1%

NYSE:BR opened at $225.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market cap of $26.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.93 and a beta of 0.96. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $212.33 and a fifty-two week high of $271.91. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $233.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $241.29.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Dividend Announcement

Broadridge Financial Solutions ( NYSE:BR Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 3rd. The business services provider reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 13.11% and a return on equity of 43.28%. Analysts predict that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, January 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a $0.975 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $3.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Broadridge Financial Solutionss payout ratio is currently 49.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on BR. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Broadridge Financial Solutions from $280.00 to $250.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. DA Davidson reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $240.00 target price on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $261.00 to $256.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $259.83.

Read Our Latest Report on Broadridge Financial Solutions

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Timothy C. Gokey sold 5,674 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.37, for a total transaction of $1,465,991.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 143,285 shares of the companys stock, valued at $37,020,545.45. This represents a 3.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Profile

(Free Report)

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for the financial services industry. The company's Investor Communication Solutions segment processes and distributes proxy materials to investors in equity securities and mutual funds, as well as facilitates related vote processing services; and distributes regulatory reports, class action, and corporate action/reorganization event information, as well as tax reporting solutions.

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Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. decreased its holdings in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA  Free Report) by 1.3% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 197,049 shares of the credit services providers stock after selling 2,668 shares during the quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.s holdings in Mastercard were worth $110,731,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in Mastercard by 73.2% during the second quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 698 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $394,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the period. Ethos Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Mastercard by 19.5% during the 1st quarter. Ethos Financial Group LLC now owns 3,174 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $1,683,000 after acquiring an additional 518 shares during the last quarter. Curio Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Mastercard by 22,400.0% during the 2nd quarter. Curio Wealth LLC now owns 225 shares of the credit services providers stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. Wheelhouse Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Mastercard by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Wheelhouse Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $751,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Mastercard by 4.3% in the 2nd quarter. SeaBridge Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,463 shares of the credit services providers stock worth $3,632,000 after purchasing an additional 264 shares during the period. 97.28% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Mastercard

In related news, CFO J. Mehra Sachin sold 17,816 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $586.89, for a total transaction of $10,456,032.24. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 31,234 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,330,922.26. This represents a 36.32% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Tigress Financial boosted their price target on Mastercard from $685.00 to $730.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a buy rating and set a $713.00 price objective on shares of Mastercard in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup raised shares of Mastercard to a strong-buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Compass Point set a $620.00 price target on shares of Mastercard and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Mastercard from $640.00 to $660.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $652.50.

View Our Latest Analysis on MA

Mastercard Trading Down 1.8%

Shares of MA stock opened at $545.31 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $489.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.92. Mastercard Incorporated has a 12-month low of $465.59 and a 12-month high of $601.77. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $568.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $569.93.

Mastercard (NYSE:MA  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The credit services provider reported $4.38 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.31 by $0.07. Mastercard had a return on equity of 200.01% and a net margin of 44.93%.The business had revenue of $8.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.53 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.89 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Mastercard Incorporated will post 15.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Mastercard Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 7th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 9th were issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Mastercards payout ratio is 19.44%.

About Mastercard

(Free Report)

Mastercard Incorporated, a technology company, provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services in the United States and internationally. The company offers integrated products and value-added services for account holders, merchants, financial institutions, digital partners, businesses, governments, and other organizations, such as programs that enable issuers to provide consumers with credits to defer payments; payment products and solutions that allow its customers to access funds in deposit and other accounts; prepaid programs services; and commercial credit, debit, and prepaid payment products and solutions.

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Mivtachim The Workers Social Insurance Fund Ltd. Under Special Management bought a new position in shares of Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 68,000 shares of the natural resource companys stock, valued at approximately $2,948,000. Freeport-McMoRan accounts for approximately 0.5% of Mivtachim The Workers Social Insurance Fund Ltd. Under Special Managements investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 1.5% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 125,042,285 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $4,734,101,000 after purchasing an additional 1,822,987 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Freeport-McMoRan by 17.8% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 37,547,489 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $1,421,549,000 after purchasing an additional 5,661,958 shares during the period. Amundi raised its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 28.1% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 27,635,497 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $1,046,280,000 after buying an additional 6,054,537 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 16.0% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,162,058 shares of the natural resource companys stock valued at $498,270,000 after buying an additional 1,815,285 shares during the period. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Freeport-McMoRan by 21.7% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,968,781 shares of the natural resource companys stock worth $453,138,000 after buying an additional 2,133,846 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.77% of the companys stock.

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Freeport-McMoRan Stock Performance

FCX opened at $40.20 on Friday. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $41.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.77. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. has a 52-week low of $27.66 and a 52-week high of $49.12. The company has a market cap of $57.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.31, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Freeport-McMoRan Dividend Announcement

Freeport-McMoRan ( NYSE:FCX Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The natural resource company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.41 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $6.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.74 billion. Freeport-McMoRan had a net margin of 7.97% and a return on equity of 7.84%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Freeport-McMoRan Inc. will post 1.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th were given a $0.15 dividend. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 15th. Freeport-McMoRans dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.13%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Citigroup raised Freeport-McMoRan from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $48.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Bank of America raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $42.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Freeport-McMoRan in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Freeport-McMoRan to a strong-buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Freeport-McMoRan from $55.00 to $46.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $47.01.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Freeport-McMoRan

About Freeport-McMoRan

(Free Report)

Freeport-McMoRan Inc engages in the mining of mineral properties in North America, South America, and Indonesia. It primarily explores for copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals. The company's assets include the Grasberg minerals district in Indonesia; Morenci, Bagdad, Safford, Sierrita, and Miami in Arizona; Chino and Tyrone in New Mexico; and Henderson and Climax in Colorado, North America, as well as Cerro Verde in Peru and El Abra in Chile.

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Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kinross Gold Corporation (NYSE:KGC  Free Report) (TSE:K) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 62,861 shares of the mining companys stock, valued at approximately $983,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in shares of Kinross Gold in the 1st quarter valued at about $55,000. Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kinross Gold in the first quarter valued at approximately $77,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Kinross Gold by 39.3% during the first quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 6,339 shares of the mining companys stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 1,787 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of Kinross Gold by 19.1% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,210 shares of the mining companys stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 835 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Preservation Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kinross Gold in the 1st quarter valued at $84,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 63.69% of the companys stock.

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Kinross Gold Stock Down 0.2%

Kinross Gold stock opened at $25.47 on Friday. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $24.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $19.14. Kinross Gold Corporation has a 1-year low of $8.99 and a 1-year high of $27.84. The company has a market cap of $30.81 billion, a PE ratio of 20.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 2.84 and a quick ratio of 1.45.

Kinross Gold Increases Dividend

Kinross Gold ( NYSE:KGC Get Free Report ) (TSE:K) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The mining company reported $0.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72 billion. Kinross Gold had a return on equity of 20.04% and a net margin of 25.18%.Kinross Golds quarterly revenue was up 25.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.24 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Kinross Gold Corporation will post 0.81 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.035 per share. This is an increase from Kinross Golds previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. This represents a $0.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 26th. Kinross Golds payout ratio is presently 9.79%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on KGC. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (a) rating on shares of Kinross Gold in a research note on Friday, October 31st. TD Securities upped their target price on shares of Kinross Gold from $22.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group raised their price target on Kinross Gold from $27.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Zacks Research upgraded Kinross Gold from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of Kinross Gold in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kinross Gold presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $27.56.

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Kinross Gold Company Profile

(Free Report)

Kinross Gold Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of gold properties principally in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Canada, and Mauritania. The company operates the Fort Knox mine and the Manh Choh project in Alaska, as well as the Round Mountain and the Bald Mountain mines in Nevada, the United States; the Paracatu mine in Brazil; the La Coipa and the Lobo-Marte project in Chile; the Tasiast mine in Mauritania; and the Great Bear project in Canada.

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In contemporary times, Belina maintains a presence as an elegant, somewhat uncommon choice that appeals to parents seeking a name with European flair and meaningful roots. While not among the most popular names in Italy or France, it enjoys steady usage among families who appreciate its melodic sound and rich cultural associations. The name has seen occasional spikes in popularity following appearances in media or when celebrities choose it for their children. In recent years, there's been growing interest in Belina among parents looking for names that are familiar yet distinctive, with the trend toward vintage and international names working in its favor. It's particularly popular in cosmopolitan areas and among families with Italian or French heritage who want to honor their cultural background while choosing a name that works well internationally. The name's moderate rarity ensures it stands out without being overly unusual, striking a balance that many modern parents find appealing.
Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. (NYSE:BBVA  Free Report) by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 237,034 shares of the banks stock after purchasing an additional 3,434 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria comprises approximately 1.1% of Integrated Quantitative Investments LLCs holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLCs holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria were worth $3,643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 10.2% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 10,941,273 shares of the banks stock worth $149,020,000 after acquiring an additional 1,014,305 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,375,294 shares of the banks stock valued at $67,247,000 after acquiring an additional 637,519 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. increased its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 1,198.6% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 491,502 shares of the banks stock worth $7,554,000 after purchasing an additional 453,654 shares in the last quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Clark Capital Management Group Inc. now owns 5,578,381 shares of the banks stock worth $75,978,000 after purchasing an additional 347,564 shares during the period. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC lifted its position in Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria by 159.1% during the first quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 447,780 shares of the banks stock valued at $6,099,000 after purchasing an additional 274,958 shares in the last quarter. 2.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BBVA opened at $21.20 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $123.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.21. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $19.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.22. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. has a fifty-two week low of $9.23 and a fifty-two week high of $22.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 1.01.

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Announces Dividend

Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria ( NYSE:BBVA Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The bank reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.01. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria had a net margin of 29.17% and a return on equity of 17.61%. The business had revenue of $10.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.47 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria S.A. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 24th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 6th will be paid a $0.3736 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 6th. This represents a yield of 361.0%. Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentarias payout ratio is presently 31.41%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on BBVA. Weiss Ratings upgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a buy (b+) rating to a buy (a-) rating in a research report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Saturday. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. They set an equal weight rating on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

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Banco Bilbao Viscaya Argentaria Profile

(Free Report)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, SA provides retail banking, wholesale banking, and asset management services in the United States, Spain, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and internationally. The company offers savings account, demand deposits, and time deposits; and loan products, such as residential mortgages, other households, credit card loans, loans to enterprises and public sector, as well as consumer finance.

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Y.D. More Investments Ltd grew its stake in shares of Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation (NYSE:BAH  Free Report) by 7.7% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,353 shares of the business services providers stock after buying an additional 808 shares during the quarter. Y.D. More Investments Ltds holdings in Booz Allen Hamilton were worth $1,168,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in Booz Allen Hamilton by 102.8% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 294 shares of the business services providers stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Booz Allen Hamilton during the 1st quarter valued at about $35,000. Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new position in Booz Allen Hamilton during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Booz Allen Hamilton by 244.9% during the 2nd quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 338 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Banque Cantonale Vaudoise purchased a new stake in Booz Allen Hamilton in the 1st quarter worth approximately $37,000. 91.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Bank of America downgraded Booz Allen Hamilton from a buy rating to an underperform rating and set a $90.00 target price for the company. in a report on Friday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from $122.00 to $90.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 27th. William Blair upgraded shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Zacks Research lowered shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Cowen cut shares of Booz Allen Hamilton from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $110.82.

Insider Activity at Booz Allen Hamilton

In related news, CEO Horacio Rozanski purchased 23,800 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $84.66 per share, for a total transaction of $2,014,908.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 687,745 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $58,224,491.70. This represents a 3.58% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Booz Allen Hamilton Stock Performance

Shares of BAH stock opened at $82.87 on Friday. The companys fifty day moving average price is $95.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $105.18. The stock has a market cap of $10.05 billion, a PE ratio of 12.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 0.39. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.89. Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation has a 12 month low of $82.23 and a 12 month high of $154.43.

Booz Allen Hamilton (NYSE:BAH  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, October 24th. The business services provider reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.49. Booz Allen Hamilton had a net margin of 7.06% and a return on equity of 71.87%. The company had revenue of $2.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. Booz Allen Hamiltons quarterly revenue was down 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Booz Allen Hamilton has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.650 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation will post 6.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Booz Allen Hamilton Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. Booz Allen Hamiltons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.59%.

Booz Allen Hamilton Company Profile

(Free Report)

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation provides management and technology consulting, analytics, engineering, digital solutions, mission operations, and cyber services to governments, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations in the United States and internationally. It focuses on artificial intelligence services comprising of machine learning, predictive modeling, automation and decision analytics, and quantum computing.

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Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Okeanis Eco Tankers (NYSE:ECO  Free Report) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Okeanis Eco Tankers in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. They issued a buy rating and a $29.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lowered Okeanis Eco Tankers from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Okeanis Eco Tankers in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research cut Okeanis Eco Tankers from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Finally, B. Riley increased their price target on Okeanis Eco Tankers from $35.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $37.00.

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Okeanis Eco Tankers Stock Down 1.8%

Shares of NYSE ECO opened at $38.31 on Friday. Okeanis Eco Tankers has a 1 year low of $17.91 and a 1 year high of $39.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $31.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $26.62. The company has a market cap of $1.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.33 and a beta of 0.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.96 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

Okeanis Eco Tankers (NYSE:ECO  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.29 by $0.48. Okeanis Eco Tankers had a return on equity of 15.81% and a net margin of 19.52%.The company had revenue of $59.95 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $51.29 million. Research analysts anticipate that Okeanis Eco Tankers will post 1.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Okeanis Eco Tankers Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.75 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 2nd. This is an increase from Okeanis Eco Tankerss previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.8%. Okeanis Eco Tankerss dividend payout ratio is 125.52%.

Institutional Trading of Okeanis Eco Tankers

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. BNP Paribas Financial Markets purchased a new position in shares of Okeanis Eco Tankers in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in Okeanis Eco Tankers in the second quarter worth about $107,000. S.E.E.D. Planning Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Okeanis Eco Tankers during the third quarter worth about $234,000. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Okeanis Eco Tankers during the third quarter worth about $344,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Okeanis Eco Tankers during the third quarter valued at about $394,000.

About Okeanis Eco Tankers

(Get Free Report)

Okeanis Eco Tankers Corp., a shipping company, owns and operates tanker vessels worldwide. It operates a fleet of 14 tanker vessels comprising six modern Suezmax tankers and eight modern VLCC tankers focusing on the transportation of crude oil. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is based in Neo Faliro, Greece.

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Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of FS KKR Capital (NYSE:FSK  Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research cut FS KKR Capital from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded FS KKR Capital from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $15.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on FS KKR Capital from $18.00 to $15.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of FS KKR Capital from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c-) rating on shares of FS KKR Capital in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Reduce and a consensus price target of $17.50.

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FS KKR Capital Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE FSK opened at $15.62 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $18.61. FS KKR Capital has a twelve month low of $14.05 and a twelve month high of $24.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

FS KKR Capital (NYSE:FSK  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.57. The firm had revenue of $373.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $374.89 million. FS KKR Capital had a net margin of 17.24% and a return on equity of 5.63%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.74 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that FS KKR Capital will post 2.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

FS KKR Capital Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd will be given a $0.64 dividend. This represents a $2.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 16.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, December 3rd. FS KKR Capitals payout ratio is currently 263.92%.

Insider Activity at FS KKR Capital

In other FS KKR Capital news, CEO Michael C. Forman bought 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $15.50 per share, for a total transaction of $155,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer owned 24,220 shares of the companys stock, valued at $375,410. This trade represents a 70.32% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Daniel Pietrzak purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $15.15 per share, with a total value of $151,500.00. Following the acquisition, the insider directly owned 59,800 shares in the company, valued at $905,970. This trade represents a 20.08% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders acquired a total of 20,330 shares of company stock valued at $312,480 over the last ninety days. 0.18% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On FS KKR Capital

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its holdings in shares of FS KKR Capital by 51.0% in the 2nd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 1,525 shares of the companys stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 515 shares during the last quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC raised its position in shares of FS KKR Capital by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. CFO4Life Group LLC now owns 20,081 shares of the companys stock worth $417,000 after buying an additional 578 shares during the period. West Michigan Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in FS KKR Capital by 1.5% in the second quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 41,194 shares of the companys stock valued at $884,000 after acquiring an additional 591 shares during the last quarter. Transce3nd LLC grew its position in FS KKR Capital by 3.5% during the second quarter. Transce3nd LLC now owns 17,426 shares of the companys stock valued at $362,000 after acquiring an additional 591 shares during the period. Finally, Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC increased its stake in FS KKR Capital by 2.8% during the second quarter. Wescott Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 22,949 shares of the companys stock worth $476,000 after acquiring an additional 615 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 36.26% of the companys stock.

FS KKR Capital Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

FS KKR Capital Corp. is a business development company specializing in investments in debt securities. It provides customized credit solutions to private middle market U.S. companies. It invest primarily in the senior secured debt and, to a lesser extent, the subordinated debt of private middle market U.S.

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Sanders Capital LLC purchased a new position in Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 8,824,786 shares of the information technology services providers stock, valued at approximately $2,637,640,000. Accenture makes up approximately 3.5% of Sanders Capital LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kelly Lawrence W & Associates Inc. CA bought a new position in shares of Accenture in the 1st quarter worth $31,000. RMG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Accenture during the second quarter worth $33,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Accenture in the first quarter valued at $42,000. Cheviot Value Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Accenture during the first quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Fiduciary Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Accenture during the first quarter worth about $45,000. Institutional investors own 75.14% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other Accenture news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total transaction of $623,675.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,390 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $346,763.30. This represents a 64.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 9,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.57, for a total value of $2,246,130.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 23,516 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,868,888.12. The trade was a 27.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 33,319 shares of company stock valued at $8,335,225 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.02% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACN has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Accenture from $302.00 to $290.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Accenture from $372.00 to $285.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Accenture from $325.00 to $271.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Accenture from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut their price objective on shares of Accenture from $260.00 to $235.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $294.25.

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Accenture Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:ACN opened at $245.29 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $161.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 1.42 and a quick ratio of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $244.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $273.05. Accenture PLC has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $398.35.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN  Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 25th. The information technology services provider reported $3.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.98 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $17.60 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.34 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.45% and a net margin of 11.02%.The businesss revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.66 EPS. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.190-13.570 EPS. Q1 2026 guidance at EPS. Analysts forecast that Accenture PLC will post 12.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Accenture Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 10th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 10th. This is a positive change from Accentures previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Accentures dividend payout ratio is presently 53.66%.

Accenture Profile

(Free Report)

Accenture plc, a professional services company, provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services worldwide. The company offers application services, including agile transformation, DevOps, application modernization, enterprise architecture, software and quality engineering, data management; intelligent automation comprising robotic process automation, natural language processing, and virtual agents; and application management services, as well as software engineering services; strategy and consulting services; data and analytics strategy, data discovery and augmentation, data management and beyond, data democratization, and industrialized solutions comprising turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions; metaverse; and sustainability services.

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Western Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Free Report) by 4.2% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,664 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Western Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and Company were worth $6,754,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. increased its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.5% in the 2nd quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. now owns 527 shares of the companys stock worth $411,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 1.8% during the second quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 732 shares of the companys stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 0.7% during the second quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 1,966 shares of the companys stock worth $1,533,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. New Insight Wealth Advisors increased its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company by 3.4% in the second quarter. New Insight Wealth Advisors now owns 394 shares of the companys stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dash Acquisitions Inc. raised its stake in Eli Lilly and Company by 2.8% in the second quarter. Dash Acquisitions Inc. now owns 485 shares of the companys stock valued at $387,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.53% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LLY has been the subject of a number of research reports. Berenberg Bank reissued a hold rating and issued a $830.00 price target (down previously from $970.00) on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research note on Wednesday, September 17th. Guggenheim reiterated a buy rating and issued a $948.00 target price on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Eli Lilly and Company from $895.00 to $1,080.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Eli Lilly and Company in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Eli Lilly and Company from $930.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $1,015.11.

Eli Lilly and Company Stock Up 0.2%

LLY opened at $1,024.67 on Friday. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $623.78 and a 12 month high of $1,033.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $826.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $780.14. The company has a market cap of $968.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 66.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.43.

Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $7.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $6.42 by $0.60. The business had revenue of $17.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $16.09 billion. Eli Lilly and Company had a return on equity of 92.72% and a net margin of 25.91%.Eli Lilly and Companys revenue for the quarter was up 53.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.18 EPS. Eli Lilly and Company has set its FY 2025 guidance at 23.000-23.700 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 23.48 EPS for the current year.

Eli Lilly and Company Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 14th will be issued a $1.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 14th. This represents a $6.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Eli Lilly and Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.35%.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

(Free Report)

Eli Lilly and Company discovers, develops, and markets human pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Basaglar, Humalog, Humalog Mix 75/25, Humalog U-100, Humalog U-200, Humalog Mix 50/50, insulin lispro, insulin lispro protamine, insulin lispro mix 75/25, Humulin, Humulin 70/30, Humulin N, Humulin R, and Humulin U-500 for diabetes; Jardiance, Mounjaro, and Trulicity for type 2 diabetes; and Zepbound for obesity.

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Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Maui Land & Pineapple (NYSE:MLP  Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Saturday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a sell (d-) rating on shares of Maui Land & Pineapple in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, Maui Land & Pineapple presently has an average rating of Sell.

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View Our Latest Research Report on MLP

Maui Land & Pineapple Stock Performance

NYSE MLP traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $14.61. The company had a trading volume of 51,856 shares, compared to its average volume of 18,198. The company has a quick ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The firm has a market cap of $288.50 million, a P/E ratio of -20.58 and a beta of 0.75. Maui Land & Pineapple has a fifty-two week low of $14.05 and a fifty-two week high of $24.49. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $16.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.86.

Maui Land & Pineapple (NYSE:MLP  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 14th. The financial services provider reported $0.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Maui Land & Pineapple had a negative net margin of 81.82% and a negative return on equity of 45.87%. The company had revenue of $4.53 million during the quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Stephen M. Case purchased 2,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $16.91 per share, for a total transaction of $42,275.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 11,937,978 shares of the companys stock, valued at $201,871,207.98. This represents a 0.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 12,500 shares of company stock worth $209,313. 65.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. First Hawaiian Bank bought a new position in Maui Land & Pineapple during the 1st quarter valued at $52,710,000. Valueworks LLC raised its stake in shares of Maui Land & Pineapple by 14.5% in the 1st quarter. Valueworks LLC now owns 919,343 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $16,153,000 after buying an additional 116,076 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in shares of Maui Land & Pineapple by 233.2% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 6,868 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $121,000 after buying an additional 4,807 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Maui Land & Pineapple by 8.0% during the second quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 46,740 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $850,000 after buying an additional 3,450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Maui Land & Pineapple during the first quarter worth about $181,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.55% of the companys stock.

Maui Land & Pineapple Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Maui Land & Pineapple Co, Inc is a landholding and operating company, which engages in the development, sale, and management of real estate. It operates through the following segments: Real Estate, Leasing, and Resort Amenities. The Real Estate segment includes land planning and entitlement, development, and sales activities.

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Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) by 295.8% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 67,717 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 50,610 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $12,333,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Philip Morris International by 0.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 140,621,675 shares of the companys stock worth $22,320,878,000 after acquiring an additional 1,189,283 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Philip Morris International by 1.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 37,181,107 shares of the companys stock worth $6,760,346,000 after purchasing an additional 672,983 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 26.4% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 21,840,422 shares of the companys stock worth $3,466,730,000 after purchasing an additional 4,563,632 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 24,968.0% in the 2nd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 11,275,606 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,041,223,000 after buying an additional 11,230,626 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International during the 1st quarter worth $1,712,994,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the companys stock.

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Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE PM opened at $155.35 on Friday. The companys 50-day moving average price is $157.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $167.88. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 52 week low of $116.12 and a 52 week high of $186.69. The stock has a market cap of $241.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.14, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.43.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

Philip Morris International ( NYSE:PM Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 EPS for the quarter. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 9.33% and a negative return on equity of 122.14%. The business had revenue of $8.12 billion for the quarter. As a group, research analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd were given a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 3rd. This is a positive change from Philip Morris Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 106.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a buy rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Needham & Company LLC restated a buy rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Sunday, November 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Philip Morris International and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $194.00.

View Our Latest Analysis on Philip Morris International

Philip Morris International Company Profile

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

Further Reading

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Persistent Asset Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC  Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 18,778 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $889,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Bank of America by 0.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 148,176,755 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $6,982,863,000 after purchasing an additional 403,652 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its stake in shares of Bank of America by 45.1% during the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 48,112,090 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,007,718,000 after buying an additional 14,960,086 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in Bank of America by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 39,233,293 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,637,205,000 after buying an additional 1,413,313 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Bank of America by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 31,956,699 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,333,351,000 after buying an additional 188,638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. increased its stake in Bank of America by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 16,562,952 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $783,759,000 after buying an additional 894,027 shares in the last quarter. 70.71% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Ameriprise Financial upgraded Bank of America to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wolfe Research boosted their price target on Bank of America from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Erste Group Bank upgraded Bank of America from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b) rating on shares of Bank of America in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Bank of America from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Twenty-three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $57.86.

Bank of America Price Performance

BAC stock opened at $52.57 on Friday. Bank of America Corporation has a 52 week low of $33.06 and a 52 week high of $54.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $383.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.34. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The financial services provider reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.93 by $0.13. Bank of America had a net margin of 15.70% and a return on equity of 10.76%. The firm had revenue of $5.35 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.05 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Bank of America Corporation will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank of America announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, July 23rd that authorizes the company to buyback $40.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the financial services provider to reacquire up to 11.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the companys board believes its stock is undervalued.

Bank of America Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th will be paid a $0.28 dividend. This represents a $1.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 5th. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.52%.

About Bank of America

(Free Report)

Bank of America Corporation, through its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services for individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, institutional investors, large corporations, and governments worldwide. It operates in four segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management (GWIM), Global Banking, and Global Markets.

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Nordex SE (OTCMKTS:NRDXF  Get Free Report) traded up 0.8% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $30.52 and last traded at $30.52. 100 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 69% from the average session volume of 327 shares. The stock had previously closed at $30.28.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NRDXF has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Nordex in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada initiated coverage on Nordex in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. They issued an underperform rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a buy rating on shares of Nordex in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating on shares of Nordex in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Santander lowered shares of Nordex to a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold.

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Nordex Price Performance

Nordex Company Profile

The firms fifty day moving average is $26.00 and its 200-day moving average is $22.12.

(Get Free Report)

Nordex SE, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and distributes multi-megawatt onshore wind turbines worldwide. It operates in Projects and Services segments. The company provides project development services, as well as acquires rights and creates the infrastructure required to construct wind power systems at suitable locations.

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Cultural & Historical Significance

Beltran holds significant cultural importance in Spanish-speaking regions as a name that bridges ancient Germanic roots with Iberian heritage. The name entered the Spanish lexicon through the Visigoths, who ruled the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to 8th centuries, bringing with them Germanic naming traditions. Over centuries, Beltran became thoroughly Hispanicized and appears prominently in medieval Spanish literature and historical records, particularly among nobility and military leaders.



During the Age of Exploration, many men named Beltran participated in voyages to the New World, cementing the name's association with courage and discovery. The name appears in colonial records throughout Latin America, often borne by landowners, officials, and military officers who helped shape the emerging societies. In modern times, it maintains a distinguished, traditional quality while remaining accessible, representing a living connection to Spain's complex cultural layers from Roman, Visigothic, and Moorish influences. The name continues to evoke a sense of heritage and nobility within Spanish-speaking communities worldwide.
Japan Airlines Ltd (OTCMKTS:JAPSY  Get Free Report)s stock price traded up 1.6% on Friday . The company traded as high as $9.73 and last traded at $9.70. 39,937 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 11% from the average session volume of 44,728 shares. The stock had previously closed at $9.55.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JAPSY has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised Japan Airlines from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Japan Airlines from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Japan Airlines presently has a consensus rating of Buy.

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View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $8.47 billion, a PE ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 0.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 1.25 and a current ratio of 1.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $9.88 and a 200-day moving average of $9.99.

Japan Airlines (OTCMKTS:JAPSY  Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter. The company had revenue of $3.48 billion for the quarter. Japan Airlines had a return on equity of 12.66% and a net margin of 6.48%. Research analysts forecast that Japan Airlines Ltd will post 0.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Japan Airlines Company Profile

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Japan Airlines Co, Ltd., together with its subsidiaries, provides scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services in Japan, Asia, Oceania, North America, and Europe. The company operates through Air Transportation and Other segments. It offers passenger, ground handling, cargo and mail handling, and maintenance services.

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Central African Gold Inc. (BANC.V) (CVE:BANC  Get Free Report)s stock price was up 8.5% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as C$0.32 and last traded at C$0.32. Approximately 80,972 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 230% from the average daily volume of 24,545 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.30.

Central African Gold Inc. (BANC.V) Trading Up 8.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 14.17, a current ratio of 0.01 and a quick ratio of 0.01. The stock has a market cap of C$11.23 million and a P/E ratio of -0.91. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is C$0.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$0.32.

About Central African Gold Inc. (BANC.V)

(Get Free Report)

Bankers Cobalt Corp., a natural resource company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of cobalt and copper mineral projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Namibia. The company explores for nickel, gold, platinum, and palladium deposits. It holds 100% interest in six concessions located in Namibia.

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Gjensidige Forsikring ASA (OTCMKTS:GJNSY  Get Free Report) shares shot up 0.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $27.8450 and last traded at $27.8450. 295 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average session volume of 2,248 shares. The stock had previously closed at $27.6850.

Gjensidige Forsikring ASA Stock Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $28.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $26.93.

Gjensidige Forsikring ASA Company Profile

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Gjensidige Forsikring ASA engages in the provision of general insurance and pension products in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The company operates through five segments: General Insurance Private, General Insurance Commercial, General Insurance Sweden, General Insurance Baltics, and Pension.

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Booking, Expedia Group, Travelers Companies, Trip.com Group, MakeMyTrip, OUTFRONT Media, and TripAdvisor are the seven Travel stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Travel stocks are shares of publicly traded companies whose revenue depends on people travelling  for example airlines, hotels and resorts, cruise lines, car-rental firms, online travel agencies, tour operators and travel insurers. Investors treat them as cyclical, often volatile plays tied to consumer confidence, seasonality, fuel and labor costs, geopolitics and health crises, and therefore focus on metrics like bookings, load factors and occupancy rates when evaluating them. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Travel stocks within the last several days.

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Booking (BKNG)

Booking Holdings Inc, formerly The Priceline Group Inc., is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands.

Expedia Group (EXPE)

Expedia Group, Inc. operates as an online travel company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through B2C, B2B, and trivago segments. Its B2C segment includes Brand Expedia, a full-service online travel brand offers various travel products and services; Hotels.com for lodging accommodations; Vrbo, an online marketplace for the alternative accommodations; Orbitz, Travelocity, Wotif Group, ebookers, CheapTickets, Hotwire.com and CarRentals.com.

Read Our Latest Research Report on EXPE

Travelers Companies (TRV)

The Travelers Companies, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides a range of commercial and personal property, and casualty insurance products and services to businesses, government units, associations, and individuals in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Business Insurance, Bond & Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance.

Read Our Latest Research Report on TRV

Trip.com Group (TCOM)

Trip.com Group Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates as a travel service provider for accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and in-destination, corporate travel management, and other travel-related services in China and internationally. The company acts as an agent for hotel-related transactions and selling air tickets, as well as provides train, long-distance bus, and ferry tickets; travel insurance products, such as flight delay, air accident, and baggage loss coverage; and air-ticket delivery, online check-in and seat selection, express security screening, real-time flight status tracker, and airport VIP lounge services.

Read Our Latest Research Report on TCOM

MakeMyTrip (MMYT)

MakeMyTrip Limited, an online travel company, sells travel products and solutions in India, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Peru, Colombia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The company operates through three segments: Air Ticketing, Hotels and Packages, and Bus Ticketing.

Read Our Latest Research Report on MMYT

OUTFRONT Media (OUT)

OUTFRONT Media, Inc. leases advertising space on out-of-home advertising structures and sites. Its inventory consists of billboard displays, which are primarily located on the most heavily traveled highways & roadways, and transit advertising displays operated under exclusive multi-year contracts with municipalities in large cities across the U.S.

Read Our Latest Research Report on OUT

TripAdvisor (TRIP)

TripAdvisor, Inc. operates as an online travel company, primarily engages in the provision of travel guidance products and services worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Brand Tripadvisor, Viator, and TheFork. The Brand Tripadvisor segment offers travel guidance platforms for travelers to discover, generate, and share authentic user-generated content in the form of ratings and reviews for destinations, points-of-interest, experiences, accommodations, restaurants, and cruises.

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Qantas Airways Limited (OTCMKTS:QABSY  Get Free Report) shot up 0% during trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $31.84 and last traded at $31.6701. 11,733 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 15% from the average session volume of 10,231 shares. The stock had previously closed at $31.66.

Qantas Airways Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.97.

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Qantas Airways Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 27th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 18th were given a dividend of $0.3236 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 416.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 17th.

About Qantas Airways

Qantas Airways Limited provides air transportation services in Australia and internationally. The company operates through Qantas Domestic, Qantas International, Jetstar Group, and Qantas Loyalty segments. It offers passenger flying, and air cargo and express freight services; and customer loyalty recognition programs.

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Trio Petroleum Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN:TPET  Get Free Report)s share price traded down 2.6% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $0.94 and last traded at $0.96. 121,654 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 807,894 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.9852.

Trio Petroleum Trading Down 2.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $8.10 million, a PE ratio of -0.22 and a beta of -5.25. The business has a 50-day moving average of $1.07 and a 200 day moving average of $1.16.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Trio Petroleum stock. XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new position in Trio Petroleum Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN:TPET  Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 27,246 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $38,000. XTX Topco Ltd owned approximately 0.40% of Trio Petroleum as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 0.34% of the companys stock.

About Trio Petroleum

Trio Petroleum Corp. operates as an oil and gas exploration and development company. The company's flagship project comprises the 85.75% owned working interest in the South Salinas project that consists of approximately 9,300-acre located in Monterey, California. It also owns 22% working interest in the McCool Ranch Oil Field located in Monterey County, California; 2% production interest in the Asphalt Ridge project comprises approximately 960 acres located in southwest of Vernal, Utah; and holds an option agreement to acquire 100% working interest in the Union Avenue Field located in Bakersfield, California.

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Newsmax (NYSE:NMAX  Get Free Report) is one of 32 public companies in the BRDCST  RADIO/TV industry, but how does it compare to its rivals? We will compare Newsmax to similar businesses based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, institutional ownership, profitability, risk and dividends.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Newsmax and its rivals top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Newsmax $171.02 million -$72.17 million -7.07 Newsmax Competitors $5.48 billion $31.13 million 1.57

Newsmaxs rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Newsmax. Newsmax is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Newsmax 1 1 2 0 2.25 Newsmax Competitors 593 2197 3447 78 2.48

This is a summary of current ratings for Newsmax and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Newsmax presently has a consensus price target of $21.50, indicating a potential upside of 171.60%. As a group, BRDCST  RADIO/TV companies have a potential downside of 62.63%. Given Newsmaxs higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Newsmax is more favorable than its rivals.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

47.7% of shares of all BRDCST  RADIO/TV companies are owned by institutional investors. 17.3% of shares of all BRDCST  RADIO/TV companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares Newsmax and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Newsmax N/A N/A N/A Newsmax Competitors -4.95% 0.27% 0.98%

Summary

Newsmax rivals beat Newsmax on 10 of the 12 factors compared.

Newsmax Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Newsmax Inc. is a holding company that owns 100% of the equity interests of its operating company Newsmax Media, Inc. (Newsmax Media). Newsmax Media and its subsidiaries operate the businesses described in this Offering Circular. Newsmax Media has six wholly-owned subsidiaries: Newsmax Broadcasting, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (Newsmax Broadcasting), Crown Atlantic Insurance, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (Crown Atlantic), Humanix Publishing, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (Humanix Publishing), Medix Health LLC, a Florida limited liability company (Medix Health), ROI Media Strategies, LLC, a Florida limited liability company (ROI Media Strategies), and Newsmax Radio LLC, a Florida limited liability company (Newsmax Radio, and together with Newsmax Media, Newsmax Broadcasting, Crown Atlantic Insurance, Humanix Publishing, Medix Health, and ROI Media Strategies, the Subsidiaries). Newsmax Media is a television broadcaster and multi-platform content publisher with a mixed-revenue model that primarily derives income from (i) digital, linear and over-the-top (OTT) television advertising, (ii) online web and digital advertising, (iii) cable license fees and streaming subscriptions, and (iv) subscriptions to online and print publications. Newsmax Media uses original news, syndicated services and editorial content to draw consumers to its media outlets, including through its highly-rated TV channel, digital websites and print publications, and its website, Newsmax.com, in order to sell advertising to third party marketers. Newsmax Media also sells subscriptions to its own streaming, digital and print products through its channels and platforms. Newsmax Media differentiates itself in a crowded media marketplace, among other things, through broad distribution of Newsmax Medias content across linear cable, OTT streaming, and digital and print platforms, all with a focus on content related to politics, health, finance and lifestyle for an audience primarily comprised of viewers who are 45 years old or older. Newsmax Medias industry leading digital brand, which started in 1998, enabled it to launch Newsmax, its linear cable channel, in 2014. Today, each month, more than 40 million Americans watch, read and listen to Newsmax. The Newsmax channel is currently carried by major Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (MVPDs) cable/satellite systems in the United States. Nielsen reports that Newsmax is the fourth highest-rated cable news network in the United States, with 21 million regular viewers, and is one of the 15 most viewed basic cable programs. In 2023, Nielsen reported that Newsmax was the only cable news channel with ratings growth across all dayparts, seeing a 42% increase in total viewership in prime time, 16% in daytime, 23% in total day, including a 69% increase in total day viewership among adults between age 35 and 64, and an 11% increase in access. As such, Newsmax Media became the first major digital brand to become the fastest-growing cable news platform. Meanwhile, competitor Fox News saw a 6% decline in viewership for total day and a 2% decline in prime time during the same time period. In the first half of 2024, Newsmaxs total viewership in prime time grew by 41%, including a 10% increase among adults between the ages of 35 and 64, and by 36% in total day, including a 16% increase among adults between 35 and 64. In comparison, Fox News experienced a 10% increase in prime time viewership, including a 10% increase among adults between age 35 and 64, and a 2% increase in total day, including a 1% increase among adults between age 35 and 64. Overall, Newsmaxs total day ratings grew by 36% in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023, compared to 7% growth for MSNBC, a 2% growth for Fox News, a 3% growth for CNN, a 7% decline for CNBC and a 36% decline for Newsnation. Newsmax Media was incorporated as Sequoia Digital Corporation in the State of Nevada in 1998. In 1999, Newsmax Media changed its name from Sequoia Digital Corporation to Newsmax.com, Inc. In 2001, Newsmax Media changed its name from Newsmax.com, Inc. to Newsmax Media, Inc. In 2006, Newsmax Media became a wholly-owned subsidiary of NMX Holdings, LLC. In 2014, Newsmax Media changed its state of domicile from Nevada to Delaware and consummated a corporate reorganization in which the members of NMX Holdings, LLC exchanged their membership interests in NMX Holdings, LLC for capital stock of Newsmax Media. In 2024, Newsmax Media consummated a corporate reorganization. Newsmax Inc. was formed as a new holding company that owns all of the outstanding shares of the operating company, Newsmax Media. The stockholders of Newsmax Media exchanged their shares of capital stock in Newsmax Media for the same class and number of shares in Newsmax Inc. Subsequently, Newsmax Media changed its state of domicile from Delaware to Florida. As a result of this reorganization, Newsmax Inc. became the direct holding company and the sole shareholder of Newsmax Media. Newsmax Medias ownership of its subsidiaries was not affected or changed as a result of this reorganization. The principal executive offices of the Company are located in Boca Raton, Florida.

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Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Free Report) and Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Get Free Report) are both large-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, dividends, earnings, risk, institutional ownership, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Profitability

This table compares Wells Fargo & Company and Charles Schwabs net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Wells Fargo & Company 17.18% 12.51% 1.04% Charles Schwab 35.93% 21.26% 1.85%

Volatility & Risk

Wells Fargo & Company has a beta of 1.22, indicating that its stock price is 22% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Charles Schwab has a beta of 1.02, indicating that its stock price is 2% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

Earnings and Valuation

75.9% of Wells Fargo & Company shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 84.4% of Charles Schwab shares are held by institutional investors. 0.1% of Wells Fargo & Company shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.3% of Charles Schwab shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

This table compares Wells Fargo & Company and Charles Schwabs top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Wells Fargo & Company $82.79 billion 3.22 $19.72 billion $6.08 13.98 Charles Schwab $22.91 billion 7.32 $5.94 billion $4.27 22.10

Wells Fargo & Company has higher revenue and earnings than Charles Schwab. Wells Fargo & Company is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Charles Schwab, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and target prices for Wells Fargo & Company and Charles Schwab, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Wells Fargo & Company 0 8 11 0 2.58 Charles Schwab 2 5 16 1 2.67

Wells Fargo & Company presently has a consensus price target of $89.57, indicating a potential upside of 5.39%. Charles Schwab has a consensus price target of $106.45, indicating a potential upside of 12.80%. Given Charles Schwabs stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Charles Schwab is more favorable than Wells Fargo & Company.

Dividends

Wells Fargo & Company pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Charles Schwab pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Wells Fargo & Company pays out 29.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Charles Schwab pays out 25.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Wells Fargo & Company has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years and Charles Schwab has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Wells Fargo & Company is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Charles Schwab beats Wells Fargo & Company on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Wells Fargo & Company

(Get Free Report)

Wells Fargo & Co. is a diversified and community-based financial services company, which engages in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth and Investment Management. The Consumer Banking and Lending segment offers consumer and small business banking, home lending, credit cards, auto, and personal lending. The Commercial Banking segment provides banking and credit products across industry sectors and municipalities, secured lending and lease products, and treasury management. The Corporate and Investment Banking segment is composed of corporate banking, investment banking, treasury management, commercial real estate lending and servicing, and equity and fixed income solutions, as well as sales, trading, and research capabilities. The Wealth and Investment Management segment refers to personalized wealth management, brokerage, financial planning, lending, private banking, trust, and fiduciary products and services. The company was founded by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo on March 18, 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.

About Charles Schwab

(Get Free Report)

The Charles Schwab Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a savings and loan holding company that provides wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services in the United States and internationally. The company operates in two segments, Investor Services and Advisor Services. It offers brokerage accounts with equity and fixed income trading, margin lending, options trading, futures and forex trading, and cash management capabilities, including certificates of deposit; third-party mutual funds through the Mutual Fund Marketplace and Mutual Fund OneSource service, as well as mutual fund trading and clearing services to broker-dealers; exchange-traded funds; advisory solutions for managed portfolios, separately managed accounts, customized personal advice for tailored portfolios, specialized planning, and full-time portfolio management; banking products comprising checking and savings accounts, first lien residential real estate mortgage loans, home equity lines of credit, and pledged asset lines; and trust custody services, personal trust reporting services, and administrative trustee services. It also provides digital retirement calculators; integrated web-, mobile-, and software-based trading platforms, real-time market data, options trading, premium research, and multi-channel access; self-service education and support tools; online research and analysis tools; equity compensation plan sponsors full-service recordkeeping for stock plans, stock options, restricted stock, performance shares, and stock appreciation rights; retirement plan services; mutual fund clearing services; and advisor services, including interactive tools and educational content. The Company operates through branch offices. The Charles Schwab Corporation was incorporated in 1971 and is headquartered in Westlake, Texas.

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Individuals named Benes are often perceived as intellectual, principled, and deeply committed to their ideals. They tend to exhibit strong leadership qualities combined with diplomatic skills, reflecting the historical legacy of President Edvard Benes. These personalities are typically methodical thinkers who value education and cultural heritage, often demonstrating patience in achieving long-term goals. Their analytical nature makes them excellent problem-solvers, while their sense of history gives them perspective in dealing with contemporary challenges.



The 'blessed' meaning of the name suggests individuals who approach life with a sense of purpose and gratitude. They often display resilience in adversity and maintain optimism even during difficult times. Their Czechoslovak roots contribute to a personality that balances community responsibility with individual achievement. Benes-named individuals are often seen as reliable, thoughtful, and possessing a quiet strength that inspires confidence in others. They tend to be traditional yet adaptable, honoring their heritage while engaging with modern realities.
A mother who lost her teenage daughter to suicide has told how a Camino walk with other bereaved parents had a life-changing impact on her.

Tracey Monaghan, whose daughter Toni Marie Kenny, 17, died two years ago next month, said the week-long pilgrimage in Spain gave her the chance to talk about her daughter and remember her openly.

Organised by all-island bereavement support group Anam Cara, she was among a group which took on the Camino de Santiago challenge last month.

People will often run a mile from your grief. You are very much alone and people will avoid conversations at all costs, said Ms Monaghan, who is from Mullingar in Co Westmeath.

This was the first time for me to go somewhere by myself. I met complete strangers and felt like my spirit was lifted.

You could tell your story and you listened to other stories. We talked the world out of it and even though I was anxious about going, when you heard the stories, you realised you werent alone.

Toni Marie, who was in her Leaving Cert year, died just days before Christmas in 2023.

While her daughter struggled with anxiety and anorexia, Ms Monaghan said Toni Marie had been on good form and was discussing plans to work on a cruise ship.

However, it was only later that she realised those plans were to distract her.

Despite Toni Maries mental health struggles, her mother says they were extremely close and her daughter was fiercely independent.

When you lose a child, you want the whole world to close.

The Camino isnt just a trek; its a moving community where people find strength in one another and moments of lightness in even the heaviest grief

Im so glad I did the Camino. What I would say to other parents is you need to do something for you, you need the time.

Things have changed in a lot of ways for me. You hear about the Camino and its one step at a time.

Everyone has their own grief, their own story. Go outside your comfort zone  it does change your perspective and theres a sense of achievement at the end.

Anam Cara, which aims to create a society where no bereaved parent has to grieve alone, is inviting other parents who have lost children to walk the Camino with it next year.

Chief executive Michelle Reynolds said the charity is there to offer information, resources, practical advice and peer support sessions for parents after bereavement.

The Camino, she said, offers a rare opportunity to step away from daily life, to walk alongside others who understand and to find moments of peace and hope.

The Camino isnt just a trek; its a moving community where people find strength in one another and moments of lightness in even the heaviest grief.
Aftermath of a story that has garnered headlines across the nation today . . .

Here are the basics . . .

"The shooting was around 10:30 a.m. Three Osage County sheriffs deputies and one Kansas Highway Patrol trooper were shot, Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Melissa Underwood said . . .



"A male suspect died from gunshot wounds, leaders from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and state Highway Patrol said. One other male was injured and taken to a hospital and is in stable condition, officials said.



"Deputies and troopers were responding to a domestic violence incident north of Carbondale. They were on scene for several minutes when gunfire erupted, authorities said."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Four officers wounded in Kansas shooting; no active public threat The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating after four law enforcement officers were shot Saturday in Osage County, including three deputies and one trooper.

4 law enforcement officers shot in rural Kansas Four officers were shot while responding to a rural residence south of Topeka, Kansas. The shooting happened around 10:30 a.m. Saturday.

Three deputies, trooper shot in Osage Co., civilian killed Shawnee Co. Sheriff Brian Hill confirms his agency is among several on scene in Osage Co., assisting at a reported officer involved shooting with several people injured.

Developing . . .
In order to secure "perfect" results into an election that was kind of a blowout . . . Here's the aftermath that might not change much:

"Today, after receiving a timely request, the Johnson County Board of Canvassers met at 8:30 a.m. and voted to move forward with a recount on the Prairie Village election question to abandon the citys form of government.



"The Election Office received a timely payment of a bond in accordance with Kansas law to cover the costs of the recount on Saturday morning. If the election result for the race is overturned after the recount, the bond payment would be returned to the requestor.



"The recount will be conducted by hand by a team of bipartisan election workers.



"The original election results included 9,010 votes cast, with No receiving 5,842 votes and Yes receiving 3,168 votes.



"The Board of Canvassers will meet again at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at the Johnson County Election Office, 2101 E. Kansas City Road, Olathe, to hear and certify the results of the recount."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

JoCoGov.Org: Johnson County Election Office to conduct hand recount for Prairie Village election question

Developing . . .
We try to share some of our favorite community news links every Sunday.

Two reasons:

Sadly, the TKC blog isn't really built to highlight good news . . . And, more importantly . . .

We always want to take a moment to remind regular readers that, despite all of the debating, criticism and controversy, Kansas City really is a wonderful place that's packed with wonderful people doing their best to help their community.

Here are more than a few examples that prove our point . . .

Kansas City's Salvation Army launches holiday season with 30-foot tower lighting The Salvation Army launched its holiday fundraising season Thursday night with a burst of lights, bells and an early reminder of the growing need across the Kansas City metro.

One Good Meal still going strong after more than 30 years of feeding Lee's Summit Despite its reputation for affluence, Lee's Summit is not immune to the need to feed the hungry. One Good Meal and other nonprofits help fill the gap with help from the Feed Lee's Summit Gala.

Hawthorne Plaza holiday market combines shopping with charity drive Shoppers at the Hawthorne Plaza Holiday Market checked off their Christmas lists while supporting a local charity drive.

Government shutdown ends, but Kansas City food assistance groups continue helping families Kansas City groups continue to help families affected by the federal shutdown, with organizations hosting food drives and distributing groceries.

Elementary teacher shares idea behind 'KC Kids Eat' campaign KC Kids Eat is a campaign we shared a few weeks ago. Its goal is to provide snacks in the Kansas City Public Schools district.

Faith communities unite to support non-violent immigrants The initiative comes as immigration officers continue to carry out raids across the country, including in the Kansas City metro area.

Students, staff, community partners break ground on new learning farm at DeLaSalle Education Center Students, staff and community partners broke ground Tuesday afternoon on a new learning farm at DeLaSalle Education Center.

Shawnee Mission students hold 21st "Everything But The Turkey" fundraiser OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - The Shawnee Mission School District's culinary students are hosting their 21st annual "Everything But The Turkey" fundraiser, offering a range of Thank...

Founder of Base Academy of Music makes music education more accessible for youth Musical talent can manifest early in young children, yet many families within the Kansas City metro lack access to pursue their child's gifts. In 2012, Clint Velazquez sought to change that.

In Conversation: April Schoenberg, Mission Committee Volunteer, Kansas City Affiliate Kansas City Mission Committee volunteer April Schoenberg spoke with Community Engagement Senior Specialist Paula Mukherjee about her personal connection to PanCAN's mission and her passion for supporting survivors in her community.

GIFT OF SOLE | KSHB 41, Kansas City community raise more than $24K to buy shoes for kids KSHB 41's community impact project Gift of Sole fall fundraiser raised $24,711.85 to help buy shoes for nearly 350 children and teens in the Kansas City area in the last year.

JFS getting ready for annual Hanukkah Project Even though the first Hanukkah candle wont be lit until Sunday, Dec. 14, the Jewish Family Services (JFS) team is already gearing up for its annual Hanukkah Project  a tradition that brings gifts to hundreds of local individuals and families.

Kansas City veteran uses quilt shop to pay it forward to service members One metro veteran and quilt shop owner is supporting others who have served our nation.

SheBloomsKC promotes mental well-being for women in Kansas City A new nonprofit hosted its first event on Sunday, hoping to show women and girls that safe spaces to address mental health exist in their community.

Viewer shares story, mission to push for more AEDs at KSHB Let's Talk event in Lee's Summit A Lee's Summit woman who survived a sudden cardiac arrest thanks to an AED is now advocating for more life-saving devices in her community.

Mega adoption event in Independence waives fees for nearly 100 dogs and cats Dozens of local animals got a boost in their search for a loving home Saturday when Independence Animal Services hosted a mega pet adoption event.

Kansas City event offers free winter clothes to families in need The line to enter the Cleaver Family YMCA on Saturday stretched out the door and into the parking lot. Everyone was waiting for the second annual Winter Extravaganza held by Daughters of Queens and...

Developing . . .
We saved this post on the Kansas City faith community crisis of conscience regarding La Migra tactics for Sunday because it deserves special consideration.

Here's a brief overview of the sitch . . .

A special message published Wednesday by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, approved by more than 95 per cent of members at their fall assembly in Baltimore, delivered a harsh rebuke of immigration policies



We are disturbed when we see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety around questions of profiling and immigration enforcement, the bishops said in a video recording, adding that they were saddened by the state of contemporary debate and the vilification of immigrants.

Axios: U.S. Catholic bishops call for end to "dehumanizing rhetoric" on immigrants

Accordingly . .

MAG CONSERVATIVES CLAP BACK AGAINST CATHOLIC CRITICISM!!!

Here's one example out of many . . .

Mediaite: Trump Border Czar Scolds Catholic Bishops Public Protest of ICEs Mass Deportation Tactics

From our vantage . . . Here's the more interesting question . . .

HOW SHOULD CONSERVATIVE CATHOLICS COPE WITH MAGA ATTACKS AGAINST THE CHURCH?!?

It's always rougher when former friends fight.

This week . . . TKC friend Pete Mundo shared critical local debate on this topic and offered his perspective on the local Catholic/Conservative divide . . .

"WHY doesn't the Catholic Church use it's global influence to help folks in Central/South America, where they are the dominant religion? This will help them and maybe dissuade them from trying to break OUR laws to enter this country.



"And where was the Catholic Church condemning Biden's policies that led to the trafficking of children into this country, castration and sexual mutilation of children, and, of course, abortion?



"I was raised Catholic, and not that I needed another reminder on being grateful we left the Catholic Church and found a great, new church home, but this is another one for me.



"Follow Jesus. Not these charlatans who have tied Christ to their political agenda. (And I'll add, some pastors who have tied themselves to Trump are charlatans, too)."

Listen more via www.TonysKansasCity.com embed . . .
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 16. Azerbaijan has the potential to become a key partner for Uzbekistan in exporting energy resources to international markets, Hikmatjon Ibragimov, Head of the Center for Energy Geopolitics at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy in Uzbekistan, told Trend.

Ibragimov noted that one of the most promising areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan in the energy sector is strengthening collaboration in oil and gas transportation, as well as joint work on developing export routes.

Azerbaijan, with its strategic geographic location and developed infrastructure, can become a key partner for Uzbekistan in accessing international markets, particularly the European Union, Ibragimov said.

He also highlighted the potential for cooperation between Baku and Tashkent in the development of renewable energy.

Both countries are actively investing in solar, wind, and hydro power. There is significant potential for joint projects in construction, technology, and knowledge exchange, Ibragimov said.

The expert added that modernizing energy infrastructure is another important aspect of bilateral cooperation. This includes sharing technologies and expertise in upgrading power plants, transmission networks, and distribution systems to improve efficiency and reliability.

In the long term, he noted, hydrogen energy could also become an important area of development.

Both countries can jointly explore and develop the potential of hydrogen energy, considering their natural resources and commitment to decarbonization, Ibragimov said.

He emphasized the strategic importance of the Green Energy Corridor between Azerbaijan and Central Asia for Uzbekistan.

This project opens new opportunities to diversify export routes. Uzbekistan will be able to export its green energyproduced, for example, from solar and wind farmsto Europe via Azerbaijan, which serves as an important transit hub, he said.

According to Ibragimov, the corridor could attract foreign investment to Uzbekistans renewable energy sector, as investors will have clearer paths to export produced energy. Additionally, collaboration within the corridor will promote the exchange of advanced technologies in production, transmission, and storage of green energy.

Participation in this project strengthens Uzbekistans energy security by providing alternative markets and growth opportunities. Ultimately, this will reinforce the energy sovereignty of both Uzbekistan and the region as a whole, he said.

He also stressed that the creation of the green corridor is a key incentive for the development of renewable energy and for achieving greenhouse gas reduction targets. This aligns fully with the strategic goals of both Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, as discussed during the COP29 conference held in Baku last year.

Ibragimov noted that Azerbaijans participation in the 7th Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State is a significant event, highlighting the growing importance of regional integration and Azerbaijans desire to be an active partner in the development of Central Asia.

This cooperation will create a new format of engagement, further integrating Central Asian countries with the South Caucasus, with Azerbaijan serving as an important connecting link, he said.

He added that the meeting could strengthen key aspects of energy cooperation, particularly by discussing next steps for the Green Energy Corridor, including specific projects, financing, and technical collaboration.

Ibragimov also highlighted the potential for enhanced cooperation in creating new or modernizing existing energy transport corridors, including subsea electricity transmission cables, as well as strengthening the role of the Middle Corridor.

Furthermore, he suggested that joint investment funds or platforms could be established to finance major energy projects focused on renewable energy development and infrastructure modernization.

The expert emphasized that discussions on unifying regulatory frameworks to attract investment in the energy sector, as well as exchanging expertise on sustainability and energy efficiency, could be another important area of cooperation.

Attention could also be given to implementing digital solutions for energy network management, optimizing both production and consumption.

Azerbaijans participation in such meetings underlines its role as a key player in regional energy policy and opens new horizons for fruitful cooperation with Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries, Ibragimov concluded.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 16. We will build a strong bridge between Central Asia and the South Caucasus, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated today at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trend reports.

The President of Uzbekistan announced at this meeting that Azerbaijan had been granted the status of a full participant in the Consultative Meetings on Central Asia.

"Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan are deeply connected by a shared history, familial ties, and spiritual and cultural affinities. Such meetings provide a powerful impetus to relations, opening new horizons for expanding trade, economic, investment, cultural, and humanitarian cooperation, as well as for developing consolidated solutions for sustainable development.

In essence, we will build a strong bridge between Central Asia and the South Caucasus, and will work towards the formation of a single space for cooperation, which will undoubtedly strengthen the strategic interconnectedness and resilience of both regions," he said.

Mirziyoyev thanked all his colleagues for making this important decision and congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on joining the consultative meeting as a full participant.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Adopting a Declaration on a Common Investment Space is a top priority for the countries of the region, said President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trends special correspondent reports.

He said that such a document would strengthen unified principles of investment policy, ensure comprehensive protection of investors rights, and lay the groundwork for creating a single investment climate across the region.

Mirziyoyev stressed that moving to a qualitatively new level of trade, economic and investment cooperation remains a priority for Central Asian countries. He noted that the potential of mutual and foreign trade makes it possible to increase volumes by at least 1.5 to 2 times in the medium term.

The President of Uzbekistan described measures to eliminate administrative barriers, simplify tax and customs procedures, and jointly use free economic and industrial zones as long overdue.

In our view, drafting and adopting a comprehensive regional trade and economic cooperation program through 2035, covering these areas, will help create favourable conditions for a significant expansion of trade, he said.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Benigna has deep roots in Spanish and Portuguese Catholic culture, where it emerged as a virtue name during the medieval period. The name gained prominence through veneration of various saints and religious figures who embodied Christian kindness and charity. In Hispanic cultures, virtue names like Benigna were particularly popular among families seeking to instill moral values in their children, reflecting the importance of benevolence and compassion in Catholic teachings. The name often appears in religious contexts, with several convents and churches dedicated to Santa Benigna throughout Spain and Latin America.



During the colonial period, the name spread to the Americas where it maintained its religious connotations while also becoming associated with maternal kindness and community leadership. In many traditional communities, women named Benigna were often looked to as moral compasses and caretakers, embodying the ideal of Christian charity and neighborly love. The name also appears in folk traditions and oral histories as representing the archetype of the wise, compassionate matriarch who holds families and communities together through difficult times.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. I am confident that the agreements reached in Washington this August on connecting the mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic will expand transit opportunities for international transportation. Construction of the Zangezur Corridor on Azerbaijans territory is nearing completion, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trend reports.

The head of state noted that the railway, with an initial capacity of 15 million tons, will become a vital artery of the Middle Corridor.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Relations between Azerbaijan and the Central Asian states are of a special nature, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trend reports.

We are united by centuries of shared history, spiritual and cultural heritage, brotherhood, friendship, and solidarity. We have not only preserved these ties but also given them new momentum, characterized by strategic partnership. We are actively expanding our cooperation in all directions, the head of state added.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Following the restoration of its territorial integrity and sovereignty, our country has embarked on large-scale efforts to revive the liberated territories. We highly value the fraternal support that the Central Asian countries provide to Azerbaijan in this matter, said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as he addressed at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trend reports.

The head of state recalled that a school named after Mirzo Ulugbek and a Kurmangazy Children's Creativity Center are already operating in Fuzuli, while a school named after Manas is functioning in Aghdam. These are gifts from our Uzbek, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz brothers, he emphasized.

The President also noted that in October of this year, the foundation was laid in Fuzuli for a mosque that will symbolize the fraternal support from Turkmenistan. All of this will remain in the grateful memory of the Azerbaijani people as a testament to our brotherhood and solidarity, the head of state added.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. The Zangezur Corridor promises significant opportunities within the AzerbaijanCentral Asia platform, Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, told journalists today on the sidelines of the 7th Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State in Tashkent, Trends special correspondent reports.

The Zangezur Corridor offers excellent opportunities and prospects for economic, trade, transport, and logistics cooperation within the AzerbaijanCentral Asia platform, which is being established today, he said.

Hajiyev noted that Azerbaijans foreign policy horizons are now expanding.

We have a unique geopolitical identity. Azerbaijan is, on the one hand, a South Caucasus country and, on the other, part of Central Asia, belonging to the Caspian basin. Azerbaijan is also part of the Middle East region and lies within the Black Sea basin. All of this provides a foundation for pursuing an active foreign policy under the new concept defined by President Ilham Aliyev, Hajiyev said.

He emphasized that this format offers significant opportunities for deepening relations between Azerbaijan and Central Asian countries based on strategic partnership and alliance, as well as for expanding economic, trade, cultural, humanitarian, and transport-logistics ties.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 17. Today Azerbaijan marks National Revival Day.

On the first days of 1988, Armenia started its evident aggression against Azerbaijan. Seeing Moscow and particularly the head of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev's indifferent attitude towards these events, the Armenians started mass deportation of the Azerbaijanis from their native lands in Armenia under the instructions of the Armenian government.

More than 200,000 Azerbaijanis were deported from their homes, killed by the Armenians. Gorbachev and the rest of the USSR leadership had no reaction to the Armenian vandalism.

In early February 1988, Armenians carried out revolts in Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and even raised the issue of joining those lands with Armenia.

Azerbaijani people expressed protest to the government. Slogans, portraits and flags carried by the Azerbaijani citizens proved their belief to Moscow and local authorities at that time. But getting no serious answer from Moscow and the then government, people from every corner of the republic moved to Baku and gathered on Azadlig Square (Lenin Square at that time), held meetings and evidently expressed their protest.

Azerbaijani people started indefinite rally on Azadlig Square against the anti-Azerbaijani policy of the USSR on Nov.17, 1988. It was a real national liberation movement. The Soviet troops dispersed the nationwide rally in early December. These events are regarded in Azerbaijan as the start of the national liberation movement and the main factor in gaining independence.

November 17 has been marked as the Day of National Revival since 1992.
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TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. The joint development of high-tech infrastructure and transport and logistics capacity is crucial for the regions future, said President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trends special correspondent reports.

He said that the countries of the region should pool their efforts to implement strategically important regional projects  building and upgrading power plants, transmission lines, highways and railways, border checkpoints, green corridors, fibre-optic networks and other key facilities.

To strengthen interregional transport connectivity, we attach priority importance to projects such as the ChinaKyrgyzstanUzbekistan railway and the Trans-Afghan transport corridor, Mirziyoyev noted.

He stressed that the Trans-Caspian route and other corridors linking Central Asia with European states offer significant opportunities for the region.

To ensure more effective coordination in these areas, the President of Uzbekistan proposed establishing an Infrastructure Development Council at the level of deputy prime ministers of the regional countries.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed to start the joint development of a comprehensive strategy for the development of Central Asia's transport system, Trends special correspondent reports.

Tokayev made the statement at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent.

"To avoid duplication, checks, and excessive bureaucratic procedures at border crossings, we consider it advisable to explore the implementation of a unified electronic cargo tracking system. In order to further strengthen the region's potential, we propose to begin the joint development of a comprehensive strategy for the development of Central Asia's transport system," he said.

According to the president, there are significant opportunities presented by the actively forming networks of cross-border industrial hubs. In the framework of their further development, the focus should be on launching high-tech projects.

"A promising area for cooperation is the extraction and processing of rare earth metals. Our countries possess significant but still insufficiently studied reserves of such resources. Efforts could be combined to attract advanced technologies and implement innovative solutions in the region. Kazakhstan has proposed the creation of a regional research center for rare earth metals in Astana, which could provide investors with up-to-date information on available deposits and technologies for their development," he said.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Tajikistan has proposed creating a regional Artificial Intelligence Center in Dushanbe, said President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trends special correspondent reports.

"We propose to create a regional Artificial Intelligence Center in Dushanbe. The Center is intended to develop sequential programs for applying artificial intelligence in key areas of cooperation. We count on the support of our regional partners in implementing this initiative," Rahmon said.

He also expressed Tajikistans appreciation for the support of the UN General Assembly resolution proposed by Tajikistan on The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Creating New Opportunities for Sustainable Development in Central Asia.
Individuals bearing the name Beorhttun typically exhibit a distinctive blend of practical wisdom and spiritual insight, reflecting the name's dual meaning of 'bright settlement.' They often demonstrate strong organizational abilities combined with visionary thinking, making them natural leaders who can both maintain traditions and inspire innovation. The 'fortified town' aspect suggests personality traits centered around protection, stability, and community-buildingthese individuals tend to be reliable, responsible, and deeply committed to the welfare of their families and communities. They often serve as pillars in their social circles, providing both practical support and moral guidance.



The 'bright' element of the name manifests as intellectual curiosity, moral clarity, and often a contemplative nature. Beorhttuns are frequently drawn to learning, teaching, or spiritual pursuits where they can illuminate complex concepts for others. They tend to approach challenges with both pragmatic problem-solving and ethical consideration, seeking solutions that benefit the collective good. This combination makes them particularly effective in roles that require balancing material concerns with higher principleswhether in religious leadership, education, community organization, or family life. Their strength lies in creating environments where both practical needs and spiritual growth can flourish simultaneously.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Tajikistan has called on Central Asian countries to strengthen joint measures for cyber security, said President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trends special correspondent reports.

"Considering the rise in cyber threats, we also consider it necessary to strengthen a comprehensive set of joint measures to ensure cyber security using advanced technologies," Rahmon said.

He stressed the need to enhance the capacity of relevant institutions and coordinate regional actions to counter cybercrime, as part of broader efforts to maintain regional security.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Central Asia should establish combined transport corridors along the East-West and North-South directions, said President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trends special correspondent reports.

"We should actively participate in the creation of combined corridors along the East-West and North-South lines. Confidence in combining potentials to create a modern, extensive, efficient, and sustainable transport and logistics infrastructure is a worthy goal serving the strategic interests of our states," Berdimuhamedov said.

He added that developing transport infrastructure will enhance Central Asias transit role and increase the efficiency of international logistics.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Turkmenistan prioritises of regional security and combating terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking, said President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trends special correspondent reports.

"Speaking about the political aspect of cooperation, I would like to highlight security as its main priority. I am convinced that by taking unified positions on issues such as combating terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, and new challenges in information, cyber, and biological security, we ensure additional internal stability," Berdimuhamedov said.

He added that these measures help strengthen internal stability and create favorable external conditions for the countries of the region at international platforms, including the UN.
Photo: Press service of the president of Tajikistan

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Tajikistan proposes creating a unified transport and logistics space in Central Asia, said President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trends special correspondent reports.

"Our region is becoming a strategic hub for transport and logistics. It is essential to modernize railway corridors, expand air and multimodal transportation, and synchronize logistics processes," Rahmon said.

He added that improving transport and logistics infrastructure would increase freight capacity, facilitate trade, and enhance investment attractiveness of the regions transport networks.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Tajikistan proposes establishing an international innovative educational center in Central Asia, said President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trends special correspondent reports.

"We consider it important to direct a joint project in science, education, culture, and art toward preserving and passing on the rich historical and spiritual heritage of our region to future generations. Considering the need to develop cooperation in this area, we propose establishing an international innovative educational center in Central Asia. This center could become a unified platform for scientific research and educational programs of our states," Rahmon said.

He emphasized that the center would enhance cooperation in research, education, culture, and the arts, serving as a hub for knowledge exchange and collaborative projects across Central Asian countries.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Following the 7th Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State, the presidents signed a series of key documents aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and ensuring security, Trend reports, citing the press service of the President of Kazakhstan.

The signed documents include a joint statement of the Central Asian heads of state, an appeal to UN member states in support of the Kyrgyz Republics candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 20272028, and a decision to admit Azerbaijan as a full participant in the Consultative Meeting.

The joint statement also approved the Concept for Regional Security, Stability, and Sustainable Development in Central Asia, as well as a Catalog of Regional Security Risks and Measures for Their Prevention for 20262028.
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, November 16. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have a portfolio of 78 bilateral projects worth over $1.7 billion, the Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan, Arman Shakkaliyev, said, Trend reports via the ministry.

He made the announcement at the first meeting of the Council of Ministers of Trade and Investment of Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan in Tashkent.

Shakkaliyev highlighted that 13 projects, valued at $220.9 million, have already been successfully implemented. Currently, more than 2,400 enterprises with Uzbek capital are operating in Kazakhstan, including nearly 500 joint ventures.

He also noted that the two countries account for around 80 percent of all regional trade between Central Asia and Azerbaijan. As of the first nine months of this year, bilateral trade between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan reached $3.4 billion, showing an increase of over 18 percent. Shakkaliyev emphasized the goal of increasing trade between the two nations to $10 billion.

Achieving this target, he said, requires a shift from traditional trade in raw materials to the development of joint production facilities, deepening industrial cooperation, and creating export-oriented value chains.

A key focus of the cooperation is digital integration, which Shakkaliyev believes will help streamline trade operations, facilitate the movement of goods and people, and create a unified digital space for government and business services.

Transportation and logistics projects are also a major area of focus for both countries. According to the ministry, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan view the development of transit corridors as a strategic factor in boosting regional trade. Last year, the volume of freight transportation along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) through Kazakhstan reached approximately 2.8 million tons, an increase of 35 percent compared to the previous year.

The Kazakh side has proposed enhancing tariff coordination, accelerating the digitalization of logistics processes, modernizing infrastructure, and implementing paperless trade mechanisms to reduce business costs and increase international corridors capacity.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, November 16. Kazakhstans President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed to begin the development of a declaration on the responsible use of artificial intelligence by Central Asian countries, Trends special correspondent reports.

Tokayev made the statement today at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent.

According to the president, the introduction of artificial intelligence technology opens up broad opportunities. The latest technology has the potential to integrate the regions economies into international production and technological chains. Kazakhstan has already begun comprehensive work in this field.

"We consider it relevant to intensify work on implementing joint projects in this direction, and I would like to announce that Astana Hub and Uzbekistans IT Park have already established fruitful cooperation. For the further development of partnerships in the field of artificial intelligence, it is also important to develop unified standards for the use of this technology. We propose to start developing a declaration on the responsible use of artificial intelligence by Central Asian countries," said Tokayev.

He noted that the document will ensure transparency, trust, and security in the exchange of data within the framework of joint digital projects and will serve as a guarantee of protecting the rights of all participants.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan. November 16. Railway transit of goods from Central Asian countries through Kazakhstan has increased in the last 3 years, said Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in Tashkent, Trends special correspondent reports.

"Over the past 15 years, Kazakhstan has invested over 35 billion dollars in modernizing its transport infrastructure. Railway transit of goods from Central Asian countries through Kazakhstan has increased by 5 percent in the last three years, surpassing 1.5 million tons, while reverse transit has grown by 18 percent, reaching about 40 million tons," he said.

According to Tokayev, Kazakhstan remains committed to the efficient development of transit routes and strengthening regional connections.

"We intend to continue strengthening this potential, including for the benefit of our closest regional neighbors. To this end, the second line of the Dostyk-Moyinty railway has been launched. The construction of the Darbaza-Maktaaral railway section is underway, as well as a bypass railway around Almaty and the Bakhty-Ayagoz route. By 2029, it is planned to repair 11,000 kilometers of railways and 16,000 kilometers of highways," the president noted.

He added that large-scale modernization of road checkpoints in the direction of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan is also planned. According to him, all these measures will significantly increase the throughput capacity of the transport infrastructure and, accordingly, boost the volume of our cargo flows.
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Red alert in Makkah, Madinah as heavy rains lash Two Holy Cities

Local weather and meteorological departments have sounded red alert in Makkah al Mukarramah and Madinah al Munawwarah after heavy rains lashed the Two Holy Cities

Makkah al Mukarramah/Madinah al Munawwarah: Local weather and meteorological departments have sounded red alert in Makkah al Mukarramah and Madinah al Munawwarah after heavy rains lashed the Two Holy Cities.

Videos shared online showed worshippers performing Friday Afternoon Prayers even as Masjid Nabawi, The Prophets Mosque in Madinah al Munawwarah, was soaking due to heavy rainfall.

A video shared by Inside the Haramain X handle, which publishes news from the Two Holy Mosques, showed how the site looked like after the downpour on Friday. Watch here:

SubhanAllah! Rain in Masjid Al Nabawi, Madinah. Salat Al Istisqa was led in Haramain Sharifain yesterday. pic.twitter.com/Z2F2YSh4LH  The Holy Mosques (@theholymosques) November 14, 2025

Similar scene was reported from the Grand Mosque or Masjid al Haram in Makkah al Mukarrama where worshippers were seen circumambulating around the Holy Kaaba amidst heavy downpour on Friday as well as Saturday.

VIDEO: Heavy Rain in Masjid Al Haram early this morning  pic.twitter.com/fhCfiVSxAp  Inside the Haramain (@insharifain) November 15, 2025

Besides Makkah and Madinah, heavy rains also lashed other cities and regions of the Kingdom including Asir and Saudi capital Riyadh, on Friday, a day after Salat Al Istisqa - Special Prayers Seeking Rains, was performed in Haramain Sharifain.

Following this the Saudi National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) warned residents and visitors against severe high-speed winds, lower horizontal visibility, hailfall, flash flooding and thunderstorms in the Two Holy Cities in coming days.

The Saudi General Directorate of Traffic called on motorists to exercise extreme caution when driving in rainy weather, avoid speeding and swerving. It also urged them to always leave a safe space with the car in front of them.

[Falaq Ather Faizee is Trainee Writer at ummid.com]

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Women named Bertilda are typically perceived as possessing a unique blend of inner strength and spiritual depth. They often exhibit natural leadership qualities combined with a compassionate, nurturing nature that makes them effective in both guiding others and providing emotional support. The 'battlemaid' aspect of the name suggests someone who is resilient, determined, and capable of facing challenges with courage, while the 'shining' element indicates warmth, intelligence, and moral clarity.



These individuals tend to be principled yet practical, able to navigate difficult situations with both wisdom and empathy. Their strength is typically tempered by a deep sense of responsibility and care for others, making them natural protectors and advisors. Bertildas often excel in roles that require both firm leadership and genuine compassion, balancing authority with understanding in a way that earns respect and trust. The combination of these traits creates a personality that is both formidable and approachable - someone who can command respect through their competence and integrity while maintaining the warmth and empathy that fosters genuine connection and loyalty.
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Watch: Gen Z storm National Palace as anti-govt protests intensify

A mild protest by Gen Z against drug violence and the security policies of the government Saturday turn into a massive uprising a day later as thousands of people marched to National Palace, asking President Claudia Sheinbaum to quit.

Mexico City: A mild protest by Gen Z against drug violence and the security policies of the government Saturday turn into a massive uprising a day later as thousands of people marched to National Palace, asking President Claudia Sheinbaum to quit.

Few hundred youngsters, majority of them born between the late 90s and early 2010s, hit the streets Saturday to protest against the government for its security policies and drug related violence and abuse.

The protests, started with anti-government posts on social media, soon received supports from the older residents and the opposition parties Sunday, turning the protest into a strong uprising against the present dispensation.

Police and local security personnel resorted to baton charge and lobbed tear gas shells as thousands of protesters stormed the National Palace in Mexico City.

Video: Gen Z Mexico City Protest

Gen Z is rising up in Mexico



because they are the first generation to have access to enough information



to know that their entire government works for the cartels. pic.twitter.com/jDscey70FU  Tablesalt(@Tablesalt13) November 16, 2025

Sheinbaum, in power since October 2024, maintained approval ratings above 70 per cent in her first year in office but faced criticism of her security policies due to several high-profile murders, mainly in the state of Michoacan.

Protesters gathered in front of the National Palace in Mexico City, where Sheinbaum lives and works, and knocked down some of the metal fences protecting the building, according to AFP.

Several videos on social media showed Gen Z protesters clashing with police and attempting to push their way into the seat of Mexicos executive branch. At least 120 people, mostly police officers, were injured, reported AFP.

Gen Z Protest: A New Norm

Protest by Generation Z has become a new norm and has been instrumental in toppling the government in various parts of the world.

Tired by joblessness and corruption in government, Gen Z protesters had earlier hit the streets in Sri Lanka , Bangladesh , Nepal and now Mexico.

As Gen Z protest in Mexico intensified Sunday, banners with messages such as We are all Carlos Manzo were displayed alongside the pirate flag emblematic of the Japanese manga One Piece, which has become a symbol of global youth protest, AFP reported.

Carlos Manzo was a Mexican politician known for his outspoken stance against organized crime groups in Mexico.

We need more security, said Andres Massa, a 29-year-old business consultant who carried the pirate skull flag that has become a global symbol of Gen Z protests.

Claudia Cruz, a 43-year-old physician who joined the protests said she was marching for more funding for the public health system, and for better security because doctors are also exposed to the insecurity gripping the country, where you can be murdered and nothing happens.

Giving the latest update, Pablo Vazquez, Security Chief for Mexico City, told reporters that 100 police officers were injured, of whom 40 required hospital treatment for bruises and cuts, while 20 protesters were also hurt. Authorities arrested 20 people for crimes such as robbery and assault.

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Individuals named Borden are often perceived as strong-willed, determined, and resilient, reflecting the name's origins connected to the boaran animal symbolizing courage and tenacity in medieval heraldry. They tend to be practical problem-solvers with a grounded approach to challenges, possessing the perseverance to see projects through to completion. This name suggests someone who values tradition and stability while being unafraid to pursue innovative solutions when necessary.



Bordens are typically seen as reliable and responsible individuals who take their commitments seriously. They often exhibit leadership qualities and the ability to make difficult decisions under pressure. While they may appear reserved or serious at first, those who know them well appreciate their steadfast loyalty and deep sense of duty. The name carries an air of authority and competence, suggesting someone who builds lasting institutions and leaves a meaningful legacy through determined effort and principled action.
An application for a new 33 million, 18,650 square metre IDA investment in Waterford has been withdrawn after planning permission was initially sought on August 19.

Deise Diagnostics Limited submitted a planning application to develop at the IDA business park in Butlerstown North.

The project was entitled Project Athena and comprised manufacturing and warehousing areas, with ancillary research and development, office space, exhibition areas, and staff welfare amenities.

On September 12, head of planning at CBRE Ireland Leon Murray sent a letter of withdrawal to Waterford City and County Council.

CBRE Advisory (IRL) Ltd. 1 (Agent) has been instructed by Deise Diagnostics Limited2 (Applicant) to formally withdraw the referenced planning application (Reg. Ref. 2560574) in accordance with Part 4, Article 37(1) of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, the statement read.

CBRE was the planner and sustainability consultant for the proposed development.

A site notice for Deise Diagnostics' proposed development in Butlerstown North

The council was due to decide on the proposed development on October 13.

The councils planning department said no official reason needs to be cited for a company withdrawing from planning permission, giving no further comment on the development.

IDA Ireland said the withdrawal was a matter for the company, Deise Diagnostics. Deise Diagnostics did not respond to queries from the Waterford News & Star.

Deise Diagnostics Limited was set up on March 6. The companys current director is listed as Bernard McEvoy, a senior partner at Philip Lee LLP, a commercial law firm with offices in Dublin.

Johnathan Kelly, another senior partner at Philip Lee LLP, was listed as a director when the company was set up, but resigned on May 1.

Daithi OTroithigh of Doyle & OTroithigh architects - the listed architects for the development - said he was unaware of the reasoning behind the applications withdrawal.

Diarmuid Reil Architects, also listed as architects for the project, declined to comment on the reason for withdrawal and the initial plans for the development.

A planning report submitted to the council described the development as a significant investment in Waterford.

Concept art for Deise Diagnostics' proposed development in Waterford's IDA business park.

The development was purpose-built to deliver a premium product to the market and would aid in driving economic growth, fostering innovation, and generating high-value employment opportunities across the region.

Efforts to court the council into granting planning permission officially began on June 25, when a meeting was held between the applicant, architects, CBRE, and the councils planning department.

An entry from the councils executive planner Kevin Phelan described WCCC as broadly supportive of the new development.

The site wouldve been designed to accommodate 148 car parking spaces, 30 electric vehicle charging spaces and 94 bicycle spaces.

IDA developments can be built without having earmarked a business to inhabit the development.

A spokesperson for the IDA said: "The key objective of the regional property programme, in supporting balanced regional development aligned to IDAs Adapt Intelligently Strategy, remains to deliver agile, sustainable, flexible property solutions providing certainty to clients in advance of demand.

"This includes delivering advanced building solutions and investment in infrastructure projects across the portfolio to meet evolving business needs of both FDI and Enterprise Ireland clients."

Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme
The Department of Education and Youth has launched a survey to assess demand for different types of primary schools. Its aim is to expand parental choice in education. Parents, principals and school staff, along with Boards of Management, have been asked to participate in the survey. It can be accessed and completed online.

The Department claims it is the biggest survey of its kind and it will give a comprehensive, nationwide picture of parental preferences.the findings will inform future school planning and support more diverse school provision that reflects the values and needs of modern Ireland".

The survey involves the following questions: Would you prefer your primary school to be a co-educational school or a single-sex school? Would you prefer your primary school to operate under a denominational (religious) patron or to operate under a multi-denominational (non-religious) patron? And would you prefer your primary school to provide education primarily through the English language or through the Irish language?

I fully support this survey of stakeholders in the primary school system. Archbishop Eamon Martin encourages all those eligible to participate in the survey.

Hopefully, the results of the survey will convince the Department that there is support for the denominational educational system. But results also should empower the Department to engage in a process of divestment in consultation with patrons to accommodate children of atheistic parents.

The Department highlighted the fact that 90per cent of primary schools are denominational under the patronage of the Catholic Church with a Catholic ethos. The Catholic hierarchy has repeatedly stated that they are prepared to divest Catholic schools, thus offering a wider range of educational opportunities to children and parents who are non-religious.

Archbishop Eamon Martin said that the Catholic Church does not wish to have a monopoly on education. However, the divestment process has proved to be challenging as the majority of parents in most areas has not been supportive of change.

The urgent need for divestment is frequently highlighted. A parent recently complained about the fact that she has no choice but to send her son to Catholic school, as there is no non-denominational school in her area. She said that her heart breaks to consider the possibility that my son may be one of a handful of children relegated to the back of the room to occupy themselves while the rest of the class is preparing for the sacraments

She concludes that public education should be secular as a matter of principle; there is no human right to religious instruction within the education system.

In a somewhat similar vein, General Secretary of the Education and Training Board in Ireland, Paddy Lavelle, argues for a switch to a multi-denominational primary education model. He claims that this would not erase the impact of faith on students of religious families. "For families who are Catholic, there is still the option for children to make their First Holy Communion or their Confirmation  the only difference is that preparation for the sacraments happens outside of the regular school day.

However, I believe that there must be a diversity of patronage in the primary school system. Article 42 of Bunreacht na hEireann guarantees the right of parents to be the primary educators of their children. This right is also recognised in international human rights law. It guarantees parents the right to choose the education system for their children, schools that align with their values. Therefore, it is equally sectarian to claim, as Paddy Lavelle has done, that there should only be multidenominational schools where the ethos is fundamentally secular or atheist. In effect, this is denying Christian parents the right to a pedagogy for their children based on Christian values.

I believe that a faith-based education can be highly valuable for young people.

Pope Leo recently issued an Apostolic Letter (Drawing New Maps of Hope), in which he articulated his views on Catholic education. Leo promotes a holistic vision of education which fully embraces the child, spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically. Forming the whole person means avoiding compartmentalisation. He adds that when faith is true, it is not an added subject but a breath that oxygenates every other subject.

Viewed positively, this implies that the Catholic vision opposes what the pope calls a purely mercantilist approach that measures education in terms of practical utilityin other words teaching skills needed for the work force in later life. Education must also be "an apprenticeship in virtue".

The Christian pedagogy, he teaches, must also foster the interior life through silence, listening and prayer. Such a pedagogy challenges the teacher to engage with pupils in a human way using joy, love and empathy to guide them.

The ultimate goal of Catholic education is to help pupils discover meaning in life, to realise their dignity, and their responsibility towards others. The Catholic school is fundamentally committed to inclusivity but also to respecting the diversity of faith and culture in the school community. Realising this in practice is one of the greatest challenges today.

Lets hope there is a high level of engagement with the survey and that an educational system reflective of the rapid cultural change in Ireland will evolve.
Ellen O'Donoghue

A variety of stories feature on Ireland's front pages on Sunday morning, including scoliosis stories relating to Harvey Morrison, and Gerry Hutch being hit with a 790,000 tax bill.

The Sunday Times lead with Harvey Morrison's death being among six included in the work of the scoliosis inquiry and a minister being set to tell older voters to split their homes into flats.

The Business Post lead with the State readying a 'nuclear option' to ram through vital projects.

The Sunday Independent lead with a family claiming that Tusla failures led to the death of their four year old.

The Irish Mail on Sunday lead with Harvey Sherratt Morrisons mother saying she received a report that said her son was refused surgery because he was not fit for a sneeze.

The Irish Sunday Mirror lead with Ireland's match against Hungary today.

The Sunday World lead with the Criminal Assets Bureau hitting Gerry Hutch with a demand for unpaid taxes after gardai raided his homes in Spain and Dublin.
Individuals named Bran are typically associated with wisdom, protection, and mystical insight, reflecting the characteristics of their mythological namesake. They often exhibit strong leadership qualities combined with a deep sense of responsibility toward their community or family. Like the raven that shares their name, they tend to be observant, intelligent, and capable of seeing patterns and connections that others might miss. There's often a prophetic or visionary quality to their thinking, along with practical wisdom that makes them natural counselors or guides.



Brans are frequently characterized by their loyalty and protective nature, particularly toward those they consider under their care. They possess a combination of earthly practicality and spiritual depth, able to navigate both the material and mystical realms with equal competence. While they can be formidable when defending their principles or loved ones, they typically prefer peaceful resolution and have a strong sense of justice. Their strength often lies in their patience and ability to wait for the right moment to act, much like the mythological Bran who understood the importance of timing and sacrifice for the greater good.
Between Two Thresholds, November 20, Garter Lane Studios Basement

Between Two Thresholds is an art and storytelling research project by Cuan Cusack that illuminates Waterfords darker history of fairies, rituals and how to ward off bad luck.

The project explores piseogs - supernatural beliefs surrounding luck, death and food.

Often rooted in pre-Christian rituals, Piseogs were once central to life in rural communities, revealing much about poverty, subsistence farming and the culture of the time.

Booking for the free event available at garterlane.ie

Kilmacow in the Revolutionary Years, December 4, The Seanti

A presentation by author and historian Eoin Swithin Walsh will explore events and life in Kilmacow Parish during the tumultuous revolutionary years.

The event will explore the spark of the Easter Rising that led to the War of Independence, to the great upheaval locally during the Civil War, and how the early period of the newly born Free State unfolded.

Eoin Swithin Walsh is the author of the highly regarded book, 'Kilkenny - In Times Of Revolution'. He has a Master's degree in Modern Irish History from UCD, and has written extensively on various aspects of Irish history.

Tickets available at Eventbrite.ie

Dug Live, December 18, Bank Lane

This marks Dug's third visit to Bank Lane, having sold out their recent show here in early 2024.

The duo, made up of Conor (Lorkin) OReilly and Jonny Pickett, are gearing up for the release of their debut album, having formed in 2023.

Their music stems from roots in musical traditions spanning both sides of the pond. In one breath, echoing the great American folk troubadours, and in another, comfortably channelling the elder statesmen of Irish folk.

DUG have a shared musical heritage, with members having been born in America and Scotland before arriving in Ireland.

OReilly himself spent almost a decade making and releasing music in upstate New York, having picked up sticks from his native Edinburgh, before moving to Ireland in 2022 to start a new musical chapter.

You can hear that lived musical experience in singles like Big Sundown and Jubilee, which was shortlisted for two Grammy nominations.

Youll hear plenty of Irish influence in their music, but youll not find any tweed coats or paddy caps here. Instead, the band opts to be themselves, completely natural and organic.

Tickets are available at bankelane.ie
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NationalPolitical leadership Opinion The forever-renter generation: theyre the ones who voted teal and Mamdani Parnell Palme McGuinness Columnist and communications adviser November 16, 2025  2:00am

November 16, 2025  2:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 218 View all comments

New York City was once the epitome of aspiration, a global symbol of possibility and prosperity. If you can make it there, Liza Minnelli sang in 1977, you can make it anywhere. Last week the voters of NYC delivered their verdict: you cant make it there. Possibly not anywhere. Its no longer up to you, New York, New York. Kathy Lette declared the election of Mamdani an inoculation against pessimism. AP The election of a 34-year-old democratic socialist as mayor of New York has been called many things. People-powered. A youth quake. A triumph of luxury beliefs. And the revolt of the credentialled precariat. Australias unofficial ambassador to royals and rockers, Kathy Lette, declared this election an inoculation against pessimism  and antidote to the right-wing rhetoric of Trump & selfish co. In Australia, it could be called something else: familiar. Weve already had two rounds of this revolution  the first in 2022 and the second in 2025. The US voters who elected Mamdani have a lot in common with the Australians who gave their votes, hopefully or strategically, to the teal-branded voices of franchise. In both cases, post-election analyses reveal that the largest bloc of voters electing these political disruptors were university-educated, middle- to upper-income renters.

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According to a CNN exit poll, Mamdani significantly outperformed his main rival, Democrat candidate Andrew Cuomo, with voters who had a bachelors or advanced degree, while Cuomo led among voters with lower completed levels of education. Cuomo won voters who earned less than $US30,000 ($45,900) a year, drew even on those who earn between $US200,000 to $US299,000 and trounced Mamdani  64 to 32 per cent  on those who earn more than $US300,000. View post on X Mamdanis voters were overwhelmingly what is referred to in the US media as transplants  that is, people who had moved to New York City. The more recently they had moved there, the more likely they were to vote for him, with 86 per cent of voters who had been in NYC for less than five years casting their ballot for him. In Australia, the archetypal teal voter was portrayed in the media as an older, financially secure, professional female home owner in an affluent neighbourhood. And certainly in the NSW electorate of Wentworth, teal volunteers, who wore their T-shirts like fashion items at street stalls, cafes and in Double Bay boutiques, seemed to confirm the archetype. But pollsters tell a different story. After the 2022 election, Redbridge Groups Kos Samaras told The Australian Financial Review that teal candidates did better in the less affluent parts of the otherwise wealthy electorates they contested. Their voters in general were younger, and the rental class skewed heavily towards the teals.

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Samaras pointed out that the second-most pro-teal electorate in Sydney was Surry Hills East, part of a suburb formerly known by the more down-at-heel name of Redfern. This is a suburb dominated by young professional renters who are beginning to realise they may never be able to afford to own a home in the urban electorates they favour. The second-most pro-teal electorate in Sydney was Surry Hills East; Redfern. Fairfax What were seeing in both here and in NYC is a cry of rage from the downwardly mobile classes  those who went to university, have good jobs, likely went to private schools and yet who cant afford to buy a house in the places they want to live, and might not be able to afford to send their kids to a school like the one they went to. It stings. Trump voters are often pilloried by the left for expressing their impotence at a changing world at the ballot box. In the same vein, the poor little privileged professionals embracing socialism are the subject of derision on the right. But humans are creatures of status, and losing hope that we may strive to improve our significance or lot in the world is a unique kind of metaphysical pain. It doesnt help that the parents of this declining generation are keen to cheerlead the political rage but reluctant to acknowledge the role they can play in fixing it. Which is why Kathy Lettes tweet stood out to me.

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Far from being an inoculation against pessimism, Mamdanis election was clearly articulated despair. The trajectory of Lettes daughters generation is the opposite to that of her mothers. In 1979, when the Sutherland Shire girl shot to fame for the teen novella Puberty Blues, young Kathys everywhere could still picture themselves becoming king of the heap in NYC  or London, as Lette eventually chose. The West was wealthy and becoming wealthier. Living standards were rising and continued to rise throughout their lives. Kathy Lette started life in Cronulla, but now counts Britains King Charles as a friend. Getty Protest chic was as in vogue among the boomers then as it is now. This was a generation raised on the ballads of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. They complained about the staid morals of their parents who built and saved, fought wars for freedom and had small-town dreams for themselves so they could have big-city dreams for their children. Related Article Property market Michele and David are downsizing  and helping their kids do the same It is not the fault of the Baby Boomers that they were a lucky generation. But it is their responsibility to own up to the problems that they have created. It was Boomers who worked out how to use lawfare and red and green tape to ossify suburbs and send house prices stratospheric. The effects of the process so eloquently described by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson in Abundance have now manifested. Selfish & co wasnt a Trump invention but a byproduct of a me-generation that unconsciously morphed into the capitalist asset-holding establishment.

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It is easier now to don the T-shirt or celebrate the socialists than it is to unpick the policy errors of the past. But it is a terrible hypocrisy. Instead of cheering their kids and grandkids as they sink, the generation that did well should be doing everything it can to pass down the favour. Parnell Palme McGuinness is an insights and advocacy strategist. She has done work for the Liberal Party and the German Greens and is a senior fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies. She is also an advisory board member of Australians For Prosperity, which is part-funded by the coal industry.
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Exclusive NationalVictoriaBidding blind Ive got a paper trail on this: Hundreds of allegations of brazen underquoting Aisha Dow November 16, 2025  2:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

In this year-long investigation, we are lifting the lid on an open secret in Australias property market that is costing buyers millions. See all stories .

Fresh action to tackle underquoting is under consideration as thousands of online complaints have flooded Victorias consumer watchdog, claiming agents are brazenly advertising homes below the expected sale price. Almost 3500 online complaints were received by Consumer Affairs Victorias underquoting taskforce in the past two years, featuring hundreds of alleged examples of the illegal practice, data exclusively obtained by this masthead shows. Shelley Lask is among the thousands of Victorians who have recently complained to Consumer Affairs about underquoting. Justin McManus More than 1400 complaints claim agents knew how much the owner was willing to sell for, but persisted in advertising the property at a lower price. Another 452 submissions allege that agents rejected an offer for being too low, but then continued to promote the home at a price below the declined offer.

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The new data was released after The Ages Bidding Blind investigation revealed most properties sell above the top of their advertised price, prompting the real estate industry to initiate its own reforms. Having previously stood by its existing rules, the Victorian government this week said it was now consulting the industry and community on what new steps it could take. We know theres more work to do, and we are considering ways to further crack down on this illegal practice, Consumer Affairs Minister Nick Staikos said. Buying a home is one of the biggest emotional and financial investments, and among the most emotional decisions Victorians will ever make  they deserve honesty and transparency, not misleading price estimates that add unnecessary stress.

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In an indication of heightened frustration about underquoting in Victoria, almost a third of the reports in the Consumer Affairs data came from fellow agents, angry with the actions of their peers. Related Article Exclusive

Bidding blind Buyers beware: These are Melbournes underquoting hotspots When Shelley Lask, who has complained to the taskforce, was looking to buy her first home in Werribee in Melbournes outer west, she found that the illegal practice was so baked into the market that she was forced to adjust her search to factor in an extra 10 per cent, or $50,000, over the top of the price guide. Still, Lask, 41, an online personal trainer, said she was surprised when she saw a house that she had already made an unconditional offer on being advertised at the same price as her bid, which was rejected for being too low. I was like, Oh, wow. Ive got a paper trail on this, I know for sure this is underquoted, she said.

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While Lask said she understood some auctions just go nuts, that did not explain maddening scenarios where properties were not placed on the market despite bidding going past the advertised range. This rubbery relationship between a price range and a propertys reserve was also a chief frustration for prospective buyers who complained to Consumer Affairs. More than 1110 instances were reported to the underquoting taskforce of the reserve price at auction being higher than the top end of the advertised range. This scenario isnt necessarily illegal because owners are not required to disclose or set a reserve before the day of the auction. Of the 9460 people who responded to this mastheads online survey about misleading price guides, 92 per cent said they would support the publication of reserve prices before an auction.

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This approach leads to scenarios where properties are listed for well below what the owner is prepared to sell it for, and passing in despite bids above the top end of the advertised price range. Still, Knudsen, from Vendor Marketing, said he believed Victoria had one of the most ethical auction markets in Australia. Its sometimes hard to control prices going well above the guide, because it depends on how much qualified interest has been generated, and market sentiment can also move very quickly, he said. The thousands of complaints to the underquoting taskforce contrast with a much smaller number of fines given to agents. Last financial year, the taskforce issued 48 infringement notices off the back of 1647 online complaints. When asked why only a small proportion of the complaints resulted in fines, a government spokesperson noted that the complaints were not proven breaches. Get the days breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.
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WorldNorth AmericaTrump diplomacy Worlds largest aircraft carrier in position as Trump weighs Venezuela strike Ben Finley Updated November 17, 2025  8:28am ,first published November 17, 2025  4:35am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 109 View all comments

Washington: The United States most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a further escalation of pressure on Venezuela and its president, Nicolas Maduro, whom the US has accused of being linked to drug smuggling. The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford  also the worlds largest aircraft carrier  and other warships, announced by the US Navy in a statement, marks a major moment in what Washington insists is a counter-drug operation, but which raises questions over what the influx of troops and weapons could signal about its wider intentions. The USS Gerald R. Ford seen sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar last month. US NAVY Since early September, US strikes have killed at least 80 people in 20 attacks on small boats accused of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean. President Donald Trump has accused Maduro and his regime of being in league with the drug runners, and has posted a $50 million bounty for his arrest on an array of charges, including narco-terrorism.

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Venezuela crisis US forces are building up off Venezuela. Why does it feel like deja vu? Speaking to reporters in Florida on Monday AEDT, Trump said he thought he could have discussions with Maduro and believes Venezuela would like to hold talks with the United States, but did not provide further details. Two days earlier, the president told the media on board Air Force One that he had sort of made up [his] mind about whether to launch military action. Trump has been presented with a string of military options  including the use of special operations forces and direct action inside Venezuela  the London Telegraph reported. On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department would designate an alleged drug organisation, Cartel de los Soles, as a foreign terrorist organisation, making it a criminal offence for anyone in the US to provide material support to the group.

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Rubio has said his country does not recognise Maduro, who was widely accused of stealing last years election, as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, and has previously labelled its government a trans-shipment organisation that openly co-operates with those trafficking drugs. American officials have accused Cartel de los Soles of working with the criminal organisation Tren de Aragua to send narcotics to the United States. Build-up of firepower The USS Gerald R. Ford rounds off the largest build-up of US firepower in the region in generations. With its arrival, the Operation Southern Spear includes nearly a dozen ships and about 12,000 sailors and marines. The USS Gerald R. Ford is now in position off the coast of Venezuela. AP

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The carrier strike group, which includes squadrons of fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers, transited the Anegada Passage near the British Virgin Islands on Sunday morning, the navy said. Rear Admiral Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the strike group, said it would bolster an already large force of American warships to protect our nations security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the western hemisphere. I think everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the US is to really use military force. Elizabeth Dickinson, International Crisis Group senior analyst In Trinidad and Tobago, which is only 11 kilometres from Venezuela at its closest point, government officials said troops have begun training exercises with the US military that will run through much of the week. Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers described the joint exercises as the second in less than a month and said they were aimed at tackling violent crime on the island nation, which has become a stopover point for drug shipments headed to Europe and North America.

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The Trinidad and Tobago prime minister has been a vocal supporter of the US military strikes. The exercises will include Marines from the 22nd Expeditionary Unit who have been stationed aboard the navy ships that have been looming off Venezuelas coast for months. Venezuelas government has described the training exercises as an act of aggression. It had no immediate comment on the arrival of the aircraft carrier. Washington has insisted that the build-up is focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the US, but it has released no evidence to support its assertions that those killed in the boats were narco-terrorists. Trump has previously indicated military action would expand beyond strikes by sea, saying the US would stop the drugs coming in by land.

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The US has long used aircraft carriers to pressure and deter aggression by other nations because its warplanes can strike targets deep inside another country. Some experts say the Gerald R. Ford is ill-suited to fighting cartels, but it could be an effective instrument of intimidation for Maduro in a push to get him to step down. Pressure on Maduro The Venezuelan leader has accused Washington of fabricating a war against him, and Venezuelas government recently touted a massive mobilisation of troops and civilians to defend against possible American strikes. Trump has justified the attacks on drug boats by saying the US is in armed conflict with drug cartels while claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organisations.

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He has faced pushback from leaders in the region, the UN human rights chief and US lawmakers, including Republicans, who have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the boat strikes. Related Article Trump diplomacy Mystery grips Caribbean as bodies wash ashore after US strikes Senate Republicans, however, recently voted to reject legislation that would have put a check on Trumps ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorisation. Experts disagree on whether American warplanes may be used to strike land targets inside Venezuela. Either way, the 90,000-tonne warship is sending a message. This is the anchor of what it means to have US military power once again in Latin America, said Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Groups senior analyst for the Andes region. And it has raised a lot of anxieties in Venezuela, but also throughout the region. I think everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the US is to really use military force.

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Other experts warn that any US mission to oust Maduro could be fraught with difficulties and may have unintended consequences. Maduro has said something to the effect of, You want to get rid of me? You think things will get better? It is something to consider because Maduro is a moderate [within Venezuelas left-wing Chavismo movement] ... and someone else could usurp power instead of the opposition with the backing of the military, regional expert and Biden-era advisor Juan Gonzalez told CNN. AP, Reuters Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Legendary Baltimore Orioles pitcher and current MASN broadcaster Jim Palmer was reportedly accused of racial discrimination against a Black colleague, Os Xtra host Rob Long, according to a 2022 memo obtained by the Daily Mail last week.

Per the memo, Palmer was accused of inappropriate, unprofessional, offensive conduct, that negatively impacted another individual who works on Orioles broadcasts, during an April 2022 broadcast of the Orioles pregame show. The Daily Mail subsequently obtained text messages, purportedly from Palmers wife, Susan, suggesting the allegations were racial in nature.

They thought palmer [sic] would fall on the sword to protect the Os from a racially charged lawsuit, the wifes text message reads. Sign this memo that youre this horrible person after being part of the Os team for almost 60 years because we dont want to be sued by the black man who wants you fired, Susan Palmers text messages continued.

When reached by the Daily Mail, Long asserted that he did not make any such complaint in 2022 and that Jim is my friend.

The memo and text messages were obtained through Palmers former business partner, Warren Holmes, a celebrity hairdresser who is currently embroiled in multiple lawsuits against the Palmers. Holmes and Susan Palmer seemingly had a flirty relationship, which looks to have made her comfortable confiding sensitive information about the MASN discrimination incident.

The relationship soured when Jim Palmer sued Holmes in 2023, alleging the hairdresser defrauded him and defaulted on a $1 million loan for Holmes line of haircare products. Holmes then filed a $20 million counterclaim earlier this year, alleging the Palmers threatened to dismember and kill him.

Holmes lawsuit claims that Palmer was suspended by MASN in April 2025 as a result of the alleged discrimination incident, though the network never publicly announced any disciplinary action. Palmer, 80, already calls a limited schedule of Orioles games, so any suspension couldve easily gone unnoticed.

When asked for comment, an Orioles spokesperson told Awful Announcing, As a matter of policy, we do not comment on personnel matters.
Individuals named Broden typically exhibit a blend of traditional values and modern adaptability that reflects their Scottish heritage. They are often characterized by strong determination and practical problem-solving skills, approaching challenges with a grounded, no-nonsense attitude. Brodens tend to be loyal and dependable in their relationships, valuing deep connections with family and close friends. Their personality often includes a quiet confidence that doesn't need constant validation, combined with a dry, understated sense of humor that can surprise those who don't know them well.



In social situations, Brodens are often perceived as steady and reliable rather than flashy or attention-seeking. They typically prefer substance over style and are known for following through on their commitments. Many Brodens display a strong connection to their roots and family history, which provides them with a sense of identity and purpose. Their resilience in facing adversity often stems from this deep-seated connection to their heritage, giving them perspective during difficult times. While they may appear reserved initially, those who earn their trust discover a fiercely loyal companion with deep emotional intelligence and unwavering support.
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Delegates from the Catholic dioceses of Ireland gathered in Kilkenny Convention Centre on October 18th to help prepare for a National Synod to be held in October, 2026 which is intended to usher in a synodal church in Ireland. The Kilkenny meeting was a follow-up to a similar meeting in Athlone three years earlier when reports from the dioceses of Ireland were summarised by a national synodal committee.

The Athlone meeting was a great success in that unexpectedly the shape of a future Church became clear as the issues raised in the individual diocesan reports revealed an extraordinary if unexpected similarity. To such a degree indeed that the outline of the map forward was obvious and was summarised in a number of key priority issues that the Catholics of Ireland had clearly indicated needed to be addressed. So far so good. Unsurprisingly, the delegates representing all the Irish dioceses left Athlone on a wave of gratitude and optimism.

One of the outstanding issues noted in Athlone was the role of women in the Church. Every diocese had listed the womens issue in the first three priorities. The National Synodal Committee had fine-tuned the listed issues into seven in preparation for the Kilkenny meeting, which was itself designed to continue mapping out the ground for what God wants for the Irish Church in the future. And among the seven issues on the agenda for Kilkenny was the role of women.

The central formula of the Kilkenny event was Conversation in the Spirit, a synodal technique which enhances a sharing of ideas through a process of attentive listening.

It lasted almost two hours at the end of which the ideas that had emerged were listed and two people were asked to summarise the results. In the report back, one of the tellers (a woman) expressed surprise that out of the hundreds of ideas listed, only three mentioned the womens issue.

To say that statistic was greeted with widespread astonishment would be an understatement. We looked at each other wondering how such a volte-face, a stunning reversal of the Athlone experience, could be explained. It was as if somehow we had lost our bearings and ended up in a cul-de-sac. Or even lost our way completely. Something was different, very different and we struggled to identify it.

My own view is that the make-up of the Kilkenny gathering was, as many suggested, quite different from that of Athlone. While the Athlone delegates were mainly people from and focussed on parish life, Kilkenny seemed to have drawn many delegates more anxious to further the particular agendas of the different associations they represented. This was very obvious and indeed was alluded to afterwards by Archbishop Martin of Armagh who saw the presence of new delegates as a positive - attracting a more widely based support for synodality. I didnt.

In the group of seven I was in, one delegate who represented a marginal Catholic society kept insisting that his group should be established in every parish and effectively demanded that it be included in the list of priorities even though no one else in the group supported the idea. Another was a young man who represented an evangelical youth group and who demanded similar attention. A third was the individual who volunteered to take notes and then added his own personal enthusiasm to the list.

My conclusion from the group experience was two-fold (i) that Conversation in the Spirit should not be attempted unless those participating have some understanding of the process and (ii) a facilitator to guide each group is absolutely essential. Instead of a focus on attentive listening, it became a debate in which a more argumentative tactic was employed of insisting on a personal view that sometimes extended almost to a form of bullying.

Another view shared by delegates whose opinion I valued was that too much time was devoted to the theological framework that sustains a synodal pathway and too little to a discussion of the seven issues presented by the committee and how they could be moved forward. There is a limit to what can be said about the centrality of Baptism  crucial though that context is. In respect for the Athlone experience, at least half of the Kilkenny meeting should have been devoted to moving forward the issues agreed at Athlone.

Another problem was that the lack of focus on the seven issues at the expense of a surfeit of theology was perceived as an undermining strategy to purposely talk synodality into the ground. The perceived lack of momentum and action in the three-year lacuna between Athlone and Kilkenny constituted (some believed) grounds for accusations even of institutional conspiracy!

At the same time, while progress is not always susceptible to haste, hope can begin to wither unless something is seen to be happening. The usual dance of the Church in taking two steps forward and one step back jars, particularly when it is set against a background of push-back to synodality evident among some priests and disinterest evident among some bishops.

There is a need not to feed a perception that particular groups are exerting undue influence in attempting to deliver their own agenda  no matter how laudable their programme or how necessary their age-syndrome. Four provincial mini-synods leading to a single National Synod might re-create a necessary focus on the issues in common rather than on groups or individuals. Another suggestion is that finding the right questions and tightening up control of repetitive contributions from the floor - if it has been said, dont repeat it - may be the key to keeping the focus on the primary task of the synod, what God wants for the Irish Church in the future.

The necessary focus now should be on recapturing the passion and the momentum of the Athlone event and progressing the kind of formation in synodality for people, priests and bishops that is as obvious as it is necessary.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Cabal holds a unique position in Arthurian legend as one of the few named animals with significant mythological importance. In Welsh tradition, particularly in the tale 'Culhwch and Olwen,' Cabal appears as Arthur's favorite hunting dog who leaves a permanent magical paw print on the Carn Cabal stone in Builth Wells, Wales. This stone was said to have miraculous properties and became a local landmark. The name Cabal represents the deep Celtic tradition of honoring animal companions and the belief in their supernatural qualities.



In medieval Welsh triads, Cabal is listed among the 'Three Chief Hunting Dogs of the Island of Britain,' cementing his status in Celtic mythology. The legend reflects the ancient Celtic reverence for hunting dogs and their role in royal courts, where they were valued not just as working animals but as companions with almost human-like status and sometimes magical attributes. The enduring story of Cabal's paw print demonstrates how animal companions could achieve legendary status in Celtic culture, bridging the practical world of hunting with the mystical realm of Arthurian legend.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene presides over a hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 26.
Individuals named Caillen are often perceived as possessing strong, resilient personalities with natural leadership qualities. They tend to exhibit determination and perseverance in facing challenges, reflecting the name's warrior connotations. Their approach to life is typically practical and grounded, with a strong sense of loyalty to family and community. These traits often make them reliable friends and partners who can be counted on during difficult times.



Beyond their strength-oriented characteristics, Caillens often display a balanced temperament that combines traditional values with modern adaptability. They frequently possess quiet confidence rather than overt aggression, demonstrating their strength through consistent action rather than loud proclamation. Many Caillens show particular aptitude for problem-solving and strategic thinking, skills that serve them well in both personal and professional contexts. Their combination of traditional solidity and contemporary flexibility makes them well-suited to navigate the complexities of modern life while maintaining their core identity.
NEED TO KNOW

Eric Trump revealed what his brother Barron Trump told Joe Biden during the presidential inauguration in January

The moment, which quickly went viral, showed Barron shaking Bidens hand and sharing a few words

The exchange took place just minutes before Donald Trump gave his inaugural address, which featured scathing criticisms of the Biden administration

Eric Trump has revealed what younger brother Barron Trump said to Joe Biden at the presidential inauguration in January, moments before Donald Trump's scathing inauguration speech against the Biden administration.

Eric, 41, spoke about the viral moment, as well as the speculation surrounding it, while appearing on the Nov. 14 episode of The Megyn Kelly Show.

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Do you remember that whole controversy where [Barron] went up to Biden  and [the media] had all these like lip-reading experts [analyze it], and theyre like, Barron just told Biden to go F himself?  Eric recalled of the moment when his sibling shook the former presidents hand and said a few words. (Barron did the same with former vice president Kamala Harris.)

Barron shakes hands with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris after the swearing-in ceremony pic.twitter.com/FnbYrRXKju  Charlie Spiering (@charliespiering) January 20, 2025

So one night  I call Barron, I go, Buddy, look, what did you actually say? And he goes, you know, like  it was something so polite I almost wouldnt even get it right  but [something], like, Congratulations and best of luck to you  or something like that," he continued. "Something very respectful.

Eric went on to recall how he once spoke about the moment with podcaster and entrepreneur Patrick Bet David, telling him that Barron is not one to get confrontational. "He doesnt have that in him," he said.

"Hes a nice guy. Hes probably thinking it. He definitely has it up here [motioning to his head], but like, hes too courteous to actually go out there and say it," Eric added. Barrons a really nice kid,



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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Barron Trump at the 2025 presidential inauguration in Washington D.C. Barron Trump at the 2025 presidential inauguration in Washington D.C.

The moment between Barron and Biden took place just after Donald was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States, but before his inaugural address.

The address lasted over 30 minutes, and much of the speech entailed rebuking Biden's administration, while the former president sat just feet away.



Donald said that, under his leadership, he would end what he viewed as censorship on free speech, direct the government to only recognize two genders, ensure students don't "feel ashamed" by their curriculum and "drill, baby, drill."

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He concluded his speech with the idea that a new era was coming, stating, "Our golden age has just begun."



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Donald is a father to five children total. He shares sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., plus daughter Ivanka Trump, with late ex-wife Ivana Trump, daughter Tiffany Trump with ex-wife Marla Maples and Barron with wife Melania Trump.

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The British royal family hasnt exactly had the easiest few months. Or past years, if were being honest. From King Charles cancer diagnosis to the fact that Kate Middleton fought the disease, the health news has already been bad. And then theres the Andrew drama, which is more consequences of his actions than anything, but that has had repercussions on everyone in the family, particularly amid discussions on why the former Prince was protected for so long.

Now, Queen Camillas son Tom, revealed that his beloved dog Maud was brutally attacked by another dog and has been left fighting for her life. Tom Parker Bowles shared that while walking his small Jack Russell on Kensington High Street this week, the dog was assaulted by a vast dog. Maud is currently in the emergency vet after undergoing surgery to save her life.

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Related: Heres what each royal inherited from Queen Elizabeth

It [the large dog] spotted Maud, dragged the owner off his feet and brutally attacked her, Tom Parker Bowles wrote. It was 15 stone, at least. Maud is about 2 stone. I eventually managed to fight off the beast, rolling about on the pavement, and desperately trying to unlock its jaws from her tiny torso. It seemed like hours, but was probably no more than 30 seconds. Maud was very, very seriously injured, and has been undergoing very serious surgery.

Parker Bowles went on to thank the people who helped him in the moment and Village Vet London in Chiswick whom he says saved his dogs life, adding, It may all seem a bit sh*t at the moment. But there are so many good people out there. The kindness of strangers is immense, adding, Dont believe all the cr*p about London. Its still the greatest city on earth and Im so very proud to be a Londoner.

The scary moment comes as recent reports about the Kings health have been concerning. Rob Shuters Substack, recently reported that the King is dying and his health has forced Prince William to carry out more royal duties. According to Shuter, Charles is seriously unwell but determined to carry on, with a source saying that, Hes exhausted, but he wont stop. Every morning he insists on reading his red boxes. He believes his service to the country is his calling  and hell keep going as long as he can.

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Reportedly, preparations are already underway. RadarOnline said, The palace is desperately trying to downplay the seriousness of His Majestys illness, adding, But Charles knows its the end, and so do his sons. William is formally making plans for his version of the future of the monarchy  with or without Charles blessing  and making his own decisions as king.

The reports even indicated the King has been personally involved in plans for his funeral, and wants it to be big. There will be no expenses spared, another insider claimed. He hasnt been king for long, but hes been a loyal servant for over 70 years.

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Comedian Jeff Dye is joining the growing wave of entertainers leaving Los Angeles behind.

During a Nov. 2 appearance on "The Joe Rogan Experience," the 42-year-old "Modern Family" alum revealed he was buying a house in Texas after becoming deeply concerned by the direction California was taking under the leadership of Gov. Gavin Newsom.

"Im kind of in this kind of LA thing, and I could be guilty of being a victim of what Im absorbing in my algorithm. But Gavin Newsom scares the s--- out of me and I dont want to be a part of it," Dye said.

Comedian Jeff Dye announced he is buying a house in Texas as he expresses concern about California's direction.

Dye also noted he was alarmed by the state and city governments' response to the fires that devastated parts of LA in January.

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Rogan And Carolla Shred Newsom, Say He Should Blame Palisades Fire On Bad Management, Not Climate Change

"Those fires were quite a wake-up call," he said. "Even if, you know, whatever you believe about the fires, the way it was dealt with was pretty scary."

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"It was not competent, thats for sure," Rogan agreed.

"Even the aftermath," Dye added.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Newsom's office for comment.

Dye said California Gov. Gavin Newsom "scares the s--- out of me."

La Comedian Calls Newsom An 'Empty Suit' That Allowed The City To Be Burned Down

The LA fires scorched over 55,000 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 buildings and caused at least 29 deaths. The two largest fires were the Palisades Fire, which burned 6,837 buildings and killed 12 people, and the Eaton Fire, which decimated 9,414 buildings and claimed 18 lives.

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Both Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass faced immediate backlash over the management of the fires. Critics alleged that, despite recurring wildfire risk, authorities had not done enough in advance to mitigate the danger. Among the issues raised were water supply problems and firefighting resources being stretched or compromised.

Many residents and some local officials have expressed frustration with the slow recovery in the wake of the fires, citing bureaucratic challenges, significant delays with permitting, insurance disputes and infrastructure concerns.

Danica Mckellar Explains Why La Has Lost Its Appeal As More Celebrities Flee Hollywood

During Dye's appearance on the podcast, the comedian and Rogan also slammed celebrities who declared that they would leave the United States if President Donald Trump was elected for a second term.

Dye and Rogan also discussed celebrities who said they would leave the United States due to President Trump.

"They go, 'Im going to move.' They make those kind of threats," Dye said.

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"Some people do move," Rogan pointed out.

"Yeah, some people do," Dye agreed. "I respect Rosie [O'Donnell] and Ellen [DeGeneres] for that."

In March, O'Donnell said she fled the country with her child Clay on Jan. 15, five days before President Trumps inauguration.

At the time, the former "The View" host said she was living in Ireland and was in the process of applying for Irish citizenship.

Rosie O'donnell Calls Ellen Degeneres Friendship Betrayal 'One Of The Most Painful Things' In Her Life

"Its been pretty wonderful, I have to say," O'Donnell said in a video on TikTok. "And the people have been so loving, so kind and so welcoming. And Im very grateful.

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"Although I was someone who never thought I would move to another country, thats what I decided would be the best for myself and my 12-year-old child.

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"You know, I'm happy. Clay is happy. I miss my other kids. I miss my friends. I miss many things about life there at home, and I'm trying to find a home here in this beautiful country. And when it is safe for all citizens to have equal rights there in America, that's when we will consider coming back."

Dye praised Rosie O'Donnell and Ellen DeGeneres for leaving the country.

In November 2024, DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi relocated from Montecito, California, to the Cotswolds region in England.

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During her first U.K. appearance since relocating, DeGeneres said the move was initially meant to be a part-time getaway but became permanent after Trump's re-election.

Dye also noted that the LA fires were a "wake-up call."

"We got here the day before the election and woke up to lots of texts from our friends with crying emojis, and I was like, He got in'," DeGeneres said, according to the Bbc . "And were like, Were staying here'."

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While speaking with Rogan, Dye said it was "dumb that they left because now they just cant vote."

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"But at least they left," he added. "Hundreds of celebrities said they would leave and didnt."





Original article source: Comedian Jeff Dye joins Hollywood exodus, says LA fires were 'quite a wake-up call'
"Greys Anatomy" veteran James Pickens Jr. is opening up about his own real-life health diagnosis.

Following the Thursday, Nov. 13 midseason finale episode, ABC aired a public service announcement after the credits in which the actor, who has portrayed general surgeon Dr. Richard Webber on the medical drama for 22 seasons, revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

In the PSA video, he urged men to get screened for prostate cancer regularly.

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"One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime," said Pickens Jr. in the video. "For Black men, the risk is even higher. Fortunately, prostate cancer is highly treatable, but early detection is the key, and sometimes there are no noticeable symptoms."

James Pickens Jr at The Paley Museum on May 7, 2025, in New York City.

"Today, I'm living proof that early detection works," he added. "If you're Black, or if prostate cancer runs in your family, talk to your doctor about getting screened, starting at age 40."

In the final scenes of the "Grey's Anatomy" midseason finale, Dr. Webber opens up to Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) about his health, telling her that he's been diagnosed with cancer.

Now, the actor is going public with his experience living with the disease and has partnered with Black Health Matters to raise awareness about prevention.

James Pickens Jr. says prostate cancer has 'run through my family'

"It's not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family," he told Black Health Matters. "My father had it. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it. I would have been surprised if I hadnt gotten it."

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But Pickens Jr. added that although many family members have had it, "no one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it."

Pickens began his PSA testing when he was 41, which may have helped in the early detection of the disease. The PSA test measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen in one's blood, according to Mayo Clinic.

"PSA is a protein produced by both cancerous and noncancerous tissue in the prostate, a small gland that sits below the bladder in males," per the Mayo Clinic's website.

"My urologist said, 'Because you were so diligent in that piece of your health, it was to your advantage. We were able to catch it so early because you were being tested,'" Pickens Jr. said.

How did the 'Grey's Anatomy' star find out he had cancer?

The actor shared that last year, a blood test, or his PSA, came back with elevated numbers. It then prompted him to see a urologist, and a biopsy later confirmed he had a tumor.

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Pickens Jr. said he was given two options: radiation or a radical prostatectomy. He underwent a robotic procedure to have part of his prostate removed.

"We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take," he told Black Health Matters. "I do have a rare variant that you don't see very often. They wanted to err on the side of caution and keep an eye on it. It was rare enough that they wanted to make sure that they were crossing all the T's and dotting all their I's. But they hadn't seen one that was detected as early as mine."

Black men are more likely to develop prostate cancer

Per the Prostate Cancer Foundation, 1 in 6 Black men develops prostate cancer and are more than twice as likely to die from it.

A 2022 literature review states that prostate cancer is disproportionally more likely to present sooner, be more aggressive and lead to mortality in Black men compared to white men  emphasizing multifaceted disparities evolving from institutional racism.

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Disparities can stem from cultural factors like mistrust of the health care system and poor physicianpatient communication, to economic factors like recovery time and cancer debt.

"Grey's Anatomy" goes on hiatus after Thursday, Nov. 13, and will return on Jan. 8, 2026, with new episodes dropping weekly.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Pickens Jr, Webber on 'Grey's Anatomy,' reveals cancer diagnosis
Women named Carolyn are often perceived as balanced individuals who combine strength with compassion. They typically exhibit a natural grace and poise that makes them excellent in social situations, while maintaining a core of inner strength and resilience. Carolyns are frequently described as dependable and responsible, with a strong sense of duty and loyalty to those they care about. Their combination of traditional values and modern adaptability allows them to navigate both conservative and progressive environments with ease.



Many Carolyns demonstrate excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, making them effective in leadership roles while maintaining their approachable nature. They often possess a quiet confidence that inspires trust in others, and their balanced perspective helps them mediate conflicts and bring people together. The name suggests someone who is both grounded and aspirational, capable of handling responsibility while maintaining their warmth and approachability. This combination of traits makes Carolyns particularly effective in roles that require both emotional intelligence and practical competence.
Camille Meyer is making a candid confession about where she stands with ex-husband Kelsey Grammer.

The 57-year-old former reality star gave a shoutout to her ex, whom she divorced in 2010, during BravoCon 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada Friday. Speaking alongside her former cast members of The Real Housewives of New York, Meyer poked fun at the financial benefits of her divorce.

Thank you, Mr. Kelsey Grammer, for all that Frasier money, she teased, referring to the actors hit sitcom that ran for 11 seasons. I am living my best life.

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The kids are doing great, she added, referring to her and Kelseys two children, Mason, 24, and Jude, 21.

Masons got a new car. Judes traveling around Europe, said Meyer, who married David Meyer in 2018. Its fabulous. Thank you.

Camille Grammer quipped about living best life with Kelseys money from Fraiser (Getty Images)

During the panel, she was also asked if she was still in touch with Grammer. Unfortunately, no, she responded.

Meyer and Grammer finalized their divorce in 2011 after 13 years of marriage. The divorce came after Grammer admitted to having a fair with Kayte Walsh, whom he married in 2011.

In June 2017, Meyer received $30 million from her ex-husband, which she addressed on Andy Cohens Then & Now at the time.

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Thank God I didnt have a prenup, she said. Thank you, Kelsey. I guess you loved me at one point.

She was also later awarded 50 percent of Kelseys 401K account from the time they married in 1997 to up to when they separated in 2010.

But in 2018, she said Grammer acted as if she never existed.

Camille Grammer finalized her split from Kelsey Grammer in 2011 (Getty Images)

I dont begrudge him his happiness. Whats unnerving is that fact I was there to help him get through some of his hardships and supported his career and his sobriety, she tweeted in 2018 about Grammer, whos spoken openly about his struggles with alcohol and substance abuse. I was rt by his side and he acts like I never existed thats disappointing. We were together through his success.

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After Grammer and Walsh tied the knot in 2011, they welcomed four children: Faith, 12, Gabriel, 10, James, eight, and Christopher, who was born last month.

The 70-year-old Cheers alum announced the birth of his eighth child during an episode of the Pod Meets World podcast last month. While discussing his 2025 memoir, Karen: A Brother Remembers (about his sister who was murdered aged 18), Grammer said he and Walsh, 46, just had our fourth one, so it just became eight kids.

It was like three days ago, he said. Christopher, thats just joined the family.

Earlier this month, he spoke to People about the newest addition to the family, saying its been awesome and fantastic having a new baby.

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The family's ecstatic, he said. We're all really having a great time. It's really lovely.

Before his relationship with Meyer, Grammer was married to Doreen Alderman from 1982 to 1990 and Leigh-Anne Csuhany from 1992 to 1993. He also shares a 41-year-old daughter, Spencer, with Alderman, and a 33-year-old daughter, Greer, with ex Barrie Buckner.
King Charles has been in the public eye his whole life and today, the reigning monarch is celebrating his 77th birthday.

Born on Nov. 14, 1948, to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Charles is the first of their four children and is succeeded by siblings Princess Anne, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince Edward. He famously married Princess Diana back in 1981, and though their marriage proved to be acrimonious, he became a father to sons Prince William, born in 1982 and Prince Harry, born in 1984.

In 2005, nine years after his divorce from Diana and eight years after her death, he married his long-term love, Camilla Parker Bowles in a small ceremony held at Windsor Castle.

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Charles became the ruling monarch of the British royal family in 2022, when he ascended the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth.

See his life in photos as the royal celebrates his 77th birthday.

01 of 17

King Charles' Early Years

Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Getty Images

Charles Philip Arthur George was born on Nov. 14, 1948 at Buckingham Palace. At the time, his grandfather, King George VI was still reigning supreme.

Above, Queen Elizabeth watches her young son driving in a toy car on the grounds of Balmoral Castle in 1952.

02 of 17

King Charles Bonds with Princess Anne

Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa/Getty Images

Being Queen Elizabeth's oldest child comes with the duties of a future monarch ... and the great responsibility of being a big brother. Princess Anne, who was born in 1950, and King Charles share a laugh in this adorable 1952 photo.

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03 of 17

King Charles and the Great Outdoors

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Growing up, Charles had the Balmoral Estate as his playground. In this photo, then-Prince Charles and Princess Anne are pushed on a swing by their father, Prince Philip, with their mother looking and smiling.

04 of 17

King Charles' Teenage Years

Keystone-FranceGamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Charles dressed to kil(t). The seemingly shy royal joined his mother for an appearance in 1967.

05 of 17

King Charles with His Family

George Freston/Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty The British Royal Family The British Royal Family

Charles and his siblings helped their parents celebrate their silver wedding anniversary back in 1972. The family is captured sharing a laugh in this candid moment from their photoshoot.

06 of 17

King Charles and His Love for Dogs

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The love for dogs clearly runs in the family. The future king posed with an adorable pup outside the castle in 1978.

07 of 17

King Charles Takes the Driver's Seat

Tim Graham/Getty

Charles took a spin behind the wheel of his 1975 Range Rover in 1979. This same vehicle  which he used while dating Princess Diana  was auctioned for 101,150 (over $133,000) in 2018.

08 of 17

King Charles Marries Princess Diana

Anwar Hussein/WireImage Princess Diana and Prince Charles Princess Diana and Prince Charles

Then-Prince Charles married Princess Diana in a lavish ceremony held at St. Paul's Cathedral in 1981.

09 of 17

King Charles Becomes a Father

Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Prince Charles and His Family Prince Charles and His Family

Despite a rocky marriage, the couple welcomed two sons, Prince William on July 21, 1982 and Prince Harry on Sept. 15, 1984. Here, they pose together in coordinating outfits at Kensington Palace.

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10 of 17

King Charles and Sons at the River Dee

Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images)

Charles passed on his love for the outdoors to his sons. In 1987, they were photographed playing on the bank of the River Dee near Balmoral Estate.

11 of 17

King Charles Divorces Diana

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Princess Diana and Charles were married for a tumultuous 15 years before they divorced in August 1996.

12 of 17

King Charles and His Sons

Tim Graham/Getty Images

Charles sported a monochromatic green ensemble while exploring the verdant outdoors. In this shot, the king visits Glenmuick on the Balmoral Castle estate with his sons.

13 of 17

King Charles Marries Queen Camilla

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Almost a decade after his divorce and the death of Princess Diana, King Charles and Queen Camilla tied the knot at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle on April 9, 2005.

14 of 17

King Charles and Queen Camilla's First Wedding Anniversary

Charles and Camilla spent their first anniversary at Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland. They dressed for the occasion in matching tartan.

15 of 17

King Charles' Family Grows

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Charles is now a grandfather of five! He's the proud granddad to Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, from Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, as well as Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

16 of 17

King Charles Is Coronated

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images King Charles III and Queen Camilla

King Charles became the sovereign ruler of the United Kingdom following Queen Elizabeth's death on Sept. 8, 2022. He was later coronated on May 6, 2023, at which time his wife became Queen Camilla.

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17 of 17

King Charles Today

Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty King Charles III King Charles III

In February 2024, the palace shared that, following a procedure to treat a benign enlarged prostate that January, Charles had been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing treatment (a spokesman clarified he does not have prostate cancer).

The King followed doctors' orders and opted out of public-facing work for three months, but continued to undertake state business and paperwork behind the scenes. He resumed his outside work in April 2024, though palace sources said his treatment for cancer would continue into this year.

He returned to work in March 2025 and has kept his schedule since.

Read the original article on People
Ali Larter and her husband, Hayes MacArthur, have been together for more than 15 years.

The Landman actress and MacArthur, who has starred in Life As We Know It and How I Met Your Mother, first met on the set of Homo Erectus in 2005. Four years later, they got married.

The couple have welcomed two children since: son Theodore Hayes in 2010 and daughter Vivienne Margaret in 2015.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the family went on a road trip north and drove through the town of Sun Valley, Idaho. What was supposed to be a two-month adventure ended up becoming their new home.

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People look out for each other," Larter told RUE Magazine in September 2024. "Theres a real sense of community here and were so happy to be a part of it."

So who is Ali Larters husband? Heres everything to know about comedian Hayes MacArthur and his relationship with the actress.

MacArthur grew up in Chicago

Amy Sussman/Getty Hayes MacArthur and Ali Larter attend the Los Angeles premiere of Paramount+'s "Landman" at Paramount Theatre on November 12, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Hayes MacArthur and Ali Larter attend the Los Angeles premiere of Paramount+'s "Landman" at Paramount Theatre on November 12, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.

MacArthur was born in Chicago on April 16, 1977.

The actor is proud of his Illinois upbringing and has made clear on Instagram that while he raised his children in Los Angeles and Idaho, he has instilled in them a deep sense of Chicago pride.

In 2019, he shared a photo of him and his daughter in matching wetsuits in front of a California beach, writing in the caption, Imagine the confusion when I tell her shes really from Chicago.

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MacArthur appears to have also raised his children to be loyal to Chicago teams, sharing a snap on Instagram of him with both children in his arms, donning Cubs gear in 2019.

He got his start in stand-up comedy

Hayes MacArthur/Instagram Ali Larter and Hayes MacArthur in February 2025. Ali Larter and Hayes MacArthur in February 2025.

After graduating from Bowdoin College in 1999, MacArthur moved to L.A. to pursue comedy. He studied with the legendary comedy troupe The Groundlings, which boasts alums like Will Ferrell, Lisa Kudrow and Kristen Wiig.

MacArthur bonded with late-night host Seth Meyers over his past living with the comedian's brother, Josh Meyers, as well as actor Ike Barinholtz. During a 2016 appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, MacArthur joked about the house they lived in, which they referred to as Camp Hollywood.

It was a camp in the way that you refer to [Guantanamo Bay] as a camp, it was an awful place, he said, reminiscing on the rat infestation that the comedians dealt with while living there.

He comes from a family of actors

Phillip Faraone/Getty Hayes MacArthur and Ali Larter attend The Art Of Elysium's 11th Annual Celebration on January 6, 2018 in Santa Monica, California. Hayes MacArthur and Ali Larter attend The Art Of Elysium's 11th Annual Celebration on January 6, 2018 in Santa Monica, California.

The MacArthurs have ties to Hollywood that date back generations.

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MacArthur revealed an Old Hollywood connection in a tribute to his grandmother, Shirley, whom he credited as the woman who put Coca Cola on the map, in a series of posts supporting the SAG-AFTRA strike on Instagram.

MacArthur's brother, Scott MacArthur, is also an actor, writer and producer best known for his roles in Running Point, No Hard Feelings and Foxs The Mick.

Larter and MacArthur married in Maine

Katie Jones/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Hayes MacArthur and Ali Larter. Hayes MacArthur and Ali Larter.

Larter and MacArthur reportedly met while costarring in the comedy Homo Erectus in 2005. The two got engaged later in December 2007 after two years of dating.

The pair wed at MacArthur's family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, on Aug. 1, 2009. Larter wore a sweetheart neckline gown by Vera Wang, along with Jimmy Choo platform sandals.

They are parents of two children

Ali Larter/ Instagram Ali Larter and husband Hayes MacArthur with their two kids, son Theodore and daughter Vivienne. Ali Larter and husband Hayes MacArthur with their two kids, son Theodore and daughter Vivienne.

Larter and MacArthur are the proud parents to two children. Their son, Teddy, was born on Dec. 20, 2010.

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To feel this life growing inside of me grounds me every day and really puts things into perspective about whats important in life, Larter told PEOPLE during her pregnancy. It really is your health and your family.

Their daughter, Vivienne, was born Jan. 15, 2015. After becoming a mom of two, Larter said she found it more challenging to balance all the different roles in her life.

"Its figuring out that balance and somehow trying to find some time for your husband and for work  and for yourself," she told PEOPLE in May 2015.

They moved their family from L.A. to Idaho

Hayes MacArthur/Instagram Ali Larter, Hayes MacArthur and their children. Ali Larter, Hayes MacArthur and their children.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple made a big family decision.

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Together with their two children and their Bernese Mountain dog, Nala, they packed up their home in L.A. and moved to a small town in Idaho. Larter told RUE Magazine in September 2024 that the move came after a family road trip north.

We figured it was an opportunity to go on an adventure as a family, and we just started driving north, she said.

The family drove into Sun Valley, Idaho, and was instantly captivated by its quiet grandness. The couple decided it was the place they would call home from that point on.

While the two are no longer located in Hollywood, the center of both of their careers, theyre not bothered by a long commute.

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Actors are natural nomads and travel is part of our DNA, MacArthur said.

Theyve found the peace they were searching for in Idaho. MacArthur joked that their small town forces them to live at a slower pace.

The mountains have a way of grounding you and slowing you down  especially when youre stuck in traffic because theres a herd of elk blocking the road, he said.

Read the original article on People
The Gist

Prince Harry's latest trip to Canada appears to be sparking mixed communications from the Sussex team and Buckingham Palace, People reports.

Palace aides reportedly told the publication they were not informed that Prince Harry would be traveling to Toronto for Remembrance Day events earlier this month.

Prince Harry's team previously said that the royal communications team was aware of his scheduled travel.

Prince Harrys latest trip to Canada is reportedly sparking a he said, she said situation with Buckingham Palace, according to People. The Duke of Sussex has been making inroads in his fractured relationship with the royal family, including recently meeting with his father King Charlesa surprise reunion that a former royal aide called a massive step in the right direction. However, the Palace is reportedly disputing claims that Prince Harrys team informed them about his recent trip to Toronto, which overlapped with Prince Williams week of royal appearances in Brazil.

Earlier this month, Prince Harry announced that he was heading to Canada to take part in Remembrance Day events with a number of charities. While the timing of the trip raised some eyebrowsPrince Harry was scheduled to step out on November 5 in Canada, the same day as Prince Williams Earthshot Prize ceremony in Rio de Janeirothe Duke of Sussexs team claimed that the charities were responsible for setting his dates and that the royal communications team was aware of Prince Harrys schedule.

Getty Images Prince Harry and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the 'International Year of The Reef' 2018 meeting at Fishmongers Hall on February 14, 2018 Prince Harry and Prince Charles, Prince of Wales attend the 'International Year of The Reef' 2018 meeting at Fishmongers Hall on February 14, 2018

However, People now reports that Palace aides say they were surprised by the announcement and were not informed in advance. Earlier this year, The Mail on Sunday reported that Prince Harry offered to keep the royal family in the know about his official schedule of engagements and any possible appearances, ensuring that there were no conflicts and easing concerns about being overshadowed.

Getty Images Prince William, Prince of Wales speaks at the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly in Pier Maua during day three of his visit to Brazil on November 5 Prince William, Prince of Wales speaks at the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly in Pier Maua during day three of his visit to Brazil on November 5

The miscommunication reports come shortly after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted stepping out at Kris Jenners 70th birthday party. The couple, who reportedly arrived hand-in-hand and looked very happy at the star-studded Beverly Hills bash, appeared in now-deleted photos in Jenner and Kim Kardashians Instagram posts from the evening.

Getty Images rince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Serena Williams and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the 2025 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on November 8 rince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Serena Williams and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the 2025 Baby2Baby Gala Presented By Paul Mitchell at Pacific Design Center on November 8

People initially reported that Harrywho wore a meaningful red poppy pin on the lapel of his jacket in a nod to Remembrance Sundayand Meghan reportedly checked no on a photo consent form when they arrived, signaling that they didnt agree to have photos of themselves shared from the event. However, another source close to the event later told the publication that this was not the case as "there were no consent forms."

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The CWs Harlequin romance slate kicks off with a heartwarming romance in Montana Mavericks. The film, which is inspired by the book series of the same name, takes viewers through a writers search for words.

Heather is a best-selling author who has struggled to write since her mothers death. When she learns that she inherited the family ranch, she brings her friends with her to Montana to sell it. The trip is supposed to be a reset so she can deliver the book pages she owes her editor, but when Heather is reunited with her childhood friend Cliff, she finds herself questioning whether New York City is really the right place for her anymore.

Full of charm, with a dash of city vs. country stereotypes thatll make you roll your eyes in amusement, Montana Mavericks is the kind of movie that shines on broadcast.

Key Takeaways

Banter fuels this romance

Friendship is at the heart of the story

Pairing the spares only works for one of the supporting characters

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READ: Stream classic B&B episodes on the CW app.

Watching Is Time Well-Spent

Readers who enjoy Harlequin romances know exactly what theyre getting with Montana Mavericks, but for the uninitiated, its worth noting that this film is similar to a Hallmark movie, albeit with more sass. Its a closed-door romance, so the spice the imprint is sometimes known for isnt present. However, the banter between Heather (Katherine McNamara) and Cliff (Dennis Andres) sells their spark right from the moment they reunite.

The pair had known each other since they were five years old. A time when jumping from the hay loft sounds like a good idea until you actually hit the ground. Heather getting herself into a mess becomes a running gag in the movie, as does Cliffs pig, Molly, escaping her pen due to her affinity for Heather. The film loves a good joke, and not all of them land, but itll have you grinning from ear to ear as you watch.

As will the friendship between Heather, Emily (Linda Kee), and Jess (Kaya Coleman). Its been a year since Heathers mother passed away, and Emily and Jess have been doing what they can to support their friend. While two weeks in Montana turns into their opportunity to grow, too, theyre at the ranch for Heather, and the plot reflects this reality. Still, the duo does get their own storylines.

L-R: Linda Kee as Emily, Katherine McNamara as Heather, and Kaya Coleman as Jess in Montana Mavericks

Side Romance Struggles

Emily is figuring out the next steps after walking away from the law firm she had poured all her time into for years. Since Heather needs a lot of help with the ranch, she finds herself flexing her skill set throughout the movie. This leads her to share scenes with Wade, the newly minted lawyer in charge of selling Heathers ranch. Unfortunately, their scenes are nothing to write home about and are often played for comic relief. Jess, however, fares better in the romance department.

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While Heather and Cliff make this movie sing beyond the strong bond between the trio, Jess and Olivias (Kaylee Sapieha) love story is serviceable. Jess is a womanizer who never remembers the names of the women she takes home for the night. But when Olivia, a local bartender and drummer, cant be easily charmed, the artist finds herself having to be open and honest about what she wants, even if it makes her uncomfortable. Their exchanges are a nice addition to Montana Mavericks that gives the film some lift outside of the main romance.

Heathers Search for Herself

Ultimately, this Harlequin movie is about Heather. The major conflict around her book deadline and the ranch couldnt possibly be solved in two weeks, especially since shes a personal essayist, but thats not the point. Healing as she learns to navigate life without her mothers presence is and thats helped along by her friends and Cliff. He has his own heartbreak to contend with regarding the direction his life has taken. Being a small town veterinarian wasnt exactly his dream, but Heather has him taking a risk with his heart, which is a joy to watch.

Their journey into love may feel rushed in the end, given the amount of time thats supposed to have transpired, but McNamara and Andres chemistry more than makes up for it. The pair gives solid performances thatll leave the audience rooting for them as they determine the best path forward for their lives.

Final Verdict: Montana Mavericks is the perfect start to The CWs foray into original movies. The banter-filled romance is a charming addition to the networks offerings as it leans into the kind of programming broadcast viewers enjoy while maintaining the whimsy and cheek The CW built its name on. With comically splashy outfits, a heartwarming core friendship, and a love story thats rooted in healing, the film is made for a good night in.

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This story was originally reported on Soap Hub on November 16, 2025. Add Soap Hub as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Franco-Egyptian filmmaker Namir Abdel Messeehs Life After Siham is screening in the Special Screenings section of the Cairo Intl. Film Festival, on Nov. 19 and Nov. 20, having previously received development support at the 2021 Cairo Film Connection. In addition to playing in Cairo, it is also screening in IDFA, Turin and Marrakech.

The autobiographical hybrid-doc is produced by Messeehs production company Oweda Films, in co-production with Camille Laemle, via Paris-based Les Films dIci, and supported by two Egyptian producing partners  Ambient Light and Red Star. It is distributed by Meteore Films. The sales company is Split Screen.

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After its world premiere at ACID in Cannes 2025, the film screened in Zurich and recently won the El Gouna Star Award for Best Arab Documentary in El Gouna Festival in Egypt.

The film builds on themes that Messeeh developed in his debut feature-length documentary, The Virgin, the Copts and Me, which screened at Cannes, Berlin and CPH:DOX, and was released theatrically in France, with 112,000 admissions.

Both projects are linked to his parents, who were forced into exile in France in the 1970s, after his father was imprisoned under Nassers regime, due to his communist affiliations.

In his new film, Messeeh interacts with his late parents and explores the power of film to revive memories and bring back lost ones. The director spoke with Variety about the film, and its development process, that spanned over a decade.

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How did your project come about?

After my previous film, my mother told me shed be willing to work on a new film, but wanted me to make a real film this time  with actors, like the classic Egyptian films. I started working on a script, but when I found out she had advanced cancer, I told her, were going to make a film together very quickly, but she died soon after, in 2014.

I started to make a film as an act of survival and resistance  to say that shes still here, in a way. With the help of my camerman, Nicolas Duchene, we filmed her funeral and then I filmed some sequences with my father. But it was too painful, and I stopped completely for a few years. Much later, I showed the images to a friend of mine who is an editor and he told me I had to make the film. Because its a universal story.

You originally planned to include more fictional elements?

Yes, I wrote a screenplay in which there were images of my mother and the funeral, but the rest was fictionalized. Thats what we presented at the Cairo Film Connection. But after around three years of development, in which we presented the film to television stations, investors, and the CNC, we couldnt get funding, I felt like giving up. Instead I decided to film some scenes with my father. I called Camille, my co-producer. We shot some new footage with my father and from the moment we started editing the film with all the documentary material, we realized we didnt need to shoot the fictionalized scenes. Instead we got the idea of using archive films to try to tell the story  the scenes that were missing from my film. So its really a film that was constructed, that invented itself, that rewrote itself completely, during the editing process.

How important was it to have the world premiere at Cannes?

We presented it to the Cannes festival because we thought this film has no chance of being released in the cinema and to find an audience unless we showed it in a major international festival. Cannes saw a rough cut of the film and said, Well take it, and from then on everything accelerated. We showed an almost finished version at Cannes and had a great reception. Then we went back to the editing room because there were still things to finalize the sound, the music. We finished the final version of the film, which was screened in Zurich, where it received some awards, then we went to the El Gouna Festival, where we received three awards. So the film is starting to have a career.

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Your father is a key presence in the film.

Immediately after the funeral, I filmed a few days with him. Then in 2023 we had this crisis, when everyone was saying no to the film. My father was living in a nursing home, and we learned he was soon going to die, and I thought to myself, I absolutely have to film something before he passes away. I started the film with my mothers death because I didnt want to accept that she had died, and the film ends with coming to terms with my fathers death. Its a moment when we learn to say I love you and say goodbye, and accept the fact that life goes on, that death is part of life, which is traumatic for everyone. The film has had a therapeutic dimension for me.

How have people reacted in the screenings?

The reactions have been really very nice. From people who have lost their parents, or whose parents were dying, who saw the film and told us, We cried, but it made us feel good because it was a kind of permission, to say goodbye. Some people told me that after seeing the film it made them want to go talk to their parents.

Why has it been important for you to screen the film in Egypt, first in El Gouna and now in Cairo?

Its like bringing my parents back to Egypt. They left Egypt in 1970s, not because they didnt love their country, but due to political and financial reasons. We always have lived in Egypt, in our hearts. In my early years, I was brought up in Egypt by my aunt. My parents always remained Egyptians. My father, even in France, lived in Egypt. He read all the Egyptian newspapers, he mainly had Egyptian friends. In his heart, he was always in Egypt. We were able to return to Egypt in the holidays. But it was an exile, something irrevocable. They were buried in France. Making this film, and showing it in Egypt and receiving prizes, is like bringing them back to their homeland.

How have Egyptian audiences reacted to the film?

When we showed the film in El Gouna, it was really beautiful because at first I sensed that the spectators were very disturbed, because I was exposing a personal story, an intimate story in front of the camera, where people talk very openly about death and all that. I think that the audience was a bit unsettled at first, but something really incredible happened. At one point in the film, there was a shift and the audience felt entitled, I cant put it any other way, to accept the emotions that they themselves experienced while watching the film. They started laughing and they started to cry. At the end of the film, it was incredible. There were spectators who came up to me, who came to hug me, and kiss me. Complete strangers. Even though this involves taboo subject for us. Theres a level of modesty in Arab countries  certain topics are not discussed, even less so in front of the camera. Matters of love and death, everything related to feelings between children and parents.

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How important were festivals for development of the film?

Very important. The support we received wasnt large sums, but psychologically it was hugely important, because suddenly there were people who said they believed in our project. Development support included the Atlas Workshops, the Cairo Film Connection, the Arab Culture Fund, the Doha Film Institute and CineGouna. We also had two Egyptian co-producers  Ambient Light and Red Star  who put money into the film. I also invested some of my own money to get the film made. My father passed away, and I invested some of my fathers inheritance. I thought to myself, it makes sense that this legacy can be used to make a film that is a tribute to my parents. Once we were in the editing stage, we also managed to get some assistance from France, from the CNC, and from the Ile-de-France region.

What role was played by your coproducer, Camille Laemle?

She was always my safety net. She was the one who always managed to help me find the balance  of never being too close or too far away from my subject. Camilles mother died during production of the film and so it wasnt just my film. Benoit Alavoine, the films editor, had lost his father a few years earlier. So in a way we were all orphans.

The archive images from Youssef Chahines films play an important role.

I used these images to transform my parents into fictional film heroes. By using the images from films directed by Youssef Chahine, precisely because Ive recovered some old images from his films and used them to recreate a kind of fiction. In a way its as if I kept my promise and fulfilled my mothers wish to make a real film.

Was it difficult to gain permission to use images from the Youssef Chahine archive?

We were really lucky, because Marianne Khoury, Youssef Chahines producer, and her associates, who own the rights, knows me, and likes my work, and she really supported us on the project. She made it feasible to use the images. I also hope that this has allowed me to revive certain films and a certain kind of cinema. Next year, its the centenary of Youssef Chahines birth. I think his films will be re-released in cinemas and I hope that my film will also help to restore peoples desire to discover this type of cinema.

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What opportunities does the Cairo Film Festival offer?

Cairo is a festival that attracts large audiences, from the general public. El Gouna has a higher proportion of industry professionals. In Cairo, the spectators come from all walks of life. Theyre curious to discover films and otherwise dont necessarily have access to them. Its extremely important. Even my family, my Egyptian family, for example, are coming to see the film. So its a great accomplishment to screen the film in Cairo.

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Per Islamic doctrine, sirat refers to the bridge over Hell that all spirits must traverse in order to arrive at eternal paradise. A text card explaining this concept (thinner than a strand of hair and sharper than a sword) opens Spanish filmmaker Oliver Laxes fourth feature, which earned the Jury Prize following its Cannes premiere. Although Sirat explicitly outlines the perilous path that its central group of rave attendees inevitably embarks on, the events that follow are breakneck in their unpredictability at every winding turn. Elevating the emotional tenor of the film is Kangding Rays high-intensity score, which raises the heart rate in sync with the sucker-punches that Laxe and recurrent co-writer Santiago Fillol relentlessly throw.

The barren Moroccan desert serves as the setting for Sirat, the harsh elements in stark contrast with the strobing lightshow emanating from a guerilla techno function. As ravers dance (or hobble, depending on their level of intoxication) to the music, two misfits appear. Straightlaced, middle-aged Luis (Sergi Lopez) and his shaggy-haired adolescent son Esteban (Bruno Nunez Arjona) amble amid a sea of festivalgoers, each clutching a stack of flyers. Plastered upon the pages is a photo of Mar, Luis adult daughter, who they havent seen or heard from in five months. Their only clue lies in her obsession with the rave scene, meaning that the pair and their adorable pup Pipa have been traveling all over their native Spain to no avail, their pursuit now bringing them to Morocco.

Most of the people they encounter are too blissed out to engage with their plight, save for a ragtag group of five techno lifersplayed by non-professional actors, a choice Laxe has made on several of his filmssitting on the sidelines. Their faces are leathery and tan. Several are missing limbs. Theyre tatted, pierced, dyed, and grungy. Appearances aside, theyre compelled to help. While they havent seen Mar, they do mention that theyll be venturing to another rave deep in the Sahara, this one near Mauritania. Its supposed to be a ragermaybe Mar will be there?

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Before Luis and Esteban can ascertain any finer details, a military caravan descends upon the illicit gathering. Theyre not simply here to shut down the partytheyve arrived with the directive to evacuate E.U. citizens. Apparently, WWIII is on the brink of breaking out, which threatens to instantly destabilize the region. As soldiers usher everyone out of the desert, Luis and Esteban witness their new acquaintances break away from the pack in oversized RVs. Now even more desperate to track down Mar, Luis and Esteban impulsively follow them into the dusty horizon in their much dinkier truck.

So the group begins their journey, forming a gradual kinship along the way. Try as they might, however, they cant escape the consequences of the conflict that unfolds just out of view. Is this what the end of the world feels like? asks Bigui (Richard Bellamy), a mohawked yet oddly innocent older punk. It certainly seems so; the world that Sirat takes place in feels only like a slightly accelerated version of our own, one where humanitys most troubling trajectories are sustained. Genocide, ethnic cleansing, state-sanctioned disenfranchisement, environmental poisoning and countless other injustices constantly flood our feeds, everyone clamoring to protest (or posture) in a flimsy attempt at activism. As we feel increasingly helpless to productively combat these societal ills, the more alluring burying ones head in the sand might sound. With the world coming to an end, maybe one last party, one last dose of serotonin, isnt such a bad send-off before succumbing to oblivion. Hubris has historically never brought one closer to salvation, but its still worth a shot.

The PLUR mentality might not offer any physical protection, but it does sustain the groups morale. With each mounting obstacleexorbitant fuel prices, crumbling mountain roads, suffocating sand stormsthey instinctually rely on and look out for each other. The ravers rush to Pipas aid when she accidentally ingests LCD-laced feces; Luis agrees to merge their measly rations; stone-faced matriarch Stef (Stefania Gadda) gently braids Estebans hair during a pit stop. Some might erroneously label Sirat as an exercise in brutal nihilism, unrelenting in its appetite for misery. The opposite is true of the dynamic between these two parties, which is rooted in a mutual respect. Be warned, though: punks-go-poptimistic this is not. By the time the plot reaches its booming climax, everyone teeters on the edge of psychosis (ample psychedelic trips probably dont help), raw emotion rushing through all of them.

The music that Ray composes for the film is versatile and encompasses a wide range of the techno genre. During Sirats opening rave scenes, the DJs play generic Eurotrash, the thump, thump, thump mind-numbing in its one-note repetition. In fairness, it serves to evoke something deeply spiritual, a meditative mantra that unites ravers in extended prayeror perhaps a seance that bridges the divide between this mortal coil and a purgatorial, if surreally poetic, realm. As the story moves away from the music festivals, Rays score develops intricate textures, which layer upon each other to create a disquieting pulse; by the time one realizes that the erratic beat has caused a latent anxiety to fester, its too late to look away in anticipation of the hell that awaits those who stray from sirats narrow path.

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The idea of being confronted with temptation and trepidation in the desert is reminiscent of a classic Biblical encounter between Jesus and Satan. Laxe offers a much-too-literal takeaway during the films final moments, a sour comedown after some truly breathtaking shots of adrenaline. But as the cliche advises, its the journey Sirat takes us on that truly merits appreciation. Unlike the aforementioned adage, however, the film refuses to leave us with the satisfaction of reaching a tangible destination. The cycle of samsara begins anew, the monotonous thump, thump, thump now a salve after a series of sonic and spiritual stressors.

Director: Oliver Laxe

Writer: Oliver Laxe, Santiago Fillol

Starring: Sergi Lopez, Bruno Nunez Arjona, Richard Bellamy, Stefania Gadda, Joshua Liam Henderson, Tonin Janvier, Jade Oukid

Release Date: November 14, 2025

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If tabloids and social media existed back in the Gilded Age the way they do now, its hard to wonder what they would have made of James and Lucretia Garfields marriage. The 20th President and First Lady had quite the love story. Certainly, they stayed together in sickness and in health, until the bitter end as Garfield succumbed to his wounds caused by an assassins bullet in a Washington, D.C., train station.

In the new Netflix limited series, Death by Lightning, actors Michael Shannon and Betty Gilpin exude a lifetime of chemistry in their first scene together on their Ohio homestead as James and Lucretia, or as he refers to her lovingly, Crete. Surrounded by their children on this bucolic estate, it would be easy to pretend this was a different series in order to avoid the tragic historical outcome and hope for a happily ever after for this loving couple.

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While their later years reflected a sense of harmony offscreen, the real James and Lucretias relationship hadnt always been so smoothor particularly romantic. Looking back at their real history, one might wonder why they ever got married in the first place. Here, a look back at the relationship of James and Lucretia Garfield.

Their courtship

James Garfield and Lucretia Rudolph first met as teenagers at Geauga Seminary, a co-ed high school, in Ohio, where both were sent by their families, who valued education. He was the youngest child in a modest family, born in 1831 in a log cabin, while she, born five months later, was the eldest of four and raised with a strong sense of discipline and responsibility. They were classmates at the seminary but not yet close.

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Fate reunited them in 1851 at the Hiram Eclectic Institute, a small college founded by Lucretias father and other members of their Disciples of Christ Church, now known simply as Hiram College. When their Greek instructor fell ill, James took over teaching the class. At some point, the two made a connection before James left for a trip to Niagara Falls and when James went off to university at Williams College in Massachusetts in 1854. According to the National Parks Service, their correspondence totaled more than 1,200 letters exchanged over the course of their relationship.

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Four years later, he proposed during a buggy ride, though both had doubts. She worried he was acting out of obligation rather than love. Neither of them had any money. Still, on November 11, 1858, they were married in her familys home. Lucretia, ever the pragmatist, mailed James an invitation as a joke to ensure he would attendmaybe even slightly worried he might not show up at the altar.

The years of darkness

After they tied the knot, the Garfields settled in Hiram, Ohio, where James threw himself into his work and largely ignored his new wife. Their first years were marked by distance, both emotional and physical. Jamess growing political and military commitments meant the couple spent little time together; during their first five years of marriage, they were together only about 20 weeks.





Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

$30.18 at amazon.com

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In 1860, Lucretia gave birth to their first child, Eliza Arabella, affectionately called Trot. James left the day after her birth to resume his work. When the Civil War began, he joined the Union Army, as the Garfields were staunch abolitionists. Lucretia returned home to live with her parents. Their letters during this time mixed affection with strain as he chronicled the horrors of war. The horrible sights I have witnessed on this field I can never describe, he wrote after the battle of Shiloh on April 7, 1862 . No blaze of glory that flashes around the magnificent triumphs of war can ever atone for the unwritten and unutterable horrors of the scene of carnage.

Jamess health faltered, and while he briefly returned home to recover, Lucretia suffered a miscarriage after he went back to the front. Their second child, Harry, was born in 1863. But tragedy struck again: Trot died of diphtheria just two months later. The loss devastated both parents and further divided them. James buried his grief in work, and rumors of his affair with a young reporter for The New York Times named Lucia Calhoun nearly ended their marriage.

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But when he confessed, Lucretia urged him to confront the woman and end it for good. He thought at the time, I don't know if she can ever really love me again, Candice Millard, author of Destiny of the Republic, said during the PBS documentary Murder of a President. But he began to realize how strong she was. And from that time on, they were deeply, deeply in love.

She had an unwavering moral compass, which Garfield admired and learned from and respected her for, added historian Kathryn Allamong Jacob, also an associate at Harvard University. She had the ability to draw out the best in him and to draw him out of his self-absorption, to be a better man.

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Her forgiveness marked a turning point. We no longer love because we ought to, but because we do, Garfield later wrote. Were I free to choose out of all the world the sharer of my heart and home and life, I would fly to you and ask you to be mine as you are.

Reconciliation

Frederic Lewis - Getty Images

Their son James (Jim) was born in 1865. The entire family, including Jamess mother, then joined him in Washington, where he had been elected to Congress. They divided their time between the capital and their Ohio home, struggling financially but slowly rebuilding trust.

In 1867, Lucretia gave birth to their daughter Mollie. That same year, Jamess doctors ordered him to rest, and he took Lucretia on a four-month European tour, primarily England and France. It was the longest uninterrupted period they ever spent together. Returning home, she miscarried again, but their marriage endured this time.

By the mid-1870s, the Garfields had built a family home in Mentor, Ohio, naming it Lawnfield, today a National Historic Site. But tragedy struck once more when their young son Edward died of whooping cough in 1876.

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When the Republican Party looked to James as a presidential contender in 1880, Lucretia foresaw what was coming. I begin to be half afraid that the convention will give you the nomination, Lucretia wrote, and the place would be most unenviable with so many disappointed candidates. I dont want you to have the nomination merely because no one else can get it, I want you to have it when the whole country calls for youMy ambition does not fall short of that.

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As campaign season unfolded, Lawnfield became the stage for the first front porch campaign, with Lucretia graciously serving visitors cookies and lemonade. (It was a backwards way of how the estate got its name.)

The White House

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For two decades, Lucretia had shunned Washingtons social scene, preferring the company of books to banquets. Conscious of her inexperience, she sought advice from Harriet Stanwood Blaine, the wife of Secretary of State James Blaine. According to the White House archives, Lucretia was she was deeply conscientious and her genuine hospitality made her dinners and twice-weekly receptions enjoyable. Unlike her predecessor Lucy Hayes, a strict teetotaler, Lucretia rejected prohibition, reasoning that diplomacy required hospitality.

An educated woman herself, Lucretia supported womens rights, writing that the grinding misery of being a woman often left little room for ambition beyond the home. In her brief time as First Lady, Lucretia also successfully urged Congress to fund structural repairs for the White House, which was in deplorable condition upon their arrival, and spent hours in the Congressional Library researching the residences early design to ensure accuracy in the renovations.

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In May 1881, she fell gravely illlikely from malariaand went to New Jersey to recover. While she was away, her husband was shot by an assassin named Charles Guiteau at a Washington train station. Determined to save him, she rushed back to the White House. For eleven weeks, Lucretia stayed at Garfields bedside, her quiet strength earning the nations admiration.

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After his death, ultimately caused by an infection caused by unsterilized metal instruments the doctors used to find the bullet near his spine, Lucretia and her family returned to Ohio. However, without James, they had no source of income. But the First Ladys dedication to her husband made her an incredibly popular national figure. The public raised $360,000 (approximately $8 million today) in donations for her and the Garfield children.

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Queen Victoria, herself long widowed, also sent condolences and a wreath of white tuberose for the Presidents casket. I have anxiously watched, Queen Victoria wrote in a letter to Lucretia, the long, and fear at times, painful sufferings of your valiant husband and shared in the fluctuations between hope and fear, the former of which decreased about two months ago, and greatly to preponderate over the latterand above all I fell in deeply for you!

Lucretia devoted the rest of her life to preserving her husbands legacy, overseeing his papers and maintaining their Ohio home. She lived privately until her death in 1918.

The Garfield family tree

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James and Lucretia Garfield had seven children, five of whom survived to adulthood, and they continued their parents legacy of education and public service. Their accomplishments extended the familys influence long after James and Lucretia Garfields time in the White House.

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Their eldest surviving son, Harry, became president of Williams College and an advisor to President Theodore Roosevelt. His brother James Jim Garfield also held political positions, including Secretary of the Interior.

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Their younger sons, Irvin and Abe, pursued professional careers. Irvin earned a law degree from Harvard and practiced corporate law in Boston, serving on several civic boards. Abe studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founded a firm in Cleveland. He helped establish the Cleveland School of Architecture, now part of Case Western Reserve University, and designed several buildings still standing today.

Their only surviving daughter, Mollie, married her fathers private secretary, Joseph Stanley-Brown, in 1888. The ceremony, held in the family library at Mentor, was a double wedding shared with her brother Harry. Mollie had three children and remained active in civic work in Washington, New York, and California.

Death by Lightning is now streaming on Netflix. Watch Now

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When it comes to luxury real estate, Americas wealthiest citizens spare no expense. From Gilded Age palaces to modern mega-mansions, these estates feature amenities most of us can only dream of  private IMAX theaters, 100-car garages, and swimming pools larger than many homes.

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Gordon Pointe: Record-Setting Beachfront Luxury

For those seeking beachfront opulence, a nine-acre compound in Naples, Florida, called Gordon Pointe, set the record for the most expensive home for sale in the U.S. at $295 million in February 2024, Robb Report reported.

Two Modern Mega-Mansions

Modern billionaires are building equally impressive estates. The Angelo Estate in Beverly Hills, designed by master architect Ed Tuttle in 2012, spans a colossal 50,000 square feet across three structures. Built by Anthony Pritzker, an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune worth $4.1 billion per Mabumbe, the property features parking for up to 100 cars, a nightclub, movie theater, bowling alley, and even a panic room.

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The Manor in Holmby Hills boasts a jaw-dropping 123 rooms with 14 bedrooms and 27 bathrooms across its 56,500-square-foot floor plan, making it 1,500 square feet bigger than the White House, Love Property notes. Built by legendary TV producer Aaron Spelling, the mansion requires a staff of 50 just to keep it running.

Even Billionaire Homes Can Struggle To Sell

Even with eye-watering price tags, these properties often struggle to find buyers. Casa Encantada in Bel-Air, a 40,000-square-foot mansion that once belonged to hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, was still for sale in April 2025 for the reduced price of $175 million after initially listing at $250 million, Love Property reports.

Villa Vittoriosa: Georgias Biggest Family Home

Hip-hop mogul Rick Ross owns Villa Vittoriosa in Georgia, which Love Property identifies as the biggest family residence in the state. The home features 12 bedrooms and 21 bathrooms, as well as a bowling alley and a dining room fit for 100 guests. The outdoor pool is allegedly one of the largest private swimming pools in the United States.

The Pinnacle of American Luxury

These mega-mansions represent the pinnacle of American luxury living, where no amenity is too extravagant and no price tag too high for the ultra-wealthy. From Gilded Age railroad barons to tech billionaires, Americas largest homes continue to push the boundaries of residential architecture  and what only billionaires can afford.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The 7 Most Unbelievable Mansions in America That Only Billionaires Can Afford




Antique hunting is practically a sport in the Texas Hill Country - entire towns along Interstate 10 between Austin and San Antonio live for it. But in Boerne, one vintage shop turns that hunt into something far more joyful.

Flashback Funtiques, located at 248 S Main St, Boerne, TX 78006, isn't your average antique store, and it's easily one of the coolest destination shopping trips in the Hill Country. It's a vibrant, Americana-inspired blast to the past, with smooth-looking Coke machines, jukeboxes, pinball games and retro neon signs that make the past feel tangible again.

A Big Boy statue at Flashback Funtiques in Boerne. (Mia Valdez/MySA)





Side view of Flashback Funtiques. Located on Main Street in Boerne, Flashback Funtiques is a cult-favorite among fans of vintage antique shopping in Texas - and it's not far from San Antonio. (travelview/Getty Images)





Billy Howard, the antique store's owner, has spent five decades chasing that feeling.

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"I started going to auctions when I was 10 years old - every Friday night, Saturday night," he said. "I was really enamored by the design and the quality and history of all of this stuff. Back then, I couldn't afford this kind of stuff," he told MySA, gesturing to what is now, in earnest, an empire of vintage classics and an ode to the core of Americana.

Fifty years after buying his first vintage piece in 1975 - an old gumball machine - Howard has one of the most recognizable storefronts in Boerne; it's a place that celebrates "the good old days," with tons of ice-cold Coca-Colas, a classic Big Boy statue, and real American-made steel.

"I go to all these shows, and I buy the oldest, coolest stuff that I can find because I just think the design and the quality - wow, it's the best," he said.

An old Coca Cola Fountain Service sign. You can search for vintage Coca Cola items everywhere in the store. (Mia Valdez/MySA)





A neon Shell Gas Station sign. Flashback Funtiques is located on Boerne's historic Main Street. (Mia Valdez/MySA)





Howard's passion for vintage is inspiring. What started as a hobby of buying 50- to 75-year-old items, not technically antiques (antiques are typically 100 years old or more), ultimately helped him build a career that he loves, helping people everywhere build their own collections, reconnect with the past, and unlock core memories from a different time.

An old Coca Cola Fountain Service sign. You can search for vintage Coca Cola items everywhere in the store. (Mia Valdez/MySA)





Inside of Boerne's Flashback Funtiques. (Mia Valdez/MySA)

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Coca Cola displays inside of Boerne's Flashback Funtiques. (Mia Valdez/MySA)





"I would go to the barbershop when I was young. We had a nickel Coke machine. If I sat still in the barber's chair and didn't move, my dad would give me a nickel. That was my first experience," Howard said.

I've had my eye on Flashback Funtiques since moving to the Boerne area months ago. It's the first store I saw on Main Street that I wanted to step inside. Something about the vintage vibe and old Muffler-Man-style attractions just called out to me. It's the kind of store you walk into and immediately think of your grandfather. The neon lights everywhere, the hum of an old fridge stocked with RC Colas, Fanta, Cokes and chocolate milk, and old tunes playing from a juice box stop you in your tracks. This is the type of store you want to share with people.

A vintage jukebox at Flashback Funtiques in Boerne. The store is located on Boerne's historic Main Street. (Mia Valdez/MySA)





Howard says he coined the term "fun-tique" for himself. Though it's an expensive passion, people who get started tell him they can't seem to stop, saying that it's rewarding to bring back a taste of the good old days.

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Some of the most popular items are Coca-Cola coolers and signs. Other items you can purchase are vintage signs, neon clocks, barbers' chairs, a life-sized Colonel Sanders statue, slot machines and jukeboxes.

The vintage store ships everywhere in the United States and updates its inventory online every week.

This article originally published at This might be Texas' coolest antique shop - and it's not far from San Antonio.
Morning breaks in Malmo with the cries of Ekaterina Andersens newborn baby. The 39-year-old mother of four, wearing a 1950s-style dress and handmade apron, brews coffee in a vintage cafetiere and bakes fresh cinnamon buns.

It is an image that could have been plucked from another century, yet hundreds of thousands of people watch scenes like this play out in the tradwife (traditional wife) online community every week on Instagram.

In videos posted to her 150,000 followers, Andersen shares her homemade bread, hand-stitched aprons and reflections on womanhood.

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Cultivate tenderness in your wives, she tells husbands in one post. Nurture is our nature, she says in another.

Ekaterina in her sewing room where she makes the traditional embroidered aprons that she sells - Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph

On TikTok, #tradwife searches are up by more than 40 per cent this year, while the word itself has been added to the Cambridge Dictionary.

Meanwhile, young influencers, including Nara Smith, the US-based South African-German model, advocate the virtues of motherhood and being a good wife, fusing nostalgia with digital glamour.

Though the phenomenon is small, its reach is vast, allowing just a handful of women to shape the feeds of a generation.

A heavily pregnant Ekaterina on the cover of her jointly written book The Whore Manifesto

Andersens life was not always like this. In fact, she was one of three authors behind the Whore Manifesto, a radical feminist book produced by Girl Squad, the Danish activist group.

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The group regularly posted provocative images in underwear and T-shirts projecting the message Grab Them by the Patriarchy.

Her message now, she says, is gentler.

Baking is one of the many domestic tasks Ekaterina undertakes as part of her traditional wife lifestyle - Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph

I suppose Im more of a housewife than anything else, Andersen says as she separates the buns from each other, before delivering one to her husband, Rolf, who often appears in the background of her videos wearing a suit or knitted sweater.

Not long ago, they enjoyed a date night to see Canadian author and psychologist Jordan B Peterson in their hometown.

Im active in my parish, and I sing in the choir. Serving my family and God  thats what makes me happy.

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Behind her social media fame lies a story that unsettles Swedens progressive self-image.

The country consistently ranks first in the World Economic Forums global gender gap report, with its social system built on highly subsidised childcare, equal-pay legislation and near-universal parental leave.

Rolf and Ekaterina were married in an Orthodox Christian ceremony 14 years ago

The role of housewife was practically legislated out of existence by the 1980s. How, then, did a former radical feminist become one of Scandinavias most recognisable faces of the online tradwife movement?

For as long as Andersen can remember, all she ever wanted was to be a mother.

When I was 16, I knew I wanted to be a mum. That was my ambition, she recalls.

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After spending her youth in a remote village in northern Denmark, she moved to Copenhagen, then settled across the border in Malmo. At 18, she married and had her first child.

But despite her early ambitions, Andersens twenties took her in the opposite direction. She became, in her words, a successful feminist, forming part of Girl Squad, bringing fourth-wave feminist activism to Denmark.

Ekaterina with her six-month-old son. The tradwife movement places emphasis on womens nurturing roles in families - Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph

She spoke at events with hundreds of people and amassed thousands of followers online.

I was telling women what they should be offended about, she says. Its easy to live that way  always scavenging the space for whom you could be aggressive towards.

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When the pandemic hit, she was already in therapy. My psychologist told me: You live with a victim mentality. Within a couple of months, I could see that none of it was good for me.

Spending more time with her family, lockdown brought Andersen a sense of clarity, prompting her to ditch her life as a feminist even if it meant surrendering a potentially lucrative book deal.

It was this experience that changed Andersen into the tradwife that thousands see on social media every day.

Girls taught to be victims

On her Instagram account, she poses with her husband and children before visiting their local Orthodox Christian church. In another, Rolf can be seen driving around with their children on a tractor.

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While she insists her messaging isnt political, she does take aim at what she describes as the adoption of young boys and girls into liberal ideology.

Girls now are taught to be victims  to always search for what theyre supposed to be offended about, she says.

For the boys its: If youre white and heterosexual, just go off and die. Those arent good identities for anyone.

Her life may look like an anachronism, but the forces drawing tens of thousands of followers to Andersens feed are undeniably modern.

In the years since Covid, Swedish surveys show that one in four young women would prefer flexible or part-time work for family reasons, up from 15 per cent in 2019.

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The fertility rate has fallen to 1.45, the lowest in decades, while living costs have climbed sharply.

Andersen wears one of her traditional homemade aprons - Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph

Data from the Swedish Gender Equality Agency show women still perform three to four hours more unpaid housework each day than men. Beneath the surface of Scandinavian equality, fatigue is spreading.

To many viewers, the tradwife aesthetic  wildflowers and sourdough  offers respite from burnout, but researchers say it can also feed distortion.

Theres no real sign of women going back to the old ways, says Heejung Chung, professor of work and employment and director of Kings Colleges Global Institute for Womens Leadership.

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What were seeing is a complete fantasy. Actually, its kind of almost like a male fantasy of what a heterosexual wife should be doing when hes at work.

Her teams analysis of social attitudes surveys and labour force data shows little behavioural shift towards domestic withdrawal.

Instead, Prof Chung argues, social media is amplifying extremes. Its a completely unrealistic depiction. No one has four hours to make breakfast in a pristine kitchen, in full make-up.

Adorning the walls of the Andersen household are more handmade mementos and traditional decorations - Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph

The danger, she argues, is that beneath the social media-friendly imagery lie harder messages.

Underneath all of it is the idea that women were never meant for the public sphere, that they should let their husbands do the thinking for them.

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She draws parallels with Christian-nationalist rhetoric in the United States and Europe: What looks like slow living can easily morph into soft authoritarianism.

Even so, Prof Chung resists painting an ugly caricature of women like Ekaterina.

Most of these women are not extremists, she says. Theyre reacting to impossible pressures. Workplaces are more demanding, jobs are less secure, and childcare costs are rising. Tradwife content gives an individualised solution to a collective problem.

A focus on child rearing is central to the tradwife ethos - Heathcliff O'Malley for The Telegraph

While Andersen may have drawn inspiration from the 1950s for her fashion, her lifestyle still relies on modern comforts, even beyond her social media fame.

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Her home is located on the sixth floor of a modern apartment building just south of Malmo city centre, where her husband works from home.

Midway through our conversation, a robot vacuum whirrs across the floor, and Andersen loads the dishwasher with the mess from her morning cinnamon bun bake.

She is also quick to insist she is no campaigner. Im a really bad activist, she laughs. I dont want other women to live like me. I just dont want to be looked down on.

Her days are consumed by teaching her daughter joined-up writing, cooking for her husband and sewing vestments for her local church.

Serving my family and God  thats what makes me happy, she repeats. Knowing that youre useful.

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Emmy Award-winning actor and longtime television cooking host Valerie Bertinelli knows a thing or two about clams.

As a little girl, I fell in love with clams when I was, oh gosh, six? she told a packed audience at the Food & Wine Classic in Charleston. I was born and raised in Delaware, and we used to go by the seaside all the time. We spent a lot of time in Ocean City, Maryland and Rehoboth Beach. There was a restaurant on the Philly Turnpike that was all about seafood, and I loved it.

Related: 22 Clam Recipes to Try

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Thats where the Delaware-born actor first tried clams in all their forms, from fried to sauteed in sauce. My mom [also] used to make a red clam sauce all the time. So I love clams. My favorite dish in the world is a pasta alla vongole, she revealed.

Alongside her friend and producer Ross Matthews, Bertinelli showed the audience how to prepare three dishes from her bestselling 2024 cookbook Indulge, including clams casino. (Bertinelli is also set to release a memoir early next year, Getting Naked.)

Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Clams casino is a popular appetizer at seafood and Italian-American restaurants in the Northeast. Clams casino is a popular appetizer at seafood and Italian-American restaurants in the Northeast.

Although it likely originated in Rhode Island in the early 1900s, Bertinelli recalls clams casino as a popular appetizer during her childhood in the 70s. Clams casino is a great old-fashioned dish, Bertinelli said of the classic stuffed clam preparation. It always includes clams, bacon, and breadcrumbs, but variations abound.

For her version, Bertinelli steams littleneck clams in dry white wine, sautees shallots and red peppers in bacon fat, and broils the clams with panko and bacon.

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Clams casino has become a regular recipe in Bertinellis rotation. She often makes this dish if I have a bunch of people coming over and I dont have time to go back to the grocery store. But if you dont cook clams regularly, you might feel a little intimidated. Fear not  theyre easy to prepare, with these three essential rules from Bertinelli.

Soak them in cold water

Its essential to remove debris from clams before cooking them. You want to scrub them a little bit, put them in some cold water, and let them release all their sand and dirt, Bertinelli explained. A stiff brush does the trick for scrubbing. Bertinelli suggests soaking them in cold water for 20 to 45 minutes before proceeding with a recipe, but you can soak them for up to two hours. Make sure to discard any broken or open shells.

Steam them until they open

Steaming is an excellent way to cook clams because it prevents them from getting rubbery. Bertinelli steams her clams with white wine (you can also use water or broth) in a large saucepan over medium heat, covered, and checks after a few minutes to see if any of the clams have opened. The nice thing about having a glass [lid] is you can see when the clams start to release and open up, Bertinelli noted. Once theyre opened, theyre ready  remove from the heat, or they might overcook.

Discard any that remain closed

If you have clams that dont open, that indicates that theyre dead. Bertinelli put it simply: If a clam has not opened, dont eat it. Throw it away. Its not worth it. You will not feel good. I guarantee it.



Read the original article on Food & Wine
Police arrested three suspects in connection with a May shooting that killed a 16-year-old boy in Mesa, according to officials.

Detectives identified the suspects as 18-year-old Bre'on Ballard, Nikko Cartier and Jameeier White, 18 and 19 at the time of the incident.

"Although all three were early persons of interest, detectives required additional evidence before formal charges could be pursued," Mesa police said in a news release.

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On May 21 at about 10 a.m., officers responded to a reported shooting at an apartment complex near Val Vista Drive and Hampton Avenue. When they entered the complex, officers found two people suffering from gunshot wounds, police said.

Both victims were taken to a hospital where one, a male teen, died from his injuries, according to police.

Throughout the investigation, various evidence were submitted for forensic analysis, which gave police the information needed to move forward with charges in connection with the shooting, police said, in the release.

Cartier and White were taken into custody on Nov. 14, while Ballard was arrested the week prior in California, according to police.

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Mesa detectives submitted first-degree murder charges to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office for review. All three suspects are being held on a $2 million bond, the release stated.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 3 arrested in Mesa shooting that left 16-year-old dead
Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Newark Saturday that killed a young woman and a child, and injured three others.

A 10-year-old boy and a 21-year-old woman died from their injuries after being rushed to University Hospital, according to a statement from the Essex County Prosecutors Office.

Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Corporations are no strangers to controversy, and the larger the company, the more visible the backlash. When you have a huge company like Starbucks come under fire, the popularity of the company can amplify the controversy even more. And Starbucks has had its share, from odd issues that weren't really illegal but that just got a lot of publicity, to larger controversies that have affected the company's reputation to the point of boycotts.

The controversies that Starbucks has had to deal with may not be on the scale of, say, massive data breaches of supposedly secure databases or fraudulent banking practices at national financial institutions. But they've still changed how many customers view Starbucks (for better or for worse), and they've brought to light some legitimate issues. Some have turned out to not be what they seem, and of course, some have just been strange. So, grab one of those viral bear cups if you can find one, sit back, and read about seven of the biggest controversies to happen at Starbucks.

Read more: 12 Secrets Of Five Guys You'll Wish You Knew Sooner

The company was accused of firing people for unionizing

Starbucks workers on a union picket line - Ringo Chiu/Shutterstock

Starbucks employees at many of the company's stores have unionized over the years, and more stores have employees who want to bring the union to their locations. Unfortunately, several of these employees have been fired over the years, and they've filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), claiming that they were fired specifically for union activity and no other reason. The union that represents Starbucks workers said in 2023 that over 200 people had been fired and others essentially forced to quit between the end of 2021 and mid-2023.

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In some cases, the NLRB did find that Starbucks had engaged in illegal behavior due to the employees' union activity and not because of any actual performance issues. For example, in December 2023, the board found that Starbucks had threatened an employee with stricter rules and surveillance over the union, rather than the safety and cash-handling issues that the company claimed were behind the firing. In fact, the board noted that the company hadn't trained her in proper cash-handling techniques to begin with, and ordered Starbucks to rehire her.

However, Starbucks has also had its share of victories. In one case, the NLRB had sought to force Starbucks to rehire some employees in Memphis, and a lower court had approved the NLRB's injunction. But in June 2024, the Supreme Court threw out the ruling, claiming that the lower court's process for evaluating the injunction request was too lenient.

It faced criticism over holiday cup designs

Starbucks holiday to-go cup on table, with green, pink, white, and red half circles on a red background - Smith Collection/gado/Getty Images

Starbucks holiday cup designs have been a tradition since 1997, but the past decade has seen many of these cups become the subject of controversy because of tiny details  or lack of details entirely. The first cup to become "controversial" in 2015 was just a plain, slightly two-toned red cup with the Starbucks logo on it. That's about as plain as you can get without giving people a blank white cup, and it still made people mad.

The story behind the 2015 cup was that the plain red design was misinterpreted by a very angry customer as being a sign that Starbucks was trying to eliminate Christmas from its cups. The claim received so much attention that even Donald Trump suggested boycotting Starbucks, despite red being a very traditional Christmas color. 2016's cup, which featured a drawing of a crowd of faces with a green-and-white color scheme, was also somehow an attack on Christians, according to opponents. 2017's cup fared even worse. Its whimsical black, white, and red art depicting presents, hands holding each other, and hearts were held up as promoting a gay agenda because Starbucks had a separate video for the cups that showed two women holding hands.

Contaminated ice was found at some Starbucks locations

Iced latte containing many ice cubes - Airain/Shutterstock

In 2017, consumers in the United Kingdom got news about ice that no one ever wants to hear: A team of investigators from the BBC had sampled the ice at a few coffee chains and found high levels of fecal coliform bacteria. Among those chains were some Starbucks locations. The investigators claimed the levels were so high that illness could be a possibility for anyone ingesting the ice. But representatives from other organizations noted that the investigation used only a small number of samples, and that environmental health officials had been notified and the problem would be taken care of.

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Consumers were disgusted anyway, and Starbucks (and the other chains) became the target of claims that the company's coffee was basically full of, well, you know. However, Snopes came to the company's rescue and evaluated the study and its results a little over a week later. Snopes explained that coliforms aren't necessarily an indication that there were actual feces in the ice, and more importantly, it noted that the investigation found bacteria in three out of 10 samples from only one Starbucks location. It also pointed out that the investigation did not find E. coli, and that the bacteria that coliform tests can find aren't always specifically from feces to begin with.

Media raised concerns that company wasn't paying taxes

united kingdom tax pictures - Andrzej Rostek/Shutterstock

It's not going to be a surprise to most people that Starbucks, like other corporations, uses every legal route possible to reduce the taxes it pays. But in 2012, Reuters found that in the U.K., Starbucks had paid only 8.6 million in taxes over the previous 14 years. In the three years before the Reuters investigation, the company paid 0. Despite telling investors that the company was doing well and being profitable, the company claimed it was not making a profit at all. Some years, it even claimed that it was operating at a loss. In 2024, it was again called out for taking so many deductions that its 2023 British taxes were extraordinarily low, considering its income of 548 million.

Tax experts noted that the U.K. Starbucks' payments of royalty and licensing costs were what cut down the company's initial profits. If Starbucks had legitimate costs that were more expensive than the amount of money the company brought in, then it would be able to claim no profit or operate at a loss. And there are no claims that the company actually broke the law. However, the low amounts of taxes it paid have been singled out as being against the U.K.'s national interest, and its low taxes due to the huge royalty and licensing payments in 2023 were held up as an example of how those specific costs could prevent a country from receiving its share of the company's profits via taxes.

It was accused of poor ethics and labor practices

Two hands picking coffee beans off plant - Ahsan Creative/Shutterstock

Starbucks has long positioned itself as committed to ethical sourcing of its coffee beans and claimed that the company only works with farms that meet its high standards. However, in the past couple of years, activists have filed two different lawsuits against the company, claiming that it actually gets its coffee beans and tea leaves from farms that are rife with human-rights abuses and labor violations. The first lawsuit was filed in January 2024 by the National Consumers League, which claimed that Starbucks knowingly sourced coffee and tea from farms that didn't meet the "ethical sourcing" that Starbucks claimed on its packages. The second was filed in April 2025 by a group called International Rights Advocates; this lawsuit focused on eight Brazilian workers who claimed that Starbucks was sourcing coffee from a co-operative that had kept workers in extremely poor conditions. The group claimed that Starbucks was in violation of anti-trafficking laws.

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Starbucks, of course, called both cases without merit. However, a number of suppliers who've worked with Starbucks in the past several years have come under fire for horrifying working conditions. One such case in 2022 resulted in the rescue of 17 people in Brazil. Starbucks uses a third-party organization to verify that suppliers meet its standards, but at least one of those third-party organizations has also been the subject of two lawsuits in 2021 and 2024 that claimed its certification processes were deceptive.

Boycotts occurred due to the Israel-Palestine conflict

Pro-Palestinian protest sign calling for boycotts against Starbucks, KFC, and other brands - Toto Santiko Budi/Shutterstock

Shortly after Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, the union that represents many of Starbucks' employees posted a pro-Palestinian statement on social media. By mid-October, Starbucks had filed suit against the union for trademark infringement and claimed that the post led to its employees being harassed by customers. Shortly after that, the company posted a statement on its website claiming that both Starbucks and its previous CEO (who left the company in September 2023) did not provide financial support to the Israeli government or military. It also stated that the company did not get involved in politics. It posted two additional statements in December 2023, repeating that it did not provide financial support.

None of this was enough to shield the company from criticism from customers and employees on both sides of the conflict. Pro-Palestinian activists have repeatedly called for a boycott, claiming that Starbucks supports genocide, while other customers have boycotted the company because of its lawsuit against the union. Some have wished that Starbucks would get involved and send aid to Gaza. Other customers have boycotted the company because of the union's pro-Palestinian post and, in at least one store, confronted staff over the perception that Starbucks was anti-Israel. By the way, there are no Starbucks locations in Israel; the company used to have some but pulled out of the country over 20 years ago due to what the company said were operational issues and philosophical differences.

A new uniform policy prompted employee complaints

Man wearing shirt with Starbucks siren logo on the back - Sorbis/Shutterstock

In April 2025, Starbucks announced that it was revamping its dress code. Previously, Starbucks employees could wear T-shirts of any color plus pants that were either brown, navy, or gray. Now employees are restricted to wearing only black shirts plus black, khaki, or blue denim pants. The company claims this is solely to make the uniforms more consistent and simpler to follow. For anyone who's worked a retail job that required specific colors, this might not sound like such a huge deal.

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However, it was a big deal to employees. The new dress code meant that many of the clothes people were wearing for work were no longer acceptable. They were required to go out and buy new outfits, which for full-time workers could add up to a rather large bill. Another issue was that Starbucks claimed that it had given employees two shirts to wear for the new uniforms. However, the union that represents many Starbucks employees said in May that they had not yet received. Additional comments online complained that two shirts weren't enough for people who worked more shifts. Workers at about 100 stores walked off the job on strike in protest, and workers in three states sued Starbucks in September, claiming that state rules required Starbucks to reimburse workers for the cost of the new clothing.

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Read the original article on Chowhound.
Nov. 15 (UPI) -- At least nine died and 32 were injured at a police station in Kashmir when officials accidentally triggered an explosion while examining materials used to make bombs.

The materials were to undergo forensic examination, but a "very unfortunate" incident caused them to explode shortly before midnight on Friday, regional Director-General of Police Nalin Prabhat told media.

"Any speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary," Prabhat said, without detailing how the deadly detonation occurred.

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The explosion happened in Nowgam in the India-administered province as police inspected the materials that they seized while investigating a terrorism network, The New York Times reported.

The 6,000 pounds of materials and other weapons were seized in Faridabad while investigating a car bomb that killed eight in the Indian capital of New Delhi on Monday and has been deemed a terror attack.

Officials say the materials were tied to a Pakistan-based organization called Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The raid also resulted in the arrests of six people, four of whom were identified as medical doctors whose licenses were revoked on Friday.

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Friday night's explosion severely damaged the police stationand nearby buildings also were damaged.

Body parts were found up to 650 feet from the blast site, and several vehicles were "engulfed in flames and reduced to charred husks," police told media in a prepared statement.

Regional Lt. Gov. Manoj Sinha ordered an investigation to determine the explosion's cause.
A north Georgia sheriffs office is searching for a fugitive after authorities said the man set a house on fire with a woman and a young child inside.

The Gordon County Sheriffs Office said Saturday night that Charles Timothy Battles, 46, is wanted for attempted murder and arson after a residential fire on Johnson Drive early Saturday morning.

Authorities are actively searching for Battles, who is considered dangerous and at large.

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At about 6 a.m., deputy sheriffs and Gordon County Fire Rescue responded to a fire at the home. The occupants narrowly escaped the blaze, but the structure was destroyed.

The Gordon County Sheriffs Office says detectives have gathered substantial evidence linking Battles to the crime, including physical, electronic and testimonial evidence.

The State Fire Marshals Office is assisting in the investigation, and an intensive search is underway for Battles, who was last seen near Johnson Drive and Boone Ford Road around 6 a.m. on Saturday.

He has no fixed address and is believed to be traveling on foot.

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Authorities urge anyone with information about Battles whereabouts to call 911.

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In a lab in a renovated warehouse on the banks of a churning, brown river in Belem, Brazil, machines are pulping candidates for the next global "superfood".

Cupuacu... Tapereba... Bacaba... Like acai berries - these fruits are rich in antioxidants, fibre or fatty acids.

If Brazil has its way, they could soon be popping up on your social media feeds and being sold in fashionable cafes in the UK, Europe and the US.

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It's part of a bold plan by the country, which is hosting the COP30 UN climate talks, to tackle climate change, protect nature and create wealth in the face of considerable regional poverty.

"There's a lot of superfoods in the forest that people don't know," says Max Petrucci, founder of a local company Mahta that sells powdered cacao and Brazil nuts for shakes.

The drink he gives me to try is gritty and tastes like chocolate without sugar.

Cupuacu fruit is little known outside of the Amazon [Getty Images]

"We're focussed first on nutrition and the health benefits that these Amazonian ingredients provide," he explains.

But the second benefit, he explains, is "social and environmental". He says they pay fair prices and only buy from farmers who practice sustainable farming.

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It sounds like a marketing pitch and the company's slick packaging promises "ancestral ingredients" and the "power of purple fruits from the forest".

Tapereba is another Amazonian fruit used for juices in some parts of northern Brazil [Getty Images]

Scientific research into the benefits of "superfoods" is limited, but eating Amazonian fruits is generally recognised to be good for you.

Larissa Bueno, also at Mahta, explains that they only sell powdered foods - "similar to Huel in the UK," she says.

Transporting raw fruits that degrade within days of picking is expensive. But if companies freeze dry ingredients into powders to sell to supermarkets or ship abroad, "it keeps more of the nutritional value and it's a smart way to keep more economic value in Brazil", she explains.

Acai fruit is harvested from palm trees - many in Para state in Brazil [Getty Images]

The lab in Belem's Bioeconomy Park is helping small companies test new ways of preserving fruits.

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"People have been eating from these forests for more than 10,000 years. There are many, many, many undiscovered superfoods, " Max says.

The Amazon rainforest, which covers 6 million sq km (2.3 million sq miles), has always been full of natural wealth. But for decades its vast ecosystem has been decaying, with areas chopped down to sell timber or clear space for cattle or crops like soy.

This damaged one of the earth's great protections against climate change - trees that soak up planet-warming carbon dioxide.

Unusually, more than two-thirds of Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions come from land use and agriculture, rather than energy like most countries. Those emissions mainly stem from cutting down forest or growing vast amounts of food.

Some farmers work on small parcels of land in the rainforest to sell products like coffee or fruit [Getty Images]

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has promised to halve deforestation by 2030. In the 12 months to July 2025, rates reached an 11-year low.

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But the forest is a resource. The nearly 30 million people living in the Amazon region, and across Brazil, need and want to make a living.

Brazil is pushing the idea of building a prospering economy by sustainably using natural resources, preserving nature to protect the vitality of the land, and developing valuable products including fuels, pharmaceuticals, and foods.

Building this "bio-economy" features strongly in its national climate action plan.

Sarah Sampaio runs a small coffee company that grows coffee beans in the shadow of trees, using a method called agroforesty - or agriculture that helps cultivate forests.

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She works with around 200 farming families in the Apui region, which has one of the highest rates of deforestation.

"We plant native Amazonian trees and the coffee together. The trees shade the coffee plants and farmers can also grow their own food around those plants," she says.

"When the coffee plant dies, the trees remain as the forest, so it's helping to restore the Amazon."

The fresh brew I'm given has a light, fruity taste, and she's proud that three of her coffees were selected among the 30 best in Brazil in the national Coffee of the Year competition.

"If we want to stop more trees from being chopped down, we have to provide people with an alternative income, a sustainable way of living," Sarah says.

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Whatever the next Amazonian superfood is, it will need to challenge acai. The purple berry is grown and eaten in huge quantities in northern Brazil and sold for nearly 10 ($13) per smoothie bowl in parts of London.

Brazil produces around a third of the world's coffee [Getty Images]

Damien Benoit sells acai ice cream in Europe. "It's very high in antioxidants, in fibres and unsaturated fatty acids, and in different minerals that make it very popular among people who do sports," he says.

He works with families who keeps four hectares of acai plants in the forest "with a minimum number of species per hectare that must be monitored."

"We make sure children go to school, and gender equality is a huge topic for us," he claims.

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On their own, these small companies cannot feed millions of people and, so far, they've prospered due to grants or capital from charities and funds that invest in companies aimed at protecting nature.

And there are questions around how much they can be scaled up.

If acai production was expanded into many industrial-size plantations, it could start to cause exactly the same problems that people like Damien are trying to solve.

But there's a reason the word "bioeconomy" is plastered all over the UN climate talks.

"We need to move from a world dependent on fossil fuels - that is clear," says Ana Yang, Director of the Environment and Society Centre at Chatham House.

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"And if we don't have solutions that are bio-based, we will not be able to do that," she says.

This is by no means a magic bullet solution to the problem of how to replace fossil fuels with clean energy and use the land in a way that protects nature.

Brazil has also promised a four-fold increase in the use of biofuels, which can be controversial, by 2035. Biofuels such as ethanol are often touted as a replacement for fossil fuels, but they can lead to deforestation as demand increases for the crop to burn to make the fuel.

Some are concerned this will lead to the unsustainable extraction of timber or sugarcane to export abroad and burn, and the theft of indigenous peoples' land.

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Ms Yang says it's essential to put safeguards like strong regulation in place.

"Not all bio-based transitions are good," she says.

"If they lead to destruction of natural habitat or they don't have good social practices, then it isn't solving the original problem."
Individuals bearing the name Cermak are often perceived as having traits reminiscent of the robin bird - cheerful, observant, and resilient. They tend to be community-oriented people who value family and tradition, yet possess the adaptability to thrive in changing circumstances. Typically, Cermaks demonstrate practical intelligence, a strong work ethic, and loyalty to their social circles, often serving as reliable pillars in their communities.



Like the robin that sings through winter's challenges, they often show remarkable perseverance and optimism in difficult situations. Their grounded nature combines with an artistic sensibility, making them both reliable in practical matters and appreciative of beauty in everyday life. Many exhibit a balance between traditional values and progressive thinking, able to honor their heritage while embracing innovation. This combination makes them particularly effective in roles that require both stability and flexibility.
An Iraq War veteran was killed Wednesday morning while attempting to intervene in an alleged domestic dispute involving an active-duty airman assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base.

Just after 7 a.m., local dispatch authorities received multiple calls reporting a domestic disturbance in a Warrensburg, Missouri, neighborhood about 10 miles west of the air base.

Once on scene, responding police located an armed suspect fleeing on foot.

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The suspect, who an Air Force spokesperson has since identified as Senior Airman Glyzua Ingram, proceeded to fire multiple rounds in the direction of the arriving officers.

Army veteran Tony Barron, who previously deployed to Iraq as a member of the 101st Airborne Division, was on scene and, at an unspecified moment, attempted to intervene in the altercation.

Ingram subsequently shot and killed Barron, according to a statement released by the Warrensburg Police Department. A female victim was treated for minor injuries and later released from the Western Missouri Medical Center.

Warrensburg Police established a perimeter and cordoned off the area, according to the report, while local schools and businesses were instructed to temporarily lock down.

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Police soon located Ingram, who was assigned to Whitemans 509th Maintenance Group, in a wooded area with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the police report.

There were no additional injuries reported.

We are saddened by the tragic incident that unfolded in Warrensburg, Col. Joshua D. Wiitala, 509th Bomb Wing commander, said in a statement provided to Military Times. Our thoughts are with the victims family and friends, and with everyone in the Warrensburg and Whiteman AFB communities who are coping with this.

Barron, 39, was a father of two. Friends told local news outlet KMBC that he was 14 months sober after struggling with addiction and PTSD.

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He graduated recovery court the day before Veterans Day. He had no sanctions, no trouble at all, Barrons friend, Cady Carpenter, told the outlet. The judge baked him cookies. He was so proud of that. He wore his uniform to graduation.  Tony is so loved.

A GoFundMe to support Barrons family has since been established.

In a statement, Warrensburg Police Chief Andrew Munsterman lauded Barron for his extraordinary courage.

Through his decisive and selfless actions, he not only protected the initial victim but likely prevented further harm to our community, Munsterman said. Mr. Barrons bravery stands as an example of true heroism.

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The incident is currently being investigated by the Warrensburg Police Department.

A spokesperson for Whiteman AFB stated that base officials are committed to supporting the investigation and providing resources and care for those affected during this time.
Big reason for landslides missing from report

Miranda Cyr is usually such a great investigative journalist that I was surprised to see her four-page article on landslides (R-G Sunday, Nov. 9) did not once mention the scientifically attested No. 1 cause of slides in Western Oregon: clearcut logging.

Cyr attributed the slides primarily to rainfall. This is what Forest Service officials of the Mapleton Ranger District insisted in 1975, after a rainstorm launched 245 slides. They commissioned a scientific study to prove them right. The study revealed only 4% of the slides were natural events, caused by the rain alone. Fourteen percent had clearly been triggered by roadcuts, primarily from logging roads. An astonishing 77% of the slides had originated in recent clearcuts.

The Forest Service didnt want to believe the study. They commissioned a second study in 1978. That study investigated 99 landslides and found 77 of them were related to clearcuts, confirming the earlier results almost precisely.

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When the Forest Service insisted more studies were needed, environmental groups sued  and won. The U.S. District Court shut down the entire Mapleton Ranger District until they could develop stricter guidelines for clearcuts and logging roads.

Cyr also misrepresented the tragic slide that killed four people in Douglas County in 1996. The Roseburg News-Review covered that story correctly on Nov. 18, 1996, under the headline Clear-cut may have aided slide.

Clearcut logging is cheap, and timber is a powerful industry, but the role of a journalist should be to tell the whole truth, even if its painful. Landslides in Western Oregon are not primarily natural disasters.

William L. Sullivan, Eugene

Peace is coming to Cottage Grove

There are strong signs that peace is coming to Cottage Grove. The laws of physics and the mathematical equation for critical mass to occur means only one half of 1% of the population is in unison on one particular topic, then a tipping point naturally occurs, and the momentum of energy creates change. This has been the pattern for humanity for thousands of years. The critical mass number for Cottage Grove is only 50 people! The critical mass tipping point for peace in Cottage Grove is happening more and more every day.

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The most recent (and perhaps the most measurable sign) is the prayer vigil held just a few feet from the Peace Pole on Nov. 10. The tipping point of critical mass was far surpassed at this gathering. It was an evening of truth-telling for the townspeople. Each person holding a candle heard the unfortunate true story of how our beloved citizens were violated in our own town for no crime other than the color of their skin. This story was very sad and hard to hear. However, if we look in our hearts for the real, true story of progress to peace, it is how the people came together in unity and prayed for peace together. This heart-wrenching story changed the peoples language from the words hoping for peace to the words believing in peace.

The fact we have surpassed the tipping point in Cottage Grove is proof peace is coming through the following actions:

The Peace Tree planted in Coiner Park in 2021.

The Peace Pole 2024, our permanent sign for peace that silently watches over our town, saying May Peace Prevail on Earth in eight languages.

Critical mass has more than tripled on Sept. 21 in the past three years at the UN World Day of Peace that took place just a few feet from the Peace Pole. This event shared interfaith prayers and songs for peace in several languages. All generations attended.

The Peace Slogan campaign is designed to help the citizens reach a moment of peace as they notice the signs throughout town. This project is destined to reach critical mass with peace signs.

Nov. 1 marks the first Share Fair event, happening all day, every Saturday, at 1133 E. Main St. (behind Dirt Cheap Printers new location). People bring potluck lunches, a chair, and things in vehicles to share for free with our citizens. Bringing awareness to the importance of keeping our money and resources local and taking care of our people.

Some measurable milestones for peace are shown through great organizations in town that stand for peace: Building Bridges, Earth and Social Justice, The Row River Grange, Friends of Democracy, and ROP, to mention a few.

So, neighbors, there are some great opportunities for change coming out of the ashes in our town. Lets try and focus on the oneness and keep reaching critical mass together!

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Peace Starts Within.

Ananda Reeves, Cottage Grove

Time for Oregon's kicker law to get the boot

The law requiring the State of Oregon to return $1.4B in excess taxes to the citizens (RG, 11/10/25, "Oregonians will receive part of $1.4 billion...") when the state can't cover basic services  roads, bridges, and fire, the state hospital, personnel needed in the Public Defenders' Office, and especially schools  needs to be changed.

Some evidence being a never-ending need for bond issues each election, and the current transportation bill. This is ridiculous. The Constitution needs changing.

What made sense in the '70s doesn't make sense now.

Charles O. Lugg, Florence

Determining next steps for Lane Fire Authority

On behalf of Lane Fire Authority, thank you to everyone who participated in the Nov. 4, 2025, election and engaged in the conversation about local fire and emergency services. While voters did not approve the local option levy, we appreciate the dialogue and remain committed to transparency, accountability, and careful management of public resources as we move forward.

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The levy would have maintained current service levels across our 282-square-mile service area, where call volumes continue to rise. Because the measure did not pass, Lane Fire Authority must now identify cuts needed to align operations with available funding.

Our Board of Directors will be conducting their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Nov.18, at 1 p.m. at Veneta Station 101 (88050 Territorial Hwy in Veneta) and will begin to discuss next steps. As always, the public is invited to attend. These conversations will focus on where and how to reduce costs while continuing to provide essential emergency response.

We encourage community members to stay informed visit lanefire.org/localoptionlevy or attend a Board meeting to learn more.

Dale Borland, Fire Chief, Lane Fire Authority

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Letters on Cottage Grove vigil, Oregon kicker, landslides, fire dept
After months of stalled negotiations and warnings of a possible strike, the approximately 130, 000 daily riders of Honolulus TheBus have been left in limbo, hoping for a resolution to the contract stand-off.

Oahu Transit Services, which runs TheBus and TheHandi-Van, late last month issued its last, best and final offer  to the Hawaii Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996, proposing a 16 % wage increase over four years, full employer-paid medical coverage for employees and retirees and their families, plus full pension contributions.

Union leaders urged members to reject the offer, saying the gains came only after months of pressure and still leave key issues unresolved.

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In a message to members, Local 996 said the agreement refuses to make sufficient movement on critical issues, such as wages, pension contributions, and day off canceled language. The union also criticized OTS for rejecting requests for hazard pay.

As of this weekend, bus service remains unchanged.

We completed our employee meetings last week to answer any questions they had about our last, best and final offer that was put across the table to the union on Oct. 31, 2025,  OTS Deputy General Manager Jenny Lemaota told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Wednesday. We hope our employees will vote in favor of ratifying the contract when the union presents it to them.

In the past weeks, OTS has twice warned bus riders to make alternative transportation plans, including carpooling with family, neighbors, friends and co-workers,  in case of a strike, but City & County of Honolulu officials have declined to say whether they have their own contingency plan if contract talks fail, leaving some riders anxious.

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Honolulus last bus strike was in 2003, when over 1, 300 bus workers walked off the job at 12 :01 a.m. Aug. 26, one day after most schools began classes. The strike lasted 34 days, halting service islandwide. To cope, the city leased more than 100 school buses and vans and organized a $3 flat-fare jitney service using taxi companies along major corridors.

Union leaders at the time said they were striking after OTS refused to ask the city for additional funding that could have prevented proposed cutbacks.

For riders like Kolby Aquino, 42, who commutes daily from Waipahu to Waikiki for work in the restaurant industry, the memories of the previous strike remain vivid.

Back in 2003, when I was living in Punchbowl, I remember standing at the bus stop not knowing if anything was coming,  he said. I had to ask for rides from family or friends just to make my shifts in my early 20s. I really dont want to go through that again. I live much farther, and everything costs more.

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Aquino said a strike now would leave him without options.

People think we can just figure it out if service gets disrupted, but theres no magic solution,  he said. When you rely on public transport, youre tied to whatever happens at that bargaining table.

Aquinos concerned about how quickly service disruptions can affect his employment. Even minor delays or route changes can make him late, costing him pay, and a full strike could put his job at risk.

He said he checks Uber prices when buses run late but the fares are rarely feasible.

Ive checked the app during delaysits always $50, $60, $70,  he said. Thats groceries, thats rent. I cant spend that just to get to work.

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He added that the uncertainty is what gnaws at him most.

Im trying not to panic, and I completely understand the complication of the situation, but its tough. Theres no safety net for bus riders. One announcement and suddenly thousands of us are stranded. Youd think thered be a better plan after all these years.

Hotels and businesses in Waikiki rely heavily on TheBus to bring workers into the district.

There are literally hundreds of team members arriving on the buses between 7 and 7 :45 every morning,  said Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawai i Hotel Alliance. A lot of people come in from each side of the island, from Hawaii Kai, from the West side. They definitely use the buses.

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Gibson said if the strike happens, many employees would struggle to find affordable alternatives.

People are going to have to look at providing for their own needs with cars, and that will create traffic,  he said. Carpooling is going to be very, very important.

He remembers the 2003 strike clearly.

It was a very difficult situation,  he said. There were some people who just werent able to get to work. Hopefully this time agreements can be made fairly quickly.

He added that Waikikis limited and expensive parking could compound the disruption.

Theres a shortage of parking garages open to the public that are reasonable. The parking thats open is fairly expensive,  he said. Some people might have to take the Uber, but for a lot of people, thats difficult for their pocketbooks.

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For William Duke, who commutes from Kuliouou Valley in East Honolulu to downtown, the transit worker contract negotiations have him cautiously watching developments but not panicking yetthough he worries for others who are more vulnerable.

Duke rides TheBus twice a day, usually catching the 80 or 82 express bus around 5 a.m. and returning home in the evening on the 1L bus with limited stops. He started taking TheBus a few months ago and said it quickly became integral to his work routine.

He said he depends on city buses to get to work, noting that a strike would seriously disrupt his routine. He also stressed their vital role for seniors and other vulnerable community members.

Many of our kupuna and disabled community members also depend on the bus to get to doctors appointments, work and other essential places,  he said.

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The city Department of Transportation Services reported in 2024 that there are about 7.5 million senior bus rides per year.

Duke said he is hopeful the two sides can reach a resolution that pays drivers fairly while keeping the system running.

Oahus bus drivers earn significantly less than a lot of drivers in mainland cities with similar high costs of living,  he said. Its a tough job, and theyre responsible for the safety of hundreds of people every day. I just hope they can find a balance that supports the workers while keeping the transit system sustainable.

Mufi Hannemann, president and CEO of the Hawai i Lodging & Tourism Association and former Honolulu mayor, said the visitor industry is monitoring the situation closely.

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We are still hopeful that there will be a positive outcome and a strike will be averted,  he said. We have not put together a contingency plan across the board, other than the fact that were tracking it very closely.

Hannemann explained that hospitality operations run 24 /7, and reduced staffing could affect front desk coverage, housekeeping, food and beverage and guest services. In addition to workers and residents, a significant number of tourists also depend on TheBus for transportation.

A lot of visitors use the bus to get around the city. The bus drivers do very well ; theyre like ambassadors of aloha,  he said, often acting as informal tour guides and helping newcomers with transfers.

He pointed to Honolulus Skyline rail system as an option for some commuters, though it goes only as far as Middle Street in Kalihi.

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You still need the bus to get to Waikiki or Ala Moana,  Hannemann said.

The former mayor said he is optimistic the labor dispute will be resolved before any major disruptions in public transportation.

Im hoping a strike will be averted,  Hanneman said. Both sides have excellent arguments, and thats what these negotiations are all about.
Nigerian authorities recently stopped donkey skins, foreign soap, and expired painkillers from being smuggled out of the country.

What's happening?

The Nigerian Customs Service intercepted a shipment containing 64 donkey hides that were heading to China. Officials told Sahara Reporters that each skin represented a fully slaughtered animal. The export of donkey skins is illegal in the country because unchecked trade could lead to their extinction.

"The illicit slaughter and export of donkey skins have increased across Nigeria due to their use in traditional medicine in China," comptroller Gambo Bature Bashir told Sahara Reporters.

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Customs officers also found 54 cartons of foreign soap, over 20,000 liters of gas, and 91 cartons of expired Tramadol, an opioid painkiller. The drugs pose a significant risk to public health, Bashir warned.

"If these expired Tramadol capsules had reached the public, they could have caused high morbidity and mortality, worsened drug abuse, and triggered violent crimes among youths," he told the outlet.

Why are animal and drug trafficking important?

The illegal killing of donkeys could cause extinction, which would be devastating to the local ecosystem and community. The disappearance of an animal disrupts the delicate balance of a region's environment. It causes a ripple effect on surrounding wildlife and plants, which can then impact our food supply. This translates into higher grocery prices, exacerbating food insecurity. Protecting native plants and wildlife against poachers and invasive species is critical to securing a healthier, more stable future for ourselves.

In the case of African donkeys, they are also critical to rural villages that use them for transportation and agriculture. The African Union banned the commercial slaughter of donkeys to help combat this issue.

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Meanwhile, drug smuggling doesn't just impact people who take substances. Traffickers are often pushed to more remote areas to conduct their activities, meaning they destroy habitats in the process. This puts critical pollinators, like birds, at risk and therefore local crops.

What's being done about animal and drug trafficking?

Local agencies like the Nigerian Customs Service are working to prevent wildlife and drug trafficking. They help enforce laws such as the donkey slaughter ban as well as illegal exports.

While the issue of smuggling is immense, continued monitoring and interception of these activities will hopefully dissuade poachers moving forward. This is one example of local action to address regional environmental issues.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Bavarian Premier Markus Soder on Sunday accused the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) of being Russian President Vladimir Putin's "court jesters."

"These people are sycophants, they are Putin's court jesters, they are Kremlin servants," said Soder at a conservative youth conference in south-western Germany.

AfD lawmakers have invited groups of visitors to the Russian embassy in Berlin, he said. The comments come after the AfD announced that several of its politicians are also due to visit Moscow.

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Soder is the leader of the Bavaria-only Christian Social Union (CSU), the sister party of Chancellor Friedrich Merz's Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The CDU and CSU are the only remaining parties in Germany that can successfully oppose the AfD, said Soder, countering criticism that the bloc is too similar to the rhetoric of right-wing populists.

"The only ones capable of keeping the radicals out of power are the CDU and CSU, no one else in the country." he argued.

Soder predicted "big and tough battles" for upcoming state election campaigns, especially in eastern Germany.

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Echoing Merz, the Bavarian leader ruled out cooperation with the AfD.

"We have a different idea of freedom," Soder said. It should not be the case that the judiciary and the police are controlled solely by the head of state and that minorities are oppressed.

"Our C forbids us to do that," he said, referring to the reference to Christianity in the party's name.

Soder said the AfD is partly made up of "strange people," many of whom are suspected of right-wing extremism or are even under indictment.
The BBC has issued an apology to President Trump over editing of a speech he gave on Jan. 6, 2021, that aired in its documentary "Trump: A Second Chance." Mr. Trump had threatened to sue the British broadcaster for $1 billion over the program about the Capitol riot, and the BBC noted in a statement Thursday that it "strongly disagree[s]" that there's a basis for a defamation claim.

BBC lawyers wrote to Mr. Trump's legal team in response to a letter they received Sunday, the BBC Press Office said. In that letter, lawyers working for Mr. Trump alleged that the Oct. 28, 2024, episode of the network's "Panorama" documentary program, which was produced by an external production company, sought to mislead viewers by editing together three separate sections of the speech made by Mr. Trump.

"BBC Chair Samir Shah has separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the Corporation are sorry for the edit of the President's speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme," the BBC Press Office said in its statement Thursday. "The BBC has no plans to rebroadcast the documentary 'Trump: A Second Chance?' on any BBC platforms."

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"While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim," the press office added.

The White House did not immediately comment on the BBC's apology. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One Friday night, Mr. Trump said, "We'll sue them for anywhere between a billion and $5 billion, probably sometime next week."

The BBC's response to Mr. Trump's legal team laid out five main arguments why the organization believes there is no legitimate case against it, BBC News reported. CBS News has not seen the letter sent by the BBC in reply to Mr. Trump's legal team.

According to BBC News' report, those arguments include that the episode in question did not air in the U.S.; that it did not cause Mr. Trump harm, as he won the election a week later; and that the edits made were intended to shorten a long speech rather than to mislead. It also said that the clip was not meant to be taken in isolation, and that matters of public concern and political speech are protected under U.S. law.

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An expert on international media law told CBS News that the BBC's response appears to be "careful and considered."

"President Trump was clearly owed a fulsome apology and he's had that," U.K.-based attorney Mark Stephens told CBS News. "I don't think he was entitled to damages, and so as a consequence, they've rightly hung tough on that particular issue. But, of course, this has been a massive PR victory for the president. He can now call the BBC 'fake news' ... pointing to some credible background for that."

The letter over the weekend from Mr. Trump's lawyers claimed that the program "has caused President Trump to suffer overwhelming financial and reputational harm," and that it was defamatory under Florida law. It outlined demands by Mr. Trump that the BBC retract the documentary, issue an apology and "appropriately compensate President Trump for the harm caused."

The letter did not clarify what would be considered appropriate compensation, but it warned that if the BBC failed to comply with Mr. Trump's demands by Friday at 5 p.m. ET, Mr. Trump would file "legal action for no less than $1,000,000,000 (One Billion Dollars) in damages."

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Stephens told CBS News that while it would be possible for Mr. Trump to pursue a lawsuit against the BBC in the U.S., "it's got a number of legal impediments and tripwires."

First, Stephens said, was that the program which included the clip was not shown in the U.S.

"You can't be lowered in the estimation of right-thinking people by a program that wasn't seen by an American audience. So you can't sue, there's no jurisdiction to sue, in America," he said.

He also said that because Mr. Trump is "the president, the ultimate public figure," criticism of him would likely be protected under the First Amendment.

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Even if the case got past those hurdles, which he doubted, Stephens said, "lawyers would be looking at whether or not the sting of this was true. And they can point to all sorts of previous judicial findings which have said that there was some measure of incitement in which the president was involved."

The head of the BBC and its CEO of news resigned in the wake of the criticism of the broadcaster's editing of the speech. The BBC said Director-General Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness both announced their resignations on Sunday.

In a letter to staff, Davie said quitting the job after five years "is entirely my decision."

"Overall, the BBC is delivering well, but there have been some mistakes made and as director-general I have to take ultimate responsibility," Davie said, adding that he was "working through exact timings with the Board to allow for an orderly transition to a successor over the coming months."

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Turness said that the controversy about the Trump documentary "has reached a stage where it is causing damage to the BBC  an institution that I love. As the CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, the buck stops with me."

"While mistakes have been made, I want to be absolutely clear recent allegations that BBC News is institutionally biased are wrong," she added.

Real concerns among Republicans on White House's response to Epstein files call, sources say

California wildfire explodes as storm threatens mudslides in southern part of state

Louisiana dad says "it's disturbing" after deepfake images of his daughter allegedly shared
Scott Bessent was ridiculed for suggesting skyrocketing beef prices have nothing to do with MAGAs economic policies and everything to do with a supposed invasion of cows across the southern border.

The Treasury Secretary expounded his wild theory during a Sunday sit-down with Maria Bartiromo over on Fox News. The host described the crisis to Bessent, asking for his take on ten dollar meat, a pound!

Arguing the beef industry is in a perfect storm that the White House inherited from the Joe Biden administration, the secretary shot back that rising costs are a direct result of migrants entering the U.S. from Latin America.

Bessent was quick to blame migrants for a spike in beef prices across the U.S. / Al Drago/Getty Images

Because of the mass immigration, a disease that wed been rid of in North America made its way up through South America as these migrants brought some of their cattle with them, he said. Were not gonna let that get into our supply chain.

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Earlier in May, the Department of Agriculture indeed announced itd be suspending live cattle, horse and bison imports across the southern border due to an outbreak of New World Screwworm cases in Mexico.

Many analysts have attributed the rising cost of groceries to Trump's sweeping tariffs against much of the rest of the planet. / Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images

There is little to no credible evidence that migrants traveling north into the U.S., otherwise a highly perilous journey ordinarily undertaken with only the barest essentials, have been seen routinely transporting or smuggling live cattle at a scale that would affect the domestic market.

Similarly, there have been zero confirmed animal detections of the disease in the U.S. since the outbreak was first recorded in Mexico last November. While there has been at least one documented human case, it was recorded in Maryland after a resident of that state, which is almost 2,000 miles from the border with Mexico, had made a trip to El Salvador.

Given this context, Bessents theory about migrants transporting livestock quickly became the subject of scorn online.

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Scott Bessent says the reason beef prices are so high is because immigrants from South America are bringing their cattle with them as they come here and they are infected with diseases, one person wrote on X. What a weird take!

Former NBC News host Chuck Todd added, Huh? Talk about a big if true (narrator: its not true)  this has to be A.I. slop, cant be a serious take from the Sec. Of Treasury?"

Scott Bessent says the reason beef prices are so high is because immigrants from South America are bringing their cattle with them as they come here and they are infected with diseases.



What a weird take! pic.twitter.com/yLrfilagV7  Ron Smith (@Ronxyz00) November 16, 2025

This guy is just so weird, another person commented. Migrants brought their cattle with them?

First person to post a photo of all the cows climbing over Trumps Wall gets a sticker, one X user wrote. In some rebuttals, very few words were used at alldoctored images of cows taking flights were enough to diminish Bessents assertions.

Economists suggest the spike in beef prices can be attributed to a far more complex and far less dramatic combination of factors, including long-term challenges like U.S. cattle shortages, drought and pasture degradation.

President Donald Trumps sweeping Liberation Day tariffs, overseen by Bessent in his capacity as Treasury Secretary, are also thought likely to have contributed to rising feed and production costs for domestic beef. Combined with higher levies on beef products from abroad, these costs are now being passed on to the consumer.
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Journalist Brian Goldstone, who has written for The New York Times, Harper's Magazine, The New Republic and others, spent about six years examining why so many people who work full-time jobs with low wages are homeless. His new book, "There is No Place for Us" (Crown), explores the challenges faced by millions of the working poor.

In the excerpt below, Celeste (a pseudonym given by Goldstone) describes the bureaucracy she must endure when trying to obtain housing in Atlanta.

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Don't miss Ted Koppel's interviews with Brian Goldstone and Celeste on "CBS Sunday Morning" November 16!

"There Is No Place For Us" by Brian Goldstone

Prefer to listen? Audible has a 30-day free trial available right now.

When Celeste parked her vehicle down the street from Gateway at 6:00 a.m., a long line was snaking down the sidewalk outside of the building. She'd been told that since homeless assessments were conducted on a first-come, first-served basis, people often began lining up in the middle of the night. Still, she was surprised to find such a large crowd already gathered. The doors wouldn't be opening for another two hours. Celeste joined the queue, stepping gingerly around handcarts and baby strollers and small clusters of men and women wrapped in blankets, their belongings stacked beside them on the concrete. Having forced herself to eat a lukewarm Cup Noodles for breakfast, she felt woozy  and a little frightened too. A noticeably unwell man was cursing loudly and harassing another person nearby. She considered leaving but decided to stick it out, clutching a manila folder filled with documents while trying to avoid making eye contact with those around her. Six weeks earlier, when Celeste started her cancer treatment, any notion of securing long-term housing on her own had quickly vanished  and with it her resistance to seeking outside assistance. A fear of getting trapped indefinitely at Efficiency now outweighed the embarrassment of pleading for help; pride and dignity were luxuries she could no longer afford. And so, one morning during a work break, she'd gone out to her Durango and fished out the Homeless Resource List given to her by the social worker at Micah's school. Some phone numbers on the list were disconnected; others prompted her to leave a voicemail. But she was able to get through to a few service providers, and each of them, after Celeste described what she was looking for  help finding a landlord who would rent to her despite the eviction, and maybe some financial support to cover a security deposit  told her the same thing: To receive such aid, she'd first need to undergo an assessment through Gateway's "coordinated entry" system. And it had to be done in person.

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Celeste told Mason's mom, Christina, her neighbor a couple of doors down, that she was planning on going to Gateway soon. "Good luck with that," the mother of six scoffed. Her own trek out to Gateway had been fruitless. Celeste thought: Yeah, well, you're not me. If anyone could navigate this system, it was her. She wasn't going to be undone by a little paperwork.

It was almost nine-thirty when she finally entered the building. The interior was spacious and clean, if not quite welcoming. An airport-style metal detector opened onto an intake counter, a security guard station, and a few dozen chairs, occupied by people dozing or staring ahead or attempting to console their crying baby while waiting for their name to be called. In a corner of the lobby, alongside a clinic operated by Mercy Care, a community health center, a hallway led to public showers and a clothing bank; in the opposite corner, there was a large room that, on the coldest nights of winter, was used as a warming center for kids and their mothers. (Since 2013, Gateway's overnight facilities had been designated exclusively for men, but women with children were permitted to sleep in this glass-enclosed space  with no furnishings, no privacy  whenever outside temperatures fell below freezing.) Celeste checked in at the counter, located an unoccupied chair, and waited another hour and a half to be seen.

A petite caseworker conducted Celeste's assessment in a bare, windowless office. As the woman settled in behind a computer, Celeste placed a stack of documents on her desk  hotel receipts, a police report from the arson, paystubs  and then launched into the story of how she and her kids had ended up without a home, which she'd been rehearsing in her head all morning. Adept at code-switching, she spoke in a clipped, professional manner  what she thought of as her "talking to white people voice." The caseworker politely stopped her. In order to determine how best to assist her, she said, it was important that she first ask Celeste a series of questions. "Oh, of course. No problem," Celeste replied.

After a scripted preamble in which the woman explained that only "yes," "no," or one-word answers were acceptable and that any question could be skipped or refused, the assessment began. How many months had it been since Celeste had lived in permanent stable housing? Had she ever been diagnosed with a behavioral health disorder? What about HIV or AIDS? Since becoming homeless, had she been arrested? Or tried to harm herself in any way? Or been beaten up? How often did she drink or use drugs? Did she ever exchange sex for money? Or share needles with others?

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Celeste was perplexed. She wondered how all this was relevant to her situation. At one point, she gravely mentioned the cancer diagnosis; at another, she interjected to insist that she wasn't lazy, that she had been working nonstop since she was a teenager. The caseworker tapped away at her keyboard. And where was she living now? the woman asked. Celeste told her about the extended-stay.

The assessment was over in a matter of minutes. The caseworker looked up and sighed. The purpose of these questions, she said, was to figure out who most urgently needed help. Based on the answers Celeste provided, it was clear that her vulnerability score, as the woman called it, would be very low  too low to qualify for housing assistance. The score had been calculated using the Vulnerability Index  Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool, or the VI-SPDAT. Created in 2013 by OrgCode Consulting, the VI-SPDAT was quickly adopted nationwide, as local communities sought to meet a new federal regulation that made funding for homeless services contingent on the implementation of a standardized intake and assessment process. The stated objective of the VI-SPDAT was to identify homeless individuals who were most at risk of dying or being sent to a jail or hospital, and to parcel out limited resources accordingly. In cities and counties across the United States, this technical-sounding survey had become a key instrument in efforts to address homelessness: a mechanism for determining who would  and would not  be eligible for support.

"But what about the cancer?" Celeste asked, her tone changing. It felt demeaning to have to ask such a question. She had begun to realize that all the things she had been so proud of, such as her work ethic, were making it more, not less, likely that she would leave Gateway empty-handed. "Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Yes," the caseworker said, seeming to choose her words carefully. The illness did make Celeste more at risk. The real obstacle, however, was that she and her children did not fit the criteria for "literal homelessness" as set out by HUD. "In order to get housing aid," she continued, "you have to be considered literally homeless, which means you're in a shelter or on the street. Unfortunately, other circumstances don't qualify."

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Celeste's predicament was increasingly common. The existing support system ignored scores of homeless families who did not fit the government's definition of "homeless." Advocacy groups had been fighting to expand the definition, refuting the myth that families with children living in extended-stays and doubled-up arrangements were somehow less vulnerable than other homeless populations; they argued that these conditions could be just as detrimental to a child's education, mental and physical health, and long-term development. Indeed, the U.S. Department of Education counted as homeless anyone who lacked "a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence"  which explicitly included those in hotels, motels, and living temporarily with others. That year, 2019, the Department of Education reported 35,538 homeless children and youth enrolled in Georgia public schools, an increase of 34 percent from a decade earlier. But the state's HUD-administered total  not only for children and youth but Georgia's entire homeless population  was 10,433. Politicians cited the smaller number when discussing homelessness in the state, claiming it was on the decline. This figure also helped determine the amount of money allocated to homeless services the following year. Meanwhile, the parents of those 35,538 students were caught between two parallel definitions. At their child's school, they were considered homeless. At places like Gateway, they were not.

"So let me get this straight," Celeste said. "If I want y'all's help getting a home for me and my kids, I need to be considered  what did you call it  literally homeless?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"And to be considered literally homeless, we've gotta be in a shelter?"

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"That's right. Or somewhere not meant for human habitation."

"All right then," Celeste said. "So how do we get into a shelter?"

The caseworker took a deep breath. "You said your son recently turned fifteen?"

"Yes."

"I hate to say it, but I don't know of any family shelters that allow boys over the age of thirteen. Usually older boys have to go to a men's shelter."

"No way," Celeste said. "Absolutely not. I'm not going to let my family be separated."

"I wish I had more to offer," the woman said. "I'm sorry."

When Celeste left the building, the line outside Gateway was just as long as it had been that morning.

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From the book "There Is No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America" by Brian Goldstone. Copyright  2025 by Brian Goldstone. Published in the United States by Crown, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Get the book here:

"There Is No Place For Us" by Brian Goldstone

Buy locally from Bookshop.org

For more info:

"There Is No Place For Us: Working and Homeless in America" by Brian Goldstone (Crown), in Hardcover, eBook and Audio formatsbriangoldstone.net (Official site)

When the employed are pushed into homelessness

Louisiana dad says "it's disturbing" after deepfake images of his daughter allegedly shared

Peter Skandalakis takes over Georgia election interference case against Trump and others
Police in Newark are looking for the gunman who killed a 10-year-old boy and a 21-year-old woman on Saturday night.

Gunfire rang out on the 300 block of Chancellor Avenue around 7:00 p.m. Saturday.

The sheer volume of shots fired had people ducking for cover.

At least 17 evidence markers could be spotted as police bombarded the area.

Bullets hit five people.

The 10-year-old and the 21-year-old victims were pronounced dead at University Hospital.

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Three other victims, an 11-year-old boy, a 19-year-old man, and a 60-year-old man remained in the hospital in stable condition on Sunday morning.

Mayor Ras Baraka is urging the shooter to surrender to the police.

The Essex County Sheriff's Office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case.

Lamont Vaughn of the Newark Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery has seen too many families deal with this pain.

"It's not something that is treated with one dose of medicine. It's a multilayered approach that has to happen. And it takes the community, it takes the government, it takes the business community. It takes the parents, the residents -- it takes everybody," Vaughn said.

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Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Tips Line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432. All calls will remain confidential.

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NEW YORK  After enduring fire, flood, recession, a pandemic and changing times, a Brooklyn church still stands to celebrate its 170th anniversary on Sunday.

Much as visitors to Red Hook experience today, the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Marys clock tower was among the first sights immigrants spotted arriving in New York Harbor, said the churchs pastor, Father Claudio Antecini.

The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of America, the land of opportunity and freedom. Now there is the Freedom Tower, Antecini, 63, told The New York Daily News. In some places, you can see from the sea, the steeple with the clock. (Arriving immigrants) said, Wow, there is hope. The church is a landmark, a landmark of freedom.

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They were very religious people, very devoted. They brought it from their land, their own background  and their background is faith, faith in God, he added.

The historic house of worship, which stands today on Richards St. near Verona St., began as a small meeting house established in 1854 on nearby Van Brunt St., commissioned by Irish, German and Italian dock and factory workers, the pastor said.

A year later, workers began digging the foundation of the first Visitation, but once completed, the congregation quickly outgrew the space as the neighborhoods shipping and manufacturing industry boomed. In 1876 they began building a second, larger church, which stood for 20 years, until a fire destroyed it on July 12, 1896.

Congregants immediately began construction of the Gothic-revival church that stands today, made of dark Manhattan schist, a metamorphic rock that much of Manhattan sits upon.

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If you look at the ceiling, its built like the bottom of a ship, Antecini said. This church is built like an ark, like the ark of Noah, like a boat of salvation.

The church boasts dramatic frescoes, five stained-glass windows crafted by famed designer Louis Comfort Tiffany made in 1918, and a rare 1917 Reuben Midmer & Sons pipe organ.

There is a treasure of art here for everybody. Its not a matter of your belief, you can come, Antecini said. You see the sun shining, coming through the cross, this is a miracle, in art.

Red Hook has undergone a renaissance from its industrial shipping roots in the 1850s to becoming an incubator for artists and makers. Still, much of the neighborhood remains comprised of low-income immigrants, a demographic reflected in the churchs congregation.

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We have a lot of immigrants here, especially Latinos, and they are coming here with the same attitude, with desires to have a better life, said Sister Emiliana Traversin, who works at the church. The times have changed, but the situation remains somehow the same.

As the Trump administration in recent months doubled down on its mass deportation agenda nationally and in New York City, Traversin, 51, said their immigrant parishioners have been fearing the worst.

If you speak with people one by one, you hear they are afraid, they are concerned, they are struggling, she said.

Aside from religious services, the church distributes food twice a week and runs youth programs, including culinary training and guitar and voice lessons.

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Its a far cry from when Antecini arrived at the parish in 2010, as the church was struggling under a nearly $400,000 debt after the 2008 financial crisis.

This parish here was one of the parishes that was going to be closed because of lack of people, money, Antecini said. The people that were coming to the congregation were very poor. Now its changing.

Antecini said he gave up his salary, donating it to the church, while he worked to inspire faith in a new generation of immigrants in the area, growing attendance from 70 parishioners when he arrived to roughly 400 today.

In two years, we could run. And when I started to say, OK, we can go on, then there was (Hurricane) Sandy, he said.

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When the 2012 hurricane struck the coastal neighborhood, the churchs sprawling basement was submerged under 10 feet of water.

I was very discouraged, the father said. But we didnt stop one day to serve the community here during Sandy.

As Red Hook went without electricity for more than one month, the church, powered by a generator, turned into a shelter and distribution center for those in need.

There was a lot of solidarity here in Red Hook, the pastor recalled. We didnt have help from FEMA, but we had the support of people.

With the help of volunteers and donated materials, they rebuilt. Antecini, who worked in construction before becoming a priest, pitched in, alongside his brother, a retired construction worker who came from Italy to lend a hand.

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When COVID-19 hit in 2020, the church stepped up for its community again.

We decided to put the fridge outside, the pastor said, and we put the food (in it) and the people can come and grab it without making contact with people.

Someone took everything and the whole fridge away, he said, laughing. We had it on the cameras.

Antecini said he almost died when he fell ill with the virus in March 2020, as it spread throughout their parish.

Now the pastor is looking forward to his 64th birthday on Monday  the day after they celebrate the parishs 170th.

On Sunday evening the congregation and community members will gather for a night of live music and food to mark the milestone. The gala is also a fundraiser for the church.

Look what an amazing gift we have received in 170 years, Antecini said, and to be here to see it.
Individuals named Cheryll are often perceived as warm, compassionate, and nurturing, reflecting the name's meaning of 'darling' or 'beloved one'. They tend to possess strong interpersonal skills and excel in roles that require empathy and emotional intelligence. Many Cherylls are known for their artistic sensibilities and creative expression, often finding fulfillment in fields that allow them to connect with others on a deep emotional level.



Their inherent kindness and approachability make them natural caregivers and trusted confidantes. While generally gentle in nature, Cherylls often demonstrate surprising resilience and inner strength when faced with challenges, balancing their soft exterior with a determined spirit. They value meaningful relationships and often prioritize family and close friendships above all else, creating strong support networks throughout their lives. The name's melodic quality and affectionate meaning seem to influence both self-perception and social expectations, creating a feedback loop that reinforces these personality characteristics.
Nov. 15CASS COUNTY  Cass County Chief Deputy Eric Alger has been selected to attend the

FBI National Academy

in Quantico, Virginia.

"The FBI National Academy is internationally recognized as one of the most prestigious law enforcement training programs in the world," a release from Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk said. "Each session, held at the FBI Academy in Quantico, admits only a select group of law enforcement leaders through a highly competitive nomination process."

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The 10-week program includes advanced coursework in leadership, communication, behavioral science and physical fitness, bringing together senior law enforcement officials from across the United States and more than 30 foreign countries.

"Chief Deputy Alger's selection is an incredible honor for both him and the Cass County Sheriff's Office," Welk said. "This opportunity reflects his leadership, dedication and professionalism. The knowledge and experience he will bring back from the National Academy will strengthen our team and enhance the services we provide to the citizens of Cass County."

Alger is a graduate of Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High School, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and a combat veteran of the Iraq War, where he served before beginning his law enforcement career. He has served with the Cass County Sheriff's Office for more than 14 years, holding multiple leadership roles throughout his tenure, the release added.

"I am truly honored to be selected for the FBI National Academy," Alger said. "It's a privilege to represent the Cass County Sheriff's Office and our community at such a respected institution. I look forward to the opportunity to learn from law enforcement leaders from across the country and to bring that knowledge back to strengthen our team and better serve the citizens of Cass County."

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Chief Deputy Alger's selection to attend Session 297 at the academy continues Cass County's tradition of leadership development and commitment to public safety, the release said.

"The Cass County Sheriff's Office congratulates Chief Deputy Alger on this outstanding achievement," Welk concluded, "and looks forward to his continued service and leadership following his graduation from the FBI National Academy."
Delaware State Police have identified the 36-year-old woman killed in a two-vehicle crash on Nov. 15 near New Castle. The driver of the car she was riding in has been charged with vehicular homicide.

Troopers said the crash happened around 1 a.m. on southbound North DuPont Highway near Christiana Road. Investigators report a Kenworth tractor trailer was traveling in the left middle lane when a Lexus approached from behind. Police said, the Lexus driver, 36-year-old Ashley Wright of Dover, failed to slow down and hit the rear of the trailer.

A preliminary investigation found that the impact sent the Lexus spinning across a raised concrete median before it hit a traffic sign. Authorities said the passenger, Ashley Henry of New Castle, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene.

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SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: State police report shows how many drivers are crashing into I-95 wall, and why

Wright was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Police said she showed signs of impairment and has been charged with vehicular homicide and multiple traffic offenses.

The tractor trailer driver, a 32-year-old man from Delaware City, was not injured.

Southbound North DuPont Highway was closed for about six hours while the Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit investigated. The investigation remains ongoing.

Share your community news and activities with our audience. Join Delaware Voices Uplifted on Facebook. Nonprofits, community groups and service providers are welcome to submit their information to be added to our Community Resources Map. Contact staff reporter Anitra Johnson at ajohnson@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: New Castle-area crash victim named by Delaware State Police
Centre Urban Real Estate is advancing plans to transform two Waikiki sites, including the long-derelict 1615 Ala Wai Blvd., into 72 affordable workforce housing units under city guidelines.

Martin M.Q. Nguyen, Centre Urban principal, presented the proposals Nov. 4 to the Waikiki Neighborhood Board, which voted unanimously in support. Both projects remain in the city permitting process.

Centre Urban is planning a 32-unit mid-rise at 2533 Kaneloa Road, acquired last year in a fee-simple deal, and a 40-unit mid-rise at 1615 Ala Wai Blvd., a city-owned property obtained through condemnation. The city will lease the Ala Wai site to Centre Urban for 75 years.

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Nguyen said construction at 2533 Kaneloa Road could begin early next year, with completion in 10 to 12 months. Work at 1615 Ala Wai Blvd. is targeted to start in late 2026 and finish in 2027.

Originally from Oahu, Nguyen told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that his return to Hawaii to develop affordable workforce housing is personal. He said the lack of housing for young professionals on Oahu was part of his motivation to move to the U.S. mainland three days after graduating from the University of Hawaii.

I had an option between my childhood bedroom or splitting an old 1960s walk-up with roommates. It feels good to come home and be able to make an impact on the housing crisis,  he said. We are trying to fill the missing middle.

The projects are aimed at households earning 60 % to 80 % of area median incomecurrently $63, 840 to $85, 120 for individuals and $91, 200 to $121, 600 for a family of four. Rents are expected to be 25 % below Waikiki market rates.

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The hope that anyone choosing to live in these two projects is that they would live in Waikiki already,  Nguyen said. The ideal situation is someone who doesnt need a car and they can either Biki (bikeshare ) or walk to their work whether they work at the Hilton Hawaiian Village or (Moana ) Surfrider or International Market Place or Ala Moana Center.

Keith Vieira, principal of KV & Associates, Hospitality Consulting, said the conversion of apartment units in Waikiki to short-term rentals has reduced Waikikis workforce housing supply, making it increasingly difficult for young workers to find affordable rentals.

The new union contracts at Waikiki hotels offer good pay, but there are a number of openings at every property,  Vieira said.

Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawai i Hotel Alliance, said Waikiki needs more workforce housing.

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You hear team members talking about the cost of living here. It isnt easy for anyone,  he said.

Neighborhood critics Waikiki Neighborhood Board Chairperson Bob Finley told the Star-Advertiser that the board backed the projects despite feedback from some residents who want senior or day care facilities instead.

Kathryn Henski, Waikiki Neighborhood Board member, supported the housing but raised concerns about limited parking and questioned how developers would ensure the units go to Waikiki workers.

Both Finley and Henski praised the citys efforts to clean up the neighborhood and add workforce housing.

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City Council Chair Tommy Waters, who represents Waikiki, initiated condemnation proceedings after the condition of the 1615 Ala Wai Blvd. property drew complaints.

Before initiating condemnation proceedings, the city spent about three years trying to acquire the property, which had been vacant for at least a couple of decades and had a history of complaints filed with the city Department of Planning and Permitting, and Honolulu Police Department.

When the site was finally demolished this summer, Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement, We have taken this site from decades of vacancy and blight to a point where we can now reimagine its future.

Centre Urban was selected as the citys development partner for 1615 Ala Wai Blvd. after a competitive process. Kevin Auger, director designate of the Department of Housing and Land Management, said the project offers a chance to finally turn the page on a long-vacant and deteriorating property  and deliver lasting value through quality, affordable housing.
The Missouri Supreme Court has brought an end to a yearslong legal suit filed against Bayer over cancer claims surrounding its popular home and commercial herbicide, Roundup, Farmers' Advance reported. The state's highest court refused to review Bayer's last appeal, leaving the German chemical giant liable for $611 million in damages.

In 2022, three plaintiffs  Daniel Anderson, Dimmy Traeger, and Valorie Gunther  each filed a lawsuit against Bayer, claiming that the company's Roundup weedkiller contained harmful ingredients that caused their cancer. The cases were consolidated the following year in Cole County, Missouri, where a jury awarded the plaintiffs $1.56 billion in damages.

Bayer's appeal to the Cole County Circuit Court yielded the same ruling, though Circuit Court Judge Daniel Green significantly lowered the damage award amount to $611 million  a decision later upheld by a higher court.

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On Sept. 30, Bayer's final bid for an appeal was turned down when the Missouri Supreme Court refused to review the case, leaving Bayer liable for the damages.

According to Farmers' Advance, Bayer has faced "an avalanche of litigation" surrounding the company's popular weed killer, Roundup, with similar claims that one of the product's ingredients, glyphosate, causes non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer. The lawsuits claim that the product's label fails to adequately warn users of the risk, putting users at an elevated risk.

Bayer has already spent a significant amount of money to settle almost 100,000 lawsuits involving Roundup, according to Farmers' Advance. This most recent lawsuit brings the company's total loss closer to $12 billion.

Despite Bayer's multiple attempts to reverse the court's ruling, this case marks a significant win for the community by holding Bayer, a large corporation, accountable for the public health risks associated with its products.

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Planting native plants is a safer way to manage weeds in the yard without using toxic chemicals harmful to one's health. By supporting the growth of native plants, you leave little room for weeds and other invasive plant species to take root. Native plants also support local ecosystems, providing food and shelter for local wildlife  including pollinators, who help sustain the reproduction of native vegetation and food crops.

These lawsuits are forcing Bayer to seek alternative options to replace Roundup.

"We're pretty much reaching the end of the road," said Bill Anderson, Bayer's chief executive, per Farmers' Advance. "We're talking months, not years."

Do you think the government should ban gas-powered lawn tools? No way Definitely Only certain tools I don't know Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.




Five-hundred young people from across the United States make up the first cohort of Carnegie Young Leaders for Civic Preparedness.

That includes four teams from communities here in Illinois: Skokie, Vernon Hills, Chicago and Iroquois County.

Each group is designing and leading a community project that addresses a local issue. The goal is to prove that young people can create change.

The Institute for Citizens and Scholars is leading this initiative, with funding from a more than $2 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation.

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Audra Watson is the chief of Youth Civic Programs at the Institute for Citizens & Scholars.

"We want them to learn the skills of collaborative problem-solving, constructive dialogue, of navigating information, and to be able to use those skills in their communities to solve issues that are pressing within those communities," Watson said.

Those who take part have to be between the ages of 14 and 24, and they have to have identified a verifiable issue within their community.

"We expect them to go from idea to real implementation of the project," said Watson.

Each team has five members. Watson says it was "incredibly hard" to select the participants. There were 300 teams that applied.

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"One, that speaks to how much young people want to do this work in their communities," said Watson.

Watson says they have young people that are at the beginning of their "civic journey," along with people who are a little further along. The institute plans to select another 100 teams next year.

Two of this year's participants are Patricia Mathu, a PhD student at Purdue University, and Dylan Christopher Ford, a junior at Kenwood Academy in Hyde Park.

Two of this year's participants are Patricia Mathu, a PhD student at Purdue University, and Dylan Christopher Ford, a junior at Kenwood Academy in Hyde Park.

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Mathu lives and works with a collective called Zumwalt Acres in Iroquois County. Her team is focused on hunger relief and food supply.

"With funding from Carnegie, we are having a series of community dinners in Iroquois County, so I live about an hour-and-a-half south of Chicago in a rural area. And we've been having soup and bread, salad, and using it as an opportunity to build relationships with the people that live around us," Mathu said.

Mathu says they are trying to learn more about the food system that is "currently the dominant way that people are fed in America has a lot of injustices."

Ford is working on improving voter participation among young people.

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"To be honest, the thing is, we don't really talk about voting that much, you know?" Ford said.

But Ford says he and his classmates should talk more about the topic since they'll soon be eligible to vote.

"What really inspired me to tackle this issue was, I was sitting in my American studies class last year, in November, and at that time, we just stopped everything to talk about the election that was going on. And we noticed in our discussions that not a lot of young people weren't voting. And I thought, maybe we should do something about that," Ford said.

Ford says he's been given permission to set up tables for pre-registration drives. Illinois law does allow 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds to pre-register to vote. Ford thinks that many young people don't vote because it seems really "intimidating and it just seems inaccessible." But he's reminds others, their voice matters.

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People gathered Saturday night for a "property tax bonfire" at Harmony Community Church in Lawndale as they are trying to light the way to fairness.

Many homeowners in Chicago have received a hefty bill with the latest round of property tax increases, and they're wondering where exactly that money is going.

Homeowners in Lawndale are searching for answers together about their property tax hikes.

Community leaders partnered with the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation to host a bonfire, allowing neighbors to discuss their options.

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Lawndale resident Thomas Worthy received a bill this week that was $977 more than what he paid last year.

"Tax increase is tied to a TIF that I have no idea why," Worthy said. "It's collecting money from our neighbors and streets, but we're not being notified why it's in the bill."

RELATED | Cook County launching relief fund for homeowners who saw high property tax increases

The group discussed a number of solutions for the issue, including an effort to propose new policy which would be modeled after California's Prop 13. That would limit property taxes to one percent of assessed value with annual increases capped at 2%.

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Homeowners are also frustrated because they feel like they're not seeing the tax hikes lead to notable investment in their neighborhoods.

"There's been a divestment in this community for the most part but it seems now that have people found an interest in reclaiming the neighborhood," lifelong Lawndale resident Milton Clayton said. "Now we're being taxed for prosperity."

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas also spoke earlier Saturday on the tax bills while at a Rainbow PUSH event. She says there are new avenues for homeowners to pay these bills at their own pace.

"You do not have to pay your bill on December 15," Pappas said. "You hear that you don't have to pay it. Let me tell you why we went to Springfield last year and set up a payment plan."

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SEE ALSO | 'Highballed': Communities of color over-taxed in Chicago area; what's being done to fix the problem

Pappas says homeowners can go online on December 16 and find payment plans for up to 13 months. That's welcome news to the Lawndale homeowners, but they still want some clarity on the tax hikes.

"We understand utilities are going up a things of that nature, but it's a valuation issue," Worthy said. "We don't have the schools we need. It's economics that are not here, but we're being charged for economics in different communities."

Some people told ABC7 they haven't even received their property tax bill, but ABC7 was told by officials that those are going out around Chicago throughout the week.
Chinese coast guard ships sailed through the Senkaku Islands in what it called a "rights enforcement patrol" on Sunday, continuing to ramp up tensions with Japan.

The move is the latest sign of Beijing's displeasure with Japan, which administers the islands, after newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gave a full-throated defense of Taiwan's independence earlier this month. She vowed that any attack by Beijing on Taiwan would warrant a military response from Japan.

"China Coast Guard vessel 1307 formation conducted patrols within the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands. This was a lawful patrol operation conducted by the China Coast Guard to uphold its rights and interests," China's coast guard said in a statement.

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In the days since Takaichi's Nov. 7 statement on Taiwan, Chinese officials have summoned Japan's ambassador and warned Chinese citizens against traveling to Japan. China's defense ministry also vowed that any Japanese intervention would be ineffective in protecting Taiwan.

Fiddling While Rome Burns: America Ignores Chinas Rising Red Tide

An aerial view of a China coast guard ship like the ones that sailed through Japan's Senkaku Islands.

The most vicious response came from China's consul general in Osaka, who appeared to threaten to decapitate Takaichi in a now-deleted post on social media.

Read On The Fox News App

The official, Xue Jian, wrote, "That filthy neck that barged in on its own  I've got no choice but to cut it off without a moment's hesitation. Are you prepared for that?"

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China Launches Third Aircraft Carrier As Xi Pushes Military Modernization Against Us Influence

Japans government condemned the statement, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara calling it "extremely inappropriate" and confirming that Tokyo had lodged a formal protest with Beijing. Kihara said Xue had made "multiple" inflammatory remarks in the past and urged China to take disciplinary action.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi angered Beijing with a vow to protect Taiwan from attack.

China instead appeared to defend the diplomat. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told reporters Monday that Xues words came in response to Takaichis "wrongful and dangerous" comments, which he said misrepresented Chinas position on Taiwan. Lin accused Japan of "refusing to face up to its historical responsibilities" and warned Tokyo not to interfere in "internal Chinese affairs."

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Taiwan's defense ministry says it has also detected ramped-up aggression from China in recent days. The self-governed island said it monitored 30 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval ships operating nearby, according to Reuters.





Original article source: Chinese coast guard conducts patrol through disputed Senkaku Islands waters following Taiwan spat
More than 100 people were injured and 20 arrested during a massive protest on Saturday in Mexico City against the president's handling of violent crime, local government officials said.

Thousands marched on the capital's historic main public square, the Zocalo, in a demonstration fueled by young Mexicans with ties to a global wave of Generation Z protests as well as supporters of the domestic "Sombrero Movement," which emerged after the recent assassination of a mayor known for his fight against organized crime.

AFP observed participants of all ages taking part in the rally in front of the National Palace, where President Claudia Sheinbaum lives and works.

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Several protesters, some wearing balaclavas, toppled the metal barriers protecting the palace and threw paving stones at riot police, who responded with tear gas, according to AFP journalists.

"For many hours, this mobilization proceeded and developed peacefully, until a group of hooded individuals began to commit acts of violence," Pablo Vazquez, Mexico City's security chief, told reporters.

Twenty protestors and 100 police were injured, with 40 officers hospitalized for cuts and bruises, he added.

Police arrested 20 people for theft and assault, Vazquez said, and had also launched an investigation into the assault of a journalist from La Jornada newspaper, which alleged police officers were behind the incident.

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- Inspired by murdered mayor -

Sheinbaum, in power since October 2024, maintained approval ratings above 70 percent in her first year in office but faced growing criticism of her security policies in the wake of several high-profile murders.

"This is one of the most corrupt governments we've ever had," said Valentina Ramirez, a student interviewed by AFP. "It's a corrupt narco-government that wants to defend the corrupt and the cartels instead of the people."

On Saturday, several protesters wore sombreros similar to the style of hat made famous by Carlos Manzo, a mayor in western Michoacan state who was assassinated on November 1. He had been known for his crusade against drug-trafficking gangs in his hometown Uruapan.

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The assassinated mayor's widow, however, distanced her husband's movement from the demonstration on Saturday.

Bernardo Bravo, a leader of lime producers in the same region, had also been shot dead in late October.

Earlier this week, Sheinbaum questioned the motivations for the demonstration and said at her regular morning news conference that the protest was "inorganic" and "paid for."

"It is a movement promoted from abroad against the government," she said.

Demonstrators displayed banners bearing messages such as "We are all Carlos Manzo" alongside the iconic pirate flag from the Japanese manga One Piece, which has become a symbol of youth protest around the world, from Madagascar to the Philippines and Peru.

"You should have protected Carlos Manzo like this!" some protesters shouted at security forces, who responded with fire extinguishers and tear gas.

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Tens of thousands of people thronged the streets of the Amazonian city hosting COP30 talks on Saturday, dancing to thumping speakers in the first large-scale protest at a UN climate summit in years.

As the first week of climate negotiations limped to a close with nations deadlocked, Indigenous people and activists sang, chanted and rolled a giant beach ball of Earth through Belem under a searing sun.

Others held a mock funeral procession for fossil fuels, dressed in black and pretending to be grieving widows as they carried three coffins marked with the words "coal," "oil" and "gas."

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"We are here to try to apply pressure so that countries fulfill their promises and we don't accept a regression," Txai Surui, a prominent 28-year-old Indigenous leader, told AFP.

It was the first major protest outside the annual climate talks since COP26 four years ago in Glasgow, as the last three gatherings were held in locations with little tolerance for demonstrations -- Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Azerbaijan.

Called the "Great People's March" by organizers, the Belem rally comes at the halfway point of difficult negotiations and follows two Indigenous-led protests that disrupted proceedings earlier in the week.

- Forest 'massacre' -

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"Today we are witnessing a massacre as our forest is being destroyed," Benedito Huni Kuin, a 50-year-old member of the Huni Kuin Indigenous group from western Brazil, told AFP.

"We want to make our voices heard from the Amazon and demand results," he said. "We need more Indigenous representatives at COP to defend our rights."

Tyrone Scott, a 34-year-old Briton from the anti-poverty group War on Want, said it was an "Indigenous-led, movement-led, people-powered march."

"It's just really exciting and a little bit of a nice antidote to the staleness and sterileness of the inside of the COP," Scott told AFP.

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Their demands include "reparations" for damage caused by corporations and governments, especially to marginalized communities.

A giant Palestinian flag and "free Palestine" banners appeared throughout the crowds.

One protester on stilts dressed as a greedy Uncle Sam denouncing "imperialism," while other artwork took aim at Donald Trump, the US president who denigrates climate science and champions fossil fuels.

"Here we are talking about agroecology, feminism, we are talking about how trade unions are defending the life and better employment," 33-year-old Giovani Del Prete told AFP.

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"These are the politics that we must move forward to defeat the climate crisis."

After a 4.5-kilometer (2.8-mile) march through the city, the demonstration stopped a few blocks from the COP30 venue, where authorities deployed soldiers to protect the site.

Ultimately, the crowd -- which organizers put at 50,000 -- dispersed peacefully.

On Tuesday, Indigenous protesters forced their way into the Parque da Cidade -- the COP30 compound built on the site of a former airport -- clashing with security personnel, some of whom sustained minor injuries.

Then on Friday, dozens of Indigenous protesters blocked the entrance for roughly two hours to spotlight their struggles in the Amazon, prompting high-level interventions to defuse the situation.

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- High stakes -

Inside the venue, COP30 president Andre Correa do Lago conceded the first exhaustive week of negotiations had failed to make a breakthrough and urged diplomats not to run down the clock with time-wasting maneuvers.

"The stakes are too high for us to allow procedural tactics or stalled discussions to stand in the way of progress," he said.

He promised to publish a "note" on Sunday to summarize the positions of parties -- a to-do list of sorts for government ministers taking over the negotiations on Monday.

Countries locked horns over trade measures and weak climate targets, while a showdown looms over demands that rich nations triple the finance they provide poorer states to adapt to a warming world.

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Countries including Denmark, the UK and Kenya are also rallying support behind Brazil's proposal to agree a "roadmap" for advancing the phaseout of fossil fuels.

"We're very much up for supporting them on that roadmap... We would love to see an outcome on that," said UK climate minister Katie White, adding such a proposal would need the support of "the vast majority of countries".

Such efforts are fiercely opposed by Saudi Arabia, among other oil-producing nations, and some parties told AFP they strongly doubted the proposal would be approved by consensus at COP30.

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A wildlife expert went viral in October with heartwarming images captured by a trail camera in his backyard. Sharing the short video on Instagram, the clip showed off the true colors of a rather misunderstood rodent.

The delightful footage was taken by Vermont biologist Kiley Briggs of the Orianne Society. Viewers will see a video overlay that says, "Sound on. Please. This will melt your heart."

And what's that sound? A pair of porcupines noisily feasting on apples at night while seemingly engaged in a conversation. The high-pitched chatter may remind some of the Ewoks from Star Wars.

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Speaking to local outlet NBC 5, Briggs explained that the video shows off the softer side of a creature that most people encounter only in an agitated, defensive  even prickly  state.

"When people aren't watching them, when they aren't on edge, and just seeing how they're behaving, how they're interacting with each other  they're just being porcupines in their most relaxed and natural way possible," he said.

In a 2018 blog post from Orianne, Briggs wrote about the importance of porcupines to forest ecosystems. They are essentially little eco-egineers whose foraging habits create habitats for other species. Porcupines chew on bark and prune trees in search of food. This also helps cycle nutrients and clears the forest canopy, allowing more sunlight in.

Porcupine quills can cause serious injury, but the animals are purely defensive in nature. Few predators bother with them  only the fisher cat, which is actually a type of weasel, has any real success in hunting them.

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Briggs's story highlights the value of trail cameras to wildlife conservation. Dispelling misinformation about these sometimes villainized creatures can help to demonstrate the importance of protecting their populations and habitats.

Cameras have proven their worth in conservation efforts worldwide. The footage and data they generate can help guide environmental management strategies and local policies to better protect wildlife.

The clip generated thousands of comments from delighted viewers. "They have no right to be that cute while also being so unhuggable!" one viewer joked. Another asked, "Why is this so precious???"

One viewer with some experience with the animal described their pleasant, laid-back nature: "We love their little sounds and the way they hold their food with their front feet like little hands."

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The symbolic resonance of Clarimunda extends beyond its literal meaning to encompass profound metaphysical concepts. The name represents the alchemical marriage of oppositeslight and purity, knowledge and innocence, worldly engagement and spiritual detachment. In symbolic systems, Clarimunda often appears as an archetype of the 'Sophia' or wisdom figure who guides seekers toward enlightenment while preserving their essential humanity. The 'clarus' element symbolizes not just physical light but the illumination of consciousness, representing the awakening of higher understanding and perceptual clarity. The 'munda' component signifies not merely cleanliness but the purification of intention and the refinement of character through lived experience. Together, these elements create a symbolic narrative of transformationthe journey from ignorance to wisdom while maintaining moral integrity. In mystical traditions, Clarimunda represents the soul's capacity to engage with the material world without becoming corrupted by it, embodying the ideal of 'in the world but not of the world.' This makes the name particularly powerful in contexts exploring personal growth, spiritual development, and the integration of opposing forces within human experience.
The Adams County Coroner has confirmed that Christopher Lindner was the man killed during a confrontation with police on Nov. 14.

The 40-year-old was fatally shot after police said he emerged from a Manchester residence with a firearm following a vehicle chase on Friday.

"After repeated attempts for the subject to surrender he exited the residence with a firearm at which time an officer-involved shooting occurred," Ohio State Highway Patrol said in a news release.

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The chase began after police received a call from "a citizen concerned for their safety," the release said. No further details about what led to the shooting have been released.

Lindner was pronounced dead at the scene.

Christopher Lindner was the son of Carl Lindner III. The Lindner family leveraged its success from growing United Dairy Farmers to other business ventures, including American Financial Group  now ranked 460 on the Fortune 500 list of American businesses.

Who are the Lindners? Man shot by police came from prominent Cincinnati family

Ohio's Bureau of Criminal Investigation was asked to investigate the shooting by the Adams County Sheriff's Office. West Union police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol were on the scene at the time of the shooting.

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The bureau is frequently called upon to investigate police shootings across the state.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Christopher Lindner, son of Carl Lindner shot by police, coroner says
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents are in Charlotte and detaining people as part of an immigration enforcement campaign this weekend.

Agents were spotted across Charlotte on Saturday, and Channel 9 followed up on reports that people were being detained at businesses and homes in east and south Charlotte. That also included one man who said he was wrongfully detained after showing his legal citizenship documentation.

CBP confirmed its operation in Charlotte, and were expected to see more arrests on Sunday.

What to know for Nov. 16:

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NOTICIAS EN ESPANOL >> Telemundo Charlotte

>>Keep an eye on this article and on WSOCTV.com or watch Eyewitness News on Channel 9 for updates throughout the day.

(VIDEO: Second Harvest Food Bank seeks donations to pack emergency food boxes)
WASHINGTON  The East Wing that President Donald Trump tore down last month stood for decades.

The ballroom hes building in its place could be gone not long after the first wave of guests sit down for dinner, depending on the outcome of the 2028 presidential race.

If elected, a Democratic president would have plenty to worry about aside from White House decor; war and peace can easily fill up a day. But a new president may face considerable pressure from within the Democratic fold to do something about a massive new ballroom forever linked to Trump.

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Already, prominent Democratic officials are workshopping ideas for repurposing the space in favor of something thats decidedly un-Trump. If any of these come to fruition, the $300 million ballroom that Trump birthed could take on a function that he never intended.

Should the ballroom be used as the president plans? No way, said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who said he will consider a presidential bid if Democrats gain control of the House in the upcoming midterm elections.

This is a space thats owned by the people and that serves the people, Raskin said in an interview. So, it should be used opposite of what Trump has in mind, which is for the American aristocracy and plutocracy to gather.

Rep. Ro Khanna of California, another Democrat viewed as a possible presidential candidate, said the ballroom should be used in a way that celebrates and empowers forgotten Americans as opposed to accommodating guests for glitzy state dinners.

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Letting the 90,000-square-foot structure remain a ballroom would only validate the means by which Trump built it: demolishing the East Wing without forewarning and bankrolling the project with private donations, Democratic officials suggested.

At least one Democratic lawmaker wants the ballroom to meet its demise.

I don't think it would be a bad idea to tear it down, said Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.

Its this gigantic blob there thats Donald Trump, he added.

The White House declined to comment on the ballrooms fate under future Democratic presidents.

Trump has said that a ballroom will enable successors to hold large events in a convenient indoor space as opposed to herding guests onto the South Lawn under makeshift tents. For 150 years, presidents have wanted just this kind of solution, the White House contends.

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I hope it remains a ballroom and hope that its tastefully and beautifully done so that future presidents will be proud to host honored guests there, said Anita McBride, a member of the White House Historical Association board of directors and former chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush.

But what I mostly hope is that the new building includes offices for the Office of the First Lady, White House social office and White House Visitor Office, McBride added. Those offices serve the presidency in a unique and special way, welcoming all visitors to the Peoples House.

Past presidents also faced public backlash for transforming the White House. Harry Truman was ridiculed for putting up a balcony that overlooks the South Lawn. A newspaper cartoon in 1948 depicted Truman standing on the balcony named for him and shouting, Love me... love my balcony.

But no president has undertaken any exterior renovation on the ballrooms scale, nor have many presidents proved as polarizing as Trump.

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That makes the ballroom an inviting target for Democratic candidates and officeholders alike. Theres little downside. A Washington Post-Ipsos poll of adults last month showed that 88% of Democrats and 61% of independents opposed the ballroom project.

Its a metaphor for this administration  the recklessness to which he goes about things, the fact that he doesnt believe in rules, he doesn't believe they apply to him, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another potential Democratic candidate for president, said in an interview last month with NBC News Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker.

So, you know, hes a wrecking ball presidency, Newsom said.

Inertia is a potent force in life and in politics. A Democratic president with a mountain of promises to fulfill might conclude the easiest answer is to leave the ballroom alone, rather than spend time and money mothballing it.

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Newsom is no friend of Trump, but his office did not respond to a question about whether hed like to see the ballroom razed.

One Democratic candidate for Congress, Saikat Chakrabarti, suggested turning the ballroom into a Smithsonian-run museum. If elected, he said he will introduce a bill aimed at converting the ballroom into a museum focused on corruption and autocracy.

The space would list the private companies that donated to the ballroom, said Chakrabarti, who is running for the San Francisco seat held by outgoing Rep. Nancy Pelosi, to really put into the sunlight how this thing came to even be. (Major companies that have contributed to Trumps ballroom project include Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Comcast Corp., the parent company of NBCUniversal, while the White House has said it is accepting other, anonymous donations.)

On the campaign trail, Democratic candidates figure to propose creative alternatives for the ballroom. Raskin envisions a hybrid structure that could accommodate some dinner guests, but would also showcase exhibits devoted to Americas struggle to achieve full-fledged democracy.

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One side of the space would display the various attempts to undermine and thwart popular democracy in American life, starting with King George III during the Revolutionary War era and ending with Trumps attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, Raskin said.

He said he would name the space the Democracy Matters Ballroom.

Khanna said the ballrooms future should be decided by way of vox populi.

We need a White House that is not for the tech billionaires, but for forgotten Americans, he said.

In that spirit, we should ask Americans  in rural communities, urban centers and hollowed-out factory towns  for their ideas of what to do with the space, Khanna said.

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A Republican successor to Trump might be more apt to keep the ballroom, interpreting victory as a vindication of Trumps policies and priorities.

Then again, Trumps tastes arent for everyone. He likes gold; hes partial to grand, formal spaces. A GOP president with a different aesthetic might not be quite as besotted with a ballroom nearly twice the size of the White House proper.

The White House is a residence that symbolizes American democracy, said Edward Lengel, former chief historian for the White House Historical Association.

The ballroom, he said, makes the White House resemble something else: a palace.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
DHS, which oversees US Customs and Border Protection, did not provide details on the operation, including how many law enforcement officers took part or the number of people detained.

Federal authorities conducted raids on Saturday in the banking hub of Charlotte, North Carolina, the Department of Homeland Security said, expanding its crackdown on illegal immigration to the US South.

"We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens."

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DHS, which oversees US Customs and Border Protection, did not provide details on the operation, including how many law enforcement officers took part or the number of people detained.

President Donald Trump, a Republican, has focused on ramping up immigration arrests in Democratic-led cities, with major pushes in recent months in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington.

Leaders in North Carolina's largest city gave a warning of an expected CBP operation on Saturday and urged people to seek help, including from the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Police Department, which is not participating in the federal raids.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement official (credit: NARA & DVIDS Public Domain Archive)

"There are a number of organizations standing ready to assist individuals seeking legal guidance on immigration matters," Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, and city commissioners said in a statement.

Fear and uncertainty in Charlotte

The expected raids caused fear and uncertainty in Charlotte because similar operations in other cities resulted in people without criminal records being detained, they said.

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Border Patrol agents in Chicago have helped increase immigration arrests, but protesters and some residents say they have used excessive force, including deploying tear gas in busy urban areas.

A Chicago-based federal judge barred immigration agents from using some aggressive tactics and ordered them to wear body cameras after videos cited in a lawsuit showed violent clashes with protesters.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has left its "Operation Midway Blitz" command center at Naval Station Great Lakes, city officials confirmed to ABC7 Chicago Sunday.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.

The development comes as 200 federalized Texas National Guard members also vacated the base this week, and Customs and Border Protection Cmdr. Greg Bovino also left the Chicago area, being seen during a new surge in immigration enforcement in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The Texas National Guard members sent to Chicago were returning to their home states, two U.S. officials told ABC News on Saturday.

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The federalized Guard troops arrived to the Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago in early October, but they never deployed operationally because of legal challenges that continue playing out in court.

DHS was using the command center at Naval Station Great Lakes as it conducted a surge in immigration enforcement across the Chicago area.

RELATED | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates

An official with the City of North Chicago shared the following statement with ABC7 Chicago on Sunday:

"Mayor Leon Rockingham is pleased to report that the Department of Homeland Security has left its command center at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago. The City of North Chicago was informed of the closure late Friday afternoon, November 14, 2025, according to Gregory Jackson, Chief of Staff.

"The departure comes two months after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) first secured the property to support 'Operation Midway Blitz,' President Donald Trump's escalated deportation campaign in the Chicago area. The Command Center at Naval Station Great Lakes provided office space, parking spots, and portable laundry units to the federal agents. It has also functioned as a training and storage facility.

"In October, DHS officials said it planned to use the North Chicago command center through at 'least December.' The early departure ends weeks of turmoil and disruption to daily life. Mayor Rockingham and the City Council wish to thank and acknowledge the heroic efforts of the entire North Chicago community who worked together tirelessly to keep everyone safe and informed about ICE's actions in the community. The spirit of neighbor helping neighbor sustains all of us in times of need. WE ARE STRONGER TOGETHER."

The Texas Guard members had been activated on federal orders by President Donald Trump in early October and placed on an active duty Title 10 status.

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RELATED | Trump administration asks SCOTUS to affirm lawfulness of National Guard deployment to Illinois

Texas will maintain a force of 200 members who have all volunteered for the mission, according to one of the U.S. officials.

The 200 members of the Illinois National Guard who had also been federalized by President Donald Trump to operate in Chicago will remain on active duty, said the official.

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker's office shared the following statement with ABC7 Chicago Saturday evening:

"While there are reports the Texas guard is leaving, the Trump Administration is also saying they will keep federalizing national guards to "ensure a constant, enduring, and long-term presence" in cities. This confirms what we have always known: this is about normalizing military forces in American cities.

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"Illinois will continue fighting for our state sovereignty, protecting people's rights, and keeping our communities peaceful.

"And, as we have said since the beginning...

"No, the Trump Administration does not provide the Governor's office updates on military movements within our state. There has never been a serious willingness from the federal government to coordinate or cooperate with the state."

ABC News contributed to this report.
The Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security said CBP arrested a man inside Atrium University Hospital after he attempted to escape through the bathroom ceiling tile. The arrest happened around 1 p.m. outside of Weeping Willow AME Zion Church on Milton Road. Numerous social media posts incorrectly claimed the man who was arrested was either shot or run over. A witness and MEDIC confirmed he suffered a medical event.

They had like a car parked and they were trying to take the guy out of the car but he was having a panic attack or something so the ambulance is here, witness Giancarlo Hernandez said.

ALSO READ: Border Patrol agents spotted detaining people across Charlotte

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On X, Assistant Secretary Dept. of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said the man is from Mexico and in the country illegally. She said he has a prior assault arrest and he attempted to escape through the ceiling at the hospital. A name was not provided.

This criminal illegal alien from Mexico had a panic attack and was taken to the hospital where he attempted to escape by climbing into the ceiling tiles from the hospital bathroom, she said. He was unsuccessful and was apprehended inside the ceiling by law enforcement.

A spokesperson for Atrium Health declined to confirm details of the arrest.

Federal agents accompanied a patient to our emergency department to receive care and we provided appropriate treatment, the statement from Atrium said.

Attempted flower vendor arrest:

The other CBP incident that gained widespread community attention Saturday was on Grier Road, about five minutes away from Weeping Willow AME Zion Church.

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Witnesses said CBP attempted to arrest a man selling flowers on the side of the road.

They pulled their window down and when he saw who they were he took off running, Elizabeth Flores, a friend of the flower vendor said.

Flores said CBP did not find him. The mans identity has not been released and CBP hasnt commented.

I think they are easy targets, she said. If they are actually looking for criminals do you think they would be selling flowers on the side of the street.

The attempted arrest on Grier Road got widespread community attention thanks to live streams. Dozens of community members approached CBP as they were searching for the man. One of the people who showed up on seen was Charlotte City Councilman-Elect JD Arias. He takes office in December. He said he was saddened and disturbed by the attempted arrest.

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This is a man that has been a pillar in our community for years who does no harm other than brighten peoples day with flowers, he said.

Operation Charlottes Web:

Day 2 of Operation Charlottes Web was like Day 1. CBP agents did not directly target one specific area of town or business. Arrests were spread throughout the city. CBP said 81 people were arrested Saturday. Commander Gregory Bovino has posted several of the arrests on X but has not provided any names.

VIDEO: Border Patrol arrests dozens in first day of Charlotte operations
President Donald Trump issued a "full and unconditional" pardon to a Louisville man who pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy for his actions on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and to unrelated federal firearms charges.

Trump quietly issued the pardon Nov. 14, according to multiple reports. The Justice Department has not announced the pardon on its website as of Nov. 15.

Dan Wilson was sentenced in 2024 to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution for his actions related to the Capitol attack. The Justice Department said Wilson began planning for the attack in the winter of 2020, and on Dec. 27, 2020 wrote, "I am ready to lay my life on the line. It is time for good men to do bad things."

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The Justice Department said Wilson was part of an unnamed militia. Politico reports that Wilson was a member of the the Gray Ghost Partisan Rangers and other groups.

Louisville news: Consultants say Louisville must build a new jail as crowding and safety concerns grow

While Trump pardoned more than 1,500 people for crimes related to Jan. 6, 2021 on his first day in office, Wilson also had convictions for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of an unregistered firearm that originated in Kentucky.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump pardons Jan. 6 rioter from Louisville to clear gun charges
Have you seen this missing 66-year-old man?

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An Endangered Missing Adult Alert has been issued by the Auglaize County Sheriffs Office for Willie Kay Williams, 66.

TRENDING STORIES:

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He has been missing since Friday, Nov. 14, according to the Ohio Attorney Generals Office.

Williams signed himself out of his Cridersville nursing home, walked away from his residence, and hasnt returned.

He suffers from type 2 diabetes and has reduced mobility. Law enforcement is concerned for his safety, the Ohio AGs Office said.

Williams is five feet seven inches tall. He weighs 145 pounds and was last seen wearing a red sweatshirt and black pants with a vertical stripe.

Anyone who sees Williams is asked to call 911 or contact the Auglaize County Sheriffs Office at (419) 739-6565.

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A House petition to release Epstein case files reached 218 signatures as Rep. Lauren Boebert met White House officials. Newly released emails show Epstein repeatedly referenced Trump.

Senior Trump administration officials met Wednesday with Rep. Lauren Boebert as a House of Representatives petition to release Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein reached the 218-signature threshold, CNN reported.

The meeting coincided with the release of thousands of pages of Epsteins private emails and messages, which show he repeatedly invoked US PresidentDonald Trump in personal communications, years after their ties had reportedly ended.

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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the meeting, saying the administration was engaging with lawmakers concerns, but declined to provide details of the Situation Room discussion. A source told CNN that Boebert attended the meeting as momentum grew around the petition.

The petition passed the required threshold when newly sworn-in Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva added her name, setting in motion the procedural steps that could lead to a full House vote. Boebert later posted on X, thanking officials for the meeting and stating both sides were committed to transparency. She also told CNN that Trump had not asked her to remove her name from the petition.

Trump and Rep. Nancy Mace, another signatory, had reportedly been trying to reach each other by phone over the previous day. Mace conveyed her continued support for the petition in a message to Trump, according to the report.

'The ultimate translator of Trump'

The newly disclosed documents, obtained from Epsteins estate by court order and released by a congressional committee, comprise over 20,000 pages of emails and messages. The communications reveal that Epstein frequently referenced Trump and claimed to have deep insight into him.

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Epstein described himself in one message as the ultimate translator of Trump and claimed to be the only one who can bring him down. The records suggest that various public figures turned to Epstein for interpretations of Trumps behavior and motives.

In 2012, Epstein proposed to a lawyer that Trumps financial records be examined. In 2015, he offered New York Times journalist Landon Thomas Jr. pictures of Donald and the girls in bikinis in my kitchen, though according to Maariv, there was no evidence such images existed.

He also referred to Trump in derogatory terms in messages to journalists and acquaintances, using phrases such as dopey Donald, demented Donald, and asserting that Trumps finances were all a sham. In a separate message to former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Epstein wrote that Trump was borderline insane.

People walk out of the West Wing of the White House with ''The Epstein Files: Phase 1'' binders, in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 27, 2025 (credit: REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE)

In 2018, after The Miami Herald published its investigation into Epstein, an associate told him the coverage was intended to bring down Trump. Epstein replied, Im the only one who can bring him down. Three weeks before his 2019 arrest, his accountant reportedly reviewed Trumps financial disclosures and described them to Epstein as a hundred pages of nonsense.

GOP divisions surface amid document fallout

According to the original report, the Epstein case has exposed divisions within the Republican Party. Additional documents were released on Wednesday by the House Oversight Committee. Leavitt dismissed emails referencing Trump, saying they prove absolutely nothing. Trump, in comments reported by The New York Times, accused Democrats of using the Jeffrey Epstein hoax to divert attention from political issues.

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Two women who identified as Epstein survivors were reportedly expected to attend Grijalvas swearing-in ceremony.

Even if the House votes to release the Justice Department files, the measure would still need to pass the Republican-controlled Senate and receive Trumps approval.

Eli Leon contributed to this article.
Avondale police arrested a man in connection with the fatal shooting of his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend on Nov. 8.

Officers responded about 6 a.m. to reports of a shooting inside an apartment near Dysart and McDowell roads, according to Sgt. Jenny Chavez, a spokesperson for the Avondale Police Department.

Police found Rhiana Kemplin suffering from a gunshot wound, according to Chavez.

Kemplin was taken to the hospital where she later died, Chavez said.

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Police identified Kemplins ex-boyfriend, Emilio Rivera, 18, as the person accused of shooting her.

On Nov. 14, Rivera was arrested without incident in Buckeye and was booked into a Maricopa County jail on charges of first-degree and attempted second-degree murder, according to Chavez.

"Our detectives have worked diligently to advance this investigation, and through their efforts, developed probable cause to arrest Mr. Rivera on charges directly related to Ms. Kemplins murder," police said.

Avondale police asked anyone with additional information about Kemplin's death to contact them at 623-333-7000.

Kemplin's family honors a life taken too early

Natasha Flores, mother to Kemplin, wrote in a GoFundMe post that her daughter was shot in her sleep.

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"Our hearts are shattered," Flores wrote.

She said her daughter had dreams of graduating from high school and moving on to Arizona State University, where she wanted to play in the school band.

Flores said she knew her daughter by many nicknames, such as Rhi Rhi and Lil Mama.

"Rhi Rhi was a beautiful soul inside and out. She was smart beyond years, talented with music, and makeup, and had the biggest heart," Flores wrote.

As of Nov. 15, the fundraiser had raised nearly $50,000 toward its $65,000 goal to cover Kemplins funeral expenses and support her family.

Fatal shooting: 23-year-old man dies in early-morning road-rage shooting in Avondale

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Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@gannett.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Ex-boyfriend charged with murder in Avondale teen's shooting
The symbolic meanings associated with Cleva extend far beyond its literal translation, encompassing rich metaphorical dimensions that have evolved across cultures and time periods. Primarily, the cliff represents unwavering strength and the ability to maintain integrity under pressurequalities that become symbolic of personal character and moral fortitude. In psychological terms, Cleva symbolizes the ego's capacity to establish healthy boundaries while remaining open to growth and connection. The cliff's position between land and sea or earth and sky makes it a powerful symbol of mediation and balance, representing individuals who can navigate different worlds or perspectives. In spiritual contexts, particularly Christian symbolism, cliffs represent the solid foundation of faith and the elevated position of spiritual understanding. The name also carries ecological symbolismcliffs often host unique microclimates and ecosystems, representing the hidden depths and nurturing capacities within strong exteriors. This combination of obvious strength and subtle complexity makes Cleva a name rich with symbolic potential, representing the human capacity for resilience, perspective, and the creation of safe spaces for growth and transformation.
Calvin Duncan, who was elected clerk of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, greets patrons at Vaughans Lounge New Orleans during a campaign event on Sept. 26, 2025. (Photo by Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America)

Calvin Duncan, who was wrongfully convicted of murder 40 years ago and sentenced to life in prison, was elected clerk of Orleans Parish Criminal Court Saturday night, handily defeating established incumbent Darren Lombard.

Duncan claimed 68% of the vote with all precincts reporting their results. Turnout for the election was 21.5%.

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The campaign between two Democrats saw Republican state Attorney General Liz Murrill challenge Duncans claim that he had been exonerated. She sent him a letter before the October primary election, saying he needed to cease representing to the public that you were exonerated to avoid further action from this office.

Court records confirm Duncans conviction was vacated in 2021.

Lombard also called into question Duncans criminal status during public debates and in a lawsuit that accused his opponent of making false claims in violation of state election laws. An Orleans Parish judge denied Lombards request for a temporary restraining order to halt Duncans campaign advertising.

In addition to his own experience as a defendant, Duncan was a jailhouse lawyer while serving time at Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, helping other incarcerated people with their post-conviction filings.

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After his release, Duncan earned a bachelors degree in paralegal studies from Tulane University and received his law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School. He founded the Light of Justice Program, which provides assistance to the incarcerated.

Duncan was given a life sentence for the shooting death of David Yeager, 23, during an Aug. 7, 1981, armed robbery in the Treme neighborhood. Yeagers girlfriend, Kristi Emberling, was with him when he was shot and identified Duncan as his killer in March 1982. Police showed her a mugshot of Duncan, who was 18 at the time Yaeger was killed, taken when he was 14 years old.

The Innocence Project of New Orleans, now known as Innocence and Justice Louisiana, began representing Duncan in 2004. Its attorneys questioned the accuracy of Emberlings identification, noting she said she was convinced that Duncan was the shooter only after she saw him on television in handcuffs following his arrest.

The defense team also compelled the release of withheld police documents in New Orleans in Portland, Oregon, where Duncan had moved to join a Job Corps program and was arrested.

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The documents revealed discrepancies in the investigation, which was led in Clackemas County by a detective who would later be convicted of illegal wire tapping in a separate case. The same detective had told Duncan he has been identified by his two prominent gold front teeth, which wasnt true.

Mounting issues with the case led then Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro to vacate Duncans murder conviction in 2011 and allow him to plead guilty to manslaughter and attempted armed robbery. Duncan was resentenced to 49 years in prison but released for the time he had served. Cannizzaro, who now leads the criminal division in Murrills office, was an assistant DA involved in Duncans prosecution in 1985.

In 2021, the Louisiana Legislature approved a law to allow defendants whove pleaded guilty to challenge their convictions if evidence of their innocence was withheld from court. Duncan sought such relief and after a judge vacated his 2011 conviction, current Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams dropped the charges against him.

The clerks post puts Duncan in charge of record keeping for Orleans Parish Criminal Court, and hell oversee all elections in the city.

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Lombard will leave office after one term, having won the citywide post in 2021 after serving as clerk of the city court in Algiers since 2012.

The incumbents chances to stay office in took a hit over the summer when it was discovered that several boxes of criminal court records, some dating back to the 1950s, were mistakenly taken to a city landfill. Lombard blamed Mayor LaToya Cantrells administration for trashing the documents without his approval. The city had provided space to store records for the clerks office, which had run out of room for storage. Lombard said he and his staff scoured the landfill and recovered a significant portion of the paperwork.

Williams has been critical of Lombards financial management, claiming the clerk is responsible for failing to secure $500,000 in bail revenue intended for the court and the district attorney. Lombard said he has worked with Williams to resolve the fiscal issues, according to a report from Verite.
Nearly two dozen people including many faith leaders were arrested outside the Broadview ICE facility in Illinois this week after a tense standoff with federal officers, marking the latest flashpoint in a series of confrontations between clergy demonstrators and law enforcement under President Donald Trumps renewed immigration crackdown.

Clergy representing Catholic, Jewish, Episcopal and interfaith coalitions gathered Friday morning to demand an end to workplace raids and mass detentions. The protest escalated when officers ordered the group to disperse; several faith leaders refused, kneeling in the street in prayer before being taken into custody, according to Reuters. Organizers say at least one of the arrestees was a 72-year-old priest who has participated in immigration vigils for more than a decade.

The arrests come just weeks after a separate incident in Chicago in which a Methodist minister was struck in the head by a pepper-ball projectile during a police response to a protest outside a migrant intake center. Earlier this fall, a group of faith leaders including priests and nuns were detained after being refused admission inside to administer communion, an essential element of a Catholics faith life. Immigrant-rights groups say the pattern reflects a broader escalation in the policing of clergy-led actions, many of which have historically been peaceful.

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Legal experts note that faith-led protests often invoke First Amendment protections for both free exercise of religion and free assembly, making these clashes particularly sensitive. While authorities argue that restrictions are tied to safety and facility security, civil liberties groups warn that aggressive enforcement, especially when directed at clergy, can have a chilling effect on religious and political expression.

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ICE officials said the Broadview arrests occurred only after multiple lawful orders were ignored. Organizers counter that civil disobedience is central to their mission and vowed to continue holding weekly vigils outside the facility, calling the arrests a sign that we are in a spiritual emergency.

The post Faith under attack: More clergy arrested at ICE facility protest appeared first on Salon.com.
Without full funding for November's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, Joe Angelo's Cafe in Brockton stepped up and offered a weekly meal deal to "offer an affordable meal "in this time of uncertainty."

Jean Bradley Derenoncourt has called for a recount in his narrow loss to Moises Rodrigues for Brockton mayor. Derenoncourt alleges illegal handling of mail-in and absentee ballots.

The 29-year-old male who passed away in a fatal shooting incident this week near 75 Deering Square in Rockland has been identified. Rockland Police had received a 911 call at approximately 9:35 p.m. that night for reports of gunshots in the area.

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A man was killed and three other people were seriously injured in a vehicle collision in Brockton early Friday morning, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office.

In case you missed it, here are five stories from the past week throughout the Brockton area that resonated with our readers.

Brockton restaurant says 'people need to eat,' offers cheap meals amid SNAP uncertainty

Without full funding for November's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, another Brockton restaurant has stepped up to help out those in need of an affordable meal. This time, it's Joe Angelo's Cafe, Brockton's famed bar, situated in the heart of downtown.

Brockton restaurant offers meals: Brockton restaurant says 'people need to eat,' offers cheap meals amid SNAP uncertainty

Volunteer Jennifer Bunker serves turkey dinners. Brockton feeds the needy on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2014, Thanksgiving Day, at Joe Angelo's Cafe.

Brockton mayoral candidate claims illegal handling of mail-in ballots. What other side says

Jean Bradley Derenoncourt has called for a recount in his narrow loss to Moises Rodrigues for Brockton mayor. Derenoncourt alleges illegal handling of mail-in and absentee ballots. Derenoncourt lost the Nov. 4 election for mayor by 260 votes, according to unofficial results. The margin was less than 2% of the 13,218 total votes cast for mayor.

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Mayoral candidate calls for recount: Brockton mayoral candidate claims illegal handling of mail-in ballots. What other side says

Brockton mayoral debate where both candidates Jean Bradley Derenoncourt, left, and Moises Rodrigues at WATD with moderator Christine James, Tom Gorman and Chris Helms on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.

Victim in fatal Rockland shooting was a 29-year-old Rockland man

A 29-year-old male who passed away in a fatal shooting incident this week in Rockland has been identified. Darnel Andre of Rockland was identified as the man shot multiple times the evening of Nov. 11 near 75 Deering Square. He was transported to South Shore Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Fatal shooting victim identified: Victim of Nov. 11 fatal shooting was a 29-year-old man from Rockland, investigators say

Police search for suspect in shooting: Police search for suspect in fatal Rockland shooting. What happened?

Fights at Brockton High have decreased dramatically. Teen peacekeepers are one reason why

Brockton High Senior Jaydalise DelValle, 17, said she felt like there were fights every day her freshman year. Sometimes, there were several in one day. People often took videos of them. Now, we dont hear about any fights, at all, said DelValle. And theres not really texting and arguing over the phone or nothing because we dont have them.

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Fights at Brockton High have decreased: Fights at Brockton High have decreased dramatically. Teen peacekeepers are one reason why

Not just Brockton High: Not just Brockton High: Teachers 'hopeless' as chaos extends to elementary, middle schools

Seniors Jaydalise DelValle and Angelica Jean-Francois talk about some of the challenges being mediators at Brockton High School on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. This includes having to to shut down a discussion if it gets too heated, and waiting until people calm down.

Man killed in Brockton crash with box truck, 3 others seriously injured. What we know

A man was killed and three other people were seriously injured in a vehicle collision in Brockton early Friday morning, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office. The crash between a motor vehicle and a box truck occurred at around 1:30 a.m. Friday near Centre and Quincy streets, the DA's office said. The motor vehicle had four occupants, the DA's office said.

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Man killed in Brockton crash: Man killed in Brockton crash with box truck, 3 others seriously injured. What we know

Brockton firefighters used hydraulic rescue tools to extricate a man from a vehicle after a multiple vehicle crash involving a large truck at Centre and Quincy streets on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025.

Brockton firefighters used the Jaws of Life hydraulic extrication tools to extricate a man from his vehicle after a multiple vehicle crash involving a tractor trailer at Centre and Quincy streets on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025.

Staff writer Kathy Bossa can be reached by email at kbossa@enterprisenews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton-area top stories: Fatal accident, Joe Angelo's Cafe
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that killed two teens on State Road 33 near Groveland Farms Road when a 2008 Toyota Scion collided with a 2021 Lincoln Aviator, Saturday afternoon.

According to FHP, the crash occurred when the teen driver of the Scion attempted to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone, swerved back into the southbound lane upon seeing the Lincoln Aviator approaching, lost control, and then re-entered the northbound lane where the collision occurred.

The driver of the Scion swerved back into the southbound lane after noticing the Lincoln approaching, but lost control and rotated into the northbound lane, directly into the path of the Lincoln.

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The impact caused the Scion to overturn, resulting in the deaths of both the driver and passenger of the Scion at the scene.

The driver and passengers of the Lincoln, including a 5 and 6-year-old child, were transported to area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash is currently under investigation.

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Federal immigration officers on Saturday began a sweep through Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, federal officials confirmed.

Local media reports said that among the locations targeted by masked federal agents was a church in east Charlotte, where an arrest was made while about 15 to 20 church members were doing yard work on the property.

The pastor at the church, who did not want to identify himself or his church, told the Charlotte Observer that agents reportedly asked no questions and showed no identification before taking the man away. The mans wife and child were inside the church at the time, said the pastor.

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Right now, everybody is scared. Everybody, he said. One of these guys with immigration, he said he was going to arrest one of the other guys in the church. He pushed him.

Related: A refugees deportation rattles a deeply conservative town: What Trump has done is not Christlike

Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant homeland security secretary, said in a statement to the Associated Press that federal agents are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed.

Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors, McLaughlin added.

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Local officials including the mayor, Vi Lyles, criticized such actions, saying in a statement that they are causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty.

We want people in Charlotte and Mecklenburg county to know we stand with all residents who simply want to go about their lives, the statement said.

In another interaction with federal agents in east Charlotte, two workers were hanging Christmas lights in Rheba Hamiltons front yard when two Customs and Border Protection agents walked up.

One tried to speak to the workers in Spanish, she said. They did not respond, and the agents left without making arrests.

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This is real disconcerting, but the main thing is weve got two human beings in my yard trying to make a living. Theyve broken no laws and thats what concerns me, said Hamilton, 73, who recorded the encounter on her cellphone.

Hamilton said that the agents were looking for easy pickings. There was nobody here with TV cameras, nobody here protesting, theres just two guys working in a yard and an old white lady with white hair sitting on her porch drinking her coffee.

Willy Aceituno, a 46-year-old Honduran-born US citizen, said he was on his way to work on Saturday when he saw a lot of Latinos running, chased by a lot of border patrol agents.

Aceituno said he was stopped twice by agents. During the second encounter, he said, he was forced from his vehicle by agents who broke the window of his vehicle.

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I told them: Im an American citizen, he told the Associated Press. They wanted to know where I was born, or they didnt believe I was an American citizen. Aceituno said he was taken to a border patrol vehicle and later released after showing documents proving his citizenship.

Rumors of an impending sweep in the area have been circulating for days after the county sheriff, Garry McFadden, said that two federal officials had told him customs agents would be arriving soon.

Paola Garcia of Camino, a bilingual non-profit serving families in Charlotte, said she and her colleagues had observed an increase in stops since Friday.

Basically what were seeing is that there have been lots of people being pulled over, Garcia said.

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Businesses in the area, including a local Latin American bakery, had closed before the raids, said city council member JD Mazuera Arias.

This is customs and border patrol. We are not a border city, nor are we a border state. So why are they here? he said. This is a gross violation of constitutional rights for not only immigrants but for US citizens.

Democratic governor Josh Stein said on Friday that the vast majority of people detained in such operations have no criminal convictions, and some are citizens. Stein urged people to record any inappropriate behavior and notify local law enforcement.

Related: US army veteran who received Purple Heart deported by ICE to Mexico

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But Mecklenburg county Republican party chair Kyle Kirby said Democratic officials have abandoned their duty to uphold law and order and are demonizing the brave men and women of federal law enforcement.

Let us be clear: President Trump was given a mandate in the 2024 election to secure our borders, Kirby said in a statement. Individuals who are in this country legally have nothing to fear.

The raids on Charlotte come three months after the Trump administration identified the city as an example of a Democratic-led city that was not doing enough to protect citizens, following the fatal stabbing of Ukrainian immigrant Iryna Zarutska aboard a Charlotte light-rail train.

The sweeps follow a pattern of similar immigration enforcement operations across the US, including in Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland and New York City.

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The east Charlotte church where the raid took place on Saturday said it was suspending services and yard work until congregants felt safe to gather again, 15-year-old Miguel Vazquez told the Charlotte Observer.

We thought church was safe and nothing gonna happen, Vazquez said. But it did happen.
Flyers with information about the Ku Klux Klan were located on a local college campus on Saturday.

A letter sent to Indiana University of Pennsylvania students and employees on Saturday states that two people reported the flyers, which were found on sidewalks near the campus post office.

The people who reported the flyers removed and discarded them. The letter says the flyers were not approved for university posting.

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The letter said that after receiving the report, IUP Police and Indiana Borough Police looked for additional flyers throughout Saturday, but did not locate any.

IUP officials say the flyers found on campus look similar to ones found in other Pittsburgh-area communities on Saturday.

RELATED COVERAGE >>> Flyers promoting Ku Klux Klan distributed in Allegheny County communities; police investigating

Anyone with information about the flyers or concerns about safety can contact IUP Police 24-7 by calling 724-357-2141.

Students and employees can also report concerning incidents online through the Office of Social Equity.

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Saturday, November 16, 1940  85 Years Ago

New Jersey healthcare organizations meet in Asbury Park to discuss state legislation that would incorporate elements of eugenics into public health mandates. Monmouth and Ocean counties prepare to call up local men to serve in the Army amid Americas first peactime draft. In Freehold, a rug mill executive thinks he has the solution to prevent movie theater patrons from tripping in the dark.

Bill to sterilize unfit planned

ASBURY PARK  A bill that would appropriate $75,000 and provide for the appointment of a seven-man commission to supervise compulsory and voluntary sterilization in New Jersey will be introduced in the Legislature next year.

The Sterilization League of New Jersey made the announcement as the group met in the Berkeley-Carteret Hotel in conjunction with the annual two-day convention of the New Jersey Health and Sanitary Association.

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The sterilization league proposes compulsory sterilization for mental deficients and others with social disorders that science has found is transferred to offspring. Included are familial mental diseases, familial epilepsy and familial deafmutism.

Previous efforts to have similar bills passed in New Jersey in the past have been unsuccessful.

The seven-man commission would be selected by the governor, with members representing the league and association, the New Jersey Medical Society, New Jersey Bar Association and three state nurses groups affiliated with the New Jersey Welfare Council.

The principal speaker last night at the health and sanitary association session was Dr. C.C. Pierce, state representative of the U.S. Public Health Service, who spoke on the problems health agencies face in the development of defenses against the aggression of foreign nations.

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Defense of the nation means more than a strong army, navy and air force, Dr. Pierce said. It means that doctors and nurses must be conscripted to maintain the health of those who remain at home.

Adolf Hitler and Vichy France are the subjects of a political cartoon on the editorial page of the Asbury Park Press on Saturday, November 16, 1940. As World War II rages across the European continent, the attack on Pearl Harbor is still more than a year away.

NJ must supply 1,240 men to Army by Nov. 30

Thirty Monmouth County youths will step into U.S. Army uniforms on Nov. 29, in response to the first call for men under the Selective Service System.

The figure was fixed yesterday as the state draft headquarters at Trenton announced the number of men from each of the states 202 local board areas who must join the Army under Americas first peacetime draft.

Ocean County will call four men on Nov. 30.

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New Jersey is required to supply 1,240 men between Nov. 25 and 30, while the full quota of men to be supplied from the state up to next June 30 is 32,170. New quotas by draft areas will be supplied later.

Of the 30 men to be called from Monmouth County, six will be supplied by the Belmar draft board area. The Middletown area will send four men while the other four districts, Asbury Park, Long Branch, Freehold and Red Bank, will each furnish five.

The Ocean County draft board areas  Lakewood and Toms River  will each call up two men.

The sports page of the Asbury Park Press on Saturday, November 16, 1940.

New dye for movie threater rugs seen to aid trippers

FREEHOLD  A theater aisle as bright as a path of moonlight across a placid lake?

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Yet, its possible today, according to Everett A. Wolfenden, superintendent of dyes at the A. & M. Karagheusian rug mill here. Mr. Wolfenden announced that carpets treated with fluorescent dyes are available for theaters, enabling patrons to see the aisle clearly, yet not interfering with the picture on the screen.

It is the solution to the theater operators problem of how to supply sufficient light for patrons to reach their seats yet retain the darkness necessary for the most effective projection of motion pictures.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Today in history: Asbury Park Press NJ archives for Nov. 16
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.

Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways

Two former students from Plumpton College in England are facing possible prison time after a horrifying act of animal cruelty involving sheep was uncovered in East Sussex.

According to a report by the Sussex Express, Leighton Ashby and Oakley Hollands were recorded carrying out what a judge called a "sadistic and utterly barbaric" attack at Ditchling Beacon on November 6, 2023.

The two students beat a sheep, slammed its head against a fence, and then inserted fireworks into its body. The assault, which lasted 30 minutes, was filmed and shared with disturbing laughter heard in the footage.

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"Videos were taken and shared," Kelly told Sussex Express. "The sound of laughter can be heard in those videos, which is mind-boggling and suggests there was some sort of glorification of what was being done."

The awful scene was discovered when two other students were invited to check it out. They were told that they were looking at a "dead badger."

After they arrived and witnessed the attack, they reported it to local police. Judge Amanda Kelly at Brighton Magistrates' Court condemned the act, describing it as "hard to comprehend" and "utterly barbaric."

Even more disturbing, investigators found videos of other animals being abused on Ashby's phone, including footage of additional sheep attacks, while Hollands' phone contained a photo of a dismembered fox. Prosecutors said this suggested a pattern of repeated cruelty toward both livestock and wildlife.

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The defense team for the two former students has requested psychiatric evaluations, while the prosecution has asked for the case to be referred to the Crown Court, where longer sentences can be imposed.

This shocking case underscores broader dangers to wildlife and ecosystem health. It goes without saying, but animal abuse of any kind creates needless suffering for innocent creatures.

It also risks creating unsafe environments for other animals and even humans, as traumatized wildlife could be unpredictable and may later be euthanized to prevent harm.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.




Jenna Ellis, a former senior legal advisor to President Donald Trump, has come to the defense of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) following a personal attack by Trump.

What Happened: Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday, ridiculing Massie for his decision to remarry quickly after the death of his wife of 31 years. Trump also labeled Massie a LOSER and predicted a slim chance of him winning the election.

Did Thomas Massie, sometimes referred to as Rand Paul Jr., because of the fact that he always votes against the Republican Party, get married already??? Boy, that was quick! No wonder the Polls have him at less than an 8% chance of winning the Election. Anyway, have a great life Thomas and (?). His wife will soon find out that she's stuck with a LOSER!, Trump wrote in the post.

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Massie, who had announced his remarriage to Carolyn Grace Moffa approximately a year and a half after his first wifes passing, has been a regular subject of Trumps attacks. This is primarily due to his efforts to release more files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

Ellis, a personal friend of Massie, defended him on Saturday. In a post on X, she expressed joy at Massies remarriage and criticized Trumps personal attack, advocating for the sanctity of personal life beyond political disputes.

Also Read: Former Trump Lawyer Sent This Message To Elon Musk After Feud With Donald Trump Erupted

Some things are still sacred and should still be beyond this kind of political mud-slinging, she wrote.

Thomas Massie's beloved wife Rhonda passed away unexpectedly in June 2024. They were married 31 years.



I know personally from my friendship of more a decade with Massie how incredibly difficult it was to find himself suddenly a widower and losing his best friend. I have prayed https://t.co/8WxdqB7RCp  Jenna Ellis  (@realJennaEllis) November 15, 2025

Ellis was a member of Trumps legal team that sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Her association with Trump concluded with a three-year suspension of her Colorado law license following a plea deal in Georgia related to attempts to overturn election results.

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Why It Matters: Elliss defense of Massie underscores the ongoing tension within the Republican Party. It highlights the personal nature of political attacks and raises questions about the boundaries of political discourse.

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Ex-Trump Lawyer Says Trump Could Set Sights on Musk's Billions: It Bothers Him That He Is the Richest Man'

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This article Former Trump Lawyer Stands Up for Massie After Trump Attack: Some Things Should 'Be Beyond This Kind of Political Mud-Slinging' originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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Montreal, Canada  A former United Nations special rapporteur who investigated Israeli abuses against Palestinians says he was interrogated by Canadian authorities on national security grounds as he travelled to Canada this week to attend a Gaza-related event.

Richard Falk, an international law expert from the United States, told Al Jazeera that he was questioned at Toronto Pearson international airport on Thursday alongside his wife, fellow legal scholar Hilal Elver.

A security person came and said, Weve detained you both because were concerned that you pose a national security threat to Canada,' Falk, 95, said on Saturday in an interview from Ottawa, the Canadian capital. It was my first experience of this sort  ever  in my life.

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Falk and Elver  both US citizens  were travelling to Ottawa to take part in the Palestine Tribunal on Canadian Responsibility when they were held for questioning.

The tribunal brought together international human rights and legal experts on Friday and Saturday to examine the Canadian governments role in Israels two-year bombardment of the Gaza Strip, which a UN inquiry and numerous rights groups have described as a genocide.

Falk said he and his wife were held for questioning for more than four hours and asked about their work on Israel and Gaza, and on issues of genocide in general. [There was] nothing particularly aggressive about his questioning, he said. It felt sort of random and disorganised.

But Falk said he believes the interrogation is part of a global push to punish those who endeavour to tell the truth about what is happening in the world, including in Gaza.

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It suggests a climate of governmental insecurity, I think, to try to clamp down on dissident voices, he added.





Canadian senator appalled

Asked about Falks experience, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), which manages the countrys border crossings, told Al Jazeera that it cannot comment on specific cases due to privacy regulations.

The CBSAs role is to assess the security risk and admissibility of persons coming to Canada, spokesperson Rebecca Purdy said in an email. This process may include primary interviews and secondary examinations, she said.

This means that all travellers, foreign nationals and those who enter Canada by right, may be referred for secondary inspection  this is a normal part of the cross-border process and should not be viewed as any indication of wrongdoing.

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Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian foreign ministry, did not immediately respond to Al Jazeeras request for comment on Falks allegation that his interrogation is part of a broader, global crackdown on opposition to Israels Gaza war.

Canadian Senator Yuen Pau Woo, a supporter of the Palestine Tribunal, said he was appalled that two international law and human rights experts were questioned in Canada on the grounds that they might pose a national security threat.

We know they were here to attend the Palestine Tribunal. We know they have been outspoken in documenting and publicising the horrors inflicted on Gaza by Israel, and advocating for justice, Woo told Al Jazeera in an interview on Saturday afternoon.

If those are the factums for their detention, then it suggests that the Canadian government considers these acts of seeking justice for Palestine to be national security threats  and Id like to know why.





Enabling Israels war

Like other Western countries, Canada has been under growing pressure to cut off its longstanding support for Israel as the Israeli military assault on Gaza killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and plunged the coastal territory into a humanitarian crisis.

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Ottawa announced in 2024 that it was suspending weapons permits to its ally as pressure mounted over the war.

But researchers and human rights advocates say loopholes in Canadas arms export system have allowed Canadian-made weapons to continue to reach Israel, often via the United States.

Rights groups have also called on the Canadian government to do more to support efforts to ensure that Israel is held accountable for abuses against Palestinians in Gaza, including war crimes.

This violence is not in the past tense; the bombs have not stopped falling, Rachel Small, the Canada organiser for the antiwar group World Beyond War, said during the Palestine Tribunals closing day on Saturday.

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And none of that violence, none of Israels genocide  [would be] possible without the flow of weapons from the United States, from Europe, and yes, from Canada, Small said.

At least 260 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas came into effect last month, according to health authorities in the besieged coastal enclave.

Palestinians also continue to reel from a lack of adequate food, water, medicine and shelter supplies as Israel maintains strict curbs on humanitarian aid deliveries.

Against that backdrop, Falk told Al Jazeera on Saturday that its more important than ever  to expose the reality of whats happening on the ground in Gaza.

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Theres this whole false sense that the genocide is over, he said. [But Israel] is carrying out the genocidal project in a less aggressive way, or a less intense way. Its what some have called the incremental genocide.




Cultural & Historical Significance

Colan emerged as a distinctive French diminutive of Nicholas during the medieval period, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. The name gained traction among French nobility and religious communities, where the veneration of Saint Nicholas was widespread. During the 12th and 13th centuries, Colan became associated with French crusaders who carried the name to the Holy Land, establishing its connection with chivalric ideals and religious devotion.



The name maintained regional popularity throughout French history, particularly in rural communities where traditional naming conventions persisted. In the 19th century, Colan experienced a revival among French romantic nationalists who sought to preserve distinctly French names against growing foreign influences. The name's connection to 'people's victory' made it appealing during periods of French political transformation, though it remained relatively uncommon compared to its parent name Nicholas.
As Akron celebrates its bicentennial in 2025, were looking back at two centuries of headlines.

Visit BeaconJournal.com every Sunday morning throughout the bicentennial year for a look back at the week in Akron history.

Heres what happened the week of Nov. 16 in local history:

1825: Gen. Simon Perkins and Paul Williams revealed the name of their village-to-be. Medina attorney Charles Olcott had suggested Akron from the Greek word akros, meaning high place, because the village would be the highest point on the Ohio & Erie Canal. The ground selected for the location of this village is situated on the Banks of the Canal, and is highly pleasant and delightful, the Portage Journal reported.

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1875: The senior class of Buchtel College, forerunner of the University of Akron, had 12 members, the largest in three years of teaching. The students elected George S. Pleasants as president, Inez L. Shipman as vice president, Joseph Hidy as secretary and Mary B. Jewett as historian. Rounding out the class were Kittie L. Rowe, Donna D. Kelly, G. Emma Garver, May E. Laws, W.L. Kelly, W.C. Fullington, N.J. LaRose and W.W. Sampsell. Only Jewett and Rowe were from Akron.

Akron Bicentennial logo.

1925: Detective William McDonnell arrested six Akron chiropractors on state charges of practicing without a license. Released on personal bond were W.J. Wenger, 39; L.D. Wheeler, 31; Salvan Sammerone, 34; J.M. Simons, 41; G.H. Bellinger, 47; and W.A. Ball, 37. Ohio medical board inspector George A. Dorsey led the investigation. Judge Carl Hoyt fined the men $50 plus costs. They were arrested again on similar charges in 1926.

1975: Mayor John S. Ballard suspended four police officers for 90 days without pay after they were accused of taking $50 worth of snacks while investigating a break-in at the Salem Potato Chip Co. at 325 W. Bowery St. Police Chief Harry Whiddon had recommended that the officers be fired. The four cops lost about $1,000 each in pay before returning to work. They could have spent that money on snacks.

2000: The Akron Planning Commission approved a proposal for Summa Health to move to the old site of the Portage Hotel at Main and Market streets downtown. The new 93,000-square-foot building was expected to house 400 employees in Summas insurance business. The plan didnt last for long. Summa vacated the five-story building in 2018, paving the way for Akron Public Schools to turn it into an administration building.

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Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com

Quaker Square revisited: Vintage photos of Akron shops and hotel

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: This week in Akron history for Nov. 16, 2025
By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Four people died and four others were hospitalized after a suspected migrant smuggling vessel capsized in rough surf late Friday off San Diego, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

In addition to the eight casualties, one person was taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol, the Coast Guard said. A search for additional survivors continued on Saturday off San Diego County's Imperial Beach, according to the Coast Guard.

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The Border Patrol informed the Coast Guard about the capsized panga-style boat at 11:40 p.m. Friday, the Coast Guard said. Panga-style boats are frequently used by smugglers attempting to transport migrants from Mexico into California by sea, often in dangerous conditions amid the Pacific surf.

Emergency responders found survivors of Friday's incident on the beach and rescued another trapped beneath the vessel, according to a Coast Guard statement. Rescuers later recovered from the water three people who were pronounced dead soon after, the Coast Guard said.

Several of those aboard the vessel claimed Mexican nationality, although some remained unidentified, the Coast Guard said.

Homeland Security Investigations has assumed control of the probe into the incident.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non, Editing by Franklin Paul)
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has requested a judge to dismiss the lawsuit seeking to prevent the bear hunt scheduled for December.

In September, Bear Warriors United, a conservation group, filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary injunction to stop the hunt, which could kill as many as 172 bears in four Florida regions.

The commission claims that the lawsuit infringes on its legally granted authority to oversee wildlife management within the state.

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The commission has submitted documents asking Leon County Circuit Judge Angela Dempsey to dismiss the lawsuit and reject the temporary injunction requested by Bear Warriors United.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
A controversial German auction of Nazi-era propaganda, a worn yellow star, concentration camp documents and other objects from the Holocaust has been cancelled, regional state officials said on Sunday.

Just a day before they were scheduled to go under the hammer on Monday in the western German city of Neuss, the disputed lots disappeared from the auction house's online preview, after the sale had come under criticism.

The head of the auction house confirmed that the auction was cancelled to Nathanael Liminski, a senior official in the regional government of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, a spokesman for Liminski said.

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Both the International Auschwitz Committee and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had sharply criticized the planned sale.

"Something like this is simply unacceptable, and it must be clear that we have an ethical obligation to the victims to prevent such things," Wadephul said.

The International Auschwitz Committee said the lots were to include letters from concentration camps, Gestapo index cards and other perpetrator files. Many items contained the names of victims and other personal information.

According to the online catalogue, items also set to go under the hammer included an anti-Jewish propaganda poster, documents on forced sterilizations and a yellow star from the Buchenwald concentration camp with "signs of use." The auction house could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

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Wadephul said he had spoken by phone with his Polish counterpart Radosaw Sikorski about the "outrageous incident." He added: "I am in complete agreement with him that such an attempt to do business with the crime of the Shoah is despicable and must be stopped."

"We have noted that an auction is apparently no longer intended for tomorrow and that items have also disappeared from the websites," Wadephul said.

"I expect this matter to be clarified and for steps to be taken to ensure that such an auction business does not take place in Germany."

Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer welcomed the cancellation.

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"Documents or expert reports by Nazi perpetrators that were offered at the auction are not for private collections. These historical documents of suffering and crime belong in memorials, museums and research institutions," he told dpa.

Opponents of the auction had called online for protests outside the auction house.

The International Auschwitz Committee had meanwhile criticized the planned sale. Its executive vice president, Christoph Heubner, said in Berlin on Saturday that the announced auction of personal documents of Nazi victims was regarded by Holocaust survivors and their relatives as "a cynical and shameless undertaking."

He said the suffering of all those who were persecuted and murdered by the Nazis was being exploited for commercial gain, and that documents of persecution and the Holocaust should belong to the families of those who were targeted.

They should be displayed in museums or memorial exhibitions, not degraded into trading objects. "We call on those responsible at the auction house to show human decency and cancel the auction," Heubner appealed.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has urged the Western Balkan states to implement further reforms, saying this is essential to advance their long-running bids for EU membership and to counter attempts by Russia and China to exert influence in the region.

"The rule of law, the fight against corruption and the protection of fundamental rights are non-negotiable," Wadephul said on Sunday before departing for a trip to the six Western Balkan countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia.

Committing to shared values is a prerequisite for EU accession, he said.

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In 2003, the European Union agreed that the Western Balkan countries would be eligible to become members once they had completed a number of reforms.

Today, the states are at different stages on their path to joining the EU, with growing frustration over the lengthy process, which for some countries has already dragged on for decades.

The EU fears this could push some to turn towards political rivals such as China and Russia.

"The six Western Balkan countries are an integral part of the European family," Wadephul said, adding: "The EU is not a distant promise, but a concrete prospect."

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He said Montenegro and Albania in particular have made notable progress, while other countries still have a long way to go.

Montenegro is considered the furthest along in its EU accession process, but there is not yet a date in sight for it to join the bloc.

The EU has been conducting accession negotiations with Montenegro and Serbia since 2012 and 2014, respectively.

Negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia began in 2022, while Bosnia-Herzegovina holds candidate status but has not yet entered into negotiations. Kosovo is a potential candidate country.

Many are willing to implement far-reaching reforms for a future in the EU, the German foreign minister said. "Because anyone who wants to become part of this legal community and economic area must take responsibility - even if this requires difficult steps."

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He said Western Balkan countries need to diversify their energy sources in order to strengthen their independence and sovereignty.

"We in Germany know how painful and at the same time necessary this can be," he added, recalling how Germany weaned itself off Russian gas supplies in the aftermath of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Wadephul's tour begins in Bosnia-Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo on Sunday, where he plans to meet the three members of the presidency, consisting of one representative each from the Bosniak, Serbian and Croatian ethnic groups.

He is also scheduled to meet Christian Schmidt, the international community's High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina under the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended a three-year civil war in 1995.

On Monday, Wadephul is due to travel on to Montenegro and Albania, then fly to Serbia in the evening.
Goodwill Industries of Central Florida is raising funds for Second Harvest Food Bank through a month-long register round-up initiative in November.

The initiative lets shoppers in Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Brevard, Volusia, and Lake counties round up purchases to the nearest dollar for Second Harvest Food Bank, with Goodwill matching donations up to $10,000 to aid hunger relief amid SNAP cuts.

For every dollar donated at the register, youre helping Second Harvest Food Bank provide meals to families in need, said Dr. Bahiyyah Maroon, Goodwills Vice President of Mission Impact.

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Second Harvest Food Bank is vital in providing groceries to food-insecure families. Reduced SNAP benefits have increased the need for community support to fill the food assistance gap.

SNAP provides nine meals for every one that food banks like Second Harvest can offer, said Derrick Chubbs, President and CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank.

Nearly 500,000 people in Central Florida rely on SNAP benefits, highlighting the importance of initiatives like Goodwills round-up campaign.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Rep. Thomas Massie hit back at President Donald Trump this week, accusing the president of "trying to be a bully" after he appeared to criticize the Kentucky Republican's recent marriage.

Trump on Friday, Nov. 14 shared a post on Truth Social asking if Massie got "married already," saying "His wife will soon find out that shes stuck with a LOSER!" Massie married Carolyn Moffa, a former congressional staffer for Sen. Rand Paul, last month. Massie's late wife, Rhonda Massie, died in June 2024. They were married for over 30 years.

Massie and Trump have most recently been at odds because the Kentucky lawmaker and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, introduced legislation that would force the Justice Department to release a full version of the government's files on accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The Trump administration has fought against the move.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson after signing the bill package to re-open the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Nov. 12, 2025. Congress on Wednesday ended the longest government shutdown in US history, 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a Senate-passed package that will reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats fume over what they see as a capitulation by party leaders. President Donald Trump signs the funding bill to end the U.S. government shutdown, at the White House in Washington, DC on Nov. 12, 2025. President Donald Trump signs funding legislation to reopen the federal government as he is joined by House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Republican lawmakers and business leaders, during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. The legislation, passed by the House tonight, funds the federal government until the end of January 2026 and ends the 43-day government shutdown, the longest in the nationOs history. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media in Statuary Hall after the House voted 222-209 to pass the Senate's funding deal, with 216 Republicans and six Democrats supporting the bill, and two Republicans and 207 Democrats opposed, after 43 days of shuttered government and unpaid federal workers, on Wednesday, Nov.12, 2025. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) holds a news conference after the House passed funding legislation to reopen the federal government, at the Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House voted 222-209 to approve Senate-passed legislation that funds the government through the end of January 2026, reopening the government and ending the 43-day shutdown, the longest in American history. House Speaker Mike Johnson arriving to speak to the media in Statuary Hall after the House voted 222-209 to pass the Senate's funding deal, with 216 Republicans and six Democrats supporting the bill, and two Republicans and 207 Democrats opposed, after 43 days of shuttered government and unpaid federal workers, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, walks from the House floor with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), left, to speak with the media in Statuary Hall immediately after the House voted 222-209 to pass the Senate's funding deal, with 216 Republicans and six Democrats supporting the bill, and two Republicans and 207 Democrats opposed, after 43 days of shuttered government and unpaid federal workers, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. U.S. Representative Victoria Spartz arrives during a series of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov.12, 2025. U.S. Representative and New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill gives a television interview during a series of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov.12, 2025. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) (2nd-L) walks to the House Chamber on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Senate-passed legislation that funds the government through the end of January 2026, reopening the government and ending the 43-day shutdown, the longest in American history. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) (L) speaks to the media as he exits the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Senate-passed legislation that funds the government through the end of January 2026, reopening the government and ending the 43-day shutdown, the longest in American history. House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, speaking with Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) after a ceremonial swearing of at the United States Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, following the official swearing in on the House floor on Wednesday, Nov. 11. 2025. U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) walks surrounded by the media, as members of the U.S. House of Representatives returned to Washington after a 53-day break, for a vote that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov. 12, 2025. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) talks on the phone, as members of the U.S. House of Representatives returned to Washington after a 53-day break, for a vote that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov. 12, 2025. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives, right, stands with members as Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries leads a press conference on the House Steps at the United States Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, as members return after a 54-day break, before House lawmakers take up legislation that would end the longest government shutdown in American history and vote on the Senate-passed spending deal. Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries leads a press conference on the House Steps at the United States Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, as members return after a 54-day break, before House lawmakers take up legislation that would end the longest government shutdown in American history and vote on the Senate-passed spending deal Congress passes deal to end longest government shutdown in US history 1 of 16 President Donald Trump shakes hands with the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson after signing the bill package to re-open the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Nov. 12, 2025. Congress on Wednesday ended the longest government shutdown in US history, 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a Senate-passed package that will reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats fume over what they see as a capitulation by party leaders.

But when asked about Trump's comments during an interview on ABC's "This Week" on Nov. 16, Massie joked that his wife said "we should have invited Donald Trump. Hes mad that he didn't get an invitation."

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"Were taking it with a grain of salt," Massie said. "Hes being a bully, or trying to be a bully."

Massie in the interview also addressed Trump's endorsement of a Republican opponent running against the Kentucky lawmaker in the 2026 midterm elections.

"We are winning," Massie said. "And not only the speaker, but the attorney general, the FBI director, and the president himself, and the vice president, they're taking a big loss this week because after months of fighting, I am winning this week with Ro Khanna. We're forcing this vote, and it's going to happen," he said of his push known as a discharge petition.

Massie and Trump's ongoing feud is far from the first time they've publicly split. For example, Trump lashed out at Massie in June over his criticism of U.S. airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.

Contributing: Fernando Cervantes Jr, Kinsey Crowley, Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Thomas Massie? GOP lawmaker hits back at Trump's marriage jab
Nov. 15GRAND FORKS  Days before he was scheduled to stand trial, a Grand Forks man changed his plea in a case involving the sexual assault of a child.

Ja'Haun Kardelle Stafford, 40, pleaded guilty Thursday, Nov. 13, to Class AA felony gross sexual imposition for forcing sexual contact that causes serious bodily injury, and Class C felony felonious restraint of a child victim.

The Class AA felony has a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

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Two charges, Class C felony child abuse and Class A misdemeanor wearing a mask during commission of a criminal offense, are anticipated to be dismissed under a plea agreement.

The offenses took place Feb. 20, 2024, and

Stafford was charged

shortly after. He

pleaded not guilty

a couple of months later, in April.

The proposed plea agreement in Stafford's case says the prosecution agreed to cap its sentencing recommendation at 15 years. The defense can argue for a shorter sentence, but there is a mandatory minimum five-year sentence for the gross sexual imposition charge.

The plea agreement calls for 20 years of supervised probation, though it says at least five years is required, and it could last the remainder of Stafford's lifetime.

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He can't have contact with the victim while on probation. Other requirements include completing a parenting capacity evaluation, mental health evaluation and anger management assessment and resulting recommendations.

Stafford has credit for 118 days served in custody. His sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. March 11.
ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece has arrested a 38-year-old man as part of a Europol crackdown on international cybercrime, during which authorities dismantled malware infrastructure that has infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide, police said.

The pan-European law enforcement cooperation agency Europol said on Thursday that in the latest phase of "Operation Endgame" across 10 countries, including the United States, it targeted infostealers Rhadamanthys, the Remote Access Trojan VenomRAT and the botnet Elysium.

The malware infrastructure dismantled this week consisted of hundreds of thousands of infected computers containing several million stolen credentials, Europol said. Many of the victims did not know that their systems were infected.

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In total, 1,025 servers were taken down or disrupted worldwide and 20 domains were seized.

The man, an Albanian national arrested in Athens on November 3, is allegedly the creator and seller of VenomRAT since 2020, Greek police officials said. He was detained on a European arrest warrant issued by France.

"The main suspect behind the infostealer had access to over 100,000 crypto wallets belonging to these victims, potentially worth millions of euros," Europol said.

Greek police said that the malware was designed to steal information through keystroke recording and the remote use of web cameras, text infiltration and cryptocurrency wallet hacking. The price for its use ranged from 150 euros a month to 1,550 euros a year.

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After searching the man's residence they said they found versions of malware source code, evidence pointing to the management of a website promoting the malware, suspicious emails and cryptocurrency accounts.

They have confiscated seven hard drives, three USB sticks and a digital wallet with cryptocurrencies worth $140,424 among other items, police said in a statement.

A Greek police official said that the digital infrastructure for the operation of the malware was hosted on a server of a company based in France, while French and U.S. authorities have also launched investigations.

(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Yannis Souliotis; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Members of Indian Community Guernsey (ICG) came together to mark a religious holiday on Saturday.

Diwali, known as the festival of lights, celebrates the victory of good over the evil and took place on Monday 20 October.

The ICG said it celebrated the event a month later as many members returned home to India to celebrate with family and that it wanted to ensure Guernsey residents had a chance to celebrate together as well.

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ICG member Dr Rahul Bhintade said the group had about 400 Indian members, which made celebrating its culture even more important.

He said: "It makes me feel very proud, I think Indians obviously have a big global role and we are a big population.

"We need to have a good footprint and our footprint here lays the groundwork for our integration in society here."

Mr Bhintade said people were "interested in knowing" about Indian culture and that local islanders had also joined in the festivities.

"It is showcasing the Indian community and I am very proud of this community - I think from where we were, it has come quite a long way."

Shweta Bhagra said it was important for the children to celebrate Diwali [BBC]

Shweta Bhagra, committee member for the ICG, said it was important to uphold traditions in the island and build community whilst away from home.

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She said: "One of the most important reasons is our kids, that they understand why we are doing this, the customs, how we take them forward - they only probably know the western culture.

"So, it's a good way to actually let them know that this is also a part of our own Indian culture and this is something that we do to just make them more aware and slowly probably they would connect with our roots back in India."

The evening saw live music, traditional dance performances, a fireworks experience and a henna station.

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Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.

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This film marked Meryl Streep's film debut. From "Pentimento," the memoirs of late playwright Lillian Hellman, Julia covers those years in the 1930s when Lillian attained fame with the production of her first play "The Little Foxes" on Broadway. Not surprisingly, it centers on Lillian's relationship with her lifelong friend, Julia. It is a deep friendship. While Julia attends the university in Vienna, studying with such luminaries as Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein, Lillian suffers through revisions of her play with her mentor and sometimes lover Dashiell Hammett at a New England beach house. After becoming a celebrated playwright, Lillian is invited to a writers conference in Russia. Julia, having taken up the battle against fascism, enlists Lillian en route to smuggle money through Nazi Germany which will assist in the anti-fascist cause. It is a dangerous mission especially for a Jewish intellectual on her way to communist Russia. During a brief meeting with Julia on this trip, Lillian learns that Julia has had a child who is called Lilly. Shortly after returning to the States, Lillian is informed of Julia's murder. The details of her death are shrouded in secrecy. Lillian sadly travels to England to search for her namesake, the child she had promised Julia to care for.
Individuals bearing the name Crichton are typically associated with a distinctive blend of intellectual curiosity, practical intelligence, and natural leadership abilities. The name suggests someone who approaches challenges with analytical precision and creative problem-solving, often excelling in fields requiring both technical knowledge and innovative thinking. There's an expectation of competence that transcends formal education or social position, reflecting the 'Admirable Crichton' archetype of someone who naturally rises to leadership through inherent capability rather than inherited status.



These personality traits include strong adaptability, allowing Crichtons to navigate diverse social and professional environments with equal effectiveness. They often demonstrate a unique ability to bridge traditional wisdom with contemporary innovation, making them valuable in roles that require understanding both historical context and future possibilities. The name carries connotations of reliability and resourcefulness, suggesting someone who remains calm under pressure and can develop practical solutions to complex problems. This combination of intellectual depth and practical application makes the name particularly suited to individuals who excel in interdisciplinary fields and leadership positions where multiple perspectives must be synthesized.
He emphasized that he relied exclusively on primary sources: Hamass official website, the organizations official newspaper, and the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades website.

Israels internal crises, including its internal conflicts within the military and the issue of judicial reform, influenced Hamass decision to launch the October 7 attack, Lt.-Col. (res.) Jonathan D. Halevi said in an interview published Sunday.

Halevi is an OSINT researcher, a senior Middle East expert, and a specialist in tracking Hamas and Palestinian propaganda.

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According to Halevi, events that began to escalate in Israel after December 2022, following the formation of the government and the deepening public crisis around the refusal to serve in the IDF and subsequent protests, were significantly reflected in Hamass media and Palestinian media in general.

He explained that in Palestinian discourse, any harm to the cohesion of the IDF and the use of the army for political purposes was seen as a process serving a clear goal for Hamas.

The reflection of this on Hamass side was clear: they saw it as an opportunity, a golden opportunity, he said.

Halevi went on to point out that while some in Israel insist there is no connection between the protests and Hamass decision to attack, quotes from senior figures in the organization indicate that they attach significance to the internal unrest.

An illustrative photo of Hamas terrorists with hostage demonstrations in the background. (credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90, Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa)

Im not saying this on my own, he noted. Im just quoting what they are saying. Yes, this is what they are saying. They see it as a golden opportunity to realize the dream of liberation and 'the return to Palestine.'

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Halevi further explained that immediately after the October 7 massacre, he initiated a research project to gather and document the statements, articles, and expressions that emerged from Hamass leadership in real time.

Halevi relies only on official Hamas, Palestinian media

He emphasized that he relied exclusively on primary sources: Hamass official website, the organizations official newspaper, and the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades website.

I did not turn to secondary or external sources, he added. I presented what they themselves say, this is from their own mouths.
New York health officials have confirmed the first-ever locally acquired case of chikungunya virus, a mosquito-borne illness linked to tropical regions.

What's happening?

The New York Department of Health in October announced that a locally acquired case of chikungunya had been confirmed in Nassau County.

Though three other cases had been confirmed in the state earlier in the year, all of them were tied to travel abroad, CBS News reported.

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The new case represents the first-ever locally acquired case of chikungunya in New York and the first locally acquired case in the United States since 2019.

As of mid-October, the risk of contracting chikungunya in New York was "very low" due to much colder nighttime temperatures, according to Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. He still advised caution, though.

"We urge everyone to take simple precautions to protect themselves and their families from mosquito bites," McDonald said in a statement.

Why is the chikungunya case concerning?

Chikungunya virus was once found only in Africa and Asia, but it has spread quickly since 2004, according to Mayo Clinic.

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Symptoms include joint swelling, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. Most of these symptoms dissipate in a few weeks, but some people suffer persistent joint and muscle pain for months or years. In rare cases, the virus can turn deadly.

The overheating of the planet is facilitating the spread of chikungunya and other mosquito-borne illnesses by expanding the habitats of the species that spread them  warmer temperatures are allowing these mosquitoes to survive in more northerly areas and at higher altitudes.

Warmer conditions are also allowing mosquitoes to stay active during longer periods throughout the year. For instance, a slew of cities and counties across the United States, including Denver, reported an earlier-than-usual West Nile virus season in 2025.

What's being done about mosquito-borne diseases?

According to Mayo Clinic, a vaccine is available to help prevent chikungunya, but no specific treatment is available.

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In general, the best way to avoid mosquito-borne diseases is to prevent bites.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests using an insect repellent registered with the Environmental Protection Agency; wearing long, loose-fitting clothing, avoiding the outdoors near dawn and dusk; and using screens on windows and doors to keep mosquitoes outside.

Many communities are also actively reducing mosquito populations in an effort to curb the transmission of mosquito-borne illnesses.

A number of agencies spray for these blood-sucking insects, but officials in one Florida county have another innovative solution: deploying X-ray technology to kill invasive mosquitoes.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said she hopes she and President Donald Trump can make amends amid their fierce public feud over the controversy surrounding accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

"I certainly hope that we can make up," Greene told CNN's Dana Bash on Nov. 16 when asked if the president and the Georgia Republican have a path forward. "I can only speak for myself. I'm a Christian, and one of the most important parts of our faith is forgiveness, and that's something I'm committed to."

Greene noted that she was once one of Trump's top allies in the Make America Great Again movement. But their rift comes as she pushes the House to vote to release all of the government's files on Epstein. The Trump administration has blocked the release, in defiance of a campaign promise, and now refers to the situation as a hoax.

"I stand with rape victims. I stand with children who are in terrible sex abuse situations, and I stand with survivors of trafficking and those that are trapped in in sex trafficking, and I will not apologize for that," Greene told CNN.

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"I believe the country deserves transparency in these files, and I don't believe that that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have if they have done anything wrong, and so I'm standing with the women," she said.

'I worship God,' not Donald Trump, says MAGA stalwart Marjorie Taylor Greene

During the interview, Bash referred to a post from Greene on X, in which the lawmaker said the back-and-forth "really makes you wonder what is in those files."

"Are you suggesting there's something in the Epstein files that President Trump does not want Americans to see?" Bash asked Greene. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his connection with Epstein, and the men had a major falling out in the 2000s.

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"That's the part that has so many people confused, is that the women themselves that I have talked to have over and over again said that Donald Trump did nothing wrong," she said. "Quite a few of them even told me they voted for him, and those are the women I would like to see in the Oval Office with support."

Greene noted that Virginia Giuffre, who has accused Epstein of sweeping abuse, wrote in her recently released book that she met Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, and he "couldnt have been friendlier, telling me it was fantastic that I was there."

While the conservative Georgia firebrand said she's willing to make up, she also criticized Trump's talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and accused him of dialing up the political temperature.

Greene says Syria talks hurt American military members

Trump last week vowed to do everything he could to make Syria successful after landmark talks with al-Sharaa. It marked the first-ever visit by a Syrian president to Washington, though Greene noted that al-Sharaa is a former al-Qaeda commander who, until recently, was sanctioned by Washington as a foreign terrorist.

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"I can disagree with the president at times, especially particularly this past Monday on the Marines' 250th anniversary, when he honored the new Syrian president, who is an al Qaeda terrorist and was wanted by our government for years," Greene told CNN.

"I very much am against that. I think that was very hurtful to the great men and women who served over in the Middle East and were sent there, and many of them that were killed and injured and live with PTSD to this day from fighting al-Qaeda," she added.

Trump earlier this year said he would order the end of sanctions against Syria to "give them a chance of greatness" in an effort to normalize relations with the new Syrian government after the fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hand out candy to children during the annual Halloween event on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. The President and first lady welcomed military, law enforcement, and foster and adoptive families, as well as administration officials and their children, to the annual trick-or-treat celebration on the White House grounds. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping as they hold a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, in Busan, South Korea on Oct. 30, 2025. President Donald Trump arrives to speak to troops aboard USS George Washington at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on Oct.28, 2025 in Yokosuka, Japan. Trump is visiting Japan, fresh off an appearance at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, and will next travel to South Korea for the APEC meetings. President Donald Trump joins performers for a dance during the welcome ceremony next to Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as he arrives on Air Force One at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang on Oct. 26, 2025. President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on October 26 on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. President Donald Trump holds a model of an arch as he delivers remarks during a ballroom fundraising dinner in the East Room of the White House on Oct.15, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump hosted organizations and individuals for a fundraising dinner for the new $250 million ballroom addition currently under construction at the White House. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio updates U.S. President Donald Trump on the Gaza proposal during a roundtable on antifa, an anti-fascist movement Trump designated a domestic "terrorist organization" via executive order on Sept. 22, at the White House in Washington on Oct. 8, 2025. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump step on an escalator as they arrive for the 80th session of the UNOs General Assembly (UNGA) on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City. World leaders convened for the 80th Session of UNGA, with this yearOs theme for the annual global meeting being OBetter together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights.O Erika Kirk joins U.S. President Donald Trump onstage during the memorial service for political activist Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium on Sept. 21, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10th while speaking at an event during his "American Comeback Tour" at Utah Valley University. King Charles III delivers his speech as US President Donald Trump and Catherine, Princess of Wales listen during the State Banquet at Windsor Castle for the State visit by the President of the United States of America on Sept. 17, 2025 in Windsor, England. President Trump is in England from Sept. 16-18 on his second UK state visit, with the previous one taking place in 2019 during his first presidential term. President Donald Trump and Polish President Karol Nawrocki walk down the Colonnade on the way to the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC on Sept. 3, 2025. The two leaders witnessed two successive flyovers, one of F-35s and then a flight of F-16s performing a "missing man" formation, during the earlier greeting on the South Portico. President Donald Trump reacts as he speaks to members of the media on board Air Force One en route from Scotland, Britain, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on July 29, 2025. President Donald Trump reacts after playing from the first tee to officially open the Trump International Golf Links course in Scotland on July 29, 2025. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wave as they board Air Force One at Prestwick Airport ahead of a flight to north-east Scotland on July 28, 2025 in Prestwick, Scotland. The pair are meeting at Turnberry before traveling together to Aberdeenshire to have a private dinner at another Trump-owned golf club. President Trump is visiting Scotland in a trip thatOs part-vacation, part-work, as he stays at his Trump Turnberry golf course, followed by the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire, between July 25 to 29. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen react as they prepare to shake hands during a meeting, in Turnberry south west Scotland, on July 27, 2025, on the third day of his visit to the country, since his second tenure as President began. Trump has said he sees a 50-50 chance of reaching a deal with the European Union, having vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariffs unless they hammer out a pact with Washington by August 1, 2025. President Donald Trump watches his drive from the fairway as he plays golf at the Trump Turnberry Golf Courses, in Turnberry on the south west coast of Scotland on July 27, 2025, during the third day of his visit to the country, since his second tenure as President began. Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen are set to meet later on July 27, in a decisive push to resolve a months-long transatlantic trade standoff with the US leader putting the chances of a deal at one in two. President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he departs the White House on July 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is traveling to his Balmedie golf courses in Scotland this week. President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell tour the Federal ReserveOs $2.5 billion headquarters renovation project on July 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Trump administration has been critical of the cost of the renovation and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. President Donald Trump presents the sweeping spending and tax legislation, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, after he signed it at the White House on July 4, 2025. President Donald Trump looks up at the new flag on the south lawn of the White House on July 6, 2025, in Washington, D.C. President Trump is returning from a 4th of July weekend in Bedminster, N.J. President Donald Trump bangs a gavel after signing the "One, Big Beautiful Bill" Act into law during an Independence Day military family picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump tours a migrant detention center, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," located at the site of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee, Florida, on July 1, 2025. President Donald Trump answered questions during a June 27, 2025 news conference. The Supreme Court had just ruled 6 to 3 that individual judges cannot grant nationwide injunctions to block executive orders, including the injunction on Trump's effort to eliminate birthright citizenship. President Donald Trump at a news conference during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 25, 2025. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One, the presidential helicopter, and departing the White House on June 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Less than 12 hours after announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Trump is traveling to the Netherlands to attend the NATO leaders' summit. President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation from the White House on June 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. President Trump addressed the three Iranian nuclear facilities that were struck by the U.S. military. President Donald Trump walks out of the Oval Office before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on June 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Trump is traveling to Bedminster, New Jersey. President Donald Trump is greeted by Steven Crowchild, Tsuut'ina Isgiya Minor Chief, and other leaders after arriving at Calgary International Airport for the G7 leaders' summit on June 15, 2025, in Calgary, Alberta. Canada is hosting this year's meeting of the world's seven largest economies in Kananaskis, Alberta. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump watch fireworks after the Army's 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2025. President Donald Trump reveled in a long-dreamed-of military parade on his 79th birthday, as demonstrators across the country branded him a dictator in the biggest protests since his return to power. U.S. President Donald Trump gestures at the annual National Memorial Day Observance in the Memorial Amphitheater, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on May 26, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth salute by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, during ceremonies in commemoration of the Memorial Day holiday, at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on May 26, 2025. President Donald Trump addresses graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point in Michie Stadium on May 24, 2025, in West Point, NY. This year's graduating class included honorary member Peter Wang, a junior ROTC cadet who was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. President Donald Trump departs the White House on May 22, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Trump is traveling to his Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, where he is holding a dinner for the top investors in his $TRUMP cryptocurrency. President Donald Trump holds up a printed article from "American Thinker" while accusing South African President Cyril Ramaphosa of state-sanctioned violence against white farmers in South Africa during a press availability in the Oval Office at the White House on May 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump speaks alongside Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office at the White House on May 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. President Trump announced his plans for the "Golden Dome," a national ballistic and cruise missile defense system. President Donald J. Trump is greeted by young girls as he arrives for an official arrival ceremony at Qasr al Watan (Palace of the Nation) May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Trump is on the third day of his visit to the Gulf to underscore the strategic partnership between the United States and regional allies including the UAE, focusing on security and economic collaboration. President Donald J. Trump tours the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, including the mausoleum of the late founder Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) and Dr. Yousef Al-Obaidi, Director-General of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center (SZGMC) and Ameena Alhammadi (L), Acting Director of Culture and Knowledge Department of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre, May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Trump is on the third day of his visit to the Gulf to underscore the strategic partnership between the United States and regional allies including the UAE, focusing on security and economic collaboration. Finland's President Alexander Stubb, U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Estonian President Alar Karis, King Felipe VI of Spain, Queen Letizia of Spain, Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, His Highness Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince and President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Queen Mary of Denmark attend the funeral of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square on April 26, 2025, in Vatican City, Vatican. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral at St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on April 26, 2025. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk to Marine One as they depart the White House on April 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. President Trump and the first lady are traveling to Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. President Donald Trump uses a cellphone aboard Marine One before it departs Leesburg Executive Airport in Leesburg, Virginia, on April 24, 2025. Trump is returning to the White House after attending a MAGA, Inc. dinner at the Trump National Golf Club Washington, DC. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and the Easter Bunny greet guests during the White House Egg Roll on the South Lawn on April 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The White House is expecting thousands of children and adults to participate in the annual tradition of rolling colored eggs down the White House lawn, a tradition started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878. President Donald Trump meets with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., April 14, 2025. Trump on Monday hosted El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, the self-described "world's coolest dictator" who is now the US leader's key ally in a controversial push to deport illegal migrants to a notorious Salvadoran prison. p administration to facilitate. U.S. President Donald Trump listens to a reporter's question during an ambassador meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. During the meeting, Trump answered questions from reporters on the news that Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, was accidentally added to a Signal group chat of top administration officials, where highly sensitive national security information was discussed. US. President Donald Trump signs a proclamation for Greek Independence Day alongside Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America during a Greek Independence Day celebration at the White House on March 24, 2025, in Washington, DC. Trump recognized Greek staff and cabinet members and thanked "Greeks For Trump" while recognizing Greek Independence Day. U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order to reduce the size and scope of the Education Department alongside school children signing their own versions, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 20, 2025, in Washington, DC. The order instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon, former head of the Small Business Administration and co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, to shrink the $100 billion department, which cannot be dissolved without Congressional approval. U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks before signing an executive order to reduce the size and scope of the Education Department during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on March 20, 2025, in Washington, DC. The order instructs Education Secretary Linda McMahon, former head of the Small Business Administration and co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, to shrink the $100 billion department, which cannot be dissolved without Congressional approval. US President Donald Trump stands in the presidential box as he tours the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on March 17, 2025. Trump was appointed chairman of the Kennedy Center on Feb.12, 2025, as a new board of trustees loyal to the US president brought his aggressive right-wing, anti-woke stamp to Washington's premier arts venue. U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the Oval Office of the White House on March 21, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One at the White House on March 21, 2025, in Washington, DC. Trump is traveling to Bedminster, New Jersey, and is expected to attend the 2025 NCAA Division I Men's Wrestling Championship in Philadelphia tomorrow. President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at Philadelphia International Airport before attending NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship on March 22, 2025, in Philadelphia, Penn. Trump last attended the NCAA wrestling championship in 2023 and has attended high-level sporting events since becoming president in January. President Donald Trump stands during the national anthem prior to to the NASCAR Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 16, 2025, in Daytona Beach, Fla. President Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump react during the playing of the national anthem in Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Ceasars Superdome. President Donald Trump signs an executive order at the White House on Feb. 5, 2025, banning transgender girls and women from participating in female sports. President Donald Trump takes questions during a briefing about the mid-air crash between American Airlines flight 5342 and a military helicopter in Washington, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on January 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. Divers pulled bodies from the icy waters of Washington's Potomac river Thursday after a US military helicopter collided midair with a passenger plane carrying 64 people, with officials saying there were likely no survivors. President Donald Trump is presented with a jersey and hockey stick by players of the NHL 2024 Stanley Cup Champions Florida Panthers, captain Aleksander Barkov (L) and forward Matthew Tkachuk, as Trump welcomes the team to the White House on Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hold a press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 4, 2025. President Donald Trump pauses for a moment of silence to recognize crash victims as he speaks to reporters about Wednesday's deadly midair collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Eagle flight 5342 near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., Jan. 30, 2025. President Donald Trump visits with patrons at a craps table at Circa Resort & Casino, following his remarks on his policy to end tax on tips in Las Vegas on Jan. 25, 2025. President Donald Trump followed by First Lady Melania Trump, shakes hands with California Governor Gavin Newsom upon arrival in Los Angeles on Jan. 24, 2025, to visit the region devastated by the Palisades and Eaton fires. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump listen to a man, carrying a child, affected by Hurricane Helene, as they tour areas devastated by the hurricane to assess recovery efforts in Swannanoa, N.C., Jan. 24, 2025. President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the WHite House in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump departs after speaking with reporters in the Grand Foyer during a tour at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after leading a board meeting on March 17, 2025, in Washington, DC. After shunning the annual Kennedy Center Honors during his first term in the White House, Trump fired the center's president, removed the bipartisan board of Biden appointees, and named himself Chairman of the storied music, theater, and dance institution. President Donald Trump tosses into the crowd the pens he used to sign a stack of executive orders on stage during the inauguration parade for President Donald Trump at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. President Donald Trump's inauguration at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. President Donald Trump pumps his first as the crowd chants Ofight, fight, fight!O during the inauguration parade for President Donald Trump at Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. President Donald Trump reviews the troops in Emancipation Hall of the U.S. Capitol during his Inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th President of the United States. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk together after the departure of former President Joe Biden and former first lady Jill Biden during the 2025 Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in the viewing area in Emancipation Hall following the 2025 Presidential Inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. Standing behind Trump are from left, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., his wife, Kelly Johnson, House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La. and his wife, Jennifer Scalise. President-elect Donald Trump attends his inauguration in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th President of the United States. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on inauguration day of Donald Trump's second presidential term in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. Donald Trump's second term: Actions, travels of the 47th president 1 of 70 President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hand out candy to children during the annual Halloween event on the South Lawn of the White House on Oct. 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. The President and first lady welcomed military, law enforcement, and foster and adoptive families, as well as administration officials and their children, to the annual trick-or-treat celebration on the White House grounds.

Greene says Trump has put her at risk

The Georgia lawmaker, who has long been a firebrand on the right and has previously promoted widely condemned conspiracy theories, said she now wants Americans to "end the toxic fighting in politics." She said the most "hurtful" thing Trump has said in their split is calling her a "traitor."

"Those are the types of words used that can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger," Greene said.

The comment came after Greene claimed in a post on X on Nov. 15 that she was "contacted by private security firms with warnings for my safety as a hot bed of threats against me are being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world."

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Responding to Greene's comments on Sunday, Nov. 16, Trump told reporters traveling with him in Palm Beach, Florida, "I don't think her life is in danger. Frankly, I don't think anybody cares about her."

Bash pressed Greene about her own history with harsh political rhetoric, noting, "With respect, I haven't heard you speak out about it until it was directed at you."

"Dana, I think that's fair criticism," Greene said. "And I would like to say, humbly, I'm sorry for taking part in the toxic politics it's very bad for our country."

Contributing: Zac Anderson, Joey Garrison, and Erin Mansfield, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Hope to make up'. Marjorie Taylor Greene weighs in on her Trump feud
In a reversal, President Trump says House Republicans should vote to release the Jeffrey Epstein files.

In a post on his Truth Social platform late Sunday night, Mr. Trump wrote, "As I said on Friday night aboard Air Force One to the Fake News Media, House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it's time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party, including our recent Victory on the Democrat 'Shutdown.'"

The president had been opposing the release of the files.

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He has previously said he cut ties with Epstein years ago, and he has not been accused of wrongdoing.

House GOP leaders are aiming to hold a vote Tuesday on legislation to force the full release of the Justice Department's files on Epstein, sources familiar with the vote tell CBS.

All Democrats and four Republican House members last week successfully brought a petition to the floor to force the vote on releasing the files, circumventing GOP leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the vote will happen this week.

The bill, titled the Epstein Files Transparency Act, was first introduced in July by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky as pressure intensified on the Trump administration to release more Epstein-related files.

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The bipartisan legislation calls for the release of documents relating to all investigations into Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. The bill would compel the release of flight logs, travel records, names of individuals and entities referenced in any Epstein case and internal Justice Department communications within 30 days of the legislation's passage. It would also make public any records "concerning the destruction, deletion, alteration, misplacement, or concealment of documents, recordings, or electronic data" related to Epstein and his associates, as well as documentation about his death.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 at a Manhattan correctional facility while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

"I believe we're going to get 40, 50 Republicans voting with us on the release," Khanna told reporters Wednesday. "And if we get that kind of overwhelming vote, that's going to push the Senate, and it's going to push for a release of the files from the Justice Department."

It's unclear if the Senate would take it up if it clears the House.

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Last week, the House Oversight Committee released more than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate. They included emails exchanged between Epstein and others about President Trump.

On Friday, Mr. Trump called on the Justice Department and the FBI to investigate Epstein's involvement with prominent Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, and major financial institutions.

What to know about Trump's changing stance on Epstein files

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Defense Minister Israel Katz rules out a Palestinian state, says IDF will stay in key areas, and Gaza will be fully demilitarized.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that Israel would not agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state and that the IDF would maintain its presence in strategic zones.

Israels policy is clear: there will not be a Palestinian state. The IDF will remain on Mount Hermon and in the security zone. Gaza will be demilitarized down to the last tunnel, and Hamas will be disarmed in the yellow area by the IDF and in old Gaza by the international force, or by the IDF, Katz said.

This is a developing story.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that it killed a Palestinian who threw an explosive device toward its soldiers during an operation in the north of the West Bank overnight.

The incident, "during which a terrorist hurled an explosive device toward the soldiers," occurred in the Nablus area, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on Telegram.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the victim was 19 years old. The Palestinian news agency WAFA reported, citing the Red Crescent, that the man was shot in the chest after the IDF attacked the Askar refugee camp east of Nablus.

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Another teenager was shot in the back during the raid, the agency reported. His age was not disclosed and he is being treated in a clinic.

The situation in the occupied West Bank has escalated since the massacre carried out by the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the resulting Gaza war.

More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since then in Israeli military operations, armed clashes and attacks, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. At the same time, radical Israeli settlers are increasingly attacking Palestinians in the West Bank.
The undocumented immigrant who authorities say was helped by a Milwaukee County judge to evade arrest at the courthouse has been deported to Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, 31, agreed to be deported as part of a September plea deal on a federal illegal reentry charge. His attorney said in early November that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would carry out his deportation in the coming days.

The deportation occurred Nov. 13, DHS said in a news release.

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Meanwhile, Judge Hannah Dugan herself is charged with helping Flores-Ruiz elude federal agents, who had come to Dugan's courtroom in April to arrest Flores-Ruiz. Dugan is set to face trial in the obstruction case in December.

Flores-Ruiz was in Dugan's Milwaukee County courtroom because he was charged with three counts of misdemeanor battery. Flores-Ruiz hit his roommate more than two dozen times in the head and choked him for several seconds, according to a criminal complaint. Two women tried to intervene and were also hit by Flores-Ruiz.

Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, left, talks with his attorney, Imran Kurter, in a Milwaukee County courtroom in Milwaukee on Sept. 8.

In that case, Flores-Ruiz pleaded no contest to one count of misdemeanor battery. The other two battery charges were dismissed but read into the record. He disputed some of the facts in the case, saying roommates were trying to evict him, according to a sentencing memo.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described Flores-Ruiz as having a "laundry list of violent criminal charges" in a statement.

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Thanks to the brave men and women of ICE law enforcement, this criminal is OUT of our country. If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and remove you from our country. That's a promise, the statement reads.

Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican citizen, crossed into the U.S. in 2013 undetected after being deported just weeks earlier. He came from a small town in the region of Michoacan and left school after sixth grade to join his father as a frog hunter. In Milwaukee, he worked at restaurants as a dishwasher and a cook, and he recently cooked in food trucks, according to the sentencing memo. He is single with no children.

He was arrested by ICE agents April 18 following a short chase outside the Milwaukee County Courthouse. He remained in jail from that date until his deportation.

His attorney, Martin Pruhs, was not immediately available for comment.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Immigrant at center of Hannah Dugan case was deported to Mexico
SRINAGAR, India (AP)  Indias anti-terror investigating agency said Sunday it arrested a man from Indian-controlled Kashmir on suspicion of conspiring with a suicide bomber to carry out a deadly car blast in the capital New Delhi.

The National Investigating Agency said in a statement that the car that exploded on Monday was registered to Amir Rashid Ali, who it alleged had traveled to New Delhi from Indian-controlled Kashmir to facilitate the purchase of the vehicle. It said Ali's arrest was a major breakthrough in the case.

The explosion killed 10 people and injured 32 others near the citys historic Red Fort. Indian officials called it a heinous terror incident carried out by anti-national forces.

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The car blast happened hours after police in Kashmir said they had dismantled a suspected militant cell operating from the disputed region, arresting at least seven people, including two Kashmiri doctors from Indian cities, and seizing a large quantity of bomb-making material.

The investigating agency identified the cars driver and suspected suicide bomber as Umar Un Nabi, also a Kashmiri, a doctor teaching at a medical college in the city of Faridabad, near New Delhi. Government forces blew up his family home in the southern district of Pulwama on Thursday night, officials said, as a reprisal for the attack.

Indian security agencies also have carried out a series of raids across Kashmir as part of their investigation, questioning thousands and detaining hundreds of people.

On Friday night, some of the explosives confiscated from Faridabad and brought to Kashmirs main city of Srinagar by the police detonated inside a police station, killing at least nine people and injuring 32 others.
A growing number of extreme weather events and natural disasters have pushed insurance markets to the brink, potentially impacting millions of homeowners across the United States.

What's happening?

Politico Pro reported on an insurance crisis that has impacted several states, most notably California.

An increased risk of wildfires and other severe weather events has caused some private insurance companies to raise their rates to levels that are unsustainable for many people, or to leave states completely. In 2023, State Farm announced it would no longer offer new homeowner's insurance policies in California because of the increased risk of fire and other disasters.

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To counter this, California created a state-chartered insurance plan called the FAIR Plan, which uses policy premiums to pay out claims when needed.

The number of policies under the FAIR Plan, however, has nearly doubled, and its total liability is nearly $700 billion, which has many experts questioning if the plan will soon run out of money, forcing insurance companies and policyholders to pay out claims.

For example, January's deadly Southern California wildfires created so many insurance claims that the state assessed insurers and policyholders $1 billion.

Rob Moore, director of climate adaptation with the Natural Resources Defense Council, told Politico Pro that policymakers "have a huge challenge ahead of them. And it's a climate resilience and climate risk challenge they're facing."

Why is this concerning?

That risk has only grown because of human-caused pollution.

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As we burn dirty fuels, we release massive amounts of heat-trapping pollution into the atmosphere. That pollution has caused global temperatures to increase to record-breaking levels, with the last decade seeing the 10 warmest years in recorded history.

Those temperature increases cause more frequent and severe weather events, such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. The connection is so strong that one expert likened increasing global temperatures to "steroids for weather."

And this increase in extreme weather has caused many insurance companies to rethink their policies in certain locations.

What's being done to fix this?

California isn't alone in this. Several other states, including Florida, Louisiana, and Texas, have also created state-run insurance plans to help stabilize markets and provide necessary relief to their residents.

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Florida, in particular, could provide a glimpse into the future of insurance. Its state-chartered plan had 1.4 million policies as recently as 2023, but legislative changes have led more homeowners to obtain private insurance, and reduced the number of state-chartered policies to 570,000.

"States have to balance how much do we want risk to be reflected in prices, versus how much do we want to really take care of people as they go through this tough financial transition," University of Colorado law professor Michael Pappas told Politico Pro. "States are still figuring out how to walk that line."

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Authorities in Iran have sprayed clouds with chemicals to induce rain, in an attempt to combat the country's worst drought in decades.

Known as cloud-seeding, the process was conducted over the Urmia lake basin on Saturday, Iran's official news agency Irna reported.

Urmia is Iran's largest lake, but has largely dried out leaving a vast salt bed. Further operations will be carried out in east and west Azerbaijan, the agency said.

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Rainfall is at record lows and reservoirs are nearly empty. Last week President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that if there is not enough rainfall soon, Tehran's water supply could be rationed and people may be evacuated from the capital.

Cloud seeding involves injecting chemical salts including silver or potassium iodide into clouds via aircraft or through generators on the ground. Water vapour can then condense more easily and turn into rain.

The technique has been around for decades, and the UAE has used it in recent years to help address water shortages.

Iran's meteorological organisation said rainfall had decreased by about 89% this year compared with the long-term average, Irna reported.

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"We are currently experiencing the driest autumn the country has experienced in 50 years," it added.

Officials have also announced plans to penalise households and businesses that consume excessive amounts of water.

Women during the rainfall prayer at the Saleh Shrine in northern Tehran [EPA/Shutterstock]

The head of Iran's National Centre for Climate and Drought Crisis Management, Ahmad Vazifeh said dams in Tehran, West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan and Markazi are in a "worrying state", with water levels in the single-digit percentages.

On Friday, hundreds gathered at a mosque in Tehran to pray for rainfall.

Iranian meteorologists reported there was some rainfall in the west and northwest of the country on Saturday - with video showing snowfall on a ski resort north of Tehran for the first time this year.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Crispina has significant cultural roots in both ancient Roman and African contexts. The name gained early prominence through Saint Crispina, a 3rd-century North African martyr from Thagara (modern-day Tunisia) who was executed for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. This early Christian connection established the name's presence in North Africa, where it became associated with strength of conviction and religious devotion. In contemporary African usage, particularly in countries like Zimbabwe, Kenya, and South Africa, Crispina has evolved to represent both cultural heritage and modern feminine strength. The name carries echoes of Roman influence in North Africa while maintaining relevance through its adoption by African families who appreciate its melodic quality and historical depth. It serves as a bridge between ancient Mediterranean traditions and contemporary African identity, embodying the complex cultural exchanges that have shaped the continent's history.
Iran is strengthening ties with allies in Iraq and Lebanon while accusing the US and Israel of coercive diplomacy in its latest regional push.

Iran continues to do outreach to its friends in Iraq and Lebanon while also slamming Israel and making it seem like talks with the West are only a form of coercion. As such, Irans current leadership and those around it seek to bolster their remaining allies while maintaining a moat between themselves and the West.

Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the Political Advisor to the Lebanese Parliament Speaker, Ali Hassan Khalil, have reviewed the most important bilateral and regional issues, according to Iranian state media. The meeting was held during a conference on international law in Tehran this weekend.

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This meeting has hosted 350 international and domestic guests, including diplomatic delegations, professors, and analysts from France, Italy, Greece, Lebanon, Iraq, Ireland, Slovakia, the United Kingdom, Finland, Russia, and other regional nations, Irans state media claimed.

Iran is apparently trying to use this discussion about international law to make it seem that international law is under attack, apparently by the US, Israel, and the West. Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, will participate in a free discussion hosted by Saeed Khatibzadeh, Deputy Foreign Minister and Head of the Center for Political and International Studies (CPIS), the report said.

Subjects included International Law Under Siege: From a rules-based order to an order based on rules. Of course, Israel and the US were slammed for betraying diplomacy. One subject covered was Revisiting Regional Security Arrangements: Key elements and determining factors.

Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), speaks at the opening of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, September 15, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/LISA LEUTNER)

This comes as Iran has called for a global response to the crisis in Sudan. Why does Iran focus on Sudan? Apparently, it backs the armys role in Sudan against the RSF. This would apparently put Iran at odds with the UAE and some others. 

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Armed clashes in Sudan began on April 15, 2023, between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

The conflict stemmed from disputes over how to integrate the RSF into the army following the 2021 coup. International mediation efforts have so far failed to end it, Irans IRNA state media said.

At the same time, Irans president congratulated Iraqs Prime Minister, Shia al-Sudani, on the recent elections in Iraq. Sudanis party performed well in the vote. Iran backs Shiite militias in Iraq.

The Iranian leaderships Administration spokesperson, Fatemeh Mohajerani, meanwhile, described the Wests talks as coercive in nature and warned of a harsher response to future attacks, IRNA noted.

Irans rejection of one-sided diplomacy

In an interview with Al-Mayadeen, which is considered pro-Iranian, she talked about diplomacy and how other countries in the West were trying to coerce Iran. Mohajerani emphasized Irans rejection of one-sided diplomacy, its right to self-defense, and its commitment to strengthening strategic ties with neighboring and allied states.

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Of interest were several comments. On Irans missile program, Mohajerani explained that the country had been engaged in negotiations when it was suddenly hit by a US-backed Israeli aggression, saying it is only natural for Iran to strengthen its missile capabilities to deter any renewed aggression, she said.

Mohajerani also said that Tehran is currently cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, noting that we have not withdrawn from this agreement; we have only frozen it and suspended its implementation.

In another point in the interview, she spoke about Irans broader strategy under decades of Western sanctions, a strategy that the country continued to apply after the "snapback" that European countries have put in place.

She went on to highlight the relationship with China, describing it as comprehensive and spanning all sectors, from specialized academic scholarships to the implementation of joint projects, noting that overall trade volumes across different fields have reached significant levels.

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In a speech, Irans former foreign minister Javad Zarif also talked about how peace in the region is a threat to Israel. Zarif questioned why Israel launched a strike on Iran two days before the sixth round of IranUS negotiations, reiterating that for Israel, peace is a vital threat, and they have created a false and baseless narrative in the world to pursue their policy, IRNA noted him saying.

He also said the US had failed to impose a unipolar system on the world. Meaning, Iran, China, Russia, and others seek a multi-polar world to balance the US.
President Donald Trump publicly mocked Rep. Thomas Massie (RKy.) after the congressman remarried over a year following the death of his wife, continuing his own personal attack on Massie for not being loyal to him. Massie announced on his own social media that he had remarried on October 19, 2025, roughly 16 months after his first wife passed away in June 2024.

Carolyn and I would like to announce our recent marriage! We were legally married in Kentucky on October 19th by the pastor of the church we have been attending for several months. This weekend we celebrated with close friends and family at a Christian wedding ceremony in pic.twitter.com/7fmikl7li3  Thomas Massie for Congress (@MassieforKY) November 3, 2025

In a post, Trump called Massie a loser for getting remarried and suggested the timing would hurt his political image. The remarks drew attention for their deeply personal nature, given Massies long record of public service and the sensitive circumstances of his widowhood.

Coming just after his un-endorsement of Massies fellow far-right politician in the House, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, for breaking with Trump over the Epstein files, the presidents post highlights even more tension within the Republican Party. Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican known for his opposition to federal spending and pandemic mandates, has frequently clashed with Trump on policy, further questions about Trumps approach to intra-party loyalty and messaging.

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Political observers say the episode underscores Trumps strategy of using personal attacks as a political tool, even against fellow Republicans, while signaling to GOP voters which figures he favors or disdains. Reactions have ranged from criticism of Trumps tone to bemusement over the contradictions in his personal jabs about marriage.

Trump is knowledgable about re-marriage, having been married three times himself. He also faced public scandals for allegedly cheating on his first wife (Ivana Trump) with the woman who would become his second wife (Marla Maples), sexually assaulting E. Jean Carroll while married to Maples, and for cheating on his current wife (Melania Trump) while she was pregnant with their son with an adult film star (known as Stormy Daniels).

Start your day with essential news from Salon.

Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.

Massie has not publicly responded to Trumps comments about this despite being on This Week on Sunday, focusing instead on his campaign to release all of the Epstein files. But social media reaction from constituents and political commentators has been robust, reflecting broader debates over loyalty, personal life and political performance within the party.

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With the 2026 midterm elections approaching and Trump now supporting Massies opponent publicly, the episode may serve as another bellwether for how Trumps influence shapes Republican primaries and internal disputes.

The post Isnt it ironic? Thrice-married Trump mocks Massies remarriage appeared first on Salon.com.
Israel's actions are above the law and do not respect UN resolutions, and also we know this aggressive state of Israel is nuclear armed and a centre of a regime based on apartheid."

The Oxford Union voted overwhelmingly that Israel is a greater threat to regional stability than Iran in a debate on Thursday last week.

A large majority of 265-113 voted yes to the motion, which was debated first by two panels of speakers. For the proposition were Lincoln Colleges Alex Webster, Jessica Rowe, former Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, and former Iranian culture minister Ataollah Mohajerani.

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For the opposition were Hillel Neuer, international human rights lawyer and executive director of the UN Watch; Dominick Chilcott, Middle East specialist and former British ambassador to Turkey and Iran; St. Johns history student Katie Pannick, and St. Hughs history Masters student William Rome.

Webster opened the proposition by saying that Israel was a larger threat to regional stability, as it holds more sway with global powers. They get all of the guns but none of the consequences, he added. Pannick responded by saying that Iran is capable of systemic disruption and also drew on the danger associated with its nuclear missile program.

Shtayyeh went on to describe Israel as an expansionist, colonialist state. In response to discussions of Irans nuclear weapons, he said Israel already possesses such arms, and asked, Who is acting and who is reacting?

PALESTINIAN PRIME Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh  refusing to recognize that Arab states have a right to defend their vital interests. (credit: ALAA BADARNEH/POOL VIA REUTERS)

Shtayyeh also said, Israel acts above the law and does not respect UN resolutions, and also we know this aggressive state of Israel is... nuclear armed and a center of a colonial regime that is based on apartheid against the Palestinian people.

Israel's 'apartheid' and nuclear arms debated at Oxford

Neuer responded by discussing Irans role in destabilizing neighboring countries such as Syria, Yemen, Iraq, and Gaza, noting that many of the aforementioned could prosper if it were not for Iran. Neuer also pointed out that the way in which Sunni Arab states intervened to block Iranian missiles during its attack on Israel shows that Iran is an existential threat. Chilcott followed a similar line, arguing about the danger posed by Irans proxy terror network, such as Hezbollah.

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Following the debate, Neuer tweeted a reminder that speaker Ayatollah Mohajerani was a top regime official in Iran, serving as vice-president from 1989 to 1997, when hundreds of assassinations of dissidents in Europe were attempted and committed on the orders of the Iranian regime.

In 2023, the UKs Metropolitan police was urged to prosecute Mohajerani over his advocating for the fatwa against Sir Salman Rushdie.

The Oxford Union has taken an anti-Israel stance over the last years. Most recently, in December 2024, the proposition that Israel is an Apartheid State Responsible for Genocide passed with a very large majority of 278 to 59.
The event was set to be held at 5 p.m. on Friday at the Aleppo Library.

Israels Foreign Ministry condemned on Friday an event hosted by Syrias new Culture Ministry, which appeared to celebrate Hamass October 7 massacre.

The President of Syria al-Julani [Ahmed al-Sharaa] talks about a new Syria, yet his Ministry of Culture invites the public to a national party celebrating the October 7 massacre  the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust (celebrated as The Flood of al-Aqsa), the ministry wrote on X. Anyone who celebrates a massacre seeks more massacres, not change.

The event was set to be held at 5 p.m. on Friday at the Aleppo Library.

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Journalist Ahmed Quarashi reported on X that the event was cancelled.

Hamas's October 7 massacre

Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, violating an existing ceasefire, and massacred some 1200 people, including children, civilians, and foreign nationals.

During their rampage through Israel's South, the terror group also abducted some 250 people, kickstarting a two-year conflict.
The political echelon has repeatedly blocked a state inquiry into the events surrounding October 7 despite polls showing huge public support for this type of investigation.

The government decided to establish an independent ministerial committee to investigate the handling of the October 7 massacre in 2023, following a High Court order to discuss the matter during the Sunday weekly government meeting.

A typical state commission of inquiry would entail a probe that operates without the political echelon, with members appointed by the Supreme Court. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called for the probe to be made up of a different committee, amid the ongoing split between the government and judiciary in the country.

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As part of the governments decision, Netanyahu will reportedly establish a special ministerial committee to conduct the investigation, which will have full investigative powers.

This government-run committee will reportedly be responsible for formulating and determining which issues it will investigate and which time periods will be examined.

The ministerial committee was given 45 days to submit its recommendations to the government, according to KAN News.

Bereaved families attend a Knesset hearing, September 14, 2025. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

Political echelon blocks state inquiry into October 7 massacre

On October 15, the High Court instructed the government to provide an update within 30 days regarding the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the events of the October 7 massacre.

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In the judges' decision, it was written that there is no real dispute about the need to establish the state probe.

An inquiry into the events surrounding October 7 has repeatedly been blocked by the political echelon despite polls showing huge public support for this type of investigation, which has been pushed by victims of the attacks and their families.

The government's decision to form the independent committee to conduct the probe received sharp criticism due to claims that it could lead to a conflict of interest in the investigation.

The Movement for Quality Government called the decision a transparent attempt to evade a real and independent investigation into the greatest failure in the countrys history.

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The Supreme Court clearly ruled that there is no real dispute regarding the need to establish a state commission with broad investigative powers, but the government is ignoring that ruling and creating a committee that will investigate itself. This is not an inquiry committee; it is a whitewash committee."

The Brothers and Sisters in Arms movement said the governments decision to establish a non-state committee to investigate the failures of October 7 is a cynical move whose sole purpose is to save Netanyahu from personal responsibility for the massacre.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) said that "the government is doing everything it can to run from the truth and evade responsibility.

"There is broad public support for a state commission of inquiry. That is what the country needs, that is what the public demands, and that is what will happen."

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"Their refusal to investigate their failures endangers the security of the state and is an insult and an evasion of responsibility toward the soldiers and the families who have sacrificed so much since October 7," Lapid added.

The Democrats Party chairperson, Yair Golan, responded that "someone under investigation does not appoint his own investigators."

"October 7 will be investigated by a state commission of inquiry. That is a promise," he added.

Former chief of staff Gadi Esienkot (Yashar!) called the government committee "unacceptable" due to a conflict of interest.

"Clearly everything stems from fear and hysteria over the results of a real independent investigation," he continued.

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The October Council, made up of hundreds of families affected by the Hamas attacks, demanded ahead of the meeting that the government decide to conduct a state probe, calling any other outcome of the meeting a "war on the future of the State of Israel."

The October Council further warned Netanyahu and ministers ahead of the meeting that any attempt to bypass the law with a government-appointed committee, a committee whose purpose is to whitewash rather than investigate, is a direct affront to the bereaved families, to the soldiers, to the citizens of Israel, and to the foundations of the state."

The prime ministers announcement about forming an alternative committee is not a solution, but a transparent attempt to run away from the truth. We will not allow it."

"If you try to evade a genuine investigation, the bereaved families and the entire people of Israel will pursue you publicly and confront you in every arena until a full, independent, and lawful state commission of inquiry is established," the October Council added.

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The government decision follows Netanyahu expressing his opposition to Israels current method of forming a state commission of inquiry last week during a Knesset discussion on the matter.

The question is not only what we investigate, the crucial question is who investigates the truth, Netanyahu said.

We want to establish an inquiry committee on October 7 that will be balanced and that will earn the broadest possible public trust, Netanyahu said, calling for a different body to head the commission of inquiry.
A new defence pact between Tokyo and Manila allows the Japanese military to deploy in the Philippines for the first time since World War II - with the goal of deterring Beijing in the South China Sea.

Analysts said the "quasi-security alliance" - which took effect in September and is known as a reciprocal access agreement - could harden Manila's stance in the contested waters, and that other US allies in the region could follow suit.

Ding Duo, an associate research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said the agreement did not imply Japan would have a permanent military presence in the Philippines.

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Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

But he said the pact - by reducing the costs and political barriers to strategic cooperation - created a pathway towards "normalising military interactions" between the two nations that had a shared goal of deterring China.

"The deal provides an institutionalised 'fast track' for both parties, particularly the Japan Self-Defence Forces, to conduct joint exercises, logistical support and ship and aircraft visits in the Philippines," Ding said.

Japan and the Philippines conducted a joint military exercise in October. Photo: Philippine Air Force alt=Japan and the Philippines conducted a joint military exercise in October. Photo: Philippine Air Force>

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Less than a month after the pact took effect, Japan and the Philippines held a five-day joint military exercise, which included the delivery of emergency relief supplies to the Philippine island of Cebu following a magnitude 6.9 earthquake.

The drill was conducted a day before the Chinese People's Liberation Army held its annual joint exercise with Malaysia.

Days later, Japan took part in another joint drill involving regional allies, led by the Philippines and the United States. Japan sent its Takanami-class destroyer the JS Onami to cooperate with Philippine and American warships.

Chester Cabalza, president and founder of Manila-based think tank the International Development and Security Cooperation, said the agreement between Tokyo and Manila aimed to "enhance interoperability of their militaries and act as a deterrent force against regional threats by solidifying alliances and a united front".

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Analysts said it also signalled a broader trend in the region, as Washington's allies expanded security cooperation through "quasi-alliance" arrangements.

Last year, Japan signed similar reciprocal access agreements with Australia and Britain. Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr also expressed a willingness to forge reciprocal troop agreements with Canada, France, New Zealand and other nations.

That was followed by more joint military drills involving Australia and other Western nations from beyond the Indo-Pacific region.

"The Philippines-Japan [deal] is highly likely to become a replicable template," according to Ding.

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"In the future, we may witness the emergence of more 'quasi-military alliance' arrangements within the US alliance system, forming a flexible and effective security network targeting China," he said, calling it a "structural challenge" that Beijing must confront.

"Maritime friction may not be an isolated incident, but could rapidly trigger a coordinated response from a broader network of allies. This undoubtedly increases the complexity of the situation and the risk of miscalculation."

He Xianqing, an associate research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies in Hainan province, said the solution was better relations between Beijing and Washington.

He said there would be even closer cooperation between the United States and its allies - such as Japan and the Philippines - if US tensions with Beijing over the South China Sea remained high.

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Manila and Washington formed a new joint task force to boost their alliance last month during the Asean gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Meanwhile, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth expressed Washington's concern over the South China Sea and Taiwan.

Analysts said Beijing should look to diplomatic channels - particularly the Association of Southeast Asian Nations framework - to ease tensions in the region.

"Beijing has its own terms in advancing its regional and global interests, and China has been quite successful in influencing Asean through its widened economic and infrastructural support in the region," Chester in Manila said, calling it a "hedging strategy".

At present, China and Asean are each other's biggest trading partners.

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Ding said Beijing "should strive to secure the understanding and support of regional nations by accelerating consultations on the code of conduct in the South China Sea and deepening economic and trade ties with Asean members".

Beijing has territorial disputes over the resource-rich South China Sea with the Philippines, Vietnam and other rival claimants, and there have been regular run-ins between Chinese and Philippine vessels in recent years. A tribunal in The Hague in 2016 dismissed China's sweeping claims to the waterway as having "no legal basis" in a case brought by the Philippines - a ruling Beijing has rejected.

He from the Hainan institute said the frequency and scope of maritime activities in the region would "inevitably expand", and so too would the risk of encounters between Chinese maritime forces and those of other nations.

"China must establish robust communication and risk management mechanisms with the US and Japan," he added.

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This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Jury selection will start this week for Brian Walshe, the man accused of killing and dismembering his wifes body in 2023.

Opening arguments are slated for December 1 at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham.

Ahead of the trial, Boston 25 News Legal Analyst Peter Elikann shared what the public can expect.

A lot of people would think that without finding a body or without any eyewitness, you wouldnt have a strong case, Elikann said. But sometimes circumstantial evidence cases can be the strongest of them all.

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Elikann said the trial will likely rely heavily on circumstantial evidence.

Walshe is accused of killing his wife, Ana, and dismembering her body on January 1, 2023.

Anas remains have not been found.

Brian Walshe, left, is facing murder and other charges following the disappearance of his wife, Ana Walshe, left, on Jan. 1, 2023.

From the time that he is googling how to dispose a body and how long does it take before a body starts to smell and then they have him going out and buying a hatchet, Elikann said.

Its currently unclear what the defenses strategy will be.

Perhaps it is that without a body, without an eyewitness can you really prove that he did it?

On Friday, Norfolk Superior Court Judge Diana Freniere determined that Walshe is mentally fit to stand trial during a competency hearing that was previously delayed after doctors requested more time for a mental health evaluation.

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Frenieres ruling paves the way for jury selection in the high-profile case to begin on Tuesday, Nov. 18. She told the court that she expects to question about 70 potential jurors a day, predicting the jury would be seated by Thanksgiving.

The key to the judges ruling was that this was not a really fiery scandalous kind of coverage, Elikann explained. Most of what had been revealed to the public so far was pure facts and thats why the judge made that decision.

Walshe was held at Bridgewater State Hospital during the evaluation process. Hell be transferred back to prison as he awaits the start of his trial.

Last month, lawyers for Walshe asked Freniere to change the venue of his trial due to concerns over finding a fair and impartial jury. Freniere denied that motion on Friday, ordering the trial to go on as planned in Dedham.

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Walshe is accused of killing and dismembering Ana with a hacksaw and disposing of her remains after using his sons iPad toGoogle the best ways to get rid of a body.

In March 2023, a Norfolk County grand jury indicted Walshe on a charge of murder, misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice, and improper conveyance of a human body in connection with his wifes death. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Ana, a mother of three young children and a real estate professional who worked in Washington, D.C., vanished on New Years Day 2023 and was reported missing a few days later, authorities said.

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Prosecutors have alleged that Walshe killed his wife in their Cohasset home on New Years Day. The couples three young boys were reportedly home at the time.

Days after Anas disappearance, a hacksaw and a blood-soaked rug believed to contain biological evidence were recovered from their home by investigators.

Elikann estimates the trial could last anywhere from two to four weeks.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Sen. Tim Kaine defended Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday against growing calls  including from some House Democrats  for the New York lawmaker to step down after the controversial vote to reopen the government, with the Virginia Democrat telling his colleagues in the other chamber to essentially stay in their lane.

Democrats had made it clear that they would not vote for the GOPs funding bill unless it included vital health care subsidies, an amendment that Republicans refused to include throughout the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

Politics: 'Uncontrollable Rage': Trump Flips Out On TV Host, Wants Him Fired 'Immediately'

Kaine was one of eight Democratic senators to side with Republicans on voting for the spending bill that didnt include the health care demands, leaving many Democrats furious at the capitulation.

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More than a dozen House Democrats have called for Schumers ouster over what they say is a lack of leadership, despite the lawmaker himself not voting for the GOP bill.

The question is what is the future of Democratic leadership? Who is going to be effective? And most Democrats around the country just dont think that person is Chuck Schumer, Rep. Ro Khanna told NBCs Meet the Press.

I mean, he doesnt inspire confidence. Hes not bold. Hes out of touch with the grassroots. Hes someone who cheer-led us into the war in Iraq. He doesnt have the moral clarity on Gaza. He couldnt say Mamdanis name, the California Democrat continued. And this was the final straw where he was not strong on fighting for health care.

The eight Senate Democrats who are facing intraparty criticism for voting with Republicans on a bill to end the government shutdown, from left to right: Catherine Cortez Masto (N.M), Dick Durbin (Ill.), John Fetterman (Penn.), Maggie Hassan (N.H.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Jacky Rosen (Nev.) and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.). Associated Press

A spokesperson for Schumers office did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment.

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In a separate interview on the same NBC show, Kaine stressed that he does not need a permission slip from Schumer to vote a certain way. He also shot back at the House Democrats calling for Schumer to step down, toting the leaders legislative wins under the Biden administration.

Politics: MTG Called Out For Only Caring About Trumps Bullying Now That Shes Being Attacked

Being the minority leader is tough. In the Senate we have some tools in the minority, but not many. We dont control whats on the floor. And you know if youre dealing with senators  its not exactly like senators just get in line and follow the leader, the senator said.

I dont tell Ro Khanna or AOC or anybody else who you should pick as your House leader, because I got a full-time job being a senator, he continued. I dont need to freelance opinions about House leadership. They should focus on their own leadership and let senators do what we need to do to keep this country moving forward.

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Khanna on Sunday named several senators he believes would make an ideal Democratic leader in the Senate  one of them Sen. Chris Murphy (Conn.), who has fiercely criticized his colleagues who voted with Republicans. Murphy told ABCs This Week on Sunday that Schumer will have to explain next week how the Democratic caucus will run moving forward.

We cant continue to operate like this in a Democratic Senate. This is not the first time that a small group of Democrats have crossed over to support Republican measures that give Donald Trump more power, Murphy said.

So, Ive been candid with [Schumer] and my colleagues that Democrats are going to lose this democracy if we continue to allow Republicans to cleave off 10 or 12 or 15 of us. So weve got some hard conversations as a caucus moving forward. We cant continue to be split like this or we wont save our democracy.

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Shimon Azarzar and his girlfriend were arrested in October on suspicion of acting under Iranian direction to gather intelligence and carry out tasks.

An indictment was filed on Sunday at the Haifa District Court against Shimon Azarzar, 27, from Kiryat Yam, who is accused of transmitting sensitive military information to Iranian intelligence, the Shin Bet and Israel Police stated.

Azarzar and his girlfriend were arrested in October on suspicion of acting under Iranian direction to gather intelligence and carry out various tasks.

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According to theShin Bet and Israel Police, Azarzar sent photos and coordinates of strategic sites in Israel to Iranian operatives over the course of a year. He also allegedly used his girlfriend, a reservist serving on an Air Force base, to collect additional intelligence on IDF facilities and operations.

The indictment charges Azarzar with espionage-related offenses, including unauthorized contact with a foreign agent and offering classified material. Authorities said he received payments via digital transfer for his activity.

The Israel Security Agency and Israel Police once again warn Israeli citizens and residents against maintaining any contact with foreign elements from enemy states or unidentified sources, and certainly against performing missions for them in exchange for money or for any other reason. Israels security bodies will continue to identify and thwart terror and espionage activity in Israel, and will work to bring all those involved to justice, the Shin Bet and police warned in a joint statement.

(Illustrative) A silhouette over an Iranian flag. (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)

Authorities said the investigation showed Azarzar had offered to pass information from within military bases and had exploited his access to his girlfriends knowledge of classified operations and locations.

Second suspect arrested for alleged Iran-linked espionage

About a week prior to Azarzars arrest, another suspect was detained on similar charges. During a search of his residence, investigators reportedly uncovered digital materials and 18 SIM cards used for communication with a hostile foreign agent.

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Despite the findings, the Magistrates Court released the suspect without placing him under house arrest.

According to investigators, the individual photographed several sites at the request of an Iranian handler, including the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Ganei Avraham Park in the Bavli neighborhood of Tel Aviv, and the site of a rocket impact in Ramat Gan during Operation Rising Lion. He allegedly received thousands of shekels in cryptocurrency as payment.
Officers are investigating a reported shooting in a Beavercreek neighborhood late Saturday night.

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The incident was reported in the 3000 block of Harry Truman Drive after 11:30 p.m., according to a Beavercreek Police dispatcher.

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Photos from the scene showed several police officers from different departments blocking the area.

The dispatcher told News Center 7 that this is an active investigation and couldnt provide additional information.

We have contacted the Beavercreek Police Department to learn if anyone was injured and if any arrests were made.

News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.

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Dagwood exists today as an extremely uncommon given name, typically chosen by parents seeking a distinctive vintage name with strong cultural recognition. Its usage remains consistently low, with fewer than five American births recorded annually bearing this name. The strong association with the Blondie comic character both helps and hinders its modern adoption - while it provides immediate recognition and nostalgic appeal, some parents may feel the pop culture connection is too dominant. However, in an era where unique and retro names are increasingly popular, Dagwood occasionally appears as a bold choice that stands out without being completely unfamiliar. Its usage is most likely in families with multi-generational connections to the name or among parents particularly fond of classic American comics and mid-century culture. The name maintains a small but dedicated following who appreciate its warmth, uniqueness, and cheerful associations.
Fear and chaos Sunday morning, as Border Patrol agents descended on North Tryon Street.

Got here, they parked their cars and they were chasing people, said Camila Franco from the North Tryon Laundromat. They were trying to get in the laundromat, trying to find a place to stay. She let some people in and was able to lock the door before they got anyone. And everyone started running through the backdoor that we have.

ALSO READ: Border Patrol arrests dozens in first day of Charlotte operations

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I feel a lot of anxiety, said Bibiana Villafrade, one of the owners of the North Tryon Laundromat. If I, with legal status, feel anxiety, what is that like for people without protection? Its all very sad.

Everybody here in the shopping center, you can see weve been locking all the doors and trying to guard all the people we having coming in and out, said Franco. If people see anybody walking by, we have whistles, and cars in the parking lot are trying to honk their horns so that everybodys aware that theyre here and theres presence.

Franco shared video with Channel 9 of immigration agents apprehending someone near the laundromat. She said at least two people were seen being detained.

We also got video from Spintastic Laundromat on South Boulevard. A witness told us immigration agents detained one man outside the business.

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What I hear from federal agents is that theyre here just taking violent criminals. Is that what youre seeing? Channel 9s Evan Donovan asked Franco.

Not really, she replied. I think what theyre doing is profiling based on the race. If they see, they dont even ask. They just go ahead and take you, and not in the best way. And then after that they try to figure out if youre legal or not.

Francos mom Villafrade and her husband David Rebolloso have owned North Tryon Laundromat for nine years.

Rebolloso said after his dad came here from Mexico and met his mom in the 1950s, he was born in Texas. He said they worked on farms together throughout the country for years. He said he lived the American dream; serving in the military, then working in healthcare, now an entrepreneur.

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We are all here to live the American dream, and it breaks my heart that this is happening, Rebolloso said through tears. These people dont want anything but a better life. Thats all they want. They just want to better themselves.

Villafrade and Rebolloso told Channel 9 the laundromat will offer free pickup and delivery and a discount on its laundry service all week, so their customers dont have to leave their homes.

WATCH: Border Patrol agents target communities in east Charlotte
A Lawrence man was arrested after he allegedly exposed himself to customers and staff inside a local business on Friday.

Jason J. Ruggs, 32, is being charged with open and gross lewdness, disturbing the peace, and disorderly conduct following the incident that occurred near 66 Parkhurst Road.

On Friday, November 14, around 9:49 a.m., Police were called to a store in the area of 66 Parkhurst Road for a report of a man who was exposing himself.

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Upon arrival, officers learned that the individual, identified as Ruggs exposed himself multiple times to both customers and staff inside a business.

Ruggs fled the area before police arrival and was located a short time later near the Lowell city line.

This was a disturbing incident that understandably caused alarm among employees and customers, Deputy Chief Hannagan said. Our officers responded quickly, worked together effectively, and apprehended the suspect without further risk to the public.

Ruggs is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday in Lowell District Court.

An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

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MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a stark warning to President Donald Trump amid their high-profile divorce. The Georgia Republican told CBS News that she is starting to feel very sorry for the 79-year-old, saying that his attacks on her reflect poorly on him. The great schism began when Greene, 50, broke with him on the cost-of-living crisis, which Trump insists is a hoax, and the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI)  Some roadways are closed across San Diego County as a Pacific storm brings heavy rain and flooding in certain areas. This comes as a flood watch remains in effect for the region through Saturday evening.

Local officials continue to stress: Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. According to the National Weather Service, most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Drivers are encouraged to use extreme caution during this bout of rain.

How much rain is expected in San Diego County this weekend?

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For motorists, alternate routes and traffic delays are likely over the weekend due to the impacts of the Pacific storm. Here is a list of road closures due to flooding and other weather-related impacts throughout the county:

Camp Pendleton : Stuart Mesa Rd. was closed from Las Flores St. in the 41 area to the intersection of Las Pulgas Rd.

Carlsbad : El Camino Real on-ramp to eastbound to SR-78 was closed. Caltrans at 3 p.m. Saturday said the El Camino Real on-ramp remained closed and the right lane adjacent to the on-ramp was closed due to rising water.

(REOPENED) San Diego: All lanes were blocked on northbound I-15, just south of I-8 due to a traffic incident.

La Presa : Quarry Road was closed due to flooding.

Harmony Grove: Harmony Grove Rd. to South End CMR/Hillside Dr. was closed due to flooding.

For real-time traffic updates check Caltrans QuickMap or the Department of Public Works Road Conditions portal.

FOX 5/KUSI will update this list as more closures occur throughout the weekend.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
The city of Hull boasts a plethora of museums and galleries, as well as world-renowned tourist attractions, including The Deep aquarium.

But the University of Hull is also home to a little-known museum, which houses a range of colourful and fascinating artefacts from South East Asia.

The collection, which was established in 1968, now has 3,000 artefacts, ranging from musical instruments to weaponry and dragon-themed exhibits.

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Curator Monica Janowski, who is leading a project to encourage more people to visit the museum, said: "It's very exciting and mind-expanding to find out about how other people live."

The collection includes about 3,000 artefacts from places including Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar [BBC]

Ms Janowski said Prof Mervyn Jaspan had donated his own items from the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia and Myanmar to start the collection as part of his role within the centre for South East Asian studies at the university.

Staff and students also then helped to grow the collection by donating their own artefacts.

"Although it has always been open to the public, it's largely unknown about," Ms Janowski said.

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"Nobody knew outside the university that it was here at all," she added.

Ms Janowski said the museum included an array of fascinating objects, many themed on dragons.

"Dragons are the flow of life-force. They are water in South East Asia and more widely in the Far East," she said.

"We've got a beautiful carving of a dragon, wall hangings and bracelets [and] a Buddha, with the dragon protecting the Buddha."

The collection also features a textile dragon from Myanmar (formerly Burma), which was donated by an anthropologist shortly before his death.

Other artefacts include representations of Barong and Rangda - two central figures in Balinese mythology.

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"Bali is still [largely] Hindu and in the Hindu cosmology you have to have a balance between good and evil - between destruction and creation," Ms Janowski said.

Ms Janowski says she wants to encourage more people to visit the museum [BBC]

She added it was disappointing that so few people had seen the collection.

"I want to tell people about it. I want people to come and see it and I want to interpret what is here so people can understand it," she said.

"There are themes here which are universal human themes, and it would be lovely to show South East Asian films, have South East Asian food and to bring children in to do activities.

"Objects have a way of achieving this because they've got a kind of life of their own - they speak to you directly."

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The museum is located on the first floor of the university's Wilberforce building and is open to all students, staff and the public Monday to Friday from 13:00 to 17:00 GMT.

Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.

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LOGAN  Four Logan restaurants are teaming up to support local food pantries this holiday season.

Hungry Buffalo, Millstone, The Olde Dutch and Voltolinis are encouraging residents to donate canned or non-perishable food items, according to a community announcement.

The food drive is running now through the end of the year. Customers who bring in five canned or non-perishable items to any of the four participating restaurants will receive a 10% off coupon redeemable at any of the participating locations.

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We invite everyone in Hocking County to come together and support our neighbors this holiday season, Adam Wetzel, operating owner for Hungry Buffalo, said in the announcement. Your donations make a real difference for families in need.

More: What local restaurants are open on Thanksgiving Day?

The donation drop-off locations are as follows:

Hungry Buffalo, 12762 Grey St., Logan

Millstone Southern Smoked BBQ, 12790 Grey St., Logan

The Olde Dutch, 12791 Ohio 664, Logan

Voltolinis, 12805 Grey St., Logan

Hungry Buffalo is located at 12762 Grey St. at the entrance to the Hocking Hills. The group that owns and operates Hungry Buffalo also owns Millstone BBQ, The Olde Dutch and Voltolinis.

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For more information on Hungry Buffalo, go to hungrybuffalo.com.

This story was created by Jane Imbody, jimbody@usatodayco.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct/.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Logan restaurants host holiday food drive
NEW YORK  The latest report from the federal monitor overseeing civil rights compliance at the New York Police Department points to a potential flash point for the incoming Mamdani administration, with profound implications for public safety in the city.

At issue is the ongoing disparity between street stops based on a suspects description and conducted mostly by patrol officers  and those that are self-initiated and often carried out by officers assigned to specialty units tasked with getting guns and drugs off the streets.

While those stops are often criticized as being overly aggressive, proponents say there is a direct correlation between that sort of proactive policing and the dramatic reductions in crime across the five boroughs over the last several years.

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But Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who as a state Assemblyman has been critical of the NYPD, has already said he would eliminate the Strategic Response Group, which responds to protests.

Any move to eliminate other units, such as Neighborhood Safety Teams, whose stops were called into question in a previous report by the monitor, or to curb the emphasis on quality of life offenses may well put him at direct odds with Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who he is trying to keep on board.

A spokesperson for the mayor-elect declined to comment for this article.

The NYPD has repeatedly said it has various checks in place that allow it to flag bad stops and retrain the officers who conduct them.

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But the recent report by monitor Mylan Denerstein, released three weeks ago and based on a review of 300 stops made during the last three months of 2024, raises a number of issues. Chief among them that while 89% of the analyzed stops were found to be legally justified, the rates dropped sharply when an officer also conducted a frisk (71%) and a more invasive search (73%). A previous review of stops the last quarter of 2023 determined 90% of the stops were legally justified.

The officers front-line supervisors, meanwhile, found fault with only 1% of the stops, the current report said, suggesting continued inadequate supervision at the command level.

A stop is legally justified if the officer has a reasonable suspicion that the person being stopped has committed a crime or is about to commit a crime. A stop can been seen as illegal if there is no reasonable suspicion.

Daniel Lambright, special counsel for criminal justice litigation at the New York Civil Liberties Union, said that shows that flagging bad stops and merely retraining officers are only one part of the solution.

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Were years into this process, he added. The fact that supervisors are not finding problems with these stops shows this is a huge problem.

But Tisch, who declined to be interviewed for this article, said at a Citizens Crime Commission breakfast in April that through its ComplianceStat, which was created two years ago,  supervisors are held responsible for patterns of conduct, not just spikes in crime.

The monitors report broke down the stops into two categories and noted that self-initiated stops had a significantly lower lawful rate than the stops done after patrol officers responded to a call and searched for a suspect based on a specific description.

According to the report, self-initiated stops were done legally 81% of the time, compared to 96% of the time for stops prompted by a suspects description.

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But 62% of the frisks and 60% of the searches that followed self-initiated stops were done properly, the report said, compared to frisks, 94%, and searches, 81%, that followed a stop based on a description.

I dont think the discrepancy should be that large, Lambright said. It suggests that officers are going on hunches not based on law.

Michael Gerber, the NYPDs deputy commissioner for Legal Matters, testified at a City Council hearing last December that stops have dropped about 90% since 2011, the high watermark for stops, nearly 686,000.

He also stressed that stops can be fast-moving, complicated, and potentially dangerous, with officers often making split-second decisions based on incomplete information.

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A police spokeswoman on Friday added that the NYPD has disbanded the Public Safety Teams, which also had been criticized in a previous report by the monitor. The best of the PST officers, she said, will join the Neighborhood Safety Teams, whose officers are better trained.

The monitors report did note that officers assigned to the Housing Bureau conducted 90% of their stops legally, with an even higher rate, 96%, for stops involving suspected trespassers.

And it said internal audits by NYPDs Quality Assurance Section, which are typically done weeks or months later, have significantly improved and closely align with the monitors findings.

But Robert Gangi, who heads the Police Reform Organizing Project, an watchdog group, said that NYPD doesnt appear willing to punish cops who repeatedly stop people without legal justification.

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The problem is deeply embedded, he said.

The monitor was ordered in 2013 after Manhattan Federal Court Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled that found that the the NYPDs stop, question and frisk tacitcs violated the constitutional rights of minorities.

Denerstein succeeded the first monitor, Peter Zimroth, who died in 2021.
A man accused of shooting into a Darke County home has been arrested in Kentucky, according to a spokesperson with the Darke County Sheriffs Office.

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Deputies responded to reports of shots being fired at and into a house during a domestic dispute in the 6000 block of Willis Road in Greenville around 12:20 p.m.

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The sheriffs office identified the suspect as Dante Genovesi, 32, of Arcanum.

Genovesi left the area before authorities arrived on scene.

A be on the lookout was issued for the suspect and sent to numerous agencies who assisted in the search for the suspect, the spokesperson said.

Georgetown police in Kentucky arrested Genovesi without any issues.

Genovesi is facing felonious assault charges and is waiting to be extradited to the Darke County Jail.

The spokesperson said no one was injured by the gunfire.

This incident remains under investigation by the Darke County Sheriffs Office.

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Durham Police are investigating after a man was shot and killed at a business on Saturday.

Officers responded at 9:30 p.m. to a shooting in the 1600 block of Morehead Avenue. They found a man who had been shot inside a business.

The man was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died from his injuries. On Tuesday, DPD identified the victim as John Henry Singleton, 53, of Durham.

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The incident remains under active investigation. No other details were immediately released.

Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator J. Sokal at (919) 560-4440 ext. 29238. Anyone with information can also submit a CrimeStoppers tip online or call (919) 683-1200. CrimeStoppers pays cash rewards of up to $2,000 for information leading to arrests in felony cases and callers never have to identify themselves.

ABC11 is tracking crime and safety across Durham and in your neighborhood
A man was killed after being shot multiple times in the doorway of his home in South Philadelphia.

Police responded to the scene on the 1000 block of South 18th street, just after 1 a.m. on Sunday.

Police say they rushed the 36-year old victim to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead about a half hour later.

Investigators are trying to determine if there were multiple shooters involved in this incident.

A motive is still unclear.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Dearbourne holds particular significance in American cultural history, primarily through its association with Henry Dearborn, a key figure in the early Republic who served as a military officer in the Revolutionary War and later as Secretary of War. This connection establishes the name within the narrative of American nation-building and westward expansion. In Christian tradition, the name's components carry deep symbolic meaningthe deer appears in Psalms as a metaphor for the soul's longing for God, while brooks and streams frequently represent spiritual nourishment and baptismal cleansing. The name thus bridges historical American identity with enduring Christian symbolism, creating a rich cultural tapestry that appeals to families valuing both heritage and faith.



The name's English origins as a topographic surname referring to 'deer brook' places it within the tradition of names derived from natural landscapes, reflecting the medieval practice of identifying families with their geographical surroundings. This connection to nature resonates with contemporary environmental consciousness while maintaining historical authenticity. The name's usage in Christian communities often emphasizes the spiritual symbolism of its natural elements, making it a choice that conveys both earthly grounding and heavenly aspiration.
Philadelphia Police are searching for a masked gunman who shot and killed a man at a gas station in Cedarbrook.

It happened around 3:20 a.m. Sunday at a Liberty gas station on the 2500 block of West Cheltenham Avenue.

Police say a 22-year-old man was shot multiple times while sitting inside a car at a gas pump.

Ten shell casings were recovered at the scene.

The investigation is ongoing.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said the growing animosity between her and President Donald Trump has all come down to the Epstein files.

I believe the country deserves transparency in these files, and I don't believe that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have done anything wrong, the Georgia Republican told CNNs Dana Bash on Sundays "State of the Union."

I have no idea what's in the files. I can't even guess, Greene added. But that is the question everyone is asking is why fight this so hard?"

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Greene, a former close ally of Trump, has come under fire from the president in recent weeks over her push to release federal files related to Jeffrey Epstein files, a trove of documents presumably detailing the disgraced financiers crimes, including who may have known about or been involved in those crimes.

Following the release of thousands of documents detailing emails between Epstein and others  some of which appeared to implicate Trump  the House is expected to vote Tuesday on legislation that would force the release of the federal files.

Trump on Friday called Greene a ranting lunatic and said he was withdrawing his support for her. On Saturday, he called her a traitor.

Greene on Sunday vehemently denied being a traitor and called Trumps comments hurtful.

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Those are the types of words that can radicalize people against me and put my life in danger, Greene said.

Greene revealed on social media that she had been contacted by multiple private security firms after a hot bed of threats were made against her and egged on by the most powerful man in the world.

Her words didnt sit well with at least one other close ally of the president. Conservative commentator Laura Loomer on Saturday accused Greene of lying.

Youre a millionaire, bitch. Go hire security if youre so afraid of President Trump, Loomer posted on X. You look pathetic accusing Trump of inciting violence against you. He never did such a thing. You are a compulsive liar and a fraud. Enjoy your new radical left friends. Full time victim.

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Bash on Sunday pointed out Greene has remained silent in other instances where Trump has gone after political opponents. Greene said Bashs words were fair criticism.

"I would like to say humbly, I'm sorry for taking part in the toxic politics, Greene said. It's very bad for our country."
Mark Cuban has expressed his disapproval of the new Republican proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

What Happened: The GOPs new strategy involves channeling ACA subsidies straight into the health savings accounts (HSAs) of Americans. This plan was proposed by President Donald Trump and his allies during the last days of the federal government shutdown, as Democrats advocated for a continuation of the soon-to-expire ACA subsidies.

Cuban, who has made previous attempts to shake up the healthcare sector through his pharmaceutical sales company, voiced his objections to the plan in a post on X on Friday.

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He contended that the proposal does not guarantee that the funds will be allocated towards healthcare expenses, implying that the beneficiaries could potentially use the money for other needs.

This is dumb. Really dumb. Really Really Dumb, Cuban wrote.

He further asserted that taxpayer dollars should be funneled towards essential medical care, instead of being deposited into individuals HSAs.

So your tax dollars could be throwing parties ! Does this mean I like the subsidies going to the big insurance carriers ? No. It means there are better ways to do this. Whatever we do, taxpayer money HAS TO GO DIRECTLY TOWARDS PAYING or Guaranteeing NECESSARY MEDICAL CARE. Sending money to peoples HSAs is really dumb, he further wrote.

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Also Read: Cuban Says This Is Single-Payer: How His Healthcare Model Could Transform The U.S. Healthcare System

This is dumb. Really dumb. Really Really Dumb.



Why? Because when you give it to Ins Carriers under the ACA, they have to spend at least 85pct of it on care for plan holders.



When sent to people's HSAs, there is no assurance that the money will be spent on healthcare costs https://t.co/xJZ6Cd3VCj  Mark Cuban (@mcuban) November 14, 2025

Why It Matters: The controversy surrounding the GOPs new proposal underscores the ongoing debate about the future of healthcare in America.

The ACA, also known as Obamacare, has been a contentious issue since its inception, with critics arguing it is too costly and ineffective. The GOPs new plan to redirect ACA subsidies into HSAs is seen by some as a way to give individuals more control over their healthcare spending.

However, critics like Cuban argue that without safeguards to ensure the funds are used for healthcare, the plan could lead to misuse of funds.

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Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Rep. Thomas Massie said as many as 100 Republicans may vote to release files related to convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein, amid a last-ditch effort by the White House to stall their release.

Massie, R-Ky., said Sunday on ABC News' This Week that at least 100 Republicans will join Democrats in the House and vote this week for the rest of the Epstein documents to be released.

President Donald Trump this week also ordered the Department of Justice to investigate Democrats and their supporters whose names appear in the files after more than 20,000 documents related to Epstein were released by Congress.

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With newly sworn in Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., there were enough members of the House to sign a discharge petition forcing a vote on whether to force the Department of Justice to release all of the files it has on Epstein -- over the objections of Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and other Republicans in Congress.

Massie cautioned that while there are ways to push the Senate to vote on the bill, the chamber does not have a discharge petition-like method to force a vote over the objection of the majority leader. If the bill passes both houses of Congress, Trump still would have to sign it.

President Donald Trump, pictured in the East Room of the White House, has accused Democrats of pushing for the release of government files on Jeffery Epstein a "hoax." Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI

But Massie also noted that Trump's order to the Department of Justice could potentially delay some part of the documents from being released, regardless of what Congress does.

"If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can't be released," he said. "So, this might be a big smokescreen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them to, as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files."

People hold up photos of Jeffrey Epstein and President Donald Trump outside Manhattan Federal Court in 2019 as Epstein awaited a bail hearing after being arrested in New York City. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI

Trump has fought the release of the files, at least partially because of widespread speculation that he figures prominently in them over of his years-long friendship with Epstein.

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Despite the president's claims that "Jeffery Epstein and I had a very bad relationship for many years," they were close for more than a decade before the friendship went south.

Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., speaking at a press conference after her swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, was not seated as a member of Congress until after Speaker Johnson delayed her swearing-in amid the government shutdown. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI

"This is a hoax put out by the Democrats and a couple, a few Republicans have gone along with it because they're weak and ineffective," Trump said about the Democrats push for the release of the files.

Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI to investigate alleged Epstein ties to former President Bill Clinton and other Democrats whose names appear in the files.

Bondi said last week that she would pursue the investigation with "urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people."

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Bondi announced that Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton will lead the investigation just days after the House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of emails released by Epstein's estate, which documented his ties to friends and associates over a decade.

The emails made several direct references to Trump, Clinton and prominent media figures, Hollywood personalities and high-ranking politicians.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) dismissed the Justice Departments investigation into the late Jeffrey Epsteins ties to notable Democrats as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files.

"If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents can't be released," Massie told ABC's Jonathan Karl on "This Week" on Sunday. "So, this might be a big smokescreen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them to, as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files.

President Donald Trump directed Attorney General Pam Bondi and the FBI to look into Epstein's relationship with former President Bill Clinton and other Democrats, writing on social media: "This is another Russia, Russia, Russia Scam, with all arrows pointing to the Democrats." Bondi on Friday promised to pursue the investigation "with urgency and integrity to deliver answers to the American people" after assigning Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to lead the probe.

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The announcement came just days after the House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of emails handed over by the Epstein estate. The emails, documenting Epstein's vast network of friends and associates and spanning over a decade, include several direct references to Trump, Clinton and other prominent individuals in media, politics and Hollywood.

Massie's effort along with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) to force the Trump administration to release its files on the convicted sex offender overcame a critical hurdle Wednesday when newly sworn-in Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) signed on to a discharge petition for the House to vote on his bill despite the objections of Speaker Mike Johnson.

While just three of Massie's Republican colleagues signed on to the discharge petition, Massie said on "This Week" that he hopes to secure a veto-proof majority on his legislation, which would require a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate. He said he anticipates "a deluge of Republicans"  perhaps even more than a hundred  to support the bill.

The House is expected to hold a Tuesday vote on the bill, after which it will require Senate approval if it passes the House. Massie urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a fellow Republican, to "do the right thing" and bring the legislation up for a vote in the Senate.

"Not only the speaker, but the attorney general, the FBI director, and the president himself, and the vice president, they're taking a big loss this week, because after months of fighting, I am winning this week with Ro Khanna," he said. "We're forcing this vote, and it's going to happen."
A member of a prominent Ohio family was shot and killed by police after a chase on Friday, according to our media partners WCPO-9 TV.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

The Adams and Morgan County Coroner identified the man involved as Christopher Lindner, the son of Carl Lindner III.

The Adams County Sheriffs Office received a call from a citizen concerned for their safety, around 3 p.m. on Friday, our media partners reported.

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This call led to a police chase involving the sheriffs office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Lindner eventually got out of the car and went inside a house along Brush Creek Road, an OSHP spokesperson told WCPO-9.

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He was asked to surrender several times, but reportedly came out of the house with a gun.

At that time, he was shot by police officers, according to WCPO-9.

It is unclear if Lindner fired any shots or which law enforcement officers fired the shots at him.

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Lindner was pronounced dead on scene, WCPO-9 reported.

An OSHP trooper had a minor injury, but it was not related to the shooting.

The Lindners are a prominent family in Cincinnati that has been involved in multiple businesses, including American Financial Group, the Cincinnati Reds, United Dairy Farmers, Chiquita Brands International and more, WCPO-9 reported.

Carl Lindner III is the current CEO and majority owner of FC Cincinnati and the co-CEO of American Financial Group.

WCPO-9 obtained a statement from the family regarding Christophers death Sunday evening.

Our family is deeply saddened and devastated by the death of Christopher David Lindner. Christopher was a loving, kind, Christ Jesus follower, husband, and father of four who has suffered from mental illness. We thank you for your prayers and appreciate giving us time to grieve, the family said.

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In 2019, Christopher Lindner was charged after being photographed pointing a handgun at Tabitha Lindner, WCPO-9 reported.

He pleaded not guilty to an aggravated menacing charge, which was dismissed around six months later.

This shooting remains under investigation by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP)  Members of Syrias security and military services have been detained as part of an investigation into sectarian violence in the southern province of Sweida in July that left hundreds of people dead, investigators said Sunday.

The head of a Syrian committee investigating the violence in Sweida held a news conference in the capital, Damascus, to talk about progress made but did not release a death toll, saying this will come in the final report that is expected by the end of the year.

In mid-July, armed groups affiliated with Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri clashed with local Bedouin clans, spurring intervention by government forces who effectively sided with the Bedouins. Hundreds of civilians, mostly Druze, were killed, many by government fighters.

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Judge Hatem Naasan, head of the investigative committee, said they have listened to people affected by the violence, including witnesses and victims.

We have achieved positive results, Naasan told reporters in Damascus adding that members of security services and the military who were proven to have committed violations based on investigations of the committee and videos posted on social media platforms have been detained. He did not say how many were held, adding that after they were questioned they were referred to judicial authorities.

Videos posted on social media clearly showed faces and they were detained by the authorities concerned, Naasan said. He said security members were detained by the Interior Ministry while members of the military are being held by the Defense Ministry.

Videos surfaced online showing armed men killing Druze civilians kneeling in public squares and shaving the mustaches off elderly men in an act of humiliation.

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Naasan downplayed suggestions that foreign fighters took part in the violence in Sweida. He said that some foreign fighters were detained and questioned, adding they acted on their own by entering the city and none of them were members of the Syrian armed or security forces.

What became clear to us is that some foreign fighters randomly and individually entered the city of Sweida, Naasan said.

After the acts of violence in July, many in Sweida now want some form of autonomy in a federal system. A smaller group is calling for total partition.

Most of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria, with the rest in Lebanon, Israel and the Golan Heights which Israel seized from Syria in 1967 and later annexed.
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his disappointment in Indiana State Senate Republicans and even called out Gov. Mike Braun on social media after the push to redistrict stalled in Indiana, a Republican stronghold.

In a Nov. 16 post on Truth Social, Trump said he was "very disappointed" in state leaders, and stated that Democrats have done redistricting for years, "often illegally."

"Also, a friend of mine, Governor Mike Braun, perhaps, is not working the way he should to get the necessary Votes," Trump posted. "Considering that Mike wouldnt be Governor without me (Not even close!), is disappointing!"

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Braun, who received Trump's endorsement during the election, was also unhappy with the Indiana Senate Republicans' decision not to convene in December for redistricting, after Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray said the votes weren't there. That decision from the Martinsville Republican stopped Trump's push to redraw the state's congressional map.

In October, Braun, who supports the mid-decade redistricting effort, called for a special session after months of pressure from the White House, including two visits from Vice President JD Vance.

I called for our legislators to convene to ensure Hoosiers voices in Washington, DC, are not diluted by the Democrats gerrymandering," Braun said in a Nov. 14 statement. "Our state senators need to do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps. Hoosiers deserve to know where their elected officials stand on important issues.

@RealDonaldTrump Truth Social post

'Do the right thing': Gov. Mike Braun, others react to Senate's rejection of redistricting

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Trump called Bray and Sen. Greg Goode two politically correct type gentlemen, and said because of them and a few others, they could be depriving Republicans of a Majority in the House," A VERY BIG DEAL!"

So far, most Senate Republicans haven't publicly said whether they support redistricting, including Goode, a Republican from Terre Haute. Goode is the only lawmaker, however, to hold a town hall on the topic in order to gauge public opinion. Everyone who spoke at the event signaled their disapproval with the idea.

"Its weak 'Republicans' that cause our Country such problems  Its why we have crazy Policies and Ideas that are so bad for America," Trump posted. "Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED."

Trump also said in his post that Indiana is a "State with strong, smart, and patriotic people. They want us to see our Country WIN, and want to, 'MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!'

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He said Sens. Bray, Goode and the others should "DO THEIR JOB, AND DO IT NOW! If not, lets get them out of the office, ASAP."

Aside from exerting pressure on social media, Trump's team has begun calling some Indiana lawmakers to invite them to meet with the president in the Oval Office.

During the 2024 Presidential election, Trump won Indiana by almost 19 percentage points.

Jade Jackson is a public safety reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON. IndyStar Statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Trump slams Gov. Braun, lawmakers after Indiana redistricting push stalls
As communities across the country recognize Youth HOPE Month in November, advocates are drawing attention to what they describe as an often-unseen crisis affecting millions of young people, including in North Carolina.

An estimated 4.2 million young people between the ages of 13 and 25 experience homelessness in the United States every year, according to the National Runaway Safeline. Many are leaving unsafe homes, couch surfing, or struggling to meet basic needs.

Amanda Whitlock, the CEO of the National Runaway Safeline, said November is a critical opportunity to ensure those young people feel seen and not forgotten.

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"It allows us all to elevate the youth experience, to elevate the resources and services available to help youth and ensure that everyone knows how they can help a youth in their community that might be in need," Whitlock said.

SEE ALSO: Wake County students facing homelessness up 88% since 2014, state data shows

'An invisible problem'

Whitlock said youth homelessness is often misunderstood because many young people aren't sleeping on the streets -- they are staying with friends, bouncing between home or living in unstable environments.

"Youth homelessness can be an invisible problem," she said. "There could be a youth in your kids' school, your kids' network, in your community that is couch surfing, that is unstable. Youth homelessness just isn't the kid on the park bench."

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She added that many young people the organization assists "have never had a bed of their own."

North Carolina callers show emerging trends

According to Whitlock, the most common callers statewide are 16- and 17-year-olds. In the Raleigh-Durham area, the majority of callers are young adults aged 22 and older -- a growing group struggling to transition to independence.

SEE ALSO: Manolo's Bakery in Charlotte pays it forward with celebration for un-housed community

Family conflict is by far the top issue reported by teens and young adults in North Carolina. Whitlock said about 26 to 27% of callers report household dynamics that make them feel unsafe or unwelcome.

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Another 15 percent call because of financial strain at home.

"They are one paycheck or one resource away from them being told, 'you got to go'," Whitlock said.

Local resources and how to find help

National Runaway Safeline maintains a database of more than 6,000 resources nationwide. In North Carolina, there are 125 resources listed, including 25 in the Raleigh-Durham area.

"We want to make sure that everybody has access to the same resources we do to ensure that no youth is on the streets or is in an unsafe situation," Whitlock said.

Families, caregivers or young people can search for help themselves by heading to the Runaway Safeline resource database.

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Whitlock said 30% of the youth who contact the hotline are calling from home, a sign that early intervention can keep a child or teen from ending up on the streets.

"There's a real opportunity to prevent kids needing to run away, couch surf and hit the streets," she said. "We don't always have a magic answer, but we're here to listen."

The National Runaway Safeline also operates Home Free, a long-running partnership with Greyhound that helps reunite young people with family members when it's safe to do so.

Whitlock encouraged people to learn about local organizations, including Haven House in Raleigh, The Relatives in Charlotte and Youth Focus in Greensboro.

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"Just because a kid's going to school or going to an after-school activity, that doesn't mean they have a safe bed of their own to return to," she said.

During Youth HOPE Month, the organization is asking people to help raise awareness by wearing green, lighting landmarks green and sharing information on social media.

"This is a national campaign to raise awareness for youth homeless," Whitlock said. "Use your own social media to just really increase awareness so that every youth that may feel invisible knows that they're seen and there's resources and help available."

There are five ways to contact the NRS. You can call or text 1-800-RUNAWAY, you can email them, you can chat with them online, or you can participate in an online forum. To reach out the NRS, click here.


Credit: Miss Universe, Instagram / @melanieshiraz

Miss Israel has accused one of the worlds largest beauty pageants of failing to protect her after a video went viral appearing to show her scowling at Miss Palestine.

The footage from a Miss Universe event provoked controversy online when Melanie Shiraz, the Israeli entry for the competition, was shown apparently rolling her eyes at Miss Palestine, Nadeen Ayoub. It is the first time the competition has included a contestant from the Palestinian-occupied territories.

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The video circulating on social media appeared to show that the pair had been placed side by side.

But separate official footage later posted by the Israeli beauty queen showed her standing behind Miss Palestine, with her facial expression directed elsewhere.

In a post on her Instagram page, she said she had received death threats from Palestinian activists online after the video was published, which she said had left her requiring heightened security.

She insisted she was simply looking toward other contestants as they came on stage and claimed the footage was edited.

Deliberate provocation

In a direct attack on the events organisers and competitors, she accused her fellow beauty queens of staying silent after she received a barrage of abuse.

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Allies of Miss Israel separately told The Telegraph they believed Miss Israel and Miss Palestine had been artificially drawn into a conflict, accusing organisers of deliberate provocation by placing her next to Miss Palestine on stage.

Melanie Shiraz claims the pageant stayed silent after she received online abuse, including Hitler-related comments - Rungroj Yongrit/EPA/Shutterstock

Ms Shiraz added on social media: [People] should uphold higher standards. Especially when it takes moments to fact-check.

And especially when there are real stories, real crises and real human beings whose voices deserve attention far more than a manufactured narrative about a glance.

This platform is meant to empower women. Using it to tear women down, sharing images without consent and staying silent while a fellow competitor is attacked all undermine what we are meant to represent.

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Private photography or content capture during official events is also not permitted under competition guidelines, and respecting those rules matters.

As representatives of countries in conflict, we have a responsibility to model dignity, peace, and hope  not pettiness, hatred, or deepening divides.

She added: The hatred and dehumanisation that followed  including Hitler-related comments and a heightened security situation, over a brief, ordinary expression  reflect far more about the world than they do about me.

It was hard to cope with at first, but it only reinforces exactly why I am here: to stand proudly as a Jewish Israeli woman, and to advocate for truth, peace, and unity. And it only motivates me more.

Row result of deliberate provocation

It is the first year that there has been a Palestinian representative competing at Miss Universe since it began in 1952.

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Ms Ayoub  who won Miss Earth in 2022  has previously spoken openly about her Palestinian heritage.

The 27-year-old, who is based in Dubai, has pledged to use her platform to represent Palestinian women and children.

Ms Shiraz has previously rejected several claims made by Ms Ayoub on social media, including inflated numbers of casualties, falsely presenting Israeli children as Palestinian victims of war, and displaying a map labelled Palestine as the entire territory of Israel.

Nadeen Ayoub, the current Miss Palestine, wants to represent the Palestinian cause - Rungroj Yongrit/EPA/Shutterstock

Edgar Saakyan, national director of Miss Israel, described the row over the glare as an unserious discussion.

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He said: Our mission at beauty pageants has always been to promote values, culture, and history.

We are being artificially drawn into a conflict by being placed next to the delegate representing Palestine  a move that can only be seen as deliberate provocation.

Nevertheless, we have no intention of engaging in this conflict and remain committed to respect, dignity, and the spirit of cultural unity.

Addressing the claims made by Ms Ayoub and the statement from Ms Shiraz, Joseph Shrine, president of Miss Israel, said it came only in response to factual misrepresentation.

He said: We want to be very clear: we would never initiate or engage in political discussion, and Miss Israels statement was made only in response to factual misrepresentation.

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In this case, the Israeli government requested that the official delegate respond as a matter of public clarification.

We remain committed to ensuring that the Miss Universe platform stays apolitical and respectful, and we call on all participants to refrain from political statements or materials of any kind.

The 74th edition of Miss Universe takes place in Thailand on Nov 21.

Miss Palestine and Miss Universe were contacted for comment.

Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.
Individuals named Deman are typically characterized by their calm, steady demeanor and practical approach to life. They possess a natural ability to create harmony in their surroundings, often serving as peacemakers in conflicts and maintaining balanced relationships. Their 'tame' nature doesn't indicate weakness but rather a controlled strengththey approach challenges with measured consideration rather than impulsive reactions, making them reliable problem-solvers who others frequently turn to for wise counsel.



Deman's personality often includes a strong connection to nature and traditional values, combined with a patient, methodical approach to achieving goals. They tend to be excellent team players who value stability and consistency, yet they also demonstrate quiet innovation within established frameworks. Their grounded nature makes them particularly skilled at managing resources efficiently and building sustainable systems, whether in personal relationships, professional environments, or community organizations. While not typically seeking the spotlight, their steady influence often makes them the foundation upon which successful ventures are built.
FOND DU LAC  Moraine Park Technical College has been named the top Wisconsin public-sector employer for the second consecutive year, according to a community announcement.

The college received the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Pro Patria Award, which recognizes employers that demonstrate exceptional support for Guard and Reserve employees.

The award was presented at a Nov. 11 ceremony

Moraine Park is the only Wisconsin technical college to receive the Pro Patria Award and rank as a Freedom Award finalist two years running.

The Pro Patria Award is given annually to one small, one large and one public-sector employer in the state. It is the highest award given by an ESGR State Committee.

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Moraine Park was nominated by Scott Lieburn, a former lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force and MPTC retiree.

Lieburn retired from service in June 2024. During his time at Moraine Park, he was called to serve an active-duty order that lasted five years.

The college went above and beyond in supporting me, Lieburn said in the announcement. They kept my title the same, asked for my input on coverage for my duties, allowed me to keep my college email and correspond with others, and even involved me in hiring decisions. I truly felt like I was still part of the team.

Read more: Fond du Lac radio club gets tech boost from Moraine Park Technical College

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Lieburn retired from Moraine Park in December 2024, six months after returning from active duty.

Scott taught us so much about what is needed to support an employee during deployment, Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said in the announcement. So much of this work was simply what we felt was the right thing to do. We are grateful to Scott for his service, both at the college and for our country, and we are honored to once again receive the Pro Patria Award.

In addition to the ESGR Pro Patria Award, Moraine Park was recognized as a Top 10 Finalist for the Freedom Award for the second year in a row. The Freedom Award is the highest national recognition for employers supporting Guard and Reserve employees.

The last two years, Moraine Park has not only been the top public institution in Wisconsin, but they were also one of 10 national finalists for the Freedom Award, Jim Malcolm, state chair for ESGR Wisconsin, said in the announcement. Pro Patria is a Latin phrase that means for the country and is often used to express patriotism, duty and commitment to ones country  this unquestionably describes Moraine Park.

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Read more: Most Fond du Lac-area school districts improved in latest DPI accountability report cards

Moraine Park is the only Wisconsin Technical College to be publicly recognized with the ESGR Pro Patria award and as a Top 10 finalist for the nationwide Freedom award.

Our longstanding commitment to both employee and student veterans is a great source of pride for Moraine Park, Baerwald said in the announcement. I hope that our continued support serves as a reminder that at Moraine Park, both educational and professional careers can be shaped to meet the unique needs of veterans and their families.

This story was created by reporter Nida Tazeen, NTazeen@usatodayco.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Moraine Park wins Wisconsins top public employer award again
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has accused the German government of suppressing opposition voices amid controversy over a planned visit to Russia by several politicians from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

"I think that the Alternative for Germany as a political force - and by the way, a very significant one - is now under colossal pressure in Germany," the state news agency TASS cited Medvedev as saying on Friday.

He claimed that the current German coalition had "wet their pants" over the AfD's trip to Russia.

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"Party comrade [Friedrich] Merz has decided that if they [the AfD members] go to Russia now, it would be very bad for his coalition," said Medvedev, who remains influential as the deputy chairman of the National Security Council in Russia.

Therefore, he said, the AfD was told it would be better not to go - and given their pressured situation, the party "had no other choice." However, he added that this was bad for German-Russian relations.

The trigger for his anger is the commotion over the planned trip by AfD Bundestag members Steffen Kotre and Rainer Rothfuss to the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi for an international BRICS-Europe symposium.

After discontent was voiced within the party, Rothfuss cancelled his trip. Kotre, however, is believed to have landed in Russia along with AfD politicians Jorg Urban and Hans Neuhoff, according to media reports.
Throughout its long history, the United States Navy has fielded a lot of ships of various kinds. Since the beginning of the service, those vessels have been utilized in combat, first with cannons and now with highly advanced missiles and more. Looking at multiple periods, it's easy to find one and declare it the most lethal; for World War II, the USS Enterprise (CV-6) would be the deadliest. Its distinguished service amassed a large number of combat records, helping the Allies win WWII.

Today, there's far less ship-on-ship combat, making it challenging to choose which U.S. warship currently in service is the most lethal. According to the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the most lethal, as it can project a massive amount of firepower into any given situation. It's a relatively new vessel, having been commissioned on July 22, 2017. It's certainly the most advanced aircraft carrier in the world and the largest warship ever constructed.

There are many aspects of the Ford that make it the most lethal warship in service, including its air wing of highly advanced multirole aircraft, exceptional radar and air-defense systems, and its range, which isn't measured in distance, but time. The Ford can remain at sea for 25 years before it undertakes its mid-life refuel and complex overhaul. Given the fact that it's essentially a floating air force capable of striking targets pretty much anywhere in the world, it's earned its reputation for lethality.

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Read more: 10 Of The Largest Navies In The World, Ranked By Self-Reported Total Naval Assets

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is as lethal as they come

The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) underway for builder's sea trials - U.S. Navy/Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. Navy describes the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) as "the most capable, adaptable, and lethal combat platform in the world," and for good reason (via CNN). The vessel displaces over 100,000 tons of seawater, measures 1,100 feet long, and carries a crew of up to 4,600 personnel. Its systems are far more advanced than the previous Nimitz-class carriers, launching its aircraft at a much higher rate, thanks to its advanced electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS).

Ultimately, the Ford's lethality and force projection lies in its air wing consisting primarily of F/A-18E/F fighter jets, alongside EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes, and MH-60R/S helicopters, with a maximum capacity of 90. As of 2025, the Ford doesn't carry any F-35Cs, but this could change in the future. Still, its F/A-18s can fly a combat range of 1,250 miles without aerial refueling, giving the vessel more than enough range to strike targets far inland. Its first combat deployment came via an eight-month cruise in 2023.

In October 2025, it was ordered to the Caribbean Sea in anticipation of counter-narcotics operations in and around Venezuela. While the Ford is the most lethal active warship in the fleet, it doesn't travel alone. Much of its strength comes from the many vessels that make up its Carrier Strike Group (CSG). These vessels provide added lethality and protection for the Ford, making CSG-12 deadlier and more advanced than many of the world's navies.

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Read the original article on SlashGear.
As we head into a new week, let's take a look at the news from this past week.

Cape Air has discontinued its New Bedford Regional Airport to Logan International Airport flights as of Nov. 7 after six weeks of service. The route was launched in May and began service on Sept. 29. It was discontinued following updated Federal Aviation Administration guidance requiring a 10% reduction in operations at High Impact Airports, including Logan.

The New Bedford Board of Health made numerous errors of law when it denied a proposed 1,500-ton-per-day trash transfer station in the New Bedford Business Park. Thats according to trash station developer South Coast Renewables appeal in Suffolk Superior Court of the boards 2-1 denial in September. Though the proposed plant was in Bristol County, state law allows SCR to request the judicial review in Suffolk County.

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Make sure to keep up with high school sports with scores, game highlights, and Player of the Week voting at https://www.southcoasttoday.com/sports.

And here are the most-read stories of the week on https://www.southcoasttoday.com:

Executive chef Josh Riazi holds up a sweet potato enchilada Christmas style available at the new National Club Mexican Cantina on Union Street in New Bedford.

After months of rumors, gossip and excitement around the behind-the-scenes hustle, Servedwell Hospitalitys latest project The National Club, opened on Nov. 12.

The new Mexican-inspired restaurant is poised to energize Union Street with a menu that balances homage to tradition with an innovative spirit and a vibrant new chapter for New Bedfords dining scene.

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Take a look at the menu: The National Club puts a New Bedford twist on Mexican food.

Shawn Tanner, of Dartmouth, is seen while on medical parole in 2022 for a 1988 Dartmouth murder. Tanner died in September 2022, before DNA testing ordered earlier that same year took place. The Bristol County DA's Office is now trying to appeal a court decision that ruled the testing should still move forward despite Tanner's death.

Could DNA testing on materials from a 1988 murder scene in Dartmouth not only clear the man sentenced for that murder, but lead to clues as to who may have committed the infamously unsolved New Bedford Highway Killings that made headlines that same year?

That's one of the arguments being championed by New England Innocence Project as they face the Commonwealth in court. The group says the retesting could clear the name of Shawn Tanner, who served more than 30 years for murder and died in 2022. The DA's office says the law isn't meant to apply to cases where the defendant is dead.

Innocence Project: Could new DNA tests in a Dartmouth murder case offer New Bedford Highway Killing clues?

Raymond P. Veary Jr., of New Bedford, died on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, after a battle with cancer, according to his obituary. He was born Aug. 6, 1947, to the late Raymond P. Veary Sr. and Sophie J. (Brcziska) Veary.

Raymond P. Veary Jr., whose battle with cancer concluded with his death on Nov. 1 at age 78, will be remembered as a prominent figure on the SouthCoast and beyond. But what he's remembered for most may depend on who you ask.

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He was widely recognized in his longtime roles as an attorney, Bristol County prosecutor, and Massachusetts Superior Court associate justice, having worked on a number of high-profile cases.

On another hand, Veary will just as well be remembered for the vibrant life he led outside of the job.

Memorial: New Bedford's Ray Veary Jr. will be remembered for more than his legal career

NTSB officials document the state of the fuselage of the fatal plane crash on I-195 in Dartmouth.

Moments before the fatal plane crash on Interstate 195 on Oct. 13, the pilot told air traffic control he should be OK to re-land at New Bedford Regional Airport.

A report from NTSB shows that the pilot was cleared to land again at New Bedford's airport, but the pilot does not explain why.

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What the new NTSB report says: Pilot was returning to New Bedford before fatal crash.

Jake Medearis and Allie Trojano owners of the soon to open Lovers Bakery at the intersection of Route 6 and Hathaway Road in Dartmouth.

Peace, love, and pastries are heading to Dartmouth. Located at 246 State Road, Lovers Bakery has taken over the former Donut Factory spot.

The owners have combined their passion for food, community, and croissants to open the bakery.

Along with serving locally sourced coffee, the bakery will also offer a variety of specialty croissants, cookies, brownies, and a unique twist on Pop-Tarts, called "Poppin Tarts."

What to know about Lovers Bakery: Rich coffee and flaky croissants are coming to Dartmouth.

Read these stories in their entirety at https://www.southcoasttoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: DNA, National Club, Lovers Bakery: Standard Times top stories
By Idrees Ali and Jasper Ward

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Pentagon is withdrawing some National Guard troops from Chicago and Portland, weeks after President Donald Trump deployed them to combat what he described as increased crime, two U.S. defense officials familiar with the decision said on Sunday.

One of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 200 California National Guard troops who were sent to Portland and 200 Texas National Guard members who were sent to Chicago would return to their home states as soon as Sunday.

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A spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom said the Defense Department has told the state that its National Guard members will start returning from Oregon.

"We're glad they're finally coming home. It's long overdue," Newsom's spokesperson said.

The Trump administration sent the troops to Chicago and Portland last month, saying they were needed to support domestic immigration enforcement personnel who were being confronted by activists and protesters.

However, the troops never joined immigration operations in those cities because of lawsuits challenging their deployment.

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The Pentagon and a spokesperson for Oregon's governor did not immediately respond to requests for comments. A spokesperson for Illinois Governor JB Pritzker said the state had not heard from the federal government about a withdrawal of troops.

"In the coming days, the Department will be shifting and/or rightsizing our Title 10 footprint in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago to ensure a constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city," the U.S. Northern Command posted on X on Friday.

"Our troops in each city (and others) are trained and ready, and will be employed whenever needed to support law enforcement and keep our citizens safe."

Trump, a Republican, has also deployed the National Guard to other Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles, Memphis and Washington.

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The deployments were criticized by Democrats who sued to block them, and the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide whether Trump's actions are lawful.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Jasper Ward; Editing by Sergio Non, Alex Richardson and Paul Simao)
BELEM, Brazil (AP)  Going into United Nations climate negotiations, the Brazilian hosts werent looking for big end-of-session pronouncements on lofty goals. This conference was supposed to hyperfocus on implementation of past promises not yet kept.

Throw that out the window.

The urgency of climate change is causing some negotiators to push for more big-picture action  on weak plans to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases, on too little money to help nations wracked by climate change, on putting teeth into phasing out coal, oil and gas. Because of that pressure to do more  including from Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva  the diplomat chairing the talks said Saturday he'll consider a big-picture, end-of-negotiations communique, sometimes known as a decision or cover text.

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I think things have changed, which is a very good thing, said veteran observer Jean Su of the Center for Biological Diversity. So I think theres momentum that we will get some type of decision text, and our hope is that in particular theres going to be some commitment on phasing out fossil fuels.

I would say that whats at stake now is probably higher than the last several COPs because youre looking at an ambition gap, said former Philippine negotiator Jasper Inventor, international program director at Greenpeace International. Theres a lot of expectation, theres a lot of excitement here, but theres also a lot of political signals thats been sent by President Lula.

Were at the middle of the COP, and at the middle of COP is usually where the negotiators stare each other eye-to-eye. Its almost like a staring contest, Inventor said. But next week, this is where the negotiations need to happen, where political decisions are made by the ministers.

Because this process stems from the Paris climate Agreement, which is mostly voluntary, these end statements grab headlines and set global tone but have limited power. The last few COP end statements have made still-unfulfilled pledges for rich countries to give money to poor nations to cope with climate change and the world to phase out fossil fuels.

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Decision time

Key among those issues is the idea of telling nations to go back to the drawing board on what experts consider inadequate climate-fighting plans submitted this year.

In the 2015 Paris agreement, which is being celebrated here on its 10th anniversary, nations are supposed to have submitted climate-fighting, emissions-curbing plans every five years. So far 116 of 193 countries have filed theirs this year, but what they promised isnt much. United Nations and Climate Action Tracker, a group of scientists, calculates that these new pledges barely reduced future projections for Earth's warming.

Even if the world does all it promises, Earth would be about seven-tenths of a degree Celsius (1.3 degrees Fahrenheit) above the Paris goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, the groups estimated.

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So small island nations, led by Palau, asked that this conference confront the gap between whats planned in national pledges and whats needed to keep the world from hitting the temperature danger zone.

That's not on the agenda for these talks. Nor are specific details on how to fulfill last years pledge by rich nations to provide $300 billion annually in climate financial aid.

So when nations early on wanted to address these issues, COP President Andre Correa do Lago, a veteran Brazilian diplomat, set up special small confabs to try to decide if the controversial topics should be discussed.

On Saturday, the conference punted the issue to the incoming ministers.

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The parties will decide how they want to proceed, do Lago said at a Saturday evening news conference. Given what countries are saying and past history that usually means a final end-of-COP message to the world, several experts said.

In a casual exchange with a reporter about how the conference is going, COP President do Lago said: Eh, could be better but not as bad as it could be.

Momentum to phase out fossil fuels

U.N. General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, the former German foreign minister who has been to 10 of these sessions, told The Associated Press Saturday morning before the evening's session that she saw new momentum in Belem.

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We can fight the climate crisis only together if we commit to a strong mitigation target, she said. This means also transitioning away from fossil fuels, investing into renewable energy.

Two years ago in Dubai, the world agreed to transition away from fossil fuels, but last year no mention of that was made and there've been no details on how or when to do this.

Baerbock hailed as crucial Lula's call during the Leaders' Summit last week for a road map for humanity to overcome, in a just and planned way, its dependence on fossil fuels, reverse deforestation, and mobilize the resources needed to do so.

I think what we have before us are the ingredients of a potential high-ambition package for the outcome of this conference, Iskander Erzini Vernoit, executive director of the Moroccan IMAL Initiative for Climate and Development, said.

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Getting Indigenous voices heard

Indigenous groups breached and blockaded the venue twice this week with demands to be further included in the U.N. talks, despite this conferences promotion as the Indigenous Peoples COP.

The COP so far was a testament that unfortunately, for Indigenous peoples to be heard, they actually need to be disruptive, said Aya Khourshid, an Egyptian-Palestinian member of A Wisdom Keepers Delegation, a group of Indigenous people from around the world.

Indigenous people are putting a lot of energy to be in this space but to not necessarily be given a platform or voice at the decision table with the ministers and those who are in power, said Whaia, a Ngati Kahungunu Wisdom Keeper.

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There's an imbalance here at COP30," she said. There's the privileged and the not-so lucky who don't get a say on what's actually going on in their own home.

___

The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

___

This story was produced as part of the 2025 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.
Russia has finalised development of its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a weapon that Western intelligence assesses could pose a significant threat to NATO defences, according to a classified alliance document.

The missile, known to NATO as SSC-X-9 Skyfall, can reach speeds of more than 900 kilometres per hour, is highly manoeuvrable and can be launched from mobile platforms, according to the document from NATO's intelligence department seen by German outlet Die Welt.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced successful tests of the missile three weeks ago.

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What can the Burevestnik do?

The missile's nuclear reactor gives it a theoretically unlimited range, allowing it to travel tens of thousands of kilometres without refuelling, stay airborne for extended periods, change course and attack targets from any direction, according to NATO's assessment.

"Existing challenges would be further exacerbated by the extreme range and manoeuvrability" of the missile, the NATO document states. The system could take long, indirect routes and avoid NATO air defences, including over southern and polar regions where surveillance is minimal.

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A fully operational Burevestnik would present major difficulties for Europe, the assessment suggests. If Russia deploys the system, NATO would face a threat that is very hard to control.

However, some experts note the cruise missile does not reach hypersonic speeds and becomes more vulnerable the longer it remains airborne.

NATO experts are also examining a new mobile medium-range missile from Russia, the SS-X-28 Oreshnik, which was first tested in Ukraine in November 2024. Western experts are particularly concerned about its range of up to 5,500 kilometres and the possibility of equipping the warhead with various munitions, including nuclear ones.

"The ability to attack targets anywhere in Europe, combined with the high mobility of the launcher, ensures a high survivability rate. The lack of clarity about the deployed warheads poses defence challenges for NATO," the document states.

Oreshnik to be deployed in Belarus

Belarus will deploy the Oreshnik hypersonic medium-range missile in December, according to a statement by Belarusian President Aliaksandr Lukashenka's spokesperson, Natalia Eismont, to Russian state-run outlets. Lukashenka said the deployment is in response to Western escalation.

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The NATO document also identifies the nuclear-capable Poseidon submarine drone as a problem, with the systems expected to be operational by 2030. The Poseidon is said to have a significant range and has presumably been designed to "destroy naval bases, harbours and coastal cities in the Pacific, on the US east coast and in the UK and France."

The Poseidon-carrying submarines would be "difficult to detect and attack when operating in deep water," according to the document. NATO currently lacks "anti-submarine torpedoes with the necessary speed and range" to effectively combat the Poseidon drone.

The document makes clear that NATO has deficits, particularly in its medium and long-range capabilities, especially with nuclear weapons.

Not all experts are convinced by the Burevestnik. Some argue that even if Russia manages to run its nuclear reactor reliably, the missile may not give Russia a major advantage.

Fabian Hoffmann, research associate at the Oslo Nuclear Project at the University of Oslo, described Burevestnik on X as a "useless and superfluous" weapon.

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Five Russian scientists were killed during a Burevestnik test in 2019, according to observers. Several workers were thrown into the sea, and a rise in radiation levels was later recorded in the area. It remains unclear whether radiation caused any deaths.

The United States rejected the basic idea of combining a nuclear reactor with a nuclear weapon in the 1950s because of the risks involved.

Related

William Alberque, a senior associate at the Pacific Forum and former NATO arms control director, said the biggest danger comes at launch. If a Burevestnik were to be hit, radioactive material from its nuclear reactor could be scattered over a wide area, "like a mini Chernobyl in the sky," he said.

Independent nuclear expert Pavel Podvig told DW: "I would be cautious about claiming that this was a flying Chernobyl. If there had been a release of radioactive radiation, it would have been noticed." A crash during take-off or flight would probably be riskier, he added.
In an exchange leaked from the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu told National Missions Minister Orit Strock that he "did not know" until when a ceasefire in Gaza would hold.

Israel cannot quantify the amount of time needed to establish an international security force in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday.

In an exchange leaked from the cabinet meeting, Netanyahu told National Missions Minister Orit Strock that he "did not know" until when a ceasefire in Gaza would hold, stating that Israel "is working to conclude Phase A," adding that three deceased hostages have yet to be returned for burial by Hamas as part of the agreement.

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"We did not go to war only to free hostages," Strock told the prime minister, who responded by saying Israel had given its approval to establish the international security force for the purposes of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip.

"It is important to be aware that the Strip is being demilitarized, and disarmament is being carried out, including in tunnels," Netanyahu was quoted as saying. "For this reason, we gave our approval to establish an international force."

International forces 'reluctant' to enter Gaza, Netanyahu says

According to the prime minister, international forces are "reluctant" to enter the Gaza Strip. "We must not skip this step. Hamas is in apparent agreement."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on November 10, 2025. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

In response, Strock asked the prime minister how long he would expect this process to be carried out, to which he replied: "We cannot ingore our managing of a seven-front war...the amount of time left cannot be quantified."

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Later in the meeting, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich argued that a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre could not be held if Israel plans to re-enter war in two months' time. "If you're going back to fighting in Gaza in two months, how will you establish a state probe?" Smotrich was quoted as asking Netanyahu.

Hostage Families Forum replies to MK Strock, says returning hostages was, still is war goal

Later on Sunday, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum hit out at Strock's comment that Israel "did not go to war only to return the hostages," saying that Strock revealed a "painful truth" in her statement.

"The minister must be reminded that the return of hostages was and still is a stated war goal - both on an ethical level, as well as on a public level. A people that does not return its children has no right to exist.

"Ran Gavili died on the battlefield after bravely fighting and saving dozens, if not hundreds, of civilians. Dror Or was murdered with his wife in Be'eri and kidnapped to Gaza with two of his children, who were orphaned. Sudthisak Rinthalak, a Thai citizen, was kidnapped while visiting friends in Be'eri," a forum statement read.

The forum stated that it would not rest until all hostages are home, adding that "we will not give anyone up and we will not leave them behind."
The Newbury Fire Department, along with mutual aid partners, successfully extinguished a fire at Bob Lobster on Plum Island Turnpike on Saturday evening.

The fire was reported just after 4 p.m. at 49 Plum Island Turnpike, prompting a swift response from the Newbury Fire Department and mutual aid from neighboring towns.

Companies did a great job opening things up and chasing this fire to ensure that all hot spots were out, said Chief Evans.

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Upon arrival, firefighters found that three employees had evacuated the building as smoke emerged from the roof.

A lieutenant on scene declared a working fire, which led to the call for mutual aid companies to assist.

Firefighters from Newburyport, Rowley, and Georgetown supported the effort on site, while crews from West Newbury, Salisbury, Groveland, and Amesbury covered Newbury stations.

Cataldo Ambulance and Atlantic Ambulance were present, but no injuries were reported.

The Newbury Building Inspector, Health Inspector, and Electrical Inspector provided support, and Newbury Police temporarily closed Plum Island Turnpike to allow fire apparatus access.

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The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Newbury Fire Department and the Massachusetts State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

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Thirteen people were injured, two critically, after a car crashed into a crowd during a demolition derby in southeastern Australia, police said.

The car had been taking part in a race in the town of Walcha on Saturday night when it drove through a fence and hit the grandstand, New South Wales police said in a statement.

The race, part of the annual Walcha Motorcycle Rally, had been a demolition derby - a type of motorsport where drivers ram their vehicles into one another.

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Brendan Moylan, a member of parliament for Northern Tablelands, the region where Walcha is located, said on social media on Sunday that nine people remained in hospital and "all are now recovering".

Earlier, police put the number of injured at nine. They said the ages of the injured bystanders ranged from 20 to 75, while a critically injured person was a 54-year-old man. An investigation was under way, they said.

Police said they were told that the 27-year-old driver of the car had been involved in a collision on the track right before it drove into the fence.

In a statement published on the Walcha Motorcycle Rally's Facebook page, the Walcha Council said that it was "shocked and stunned at the unfortunate accident".

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The Council said it would work with authorities to "examine the circumstances which led to the accident".

Giving any comments before concluding the inquiries would be "inappropriate", it said.

In a post on Facebook, Moylan thanked emergency responders and other bystanders for their "swift and incredibly professional work at the scene".

"My thoughts are with everyone affected," he wrote.

Barnaby Joyce, former deputy prime minister and incumbent New England lawmaker, wrote on Facebook that his "thoughts, prayer and hopes" were with those injured in the crash.

"Such a sad end to such a great event," he wrote.

The Walcha Motorcycle Rally describes itself as a "grassroots event for motorcycle enthusiasts".
Cultural & Historical Significance

Dolie holds significant cultural importance within Somali naming traditions, where the aesthetic and phonetic qualities of a name often carry more weight than literal meanings. In Somali culture, names are carefully selected for their melodic properties and the positive associations they evoke. The name Dolie exemplifies this tradition, representing a connection to Somali heritage and identity. It reflects the Somali emphasis on names that sound beautiful and carry a sense of dignity and cultural pride.



The name has been particularly valued in Somali communities for its ability to maintain cultural authenticity while remaining accessible in global contexts. As Somali diaspora communities have grown worldwide, names like Dolie have served as important cultural markers, helping to preserve Somali identity across generations. The name represents the resilience of Somali cultural traditions and the importance of maintaining linguistic and naming practices that connect people to their heritage, even as they adapt to new environments and circumstances.
This is not the way of the Torah, this is not the way of the State of Israel; these violent criminals must be dealt with severely, Opposition head Yair Lapid stated.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday released a statement condemning the attack on Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur that took place on Saturday night.

Even when there are disagreements, there is no place for violence. Law enforcement must take firm action against any attempt to intimidate or harm elected officials, Netanyahu said, noting that the attack was perpetuated by a small, unruly group of demonstrators.

Haredi protesters attacked Ben-Tzur following Shas's agreement to advance the proposed draft law.

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Protesters shattered Ben-Tzur's car window and reportedly physically harmed him. Trash bags were also thrown at Ben-Tzur's car, according to Israel Police.

Shas condemned the incident in a statement, saying that "such acts of violence, which desecrate God's name, are not the way of the Torah and do not represent any God-fearing community."

Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators protest at the Bar Ilan intersection in Jerusalem, following the arrest of a haredi draft-dodger. (credit: YANIV NADAV/FLASH90)

Opposition head Yair Lapid wrote on X/Twitter that This is not the way of the Torah, this is not the way of the State of Israel; these violent criminals must be dealt with severely.

The violence directed this evening toward MK Yoav Ben-Tzur is severe and warrants full condemnation, Transportation Minister Miri Regev wrote.

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The heated debate on the issue of recruitment must be conducted with respect, not through thuggery and intimidation of Knesset members. I expect law enforcement authorities to deal harshly with the rioters who break the law.

Haredi draft law advances

Regev added that the draft law would still advance because even the Haredi public knows there is no escaping it, and the State of Israel needs soldiers.

"The attack by dozens of Haredim on MK Ben-Tzur from Shas is another example of the fact that we must immediately get our act together," MK Avigdor Liberman wrote in a post on X.

"Zero tolerance for lawbreakers, from draft dodgers and refusers all the way to the crime militias and extortion rackets. Very soon, we're going to clean things up here!"
Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story did not include data from 2024.

More Americans say they want to move out of the United States permanently in 2025 than at nearly any time in the past two decades, with younger women leading the trend, according to a new national poll.

A Gallup survey analysis published Nov. 13 found that 2 in 5 American women and girls ages 15 to 44 say they would leave the United States permanently if they could. That's four times what it was in 2014, when the 10% of women and girls who wanted to leave the country was generally in line with other age and gender groups. The rise includes both single women and married women.

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Forty-four percent of women and girls in the age range in 2024 said they would "like to move permanently to another country," according to the data. Among all respondents, 21% said the same.

More Gallup Polls: Majority of Americans pessimistic about their personal finances, April poll finds

This year, more than twice as many women say they want to migrate than men, Gallup pollsters said in their data review. In the same 15 to 44 age group, 19% of men and boys expressed the desire to migrate, compared with the 40% of women in the survey. This gender gap is the largest Gallup has ever recorded on this issue since they started measuring this question in global polls in 2007.

Gallup pollsters said it's also the largest gender gap they've ever seen on the question across more than 160 countries.

Democratic Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, votes at The Frank Sinatra School of the Arts on Nov. 4, 2025 in the Queens borough of New York City. Voters in NYC are voting for who will be replacing Mayor Eric Adams between the front runner New York Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. More than 735,000 people have voted early, according to the Board of Elections, more than four times as many as in the 2021 contest. This election also has other city offices on the ballot, as well as six proposals. Independent mayoral candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo departs after voting at a polling location at the High School of Art and Design in the Manhattan borough of New York City on Nov. 4, 2025. Election workers transport ballots on a cart during a special election on redistricting at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center in City of Industry, California, November 4, 2025. A display shows an advertisement for betting on the New York City mayoral election, featuring Democratic candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani and Independent candidate for New York City mayor and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in Times Square, in New York City, November 4, 2025. A poll worker poses for a photo during Pennsylvania Municipal Election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 4, 2025. Mary Wellington, from left, with Ventura County Elections Division, helps first-time voter Makailee Lindbergh, 18, cast her provisional ballot on Proposition 50 at the Best Western Plus Thousand Oaks Inn in Thousand Oaks, California on Nov. 4, 2025. New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), (L) is cheered by supporters as she exits the polling center after casting her vote on Nov. 4, 2025 in Montclair, New Jersey. Sherrill faces off against Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli, in a tightly contested race for New Jersey governor. A person exits a polling center after casting her vote on Nov. 4, 2025 in Montclair, New Jersey. Virginia voters cast their ballots at Robius Elementary School Nov. 4, 2025 in Midlothian, Virginia. Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger faces off against Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the Commonwealth of Virginias off-year election for governor and other statewide offices on November 4, a race that will lead to the first female governor in the commonwealths history. Bob Elsea, poll clerk at Ward 6 Precinct 1 at Trinity United Methodist Church, shouts out "polls are open" at 7 a.m. during election day in Anderson, South Carolina., Nov. 4, 2025. Shunmuga Sankaran displays the sticker he recieved while voting at Cherry Hill East High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on Nov. 4, 2025. Michael Powers, 63, of Pontiac, votes at precinct nine in the gymnasium at the Kennedy School in Pontiac, Michigan on Nov. 4, 2025. The Rev. Solomon Kinloch Jr. smiles as he waits to turn in his ballot alongside his wife Robin Kinloch early on Election Day inside Chrysler Elementary School in Detroit on Nov. 4, 2025. People vote at the Old Portage Masonic Temple on Nov. 4, 2025, in Akron, Ohio. Eight people are vying for four seats on the Akron Public School District board. Election officials check in mail-in votes at the Buttonwood Warming House polling station in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Election workers process mail-in ballots at the Lebanon County Courthouse in Pennsylvania on Nov. 4, 2025. MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 4: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (C) submits his ballot with his daughter Freida Frey as he holds his child Estelle Frey at a polling place on Election Day on November 4, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey is seeking reelection to his third term in office as he is opposed by three other local Democrats. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) Voters cast their ballots in the municipal election on Nov. 4, 2025, at Holly Tree Elementary in Wilmington, North Carolina. Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins talks with election worker Rhonda Lewis Warren before voting at the Runyon Heights Community House in Yonkers Nov. 4, 2025. Jenkins is running for his first full four-year term for County Executive after winning a special election earlier this year to replace former County Executive George Latimer who had been elected to the U.S. Congress. Mayor Mitch Colvin hugs a voter at a polling site at Cliffdale Recreation Center in Fayetteville on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Hope Mills Commissioner Bryan Marley, left to right, Hope Mills Mayor Jessie Bellflowers and Chilleko Hurst talk outside a polling site at Hope Mills Recreation Center in Hope Mills on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Shortly before 6 a..m., a voter arrives to cast their ballot at Cherry Hill East High School in Cherry Hill, NJ, on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4, 2025. New Yorkers vote to pick their new mayor at an election site in a church in Manhattan on November 4, 2025 in New York City. The latest polls show the front-runner continues to be Zohran Mamdani, holding a clear lead over independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Hope Mills Commissioners candidate Ronald Starling talks to a voter outside a polling site at Hope Mills Recreation Center in Hope Mills, North Carolina on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. People register to vote at the Lakewood Municipal Building Tuesday morning, November 4, 2025. New Jersey voters decide on who will be the next governor of New Jersey, in addition to the Assembly, and county and local elections. Keith Sjostrand holds his granddaughter, Ila Barrett, 2, while poll worker, Kathleen Forman hands her a voting sticking. Behind them Ila's great-grandfather, Donald Sjostrand, watches with a smile.The family voted at Licking County Church of God in Newark, Ohio, Nov 4, 2025. Two days before election day, Lakewood, NJ, voters and their families wait to cast their early ballots late Sunday afternoon, November 2, 2025, at the Municipal Building on 3rd Street. First time poll worker, Benita Neely, dances with her arms in the air to call people over to drop their ballots in the ballot box at Cherry Valley Elementary in Newark, Ohio, Nov 4, 2025. A volunteer for the Working Families Party speaks to a voter during the Pennsylvania Municipal Election in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 4, 2025. Michael Lopez, 13, takes a selfie with his mother, Olga, after she voted at Burncot High School on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The photo was for Michael, an 8th grader at Burncoat Middle School, to receive extra credit in Steven Mendard's social studies class which was learning about the election process. Bruce Williams fills out a ballot during Election Day at China Grove AME Church in Madison, Miss., on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. Election workers extract ballots as part of ballot processing during a special election on redistricting at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center in City of Industry, California, November 4, 2025. See candidates and constituents cast their ballots on Election Day 2025 1 of 32 Democratic Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, votes at The Frank Sinatra School of the Arts on Nov. 4, 2025 in the Queens borough of New York City. Voters in NYC are voting for who will be replacing Mayor Eric Adams between the front runner New York Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo and Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. More than 735,000 people have voted early, according to the Board of Elections, more than four times as many as in the 2021 contest. This election also has other city offices on the ballot, as well as six proposals.

Canada was listed as American womens' top destination preference, followed by New Zealand, Italy and Japan.

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More: Survey reveals just what Europeans really think of American tourists

Gallups question asks about desire to migrate, not plans or intentions, and surveyors note previous Gallup research shows not everyone who wants to move will do so.

Data also shows those who say they want to leave the country are more likely to disagree with the nation's political leadership and express low levels of confidence in the nation's institutions.

Of those who say they approve of President Donald Trump, both men and women, just 4% say they would like to leave the country. Of those who disapprove, 29% say they want to leave in the survey.

Travelers wait to pass a security checkpoint at Dulles International airport in Dulles, Virginia, U.S. November 13, 2025.

When it comes to different groups and their opinions on American institutions, such as the government, judiciary and military, Gallup researchers said younger women also made records in the latest survey. They saw the steepest drop in institutional confidence among any age or gender group.

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More: Polls find Americans worried about political violence after Charlie Kirk's assassination

Since 2015, American women and girls aged 15 to 44 have lost trust in the country's institutions by 17 points. Men's confidence in institutions in the same time frame and age group have remained broadly stable, dropping just one point.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Young women increasingly want to leave US, Gallup poll says
The Hartford Courant reported that bear-human interactions are rising in Connecticut.

What's happening?

Officials from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) told the Courant that, in 2025, bears were spotted in every Connecticut city and town, with almost 40 home entries.

Oddly, this is higher than the amount of bear-human interactions in neighboring Massachusetts, though officials don't yet know why. However, bear-human interactions are almost always food-related, according to the DEEP.

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To prepare for winter, bears need to consume more calories than usual. Human foods are more calorie-dense than what they'd find in the wild, so they're drawn to them. This comes with consequences.

Jenny Dickson, DEEP wildlife division director, told the Courant, "Bears lose their natural fear of people when they eat food from  human sources, causing them to spend more time in neighborhoods and near people, creating public safety risks and increasing the possibility that the bears may be hit and killed by vehicles.

"Never feed bears," she continued. "Please do your part to keep both bears and people safe."

Why is this trend concerning?

This Connecticut trend reflects a broader change in global human-wildlife interactions. As wildlife continue to lose their habitats to land development and the changing climate, humans and animals are forced to compete for resources, leading to losses on both sides.

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According to a World Wildlife Fund report, 121 people were killed by elephants, which frequently raid farms, in Sri Lanka in 2019. This devastates farmers' livelihoods and leads to retaliatory killings. That same year, 405 elephants were killed by people in turn.

This is just one example of this wider trend. To stop the violence on both sides, solutions are needed.

What's being done about it?

The Connecticut DEEP urged people to put their trash in airtight containers, keep barbecue grills clean, and avoid putting out birdfeeders, all of which black bears eat.

Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Officials suggest planting native plants as an alternative, which naturally feed birds and pollinators alike. These can also increase your area's biodiversity and support wildlife without harming them.

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If you'd like to support wildlife without endangering it, you can also consider donating to conservation organizations.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.




Iran faces a water crisis amid its worst drought in at least six decades. Reservoirs in the country's capital have dipped to historically low levels. One of the five major dams that helps supply water to over 10 million people in Tehran has nearly run dry.

Overnight water rationing has begun there, and government officials warn that more drastic steps may be needed to cope with the crisis. "We'll have to evacuate Tehran," warned Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran's president, per The New York Times.

Some Iranians are espousing conspiracy theories on social media that blame neighboring countries for "stealing" their rain clouds. "The U.S. and Israel are manipulating the weather by redirecting rain clouds away from Iran to deliberately trigger drought," according to Mohsen Arbabian, an Iranian water resources specialist.

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Even Isa Bozorgzadeh, Iran's water industry spokesperson, didn't totally dispel the claims of conspiracy theorists. "However, since human knowledge is constantly advancing, we cannot rule out every possibility," Bozorgzadeh recently told reporters.

There has been no credible scientific evidence that anyone is modifying the weather in order to divert rainfall away from Iran. The World Meteorological Organization has said it is not physically possible.

"It should be realized that the energy involved in weather systems is so large that it is impossible to create cloud systems that rain, alter wind patterns to bring water vapor into a region, or eliminate severe weather phenomena," according to the WMO. "Weather modification technologies that claim to achieve such large-scale or dramatic effects do not have a sound scientific basis and should be treated with suspicion."

Scientists say the causes of Iran's water crisis include the long-term impacts of an overheating planet, the mismanagement of water resources, dam construction, and inefficient agriculture.

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"Iran is considerably impacted by the consequences of climate change," said the United Nations Children's Fund, an agency that works in more than 190 countries and territories to protect the rights and well-being of children. The "country's average temperature has increased by 2 degrees Celsius since the 1960s, rainfall has decreased 20% in the last 20 years and precipitation patterns are changed. It is estimated that Iran will experience an increase of 2.6 degrees in mean temperatures and a 35% decline in precipitation in the next decades."

Our warming world is intensifying extreme weather events around the world. A team of international scientists released a study in Nature this spring that concluded our overheating planet is accelerating global drought severity.

The study analyzed how atmospheric evaporative demand, a measure of the atmosphere's capacity to draw moisture from our planet's surface, is impacting drought conditions worldwide.

"During the past 5 years (2018-2022), the areas in drought have expanded by 74% on average compared with 1981-2017, with AED contributing to 58% of this increase," concluded the study. "The year 2022 was record-breaking, with 30% of the global land area affected by moderate and extreme droughts, 42% of which was attributed to increased AED. Our findings indicate that AED has an increasingly important role in driving severe droughts and that this tendency will likely continue under future warming scenarios."

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
OPELOUSAS, La. (KLFY)  The Opelousas Police Department is asking for the publics help in locating man wanted on drug charges.

The OPD is searching for Rudolph Archon Jr who is wanted on charges of possession of marijuana, criminal conspiracy, and taking contraband to a penal facility.

If you know his whereabouts, do NOT approach him.

Contact Opelousas Police Department at (337) 948-2500 or St. Landry Crime Stoppers at (337) 948-TIPS (8477). All tips remain anonymous, and information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward.

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NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A New Orleans man who spent three decades in prison before his murder conviction was vacated won election Saturday to serve as the citys chief criminal court record keeper, despite the state challenging his past.

The citys newly elected clerk of criminal court, Calvin Duncan, fought for decades to clear his name after being convicted of carrying out a 1981 fatal shooting. Duncan, a Democrat, later uncovered evidence that police officers lied in court, and had his conviction tossed by a judge in 2021.

Duncan won with 68% of the vote, according to unofficial returns from the Louisiana secretary of states office.

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Tonight is a dream thats been forty years in the making, Duncan said in a statement Saturday night. I hope that all those people who died in prison because we couldnt get their records are looking down now. I hope theyre proud of me. We never stopped fighting for each others rights, and I will never stop fighting for yours. Thank you for this privilege.

Duncan is listed in the National Registry of Exonerations.

But his opponent, incumbent Darren Lombard, a Democrat, claimed during televised debates, advertisements and media appearances that Duncan was guilty of the crime. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill also denied Duncans innocence despite more than 160 legal professionals attesting otherwise in a public letter.

The facts, the law, and the procedural history are clear: Calvin Duncan was wrongfully convicted, he has proved his innocence, and he is now fully exonerated, the letter stated.

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In an October primary election, Duncan won 47% of the vote in a three-candidate race to force a runoff with Lombard, who had garnered 46% of the vote. While the citys mayor-elect and other political power players backed Lombard, Duncan went on to edge him out in the Nov. 15 runoff.

I want to congratulate Calvin Duncan on his victory, Lombard said in a statement. I stand ready to support a smooth and professional transition so that the important work of this office continues without interruption.

Duncan, 62, had only an eighth-grade education when he was incarcerated but became a legal expert while still in prison, helping other inmates challenge unconstitutional practices. He later became a lawyer.

In 2020, Duncans legal advocacy drove the U.S. Supreme Court to end non-unanimous jury convictions in Louisiana and Oregon, the only two states still allowing a practice rooted in the Jim Crow era.

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Duncan, who recalls that it took years for incarcerated people to get access to basic court documents, says he sought the clerk position to ensure fair treatment for all and that records are treated with greater care and respect.

New Orleans criminal court system still relies on paper files, though the city says a digital filing system is in the works. In August, court records were mistakenly discarded, leading the clerks office to wade ankle-deep through a landfill to retrieve them.
South Africa initially refused the Gazans' entry because they were unable to indicate the duration of their stay or the address of their accommodation.

The Palestinian Authority has accused Israel of human trafficking and blood trading after a plane of 153 Gazans landed in South Africa, allegedly without its knowledge.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry released a statement warning against networks that seek to drive Palestinians, especially residents of the Gaza Strip, out of their homes in line with Israeli interests, but thanked South Africa for receiving the misled members of our people.

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On Friday, a planeload of Palestinians was held on the tarmac of O.R. Tambo Airport outside of Johannesburg for 12 hours after flying in from Kenya. They left Gaza and flew to Kenya from Eilats Ramon Airport.

Palestinians refused entry to South Africa

South Africas Border Management Authority (BMA) initially refused their entry because they were unable to indicate the duration of their stay or the address of their accommodation. Out of the 153, 23 had been transferred to their final destinations, while the remaining 130 were processed for entry into South Africa on a 90-day visa.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas looks on as he visits the Istishari Cancer Center in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 14, 2025. (credit: Mohammed Torokman/Reuters)

According to the PA, there was no prior notification or coordination with South African authorities.

The mystery of how the plane got there has perplexed Arab media for days. The trip was organized by Al-Majd Europe, which Al Jazeera reported has no office at its registered address in Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem.

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The Foreign Ministry went on to warn companies and entities that mislead our people, incite them to deportation or displacement, or engage in human trafficking, that they will bear legal consequences for their unlawful actions and will be subject to prosecution and accountability.

The ministry calls on our people, especially those in the Gaza Strip, to exercise caution and not fall victim to human trafficking, blood traders, or displacement agents.

Imtiaz Suleiman, founder of the South African aid organization Gift of the Givers, said that testimonies from the passengers indicated that Israel assisted them in leaving Gaza without stamping their passports, leaving them stranded in third countries.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) told Israeli media that a third country had agreed to accept the Palestinians, as part of a government policy allowing Gaza residents to leave.

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South Africa is a major ally of the Palestinian cause, going so far as to take Israel to the International Court of Justice on genocide charges.

What is the al-Majd organization?

The alleged organization in charge, Al-Majd Europe, was reportedly established in Germany in 2010.

However, The Jerusalem Post was not able to verify its nonprofit status. German tax law requires tax-privileged organizations to be listed in the public Charity Register maintained by the Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) to receive tax-deductible donations. Organizations based in Germany are automatically entered, but Al-Majd Europe does not appear.

Additionally, the email address provided on the website bounced back automated messages stating it does not exist, and the site uses AI-generated images for its executives.

Upon clicking to donate to the organization, there are two options: government-regulated currencies or crypto.
A $7.5 million naming gift from Palm Beach residents Alina de Almeida and John Paulson will fund the Cox Science Center and Aquariums new 5,000-square-foot STEAM Studio.

A longtime supporter of education, Paulson has directed nearly half of his charitable giving toward K12 and higher education programs in New York, Boston, and Palm Beach County, the center said in a release.

His latest donation will fund the STEAM Studio, one of four main features of the Cox Science Center and Aquariums Hall of Science, which is set to open in 2027. The other three are the Aquarium, Digital Exhibit Gallery, and Traveling Exhibit Gallery.

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The contribution brings the Cox Science Center and Aquariums expansion campaign to $133 million of its $150 million goal, the center said.

Its inspiring to see a place that sparks curiosity, brings ideas to life and invites families to learn together, Paulson, a hedge fund manager, said in a prepared statement. Were proud to help make that possible.

The new STEAM Studio is designed to blend science with the arts, the center said.

The Cox Science Center and Aquarium, shown in this aerial photo, is in the midst of a $150 million expansion. When complete, the center will include the new Hall of Science, new outdoor spaces, and one of Floridas largest indoor aquariums.

Exhibits will be organized by theme, including forces and motion, electricity and magnetism, light and color, matter and energy, and math. The space also will feature dynamic, touch-friendly exhibits, including a giant pinball machine and a variety of smaller hands-on activities.

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The CSCAs vision prioritizes supporting students at key stages of their educational journey, fostering interest in STEAM careers, and encouraging the development of critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, CSCA Board Chair Eric Stonestrom said in a statement. More than 70 % of the students that CSCA serves are from Title 1 schools, many of whom would not otherwise be exposed to STEAM fields that could impact future career paths.

Palm Beach residents John Paulson and Alina de Almeida, with their daughter, Jacqueline, gave $7.5 million to name the Cox Science Center and Aquariums STEAM Studio.

"We are grateful to Alina and John for their incredible gift and for fueling our future scientists, engineers, computer experts and AI innovators, especially in an era where these fields will be powerful tools.

The first phase of the centers expansion, including underground work, improved parking, a new operations building, and the foundations for future facilities, is nearly complete.

The second phase begins later in November with the vertical build of the Hall of Science, where the STEAM Studio will be located.

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Construction on the expansion project began in May 2024 and is expected to be complete in 2027, the center said.

The ongoing expansion will enable the Cox Science Center and Aquarium to significantly increase its annual attendance, serving nearly one million guests in newly designed and renovated spaces, including a new science building visible from Interstate 95, expanded outdoor areas, and one of Floridas largest indoor aquariums.

Plans call for the indoor/outdoor campus to grow from 50,000 square feet to more than 100,000 square feet, with the aquarium increasing in size from 10,000 gallons to 160,000 gallons.

Additional features include an interactive extended reality experience, displaying signature programs from rocket launches to deep sea exploration; classrooms and programmingdesigned to build skills for todays most in-demand careers; and an expanded biology lab that consolidates the centers preferred provider status to all schools in Palm Beach County, the center said.

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The Cox Science Center and Aquariums current indoor/outdoor venue features more than 80 hands-on educational exhibits, a 10,000-gallon aquarium, digital planetarium, and outdoor science trail. The Cox Amphitheater hosts daily live science shows, seasonal laser shows and special events.

The current traveling exhibit, Top Secret: License to Spy, will be on display through April 26, 2026, and the outdoor traveling exhibit, Ocean Odyssey, will be on display through March 31, 2026.

The Cox Science Center and Aquarium is at 4801 Dreher Trail N., West Palm Beach. For information, visit https://www.coxsciencecenter.org/.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach philanthropists give $7.5M to Cox Science Center expansion
Most Americans now believe Republicans, rather than Democrats, won the government shutdown fight, according to a new poll published Nov. 15.

The CBS News and YouGov poll, conducted between Nov. 13 and 14, found that 55% of Americans believe President Donald Trump and Republicans got more of what they wanted from negotiations that ended the shutdown. Only 6% said Democrats came out on top, and 24% said neither party was victorious.

The results come weeks after Democrats cited their victories in the 2025 elections as a referendum on Trump and Republican leadership. The survey also stands in stark contrast with polls taken amid the shutdown that showed Republicans shouldering the brunt of voter criticism.

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More: Inside the details of the shutdown deal, from new cannabis rules to a Jack Smith jab

President Donald Trump shakes hands with the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson after signing the bill package to re-open the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Nov. 12, 2025. Congress on Wednesday ended the longest government shutdown in US history, 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a Senate-passed package that will reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats fume over what they see as a capitulation by party leaders. President Donald Trump signs the funding bill to end the U.S. government shutdown, at the White House in Washington, DC on Nov. 12, 2025. President Donald Trump signs funding legislation to reopen the federal government as he is joined by House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Republican lawmakers and business leaders, during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. The legislation, passed by the House tonight, funds the federal government until the end of January 2026 and ends the 43-day government shutdown, the longest in the nationOs history. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media in Statuary Hall after the House voted 222-209 to pass the Senate's funding deal, with 216 Republicans and six Democrats supporting the bill, and two Republicans and 207 Democrats opposed, after 43 days of shuttered government and unpaid federal workers, on Wednesday, Nov.12, 2025. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) holds a news conference after the House passed funding legislation to reopen the federal government, at the Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House voted 222-209 to approve Senate-passed legislation that funds the government through the end of January 2026, reopening the government and ending the 43-day shutdown, the longest in American history. House Speaker Mike Johnson arriving to speak to the media in Statuary Hall after the House voted 222-209 to pass the Senate's funding deal, with 216 Republicans and six Democrats supporting the bill, and two Republicans and 207 Democrats opposed, after 43 days of shuttered government and unpaid federal workers, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, walks from the House floor with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), left, to speak with the media in Statuary Hall immediately after the House voted 222-209 to pass the Senate's funding deal, with 216 Republicans and six Democrats supporting the bill, and two Republicans and 207 Democrats opposed, after 43 days of shuttered government and unpaid federal workers, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. U.S. Representative Victoria Spartz arrives during a series of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov.12, 2025. U.S. Representative and New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill gives a television interview during a series of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov.12, 2025. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) (2nd-L) walks to the House Chamber on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Senate-passed legislation that funds the government through the end of January 2026, reopening the government and ending the 43-day shutdown, the longest in American history. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) (L) speaks to the media as he exits the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Senate-passed legislation that funds the government through the end of January 2026, reopening the government and ending the 43-day shutdown, the longest in American history. House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, speaking with Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) after a ceremonial swearing of at the United States Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, following the official swearing in on the House floor on Wednesday, Nov. 11. 2025. U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) walks surrounded by the media, as members of the U.S. House of Representatives returned to Washington after a 53-day break, for a vote that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov. 12, 2025. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) talks on the phone, as members of the U.S. House of Representatives returned to Washington after a 53-day break, for a vote that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov. 12, 2025. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives, right, stands with members as Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries leads a press conference on the House Steps at the United States Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, as members return after a 54-day break, before House lawmakers take up legislation that would end the longest government shutdown in American history and vote on the Senate-passed spending deal. Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries leads a press conference on the House Steps at the United States Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, as members return after a 54-day break, before House lawmakers take up legislation that would end the longest government shutdown in American history and vote on the Senate-passed spending deal Congress passes deal to end longest government shutdown in US history 1 of 16 President Donald Trump shakes hands with the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson after signing the bill package to re-open the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Nov. 12, 2025. Congress on Wednesday ended the longest government shutdown in US history, 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a Senate-passed package that will reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats fume over what they see as a capitulation by party leaders.

After a record-breaking 43 days, the government shutdown ended last week after eight Senate Democrats relented on their health care-related policy demands and voted with Republicans. The Senate compromise quickly passed in the House, and Trump signed it into law hours later.

Democrats agreed to fund the government after Republican Senate leaders promised a future vote on extending Obamacare subsidies that help millions of Americans afford health care. But Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not commit to a similar vote in his chamber, and the health care proposal remains in limbo.

About 70% of Republicans believe their party compromised the right amount during negotiations, while 55% of Democrats said their party gave in too much, according to the CBS News survey.

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More Americans disapprove of the way Democrats handled the shutdown (60%), compared with Republicans (54%). A majority of those polled (56%) said they disapproved of the way Trump led through the funding fight.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, walks from the House floor with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), left, to speak with the media in Statuary Hall immediately after the House voted 222-209 to pass the Senate's funding deal on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.

The poll was conducted among a sample of 1,288 adults across the nation who were initially surveyed during the shutdown. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 points.

What was in the shutdown deal?

Under the deal, most federal agencies will receive funding through Jan. 30. If the two parties dont agree to another spending package by then, the government could shut down again.

Lawmakers funded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, through the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30, 2026, and provided additional funding for Veterans Affairs medical care.

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They also included more than $200 million in funding to increase security measures for members of the House and Senate and additional money for the protection of Supreme Court justices.

Another measure in the package allows a group of Republican senators whose phone records were subpoenaed during the FBIs 2020 election interference investigation to sue the government for up to $500,000.

And one of the most controversial measures included in the law closes a loophole that for years has allowed the unregulated sale of certain hemp products nationwide.

Contributing: Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who won government shutdown negotiations? Republicans, new poll finds
The PA commits to UNESCO to remove hate speech from textbooks, but the Israeli government and IMPACT-se accuse its recent curriculum of still inciting violence and antisemitism.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced on Saturday that he will be sending a high-level Palestinian delegation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to review the Palestinian education curricula.

The aim is to consult UNESCO to align the Palestinian curriculum with the international standards it has adopted while still "preserving the essence of Palestinian national consciousness."

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The delegation is set to be headed by the Palestinian Authority's Minister of Education and Higher Education.

The announcement followed a phone call between Abbas, UNESCO Director-General Khaled Al-Anani, who recently assumed the role. Abbas also stated during a joint press conference with French President Macron earlier this month that the curriculum overhaul will proceed in the next two years.

"We agreed on the importance of reforming school textbooks, which must exclude all hate speech in accordance with UNESCO standards," Macron announced.

The UNESCO logo is seen during the opening of the 39th session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at their headquarters in Paris, France, October 30, 2017. (credit: REUTERS/PHILIPPE WOJAZER)

Palestinian textbooks still incite antisemitism

The Israeli government and various NGOs have repeatedly accused the Palestinian educational system of radicalizing pupils and of perpetuating antisemitism.

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The organization, the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), has been reporting on Palestinian textbooks since 1998.

Most recently, IMPACT-se reviewed the PA's new curriculum for Gaza in February 2025.

It found that despite the PA's commitments to the European Union (EU) in July 2024, that it would reform its educational content in full adherence to UNESCOs standards of peace and tolerance, "these newly created materials contain antisemitic content that encourages students to acts of violence, justified on both nationalistic and religious grounds, as has been documented many times in PA textbooks."

In 2022, Dr. Arnon Groiss wrote that PA education has three fundamentals. The first is the delegitimization of Israels existence and the Jews very presence in the country, which includes the denial of their history and the existence of any Jewish holy places there.

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The second one is the demonization of both Israel and Jews, with implications regarding the Jews image in the eyes of children who hail from a traditional society. Finally, the third one is the incitement and the absence of a call for peace with Israel.

Groiss is director of the Nahum Bedein Center for Near East Policy Research and the author of Genesis of the Palestinian Authority and UNRWA: Road Block to Peace.
Individuals bearing the Dwyer name are often perceived as possessing strong leadership qualities and a determined, resilient character. This aligns with the name's historical associations with clan chieftains and its meaning related to darkness or strength, suggesting someone who is serious-minded, dependable, and capable of handling responsibility. There's often an undercurrent of intensity and depth to their personality, combined with traditional values and loyalty to family and community.



Many Dwyers exhibit practical intelligence and a grounded approach to problem-solving, traits that served their ancestors well through centuries of political and social challenges. They tend to be persistent in pursuing their goals while maintaining a certain reserve or seriousness. The name also suggests someone with strong principles and the courage to defend them, reflecting the historical Dwyers who maintained their Irish identity and leadership roles despite external pressures and changing circumstances.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit this past week seeking to strike down three state-funded higher education work programs he argues unconstitutionally exclude religious students and religious employers.

The lawsuit  filed in Travis County District Court  targets the Texas College Work-Study Program, the Texas WORKS Internship Program, and the Texas Innovative Adult Career Education (ACE) Grant Program. Paxton alleges each program violates the First Amendment by requiring state-funded activities to be nonsectarian, which prevents students engaged in religious instruction and faith-based organizations from receiving state funds.

These anti-Christian laws targeting religious students must be completely wiped off the books, Paxton said in a press release announcing the lawsuit. We will honor [Americas] heritage by upholding the First Amendment in Texas.

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According to the original petition filed November 12, 2025 in Travis County District Court, the challenged statutes and rules:

Bar religious organizations from participating in work-study or internship placements if the work involves sectarian activities (Tex. Educ. Code  56.074(b)(1), 56.076(a)(1), 56.0855(b)(4))

Exclude students enrolled in seminaries or programs leading to religious ordination from work-study eligibility (Tex. Educ. Code  56.075(b)(2))

Prohibit ACE Grant recipients from using funds for sectarian worship, instruction, or proselytization (19 Tex. Admin. Code  400.5(b))

Paxton argues these restrictions amount to a wholesale exclusion of otherwise eligible students based solely on the religious nature of their studies and unconstitutionally condition access to public benefits on avoiding religious instruction.

The petition cites recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings  including Carson v. Makin, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, and Trinity Lutheran v. Comer  which struck down state programs that limited public benefits to nonreligious uses.

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Texas may neither exclude religious organizations from public benefits because of their faith nor condition participation on theological choices, the filing states.

Paxton is seeking:

A declaration that the statutes and administrative rules are unconstitutional

A temporary injunction blocking enforcement while the case proceeds

A permanent injunction barring the state from enforcing the restrictions

The lawsuit names the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and its members  including Commissioner Wynn Rosser, Board Chair Stacy Hock, Vice Chair Welcome Wilson Jr., and other board officials  in their official capacities.
By Joseph Tanfani

(Reuters) -The United States conducted another attack on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific on Saturday, killing three people aboard, the Pentagon said on Sunday.

"Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics," the U.S. Southern Command announced in a post on social media. The announcement said the boat was in international waters when it was struck by Joint Task Force Southern Spear.

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It was the 21st known attack on drug boats by the U.S. military since early September in what it has called a justified effort to disrupt the flow of narcotics into the United States. The strikes have killed more than 80 people, according to Pentagon figures.

Lawmakers in the U.S. Congress, human rights groups and U.S. allies have raised questions about the legality of the attacks. The Trump administration has said it has the legal authority to carry out the strikes, with the Justice Department providing a legal opinion that justifies them and argues that U.S. military personnel who carry out the operations are immune from prosecution.

Also on Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department would designate an alleged drug organization, Cartel de los Soles, as a "foreign terrorist organization," which makes it a crime for anyone in the United States to provide material support to the group. U.S. officials have accused Cartel de los Soles of working with the criminal organization Tren de Aragua to send narcotics to the United States.

The Trump administration has said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro leads Cartel de Los Soles, which he denies. The Pentagon has deployed warships, fighter jets and a nuclear submarine to the Caribbean as U.S. officials consider taking military action against the Maduro government.

(Reporting by Joseph Tanfani; Editing by Sergio Non, Edmund Klamann and Leslie Adler)
Pilot Travel Center in Holland has completed a major renovation, offering a fresh look and enhanced amenities for travelers, according to a community announcement.

The remodel is part of Pilot Company's nationwide store modernization initiative, New Horizons. To celebrate the completion, Pilot is donating $10,000 to Hamilton Community Schools.

Revitalized interior and new amenities

The travel center, located at 853 Interchange Drive, has a revitalized interior with a modern design. The on-site Arby's has been remodeled, and the kitchen has been updated to prepare fresh food offerings. Three new self-checkouts have been added for a more convenient shopping experience.

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Other upgrades include a new deli area with grab-and-go options, enhanced beverage coolers, remodeled restrooms and showers, and upgraded laundry facilities.

A photo provided by Pilot Travel Center of bright, updated branding.

Donation to support career exploration program

Pilot's donation to Hamilton Community Schools will fund the Ignite Program, which provides hands-on career exploration and job-ready skills for freshmen and sophomores.

More: Need pop, chips, coffee? Order convenience items via drive-thru at this Holland gas station

This donation will help our district continue preparing our students for meaningful futures and strengthen (innovative programs), wrote Superintendent Brad Lusk.

This story was created by reporter Nida Tazeen, NTazeen@usatodayco.com , with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Pilot Travel Center celebrates fresh update in Holland
A Pittsburgh man was sentenced to prison for sexually exploiting a teen while on federal supervised release for a previous conviction, the Department of Justice says.

Anthony Hill, 44, was convicted on July 29, 2008, for possession of material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor.

While serving a term of supervised release for this conviction, Hill committed new offenses in 2024, the DOJ says.

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Between February 28, 2024, and April 18, 2024, Hill received sexually explicit videos of a 17-year-old while communicating with them online.

Hill pleaded guilty to violating federal law and was sentenced on Oct. 8. The sentence includes 20 years of incarceration followed by 20 years of supervised release.

Through his plea, Hill accepted responsibility for the new federal violation and for violating the conditions of his supervised release.

This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the DOJ in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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A second suspect has been arrested in connection with a Nov. 8 incident in which a gun was fired toward a crowd at the Chinese Cultural Plaza.

The Honolulu Police Department said officers with the District 5 Crime Reduction Unit located the 26-year-old man around 10 :30 a.m. Friday at his home on Vineyard Boulevard. He was arrested for suspicion of terroristic threatening and reckless endangering.

HPD said the city Department of the Prosecuting Attorney will be seeking charges against the suspect.

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Witnesses told police that two men were threatening and harassing people at the Chinese Cultural Plaza when someone approached the pair to tell them to stop. One of the men later fired a round toward a crowd ; no injuries were reported.

The other suspect, a 21-year-old man, was arrested Thursday.
Police are still searching for suspects in a shooting that claimed two lives and injured three people in Newark on Saturday.

A 10-year-old boy and a 21-year-old woman were shot and killed and three others were injured, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said. The names of the dead and injured were not immediately released.

Newark police responded to the 300 block of Chancellor Avenue in the city around 7 p.m., the Prosecutor's Office said. The boy and woman were rushed to University Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

The other victims were an 11-year-old boy, a 19-year-old man and a 60-year-old man. All three were in stable condition, the prosecutor said.

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The Prosecutor's Office did not immediately respond to requests for updates on the status of the case Sunday.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka shared a post to social media in which he urged the shooter to turn himself in, "as there is no safe place to hide."

Baraka called Saturday "a dark and devastating day in Newark." He was referring to the shooting and to another deadly incident, in which a child died after falling 20 stories from the window of an apartment.

"We will not rest until there is justice for the parents and family left behind in unspeakable pain and grief. Newark will work tirelessly with the prosecutor's office, state law enforcement and federal agencies to ensure justice is served," he said in the statement. "Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this trauma. Our prayers are with them  and our actions will support them."

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Since the shooting, the Newark mayor has been at the hospital "around the clock, providing help to the family, and offering grief counseling and everything that is needed," said his press secretary, Susan Garofalo. "That's his primary focus now is helping the family and community. Everybody is impacted by such a shock."

Gov. Phil Murphy also posted about the shootings, writing: "I have been updated on a shooting that took place earlier tonight in the South Ward of Newark where preliminary details indicate that multiple victims were shot and killed, including a child. Please pray for the victims and their families."

Essex County Sheriff Amir Jones announced through the Prosecutor's Office that a $10,000 reward is being offered as part of the Essex County Crime Stoppers program for information leading to an arrest.

The investigation is ongoing, and the Prosecutor's Office asks anyone with information to contact its tips line at 877-TIPS-4EC, or 877-847-7432.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Newark shooting: Police investigating gun deaths
A 31-year-old woman pleaded guilty to drug possession and rendering criminal assistance in Clallam County Superior Court, according to the Port Angeles Police Department.

Makyla R. Cleveland was arrested after police served a warrant at her home on April 14.

During the search, officers found drugs and drug paraphernalia.

In total, the Port Angeles Police Department, with assistance from Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET) detectives, found:

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266 grams of methamphetamine

200 grams of fentanyl

28 grams of heroin

Multiple digital scales

Used and unused baggies

Two guns

The criminal assistance charge stems from a separate robbery case in Port Angeles.

Cleveland was sentenced under a Prison Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA) to 12 months in prison and six and a half months of Department of Corrections supervision.
President Donald Trump's presidential approval rating continued to fall as he ended the government shutdown, promised stimulus checks and contended with controversy.

Trump officially signed a bill on Nov. 12 that ended the longest shutdown in history after 43 days. The shutdown had left millions of Americans unable to travel or afford food.

The president also sparked new hope in cash-strapped Americans when he posted on social media saying most Americans would received $2,000 stimulus checks. However, no firm plans for this check have been confirmed.

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New details of Trump's relationship with accused sex trafficker Jeffery Epstein came to light as Democrats from the House of Representatives released emails highlighting the connections between the two men. Epstein wrote that President Donald Trump "spent hours at my house" with one of Epstein's victims and allegedly "knew about the girls." The White House called the Democratic release of the emails a "smear."

Here's what to know about Trump's approval rating, including how they are decided and how Trump's ratings compare with his first term and past presidents.

What is Donald Trump's approval rating?

Here are the latest approval ratings released about Trump's administration:

Real Clear Polling's average of polls from Oct. 24 to Nov. 13 shows a 42.3 approval and 54.7 disapproval rate.

According to the most recent Gallup poll, Trump's job approval rating was at 41%.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll from Nov. 7 to Nov. 12 reported that 40% of those surveyed gave him a favorable approval rating of his performance in office and 58% gave an unfavorable rating.

The New York Times daily average of polls showed a 41% approval and 55% disapproval as of Nov. 14.

A Nov. 5 poll from the Associated Press and NORC showed 36% approve and 62% disapprove of Trump.

The Economist shows that 39% of people are favorable of Trump and 57% are unfavorable of him, according to the latest update from Nov. 14.

Rasmussen Reports poll from Nov. 14 showed 44% approval and 54% disapproval of Trump.

The American Research Group poll from Oct. 21 showed 37% approve and 60% disapprove.

How does Trump's approval rating compare with his 1st term?

Trump had a final approval rating of 34% when he left office in 2021. His approval average during his first term was 41%.

How does Trump's approval rating compare with past presidents?

Joe Biden - 40%

Donald Trump (first term) - 34%

Barack Obama - 59%

George W. Bush - 34%

Bill Clinton - 66%

George H.W. Bush - 56%

Ronald Reagan - 63%

Jimmy Carter - 34%

Gerald Ford - 53%

Richard Nixon - 24%

Are presidential approval ratings accurate?

Data agency Gallup notes that these approval ratings are a "simple measure, yet a very powerful one that has played a key role in politics for over 70 years."

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A presidents approval rating reflects the percentage of Americans polled who approve of the presidents performance. Anything can impact a president's rating, such as legislation passed, actions and elections.

According to ABC News, an approval rating doesn't just represent how well the administration is doing for the general public, but could determine the outcome of an upcoming election for a politician or how much they get done during their time in office.

While these ratings are easy to understand, Quorum says some analysts believe they are not as useful as they once were due to extreme partisanship and the polarized political climate.

Presidential approval ratings have always been partisan, with members of the presidents party offering more positive assessments than those in the opposing party, according to the Pew Research Center. But the differences between Republicans and Democrats on views of the president have grown substantially in recent decades.

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USA TODAY Network reporters Bart Jansen, Erin Mansfield, Joey Garrison, Josh Meyer and Maria Francis contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Donald Trump's approval rating: See the latest polls
A 49-year-old father of nine was killed in an apparent road rage confrontation in California while his wife and young children were in the car, authorities and family members said.

The victim, identified by relatives as Jason Elola, had just left a birthday celebration for one of his sons when the deadly altercation occurred Saturday evening, according to the Alameda County Sheriffs Office.

Family members said Elola, his wife Gabrielle and their two youngest daughters were on their way home from an 18th birthday celebration for one of his sons when they decided to stop for ice cream at Loards Ice Cream in Castro Valley.

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"On November 8th, our family experienced an unimaginable loss when our brother, husband, father, and friend Jason Elola passed away," a family member wrote on social media.

Pregnant Teen Dies Saving Baby After Ponchatoula Road Rage Shooting Incident

"Jason, Gabby and his two youngest girls were on their way back from his sons 18th birthday party when they decided to stop for ice cream. When they got to Castro Valley there was a road rage incident that resulted in Jasons death."

Read On The Fox News App

Elolas son, Angel Elola, told KTVU his father was not a confrontational man and was only trying to protect his family after a minor collision.

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Angel said a vehicle struck the back of his fathers car as they exited the freeway.

Chicago Father Dies In Crash After Smash-and-grab Suspect Flees With $700K Of Louis Vuitton Goods

"My dad, the protector he is, wanted to make sure his wife, 5-month-old baby, and 5-year-old daughter were OK," Angel said. "He got out and wanted to see what the issue was."

Angel said his father was trying to de-escalate the situation when the confrontation turned violent.

"As he got out, it just happened really quick," he said, adding that his father may have suffered a head injury, though the coroner will determine the official cause of death.

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Slain Motorcyclists Sweetheart Says $50K Bail For Murder Suspect With Criminal Record Left Her Hopeless

Gabrielle Elola, Jasons wife, said the suspects dark-colored SUV had swerved into their lane after they exited the freeway.

"When my husband went to get around him at the stoplight, he kept hitting the back of our car," she said. "We were scared. My husband got out to protect us."

Gabrielle said she didnt see the actual fight but saw her husband lying on the ground moments later.

Dad Knifed On Way To Halloween Fest, Kids Save Him From 'Demonic Stare' Maniac With Dino Sticker, Charger Cord

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"This person didnt have to take my husband," she said. "He could have driven away. He could have done anything else but this. ... You cant just take somebody away from their family. Were never going to get him back."

Authorities initially arrested 37-year-old Martin W. Davis Jr. on suspicion of murder after he reportedly fled, called the California Highway Patrols non-emergency line to report his involvement and then returned to cooperate with investigators.

However, the Alameda County Sheriffs Office confirmed that Davis was released Nov. 13 from the Santa Rita Jail pending further investigation.

Blue City Rail Station Killing Linked To Same Suspect Eyed In Second Transit Attack

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"This remains an active and ongoing investigation," the Sheriffs Office said. "We encourage anyone with information, including cellphone or dashcam footage, to contact the Alameda County Sheriffs Office tip line at 510-667-3622."

Detectives are asking anyone who may have dashcam or cellphone video from the area around Wilbeam and Norbridge avenues, near the Castro Valley BART station, to come forward.

Elola, a pumpkin patch and Christmas tree lot operator, was described by family members as the heart of their large, close-knit household.

His son wrote in a Facebook post, "For those of you who are not aware, my father Jason Elola was tragically killed this past weekend. My father was the best man, best father, grandfather, friend and husband. He will be missed deeply by his nine kids, four grandkids and wife.

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"My dad taught us all how to love, be compassionate, and selfless. His legacy will live on forever."

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A verified GoFundMe page created by the family calls Elola "the heart of our family  a kind, generous, and loving man who brought laughter and warmth wherever he went."

"Jason was the friend and brother you could always count on, always ready to help anyone in need and put others before himself," the post said. "Jason was everything to everyone, and his absence is deeply felt by all who knew him."





Original article source: Protector father of nine slain after minor crash spirals into deadly road rage clash
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who was once one of President Donald Trumps most vocal supporters, said Saturday that shes facing threats after the president criticized her on social media.

I am now being contacted by private security firms with warnings for my safety as a hot bed of threats against me are being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world. The man I supported and helped get elected, Greene wrote on X on Saturday.

As a Republican, who overwhelmingly votes for President Trumps bills and agenda, his aggression against me which also fuels the venomous nature of his radical internet trolls (many of whom are paid), this is completely shocking to everyone, the congresswoman added in her post.

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Greenes revelation comes after Trump attacked the congresswoman in post on social media and rescinded his endorsement of her, calling her wacky and accusing her of complaining too much. The president also suggested he could back a primary challenger against her.

The White House and the U.S. Capitol Police didnt immediately respond to requests for comment on Greenes social media posts.

The Capitol Police have said that the rate of threats against politicians  including members of Congress  has risen in recent years.

In a 2024 report, the agency said that the number of threat assessment cases has climbed for the second year in a row, citing investigations of 9,474 concerning statements and direct threats against congressional lawmakers. Members of Congress have also expressed concerns about their safety overall following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

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Trump on Saturday morning posted multiple times on his Truth Social account about Greene, who has become increasingly critical of the president in recent weeks.

In one post, the president said Greene betrayed her party with her criticism, and in another, Trump called Greene a traitor and a disgrace to the Republican Party.

In recent weeks, Greene has broken with her party and the president, most recently criticizing him for focusing too much on foreign issues and calling for him to make his America First agenda a priority.

During the federal government shutdown, which stretched from the beginning of October into November, Greene publicly broke with her party and Speaker Mike Johnson on health care, accusing GOP leaders of having no solution for Americans facing rising health care costs.

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In recent days, Greene and three other Republican House lawmakers faced pressure from the White House to remove their names from a House petition that will force a floor vote on a measure calling for the Justice Department to release files it has related to Jeffrey Epstein.

Greene has doubled down on her support for releasing the files, writing in her social media post about the new threats shes receiving: I now have a small understanding of the fear and pressure the women, who are victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his cabal, must feel.

In a separate post, from her personal account, Greene said her stance on the Epstein files is one of the reasons for Trumps attacks.

She added, It really makes you wonder what is in those files and who and what country is putting so much pressure on him? I forgive him and I will pray for him to return to his original MAGA promises.

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Earlier this week, lawmakers on the House Oversight and Reform Committee released a trove of Epstein-related documents, including emails from Epstein where he often references Trump. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has never been charged with any criminal activity related to the case.

In a post on Truth Social Wednesday, Trump accused Democrats of using the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax to try and deflect from their massive failures.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Individuals named Eadward are typically perceived as possessing a strong sense of responsibility and protective nature, living up to the name's meaning of 'guardian.' They often exhibit traditional values, reliability, and a calm, steady demeanor that inspires confidence in others. Eadwards tend to be methodical thinkers who approach challenges with careful consideration rather than impulsivity. Their protective instincts extend beyond physical safety to emotional and financial security, making them dependable partners and community members. While sometimes perceived as reserved or conservative, this stems from their thoughtful nature rather than aloofness. They value stability and continuity, often serving as pillars in their families and communities. Their combination of practical wisdom and inherent guardianship makes them natural leaders who prioritize the well-being of those in their care. In social settings, Eadwards are often the steadying influence in groups, providing counsel and support without seeking attention. They typically demonstrate loyalty to their principles and commitments, showing particular strength in maintaining traditions and honoring obligations. Their approach to life is characterized by a blend of pragmatic realism and deep-seated idealism, creating individuals who both understand worldly realities and strive for higher moral standards.
Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., one of two congressional lawmakers leading the push for the Trump administration to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, said Sunday that the effort is not about Donald Trump and called on the president to meet with survivors of Epsteins abuse.

What were asking for is justice for the survivors, Khanna told NBC News Meet the Press. So, its not about Donald Trump. I dont even know how involved Trump was. There are a lot of other people who are involved who have to be held accountable.

Khanna said many of the survivors who have spoken publicly about their experiences with Epstein will be in Washington on Tuesday and that they would ask Trump to meet with them.

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The California congressman successfully partnered with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., on a petition calling on the Justice Department to release any documents it has related to Epstein. Last week, the petition reached 218 signatures, which will force a vote on the measure on the House floor.

On Sunday, in a separate interview on ABC's "This Week," Massie agreed with Khanna, saying, "Ive never said that these files will implicate Donald Trump, and I really dont think that they will."

Trump last week called efforts to release the Epstein files a hoax, writing in a post on Truth Social, The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because theyll do anything at all to deflect on how badly theyve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects. Only a very bad, or stupid, Republican would fall into that trap.

He added in another post on Wednesday, In other words, the Democrats are using the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax to try and deflect from their massive failures, in particular, their most recent one  THE SHUTDOWN!

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On Sunday, the White House doubled down on calling the effort to release the Epstein files a "hoax" and a "distraction."

The Epstein files grabbed additional headlines last week after lawmakers on the House Oversight committee released 20,000 pages of emails and documents from Epsteins estate.

The presidents name appeared frequently in the emails, but Epstein did not, in these files, accuse him of any wrongdoing or illegal activity.

These emails prove absolutely nothing other than the fact that President Trump did nothing wrong, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House on Wednesday.

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Khanna added Sunday that releasing files related to Epstein could be a political win for the president.

If you gave me a choice, Id rather the president reverse course. Id rather he released all these files, the California congressman said. Someone was saying that his numbers would go up. I dont care if he gets the political win.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who appeared later on Meet the Press, called Khannas efforts to release the Epstein files an attempt by the Democrats to make Trump a lame duck president.

I think theres a lot more important things to talk about right now to get the country back on track, he added.

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Barrasso also declined to commit to holding a vote in the Senate on releasing the Epstein files, simply saying that he and Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will take a look at it.

Khanna noted that Trump spent time this week trying to convince several GOP House lawmakers who joined all House Democrats in signing the petition to remove their names.

Its basically Massie and me versus the White House, he said.

Several of the lawmakers whom Trump pushed to remove their names from the petition were vocal this week in their refusal to do so.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.  whose feud with Trump escalated over the weekend  on Saturday wrote in a post on X, It really makes you wonder what is in those files and who and what country is putting so much pressure on him?

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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., also kept her name on the petition. She wrote in a post on X on Wednesday, I signed the discharge petition. I was one of four Republicans to do so. I stand with all survivors.

Greene clarified Sunday that, like Khanna and Massie, she didn't believe Trump would be implicated of wrongdoing if the Epstein files are released.

"Well, I think thats the part that has so many people confused, that the women themselves that I have talked to have over and over again said that Donald Trump did nothing wrong," Greene said, referring to the survivors of Epstein's abuse.

She added that she'd like to see them meet with Trump, as well.

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"Quite a few of them even told me they voted for him, and those are the women I would like to see in the Oval Office with support," Greene added. "I would like to see all of the women there with support."

Massie said Sunday that "I think we could have a deluge of Republicans" to vote on the measure this week, even more than the number who signed onto the petition.

"There could be 100 or more. Im hoping to get a veto-proof majority on this legislation when it comes up for a vote, he added.

He spoke directly to his Republican colleagues, too, saying, "Donald Trump can protect you in red districts right now by giving you an endorsement but in 2030 he's not going to be the president, and you will have voted to protect pedophiles if you don't vote to release these files."

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"The record of this vote will last longer than Donald Trump's presidency," he added.

Khanna again pointed to the popularity nationwide of pushing to release files, saying that Trump is losing his MAGA base on this.

The reason hes losing it is he ran saying, Theres a corrupt governing elite that has shafted you, that This is the Epstein class versus forgotten Americans, and Im going to stand up for forgotten Americans, Khanna said. Hes forgotten those forgotten Americans, and we are saying that we are going to stand up for survivors, for Americas kids and were going to hold this class accountable.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Some conservatives condemned President Donald Trumps personal attack on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) Friday after the president  whos been married three times himself  criticized Massie for remarrying after the death of his first wife.

Massie announced last week that he had been legally married to his wife, Carolyn Grace Moffa, since October. His first wife, Massies high school sweetheart Rhonda Howard Massie, died in June 2024.

I have four adult children, who are all married to wonderful people, and three grandchildren from my blessed 31 year marriage to Rhonda who I still miss every day, Massie wrote in a post announcing his marriage to Moffa.

Carolyn and I would like to announce our recent marriage!



We were legally married in Kentucky on October 19th by the pastor of the church we have been attending for several months. This weekend we celebrated with close friends and family at a Christian wedding ceremony in pic.twitter.com/7fmikl7li3  Thomas Massie for Congress (@MassieforKY) November 3, 2025

Trump took a jab at Massies marriage Friday night on Truth Social.

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Did Thomas Massie, sometimes referred to as Rand Paul Jr., because of the fact that he always votes against the Republican Party, get married already??? Boy, that was quick!, Trump wrote.

Donald Trump slammed Thomas Massie for remarrying after his first wife died. Truth Social

No wonder the Polls have him at less than an 8% chance of winning the Election. Anyway, have a great life Thomas and (?). His wife will soon find out that shes stuck with a LOSER! he continued.

The thrice-married Trump reportedly had an affair with model Marla Maples while married to Ivana Trump, and allegedly had another with adult film actress Stormy Daniels while married to Melania Trump.

Politics: Trump Gets A Blunt Reminder After Rant About 'Sick' And 'Deranged' People

The two Republicans have been feuding in recent days over files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump lashed out at those he called stupid Republicans, including Massie, for joining a petition to force a vote on the release of those files.

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Several conservative voices have spoken up for Massie and against Trumps brazen marriage commentary.

The presidents former senior legal advisor, Jenna Ellis, denounced Trumps attack Saturday on X, saying some things are still sacred and should still be beyond this kind of political mud-slinging.

I know personally from my friendship of more than a decade with Massie how incredibly difficult it was to find himself suddenly a widower and losing his best friend. I have prayed for him every day, Ellis wrote.

Thomas Massies beloved wife Rhonda passed away unexpectedly in June 2024. They were married 31 years.



I know personally from my friendship of more a decade with Massie how incredibly difficult it was to find himself suddenly a widower and losing his best friend. I have prayed https://t.co/8WxdqB7RCp  Jenna Ellis  (@realJennaEllis) November 15, 2025

Conservative X commentator account ThePatrioticBlonde sarcastically said how presidential.

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Outspoken Trump critic and former Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R) said the attack is beyond the pale and pure evil.

News: Trump's Republican Party Insists There's No Affordability Crisis And Dismisses Election Losses

Massie and I werent very close but hes a good man and I wish the best. Trump is evil to the core, Kinzinger said.

Right-wing commentator Evan Kilgore called Trumps attack disgusting, later adding that was low, even for President Trump.

This is low, even for President Trump.



I stand with Thomas Massie. https://t.co/mGGQjsUKUZ  Evan Kilgore  (@EvanAKilgore) November 15, 2025









Related...

Read the original on HuffPost
Whoever thought a traditional utility company and a bunch of climate activists could actually agree on something, let alone build it?

In Framingham, Massachusetts, that unlikely team has created something pretty cool: a neighborhood heating and cooling system powered by the Earth itself.

As PBS NewsHour reported, it's a first-in-the-nation project that delivers cleaner comfort and even saves folks money.

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The magic is networked geothermal. Forget drilling a pricey well for every single house. This setup uses a one-mile loop of underground pipes connecting about three dozen homes and town buildings to shared boreholes, according to PBS NewsHour.

These pipes tap into the ground's super-stable temperature  always around 55 degrees Fahrenheit, year-round, at the depths used.

So, how does that heat your house in winter? The International Renewable Energy Agency explained that geothermal simply extracts heat from below ground. Fluid circulates in those shared pipes, soaking up the Earth's warmth when it's cold out or dumping excess heat when it's hot.

This fluid then feeds into electric heat pumps in each building. Heat pumps are already smart movers of heat. Tying them into that steady 55-degree network means they work way less hard than battling freezing or scorching outside air, saving a bunch of electricity.

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Just ask Carol Canova, a retired teacher in the pilot program.

"I'd never been in a house that every place in the house was the same temperature," she told PBS NewsHour.

She worried about electric bills but found "it's overall cheaper" than gas. Getting the system installed for free felt incredible.

Do you think all new homes should use heat pump technology? Definitely Let each state decide Let homeowners decide No way Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"When Eversource offered it, I thought, you know what, this is like winning the lottery," Canova said.

This whole idea actually bubbled up from the activists. PBS NewsHour detailed how the nonprofit Home Energy Efficiency Team was initially focused on fixing ancient, leaky gas pipes. Then came the light bulb moment: Why not swap leaky gas lines for pipes filled with Earth-warmed water?

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HEET director Zeybeb Magavi pitched the concept of gas companies becoming "thermal utilities" to the local provider, Eversource. Facing state climate goals, the utility agreed to the pilot.

It's a smart way to use a reliable, clean energy source. IRENA noted geothermal's low cost and 24/7 reliability  a big plus compared to sun or wind power. Because nothing's burning, it avoids air pollution that harms our health. This networked idea isn't the only geothermal innovation happening.

Companies like Sage Geosystems are cleverly using old oil wells and drilling tech for clean power, even exploring energy storage for the Pentagon at Fort Bliss in Texas.

Another company, Rodatherm, is testing a closed-loop system in Utah that skips fracking and groundwater use altogether.

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In Framingham, the project is working so well that PBS NewsHour reported plans are set to double its size next year. It's proof that clean, affordable comfort might just be waiting right under our neighborhoods.

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
East Charlotte is one of the most diverse parts of the city, and residents knew that it would not take long for the Border Patrol to visit.

ALSO READ: Daily Update: Border Patrol in Charlotte, Nov. 15

Scenes like the one in the video above were repeated all over Charlotte, but the most aggressive action occurred in east Charlotte.

In my mind, Im like, its too early in the morning. Why is he running? said Jonathan Martinez, a resident.

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Martinez is a lifelong east Charlotte resident. Video he shot shows Border Patrol taking someone into custody along Central Avenue.

He also looked across the street at a tire shop and noticed agents pull into the parking lot there.

I see a guy running from the tire shop being chased by two other guys with Border Patrol uniforms and taking him down to the ground, he said.

Workers in the Tacos El Nevado Mexican restaurant were surprised when out of nowhere agents drove up on two men who had just gotten off a CATS bus. In a video, you can see the men take off running.

We were just speechless, a witness said. We were in shock looking at what we were witnessing at that moment. It was a moment for all of us, nobody was saying anything.

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Video shows one of the men being detained.

While some in the community welcome this kind of enforcement action, others are terrified by it.

First of all, I feel very, very sad because we have a lot of fear right not, the witness said. We cannot live a normal life.

Im like, this is not right, Martinez said. First thing in the morning, people are going to work. The guy at the tire shop is making a living, hes not hurting nobody.

So far there havent been any reports of any major clashes. We can tell you that some agents have been cussed out, but that is the extent of it as far as we know.

VIDEO: Charlotte organizers considering peaceful protests ahead of Customs and Border Protection rollout
Nov. 16ROCHESTER  The Rochester City Council will consider local landmark status for Central Park on Monday, four months after asking the city's Heritage Preservation Commission to prioritize a review of the site.

The commission voted unanimously last month to recommend the city's oldest community park be deemed an official landmark, which means it would require an added layer of local review if significant changes are proposed in the future.

"If visitors are made aware of what this was in our history, I think for sure it qualifies (for landmark status)," commission member David Dobmeyer said, citing the park's historic location and history as a gathering space.

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The one-block park between First and Second avenues and Second and Third streets in northwest Rochester was created following a 1856 donation of 1.6 acres by William D. Lowry, an early lumber baron. It was designed as a public square with a picnic pavilion, a band shell, fountain and horseshoe pits.

Rochester's Heritage Preservation and Urban Design Coordinator Molly Patterson-Lungren pointed out it took more than two decades for the park to emerge as a key location for civic events and community gatherings, but it remained a key Rochester centerpiece until at least 1906.

"It really seems to have a lot of activity during that period," she said, noting some activity shifted to a new park  Mayo Park  in the following decades, but Central Park remained unchanged until 1945.

With that, she is recommending the park's defined period of historical significance be set at 1856 to 1945.

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"The period of significance doesn't mean the park is past its usefulness," she said, noting the period is simply used to gauge its place in the city's history.

While city staff and the local commission agree the park should be deemed a landmark, a Minnesota State Historic Preservation Office review has raised questions.

"Through the years Central Park has been used by residents for various purposes, including passive and active recreation, musical events, social gatherings, political rallies and more," Historic Preservation Specialist Michael Koop wrote in a review of the park. "Recent changes within the park have unfortunately resulted in the overall historical and physical integrity of the parcel being compromised."

While the city is required to seek a state review, Patterson-Lungren said the findings don't limit the city's actions, since the local ordinance allows the City Council to make the final decision.

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Heritage Preservation Commission members said they believe the status is merited, in spite of changes, which include the 1972 addition of the 1875 home of Timothy and Eliza Whiting, also known as Heritage House after the building was moved from its original site.

Other changes include a 1946 as a pumphouse, which was converted into restrooms in 1987; a 1984 gazebo; and 2004 fountain, as well as a variety of other small park features.

While Koop raised the updates as a threat to historic integrity, Patterson-Lungren disagreed.

"The buildings and structures and objects are small enough, and designed in such a way, that they actually don't have a strong impact in terms of the feeling and association with the park," she said. "That's my opinion."

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Commission members agreed, pointing to the site's local importance as a public park.

History Center of Olmsted County Executive Director Valerie Wassmer, who serves as a non-voting member of the Heritage Preservation Commission, said the changes help mark periods of history.

"That's all reflective of the time, and as the city increases in size with the Mayo Clinic and the opening of Mayo Park, the fact that this falls into a little bit of disrepair is reflective of the time," she said. "It's what's happening at the time."

She said future changes either related to city changes or were efforts to preserve local history.

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Another addition to the park is planned, which helped spur the landmark review.

Plans call for adding a statue of Amelia Witherstine, who was elected to the Rochester School Board in 1911, making her the city's first female resident elected to public office.

Rochester Mayor Kim Norton suggested a review of the park in an effort to add a layer of protection from development pressures before the statue is erected.

"What I don't want to do is invest the time and money of putting an $80,000 statue in the park and then have the park be torn down for a building," she told the City Council in July, citing the community fundraising that funded the statue's creation.

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The park's potential landmark designation will be the subject of a public hearing during the council's meeting at 6 p.m. Monday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE.

Other planned public hearings are related to:

* A proposed 4% annual service charge increase for properties in the Downtown Special Service District. The combined collection from downtown property owners will provide $409,000 to help fund services provided by the Rochester Downtown Association.

* Assessments for unpaid weed and snow removal fees, as well as unpaid utility charges.

* A requested a 66-foot-wide public right-of-way, approximately 450 feet in length, near Olmsted Medical Center's hospital 1650 Fourth St. SE.

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* Proposed changes to the city's growth management map.

Meetings scheduled to be held during the week of Nov. 17 include:

Rochester

City Council, 6 p.m. Monday in council chambers of the city-county Government Center, 151 Fourth St. SE. The meeting will livestream on the city's YouTube channel, and be available on Spectrum cable channel 180 or 188.

Fire Civil Service Commission, 3:15 p.m. Tuesday in room 104 in City Hall, 201 Fourth St. SE.

Library Board, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the auditorium of the Rochester Public Library, 101 Second St. SE.

Olmsted County

Board of County Commissioners committee of the whole on legislative priorities, 11 a.m. Tuesday in the board chambers of the Government Center.

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Physical Development Committee, 1 p.m. Tuesday in conference room 1 of the Government Center.

Health, Housing and Human Services Committee, 2:30 p.m. Tuesday in conference room 2 of the Government Center.

Administrative Committee, 4 p.m. Tuesday in conference room 1 of the Government Center.

Board of County Commissioners, 6 p.m. Tuesday in the board chambers of the Government Center.

Soil and Water Conservation District Board, 8 a.m. Thursday in conference room 109 at 1188 50th St. SE Rochester

Rochester Public Schools

School Board special session on comprehensive achievement and civic readiness, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the boardroom of the Edison Building, 615 Seventh St. SW.

School Board, following the special session Tuesday in the boardroom of the Edison Building.
Overnight Russian drone attacks damaged residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, including a solar power plant in the Odessa region, authorities said on Sunday.

Russia deployed an Iskander missile and 176 drones, the Ukrainian Air Force announced, noting that it either shot down or disabled 139 drones with radio jamming. The remaining 37 hit at 14 different locations, it said.

The north-eastern Sumy region was hit hard, with an 86-year-old woman injured and civilian infrastructure damaged by Russian attacks, the regional civil protection agency said. Air raid sirens sounded for a good 18 hours within the last 24 hours in the region.

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The southern region of Odessa was also affected as Russian forces once again targeted energy infrastructure, Governor Oleh Kiper said.

A solar power plant was damaged, he wrote on Telegram. Pictures showed a large number of fallen, shattered and perforated solar panels.

Since the start of the war in February 2022, Russia has been systematically attacking its neighbour's civilian infrastructure.

Moscow justifies the tactic by saying that the electricity generated in energy plants is used by the Ukrainian arms industry.

Ukrainians are suffering greatly from frequent power cuts, and in some cases water supplies and heating are also failing.

Kiev is now also targeting the Russian energy industry, primarily to disrupt the military's fuel supply. However, the damage is disproportionate to the extent of destruction caused by Russia.
Despite being known as one of the most formidable apex predators on the planet, great white sharks appear to be getting overmatched by killer whales off the coast of Mexico. Scientists are now considering how the development could cause untold damage to the region's marine ecosystem.

What's happening?

As reported by The New York Times, juvenile great white sharks appear to be under attack from orcas in the Gulf of California. Until recently, most known interactions between the two species have involved large white sharks that orcas have targeted for their large, fatty livers.

However, scientists are now observing an increase in more surprising events. Killer whale attacks on young white sharks are on the rise. While not unheard of, these attacks are something that have been primarily recorded off the coast of South Africa.

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In a study first published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, the team of researchers used drone footage to show that killer whales employed similar, deliberate tactics during each attack, likely to paralyze the juvenile sharks, which makes it easier for them to eat their livers.

"Orcas are hunting machines," said Erick Higuera, a marine biologist and co-author of the study in an interview with NewScientist. "They are like snipers  they use specific hunting strategies, very specific ones depending on their prey."

Why are orca attacks on juvenile white sharks important?

Perhaps more surprisingly, after removing the sharks' livers, the whales shared them among pod members, including calves. Further analysis suggested that the attacking whales belong to a pod already known in this area, which may specialize in hunting sharks.

"The same organ is targeted, but the techniques differ," said Alison Towner, a marine biologist at Rhodes University.

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Killer whales hunting and killing juvenile white sharks can present a significant shift in the region's marine ecosystem. This can cause great whites to avoid areas where orcas hunt, which could result in a substantial increase in the populations of the sharks' prey, creating a ripple effect.

This disruption can lead to other marine animals becoming more abundant. While they may sound like good news, the removal of an apex predator like great white sharks can lead to the imbalance of the entire food web. This could have devastating impacts on populations of vulnerable species reliant on limited food sources. Over time, this could lead to economic losses for the fishing industry.

What could be causing the increase in orca attacks on great white sharks?

Taylor Chapple, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University, described the reason behind the orca's taste for great white shark livers. "It's the only thing that's really worth it for their time," said Chapple. "It's sort of like they're going for the cheeseburger surrounded by a bunch of celery."

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Rising global temperatures could also be triggering a devastating chain of events for juvenile white sharks. Warmer ocean waters may be forcing young white sharks to migrate northward along coastlines as they seek their preferred temperature range. Unlike adult great white sharks, juvenile sharks lack the body mass to maintain their body temperature in colder water, making them dependent on finding suitable habitats.

"Once they've encountered orcas and survived, they tend to avoid those coastal areas altogether," Towner said of white sharks. However, juvenile sharks may lack the instinct to avoid regions populated by Orcas as they seek warmer waters.


The search for a Royal Navy crew member missing off the north-west coast of Ireland has been called off, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Tidesurge crew member was last seen at around 10.30pm on Friday.

A large-scale, multi-agency search took place in the sea between Tory Island, Co Donegal, and Eagle Island, Co Mayo. No further details have been released about the crew member, whose family has requested privacy.

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On Sunday, John Healey, the Defence Secretary, said: After an extensive search, it is with deep sadness that we confirm the missing crew member of RFA Tidesurge has not been found. My thoughts are with their family during this tragic time, as well as their fellow crew members.

I am hugely grateful to the Irish authorities, the RNLI, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy, who have responded rapidly to this incident and have worked tirelessly on the search.

The Irish Coast Guard received a distress call from a UK naval support vessel before 9am on Saturday. The search and rescue operation was launched immediately after the service person was declared missing.

Investigation is now under way

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: After an extensive search for a missing crew member of a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships company, the individual has not been found, and the search has now ended.

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The individuals family have been informed, and an investigation is now under way into the incident. No other individuals have been harmed or reported missing.

The Irish Coast Guard, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, RNLI and Irish authorities were involved in the search, which was co-ordinated by the Irish Coast Guard maritime rescue sub centre at Malin.

The search from the air was carried out by the Coast Guards fixed-wing plane Rescue 120F, based at Shannon airport, Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118, based at Sligo, and the Irish Air Corps plane, CASA 284, Irelands Department of Transport previously said.

There was also a search co-ordinated at sea by the UK naval support vessel and RNLI all-weather lifeboats based at Ballyglass, Arranmore Island and Lough Swilly.

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A UK-based airline is taking on flight routes that were cancelled after a Channel Islands company suspended all its operations.

Blue Islands confirmed on Friday it had suspended trading and cancelled all future flights to destinations including Jersey, Guernsey, Exeter, Bristol and Southampton. Advice has been issued for passengers affected by the collapse.

Airlines Aurigny and Loganair stepped in to offer "rescue flights" for Blue Islands passengers after the company's collapse, with Guernsey-based Aurigny's first flights on Saturday.

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Two Loganair planes arrived in Jersey just after 14:00 GMT, Ports of Jersey said, to begin replacement flights.

The Government of Jersey said it had paid contingency costs to secure Loganair's replacement services but would not confirm the amount agreed.

CEO Luke Farajallah said the airline wanted to "ramp up to a full schedule" by March following the initial rescue flights.

Special rescue fares will begin from Sunday for the following routes:

Jersey to Guernsey

Jersey to Exeter

Jersey to Bristol

Jersey to Southampton

Loganair said it was working on providing a service from Guernsey to Southampton, but as the route has to be licensed it was currently subject to States of Guernsey approval.

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On Saturday evening Deputy Sasha Kazantseva-Miller, President of the Committee for Economic Development, said: "We designate some air routes as essential so that it allows us to have direct involvement in who operates it, and therefore the standard of service on that route.

"We are aware that Loganair has put this route on its website, albeit customers cannot currently book it - we have contacted Loganair to clarify that a licence is needed to operate the route and it does not currently have one."

Airline Aurigny has stepped in to offer "rescue flights" for affected Blue Islands passengers [BBC]

Aurigny has released a schedule of flights connecting Guernsey with Jersey and Southampton until 17 December and intends to offer an inter-island service in the long-term.

Deputy Mark Helyar, President of the States' Trading Supervisory Board, said Aurigny had the existing licence to take on the Guernsey to Southampton route if needed.

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He said: "We are acutely aware of the importance of the Southampton route to our community, particularly around travel for off-island medical appointments.

"I'm aware of some speculation that Aurigny does not have the capacity to fulfil this route, but that is simply not true - we have been in close contact with Aurigny on this and it has confirmed the capacity is there."

Deputy Helyar said he hoped islanders were reassured the Southampton service would "continue to be served in the wake of the cessation of Blue Islands services".

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New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen defended her vote to end the record-breaking government shutdown after a congressional candidate heckled her at a state Democratic Party event.

Video from the New Hampshire Democratic Party's Eleanor Roosevelt Dinner on Nov. 14 shows Shaheen saying that "nobody wants to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits more than me."

A voice, identified by Manchester ABC affiliate WMUR as New Hampshire state representative Heath Howard, interrupts asking, "then why did you vote for it?" referring to the shutdown ending deal.

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Howard's interruption is representative of the backlash the eight senators and Democratic party leadership have faced from a wide swath of its base, which views ending the shutdown as a capitulation to Republicans.

"You look at our record, and you tell me what you've done to protect the healthcare of Americans, and it's not even close to what we've done," Shaheen angrily responded, which drew applause from the audience.

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, speaks to members of the media at the U.S. Capitol on the third day of a partial government shutdown, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 3, 2025.

New poll: Which party do Americans think won government shutdown negotiations?

The shutdown, which lasted 43 days, centered primarily around extensions to Affordable Care Act subsidies for about 24 million Americans who buy insurance through marketplaces. Seven Democratic senators and one independent exchanged votes to end the shutdown for a promise from Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD, to vote on extending the subsidies in mid-December.

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Howard, who is running for the state's first congressional district and currently serves as the Vice Chair of the House Progressive Caucus in the New Hampshire legislature, called Shaheen's response "childish" and "unbecoming of a senior senator."

"She talked a lot about her record and her experience, and I appreciate that. But it doesn't matter at the end of the day, what you have done in the past, if you erase all of those victories with one vote," Howard told WMUR.

Howard suffered a L4 burst fracture in his back that nearly left him paralyzed when he was 15, according to his campaign website, which led to his advocacy on healthcare. "This is my life. This is extremely personal to me," he said.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson after signing the bill package to re-open the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Nov. 12, 2025. Congress on Wednesday ended the longest government shutdown in US history, 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a Senate-passed package that will reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats fume over what they see as a capitulation by party leaders. President Donald Trump signs the funding bill to end the U.S. government shutdown, at the White House in Washington, DC on Nov. 12, 2025. President Donald Trump signs funding legislation to reopen the federal government as he is joined by House Minority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Republican lawmakers and business leaders, during a ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington, DC. The legislation, passed by the House tonight, funds the federal government until the end of January 2026 and ends the 43-day government shutdown, the longest in the nationOs history. House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to the media in Statuary Hall after the House voted 222-209 to pass the Senate's funding deal, with 216 Republicans and six Democrats supporting the bill, and two Republicans and 207 Democrats opposed, after 43 days of shuttered government and unpaid federal workers, on Wednesday, Nov.12, 2025. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) holds a news conference after the House passed funding legislation to reopen the federal government, at the Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House voted 222-209 to approve Senate-passed legislation that funds the government through the end of January 2026, reopening the government and ending the 43-day shutdown, the longest in American history. House Speaker Mike Johnson arriving to speak to the media in Statuary Hall after the House voted 222-209 to pass the Senate's funding deal, with 216 Republicans and six Democrats supporting the bill, and two Republicans and 207 Democrats opposed, after 43 days of shuttered government and unpaid federal workers, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, walks from the House floor with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), left, to speak with the media in Statuary Hall immediately after the House voted 222-209 to pass the Senate's funding deal, with 216 Republicans and six Democrats supporting the bill, and two Republicans and 207 Democrats opposed, after 43 days of shuttered government and unpaid federal workers, on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. U.S. Representative Victoria Spartz arrives during a series of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov.12, 2025. U.S. Representative and New Jersey Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill gives a television interview during a series of votes in the U.S. House of Representatives that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov.12, 2025. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) (2nd-L) walks to the House Chamber on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Senate-passed legislation that funds the government through the end of January 2026, reopening the government and ending the 43-day shutdown, the longest in American history. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) (L) speaks to the media as he exits the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on Senate-passed legislation that funds the government through the end of January 2026, reopening the government and ending the 43-day shutdown, the longest in American history. House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, speaking with Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) after a ceremonial swearing of at the United States Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, following the official swearing in on the House floor on Wednesday, Nov. 11. 2025. U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) walks surrounded by the media, as members of the U.S. House of Representatives returned to Washington after a 53-day break, for a vote that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov. 12, 2025. House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) talks on the phone, as members of the U.S. House of Representatives returned to Washington after a 53-day break, for a vote that could bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on Nov. 12, 2025. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives, right, stands with members as Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries leads a press conference on the House Steps at the United States Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, as members return after a 54-day break, before House lawmakers take up legislation that would end the longest government shutdown in American history and vote on the Senate-passed spending deal. Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries leads a press conference on the House Steps at the United States Capitol on Nov. 12, 2025, as members return after a 54-day break, before House lawmakers take up legislation that would end the longest government shutdown in American history and vote on the Senate-passed spending deal Congress passes deal to end longest government shutdown in US history 1 of 16 President Donald Trump shakes hands with the Speaker of the House Mike Johnson after signing the bill package to re-open the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Nov. 12, 2025. Congress on Wednesday ended the longest government shutdown in US history, 43 days that paralyzed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game. The Republican-led House of Representatives voted largely along party lines to approve a Senate-passed package that will reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats fume over what they see as a capitulation by party leaders.

Shutdown scars: SNAP recipients feel 'betrayed' and 'judged' amid government shutdown cuts

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In her speech, Shaheen said that Democrats should aim its ire at those on the other side of the aisle.

"We need as a party to stay laser focused on health care and to remind voters who's really to blame for this mess that we're in, because it's not Democrats. It is Donald Trump, and it is Speaker Johnson  and the Republican majorities in the House and Senate," Shaheen said.

Shaheen was criticized by her daughter, Stefany Shaheen, for the shutdown ending vote. The younger Shaheen, who is also running for a congressional seat from New Hampshire, wrote in a statement posted to social media on Nov. 9 that the deal "means more people will be uninsured, unable to see a doctor in times of need and risk bankruptcy due to a diagnosis."

USA TODAY has reached out to both Howard and Shaheen for further comment and did not receive an immediate response.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jeanne Shaheen heckled at NH Dem. event, defends ending shutdown
The name Ecgfrith suggests a personality characterized by strength, protection, and leadership with a strong sense of historical consciousness. Bearers of this name are often perceived as natural leaders who combine strategic thinking with practical action. They typically exhibit a protective nature, feeling responsible for the wellbeing of those in their care, much like the warrior-kings of old who were expected to defend their people. The 'sword' element of the name indicates decisiveness and the ability to confront challenges directly, while the 'peace' component suggests a deeper desire for harmony and stability. Ecgfriths often possess a traditional outlook tempered by innovative problem-solving skills, making them effective in roles that require both respect for established ways and adaptability to new circumstances. They tend to carry themselves with a certain gravitas, aware of the historical weight their name carries, and often feel driven by purposes larger than personal ambition. While they can be formidable when their principles are challenged, they generally prefer to maintain peace through strength rather than conflict for its own sake.
On Thursday morning, a chartered plane carrying 153 Palestinians from war-torn Gaza  many without the required travel documents  landed at an airport near Johannesburg, leaving South African officials blindsided.

After nearly 12 hours of scrambling, the group was allowed to disembark into the care of a local charity organisation.

More details have emerged about the scheme run by Al-Majd Europe, through which activists argue Israel is advancing its ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Gaza.

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The Palestinian passengers were charged a hefty sum of money by the organisation, which says on its website that it coordinates evacuations from conflict zones.

Here is everything we know about the groups transit so far and whos behind Al-Majd Europe.

What happened in South Africa?

The plane full of people sat on a runway for nearly 12 hours while South African authorities tried to figure out why they did not have exit stamps or slips from when they left Gaza, according to officials from South Africas border agency.

They were also not sure when asked by immigration where they would stay or how long they planned to be in South Africa.

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The government allowed them to leave the plane after the charity organisation Gift of the Givers offered to accommodate them.

Officials said 23 Palestinians flew to other countries, without adding any more details.

These are people from Gaza who somehow mysteriously were put on a plane that passed by Nairobi and came here, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Friday.

He added that it does seem like they were being flushed out of Gaza. South Africas intelligence services are investigating the incident.





What is the company that flew them to South Africa?

Behind the flight is Al-Majd Europe, which is accused of acting in coordination with Israeli authorities.

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The Israeli Haaretz newspaper reported on Sunday that the organisation is led by a dual Israeli-Estonian national named Tomer Janar Lind. The daily said that Lind worked with a unit in the Israeli military charged with the forced transfer of Palestinians from Gaza to facilitate several such flights.

This unit, which is named the Voluntary Emigration Bureau, was set up in early 2025 under the Israeli Ministry of Defence to enact a policy of pushing out Palestinians from their homeland.

According to the Haaretz report, Lind does not deny arranging flights for Palestinians but refused to divulge more information.

This is not at all a random event, said Oroub el-Abed, associate professor in international migration and refugee studies at Birzeit University in Ramallah.

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This is very much part of a long colonial pattern, very systematic dispossession of indigenous Palestinians that has been perpetuated by Zionist Israelis, and they want to empty the land from its indigenous people, using multi-faceted approaches, she told Al Jazeera.

The Al-Majd Europe website says it was founded in 2010 in Germany, and the homepage has a pop-up warning about individuals pretending to be its agents, sharing phone numbers of legitimate representatives.

But the site itself has no address or phone number, providing just a location in Sheikh Jarrah in occupied East Jerusalem. However, Al Jazeera was not able to find an office there.

The website domain, almajdeurope.org, was only registered in February this year, while several links on the site lead nowhere. The email listed, info@almajdeurope.org, bounces back an automated message saying it does not exist.

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Namecheap, which registered the domain, has been cited in several cybersecurity reports on online fraud because of its low-cost, easy sign-up process.

Al Jazeera has also learned that many people were told to pay via bank transfers to personal, not organisational, accounts.





Does Al-Majd Europe do what it says it does?

Among the links that work is a page with four Impact Stories.

One post about Mona, a 29-year-old from Aleppo, Syria, is dated March 22, 2023, even though the website was only registered 10 months ago.

The narrative, written in Monas voice, expresses gratitude to Al-Majd for moving her and her mother to a safe place when they felt threatened in Lebanon, where they fled to in 2013.

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The photo, however, shows Abeer Khayat, who was 33 when photographed by journalist Madeline Edwards in December 2024 in Tripoli, Lebanon, for Middle East Eye.

The online form reads: For Gaza residents currently inside the Gaza Strip only!

Do you aspire to travel and start a new life? We are here to help you!

Left: Al-Majds story about Mona, who it claimed to have removed from Tripoli, Lebanon, in 2023; Right: The photo is of Abeer Khayat, photographed in Tripoli for the Middle East Eye in 2024

How did people end up on that flight?

The Palestinian families, with a pregnant woman among them, boarded the plane not knowing their final destination, having paid Al-Majd $1,400 to $2,000 each  the price for children the same as adults.

Loay Abu Saif, who was on board the plane along with his wife and children, told Al Jazeera on Friday that he had heard about Al-Majd through a social media advertisement.

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Saif said he hadnt known when they would leave Gaza until a day before, when he was told passengers could only take a small bag, a mobile phone, and some cash.

They were taken by bus from southern Gazas Rafah to the Karem Abu Salem crossing (known as Kerem Shalom in Israel), where they were checked, then transferred to Israels Ramon airport, without Israeli authorities stamping their travel documents.

(Al Jazeera)

Another person interviewed by Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity said: The  applicant must [have a young] family. [Then] the names are sent for security screening. Once thats completed, and if the family is approved, theyre asked to pay, he said.

There had been prior coordination with the Israeli army for the buses to enter Rafah, he said. The process was only routine.

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The group left from Ramon in a Romanian aircraft and transited through Nairobi, Kenya, before landing in Johannesburg.





Have there been similar flights before?

Haaretz, the Israeli daily, reported that there had been a similar flight on May 27. It said some 57 Palestinians from Gaza boarded buses that took them to the Ramon airport via the Karem Abu Salem crossing.

According to Haaretz, the group then boarded a Romanian chartered plane operated by Fly Lili. The plane went to Budapest, and from there they continued to Indonesia and Malaysia.

Al-Majds website also claims to have facilitated a trip for a group of doctors working in hospitals in the Gaza Strip who it flew to Indonesia for further studies and advanced medical training. However, this post is dated April 28, 2024.

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Al Jazeera could not independently verify the authenticity of this post and a photograph of the group in it.

Gift of the Givers founder Imtiaz Sooliman, who alleged that Al-Majd was one of Israels front organisations, told The Associated Press news agency that this was the second plane to arrive in South Africa.

Another plane arrived with more than 170 Palestinians on board on October 28, but that flight was not announced by authorities.

What did Palestine say?

The Palestinian embassy in South Africa said in a statement that the flight was arranged by an unregistered and misleading organization that exploited the tragic humanitarian conditions of our people in Gaza, deceived families, collected money from them, and facilitated their travel in an irregular and irresponsible manner.

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The Palestinian Authoritys Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned Palestinians, especially those in the Gaza Strip, about networks that seek to remove them from their homes in line with Israeli interests.




(Photo: Jeniffer Solis/Nevada Current)

Thousands of Nevadans lost access to federal food benefits this month when the Trump administration announced it would not tap into emergency funds to support the nations largest anti-hunger program during the federal shutdown.

Nevada lawmakers responded Saturday by unanimously passing legislation to create a state program that would temporarily support nearly 500,000 Nevadans who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the event of another shutdown.

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The bill, SB 3, establishes the Silver State General Assistance Program under the Division of Social Services which would allow the state to quickly divert general funds to cover lapses in federally funded public assistance programs.

It was the first Senate bill to make it out of both chambers of the legislature during a jam-packed special session. The bill passed unanimously in both the Senate and the Assembly, and will now head to Gov. Joe Lombardos desk for final approval.

Federal shutdowns and federal program disruptions are no longer hypothetical, said Democratic Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro during a committee hearing on the bill. I believe that this is not the first time that we will see this sort of political gamesmanship result in damage to Nevadas families, and we have to be in a position where we can respond quickly and efficiently.

Similar programs in other states allowed them to respond more quickly to the withholding of SNAP benefits by the Trump administration.

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About half of U.S. states have general assistance programs. We did not have one. We had never needed one until this crisis hit, said Robert Thompson, administrator for the Division of Social Services.

The program would only be triggered under strict conditions, including a gubernatorial declaration of an extraordinary circumstance. The state program would determine eligibility and distribute funds using data from existing means-tested public assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Debbie Reynolds, deputy chief of staff to Gov. Lombardo, emphasized the program would only provide temporary aid to supplement lapses in federal funding for public assistance programs like the one created by the record-breaking federal shutdown.

The intent of this proposal is not to create a permanent entitlement program. Its not to duplicate federal programs. Its to ensure that it has a lawful and operational bridge when federal or other aid systems fail that can be implemented quickly, Reynolds said.

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During the shutdown, the Trump administration refused to use available contingency funds set aside by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for emergencies to fund SNAP, even though those funds could have covered about half of the $8 billion needed for November benefits.

It was the first time in the programs 60-year history that contingency funds were not used to ensure that SNAP benefits continue without interruption.

Congressional lawmakers sent a letter to Lombardo urging the governor to do more to ensure Nevadans received SNAP benefits during the prolonged government shutdown, including holding a special session to use state funding to hold up the program.

The Trump administration told Nevada officials it was against federal regulations for the state to tap into the personal data from the SNAP program to provide substitute cash assistance because the state does not have an existing general cash assistance program at the state level.

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With this bill we will be able to access  for lack of a better term  our own data. We had the data, we just did not have a legal authorization to use the data, Thompson said.

Without a dedicated general assistance program the governor and legislators responded to the lapse in SNAP funding by quickly funneling nearly $40 million in emergency aid to local food banks in hopes fewer Nevadans would go hungry.

Food bank operators warned lawmakers that the charitable food sector would not have the capacity to fill the hole left by disruptions to SNAP funding. For every meal that food banks provide, SNAP provides nine.

Full funding for SNAP only returned to states after the House voted to approve a funding bill that reopened the government after 43 days. President Donald Trump signed the bill later that afternoon.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo.  The Missouri Department of Conservation is starting to collect data for a deadly disease that could be found among the states deer population.

Officials are testing deer harvested this weekend in St. Louis and St. Charles counties for Chronic Wasting Disease. For more information, click here.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2.
Starbucks is, without a doubt, the biggest coffee brand in the world. Not only does it have more than 40,000 stores globally, but it also sells products in more than one million retailers around the world. Often, the chain gets it right. It offers drinks and food items that people love and keep coming back for. Think: Pumpkin Spice Lattes and cake pops, for example.

But sometimes, Starbucks gets it really, really wrong. So wrong, in fact, that it has put people's health at risk. Over the years, several Starbucks products have posed a threat of injury or a choking hazard. And sometimes, its popular food items have even made people sick.

When something does go wrong, however, the coffee giant is usually quick to pull the impacted product from the market. Below, we've listed some of the biggest recalls in Starbucks history that must have really shaken the coffee chain.

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Read more: 10 Instant Espresso Brands, Ranked Worst To Best

Nearly half a million mugs recalled due to risk of injury

Mirrrored image of Starbucks holiday mug gift - Nestle USA

When you're cozying up with your favorite hot drink, the last thing you want is for the mug to break and put you at risk of a nasty burn. But unfortunately, that's what exactly happened to a dozen people from November 2023 to January 2024.

The individuals were using Starbucks' special metallic holiday mugs, which were produced by Nestle USA and sold in gift sets at major retailers like Target and Walmart over the festive period. Ten people reported injuries after the holiday mugs overheated or broke, with several suffering from severe burns and blisters on their hands after microwaving the mugs or filling them with hot liquid.

To prevent anyone else from risking the same injuries, a recall was issued for more than 440,000 Starbucks mugs. Anyone who had already bought or been gifted the mugs was urged not to use them for their own safety.

More than 25,000 cases of Vanilla Frappuccinos were recalled over glass contamination

Starbucks vanilla Frappuccino bottles on grocery store shelf - JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock

If you're a fan of the Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccinos, you've probably grabbed one of the bottled drinks from the grocery store at some point in your life. But if you did so in 2023, you might have been at risk of injury. In January of that year, the FDA issued a nationwide recall for more than 25,000 cases of bottled Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccinos over fears they could contain fragments of glass. That's not what you want with your morning caffeine fix.

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You might be wondering, how, exactly, does glass find its way into a bottled Frappuccino? Well, the most likely explanation is that it happens during the manufacturing process, when pieces of equipment or containers are broken.

Like with the faulty mugs, the bottled Frappuccinos were being sold at retailers like Walmart and Target. They were produced by PepsiCo, and not directly available through Starbucks' coffee shops. Fortunately, no major injuries were reported as a result of the glass contamination.

More than 250,000 cases of Doubleshot Espresso drinks were recalled because they weren't sealed properly

Mirrored image of Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso can - aperturesound/Shutterstock

Potential glass contamination isn't the only reason that PepsiCo has had to recall packaged Starbucks drinks from the market. In 2022, the food and beverage giant had to pull more than 250,000 cases of Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso & Cream, Light Doubleshot Espresso & Cream, and Salted Caramel Doubleshot Espresso & Cream from grocery stores and retailers nationwide over concerns that they hadn't been sealed properly.

Not sealing bottles correctly is a concern, as it can lead to premature spoilage. It puts customers at risk, as consuming anything that has spoiled is not advised for health reasons. The canned drinks were particularly risky, because they were all made with cream, which is prone to growing potentially harmful bacteria. Anyone who had already purchased one of the recalled espresso drinks was advised not to drink it, and instead return it to the store they bought it from for a refund.

Chicken Maple Butter Egg Sandwiches were pulled from shelves nationwide after reports they made people sick

Mirrored image of woman holding half eaten sandwich to camera - Madswellness / TikTok

In June 2022, the team at Starbucks decided it was time for something new. The coffee chain launched its first ever chicken sandwich: The Chicken Maple Butter Egg Sandwich. Many people were excited by the news, and flocked to stores for a taste test. But there was one major issue. The sandwich appeared to make some people sick.

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Just five days after its momentous launch, the Chicken Maple Butter Egg Sandwich was pulled from Starbucks coffee shops across the U.S. and employees were instructed not to sell or donate the product. Apparently, four baristas had tried the sandwich, and ended up becoming extremely ill with symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea. It wasn't just workers, either. Customers also reported on Reddit that they felt unwell after trying the sandwich.

The sandwich was later relaunched, but, if you see it now, it might be best to avoid it. Several customers have recently complained online about finding bones inside the breakfast option.

More than 230,000 coffee presses were recalled over injury risks

Mirrored image of coffee press against white background - Starbucks

The mug incident wasn't the first time that a Starbucks product had to be recalled from the market due to risk of injury. Back in 2019, around 230,000 coffee presses had to be pulled from U.S. stores because they were faulty. But that wasn't all. A further 33,200 coffee presses also had to be recalled from Canadian retailers.

The key issue with the coffee presses, which were the Bodum + Starbucks Recycled Coffee Presses, was that the knob on the end of the plunger was prone to breaking off. In fact, this actually happened several times before the product was pulled from the market. In one incident, the exposed metal rod underneath the knob actually punctured someone's skin. In a bid to keep people safe from injuries, anyone who had already purchased the recalled coffee press was urged not to use it anymore.

Breakfast sandwiches were pulled from 250 stores over Listeria fears

Mirrored image of starbucks breakfast sandwich against green background - Starbucks

Six years before the chicken sandwich incident, another Starbucks sandwich was associated with foodborne illness. In 2016, breakfast sandwiches filled with sausage, egg, and cheese were pulled from 250 stores in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas amid concerns that they might contain Listeria bacteria.

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If consumed, Listeria can lead to an illness called listeriosis. The symptoms usually involve things like vomiting and diarrhea, but for some, they can be even more dangerous, and include seizures and difficulty breathing. This is why the sandwiches were recalled from the market as soon as Starbucks was alerted by food manufacturer Progressive Gourmet Inc that Listeria might be present.

This was a particularly bad period for Starbucks. At the same time as the Listeria recall, the chain also had to recall boxes with cheese and fruit from Washington stores due to concerns they contained undeclared allergens.

2.5 million stainless steel straws recalled due to risk of injury

Mirrored image of stainless steel straws on white background close up shot - Mininyx Doodle/Getty Images

We told you 2016 was a bad year for Starbucks. Also in this year, the coffee giant had to recall 2.5 million stainless steel straws from its coffee shops because they, too, posed a risk of injury. The problem with the steel straws was that they were too dangerous for children to use. The hard metal end could poke them in the mouth, causing cuts to their gums or tongues.

To protect children's mouths, Starbucks pulled the stainless steel straws, and instead rolled out a safer, acrylic-based option instead. The alternatives were part of the coffee chain's mission to move away from single-use plastic straws completely for the benefit of the environment. In 2019, the chain started trialing a new style of cups with strawless lids instead. Less plastic and a much lower risk of injury to children  a win-win.

More than 11,000 glass water bottles recalled over injury risk

Shelves lined with Starbucks branded bottles in various styles - chettarin/Shutterstock

Injury risk seems to be a recurring theme with Starbucks recalls. In 2010, the chain issued a recall for more than 11,000 glass water bottles in the U.S. and 1,200 in Canada over fears they might be dangerous. The issue? When the stopper of the bottle was removed, there was a risk that both the bottle and the stopper could shatter, resulting in sharp fragments of glass that could lead to injury.

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The recall wasn't a result of Starbucks just being overcautious, the bottles had actually already caused several injuries by the time they were pulled from the market. In fact, 10 people reported that their bottles had shattered, and eight of those people reported hand injuries as a result. In a bid to encourage people to return their glass bottles to stores and reduce the risk of further injury, Starbucks not only offered refunds, but also a free beverage to anyone who brought their bottle back.

Around 250,000 kids cups were recalled because they posed a choking hazard

Four kids cups from starbucks against white background - Starbucks

The stainless steel straw recall wasn't the first time that Starbucks had to pull products from the market to protect children. In 2007, the coffee chain also had to recall around 250,000 children's cups from its stores because they posed a serious choking hazard. The problem was with the design of the cups, which featured colorful animal faces that protruded from the main surface. If dropped, this face could break off and shatter, and the pieces could either cut a child with the sharp edges or become a choking hazard if they placed it in their mouth.

Again, this recall wasn't purely based on speculation about what could happen, but what had actually happened already. In fact, prior to the recall, the coffee giant found out that the cups had broken on seven occasions, and on two occasions, a child had choked on one of the broken off pieces. To protect children, Starbucks urged customers to return the cups to its stores for a full refund. Once again, it gave out free beverages to anyone who returned the cups.

Around 73,000 coffee brewers were recalled because they were a fire hazard

Mirrored image of coffee brewers against white background - Starbucks

We've had mugs that burned hands, coffee presses that punctured the skin, stainless steel straws that could injure children's mouths, and many more risky products from Starbucks. And now, we give you: Coffee brewers that could start a fire. Yep, in 2006, Starbucks had to recall roughly 73,000 of its Starbucks Barista Aroma Stainless Steel 8-Cup Coffee Brewers from the market because of faulty electrical wiring that could overheat and cause a fire.

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The chain knew there was a serious issue with the coffee brewers when it received 23 reports from customers stating that the plastic housing around the outside of their appliance had melted. For Starbucks, this meant it was time to start handing out freebies. It encouraged anyone who had already purchased one to return it for a refund, and in exchange, they would receive a free pound of Starbucks coffee.

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Read the original article on Tasting Table.
The state is providing new funding to help communities clean up contaminated properties and prepare for new development.

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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik announced last week that $88 million in grant funding is now available to help communities clean up contaminated properties and prepare them for new development opportunities.

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The funding will be awarded through the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program, which was launched by the DeWine administration in 2021. The program is administered by the Department of Development.

The program is intended to help communities across the state clean up industrial, commercial, and institutional brownfield sites that are abandoned, idled, or underutilized due to a known or potential release of hazardous substances or petroleum.

No community should be held back by a property thats unsafe or unusable, Gov. DeWine said. Through the Ohio Brownfield Remediation program, were giving every county in Ohio the opportunity to tackle these brownfields head-on, restore pride in their neighborhoods, and lay the groundwork for long-term prosperity.

Through the first 10 rounds, the Brownfield Remediation Program provided nearly $717 million to support 681 projects in 86 counties.

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For nearly five years, the Brownfield Remediation Program has turned liabilities into assets  transforming countless communities and paving the way for new opportunities all across Ohio, Director Mihalik said. No one knows the needs of our neighborhoods better than our local partners, and no one has worked harder to bring these lost properties back to life.

The newest round of funding was made possible with support from the Ohio General Assembly in the most recent biennium budget bill, House Bill 96.

HB 96 allocated an additional $200 million toward the program. As required by HB 96, $1 million is reserved for applicants in each of Ohios 88 counties and will be awarded via a merit-based process.

Projects that assess or remediate brownfield properties are eligible for funding, but entities that contributed to the contamination of properties are not eligible to apply.

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The Brownfield Remediate Program is part of Gov. DeWines Ohio BUILDS Initiative, which focuses on supporting targeted solutions that impact quality of life, such as water infrastructure improvements, broadband expansion, brownfield redevelopment, and the demolition of blighted buildings.

Applications for funding are open now through 5 p.m. on Dec. 5. You can learn more here.

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LISBON (Reuters) -Violent weather brought on by Storm Claudia killed three people and injured dozens in Portugal, authorities there said on Saturday, while in Britain rescue workers were organising evacuations due to heavy flooding in Wales and England.

Portugal and parts of neighbouring Spain have faced days of extreme conditions brought on by Storm Claudia, which had reached parts of Britain and Ireland by Saturday.

Rescue workers found the bodies of an elderly couple inside their flooded home in Fernao Ferro, across the River Tagus from Lisbon, on Thursday. They had apparently been sleeping and were unable to flee as the water rose during the night.

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On Saturday, a tornado struck Albufeira in southern Portugal, emergency services said.

Footage shot from a distance that was posted online showed the tornado damaging and destroying caravans at a camping area, where regional civil protection commander Vitor Vaz Pinto said an 85-year-old British woman was killed.

Twenty-eight people were injured at a nearby hotel, he said, adding that two of them were in hospital with serious injuries.

In a statement on Saturday, Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed "his solidarity with the family of the victim who died" in Albufeira and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

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Portuguese weather service IPMA placed the entire Algarve and districts of Beja and Setubal on amber alert, its second-highest alert level.

STORM CLAUDIA CAUSES FLOODING IN WALES, ENGLAND

In Britain, severe flooding hit the town of Monmouth and surrounding areas in southeastern Wales on Saturday.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it was conducting rescues, evacuations, and welfare checks.

"Storm Claudia has caused significant flooding in parts of Wales overnight, which continues to affect homes, businesses, transport and energy infrastructure," a spokesperson for the Welsh government said.

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Aerial footage showed widespread flooding in Monmouth, with water inundating the town centre and residential areas after a nearby river burst its banks overnight.

Natural Resources Wales has issued 11 flood warnings, four of which are severe, as well as 17 flood alerts.

In England, according to the Environment Agency's latest update, there were 49 active flood warnings and 134 flood alerts.

(Reporting by Andrei Khalip in Lisbon, Ana Cantero in Madrid, and Catarina Demony in London; Editing by Joe Bavier)
A student was injured, and officers arrested a driver after a school bus crash in Kentucky on Friday.

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Officers responded to a crash involving a school bus in Alexandria, Kentucky, in Campbell County, according to our news partner WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.

At the time of the crash, 12 students and a bus monitor were on the school bus.

Medics transported a student to the hospital with minor injuries, according to a police spokesperson.

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An initial investigation showed that Donald Weinel, 42, was under the influence at the time of the crash. He crashed into the school bus while traveling south on U.S. 27, WCPO said.

Officers arrested Weinel and charged him with one count of OVI, 14 counts of wanton endangerment, and one count of criminal mischief, the spokesperson said.

Online jail records indicate that Weinel is being held at the Campbell County Detention Center.

Bond has been set at $140,000.

The crash remains under investigation.

Photo contributed by Campbell County Detention Center

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Suggestions of election fraud in Lakeland were unfounded

I am taking a moment to clear up some misinformation/accusations of suspected election fraud by a former Lakeland mayoral candidate on multiple Facebook pages.

Mayor Bill Mutz and Commissioner Guy LaLonde were on the canvassing board.

The Canvassing Board is charged by law with a number of activities in the conduct of elections and ascertainment of results.

Members rotate.

This includes logic and accuracy testing of voting equipment, canvassing vote-by-mail, provisional ballots, recounts, certifying election results and post-election audits.

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Sometimes elections are just really close. A 2016 School Board race between Becky Troutman and Sara Beth Reynolds race was decided by a margin of 0.02% of the vote.

I trusted then-Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards. I trust Melony Bell.

Ive worked with hundreds of political figures and civil servants. Every once in a while, some civil servant or politician locally goes to jail. Its usually, almost always, extracurricular in nature and not related to the job.

Im a proud, professing Democrat in a sea of Republicans. The Polk County elections were free and fair.

Tom Phillips, Lakeland

Voice of the People, Nov. 9, 2025: Heres a bipartisan fix to the shutdown

Lack of affordable healthcare can ruin families

Finding answers is not easy, but failure to find solutions can be life-changing.

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Affordable healthcare is the question of today. I'm retired. When we retired, one of our most significant assets was our home. It took hard work and a little luck. Without good health insurance, over the years, we would have lost it all.

Our homeless population is growing. The primary reason is the misfortune of experiencing a serious accident or illness without insurance to cover the cost.

The ACA has been around for 15 years. Republicans have consistently opposed it, but have never proposed a better alternative. Healthcare costs are rising because the uninsured and underinsured still experience medical emergencies, show up in our nation's emergency rooms, and are unable to pay for emergency treatment. Someone has to pay, or the hospital will go out of business.

The "Big Beautiful Bill" has hurt various groups, including working-class and low-income families, immigrants and those relying on federal assistance programs like Medicaid and SNAP. It is also projected to harm the environment by reducing clean energy incentives, increasing college costs for students and disproportionately benefiting the affluent through tax cuts while raising the cost of living and homeownership for others.

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Robert Connors, Lakeland

Voice of the People, Nov. 2, 2025: Rabies case shows need for trap-neuter-vaccinate in Polk

Shutdown exposed inhumanity of GOP agenda

The shutdown was painful but not totally a disaster in several major areas:

Made Americans aware of the drastic cuts in Affordable Health Care and Medicaid, which also will cause hospitals and providers to reduce services, raise prices or close in not only in rural areas.

Highlighted the inhumanity of Trump administration and MAGA Republicans to fail to fund food programs, TSA and air traffic controllers but instead allow the chaos yet fully pay the ICE storm troopers, non-working Congress, themselves and give Argentina $20 billion, and hold lavish parties with elite, ultrarich.

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Not to mention tearing down the East wing of our historic White House for a gaudy, gold-guilded ballroom.

Showed how out of touch they are, not realizing how low and middle classes are negatively affected by their actions.

I am a 27-year Vietnam and Army veteran and voted Republican for 40 years, but no more due to the actions of the administration and MAGA being so totally inhumane to us non-elite Americans and non-criminal immigrants.

Walter Faiks, Babson Park

Voice of the People, Oct. 26, 2025: Reassured by Publixs open carry policy, another view

Dishonor will remain

Not so long ago, on Jan. 6, 2021, Donald Trump unleashed his hyped-up supporters to the Capitol to overthrow the election hed lost. The mob smashed windows to get in, trashed the interior, beat and tased police officers, two of whom died later, and threatened to hang VP Mike Pence. We all witnessed the violence no matter how he tries to deny it.

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Reps. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, and Liz Cheney, a Republican, co-chaired the House Committee convened on Sept. 2, 2021 to investigate the insurrection. Under oath, witnesses testified to what happened. To her fellow Republicans who supported Trump in spite of his attempted coup, Cheney said, There will come a day when Trump is gone, but your dishonor will remain.

Seventy-nine-year-old Trump is back with a lawless administration, grasping for personal wealth, as too many Republicans slide with him down his sleazy hole of dishonor.

If youre one of those who continues to follow Trump, perhaps one day a grandchild or a great-grandchild of yours will study the history of this time when the United States was threatened. Might that child look at you and ask, Why did you choose the dishonorable path? What will your answer be?

Jean Duhon Hanson, Dundee

Re-evaluating Sheriff Grady Judd

2006 - Asked why Polk LEOs shot a criminal 68 times, Sheriff Grady Judd told the Orlando Sentinel, "That's all the bullets we had."

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2013  LEOs spy on Poor & Minority Justice Association meeting.

2014  At a cannabis forum at Polk State Colleges campus in Winter Haven, LEOs were packed near exit doors, entrance halls and the parking lot. Judd is known to loathe users.

2015  The Freedom From Religion Foundation mailed Judd a complaint about his preaching in uniform, which he found humorous and entertaining, distinctly disrespecting his own voters, as the complaint originated from a Polk resident.

2017  Judge Mark Hofstad forced a child-rape victim to write two apology letters: one to Judds office and one to her rapist. Overall,  Polk County juveniles were charged with obstructing justice, which includes false reporting, at more than twice the state average. [Victim sues Sheriffs Office over 2016 child-rape probe, Oct. 16]

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2025  Judd rebuffed animal advocates who requested neglect and kill improvements at his shelter.

No one in Polk has ever had real freedom to campaign against Judd, so he remains our Forever Sheriff. Am I the only one who sees something seriously wrong with this pattern?

Darhlene Zeanwick, Davenport

Want to contribute?

Send letters to the editor to voice@theledger.com, or Voice of the People, P.O. Box 408, Lakeland, FL, 33802. Submit on the website at http://tinyurl.com/28hnh3xj, or go to TheLedger.com, click on the menu arrow at the top of the website and click Submit a Letter. Letters must be 200 words or less and meet standards of decency and taste.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Election-fraud claims in Lakeland were unfounded (Voice of the People)
Federal authorities have taken a suspect with ties to Mahwah into custody following the Nov. 12 incident inside the Peter W. Rodino Federal Building in Newark that left property damaged in the office of acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba. FBI officials say the man is Keith Michael Lisa.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media after the incident that someone tried to confront Habba and destroyed property in her office. On the morning of Nov. 15, Bondi confirmed in a social media post that Lisa was taken into custody by federal law enforcement officials.

According to FBI officials, Lisa initially entered the federal building with a bat before being turned away. Authorities say he then left the bat outside, returned to the building and went to the U.S. Attorneys Office where he allegedly damaged government property. A federal arrest warrant was issued on Nov. 13 after he was charged with Possession of a Dangerous Weapon in a Federal Facility and Depredation of Federal Property.

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Lisa was born on April 11, 1974, in California, according to FBI officials, but has ties to New York City and Mahwah. Officials were offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

An individual attempted to confront one of our U.S. Attorneys  my dear friend @USAttyHabba  destroyed property in her office, and then fled the scene. Thankfully, Alina is ok, Bondi said in a Nov. 13 post. She wrote that any violence or threats of violence against any federal officer will not be tolerated. Period.

Habba responded online: I will not be intimidated by radical lunatics for doing my job.

Gov. Phil Murphy also commented. Grateful to hear that @USAttyHabba is safe and unharmed. It is absolutely unacceptable to make threats against federal officials. Political violence has no place in our nation, he said.

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Habba has served as acting U.S. attorney since March, when President Donald Trump selected his former personal lawyer for the interim post. A panel of judges declined to appoint her on July 22. Bondi then removed the official who had been set to take over the role, and Habbas title was changed from interim to acting attorney general.

In August, a federal judge ruled that Habba had been serving unlawfully for nearly two months. The Trump administration has appealed the decision to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which has not yet ruled.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: FBI arrests man with Mahwah ties after damage in Habbas Newark office
A swarm of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers was spotted overnight outside of a nightclub on S. Summit Avenue after a reported shooting.

Channel 9 obtained video early Sunday of officers outside of Superstarz, which is an event venue just off W. Morehead Street.

MEDIC says two people were taken to the hospital after a shooting in that area. Theres no word yet on their condition.

We also saw a crash a few blocks away on Summit Avenue. Were asking CMPD about what led to the violence and response, and if the two scenes are connected.

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According to Superstarzs social media accounts, rapper Monaleo was scheduled to perform at the club on Saturday night.

Were working on getting more details on the shooting. Check back for updates.

(VIDEO: Video appears to show Border Control agent breaking window of man being detained)
Cultural & Historical Significance

Eilig holds deep roots in Scottish Highland culture, particularly among clans with strong connections to the natural landscape. The name's meaning 'from the deer pass' reflects the importance of hunting routes and migration paths in traditional Highland life, where knowledge of animal movements was essential for survival. Throughout Scottish history, bearers of this name were often associated with roles requiring keen observation, navigation skills, and understanding of the natural world.



During the Jacobite uprisings and Highland Clearances, the name Eilig became symbolic of resistance and cultural preservation. Many men named Eilig were recorded as guides, messengers, and strategists who used their knowledge of deer passes and hidden routes to aid their clans. The name carries echoes of Scotland's rugged landscape and the resilience of its people, representing a bridge between ancient Celtic traditions and the challenges of historical change.
The Brief

Tampa police are investigating a road rage shooting that happened Friday night.

Investigators said a man died from a gunshot wound.

The shooter is claiming self-defense, according to police.

TAMPA - Tampa police are investigating a deadly case of road rage Friday evening.

Officers responded to reports of a shot fired near E 5th Avenue and N 22nd Street.

Timeline

When police arrived on scene, they found a man with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he died from his injuries.

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Investigators say it appears the shooting stemmed from a road rage dispute.

The shooter, an adult man, is claiming self-defense and is cooperating, police said.

Other News: Fire sparks hazmat warning in Pinellas Park, residents advised to stay inside

The gun has been recovered, and there is no threat to the community.

N 22nd Street between E 4th Avenue and E 5th Avenue and E 5th Avenue between N 21st Street and N 22nd Street are closed at this time.

What's next

Check back for updates on this developing story.

The Source

Information for this story was provided by the Tampa Police Department in a press release.
TikToker Nikalie Monroe has gone viral in recent weeks for a series of videos she billed as a social experiment. The study, such as it was, involved calling churches  and at least one mosque  and asking for help. Monroe pretended to have lost her Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the government shutdown, and was struggling to feed her baby. (While she has said she is the mother of an eight-year-old, Monroe doesnt have an infant.) I have a two-month-old baby, she said in one call. And I ran out of formula last night. I was wanting to see if yall could help with formula.

According to her tally, approximately a quarter of the churches she contacted offered her direct aid, the only response Monroe was willing to count as having volunteered assistance. Churches that referred her to food banks or resource centers, including some with which they had partnerships, were considered to have refused help.

Reactions to her experiment varied. Some condemned Monroe for her ploy, saying her use of deception was problematic and offensive. Others criticized the churches who refused to help. One pastors response  to immediately offer assistance without question  received widespread praise and resulted in $95,000 donations to his small independent church in Somerset, Kentucky.

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Monroes stunt also reignited a familiar rallying cry among progressives: Tax the churches. If churches are not even engaging in meaningful public service, as her experiment implied  if they arent helping people  then why should they enjoy special tax privileges? From that perspective, ending these exemptions looks like both moral retribution and practical reform: A means of defending the separation of church and state while forcing religious institutions to bear the same civic burdens as everyone else.

For decades, at least since Ronald Reagans presidency, many on the left have argued that removing churches tax-exempt status would strike a fatal blow to the Christian right and punish those who are currently abetting the Christian nationalist takeover of American democracy. In recent years, that demand has taken on new gravity as conservatives have sought to dismantle the Johnson Amendment, the 1954 law barring tax-exempt organizations from engaging in political advocacy.

Under President Donald Trump, the Republican Party has overtly aligned with Christian nationalism in both doctrine and tangible policy shifts. Progressives point to the successful, decades-long campaign that culminated in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, as well as a new wave of state-level legislation on issues like LGBTQ+ rights and education, as direct results of the ideologys growing influence. In June, the IRS said that churches were allowed to endorse political candidates while speaking to their own members, reversing a decades-long ban on political activity. Political figures and media personalities on the right have moved from simply courting religious conservatives to openly embracing Christian nationalist rhetoric, framing policy debates as a form of spiritual warfare. A growing number of Americans seem to be embracing a Christian nationalist worldview. From this perspective, the fight over the Johnson Amendment is no longer about hypothetical infractions but about whether tax-exempt status for churches and religious organizations is, in effect, subsidizing a specific political movement. Taxing the churches, for many on the left, seems like a way to fight back.

This stems from the mistaken belief of many secular Americans that the negative influence of religion can be somehow pressured out of the public square through slash-and-burn policies. The separation of church and state, they hope, can somehow be made to guarantee that religion plays no role in the decision-making processes of private citizens as they undertake their public duty as voters. In this paradigm, taxing the churches is a way to mitigate the influence that religion plays in the minds of citizens.

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While the anger that produces both this thinking is understandable, the argument itself fundamentally misunderstands not only the nature of the First Amendments establishment clause, but also how religion, and religious organizations, function in public life. The fact is, ending the tax-exemption of religious organizations, or taxing the churches, would actually increase the influence of the most reactionary religious institutions in America, while simultaneously endangering the survival of religious organizations that not only serve vital community functions, particularly in marginalized communities, but also serve as an important counterbalance to conservative religion.

From the earliest days of the republic, federal and state laws have exempted religious organizations from taxation for fear that it was a form of government entanglement prohibited by the Constitutions strict separation of church and state. In practical terms for us today, this means it is unconstitutional for the IRS to exercise audit power over religious groups, which would make taxing them all but impossible.

The logic of viewing the taxation of religious organizations as an unconstitutional intrusion of the government does have merit. By creating a tax burden for churches and religious groups, the government would be entering into a financial arrangement of sorts in the American religious marketplace, placing its finger on the scales squarely in favor of those religious organizations that can succeed financially  or, in other words, that are best equipped to meet the financial demands of taxation or tax avoidance. To put it simply: Taxing religious organizations would ensure that only the wealthier among them would survive.

Among those who argue for taxing churches, there is a fantasy that it will somehow raise significant revenue for the federal government. But it wont. We explicitly tax for-profit corporations  and the likes of Amazon, Nike, and FedEx still manage to avoid paying all federal taxes, resulting in billions of dollars in lost revenue. There is no reason to believe that those taxation patterns would be any different among churches.

Want more sharp takes on politics? Sign up for our free newsletter, Standing Room Only, written by Amanda Marcotte, now also a weekly show on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

We all know how it works: In corporate taxation, large companies are able to get around federal taxes while small businesses pay. If the government were to start taxing religious organizations, the losers would not be the conservative megachurches and culture war-minded ministries that have led progressives to create a thousand Tax the Churches memes. They would likely get out of paying taxes altogether, which would defeat the entire purpose of the initiative.

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Americas religious landscape would be thinned in favor of large, financially prosperous churches and ministries, almost all of which are reactionary, and largely white. Far from reducing the power of white American evangelicals  the architects of the current attacks on personal liberty  the taxation of religious organizations would increase it by helping to eliminate their competition.

The tax burden would be disproportionately felt by progressive mainline Protestant churches, Black evangelical churches and immigrant-majority Catholic and Protestant congregations, not to mention immigrant-majority mosques and temples. These religious organizations are far less likely to have millions of dollars in assets; they are far more likely to be living on the financial edge. They dont have the funds to hire high-caliber lawyers and accountants to work their way around Americas notoriously complicated tax code. The added financial burden could simply be enough to cause these houses of worship to close their doors for good.

That would have disastrous consequences, most immediately for the congregations and people themselves. In marginalized communities, houses of worship have always played a vital role, providing not only those charitable programs so many seem to think are the reason for churches tax-exemption, but also a place of belonging and solace for people who often desperately need it. Black churches were the organizing centers of the Civil Rights Movement. In immigrant communities, houses of worship are often de facto legal aid centers and English language schools. Mainline Protestant denominations, such as the Episcopal Church, often welcome LGBTQ+ Christians looking for a place to worship and of acceptance. All of this could vanish with taxation.

With Christian nationalism on the rise, America needs the theological counterpoint that progressive congregations provide. Taxing churches would all but eliminate any hope of that moral contrast. Think of it this way: Religion is a lot like drinking. Some people are going to do it; most of them will practice moderation, but others will not. Taxing the churches would make reactionary religion the only bar in town. That would be dangerous.

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Its easy to see why Tax the churches has become a popular rallying cry. Were angry at what we see happening to our country, often in the name of God. But like many expressions of anger, this policy push is cathartic without being practical. Its also dangerous. Those of us who dont want a Christian nationalist takeover of the country we love are going to have to suck it up.

The post Taxing the churches wont stop Christian nationalism appeared first on Salon.com.
LANSING - A 17-year-old boy arrested in connection with a Nov. 11 homicide in southwest Lansing has been charged as an adult with open murder and weapons counts.

Rehmier Westmoreland, 17, was arraigned Friday, Nov. 14, in 54A District Court on the two counts in the death of 18-year-old Daviahn Latham, who was shot to death Tuesday, Nov. 11, at an apartment in the 2000 block of Georgetown Boulevard.

Judge Kristen Simmons ordered Westmoreland held without bond in the case.

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"Although most 17-year-olds are handled in juvenile court, prosecutors may charge them as adults depending on factors including age, delinquency history, behavior in the juvenile system, and the seriousness of the offense," Prosecutor John Dewane said in a Nov. 16 release. "In this case I have evaluated the relevant factors, including information from records that are restricted or sealed, and have decided to charge this individual as an adult."

Police were dispatched to the apartment at 2006 Georgetown Blvd. at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday where they found Latham with a gunshot wound. The area is the site of The Arbors at Georgetown Apartments complex.

Latham died soon after first responders arrived, "despite medical assistance from the Lansing Fire Department," Dewane said in the release.

LPD spokesperson Jordan Gulkis on Tuesday said another teen, age 19, was arrested shortly after the shooting in connection with the incident.

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Westmoreland is scheduled for a probable cause conference on Nov. 26 and a preliminary exam before Simmons on Dec. 4 in 54A District Court in Lansing.

The shooting was the seventh homicide in the city of Lansing in 2025, according to Lansing State Journal records.

Open murder includes several potential crimes: first-degree premeditated murder, felony murder, second-degree murder and both voluntary and involuntary manslaughter.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Teen will face adult charges in Lansing homicide. What the prosecutor is saying
A 14-year-old boy is fighting for his life after being bitten by a shark while fishing with friends off Thursday Island, located in Australia's Torres Strait.

What happened?

According to local reports, the attack occurred around 6:20 p.m. on Oct. 11, when the teen entered the water and was struck on the chest. "His friends acted with incredible bravery and quick thinking," the Torres Shire Council said in a statement, per People.

Emergency responders arrived shortly after, and the boy was taken to Thursday Island Hospital before being airlifted to Townsville University Hospital for urgent surgery. Authorities confirmed that he suffered severe injuries to his abdomen and internal organs and remains in critical condition. Per People, Mayor Elsie Seriat called the attack "deeply felt" by the close-knit island community, praising the responders and the boy's friends for their swift actions.

Why are animal attacks concerning?

While shark attacks remain rare, incidents like this one are becoming more frequent in certain regions, raising questions about how environmental changes are influencing wildlife behavior.

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Scientists suggest that warmer ocean temperatures, habitat loss, and declining fish stocks are driving sharks closer to shore in search of food. In coastal regions like northern Australia, booming tourism and fishing can also bring more people into contact with marine predators that are struggling to survive in disrupted ecosystems.

This tragedy highlights how human-driven environmental changes are creating risks not just for wildlife, but for communities as well. As natural habitats shrink, species are forced to adapt  sometimes leading to encounters that put both people and animals in danger. Preserving marine balance isn't just an ecological issue; it's about ensuring safety and stability for the people who depend on these waters for food, work, and recreation.

What's being done about these attacks?

Local officials say they plan to strengthen water safety education and improve signage across popular fishing and swimming spots around Thursday Island. On a broader scale, marine conservationists emphasize that protecting sharks and people requires restoring healthy ocean ecosystems through sustainable fishing policies, pollution reduction, and coral reef protection efforts.

Global communities have implemented several initiatives helping to address this growing issue, including community-led coastal restoration projects that rebuild marine habitats and global efforts to reduce ocean warming through renewable energy adoption. Supporting such conservation work can help reduce human-wildlife conflicts, keeping both communities and ecosystems safer.

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Protecting marine life isn't just about saving sharks  it's about creating a healthier, more stable world where both people and wildlife can coexist safely.



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Audio recording is automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story. See our AI policy, and give us feedback.

Texas National Guard troops are expected to soon return from Illinois amid legal challenges that halt their deployment to the Chicago area, several media outlets reported this weekend.

In early October, Gov. Greg Abbott authorized the federal governments mobilization of 400 troops from Texas to other states to safeguard U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. According to the U.S. Northern Command, around 200 Texas Guard members were in the Chicago area as of Oct. 8.

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State and local governments in Illinois objected to the out-of-state soldiers presence, and a federal court quickly ruled that they couldnt be activated, but didnt have to withdraw from the state.

The legal fight between Illinois and the federal government over the issue reached the U.S. Supreme Court, where the case remains pending  the court asked for more legal briefings by Monday. Its unclear when a ruling could come.

Media outlets including CNN and The New York Times reported that Texas National Guard troops are preparing to return home, citing anonymous U.S. officials.

The Department of Defense on Sunday pointed The Texas Tribune to a Friday post on X by the Northern Command that says it will be adjusting National Guard troops presence in Chicago, Portland and Los Angeles in the coming days to ensure a constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city.

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Our troops in each city (and others) are trained and ready, and will be employed whenever needed to support law enforcement and keep our citizens safe, the post said.

Abbotts office on Sunday referred the Tribune to the Pentagon.

Matt Hill, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzkers deputy chief of staff for communications, said in a Saturday post on X that the Trump administration doesnt update the governors office on military movements within the state. He also raised concerns about the federal governments discussion about maintaining a long-term National Guard presence in these cities.

This confirms what we have always known: this is about normalizing military forces in American cities, Hill said. Illinois will continue fighting for our state sovereignty, protecting peoples rights, and keeping our communities peaceful.

Disclosure: The New York Times has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
On this edition of Tiempo, we discuss how one local nonprofit organization is helping families in need of food aid amid the government shutdown.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, has been put in jeopardy since the shutdown.

The lapse in funding has put more pressure on food pantries and afterschool programs to alleviate hunger for students and families in underserved communities.

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In a major development last Wednesday night, President Donald Trump signed a funding bill ending the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The shutdown lasted 43 days.

According to the latest data from Feeding America, about 1.4 million New Yorkers are facing food insecurity.

The nonprofit New York Edge has food pantries and afterschool programs across the city to help with the ongoing issue of food insecurity.

Joining us is Rachael Gazdick from New York Edge to discuss what the nonprofit has been doing to help during these tough times.

Also on our program: We'll tell you about a new independent film, "The Veteran."

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The movie follows the story of a U.S. Marine who faces significant challenges after returning home from deployment in Afghanistan. The film tackles the many struggles veterans face after deployment overseas.

We'll talk with the filmmaker about the work and its significance.

Tiempo airs Sunday mornings at 11:30 on Channel 7, WABC-TV in New York City.

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WATCH Tiempo on our Connected TV apps for Fire, Roku, Apple TV and Android TV. Click here to learn more.

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Tiempo airs Sunday mornings at 11:30 a.m. on Channel 7.
As we kick off a new week, let's take a look back at the week that was.

Top stories this past week included:

The man accused of nearly killing former mayor Will Flanagan in an apparently unprovoked stabbing last month continues to be held without bail after an initial 20-day mental health evaluation. What we know, as of this writing.

After being shuttered for roughly three months, TNTs mom-and-pop hot dog shop in Somerset has reopened with new owners at the helm and a new name.

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Get the party started early with Thanksgiving Eve celebrations around Fall River.

These Fall River-area spots are taking the stress out of Thanksgiving with meals and desserts to-go.

Fall River-area places that are offering free Thanksgiving meals, and how to donate to local food drives.

It appears wheels are in motion to hand over the reins of Pattis Pierogis in the near future, as a prospective new owner steps in.

Events around Fall River to help you get into the holiday spirit.

Drivers should expect delays on I-195 as the Massachusetts Department of Transportation inspects the Braga Bridge eastbound and westbound in Fall River and Somerset Nov. 17 through Nov. 21. What to know.

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The annual Christmas in Fall River concert will benefit a local toy drive.

Lebanese Pita Pocket now has breakfast on weekends.

Saint Annes Hospital has been awarded an "A" Hospital Safety Grade by The Leapfrog Group for the 28th consecutive grading cycle.

Portugal-themed Christmas gift ideas and where to get them.

Three Portuguese students won a trip to Massachusetts for a science project on a sustainable aircraft.

These were the most read stories of the week on HeraldNews.com:

Three dangerous intersections on Route 6 in Swansea to get MassDOT updates

Drivers traveling along the Route 6 corridor in Swansea should be prepared to slow down, proceed with caution, and expect delays.

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Three major intersections  at Route 136, Maple Avenue, and Route 118  will soon see utility trucks, construction, and telltale orange traffic cones.

Utility work where Route 6 and Route 118 meet in Swansea on November 6, 2025.

What to know.

Road work: Three dangerous intersections on Route 6 in Swansea to get MassDOT updates. Here's where.

3 new businesses coming to downtown Fall River, including return of Bun Buds

Fall River's Purchase Street is experiencing a retail renaissance, says local developer Joseph Holdiman.

Where three doors have closed in recent months, another three are gearing up to open in the North Main Street Historic Downtown District, dubbed NoMa, which encompasses all of Purchase and North Main streets.

Developer Joseph Holdiman owns both 10 Purchase St. and its neighbor, 30 Bedford St., in Fall River.

That includes the return of Bun Buds.

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'Retail Renaissance': 3 new businesses coming to downtown Fall River, including return of Bun Buds

Slade Farm Residences built with 'hospitality.' Peek inside the Somerset development.

Slade Farm Residences at Fairfield Commons in Somerset has begun welcoming residents.

Developer Marc Landry talked 'hotel' inspired amenities and 40B construction process during a walkthrough of the property.

Slade Farm Residences at 508 Grand Army of the Republic Hwy in Somerset, on October 22, 2025.

Take a tour, here.

Peek inside Somerset development: Slade Farm Residences built with 'hospitality.'

Glamourous modern craftsman in Swansea with pickleball court sells for $1M: Weekly home sales

The latest Greater Fall River real estate report featured a modern craftsman-style ranch in Swansea that sold for $1,070,000.

The home on Oxford Lane was built in 2016.

It has three bedrooms and it features an open concept with a glamorous kitchen overlooking a fireplaced living room, a stylish dining room, and a spacious lower level.

Top selling house this week in Swansea.

The wow factor is the backyard amenities.

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Weekly home sales: Glamourous modern craftsman in Swansea with pickleball court sells for $1M

Tiverton woman dies after 3-vehicle wrong-way crash on Somerset highway

A Tiverton woman died in a wrong-way crash Thursday night on Interstate 195 in Somerset.

Gail Lopes, 69, was identified as the victim of the fatal Nov. 13 crash involving three vehicles, according to the Bristol County District Attorneys Office.

What we know, as of this writing.

Wrong-way crash: Tiverton woman dies after 3-vehicle wrong-way crash on Somerset highway. What we know.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Top stories: Dangerous Swansea intersections to get updates
A group of 17 transgender US air force members has sued the Trump administration for denying them early retirement pensions and benefits.

The complaint, submitted in federal court, describes the governments move against them as unlawful and invalid.

The legal action follows the air forces confirmation it would deny early retirement benefits to all transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of military experience, a decision that effectively pushes them out of the military with no retirement support at all.

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The Air Forces own retirement instruction provides that retirement orders may only be rescinded under very limited circumstances, none of which were present here, the lawsuit says.

Related: US supreme court lets Trump block passport sex markers for trans and non-binary people

Among the named plaintiffs are Logan Ireland, Ashley Davis, Kira Brimhall and Lindell Walley.

Glad Law, one of the advocacy groups behind the lawsuit who is representing the affected service members, said the revocation of early retirement support had ripped away financial support and benefits these families were counting on after long years of excellent service to their country.

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These service members will lose $1-2m in lifetime benefits, jeopardizing their families economic security, Glad Law said in a statement. The action also strips the airmen and their families of access to TRICARE, the military health insurance program, which would have provided access to civilian health care providers beyond VA [Veterans Administration] facilities.

The lawsuit came amid the latest escalation by the Trump administration to prohibit transgender people from joining the military and to remove those already serving. The Pentagon has argued that transgender people are medically unfit, something civil rights activists have pushed back on and say constitutes illegal discrimination.

In March, a federal judge blocked Trumps executive order banning transgender people from military service. US district judge Ana Reyes in Washington DC ruled that the order probably violated their constitutional rights. Pentagon officials have said in the past that 4,200 service members were diagnosed with gender dysphoria, which they use as an identifier of being transgender.

Related: Trans military members on the feared ban: I would meet Trump to show how weve served our country

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The air force, however, has stood apart in its enforcement of policies that go beyond just separating troops from military service. As well as rescinding early retirement benefits, the service rolled out a new policy in August to deny transgender members the right to argue before a board of their peers for the right to continue serving.

The most recent lawsuit, the latest in a string, is challenging that.

According to the court documents, the plaintiffs retirement orders remain valid and effective. Their legal team are calling for these orders to be reinstated and pushing for their military records be corrected accordingly. The lawsuit also says interest, costs and attorneys fees must be accounted for and further relief as the court deems just and proper.

Ireland, a master sergeant in the air force with 15 years of service, told the Associated Press: The military taught me to lead and fight, not retreat.

Stripping away my retirement sends the message that those values only apply on the battlefield, not when a service member needs them most.
News / Africa

by Staff reporter

Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane has succeeded in halting a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) probe into allegations that he fraudulently registered for a postgraduate degree at the University of Fort Hare, after the High Court in Bhisho ruled that the investigation was unconstitutional and amounted to an abuse of power.In a judgment delivered on 23 October 2025, Acting Judge Mtshabe found that the SIU acted outside the scope of its mandate and violated constitutional principles when it moved to investigate Mabuyane under Proclamation 84 of 2022. The court extended the period for Mabuyane to bring the review and ultimately set aside the SIU's decision to investigate him.The court ruled that the SIU's conduct constituted "an abuse" and was "unconstitutional," further declaring the investigation "ultra vires" - meaning beyond the powers granted by the presidential proclamation. It ordered the SIU to pay costs on a punitive scale.The matter dates back to allegations that Mabuyane fraudulently registered for a master's degree at Fort Hare under the supervision of Professor Edwin Ijeoma, the university's former public administration faculty dean. Ijeoma, who has since been dismissed, is accused of helping several political figures obtain degrees irregularly and of using a forged masters qualification from a bogus institution to secure his own PhD at the University of Pretoria.Mabuyane was deregistered from his master's programme in 2021 after Fort Hare investigated Ijeoma's dealings. He later obtained an urgent court interdict preventing the SIU from probing him further. Yesterday's ruling effectively reinforces that interdict and halts the SIU's efforts against him.The decision comes at a time when the University of Fort Hare is under intense scrutiny over historical academic fraud. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed eight proclamations - including an amendment to the original Fort Hare proclamation - giving the SIU expanded powers to investigate irregular admissions and qualifications dating back years.The new proclamation, 194 of 2024, broadens the SIU's mandate from honours degrees to bachelor's, master's and PhD programmes. It allows investigators to probe the registration and awarding of degrees to individuals who were not academically eligible, including those without the required matric results or prior qualifications.University spokesperson JP Roodt welcomed the expanded investigation, saying Fort Hare itself had approached the SIU in 2020 after uncovering alarming maladministration. He stressed that the proclamation was not an indictment of the university's academic standards but was aimed at cleaning up historical irregularities.The amendments also empower the SIU to investigate allegations related to infrastructure maintenance, CCTV installations, student residence refurbishments, the appointment of senior staff, public funds administered through university programmes, and the Nguni Cattle Development Trust.The widening of the investigations is expected to place several political figures back under the spotlight, as Fort Hare has been plagued by scandals involving the awarding of unmerited qualifications to prominent individuals.While the court ruling has halted the probe into Mabuyane personally, it does not affect the broader Fort Hare investigation. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago declined to comment on ongoing inquiries, consistent with the unit's policy not to provide updates on active cases.The judgment represents a significant legal victory for the premier, but it also raises questions about the future of the sweeping academic fraud investigation at Fort Hare - an inquiry that continues to shake one of South Africa's most historic institutions.
Women named Elka are often perceived as deeply spiritual, loyal, and principled individuals who value their commitments and relationships. They tend to possess a strong moral compass and are known for their reliability and dedication to their beliefs and loved ones. The name's meaning of 'oath to God' often translates into personality traits of faithfulness, integrity, and a profound sense of responsibility toward their community and spiritual values.



Elkas typically exhibit a blend of traditional wisdom and quiet strength, often serving as pillars in their families and social circles. They are frequently described as intuitive, compassionate, and possessing an inner resilience that helps them navigate life's challenges with grace. While they may appear reserved initially, those who know them well appreciate their depth of character, sharp intelligence, and unwavering support. Their combination of spiritual depth and practical wisdom makes them excellent counselors and trusted friends who approach life with both faith and reason.
Saturday's storm led to concerns for recent burn areas.

There was an evacuation warning for the Eaton Fire zone, but it has since been lifted. The area saw heavy downpour throughout the day.

Damage from a tree that uprooted and fell on a car in Altadena left one street closed for nearly seven hours.

A Toyota RAV4 was completely smashed by the tree. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

Crews worked for hours to chop up and remove the fallen tree.

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"We heard this big bang, a very unnatural bang, like a bang you've never heard before," said Jim Jermanok, who was renting the RAV4 that was smashed.

Jermanok is visiting from New York and says he had several meetings on Saturday.

"My friend Tom looked outside and said, 'Jim, is this your car?!' And I walked outside and saw the biggest tree I've ever seen in my life flattening the entire back of the car," Jermanok said.

It's something Jermanok says he couldn't put into words.

"I was just in total shock. I couldn't believe it. Of all the cars in the world, of all the gin joints in the world, of other cars in the world. It had to be mine? I walked out. I'm just here for a week," Jermanok said.

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Neighbors say that with the Eaton Fire and now the rain, they've dealt with a lot.

"This street is lined with these, so there's one right across from our house, and the sidewalk is buckling, so I'm afraid it's going to fall. It's just been a bad year for our street," said neighbor Karen Delgado.

Nearby, some Sierra Madre residents say they've been surveying their neighborhood as water rushed through a debris basin.

"It's funny to think that if we were anywhere else other than Southern California, this would just be Saturday, but here we are in all of our rain gear and stuff, and braving the elements," Vera Scheidlinger said.

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Back in Altadena, Jermanok said he's just counting his blessings.

"I thank God I wasn't in that car. That's the main thing," he said.

Luckily, Jermanok said he did have rental insurance and spoke to the rental company on Saturday.
NEED TO KNOW

South Carolina triple murderer Stephen Bryant ate his final meal before being executed by firing squad

The execution took place on Friday, Nov. 14

Bryant pleaded guilty to the 2004 murders of three people during a week-long burglary spree

South Carolina triple murderer Stephen Bryant ate his final meal before being executed by firing squad.

Bryant, 44, was pronounced dead at the Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, S.C., on Friday, Nov. 14, at 6:05 p.m. local time, per the Associated Press. He had chosen execution by firing squad over lethal injection or electrocution, all three of which are legal in the state.

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For his final meal, Bryant opted for mixed seafood stir fry, fried fish over rice, egg rolls, stuffed shrimp, two candy bars and German chocolate cake, per AP.

The execution was carried out by three prison employees. There were 10 witnesses present, including several family members of the victims, according to the outlet. Bryant made no final statement.

Bryant was convicted of fatally shooting three people during a week-long burglary and killing spree in the fall of 2004 in rural Sumter County. He was 23 at the time, according to the South Carolina Daily Gazette.

South Carolina Department of Corrections Stephen Bryant Stephen Bryant

Bryant first killed his 36-year-old coworker, Clifton Gainey, on Oct. 9 of that year and then burglarized his home. Two days later, he killed 62-year-old Willard Tietjen in his home, per the Daily Gazette.

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Bryant left notes written in blood on the wall of Tietjen's home, one of which read: Victim number four in two weeks, catch me if you can," per The Post and Courier. He also taunted the victims wife and daughter when he answered Tietjens phone, saying the man was dead.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

Two days later, Bryant killed 35-year-old Chris Burgess after meeting him at a convenience store, the Daily Gazette reported.

Bryant pleaded guilty to the crimes in 2008. At the time, his lawyers argued that he tried to seek out mental health counseling prior to the murders because he kept reliving sexual abuse he claimed occurred when he was a child, The Post and Courier reported, citing court records.



Keith Gedamke/The Item via AP Stephen Bryant in 2008 Stephen Bryant in 2008

Bryant is the third person to be executed by firing squad  and the seventh overall  in South Carolina this year, per the Daily Gazette.

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Bryants attorney, Bo King, stated that his clients final wish was that no one be rejected from accessing mental health support simply because they cannot afford to pay, as Bryant claimed he was.

That is consistent with the man we knew, who showed grace and courage in forgiving his family and great love for those in and outside of his prison, King said in the statement, per the Daily Gazette. We will remember his unlikely friendships, his fierce protectiveness, and his love for nature, the water, and the world. We will miss him.



Read the original article on People
The Trump administration has officially ended a Biden-era proposal that would have required airlines to provide cash compensation to passengers affected by significant flight delays caused by airline operational issues, marking a decisive shift away from enhanced consumer protections in air travel.

Formal Withdrawal Announced

President Donald Trump's administration said on Friday it was formally withdrawing a plan by his predecessor to require airlines to pay passengers cash compensation when U.S. flight disruptions are caused by carriers. The decision represents a complete reversal of the consumer protection initiative championed by the previous administration.

The Transportation Department on Friday published a notice that it is officially withdrawing the proposed rule, introduced in 2024 under President Biden and then-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Details of the Withdrawn Proposal

The scrapped regulation would have provided substantial compensation to affected travelers. In December 2024, the U.S. Transportation Department under then-President Joe Biden sought public comment on writing rules to require airlines to pay $200 to $300 for domestic delays of at least three hours and up to $775 for longer delays.

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The regulation would have required airlines to pay passengers $200 to $300 for domestic delays lasting at least three hours, and up to $775 for flight delays lasting at least nine hours. The compensation would have applied specifically to delays caused by factors within airline control, such as maintenance issues or staffing problems, but not external factors like weather or air traffic control delays.

Administration's Rationale

The Trump administration cited regulatory burden concerns as the primary reason for the withdrawal. On Friday, USDOT said the rules would result in "unnecessary regulatory burdens" in explaining why it would not go forward.

USDOT said Friday that it would "allow airlines to compete on the services and compensation that they provide to passengers rather than imposing new minimum requirements for these services and compensation through regulation, which would impose significant costs on airlines".

Congressional Opposition to Withdrawal

The decision faced resistance from Democratic lawmakers who supported the consumer protection measure. Last month, a group of 18 Democratic senators urged the Trump administration not to drop the compensation plan.

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"This is a common-sense proposal: when an airline's mistake imposes unanticipated costs on families, the airline should try to remedy the situation by providing accommodations to consumers and helping cover their costs," said the letter signed by Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal, Maria Cantwell, Ed Markey and others.

Travel Credit Cards as Alternative Protection

With federal compensation requirements off the table, travelers may need to rely on their own financial tools for protection against trip delays and disruptions. Premium travel credit cards often provide valuable trip delay insurance and coverage that can help offset costs when flights are significantly delayed or cancelled.

Many top-tier travel credit cards offer trip delay insurance that reimburses cardholders for reasonable expenses like meals, lodging, and transportation when their trip is delayed by a certain number of hours, typically 6 to 12 hours, depending on the card. These benefits can provide hundreds of dollars in coverage for expenses incurred due to delays, effectively offering some of the protection that the withdrawn federal rule would have mandated.

Additionally, travel credit cards with strong airline partnerships often provide expedited rebooking services, complimentary upgrades, and priority customer service that can help travelers navigate disruptions more effectively. Cards that offer purchase protection and travel insurance can also provide financial recourse when airlines are unwilling to provide adequate compensation for delays within their control.

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For frequent travelers, investing in a quality travel credit card with comprehensive trip protection benefits may now be more important than ever, given the reduced likelihood of federal requirements for airline compensation.

Existing Protections Remain

Despite the withdrawal, some passenger protections established by Congress remain in effect. "Some of the rules proposed or adopted by the previous administration, however, went beyond what Congress has required by statute, and we intend to reconsider those extra-statutory requirements," the spokesperson told Newsweek.

While the Biden-era proposals for extra protections were withdrawn, there are still some Congressionally-mandated rules in place under the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, which have remained unchanged. "That includes specifying a timeline for getting refunds when your flight is canceled or significantly delayed and you opt not to travel or you off not to accept a rebooking alternative," Ewen said.

International Comparison

The withdrawal means the United States continues to lag behind international standards for passenger compensation. That would have aligned the U.S. more closely with Europe's EU261 rule, which is generally seen as the gold standard of consumer protections in air travel.

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The European Union, Canada, Brazil and the United Kingdom all require airlines to pay travelers for significant disruptions. No major U.S. airline currently guarantees cash compensation for delays.

Industry Response

The airline industry welcomed the administration's decision. Airlines have pushed the Trump administration to go further and praised the action to rescind the Biden plan.

The airline industry, which pushed for the passenger compensation rule to be nixed, has seen the current regulatory environment as an opportunity, and has been aggressive in pushing for further rules to be scaled back or removed altogether. In May, Airlines for America, or A4A, filed a 93-page request seeking to roll back a slew of consumer protections.

What This Means for Passengers

"As the rules from the previous administration were not yet being enforced, airlines will likely keep any existing policies in place" regarding voluntary compensation programs. However, passengers will continue to rely on airline goodwill rather than federal requirements for compensation during delays.

The withdrawal represents a significant victory for the airline industry and a setback for consumer advocates who had hoped to see U.S. passenger rights elevated to international standards. Without congressional intervention, American travelers will continue to have fewer guaranteed protections than their counterparts in Europe and other regions when flights are significantly delayed due to airline operational issues.
President Donald Trump slammed GOP state lawmakers in Indiana on Sunday for not pursuing redistricting efforts and pushed for Republicans who oppose redistricting to lose their seats.

In a post to Truth Social, the president said he was very disappointed in Indiana State Senate Republicans, specifically calling out Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray and state Sen. Greg Goode.

Because of these two politically correct type gentlemen, and a few others, they could be depriving Republicans of a Majority in the House, A VERY BIG DEAL! Trump said in the post.

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Indiana is one of the latest states to grapple with redistricting after Texas push launched a tit-for-tat mid-decade redistricting battle in state legislatures across the country. Lawmakers from both parties have sought to redraw congressional lines to favor their partys candidates ahead of next years midterm elections. Earlier this month in California, voters approved a redistricting measure that was championed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who pushed it as a response to Texas new map.

In the post, Trump said that Republicans who vote against redistricting efforts should face primary challenges. He said the Indiana lawmakers should do their job or lets get them out of office, ASAP.

Reached for comment, a spokesperson noted that Goode said this month that "that he would not take a public stance unless and until he saw an officially introduced map and legislation on the floor of the State Senate."

"He respectfully maintains that position," spokesperson Lance Gideon said.

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Trumps post comes days after Bray, the state GOP Senate leader, announced that the chamber did not have enough support to pursue redistricting efforts.

Over the last several months, Senate Republicans have given very serious and thoughtful consideration to the concept of redrawing our states congressional maps, Bray said in a statement Friday. Today, Im announcing there are not enough votes to move that idea forward, and the Senate will not reconvene in December.

Brays announcement came despite pressure from the Trump administration to make Indiana the next Republican-led state to enact new congressional maps to favor GOP candidates in the midterms. Trump has called legislators and Vice President JD Vance has visited the state to discuss redistricting.

Trump also criticized GOP Gov. Mike Braun, saying in his post that the governor perhaps, is not working the way he should to get the necessary Votes.

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Braun previously called a special legislative session in October for lawmakers to consider redistricting efforts. On Friday, the governor again pushed for redistricting, saying, Our state senators need to do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps.

Representatives for Braun and Bray didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
President Donald Trump is calling for the GOP leader of Indianas state Senate to be ousted after he refused to reconvene the chamber to redraw congressional maps in favor of Republicans.

In a Sunday morning post to Truth Social, Trump said he was very disappointed in Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray and Sen. Greg Goode for standing in the way of redistricting efforts.

Because of these two politically correct type gentlemen, and a few others, they could be depriving Republicans of a Majority in the House, A VERY BIG DEAL! Trump said.

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Trump also accused Gov. Mike Braun of failing to ensure the measure received the necessary votes to pass.

Considering that Mike wouldnt be Governor without me (Not even close!), is disappointing! Trump said. Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED.

Goode previously stated he would not take a public stance on the redistricting efforts unless and until he saw an officially introduced map and legislation on the floor of the state Senate. A spokesperson for Goode said he respectfully maintains that position.

A spokesperson for Braun declined to comment. A representative for Bray did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Braun did sign a proclamation last month calling for a special session but said it is the Senates responsibility to do the right thing and show up to vote for fair maps.

Trump has been hoping to force mid-decade redistricting in a handful of red states in an effort to secure Republican control of Congress. Vice President JD Vance traveled to the Midwest state on multiple occasions earlier this year, while Bray and state House Speaker Todd Huston discussed the idea with Trump in the Oval Office in August.

But Brays decision on Friday comes as Democrats attempt their own redistricting efforts. California voters this month overwhelmingly passed Proposition 50, a ballot measure to redraw five of the states congressional districts in Democrats favor ahead of next years midterms. Party efforts are also ratcheting up in Democrat-led Illinois and Maryland.

Trump on Sunday warned that hell name others that have stalled his redistricting efforts in the state.

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Senators Bray, Goode, and the others to be released to the public later this afternoon, should DO THEIR JOB, AND DO IT NOW! If not, lets get them out of office, ASAP, he said.

Adam Wren contributed to this report.
The Republican congressman Thomas Massie challenged Donald Trump on Sunday over whether the US president is making a last-ditch effort to keep the full files on the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein from becoming public by ordering a fresh investigation.

Massie and Democratic congressman Ro Khanna, the two US representatives leading the bipartisan push to make all the files held by the government public both raised fresh concerns about the latest actions by the White House.

Speaking on ABCs This Week, Massie criticized Trump for ordering the attorney general, Pam Bondi, on Friday to examine Democrats with ties to Epstein.

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Related: Bondi announces investigation into Epstein ties to Trumps Democratic adversaries

This despite emails released last week by the House of Representatives oversight committee that suggest Trump was aware of Epsteins conduct and that Epstein had also advised Steve Bannon, a key figure in Trumps Make America Great Again (Maga) base.

The presidents been saying this is a hoax, Massie said, referring to several claims Trump has made in reaction to repeated calls for full disclosure of the files. Hes been saying that for months. Well, hes just now decided to investigate a hoax, if its a hoax. And I have another concern about these investigations that hes announced. If they have ongoing investigations in certain areas, those documents cant be released.

So, this might be a big smokescreen, these investigations, to open a bunch of them, as a last-ditch effort to prevent the release of the Epstein files, he added.

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The ABC anchor Jonathan Karl asked Massie about what the Epstein records might contain and why Trump appears afraid of what they might reveal.

You know, Ive never said that these files will implicate Donald Trump, Massie replied. And I really dont think that they will. I think hes trying to protect a bunch of rich and powerful friends, billionaires, donors to his campaign, friends in his social circles. Thats my operating theory on why hes trying so hard to keep these files closed.

Massie also said it was possible that more than 100 House Republicans may vote in favor of releasing the Epstein files, documents currently held by the justice department related to the alleged crimes and alleged clientele of the late financier and sex offender, when the measure reaches the House floor for a vote this week. He urged skeptics to rethink their position.

I would remind my Republican colleagues who are deciding how to vote: Donald Trump can protect you in red districts right now by giving you an endorsement. But in 2030, hes not going to be the president, and you will have voted to protect pedophiles if you dont vote to release these files, and the president cant protect you then. This vote, the record of this vote, will last longer than Donald Trumps presidency, Massie said.

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Meanwhile, Khanna of California said moments later on NBC News Meet the Press that the effort was not about Donald Trump and encouraged the president to meet with the victims who have survived Epsteins alleged sex-trafficking ring and have since spoken out.

What were asking for is justice for the survivors, Khanna said. So, its not about Donald Trump. I dont even know how involved Trump was. There are a lot of other people who are involved who have to be held accountable.

Related: Marjorie Taylor Greene says Trumps remarks hurtful but hopes they can make up

He also noted that many survivors who have spoken publicly about their abuse will be in Washington on Tuesday, where they plan to request a meeting with Trump.

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Epstein killed himself in prison in 2019 while awaiting federal trial in New York on sex crimes, having previously served time in Florida for sex offenses after negotiating a plea deal there in 2008. His associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently in prison.

Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House, said on Sunday he believed the approaching vote would help put an end to allegations that the president had any ties to Epsteins abuse and trafficking of underage girls.

Theyre doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not, Johnson said of critics, on the Fox News Sunday program.

Epstein is their [Democrats] entire gameplan, so were going to take that weapon out of their hands, Johnson said. Lets just get this done and move it on. Theres nothing to hide.

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The Senate is thought unlikely to produce the necessary support to advance the legislation, however, and the Senate majority whip, John Barrasso, speaking on NBC on Sunday, declined to commit to holding a vote even if the pending bill passes in the House.

The Georgia Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has also demanded the release of all the Epstein documents, despite it causing a rift with Trump.

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(The Center Square)  Americans won't get a $2,000 rebate check from the federal government before Christmas.

President Donald Trump said Friday that the proposed checks will not be distributed before the end of the year. Trump made the comments aboard Air Force One on his way to Mar-a-Lago, the president's club in Palm Beach. It's his 14th trip to Palm Beach this year.

Trump has proposed sending $2,000 checks to most Americans, excluding high earners. Earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said no decision had been made on income limits. On the same day, the White House said it was "exploring all of its options" for sending tariff rebate checks even as the Supreme Court considers a legal challenge to the president's tariffs.

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Congress would need to authorize rebate checks, similar to those distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump has addressed the issue of rebate checks multiple times this week.

"All money left over from the $2,000 payments made to low and middle income USA Citizens, from the massive Tariff Income pouring into our Country from foreign countries, which will be substantial, will be used to SUBSTANTIALLY PAY DOWN NATIONAL DEBT," Trump wrote in a social media post earlier this week.

While Trump provided no details, early estimates suggest that the checks would cost more than the tariffs generate.

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The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget reported that if the payments were like the COVID-19 stimulus, the $2,000 dividend would cost about $600 billion  about twice what tariffs are expected to generate.

A Congressional Budget Office report from August estimated tariffs could bring in $4 trillion over the next decade. That CBO report came with caveats and noted that tariffs will raise consumer prices and reduce the purchasing power of U.S. families.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House on September 19, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump on Sunday called out two Indiana RINO Senators, as well as Gov. Mike Braun, for the states failure to move forward with redrawing congressional boundaries.

Braun worked behind the scenes for months to garner legislative support and eventually called a special session for a new map. Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray on Friday announced the caucus still doesnt have the necessary votes and that his chamber would not convene Dec. 1, as planned.

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Very disappointed in Indiana State Senate Republicans, led by RINO Senators Rod Bray and Greg Goode, for not wanting to redistrict their State, allowing the United States Congress to perhaps gain two more Republican seats, Trump posted to Truth Social on Sunday morning.

The Democrats have done redistricting for years, often illegally, and all other appropriate Republican States have done it, he continued. Because of these two politically correct type gentlemen, and a few others, they could be depriving Republicans of a Majority in the House, A VERY BIG DEAL!

Hours after Trump named Goode specifically, he was the victim of swatting at his Vigo County home. That is when a prankster calls police and reports a bogus need for emergency services at an address.

Sen. Greg Goode speaks in committee on Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Leslie Bonilla Muniz/Indiana Capital Chronicle)

Vigo County sheriffs deputies responded to the incident under the impression of a domestic violence emergency. The deputies professionally fulfilled their duty, Goode said in a statement. While this entire incident is unfortunate and reflective of the volatile nature of our current political environment, I give thanks to God that my family and I are ok.

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The president has been pushing GOP-led states to change their congressional maps to ensure a Republican U.S. House majority in 2026. Some Democratic-controlled states have responded in kind, moving to add more blue seats.

Trump said no one is calling out California, which passed a constitutional amendment in the recent election to pick up five seats, and blamed weak Republicans' for causing problems  like crazy Policies and Ideas that are so bad for America.

Then, Trump turned his attention to Braun, who has been a vocal supporter of his.

Also, a friend of mine, Governor Mike Braun, perhaps, is not working the way he should to get the necessary Votes. Considering that Mike wouldnt be Governor without me (Not even close!), is disappointing! Trump wrote.

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He ended his lengthy post by saying any Republican voting against redistricting should face a primary opponent.

Indiana is a State with strong, smart, and patriotic people. They want us to see our Country WIN, and want to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Senators Bray, Goode, and the others to be released to the public later this afternoon, should DO THEIR JOB, AND DO IT NOW! If not, lets get them out of office, ASAP.

Thirteen Senate Republicans have announced their support with eight publicly against.

Neither Bray nor Goode  along with 17 other Senate Republicans  have said where they stand on the redistricting proposal.

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Bray has repeatedly reported a lack of supportive votes among the 40-member caucus, while Goode recently held a town hall to hear from constituents on redistricting. Not one person spoke in support.

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(AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)

President Donald Trump is threatening to primary Indiana Republicans for declining to gerrymander the state and add GOP seats to Congress.

The president has repeatedly urged GOP-led states like Indiana to redistrict and give Republicans an advantage in the 2026 midterms.

Trump took to Truth Social Sunday to put RINO Senators on notice for depriving Republicans of a House majority.

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Very disappointed in Indiana State Senate Republicans, led by RINO Senators Rod Bray and Greg Goode, for not wanting to redistrict their State, allowing the United States Congress to perhaps gain two more Republican seats, Trump wrote.

The Democrats have done redistricting for years, often illegally, and all other appropriate Republican States have done it. Because of these two politically correct type gentlemen, and a few others, they could be depriving Republicans of a Majority in the House, A VERY BIG DEAL!

Trump took a shot at Californias Prop 50 redistricting measure that passed overwhelmingly and allows the state to redraw congressional districts in favor of Democrats. Prop 50 was proposed after Texas approved redistricting in favor of Republicans.

California is trying to pick up five seats, and no one is complaining about that. Its weak Republicans that cause our Country such problems  Its why we have crazy Policies and Ideas that are so bad for America, Trump wrote, continuing:

Also, a friend of mine, Governor Mike Braun, perhaps, is not working the way he should to get the necessary Votes. Considering that Mike wouldnt be Governor without me (Not even close!), is disappointing! Any Republican that votes against this important redistricting, potentially having an impact on America itself, should be PRIMARIED. Indiana is a State with strong, smart, and patriotic people. They want us to see our Country WIN, and want to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! Senators Bray, Goode, and the others to be released to the public later this afternoon, should DO THEIR JOB, AND DO IT NOW! If not, lets get them out of office, ASAP.

None of those mentioned in Trumps post have yet responded.

The post Trump Threatens to Primary Indiana Republicans Because They Wont Gerrymander the State for Him: Get Them Out of Office, ASAP first appeared on Mediaite.
President Donald Trumps obsessive focus on deporting immigrants has led to extreme changes at the Department of Homeland Security and undermined efforts to combat child exploitation and sex trafficking, a new report found.

According to The New York Times, the department has been forced to shift its priorities and sideline other important law enforcement activities to make way for the presidents agenda.

Agents investigating sexual crimes against children have been temporarily reassigned, a national security probe into the Iranian black market slowed and lost momentum, and agents working on sex trafficking issues have been forced to pause their work in order to support the Trump administrations deportation goals. Even the Coast Guard has been pulled in to aid the deportation work, the Times reported.

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The new data that the report is based on comes from previously unseen internal DHS documents, and interviews with more than 60 officials.

People inside the agency spoke of being berated by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller for not arresting enough people. Yet the Trump administrations extensive focus on immigration hasnt played out the way they might have imagined. Less than 40 percent of people ICE arrests carry criminal convictions, the report says.

The Trump administrations pressure campaign extended to all parts of the agency.

As of August, there are currently more than 60,000 people being detained by DHS, and the Trump administration has shown no signs of pulling back anytime soon.

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While so many government agencies have been gutted, depriving Americans of much needed aid and assistance, DHS has received a hefty funding boost. ICE is expected to grow its staff by 66 percent over the next few years.

Hany Farid, a computer scientist who worked on software that detects child sexual abuse materials and aids law enforcement, told Times reporters that it was heartbreaking. You cant say you care about kids when youre diverting actual resources that are protecting children, he said.
Individuals named Eloise are typically characterized by a unique blend of intellectual curiosity and emotional depth. They often possess sharp, analytical minds that enjoy solving complex problems, combined with creative imagination that seeks beauty and meaning in their surroundings. This duality makes them equally comfortable in academic pursuits and artistic expression. The historical 'famous in war' connotation manifests in modern Eloises as strategic thinking and resiliencethey approach life's challenges with careful planning and determination rather than impulsive reactions.



Socially, Eloises tend to be selective in their relationships, preferring deep, meaningful connections over superficial acquaintances. They often exhibit natural leadership qualities, though their leadership style is typically collaborative and inclusive rather than authoritarian. Many display a quiet confidence that comes from self-awareness and competence rather than arrogance. Their communication style is usually articulate and thoughtful, making them effective in professions requiring diplomacy and persuasion. While they can be perceived as reserved initially, those who know them well appreciate their loyalty, wit, and capacity for deep emotional connection. The name suggests someone who values both tradition and progress, able to honor heritage while embracing innovation.
President Donald Trump reached the end of his rope with longtime ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and assigned her a new nickname: 'Wacky.'

"All I see 'Wacky' Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!" Trump wrote on social media Nov. 14. He said he would no longer endorse her and encouraged people to challenge her in Georgia's 2026 Republican primary.

The announcement was the culmination of more than a month of television interviews in which Greene, a staunch supporter of the America First policies Trump ran on, disagreed with Republicans, but largely laid the blame on Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.

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Hours before Trump's post Nov. 14, Greene took the gloves off and doubled down on her isolationist views: "No one cares about the foreign countries. No one cares about the never-ending amount of foreign leaders coming to the White House every single week, she told NBC News.

The rift also came as Greene works to force the House to vote to release all of the government's records on Jeffrey Epstein. The Trump administration has blocked the release of the files, in defiance of a campaign promise, and now refers to the situation as a hoax.

Was it Epstein or a Senate seat?

While Trump says Greene split with him months ago when he showed her a poll saying she can't win a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, Greene shared text messages on social media that she sent to Trump about Epstein. Apparently this is what sent him over the edge," she wrote.

Hes coming after me hard to make an example to scare all the other Republicans before next week's vote to release the Epstein files, Greene said, adding: Its astonishing really how hard hes fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out.

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Greene said that she has been one of Trumps staunchest supporters  she's recently said she's not just America First but America Only  but concluded: "I dont worship or serve Donald Trump. I worship God, Jesus is my savior, and I serve my district GA14 and the American people."

The "Best Friends Forever" statue featuring President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein is on display in front of Busboys and Poets cafe 14th & V in Washington, D.C.. It was previously put up, then taken down, then put up again on the National Mall. Damage to statue of Donald Trump of Jeffrey Epsten holding hands after being removed from the National Park Service ahead of the end of its permit. The statue was a tongue-in-cheek reference to Trump's once close friendship with the late sex offender. Damage to statue of Donald Trump of Jeffrey Epsten holding hands after being removed from the National Park Service ahead of the end of its permit. The statue was a tongue-in-cheek reference to Trump's once close friendship with the late sex offender. Damage to statue of Donald Trump of Jeffrey Epsten holding hands after being removed from the National Park Service ahead of the end of its permit. The statue was a tongue-in-cheek reference to Trump's once close friendship with the late sex offender. A statue depicting President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands is seen near the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A plaque below the figures states "In Honor of Friendship Month." A statue depicting President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands is seen near the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A plaque below the figures states "In Honor of Friendship Month." A statue of President Donald Trump and the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was unveiled Sept. 23, 2025 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. A plaque below the figures states "In Honor of Friendship Month." It's the Secret Handshake Project's third such anti-Trump installation since June 2025. A statue of President Donald Trump and the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was unveiled Sept. 23, 2025, on the National Mall in Washington, DC. It's the Secret Handshake's third such anti-Trump installation since June. A statue depicting President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands is seen near the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A plaque below the figures states "In Honor of Friendship Month." A statue depicting President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands is seen near the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A plaque below the figures states "In Honor of Friendship Month." A statue depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands is seen near the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A plaque below the figures states "In Honor of Friendship Month." A statue depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands is seen near the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A plaque below the figures states "In Honor of Friendship Month." A statue depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands is seen near the U.S. Capitol on September 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A plaque below the figures states "In Honor of Friendship Month." A statue depicting President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein holding hands is seen near the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 23, 2025, in Washington, D.C. A plaque below the figures states "In Honor of Friendship Month." Trump, Epstein hold hands in sculpture on National Mall 'In Honor of Friendship Month' 1 of 14 The "Best Friends Forever" statue featuring President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein is on display in front of Busboys and Poets cafe 14th & V in Washington, D.C.. It was previously put up, then taken down, then put up again on the National Mall.

The next morning, on Nov. 15, Greene called for "a new way forward" that allows people to have political disagreements and still "love and respect one another.

"The toxic political industrial complex thrives on ripping us all apart but never delivers anything good for the American people, whom I love," she wrote.

How the Trump-Greene rift unfolded

Greene attracted attention for criticizing House GOP leadership during the government shutdown that started Oct. 1 and voicing some of the same concerns about health care costs that Democrats said were keeping them from voting to open the government.

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She shifted her criticism to Trump on Nov. 10, writing on X, "I would really like to see nonstop meetings at the WH on domestic policy not foreign policy and foreign countrys leaders." Greene was referring to Trump hosting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House.

As Trump has focused heavily on foreign policy, including recent trips to Asia and the Middle East, Democrats have honed in on cost-of-living concerns, which helped the party win elections earlier this month.

Trump defended his foreign policy moves and lashed out at Greene in comments aboard Air Force One Nov. 14 as he was traveling to Florida. He later posted his social media message about a possible primary challenge.

"I understand that wonderful, Conservative people are thinking about primarying Marjorie in her District of Georgia, that they too are fed up with her and her antics and, if the right person runs, they will have my Complete and Unyielding Support," Trump wrote.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks to the press, on the day of a joint session of Congress to certify Donald Trump's election, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, January 6, 2025.

Contributing: Erin Mansfield, Joey Garrison

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'I worship God,' not Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene says
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Two 18-year-old men and a juvenile are facing gun and evading charges after leading officers from the Memphis Safe Task Force on a high-speed chase.

Lecedri Brown, 18, Christopher Bridges, 18; and a person under the age of 18, all face charges of Evading (Vehicle) and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.

Lecedri Brown  Shelby Co. Sheriffs Office Christopher Bridges  Shelby Co. Sheriffs Office

On Friday, Nov. 14, Task Force members saw a vehicle committing multiple traffic violations and attempted to stop it.

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The driver did not stop and instead led officers on a highspeed pursuit.

The vehicle ultimately lost control and hit a telephone pole. Officers were able to immediately capture all three occupants, according to U.S. Marshals.

Officials say during a search of the vehicle, authorities found a stolen gun inside, alleged to have been illegally modified with a device commonly referred to as a switch.

A switch is an unlawful conversion device that alters a semiautomatic handgun to fire in fully automatic mode, dramatically increasing its rate of fire and lethality.

Brown and Bridges are due in court Monday morning.

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LONDON (AP)  The British government plans to tighten its asylum system in a series of sweeping changes modeled after Denmark that aims to reduce immigration and quell the political storm over migrants making dangerous English Channel crossings to enter the country without authorization.

The policy changes to be announced by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday in the House of Commons are yet another an attempt to make the U.K. less attractive to those seeking refuge and easier to remove migrants who don't qualify for asylum.

Mahmood said it was a moral mission to control the borders and reunite a divided country on the flashpoint issue that has helped fuel the rise of the hard-right Reform UK Party, though as the daughter of migrants she denied the ruling center-left Labour Party was adopting far-right talking points.

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People can see huge pressure in their communities and they can also see a system that is broken, and where people are able to flout the rules, abuse the system and get away with it, Mahmood told the BBC.

Successive governments have failed to halt the flow of migrants to British shores through a variety of efforts that included the previous Conservative governments plan to send arrivals to Rwanda for asylum processing that never took effect. That policy was scrapped last year when Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the Labour Party, was elected last year and vowed to crack down on migrant smuggling gangs.

More than 39,000 migrants have arrived by boat in the U.K. this year, surpassing the almost 37,000 who arrived in 2024, according to the latest Home Office figures. The number, though, is still shy of the nearly 40,000 who had arrived at this point in the year in 2022, which recorded the highest number ever.

Although the numbers arriving by small boat have risen, they represent a fraction of total immigration, with most people entering the U.K. legally, on visas. Net migration  the number of people entering the U.K. minus those who left  topped 900,000 in the year to June 2023, according to official figures. The surge was driven in part by hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war in Ukraine and Chinas clampdown in Hong Kong.

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Net migration stood at 431,000 in the year to June 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics, down 49.9% from 860,000 a year earlier.

The issue of migration became more politically volatile this summer as protests that occasionally became violent were held outside hotels housing asylum seekers after a migrant was arrested  and later convicted  of sexual assault for trying to kiss a 14-year-old girl.

The new reforms include revoking the U.K.'s legal duty, introduced under EU law in 2005, to provide support for asylum seekers, allowing the government to withdraw housing and weekly allowances that are now guaranteed. Benefits could also be denied to people who have a right to work but dont and those who break the law, or work illegally.

Refugee status will also be regularly reviewed to see if people can safely be repatriated.

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Safe ways will be designated for migrants to claim asylum without having to pack into overcrowded inflatable rafts and risk crossing the choppy channel.

Chris Philp, a Conservative member of Parliament, criticized the policy for tinkering at the edges. He said the changes wouldn't have the impact of the scrapped Rwanda policy and said every migrant entering the country without authorization should be deported within a week.

I dont object to it in principle, but its not going to work," Philp told the BBC. "Its gimmicks. Its rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Its not going to stop people getting on boats.

The Home Office said the new policy was modeled Denmark's success at reducing its asylum applications to the lowest point in 40 years and removing 95% of those who sought to settle there.

Denmark was once a haven for refugees. But as Europe and the Western world have struggled to deal with mass migration from people fleeing conflict, famine and poverty, it has imposed strict limits on newcomers that has drawn international criticism for discouraging people seeking refuge.
Britain's interior minister on Sunday defended plans to drastically reduce protections for refugees and end automatic benefits for asylum seekers, insisting that irregular migration was "tearing our country apart".

The measures, modelled on Denmark's strict asylum system, aim to stop thousands of migrants from arriving in England from northern France on small boats -- crossings that are fuelling support for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party.

But the proposals are widely seen as an attempt to counter a hard-right surge in popularity. They are likely to be opposed by left-wing lawmakers within Prime Minister Keir Starmer's embattled Labour government and the Refugee Council charity has already branded them "harsh and unnecessary".

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The centre-right opposition Conservatives also criticised the measures, their home affairs spokesman Chris Philp saying the government was just "tinkering with the edges".

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood hit back, telling BBC television she rejected the idea that the proposals meant Labour was "engaging in far-right talking points.

"This is a moral mission for me, because I can see illegal migration is tearing our country apart, it is dividing communities," she said.

- 'Block endless appeals' -

Presently, those given refugee status have it for five years, after which they can apply for indefinite leave to remain and eventually citizenship.

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Mahmood's ministry, the Home Office, said it would cut the length of refugee status to 30 months.

That protection will be "regularly reviewed", and refugees will be forced to return to their home countries once they are deemed safe, it added.

The ministry said it now intended to make people granted asylum wait 20 years before applying to be allowed to live in the United Kingdom indefinitely.

It said the reforms would make it less attractive for irregular migrants to come to Britain, and make it easier to remove those already in the country.

Mahmood's reforms will also include new legislation to make it harder for irregular migrants and foreign criminals to use the European Convention on Human Rights to stop deportation, the Home Office announced late Sunday.

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In a statement, Starmer said the reforms would "block endless appeals, stop last-minute claims and scale up removals of those with no right to be here".

Asylum claims in Britain are at a record high, with around 111,000 applications made in the year to June 2025, according to official figures.

- Benefits crackdown -

A statutory legal duty to provide support to asylum seekers, introduced in a 2005 law, will also be revoked, the Home Office said.

That means housing and weekly financial allowances will no longer be guaranteed for asylum seekers.

It will become "discretionary", meaning the government could deny assistance to any asylum seeker who could work or support themselves but did not, or those who committed crimes.

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More than 39,000 people, many fleeing conflict, have arrived on small boats this year -- more than for the whole of 2024 but lower than the record set in 2022, when the Conservatives were in power.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot welcomed the proposals, saying asylum seekers risked their lives crossing the Channel because the conditions they get in Britain "are more permissive".

"We told the UK it was necessary to align certain conditions they give arriving immigrants with European standards," he said.

However, Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, urged the government to reconsider, warning that the plans "will not deter" crossings.

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"They should ensure that refugees who work hard and contribute to Britain can build secure, settled lives and give back to their communities," he said.

- The Danish model -

Labour is taking inspiration from Denmark's coalition government -- led by the centre-left Social Democrats -- which has implemented some of the strictest migration policies in Europe.

Senior British officials recently visited the Scandinavian country, where successful asylum claims are at a 40-year-low.

Refugees in Denmark are entitled to a one-year renewable residency permit, and are encouraged to return as soon as authorities deem their countries are safe.

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Family reunions are also subject to strict requirements, including a minimum age for both parents, language tests and guarantees of funds.

Labour has trailed Reform, led by firebrand Nigel Farage, in opinion polls for most of this year but its tougher stance on immigration risks losing voters to progressive alternatives such as the Greens.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has appealed to his country's supporters for funds to scale up drone production.

He wrote on X on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would end the war only if two conditions were met.

First, Putin had to lose "the illusion that he can somehow eventually win on the battlefield." Second, the price of continuing the war had to exceed the price of ending it.

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"The modern arms race is not about nukes  it is about millions of cheap drones," the minister wrote. "Those who can scale up production quicker will secure peace."

He said Ukraine's defence industry needed money to achieve this. "We can produce up to 20 million drones next year if we get sufficient funding." Sybiha did not name a specific sum.

Ukraine has been producing tens of thousands of different drones for months. The unmanned aircraft are manufactured by both the traditional defence industry and private companies that are trying to give Ukraine a technological edge with innovative products.

Drones, which are produced for a fraction of the cost of expensive weapons systems, have already brought about new forms of warfare. Both Russia and Ukraine are deploying drones in large numbers. However, neither side discloses exact production figures.
Federal agents have descended on the city of Charlotte in North Carolina as part of US President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has said.

Federal immigration authorities carried out nearly 100 arrests in the Charlotte area on Saturday, according to CBS, the BBC's US news partner.

Local officials, including Mayor Vi Lyles, released a joint statement criticising the operation, saying it was causing "unnecessary fear and uncertainty" in the community.

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Since Trump's return to office, he has deployed troops to Washington DC, Los Angeles and Chicago to deliver on his promise of "the largest deportation programme" in US history.

The DHS announced "Operation Charlotte's Web" on Saturday, saying "criminal illegal aliens" would be targeted in the Democratic-run city.

"We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed," Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.

Armoured vehicles and special operations teams could be involved in the north Charlotte crackdown, according to internal government documents seen by CBS.

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Several church members tending to the front garden of a church in east Charlotte fled into woods when agents arrived and detained one man, The Charlotte Observer reported, quoting the church's pastor.

"We thought church was safe and nothing [was] gonna happen," a 15-year-old witness told the newspaper.

Officials said there were "a number of organisations standing ready to assist individuals seeking legal guidance on immigration matters".

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The DHS said it was carrying out the operation because North Carolina had failed to adhere to requests to keep nearly 1,400 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees in custody, who had been released due to "sanctuary policies".

Charlotte is not a sanctuary city - which have policies in place to limit the assistance given to federal immigration authorities - but it is a "certified welcoming city". This is a formal designation for cities that are committed to immigration inclusion.

"President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won't," the DHS said.

Charlotte is an ethnically diverse city, with about 17% of residents being born outside of the country, according to Data US.

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DHS has not said how long the raids will last. Chicago's crackdown, which began in September is still ongoing.

Earlier in the week, US representative and Democrat Alma Adams said she was informed of the operation and was "extremely concerned" about Border Patrol and ICE agents arriving in North Carolina.

The next city on Trump's list is set to be New Orleans, according to CBS, and that as many as 200 agents could be deployed there.

Operations in previous cities like Chicago and Los Angeles have come under fire over concerns of excessive use of force.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday he believed the approaching vote on releasing Justice Department files related to Jeffrey Epstein should help put to rest allegations that President Donald Trump had any connection to the late sex offender's abuse and trafficking of underage girls.

"They're doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not," Johnson, the Republican leader in the House, said on "Fox News Sunday."

"Epstein is their entire game plan, so we're going to take that weapon out of their hands," Johnson said of Democrats. "Let's just get this done and move it on. There's nothing to hide."

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Although Trump and Epstein were photographed together decades ago, the president has said the two men fell out prior to Epstein's convictions. Emails released last week by a House committee showed Epstein believed Trump "knew about the girls," though it was not clear what that phrase meant.

Trump has since instructed the Department of Justice to investigate prominent Democrats' ties to Epstein.

Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat and an original sponsor of the petition calling for a vote on the files' release, said on Sunday that he expected more than 40 Republicans to vote in favor.

Republicans hold the majority in the House, with 219 seats, versus 214 for Democrats.

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Khanna, speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press," said the measure is not about Trump but about accountability for all the powerful individuals who allegedly participated in abusing thousands of victims.

"This is not partisan. They all need to be held accountable. The Epstein class needs to go," Khanna said.

The battle over disclosure of more Epstein-related documents, a subject Trump himself campaigned on, has opened a rift with some of his allies in Congress. Trump late on Friday withdrew his support for Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, long one of his staunchest supporters in Congress, following her criticism of Republicans on certain issues, including the handling of the Epstein files.

In an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union" program on Sunday, Greene said she did not believe the as-yet-unreleased files would implicate the president, but she renewed her call for further transparency.

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"I don't believe that rich, powerful people should be protected if they have done anything wrong," she said.

(Reporting by Douglas Gillison and Andrew Goudsward in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non, Paul Simao and Leslie Adler)
By Doina Chiacu and Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Federal authorities conducted raids on Saturday in the banking hub of Charlotte, North Carolina, the Department of Homeland Security said, expanding its crackdown on illegal immigration to the U.S. South.

"We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed," DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens."

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DHS, which oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, did not provide details on the operation, including how many law enforcement officers took part or the number of people detained.

But the agency blamed North Carolina officials, saying their refusal to detain suspects sought by immigration authorities led to Saturday's operation.

DHS said North Carolina has not honored almost 1,400 "detainers"  requests by immigration officials to hold suspects for up to 48 hours beyond the time they would ordinarily be released.

The North Carolina governor's office and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, a Democrat, and city commissioners on Saturday urged people to seek help, including from the Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Police Department, which is not participating in the federal raids.

"There are a number of organizations standing ready to assist individuals seeking legal guidance on immigration matters," the city officials said in a statement.

The raids caused fear and uncertainty in Charlotte because similar operations in other cities resulted in people without criminal records being detained, they said.

Local leaders earlier this week said they were informed that a CBP operation would start on Saturday. U.S. Representative Alma Adams, a Democrat, said on Thursday she was "extremely concerned" about Border Patrol and ICE personnel coming to Charlotte.

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"Charlotte's immigrant community is a proud part of the Queen City, and I will not stand by and watch my constituents be intimidated or harassed," Adams posted on X.

Gregory Bovino, a U.S. Border Patrol official who has led Trump's aggressive crackdown in Chicago since September, responded to Adams that she and North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, a Democrat, "should learn the difference between an illegal alien & an immigrant."

Since President Donald Trump, a Republican, took office, ICE has dramatically increased its detainer requests, which rose to a daily average of 700 through early June, from an average of about 400 a day during the same time period last year, according to a Reuters analysis of ICE data collected by UC Berkeleys Deportation Data Project.

Trump has focused on ramping up immigration arrests in Democratic-led cities, with major pushes in recent months in Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington.

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Border Patrol agents in Chicago have helped increase immigration arrests, but protesters and some residents say they have used excessive force, including deploying tear gas in busy urban areas.

A Chicago-based federal judge barred immigration agents from using some aggressive tactics and ordered them to wear body cameras after videos cited in a lawsuit showed violent clashes with protesters.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Sergio Non, Franklin Paul and Christian Schmollinger)
For many Americans, the gap between Christian teachings and MAGA politics is baffling. How can people profess faith in Jesus  who preached love, mercy and care for the oppressed  while supporting policies that punish immigrants, demonize LGBTQ people and glorify cruelty?

The key to understanding this apparent contradiction might lie in something called vertical morality.

Life: The Funniest Posts From Women This Week (Nov. 8-14)

This ethical framework measures righteousness not by goodness to others, but by something more simplistic. Below, Christian advocates and former fundamentalists break down what vertical morality means and how it explains our political landscape today.

HuffPost Life delivers practical, reliable advice to navigate lifes challenges and make informed decisions. Support journalism that empowers you  join our membership program today.

What Is Vertical Morality?

Vertical morality teaches that authority, power and a moral code of right and wrong, or acceptable and unacceptable, come from above  an external superior who designates rules, systems and tenets that must be obeyed by those beneath, said Tia Levings, a former Christian fundamentalist and author of A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy.

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In the context of religion, the superior is God. In politics, it might be an authoritarian dictator. In a cult, it would be the controlling leader. Whatever the circumstances, the idea is that behaviors are only right or wrong based on what the figure in power says.

Life: This Viral Video Has People Talking About Christianity Versus 'MAGA Christianity'

Vertical morality in Christianity is the idea that our ethics and behaviors have a duty to please God alone. We get our morals from God and we must obey him, furthering the will of God no matter the cost, said April Ajoy, author of Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding A True Faith.

The term has become popular in the social media sphere in recent years, thanks to viral videos from content creator and activist Rachel Klinger Cain. She told HuffPost she started using this terminology in her content a few years ago.

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Vertical morality is just how I describe whats called divine command theory in metaethics, she said. Im a teacher, so Im always looking for ways to make complicated concepts a little more simple. Its basically the idea that morality comes from authority above, which is what I was taught when I was raised within conservative Christianity.

Vertical morality stands in contrast to the concept of horizontal morality, another term Klinger Cain has broken down in her videos.

Life: Vertical Morality Might Describe Why MAGA Christians Seem So Unchristian

Horizontal morality prioritizes the well-being of our neighbors, communities and personal relationships, Ajoy explained. We act in ways that cause the least amount of harm to those around us, regardless of beliefs. Someone with vertical morality may help someone in need because they believe thats what God wants them to do, versus someone with horizontal morality may help that same person for the benefit of the person that needs help.

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Rather than unquestioning obedience and superficial optics, this approach focuses on genuine empathy, compassion and love toward others, recognizing the actual effects our actions have on people.

I think both are important in the Christian faith, but a lot of people today get hung up on the vertical as a priority and forget about the horizontal altogether, said Malynda Hale, an advocate and executive director of The New Evangelicals, a nonprofit focused on promoting inclusivity, justice and compassion in Christianity.

Similarly, Ajoy believes that the most Christ-like approach is to hold a position of horizontal authority, because doing so also subscribes to vertical morality.

Politics: The Republican Effort To Remake Schools In Gods Image

In Matthew 25, Jesus describes people who fed and clothed those in need, who welcomed the stranger, who took care of the sick and visited those in prison, she noted. He then says, What you did for the least of these, you did for me. He equates loving our neighbors (horizontal morality) with loving Christ (vertical morality).

How Vertical Morality Shapes Politics And Justice Today

The distinction isnt just theological nitpicking. Experts say it sheds considerable light on contemporary politics.

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Evangelicals are taught that all morality comes from God and therefore true goodness can only be spread by obeying God, even if it harms people around us, Ajoy said. This isnt necessarily a bad thing if pleasing God manifests by following the teachings of Jesus  loving our neighbors, loving our enemies, promoting peace and taking care of the poor, the widow, the immigrant and standing up for the marginalized. It becomes dangerous when Christians weaponize this vertical morality for power, which is exactly what were seeing with the Christian nationalism in the Trump administration.

In the current era, conservative Christian nationalists see anyone on their political team as good and on Gods side, while those who oppose them as evil and satanic.

Life: Trumps 'Sour' Body Language While Getting Booed At A Football Game Speaks Volumes, Experts Say

Whats interesting is that Jesus taught a compassionate, flexible, grace-filled view of what it means to live a life loving God, Levings noted. But todays conservative Christianity is less influenced by Jesus and more by the Old Testament and Paul.

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She pointed to theonomy, the belief that Old Testament laws should be applied to modern society, as an influence on Christian nationalist politics.

Vertical morality has led to the demonization of empathy and desensitization toward the suffering of othe CHARLY TRIBALLEAU via Getty Images

It predates Jesus, and its disinterested in evidence, science, progress, research, experience or the inclusion of other worldviews, Levings said. Theonomy is part of the Reformed theology thats been growing in the evangelical movement for the past 30 years.

Summarizing the role of vertical morality in the Old Testament, Klinger Cain highlighted the story of Abraham, who was commended for his willingness to obey Gods command to sacrifice his son Isaac, despite the acts inherent immorality.

What should happen if you have a horizontal moral system is, you should go, Im not murdering someone, even if an authority figure has told me to do that, she said. But under vertical morality, that would be a sin because youre disobeying God.

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Drawing from the most violent and extreme chapters of Biblical history, this approach frames unquestioning obedience as the highest virtue, even when it demands actions that defy compassion or common sense. And what mightve once been a religious debate has now become a broader cultural conflict thanks to the role of conservative Christians in writing Project 2025 and otherwise shaping public policy.

The problem with MAGA Christians is that they promote policies that often go against the teachings of Jesus, Ajoy said. They justify it by promoting a view of God that is vengeful. They demonize all immigrants as criminals, all queer people as predators, all leftists as violent and all Democrats as satanic  with no evidence to back these claims. And because they believe in a literal hell and a God-ordained calling to make the nation Christian, they justify cruelty in the name of tough love.

Under a vertical moral system, the worst thing you can do is disobey Gods laws, and this perspective has bled into politics as well. Klinger Cain offered the example of the rather callous response to Alligator Alcatraz and the extremely punitive treatment of immigrant detainees from MAGA Christians.

On one side, were looking at people who are undocumented, so yes, theyve broken a rule. But for the most part, there are no victims  so why is our government being so harsh? she said. But the other side, with this fundamental Christian worldview, sees every broken rule as deserving a super harsh punishment. You dont have to be a murderer or a rapist to go to hell. Every broken rule leads to hell  even just taking a bite of an apple cursed all of humanity.

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This religious viewpoint desensitizes people, so inhumane immigrant detention feels fine and deserved. Klinger Cain added that, for people with this perspective, the only way to escape the fate of hell is not through good actions but simply by being on the right God-ordained MAGA team.

Vertical morality has caused white conservative, MAGA-aligned Christianity to completely abandon the core of Christs teachings because their focus is on self-interest and perceived moral purity, Hale said. To them, they are Christians and havent abandoned the faith at all, but their framework measures righteousness in a way that can excuse behaviors that the general public knows and sees arent Christlike at all.

This system also demonizes empathy. Some conservative authors have even written books describing empathy as sinful or toxic.

If Abraham had empathized too much with his son and chosen not to kill him, then that empathy would have been a sin, Klinger Cain said. Weve seen this concept play out in Christianity with pastors telling parents not to allow their children to be gay, even if it hurts them. The idea is dont allow your empathy to support sin in this way.

Why Vertical Morality Appeals To People  And Why It Can Be Dangerous

This ease of this straightforward absolutism helps explain why vertical morality appeals to so many people.

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Its comforting to always know what the answer is and where to find it, Klinger Cain said. Its probably nice for your nervous system to not worry about whether youre doing something right or not.

In times of cultural change, many people are drawn to simple authoritarian structures due to fear and uncertainty, she added.

And once youre primed for authoritarianism in religion, its easy to accept it in politics, Klinger Cain said.

She believes this is why conservative Christians have had a lot of success galvanizing their political base to get on board quickly with things that might seem morally questionable. On the other side of the aisle, she sees more infighting as people try to use logic and empathy to find solutions and come to differing conclusions.

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Vertical morality feels safe in chaotic times, when figuring things out or learning from past mistakes feels daunting, Levings said. Its also easier to comply with when the bottom-dwelling citizens feel like they have little power or agency to resist an authoritarian system. Sometimes, compliance is a matter of survival, and agreeing with it is a necessary means of getting along and staying safe.

Hale agreed that vertical morality feels easier and less complicated than actually confronting systemic issues and the complexities of social justice.

Its easy to measure your faith by private devotion or rules that you think are in the bible, rather than by how you show up in the world, she said. The unfortunate part is that it can blind people to injustice and sometimes cause them to justify harmful behavior. When your focus is on individual righteousness rather than collective responsibility, you dont learn how to show up for others  you only care about your own journey.

As a result, Hale added, you risk fostering a society where people arent held accountable for harmful actions and can be cruel and exclusionary, as long as they are good Christians. Rather than social responsibility, its all about personal salvation.

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Theres a quote I heard often growing up in this world that says, Some Christians are so heavenly-minded that theyre no earthly good. And I think that perfectly sums up the risks of holding solely to a vertical morality, Ajoy said. Our history is full of instances of Christians causing human suffering because they believed they were obeying God. And Gods will can be manipulated and weaponized for all sorts of harm.

She pointed to the role of Christianity as justification for slavery and Ku Klux Klan activity, for example.

Were seeing vertical morality weaponized today in the Trump administration, Ajoy said. If they can convince people that they are of God, then it doesnt matter who they hurt in the process. They say Christian things. They quote scripture. But they are wreaking havoc on the very people Jesus calls us to love and care for. It reminds me of another verse in Matthew 15 that says, These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

Levings emphasized broader risks of vertical morality, noting that it depends on the benevolence of the power on top and is based on an ancient code that cannot be challenged or questioned. Those who try are shamed and cut off from the group.

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Vertical morality cant take into consideration modern advancements or needs, evidence of failures, new research and information and human progress in civilization, she explained. Those with a vertical structure arent inclusive or accepting of other worldviews. Diversity cant exist because it threatens the high contrast right-wrong rigidity found in fundamentalist authoritarianism.

But that doesnt mean theres no place for any sort of regard for a divine moral authority.

I think that vertical morality can bring genuine spiritual depth and discipline, but it has to work in tandem with horizontal ethics, Hale said. We always say faith without works is dead. Faith without action is incomplete. Personal piety can become performative if it isnt rooted in love for others.

Related...

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A Georgia man was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a young teen in Bay County, Fla., in 2004, according to officials.

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The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida announced that Leslie Earl Cannon, 73, of Georgia, entered an open plea to charges of sexual battery upon a child older than 12 but younger than 18, and lewd or lascivious battery. An open plea means there is no agreement on the sentence, which was ultimately decided by the judge.

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Your honor, what the victim and what we really want here is that this man not be turned loose so that he can victimize another child, Prosecutor Jeff Moore said during sentencing.

A judge considered several factors in determining the sentence, including Cannons previous 20-year imprisonment for a similar assault on the same victim in Georgia around the same time as the Florida offense.

Cannon was designated a sexual predator and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

TRENDING STORIES:

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The victim, now in his 30s, provided a statement during the sentencing, expressing the profound impact the crime had on his life.

The victim wrote that his childhood was ripped from me.

I spent the best years of my life hiding from people alone in the darkness, scared and afraid of society, he said.

The victim also revealed that Cannon began grooming him when he was 10 years old, and stated, This crime continues to affect me every day. I am working to heal, but the harm that was done will always be a part of my story.

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Individuals named Eorlland typically exhibit strong leadership qualities combined with a deep sense of responsibility toward their community. They are often perceived as grounded, practical people who value tradition and stability, yet possess the vision to guide others toward meaningful goals. Their noble namesake seems to inspire a natural authority that is tempered by humility and service-oriented mindset, making them effective in positions where they must balance power with compassion.



Eorllands are frequently characterized by their strong work ethic, loyalty to family and faith, and a protective nature toward those in their care. They tend to be methodical decision-makers who consider long-term consequences, reflecting the land stewardship aspect of their name's meaning. While they may appear reserved initially, they develop deep, lasting relationships and are known for their reliability and integrity. Their Christian upbringing often manifests in charitable works and community leadership, with many pursuing vocations that allow them to serve others while maintaining their connection to traditional values.
For millions across northern India, the November air tastes ashy, the sky looks visibly hazy and merely stepping outside feels like a challenge.

For many, their morning routine starts with checking how bad the air is. But what they see depends entirely on which monitor they use.

Government-backed apps like SAFAR and SAMEER top out at 500 - the upper limit of India's AQI (air quality index) scale, which converts complex data on various pollutants such as PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and ozone, into a single number.

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But private and international trackers such as IQAir and open-source monitoring platform AQI routinely show far higher numbers, often shooting past 600 and even crossing 1,000 on some days.

This contradiction leaves people asking the same question every year: Which numbers should they trust? And why doesn't India officially report air quality beyond 500?

Comparing India's AQI to WHO or US standards can be misleading, say experts [BBC]

India's official air-quality scale shows readings above 200 pose clear breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure.

Readings above 400 and up to 500 are classified as "severe" and affect healthy people while also seriously impacting those with existing diseases.

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The scale however does not go beyond 500 - a cap set more than a decade ago when the National Air Quality Index was launched.

So why was that threshold introduced?

"It was assumed that the health impact would be the same no matter how much higher it goes because we had already hit the worst," says Gufran Beig, founder director of SAFAR.

He admits that the 500 cap was originally set to avoid creating panic as crossing that mark signalled an alarming situation requiring immediate mitigation.

But this approach effectively flattens the data - anything above 500 is treated the same on official monitors, even if the real concentration is far higher.

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"International organisations and portals don't impose such a cap," says Mr Beig. "That's why we see numbers going much higher on global platforms."

The BBC has reached out to India's pollution control board for a comment.

Beyond the artificially imposed threshold, there's also a difference in defining hazardous air.

For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines classify PM2.5 levels - particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers - above 15 micrograms per cubic metre in a 24-hour period as hazardous, while in India, the threshold is 60 micrograms.

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Experts say that globally, there's no universal AQI formula. US, China and the European Union each apply their own pollutant thresholds.

"WHO provides guidelines and every country has built its index based on its own adaptability, weather and local environment," says Mr Beig. Comparing India's AQI to WHO or US standards can thus be misleading.

Then there is also a difference in the instruments used.

The Indian pollution control board uses Beta Attenuation Monitors (BAMs), which physically measure the mass of particles in the air and are calibrated to strict, standardised metrics for every reading.

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In contrast, portals like IQAir rely on sensor-based monitors, says Abhijeet Pathak, a scientist who formerly worked for India's pollution control board.

Doctors recommend wearing masks when going outdoors [EPA/Shutterstock]

Sensor-based monitors use laser scattering and electrochemical methods to estimate the number of particles suspended in the air.

"The sensor is a different tool and it is not possible to calibrate them for every run," says Mr Pathak, adding that "sensor-based air quality monitoring has not yet been approved by the Indian government".

According to him, India's air quality framework hasn't been comprehensively revised since 2009, and he, along with other environmental scientists and activists have called for recalibrating the scale based on the latest technology.

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"National Air Quality index will need to be revised if we want to include the sensor-based data," says Mr Pathak.

Removing the upper cap is also crucial says Mr Beig, "now that most literature available shows health symptoms keep on worsening as the pollution levels increase".

In the end, India's AQI doesn't stop at 500 because the pollution stops there. It stops at 500 because the system was built with a ceiling.

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A wintry mix of snow and rain is headed toward southern Wisconsin on Monday night into Tuesday morning, creating possible headaches during rush hour.

The forecast is still a "little bit approximate" right now, said National Weather Service meteorologist Marcia Cronce.

In Milwaukee, rain is expected to begin between 9 p.m. and midnight Nov. 17. Precipitation should end around the noon hour Nov. 18.

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Precipitation could turn into snow in some communities, including Milwaukee, but it's not yet clear where. That depends where the band of precipitation lines up, Cronce said.

"This is going to be a fairly narrow swath of snow accumulation," Cronce said.

One or two inches of snow could accumulate on the ground in some areas, but it's expected to melt quickly, especially on roadways.

Slushy snow could still be falling Tuesday morning, creating slippery conditions for morning commuters. Cronce recommended checking the forecast for updates Monday.

More precipitation is likely through the rest of the week. Rain chances are in the forecast Wednesday night through Saturday, with the highest probability on Thursday.

November temperatures on par with normal

Temperatures will be mild this week, but that's normal for this time of year in Milwaukee. Warm weather should peak on Thursday with a high of 51 degrees.

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Normal highs for this week in November hover around 46 degrees, according to historical NWS data.

"This is our transition season," Cronce said. "The cold air isn't very far away ... any kind of dynamic system like this one can pull in the colder air and turn rain into snow pretty easily."

Winter driving tips from the Wisconsin DOT

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation provides the following tips for driving in slippery winter conditions:

Use caution on bridge decks and overpasses, which can be especially slippery.

Most winter crashes and slide-offs are caused by drivers going too fast for the conditions. Remember that posted speed limits apply to ideal conditions.

Sudden braking can cause you to lose control of your vehicle. Use brakes early and carefully.

Never use cruise control in wintry weather.

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Contact Hope Karnopp at HKarnopp@gannett.com or on X at @hopekarnopp.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wintry mix could create slippery, slushy roads in Wisconsin this week
I argued earlier in the month that Florida should do away with the death penalty. But maybe not for the reasons you might expect.

On Nov. 13, the state executed a Merritt Island man, Bryan Jennings for raping and murdering a six-year-old girl in 1979. It took the state 46 years to dole out justice in this terrible case. 46 years!

There's no denying that if you're going to have the death penalty then Jennings is just the kind of monster who deserves a lethal injection. Jennings, dran by the little girl's nightlight, climbed in through her window, put his hand over her mouth and proceeded to drive her to a nearby canal. It was there that he raped and killed her, leaving her body for the alligators and turtles. A fisherman found the body the following afternoon.

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Jennings deserved to die. But 46 years? Jennings expertly used the appellate system to stay alive much longer than he should have been allowed.

Jennings became the 16th person put to death by the state this year, that's the most executions by any state in the modern era. Barring an intervention by the Florida Supreme Court, Jennings will not be the last Floridian executed this year as Gov. Ron DeSantis has already signed death warrants for Putnam County's Richard Barry Randolph (Nov. 20) and Bay County's Mark Geralds (Dec. 12).

Jennings raped and killed six-year-old Rebecca "Becky" Kunash. The victim's heartbroken father, who swore he would attend her killer's execution, died years ago without ever having seen justice in his daughter's case. I understand the appeals process can be painstakingly slow, but 46 years? The system is not working.

Bryan Jennings was executed on Nov. 13, 2025 for the rape and murder of 6-year-old Rebecca "Becky" Kunash in 1979

Additionally, I've personally covered the cases of several men who were sentenced to life in prison for crimes they did not commit, including one earlier this year in Jeff Abramowski. Luckily, DNA evidence cleared these men of their crimes. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, 30 innocent people have been freed from death row since 1976.

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The possibility that we might execute an innocent person is another obvious reason to get rid of the death penalty.

Life in prison without even the remotest possibility of parole should be enough justice, no? Wouldn't that have given the victim's family some closure?

And that brings us to the Question of the Week:

Should Florida eliminate the death penalty?

You can scan the QR code that is on the print edition page or go to https://www.floridatoday.com/opinions-columns/. Please leave a comment telling us why you voted the way you did. In order for your comment or email to be published on our website and in next week's print edition, you MUST include your first and last name and city/town of residence. You can also shoot me an email with "Death Penalty" in the subject line. Again, responses must include name and town/city of residence. I look forward to reading your responses.

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Contact Torres at jtorres@floridatoday.com. You can follow him on X @johnalbertorres

Multimedia editor Rob Landers contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Should Floridas eliminate the death penalty?
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani joined Bill Ritter for an exclusive interview on Up Close on Sunday following his historic win in the November general election.

The 34-year-old state assemblyman will become the youngest New York mayor in more than a century on January 1, 2026. He will also be the first Muslim mayor of New York City.

It will be a lot of firsts for the mayor-elect, who enters Gracie Mansion with an incredibly ambitious agenda focused on affordability for New Yorkers.

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During their interview, the two discussed many topics, including what the mayor-elect envisions during this transition period.

"Oftentimes, transition times are pageantry. They are the moments you announce all of the people, you know, you owe favors to, this, that and the other," Mamdani said. "We want this to be a moment where we are actually preparing and actually preparing ourselves for January 1."

The mayor-elect discuses his position on international law and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

And while the mayor-elect's transition team is in place, a bigger question remains: Will Jessica Tisch stay on as NYPD Commissioner?

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"I met with Commissioner Tisch just this past week and continue to be confident in the necessity of us delivering on this agenda and more," the mayor-elect said.

Mamdani revealed for the first time on Sunday morning that he sat down with the current commissioner late this past week.

"The conversation was more about what it can look like to deliver public safety and what it could look like, especially without the distractions that we have seen over the last few years," Mamdani said.

"And this is something that I shared, that I want this to be about the outcomes because the most important thing is that New Yorkers are given a city that is safe and a city that is just, and too often those things have been put in tension.

Mamdani discusses his recent meeting with the police commissioner.

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When pressed on whether Tisch will stay in her post, Mamdani said his team would share updates soon.

"I continue to be confident in my decision, but as soon as there is a public announcement to be made, we'll be sure to share," Mamdani said.

While the incoming 111th mayor has met with the police commissioner, he has yet to sit down face-to-face with the outgoing 110th mayor, Eric Adams.

"I'm waiting for Mayor Adams to come back into the city. We will be sitting down when he does," Mamdani said.

"I had a conversation with him, and I have to say, despite the many political disagreements that we have, I am appreciative of the fact that the transition itself is one that is moving forward. It's one that our teams have been in contact, and that's something I appreciate."

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With 46 days to go until he takes office on January 1, Mamdani already has more than $1 million for his transition team, an average contribution of just $80. His team has also received 50,000 applications in his resume portal from every zip code in the five boroughs, except one.

"If you are watching from 11695, we need you! Please apply so we can knock every zip code out of the park," he said.

Zip code 11695 encompasses residents from the Rockaways in Queens.

The mayor-elect made an open call to residents in Far Rockaway, Queens to apply for opportunities in his administration.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that he will sign an agreement with Greece on gas imports and expects an "historic deal with France," as he kicked off a European tour.

"Fruitful diplomacy ahead," Zelensky posted on X, in a video in which he is seen in the corridor of a train. He estimated the value of the contract with Greece at 2 billion ($2.3 billion).

The imports are necessary to compensate for the shortfall in Ukrainian production as a result of the ongoing Russian air strikes on his country's energy infrastructure. The deliveries will also be financed with European aid, he said.

Zelensky hopes to strengthen the military

The "historic deal" with France, where the Ukrainian leader will be on Monday, is "to strengthen our combat aviation and air defense," he wrote. He did not provide any details, but Paris has supplied Kiev with Mirage fighter jets, among other system.

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Zelensky said he will also visit Spain for talks "on bolstering our air defense and initiatives with partners," but he did not specify what he would like from Madrid.

He did announce a wish list, stating that air defence systems and missiles were a priority for Ukraine.

Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than three and a half years. The damage to the country is enormous, mainly due to constant air attacks by Russian drones, missiles and cruise missiles.
New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani encouraged his more than 1 million X followers this week to boycott Starbucks.

"Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labor Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract," the 34-year-old wrote on Thursday. "While workers are on strike, I wont be buying any Starbucks, and Im asking you to join us. Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee."

On the same day, Starbucks Workers United, a union representing workers at the coffee giant, announced it was going on an open-ended strike in what is being dubbed the "Red Cup Rebellion."

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1K Unionized Starbucks Baristas Launch Labor Strike At 65 Stores

New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani encouraged his more than 1 million X followers this week to boycott Starbucks.

"As of today, Starbucks workers across the country are officially ON STRIKE," the union wrote on social media. "And we're prepared for this to become the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history. Say #NoContractNoCoffee with us: DON'T BUY STARBUCKS for the duration of our open-ended ULP strike! $SBUX."

Thursday was also Starbucks Red Cup Day, during which customers can pick up a free reusable festive red cup for the holidays.

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Jaci Anderson, Starbucks Director of Global Communications, noted in comments to Fox News Digital:

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"In terms of our annual Reusable Red Cup Day  we actually had a great day  99% of our coffeehouses remained open and welcoming customers and we exceeded our sales expectations across company-operated coffeehouses in North America, making it the best Red Cup Day ever."

Chicago Barista Says Starbucks Workers Are Being 'Abused Verbally' Under New Ceo Policies

Starbucks employees and supporters strike in Seattle, where the company was founded, Thursday.

Red Cup Day is typically one of the companys busiest days.

She further pushed back against the union narrative:

"Were disappointed that Workers United, who represents less than 4% of our partners, has called for a strike instead of returning to the bargaining table. Less than 1% of our coffeehouses are experiencing any level of disruption and the vast majority of our 240,000 partners came to work ready to serve customers and celebrate Reuseable Red Cup Day.

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Weve been very clear - when the union is ready to come back to the bargaining table, were ready to talk. The facts show people like working at Starbucks. Partner engagement is up, turnover is nearly half the industry average, and we get more than 1 million job applications a year.

Any agreement needs to reflect the reality that Starbucks offers the best job in retail, including more than $30 an hour on average in pay and benefits for hourly partners."

Mamdani was elected mayor Nov. 4 after a shocking win in the Democratic primary in June as a democratic socialist. Both times he handily beat former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an Independent in the general election.

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Mamdanis office didnt immediately return requests for comment.





Original article source: Zohran Mamdani tells 1M social media followers to boycott Starbucks amid ongoing worker strike
Symbolically, Eorlson represents the continuity of lineage and the transmission of values across generations. The name embodies the concept of inherited responsibility and the idea that each generation builds upon the foundations laid by their ancestors. It symbolizes the bridge between personal identity and family legacy, suggesting that individuals carry forward both the privileges and obligations of their heritage. Metaphorically, Eorlson can represent the idea of 'noble service' - the concept that true nobility comes not from birthright alone but from how one serves their community and upholds moral principles. The name also carries connotations of stability and tradition in a changing world, serving as an anchor to historical roots while allowing for contemporary interpretation and application of ancient virtues. In a broader sense, Eorlson symbolizes the Christian ideal of stewardship - the responsible management of gifts and positions for the benefit of others rather than personal aggrandizement.
Bihar Elections Result: Some of the closest battles saw the BJP lose Ramgarh to the BSP by just 30 votes, Dhaka to the RJD by 178 votes, and Forbesganj to the Congress by a margin of only 221. These narrow setbacks came despite the overall electoral wave favouring the NDA.
Security forces recovered a large stockpile of weapons and ammunition in Naugam, Jammu & Kashmir  an area now central to the Delhi blast investigation. Recovered items include an assault rifle, magazines, pistols, cartridges, and grenades. Investigators believe the weapons were hidden by local militants.
Five young friends were killed early Sunday when their speeding Fortuner crashed into a sand-laden tractor-trolley on the GwaliorJhansi Highway near Malwa College. The SUV was crushed on impact, and police suspect overspeeding. An investigation is underway. Scroll down to check more details.
Infosys employees have a reason to celebrate as the company has rolled out its Q2 variable pay. While some employees received up to 83% bonus, the overall average payout for the quarter stands at 75%, bringing a positive update for many across the organisation, ET reported.
The development comes amid tensions over the detention of Doda MLA Mehraj Malik under the Public Safety Act (PSA). Farooq Abdullah urged the government to reconsider the move, saying the invocation of the PSA against an elected representative was unwarranted. Doda is already grappling with floods, and now this episode has further engulfed the district, he said.
Those named Erelah are often perceived as having an ethereal, compassionate nature combined with strong intuitive abilities. They tend to be natural peacemakers who radiate calmness and understanding in difficult situations. Erelahs typically possess a deep sense of empathy that allows them to connect with others on an emotional level, making them excellent listeners and trusted confidantes. Their spiritual inclination often manifests as creativity, wisdom beyond their years, and a natural inclination toward helping professions.



While they may appear gentle and reserved, Erelahs usually have an inner strength and resilience that surprises those who underestimate them. They value harmony in relationships and often serve as the moral compass in their social circles, guided by a strong sense of ethics and justice that reflects their name's heavenly origins. This combination of gentle exterior and strong core makes Erelahs particularly effective in leadership roles where compassion and principle must balance. Their name seems to influence their life path toward service, healing, and creating beauty in the world around them.
In 2013, Bo was joined at the White House by a second Portuguese water dog, Sunny, after Michelle Obama said that Bo needed more interaction with other dogs, according to NYT. "As a family, we will miss Bo dearly. But we are thankful that he lived such a joyful life full of snuggles, games of fetch and evenings spent lying on the couch," said Michelle Obama.
Bihar Politics: Rohini Acharya, in a post on the social media platform X, declared that she was quitting politics and severed ties with her family. In the post she also named two people- Sanjay Yadav and Rameez.
Individuals named Errando are typically characterized by their adventurous spirit, intellectual curiosity, and strong sense of independence. They possess a natural inclination toward explorationwhether physical, intellectual, or emotionaland often demonstrate remarkable resilience in the face of challenges. Their bold nature is tempered by a thoughtful disposition, making them strategic risk-takers rather than impulsive adventurers. Errandos tend to be visionary thinkers who can see possibilities where others see obstacles, and they often inspire others with their enthusiasm for new experiences and unconventional paths.



These individuals typically value personal freedom highly and may resist constraints or rigid structures, preferring to chart their own course in life. While they can be somewhat restless and may struggle with routine, their adaptability and problem-solving skills make them excellent in crisis situations or when pioneering new ventures. Their combination of courage and intellect often leads them to leadership positions where innovation and forward-thinking are valued. The name's association with 'bold venture' manifests in their approach to relationships and careersthey seek meaningful connections and purposeful work that allows for growth and discovery rather than static security.
Individuals bearing the name Estefan are typically characterized by strong leadership qualities, natural charisma, and a determined spirit that aligns with the name's meaning of being 'crowned in victory.' They often exhibit confidence in their abilities and decisions, combined with a strategic approach to challenges that helps them achieve their goals. Estefans tend to be ambitious yet principled, pursuing success while maintaining integrity and fairness in their interactions. Their competitive nature is usually balanced by a sense of responsibility toward others, making them effective leaders who inspire loyalty and respect from those around them.



Beyond their leadership capabilities, Estefans often demonstrate remarkable resilience and adaptability when facing obstacles. They possess an inner strength that allows them to persevere through difficulties, often emerging stronger from challenging situations. Socially, they're typically warm and engaging, with an ability to connect with diverse groups of people while maintaining their distinctive identity. Family and community ties are important to most Estefans, who often balance their personal ambitions with commitments to their loved ones. This combination of determination, social intelligence, and loyalty creates a personality profile that is both commanding and compassionate, reflecting the noble heritage embedded in their name.
Individuals named Eth are typically characterized by their passionate, energetic, and determined nature. They possess an inner fire that drives them toward their goals with remarkable intensity and focus. This fiery disposition often manifests as strong leadership qualities, creativity, and the ability to inspire others. Eths tend to be charismatic and persuasive, with a natural warmth that draws people to them. However, this same fiery nature can sometimes lead to impulsiveness or a quick temper when challenged. They are often visionaries who approach life with enthusiasm and courage, unafraid to take risks or stand up for their beliefs. Their passionate approach to relationships and endeavors makes them memorable and influential figures in their communities. While they can be intense, their warmth and loyalty make them cherished friends and partners who bring energy and excitement to any situation.
Individuals bearing the name Evinrude typically exhibit a unique blend of mechanical aptitude and adventurous spirit. They are often practical problem-solvers who enjoy understanding how systems work and improving upon them. This analytical mindset is balanced by a strong connection to nature, particularly aquatic environments, creating personalities that are both technically skilled and environmentally aware. Evinrudes tend to be determined and persistent, capable of seeing projects through to completion despite obstacles. Their innovative thinking often leads them to unconventional solutions that others might overlook.



Socially, Evinrudes are generally reliable and straightforward, valuing honesty and direct communication. They may not be the most emotionally expressive individuals, preferring to demonstrate care and commitment through actions rather than words. Their leadership style is typically hands-on and lead-by-example, earning respect through competence and reliability. While they can be reserved in unfamiliar social situations, they form deep, lasting bonds with those who share their interests and values. This combination of technical intelligence, practical wisdom, and quiet confidence makes Evinrudes particularly effective in engineering, marine sciences, environmental fields, and other areas where problem-solving meets real-world application.
Individuals named Ferghus are typically perceived as possessing strong, dependable personalities with a natural leadership quality. They often exhibit physical and mental fortitude, approaching challenges with determination and resilience. Their 'manly' character manifests not as aggression but as protective strengththey're often the pillars of their communities or families, offering stability and support during difficult times. There's an inherent nobility to their demeanor, combined with practical wisdom that makes others seek their counsel.



Despite their strength, Ferghus personalities often possess surprising emotional depth and sensitivity. Like their mythological namesake, they may have a romantic or artistic side that balances their powerful exterior. They tend to be fiercely loyal to those they care about, sometimes to a fault, and can be quite traditional in their values. Their strength is typically tempered with compassion, making them both respected and beloved figures in their social circles. The combination of outer strength and inner sensitivity creates a compelling personality that commands respect while maintaining genuine human connection.
News / Africa

by Staff reporter

A major police operation in Cosmo City ended in bloodshed on Friday when officers tracking fugitive murder suspect Jabulani Moyo engaged a group of men linked to the case. Gauteng police confirmed that one suspect was shot and killed during the confrontation, while another was arrested.Moyo, accused of killing two detectives in Roodepoort in August, remains on the run. Authorities say it is still unclear whether he was present during the Cosmo City incident, and further details will be shared at a media briefing expected later today.The search for Moyo has been underway since the August tragedy, when he allegedly overpowered two detectives, shot them while in custody, and fled. He is also facing charges related to robbery.Police have renewed their appeal to the public for information that could lead to Moyo's capture, warning that he is considered armed and extremely dangerous. The incident has once again raised concerns about risks faced by police officers and the intensified efforts required to track down high-risk fugitives.
Individuals named Firth are often perceived as possessing a calm, steady demeanor reminiscent of the tranquil waters of a coastal inlet. They tend to be deeply grounded yet adaptable, capable of navigating different social situations with the same ease that water flows through a firth. Their personality often reflects the dual nature of their namesake - possessing both the stability of land and the fluidity of water.



Firths are typically seen as reliable and constant, yet with hidden depths and emotional complexity. They often exhibit strong intuition and emotional intelligence, able to read situations and people with remarkable accuracy. Like the sea arms they're named for, they can be both protective harbors for those they care about and gateways to new experiences and adventures. Their strength lies in their ability to remain centered while embracing change, making them excellent mediators and steady presences in times of turmoil.
Individuals named Flinn are often perceived as possessing a fiery spirit and strong determination, reflecting the name's connection to red hair and passionate energy. They tend to be charismatic leaders with natural confidence and a bold approach to life's challenges. Flinns are typically known for their loyalty to family and friends, often displaying protective instincts and a strong sense of responsibility toward those they care about. Their inherent courage and willingness to stand up for their beliefs make them natural advocates and defenders of justice.



While they can be intense and passionate, they also possess a warm-hearted nature and genuine concern for others' wellbeing. This combination of strength and compassion often makes Flinns respected figures in their communities and social circles. They tend to be action-oriented rather than passive observers, preferring to take initiative and make things happen rather than waiting for opportunities to come to them. Their natural leadership qualities are often complemented by a sharp intellect and quick wit, making them effective in both personal and professional settings.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Gearald holds significant cultural importance in Gaelic tradition as a name that bridges ancient warrior ideals with medieval nobility. The name emerged during the Norman invasion of Ireland when the FitzGerald family, originally Norman, became Gaelicized and adopted Irish customs. This name represents the fusion of Norman military tradition with Gaelic cultural identity, particularly in regions like Munster and Leinster where the Geraldines established powerful dynasties. Throughout Irish history, bearers of this name were often associated with leadership, resistance to English rule, and preservation of Gaelic culture during periods of political upheaval. The name symbolizes the complex interplay between invasion and assimilation that characterizes much of Irish history, representing families who maintained their power and influence while embracing Irish language and customs.



The cultural legacy of Gearald extends beyond the aristocratic families to embody broader Gaelic values of leadership, loyalty to community, and cultural resilience. In modern times, the name serves as a connection to Ireland's complex historical narrative, representing both the adaptability of Gaelic culture and the enduring strength of traditional values. It continues to be chosen by families seeking to honor their heritage while acknowledging the layered history of cultural exchange and resistance that defines the Irish experience.
Individuals named Ghayda are often perceived as possessing a gentle, refined nature combined with inner strength. They typically exhibit emotional sensitivity and empathy, making them excellent listeners and compassionate friends. Their delicate exterior often belies a resilient core, allowing them to navigate challenges with grace and perseverance. Ghaydas tend to be artistic and creative, with an appreciation for beauty in all forms - from nature to art to human relationships.



They value harmony and often serve as peacemakers in social situations, using their diplomatic skills to resolve conflicts. While they may appear reserved initially, they form deep, meaningful connections with those they trust. Their combination of tenderness and determination makes them both nurturing and capable, able to care for others while maintaining their own boundaries and principles. This balance of softness and strength often makes Ghaydas particularly effective in caregiving professions, education, and creative fields where emotional intelligence is valued.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Guillaume holds a distinguished position in French culture as the native form of William, a name borne by numerous historical figures who shaped French and European history. The name gained prominence through William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquerant), who established Norman rule in England in 1066, creating enduring cultural and linguistic ties between France and England. Throughout French history, the name has been associated with nobility, leadership, and artistic achievement, appearing among kings, military leaders, and influential artists.



In medieval France, Guillaume was particularly common among the aristocracy and became symbolic of chivalric ideals and feudal authority. The name's connection to important historical periods, including the Norman conquest, the Hundred Years' War, and the Renaissance, gives it deep cultural resonance. Many significant French literary works feature characters named Guillaume, reinforcing its association with heroism and leadership. The name's enduring popularity reflects its deep roots in French identity and its connection to significant historical narratives that continue to influence contemporary French culture and self-perception.
Individuals named Halton are often perceived as grounded, reliable, and possessing strong connections to tradition and family heritage. They tend to exhibit practical wisdom and stability, much like the hillslope estates from which the name derives. Haltons are typically seen as dependable individuals who approach life with careful consideration and respect for established values.



Their personality often combines quiet strength with a nurturing nature, reflecting the stewardship qualities associated with estate management. While they may appear reserved initially, Haltons usually demonstrate deep loyalty to those they care about and possess a strong sense of responsibility. Their connection to land and heritage often translates into interests in history, nature, and community building, making them excellent long-term planners and guardians of tradition.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Hartford carries significant cultural weight as both a given name and place name with deep English roots. The name originates from Old English 'heorot' (stag) and 'ford' (river crossing), reflecting the practical naming conventions of medieval England where locations were often described by their natural features. As a Christian name, Hartford gained prominence during the Middle Ages when place names became fashionable as personal names, often chosen to honor ancestral homes or significant locations. The name's association with stags connects it to Christian symbolism where the stag represents spiritual longing and piety, famously referenced in Psalm 42: 'As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.' This dual heritage as both a geographical identifier and spiritual symbol gives Hartford unique cultural resonance in English-speaking Christian communities.



The name further developed cultural significance through its association with Hartford, Connecticut, one of America's oldest cities founded by Puritan settlers. This connection reinforced the name's Christian heritage while adding layers of American historical importance. In Christian tradition, names derived from nature often carried theological meaning, with the stag representing the faithful soul seeking God and the ford symbolizing baptism or spiritual crossing. This rich symbolic tapestry has maintained Hartford's appeal across generations as a name that blends earthly stability with spiritual aspiration.
Individuals named Hristun are often characterized by a strong sense of responsibility and practical wisdom. They tend to be grounded, reliable people who approach life with methodical care and attention to detail, much like the careful management of a brushwood estate. Their connection to the name's meaning often manifests in a deep appreciation for tradition, family heritage, and sustainable practices, whether in their personal lives or professional endeavors.



Hristuns typically exhibit quiet strength and resilience, drawing from both their Christian faith and the practical implications of their name's origin. They are often community-oriented individuals who value stability and long-term planning over fleeting trends. While they may appear reserved initially, they possess deep convictions and a strong moral compass that guides their decisions. Their personality blends spiritual depth with earthly practicality, making them excellent mediators and trusted advisors in both personal and professional contexts.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Hrytherford originates from Old English Christian traditions, specifically from the term 'hryer' meaning cattle and 'ford' referring to a river crossing. The name emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period when Christianity was spreading through rural England, often given to boys born near important livestock crossings that served as gathering places for Christian communities. Throughout medieval times, the name became associated with pastoral leadership and agricultural stewardship within Christian contexts, reflecting the importance of both spiritual guidance and practical land management in early Christian societies.



The name carries echoes of England's Christian agricultural heritage, where faith and farming were deeply intertwined in daily life and community structure. During the Norman conquest and subsequent centuries, Hrytherford maintained its association with rural Christian leadership, often borne by local landowners who served as both economic and spiritual pillars in their communities. The name's persistence through various historical periods demonstrates how Christian values became embedded in the practical aspects of agricultural life and community organization.
Individuals named Huemac are typically perceived as natural leaders with strong organizational abilities and a commanding presence. They tend to exhibit strategic thinking, practical wisdom, and the capacity to make difficult decisions under pressure. The name suggests someone who is responsible, reliable, and capable of handling complex responsibilities with competence. Huemac personalities often demonstrate a blend of traditional values and innovative thinking, showing respect for established customs while adapting to changing circumstances.



They are usually seen as protective figures who take their obligations seriously, whether in family, community, or professional contexts. Their leadership style tends to be more pragmatic than charismatic, focusing on tangible results and sustainable systems rather than temporary popularity. This combination of practical intelligence and steadfast reliability makes them effective in positions of authority where long-term planning and consistent execution are valued, though they may sometimes struggle with being perceived as overly serious or resistant to rapid change.
News / Africa

by Staff reporter

A surge in police roadblocks on major routes into Harare - particularly along the Harare-Chitungwiza highway - has triggered public outrage and raised alarm within Zanu-PF, amid accusations that many of the checkpoints have morphed into cash-generating outposts benefiting rogue officers. The development threatens to undermine the government's reform agenda and the ruling party's efforts to regain support in the capital.Senior Zanu-PF officials who spoke to this publication said the unchecked proliferation of roadblocks was creating resentment at a time when the party believes it is gaining momentum in Harare. The ruling party has recently held packed inter-district meetings at the Aquatic Complex in Chitungwiza and Gwanzura Stadium, events officials say reflect growing support, partly attributed to businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei's elevation to the Zanu-PF central committee representing Harare Province."Too many roadblocks are not serving the public - they are angering citizens and undermining confidence in government reforms," a top Zanu-PF insider said. "We are trying to win the hearts of the people in Chitungwiza and other places in Harare, but we have so many roadblocks. Yes, we need these police checks, but when they become too many and turn into cash cow stations', they lose the essence of policing. They can ignite revolts if not addressed."For months, motorists on the Harare-Chitungwiza Road have complained of an unprecedented concentration of police checkpoints, some positioned barely 500 metres apart. Drivers allege that officers demand spot fines that rarely reach the Treasury, with commuter omnibus operators claiming losses of up to US$15 a day despite carrying valid permits. One kombi driver said the system worsened after anti-corruption authorities began probing police officers late last year. "We used to pay US$5 to pass, but that stopped when anti-graft authorities started targeting the police. Now they're demanding more, disguised as fines," he said, displaying multiple tickets issued for what he described as the same offence.Another motorist called the situation "legalised extortion under the guise of traffic enforcement." Operators insist the bribe networks briefly vanished under increased anti-corruption scrutiny, only to return more aggressively under the cover of intensified traffic enforcement.During the run-up to last month's Zanu-PF national people's conference, rumours circulated in the transport sector that some officers claimed they were raising money for the conference and other party events. Senior Zanu-PF officials rejected the allegations outright, insisting the party does not rely on government departments for fundraising. "Anyone using the party's name for extortion must be investigated," one insider said. Zanu-PF director for information Farai Marapira did not respond to inquiries sent to him on Friday.National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi recently reminded officers that roadblocks must be set within authorised distances and in line with operational guidelines. But the directive appears to have had little impact, with reports of roadblocks extending deep into residential neighbourhoods such as St Mary's, Chitungwiza Town Centre, Seke, Nyatsime and Zengeza.Economic analysts warn that the policing practices erode public trust and contradict the government's drive toward achieving an upper middle-income economy by 2030. "No economy grows with predatory law-enforcement behaviour," one economic governance expert said. Commuters also argue that the current conduct is at odds with the "Second Republic" reform narrative. "We are being punished daily for nothing," a frustrated driver said.A local transport association has called for transparency regarding collected fines and urgent enforcement of police operational protocols. Attempts to obtain further comment from Commissioner Nyathi were unsuccessful at the time of publication.Zanu-PF insiders maintain that swift intervention is crucial to prevent public frustration from escalating into a political backlash.
Individuals named Imad are typically perceived as reliable, strong-willed, and dependable personalities who serve as pillars of support in their communities and families. They often exhibit natural leadership qualities, combined with a practical approach to problem-solving and a deep sense of responsibility toward those under their care. Their strength of character is usually balanced with compassion, making them both respected and beloved figures in their social circles.



These individuals tend to be determined and persistent in pursuing their goals, often demonstrating remarkable resilience in the face of challenges. Their supportive nature extends beyond immediate family to include friends, colleagues, and community members, earning them trust and admiration across various aspects of their lives. While they may appear reserved initially, Imads typically reveal warm, caring personalities to those who earn their trust, creating lasting bonds built on mutual respect and reliability. Their practical wisdom and steady demeanor often make them sought-after advisors in both personal and professional matters.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Iniko carries deep cultural resonance among the Efik and Ibibio peoples of southeastern Nigeria, serving as a living historical record of survival and resilience. Traditionally given to children born during periods of conflict, particularly the Nigerian Civil War and various inter-ethnic disputes, the name embodies the community's collective memory of hardship and their determination to preserve cultural continuity. This naming practice reflects a profound cultural philosophy that acknowledges suffering while celebrating the human capacity to endure and thrive despite adversity.



Beyond its historical context, Iniko represents the Efik-Ibibio worldview that values strength of character developed through challenge. The name connects individuals to their ancestral legacy of perseverance and cultural preservation. In contemporary times, it has evolved to symbolize hope and the belief that difficult beginnings can forge exceptional individuals who contribute meaningfully to their communities. The name serves as a reminder that cultural identity can be maintained and even strengthened through periods of social and political turbulence.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Ixcatzin holds deep significance in Nahua culture as a name that connects to both practical and spiritual aspects of cotton. In pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, cotton was not merely a textile material but represented wealth, status, and divine connection. The -tzin suffix indicates honor and reverence, making Ixcatzin a name reserved for women of noble standing or those believed to carry special spiritual qualities. Cotton cultivation was closely tied to feminine domains in Nahua society, with women traditionally responsible for spinning, weaving, and dyeing cotton textiles that served as both practical goods and ceremonial objects. The name thus embodies the intersection of feminine power, economic importance, and cultural artistry in Nahua civilization.



During the height of the Aztec empire, cotton garments distinguished nobility from commoners, and the finest cotton textiles were offered as tribute and used in religious ceremonies. The name Ixcatzin therefore carries echoes of a time when textile arts represented both technological sophistication and spiritual expression, connecting the bearer to ancestral traditions of craftsmanship and cultural pride that survived despite colonial suppression of indigenous practices. In contemporary indigenous movements, the name has been reclaimed as a symbol of resistance and cultural continuity, representing the enduring softness and strength of Nahua identity.
Individuals named Iyanuoluwa are often perceived as having a calm, reflective demeanor with a strong spiritual foundation. They tend to exhibit patience and resilience in challenging situations, drawing from the symbolic meaning of their name which suggests they are living manifestations of divine intervention. Many Iyanuoluwas develop a sense of purpose early in life, often feeling driven to make meaningful contributions to their communities and embody the 'miracle' their name represents.



In social settings, Iyanuoluwas are typically compassionate and empathetic, showing genuine concern for others' wellbeing. They often possess natural leadership qualities tempered with humility, making them effective in roles that require both authority and understanding. The spiritual connotation of their name frequently inspires them to pursue paths that involve service, healing, or creative expression. While each individual is unique, many bearers of this name report feeling a sense of responsibility to live up to their name's profound meaning throughout their lives.



Professionally, Iyanuoluwas often excel in fields that allow them to make a positive impact, such as healthcare, education, ministry, or community development. They tend to be methodical thinkers who approach problems with both practical and philosophical perspectives. Their name's meaning often instills in them a quiet confidence and the belief that they can overcome obstacles through perseverance and faith, qualities that serve them well in both personal and professional endeavors.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Jaja holds profound cultural significance within Igbo society and broader Nigerian context. Originating from the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria, the name embodies the deep spiritual connection between the divine and human existence in traditional African cosmology. It reflects the Igbo worldview that children are blessings from Chukwu (God) and ancestral spirits, representing continuity of lineage and divine favor. Historically, the name gained prominence through King Jaja of Opobo, a former slave who rose to become one of the most powerful monarchs and merchants in 19th century West Africa, symbolizing resilience, leadership, and the triumph of the human spirit against adversity.



In contemporary Igbo culture, Jaja continues to represent hope, divine blessing, and the cherished value placed on children within the family structure. The name carries expectations of greatness and destiny, often given to children born after significant family events or those perceived as having special purpose. It serves as a constant reminder of the child's sacred origin and the responsibilities that come with being a 'gift from God.' The name's enduring popularity across generations demonstrates the persistence of traditional values in modern Nigerian society, bridging ancestral wisdom with contemporary identity.
Individuals named Jazzmyn are often perceived as creative, adaptable, and spiritually inclined. They typically possess a natural elegance and grace that reflects their floral namesake, combined with a modern sensibility that allows them to navigate diverse cultural contexts with ease. These individuals tend to be diplomatic and communicative, often serving as bridges between different communities or perspectives. Their creative nature may manifest in artistic pursuits, innovative problem-solving, or unique approaches to traditional practices.



Jazzmyns generally exhibit strong intuition and emotional intelligence, making them effective in roles requiring empathy and understanding across cultural boundaries. They often demonstrate a balance between traditional values and progressive thinking, able to honor heritage while embracing positive change. Their personality combines the resilience of their namesake flower with the sophistication suggested by the 'jazz' element of their name. This creates individuals who are both grounded and innovative, capable of bringing beauty and harmony to their environments while maintaining strong personal convictions.
Individuals named Jenarae are often characterized by a unique blend of traditional values and modern adaptability. They typically exhibit strong leadership qualities combined with compassionate understanding, making them effective in roles that require both authority and empathy. Their name's unusual nature often fosters a sense of individuality and self-confidence, while the Christian roots provide a foundation of moral conviction and spiritual awareness. Jenaraes are frequently described as innovative thinkers who respect tradition, capable of bridging generational gaps and bringing diverse groups together.



These individuals tend to be resilient, creative problem-solvers who approach challenges with both practical wisdom and spiritual insight, often serving as mediators or visionaries in their communities. The combination of their name's modern creation and traditional roots seems to manifest in personalities that are both grounded and forward-thinking. They often demonstrate exceptional emotional intelligence, able to understand multiple perspectives while maintaining clear personal convictions. This makes them particularly effective in leadership positions where they must balance innovation with stability, and individuality with community values. Their unique name often gives them a distinctive presence that commands respect while remaining approachable.
Symbolically, Kanake represents multiple layers of meaning that have evolved from her mythological origins. Primarily, she embodies the connection between earthly existence and celestial realms through her dual identity as both nymph and star cluster. This positions her as a symbol of guidance and navigation, both literally through the Hyades' use in ancient seafaring and metaphorically in life's journeys. Her association with rainfall makes her a symbol of fertility, emotional release, and the nourishing aspects of water. The tragic love narrative adds dimensions of forbidden desire, the conflict between personal passion and social responsibility, and the transformative power of suffering. As one of the Hyades, she represents sisterhood, collective identity, and the idea that individual stories are part of larger cosmic patterns. Modern symbolic interpretations might see her as representing the tension between fate and free will, the enduring nature of love beyond conventional boundaries, and the idea that even tragic stories contribute to the rich tapestry of human experience and cultural memory.
Individuals named Keahi are often perceived as passionate, energetic, and dynamic personalities. They tend to possess a fiery determination and intense focus when pursuing their goals, much like the flames their name represents. These individuals often exhibit natural leadership qualities and the ability to inspire others with their enthusiasm. However, like fire itself, they may need to learn to control their intensity to avoid burning out or overwhelming others.



Their passionate nature often makes them creative, spontaneous, and capable of great warmth and protection toward those they care about, while also possessing the potential for quick temper that cools rapidly like a flash fire. People with this name typically demonstrate resilience and adaptability, able to rise from challenges renewed rather than destroyed. They often have strong convictions and the courage to stand up for their beliefs, though they may need to develop patience and consideration for differing perspectives. The fiery essence of their name manifests as both their greatest strength and their most significant challenge to master.
Individuals named Laefertun are typically perceived as grounded, practical, and deeply connected to tradition. The agricultural origins of the name suggest personality traits centered around cultivation - both of relationships and personal growth. They often exhibit patience and perseverance, much like farmers waiting for crops to mature, and tend to be reliable community members who value stability and continuity. There's a natural inclination toward caretaking and preservation, whether of family heritage, community traditions, or environmental stewardship.



The wetland association adds elements of adaptability and resilience, as these individuals can thrive in challenging environments while maintaining their core values. Laefertuns often possess a quiet strength and the ability to navigate complex situations with grace and practicality. Their connection to the 'rush farm' concept suggests someone who understands the importance of both firm foundations (the farm) and flexibility (the rushes). This combination makes them excellent mediators and community builders, capable of bridging different perspectives while remaining true to their principles and commitments to those they serve.
News / Africa

by Staff reporter

The Government has dismissed allegations made by opposition politician Job Sikhala following his arrest in South Africa, describing his remarks about Zimbabwe's Judiciary as attempts to gain political sympathy and revive his political relevance.Sikhala was arrested in Pretoria alongside his uncle, Alexander Thema, after police reportedly found 26 blasting cartridges and 15 capped fuse connectors in his vehicle. He spent approximately a week in custody before being granted R10 000 bail last Thursday. His case is expected back in court in February next year.Speaking briefly to the media after securing bail, Sikhala said his lawyers had advised him not to comment on the case, but added that he believed South Africa had an "independent judiciary" and that "here there are no feja feja things," a remark widely interpreted as a dig at Zimbabwe's own judicial system.The comments prompted a response from Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere, who said the Government would not be drawn into what he characterised as Sikhala's political theatrics. He stressed that matters before South African courts remained sub judice and that Zimbabwe's Judiciary continued to operate independently and in line with the rule of law.In an interview with ZBC News, Dr Muswere accused Sikhala of using "melodrama" to regain political traction, claiming the opposition figure had been sidelined by his colleagues and was seeking attention through public statements and fundraising activities connected to his new political outfit and book. He described Sikhala's recent public messaging as part of a broader effort to cultivate a heroic persona, although he characterised those efforts as exaggerated and misleading. Dr Muswere's remarks included pointed personal criticism of Sikhala, which he linked to what he said were the politician's attempts to create a narrative of persecution for political gain.Sikhala has in recent months alleged that he is a target of political machinations, issuing a series of statements portraying himself as a victim of systematic harassment. Dr Muswere rejected those claims, saying they lacked evidence and were designed to provoke public emotion.He reiterated that Zimbabwe's state institutions operate professionally and constitutionally, warning the public to be cautious of narratives crafted to attract political sympathy. "Zimbabwe's institutions of governance stand firm, and misleading theatrics will not replace truth," he said.
Larissa maintains steady popularity as an elegant, classical name with international appeal. In the United States, the name peaked in popularity during the 1990s, ranking within the top 300 names for girls, and has since settled into moderate but consistent usage. The name enjoys particular popularity in Eastern European countries, especially Russia and Ukraine, where variations like Larisa and Larysa remain common. In Brazil, the name gained significant attention through actress Larissa Manoela, contributing to its Latin American popularity. Modern parents often choose Larissa for its sophisticated sound, historical depth, and international recognizability. The name appeals to those seeking a name that is both traditional and distinctive, offering numerous nickname options like Lara, Lari, or Rissa. Its cross-cultural adaptability makes it suitable for families with diverse backgrounds or those seeking a name that travels well internationally. Current naming trends favoring classical names with strong historical roots suggest that Larissa will continue to maintain its appeal among parents looking for names with both beauty and substance.
Lawford is a Christian male name meaning 'from the ford at the hill,' suggesting someone who provides safe passage from an elevated perspective. The name embodies the qualities of guidance, stability, and the ability to bridge different realms or challenges.

Cultural & Historical Significance

Lawford originated as an English surname derived from place names in England, particularly in Essex and Northamptonshire. The name carries strong Anglo-Saxon roots and reflects the medieval practice of naming people after geographical features they lived near. As a Christian name, it gained prominence through its association with English aristocracy and landed gentry, often representing stability, heritage, and connection to the land.



The name's transition from surname to given name reflects the broader English naming tradition where occupational and locational surnames became personal names, particularly among families wanting to preserve their lineage and geographical connections. In Christian contexts, Lawford embodies the idea of spiritual crossing points and elevated perspectives, making it appealing to families seeking names with both historical depth and metaphorical significance. The name maintains its association with English countryside values of reliability, tradition, and connection to one's roots.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Layne originated as an English surname derived from the Old English word 'lanu,' meaning 'roadway' or 'path.' This occupational or locational surname was given to people who lived near a lane or roadway, or who worked maintaining roads. In Christian contexts, the name takes on deeper spiritual meaning, as the concept of 'the path' appears frequently in biblical teachings. Jesus referred to himself as 'the way, the truth, and the life,' and Christian theology often uses journey metaphors to describe spiritual growth and salvation.



The name gained popularity as a given name in the 20th century, particularly in the United States and other English-speaking countries. Its Christian significance made it appealing to religious families, while its simple, strong sound attracted broader appeal. The fame of Layne Staley in the 1990s brought the name to wider public consciousness, though it has remained relatively uncommon compared to more traditional biblical names. Today, Layne represents a bridge between traditional Christian naming conventions and modern, distinctive name choices that carry meaningful symbolism without being overtly religious.
Women named Leila are often perceived as possessing a mysterious, introspective quality that draws others to them. They tend to be deeply intuitive, creative individuals with a strong sense of empathy and emotional intelligence. Their 'night-born' namesake suggests someone comfortable with complexity and ambiguity, often displaying wisdom beyond their years. Leilas are typically observant and thoughtful, preferring to listen and analyze before speaking, which makes them excellent confidantes and advisors. They carry themselves with a natural elegance and grace that can be both captivating and enigmatic.



Despite their quiet demeanor, Leilas often possess remarkable inner strength and resilience. They approach challenges with patience and strategic thinking rather than impulsive reactions. Their connection to the night symbolism gives them comfort in solitude and self-reflection, making them highly self-aware individuals. Many Leilas demonstrate artistic or creative talents, particularly in writing, music, or visual arts. They form deep, meaningful relationships rather than numerous superficial ones, and their loyalty to loved ones is typically unwavering. The combination of their intuitive nature and analytical mind makes them excellent problem-solvers who can see solutions others might miss.
The name Lissa typically evokes personality traits centered around warmth, emotional intelligence, and social grace. Individuals with this name are often perceived as naturally nurturingthe 'honey' meaning manifesting in their ability to comfort others and create harmonious environments. They tend to be excellent listeners who remember personal details about people, making them valued friends and confidantes. Their communication style is typically gentle yet persuasive, allowing them to mediate conflicts and build consensus.



Beyond their sweet exterior, Lissas often possess strong inner conviction and reliability derived from the name's Elizabeth roots. They demonstrate remarkable resilience when facing challenges, combining emotional sensitivity with practical problem-solving skills. Many excel in creative fields, education, or healthcare where their natural empathy and communication skills shine. Their balanced personalityblending warmth with strengthmakes them adaptable to various social and professional situations. The combination of honey-like sweetness and faithful commitment creates individuals who are both comforting to be around and dependable in times of need.
Women named Lizbet are often characterized by their deep sense of commitment and spiritual awareness, reflecting the name's meaning of being devoted to God. They typically possess a strong moral compass and inner strength that guides their decisions and relationships. Lizbets are known for their loyalty and reliability, making them trusted friends and confidantes who honor their promises and stand by their principles even in challenging circumstances. Their spiritual nature often manifests as compassion and empathy toward others, combined with a practical wisdom that helps them navigate life's complexities. While they may appear reserved initially, Lizbets reveal a warm, nurturing personality to those they trust, often serving as pillars of support in their families and communities.



Beyond their spiritual depth, Lizbets frequently demonstrate remarkable resilience and adaptability. They approach challenges with a quiet determination and problem-solving mindset that draws from both practical experience and philosophical reflection. Their balanced nature allows them to be both dreamers and doerscapable of envisioning better futures while taking concrete steps to achieve them. In professional settings, they often excel in roles requiring both empathy and structure, such as education, healthcare, counseling, or community leadership. Their interpersonal style combines thoughtful listening with insightful advice, making them valued members of any group or organization. The combination of their faithful nature and practical capabilities creates individuals who not only uphold traditions but also help communities evolve in healthy, meaningful ways.
Women named Lorena typically exhibit a distinctive blend of strength and sensitivity that makes them both resilient and compassionate. They often possess a natural elegance and grace that draws people to them, combined with a sharp intellect and intuitive understanding of human nature. Lorena's are frequently described as loyal friends and devoted family members who prioritize meaningful relationships. Their connection to the laurel tree symbolism often manifests as a quiet determination and competitive spirit, though they typically pursue goals with integrity rather than aggression.



Many Lorena's display creative talents and artistic appreciation, whether through visual arts, music, or literature. They tend to be excellent communicators who listen attentively and offer thoughtful advice. While they can be traditional in their values, Lorena's often embrace progressive ideas and adapt well to change. Their personality typically combines practical wisdom with romantic idealism, making them both grounded and dreamy. This balance allows them to navigate life's challenges with both realism and hope, often inspiring others with their combination of strength and tenderness.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Lunet holds a significant position in Arthurian literature as one of the earliest and most developed female supporting characters in medieval romance. As the handmaiden and confidante of Laudine in Chretien de Troyes' 'Yvain, the Knight of the Lion' (c. 1170s), she represents the archetype of the clever servant who orchestrates crucial plot developments through her intelligence and loyalty. Her character bridges Celtic mythology with French courtly romance traditions, embodying the transition from older pagan traditions to medieval Christian storytelling.



In Welsh versions of the legend, known as 'The Lady of the Fountain,' her character as Luned maintains similar importance, suggesting deep roots in Celtic storytelling traditions where female characters often possessed significant agency and wisdom. Her role as both servant and strategist reflects medieval social structures while simultaneously subverting them through her intellectual dominance over noble characters. The persistence of her character across cultural adaptations demonstrates her importance as a template for the intelligent female advisor in Western literature.
In contemporary usage, Macbean maintains a presence as both a surname and occasionally as a distinctive first name, particularly among families with Scottish heritage seeking to honor their ancestral roots. While not ranking among the most common Scottish surnames, it enjoys steady usage in Scotland and has spread through diaspora communities to countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Recent years have seen a mild increase in its use as part of the broader revival of Celtic and Gaelic names, though it remains relatively uncommon. The name is often chosen by parents who value historical significance and cultural heritage over current naming trends, making it a choice that stands out for its authenticity rather than its popularity. Modern bearers of the name frequently maintain active connections to Scottish cultural organizations and clan associations, demonstrating the ongoing relevance of this historic name in contemporary society.
Individuals named Machair are often perceived as grounded, resilient, and deeply connected to their heritage. Like the fertile plains the name represents, they tend to be nurturing and supportive, providing stability for those around them. Their personality reflects the characteristics of the machair landscape itself - adaptable yet steadfast, able to weather challenges while maintaining their core values. They often possess a quiet strength and practical wisdom that others find reassuring.



Machair-named individuals typically exhibit a strong sense of community and tradition, valuing relationships and cultural continuity. They are often patient and methodical in their approach to life, much like the careful cultivation required to maintain machair ecosystems. Their connection to nature and the outdoors is usually strong, and they may demonstrate environmental awareness and conservation values. While they can be traditional in their outlook, they also possess the adaptability of coastal landscapes, able to embrace necessary change while preserving what matters most.
Individuals named Maralyn are often perceived as possessing a unique blend of traditional values and contemporary thinking. They typically demonstrate strong moral convictions rooted in their Christian upbringing while maintaining an adaptable, forward-looking perspective. This combination often results in personalities that are both principled and pragmatic, capable of honoring tradition while embracing necessary change. Their dual-nature name seems to reflect in their ability to navigate complex social situations with grace and understanding.



Maralyns are frequently described as compassionate leaders who balance emotional intelligence with practical wisdom. They often serve as bridges between different generations or cultural perspectives within their communities, using their understanding of both traditional and modern viewpoints to facilitate communication and reconciliation. Their approach to life tends to be characterized by thoughtful innovationrespecting what has come before while courageously exploring new possibilities. This makes them particularly effective in roles that require mediating between established systems and emerging needs, whether in family, professional, or religious contexts.
Women named Mariabella are often perceived as possessing a harmonious blend of grace and strength, reflecting the name's dual components. The 'Maria' element suggests qualities of compassion, nurturing instincts, and emotional depth, while the 'bella' component indicates an appreciation for beauty, creativity, and aesthetic sensitivity. These individuals typically exhibit strong interpersonal skills, combining empathy with charm that makes them naturally appealing to others.



They often demonstrate artistic talents or a keen eye for design and harmony in their surroundings. Mariabellas tend to be family-oriented with deep-rooted values, yet they maintain a modern sensibility that allows them to navigate contemporary life with elegance. Their personality often balances traditional warmth with creative expression, making them both reliable and inspiring companions who bring beauty and comfort to those around them. This combination of traits frequently results in women who are both grounded in their values and open to new experiences, able to appreciate tradition while embracing innovation.
Individuals named Marsyas are often perceived as creative, passionate, and somewhat rebellious souls. They typically possess strong artistic inclinations and a deep appreciation for music and the arts, much like their mythological namesake. These individuals tend to be confident in their abilities and may sometimes display a competitive streak, though this is usually tempered by genuine talent and dedication to their craft.



Their personality often combines earthy sensuality with intellectual curiosity, creating a unique blend of practical creativity and philosophical depth. However, they may need to guard against overconfidence or challenging established authorities without proper consideration of the consequences. Marsyas-named individuals often exhibit resilience in the face of adversity and possess the courage to pursue unconventional paths, though they may occasionally struggle with knowing when to yield or compromise. Their creative spirit is both their greatest strength and potential vulnerability.
Individuals named Meka are often perceived as highly observant, intuitive, and perceptive. They tend to be natural observers who notice details others might miss, making them excellent problem-solvers and strategic thinkers. Their name's association with eyes suggests they possess clarity of vision in both literal and metaphorical senses - they often have clear goals and the ability to see situations from multiple perspectives. This perceptive nature makes them valuable advisors and trusted confidants.



Meka's are typically thoughtful and reflective, taking time to process information before acting. They may exhibit strong emotional intelligence and empathy, as their 'seeing' nature extends to understanding people's feelings and motivations. While they can be quiet and reserved, their insights are often profound and valued by those around them. Their observational skills combined with intuitive understanding create individuals who are both practical and spiritually aware, able to navigate complex social and professional situations with grace and wisdom.
Individuals named Mirjam are often characterized by a compelling combination of strength and sensitivity that reflects the name's dual heritage. The 'rebellious' aspect of the name's meaning typically manifests as intellectual independence and moral courage rather than mere defiance. Mirjams tend to be deep thinkers who question conventions while respecting traditions that prove valuable. Their Finnish background often contributes to qualities of resilience, practicality, and quiet determination - the famous 'sisu' that enables them to persevere through challenges.



Socially, Mirjams are often perceived as trustworthy confidantes and natural leaders who lead through empathy rather than authority. They typically possess strong intuitive abilities and emotional intelligence, making them excellent at understanding unspoken dynamics in relationships and organizations. Many display artistic talents or appreciation for the arts, combined with a grounded, practical approach to life's challenges. Their personality often balances visionary thinking with meticulous attention to detail, making them both dreamers and effective implementers. This combination of traits makes Mirjams particularly effective in roles requiring both creativity and practical problem-solving.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Morain holds deep roots in Irish history, originating from the Gaelic 'O Morain,' meaning 'descendant of Moran,' where Moran itself translates to 'great' or 'large.' This name was traditionally borne by families from Connacht and Ulster regions, particularly associated with the influential O Morain sept that held significant status in medieval Irish society. During the era of Gaelic Ireland, bearers of this name were often chieftains, scholars, and warriors who played crucial roles in maintaining Irish cultural and political structures against external pressures.



The name's cultural significance extends beyond mere lineage, representing the Irish tradition of naming that emphasizes personal qualities and ancestral pride. In a society where names carried weighty meaning, 'Morain' conveyed expectations of leadership, strength, and nobility. The survival of this name through centuries of English domination and cultural suppression speaks to its enduring importance in Irish identity, serving as a linguistic bridge to pre-colonial Ireland and a testament to the resilience of Gaelic naming traditions.
Individuals named Morit are typically perceived as intellectually curious, spiritually inclined, and naturally inclined toward teaching or mentoring roles. They often possess a calm, thoughtful demeanor combined with a strong sense of purpose and moral clarity. Morits are known for their ability to absorb complex information and distill it into understandable concepts for others, making them excellent communicators and educators. Their name's meaning often manifests in a lifelong pursuit of knowledge and a desire to share wisdom with those around them.



These individuals tend to be patient listeners who offer thoughtful guidance, embodying the 'divine teacher' aspect of their name's meaning. They frequently demonstrate emotional intelligence and intuition, along with a natural authority that others respect without being authoritarian. Morits often balance traditional values with progressive thinking, creating a unique blend of stability and innovation in their personal and professional lives. The combination of intellectual depth and spiritual awareness makes them particularly effective in roles that require both analytical thinking and human understanding.
Individuals named Nab are typically perceived as possessing strong leadership qualities, wisdom, and a calm, authoritative presence that inspires confidence in others. They often exhibit a natural inclination toward guidance and mentorship, reflecting the name's origins meaning 'abbot' or 'father.' These individuals tend to be thoughtful decision-makers who value tradition and stability while maintaining a practical approach to problem-solving. Their personality often combines Scottish resilience with spiritual depth, creating individuals who are both grounded and introspective.



Nabs are known for their loyalty to family and community, often serving as pillars of support during challenging times. They typically possess excellent organizational skills and a methodical approach to life, balanced by a dry Scottish wit and deep appreciation for cultural heritage. While they may appear reserved initially, they form deep, lasting relationships built on trust and mutual respect. Their strong sense of responsibility often leads them to take on leadership roles naturally, and they excel in positions where they can guide and protect others. The name suggests someone who balances traditional values with practical wisdom, making them reliable advisors and steadfast companions.
Individuals named Nakoma typically exhibit a remarkable blend of strength and sensitivity that defines their character. They are natural leaders who lead with compassion rather than authority, often serving as the moral compass in their social circles. Their 'warrior spirit' manifests not as aggression but as steadfast determination and the courage to defend their principles and protect those they care about. Nakomas possess deep emotional intelligence and intuitive understanding of people and situations, making them excellent mediators and trusted confidants.



These individuals are often deeply connected to nature and tradition, finding solace and inspiration in natural environments. They tend to be reflective and spiritually aware, with a strong sense of purpose that guides their life decisions. While they can be fiercely independent, Nakomas value community and relationships, understanding that true strength comes from connection and mutual support. Their wisdom often seems beyond their years, and they frequently become sources of guidance and stability for others. The balance between their inner strength and outer gentleness makes them uniquely equipped to handle life's challenges with grace and resilience.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Narkissa holds profound cultural significance rooted in ancient Greek mythology. It derives from the tragic tale of Narcissus, the beautiful youth who fell in love with his own reflection and transformed into the daffodil flower. This mythological connection makes the name particularly meaningful in Greek culture, where it symbolizes both extraordinary beauty and the dangers of excessive self-love. Throughout Greek history, the name has been associated with spring festivals and rebirth ceremonies, as daffodils are among the first flowers to bloom after winter, representing new beginnings and the cyclical nature of life.



In modern Greek culture, Narkissa maintains its floral associations while evolving to represent feminine grace and natural beauty. The name appears in traditional folk songs and poetry, often used metaphorically to describe women of exceptional charm or purity. During the Greek War of Independence, the name gained additional patriotic connotations as daffodils became symbols of resilience and national pride. Contemporary Greek families who choose this name often do so to honor their cultural heritage while celebrating the natural beauty of the Mediterranean landscape. The name also carries subtle connections to healing and medicine, as the Greek root 'narke' relates to numbness, referencing the plant's historical use in ancient remedies.
Individuals named Nata are typically perceived as articulate, expressive, and socially adept. They often possess natural communication skills that make them effective in both personal and professional settings. Their name meaning 'speaker' seems to manifest in their ability to connect with others through clear, thoughtful dialogue and emotional intelligence. Nata's tend to be creative thinkers with a strong sense of intuition, often excelling in fields that require both analytical thinking and interpersonal skills.



They are generally seen as balanced individuals who can be both logical and empathetic, making them excellent mediators and team players. Their communication style is often described as warm yet direct, allowing them to build trust quickly while maintaining authenticity in their relationships. This combination of traits makes Nata's particularly effective in leadership roles where clear communication and emotional intelligence are valued. They often serve as the 'glue' in social and professional groups, using their natural abilities to facilitate understanding and cooperation among diverse individuals.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Nathanael holds significant cultural importance as a biblical name with deep religious roots. In the New Testament, Nathanael is identified as one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, often considered the same person as Bartholomew. His story in the Gospel of John portrays him as an 'Israelite in whom there is no deceit,' representing honesty and spiritual purity. The name gained particular prominence in French culture through religious traditions and literary works, where it symbolized divine gift and spiritual integrity. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Nathanael became popular among French clergy and aristocracy, often chosen to express gratitude for a child's birth as a blessing from God. The name's French spelling 'Nathanael' with the diacritical mark became standardized in the 19th century, reflecting its integration into French linguistic and cultural traditions while maintaining its biblical gravitas. In contemporary French society, the name continues to carry connotations of intellectual depth and spiritual sensitivity, often chosen by parents who value both tradition and individuality in naming their children.
Niall is a traditional Irish male name meaning 'champion,' reflecting its association with leadership and strength in Christian contexts. The name carries historical significance through figures like Niall of the Nine Hostages while maintaining spiritual connections to early Irish saints and missionaries.

Cultural & Historical Significance

Niall holds profound significance in Irish history and culture, primarily through Niall of the Nine Hostages, the legendary 5th-century High King who founded the powerful Ui Neill dynasty that dominated Irish politics for centuries. The name became synonymous with royal lineage and leadership, as descendants of Niall ruled various kingdoms across Ireland until the Norman invasion. In Christian context, the name gained popularity through early Irish saints and missionaries who helped spread Christianity throughout Ireland and Europe, blending Celtic traditions with Christian values. The name represents a bridge between ancient Celtic warrior culture and the Christianization of Ireland, embodying both martial strength and spiritual devotion that characterized early medieval Irish society. This dual heritage makes Niall a name that encapsulates Ireland's transition from pagan kingdoms to a center of Christian learning and missionary activity, while maintaining connections to its heroic past.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Nichol holds significant cultural importance as a French masculine variant of Nicholas, with roots stretching back to early Christian traditions. In French culture, the name has been associated with sophistication and heritage, often chosen by families valuing both tradition and distinction. Historically, it gained prominence through religious contexts, particularly the veneration of Saint Nicholas, which influenced its adoption across French-speaking regions. During the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods, the name maintained its aristocratic appeal while also becoming more accessible to broader society. The French preference for this spelling variant reflects linguistic patterns that favor streamlined forms while preserving classical roots. Throughout France's history, the name has been borne by artists, intellectuals, and leaders who contributed to French cultural development, reinforcing its association with achievement and cultural refinement. In contemporary contexts, it represents a bridge between traditional French naming conventions and modern sensibilities.
Women named Nijlon typically exhibit a distinctive blend of strength and compassion that marks them as natural leaders and caregivers. They are often characterized by their deep sense of responsibility toward their community and family, combined with a practical wisdom that enables them to navigate complex situations with grace. Their leadership style tends to be inclusive and consensus-building rather than authoritarian, reflecting the communal values inherent in many Native American traditions. Nijlons are often the quiet centers around which others organize, providing stability and guidance without seeking recognition.



These individuals typically possess strong intuitive abilities and emotional intelligence, allowing them to understand and respond to the needs of those around them. They are often described as grounded and resilient, with an inner strength that helps them overcome challenges while maintaining their cultural values and personal integrity. Their personality is marked by a balance between traditional wisdom and adaptability to changing circumstances, making them effective bridges between generations and cultures. The name carries expectations of dignity, wisdom, and service, which often shape the development of those who bear it.
Women named Norberaht are typically perceived as possessing a rare combination of intellectual brilliance and courageous spirit. They tend to be natural leaders who approach challenges with both strategic thinking and moral conviction. Their 'bright' quality manifests as quick wit, perceptive understanding of complex situations, and an ability to illuminate solutions where others see only problems. This intellectual capacity is balanced by a heroic nature that makes them willing to stand up for their beliefs and protect those in need.



Norberahts often display remarkable resilience in adversity, drawing on inner reserves of strength that surprise even those who know them well. They are typically independent thinkers who value truth and justice above social convenience, yet they possess the diplomatic skills to navigate complex social situations. Their leadership style combines visionary thinking with practical action, making them effective in both crisis management and long-term planning. While they can be intense and demanding of themselves and others, they also show deep loyalty to those who earn their trust and respect, creating lasting bonds based on mutual admiration and shared values.
Individuals named Nyla are often perceived as graceful, adaptable, and emotionally deep, much like the river that inspires their name. They tend to possess a natural flow in their approach to life, capable of navigating challenges with resilience and finding creative solutions. Their emotional depth allows them to form meaningful connections with others, while their adaptable nature helps them thrive in various environments and circumstances.



Nylas typically exhibit strong intuitive abilities and a nurturing disposition, often serving as sources of support and wisdom for those around them. They combine practical intelligence with creative insight, making them effective problem-solvers who can see multiple perspectives. While generally calm and composed, they can demonstrate surprising strength and determination when facing obstacles, reflecting the powerful current that lies beneath a river's serene surface. Their balanced nature allows them to be both grounded and visionary, practical and imaginative.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Odhert is a name deeply rooted in Germanic nobility and merchant classes, reflecting the cultural values of prosperity, leadership, and legacy. During the medieval period, names bearing the 'od-' prefix were particularly favored among aristocratic families who wished to emphasize their wealth and power. The name saw its peak usage during the Holy Roman Empire, where it became associated with successful merchants and regional governors who played crucial roles in economic development.



The name carries strong connotations of Germanic entrepreneurial spirit and administrative capability. In many historical records, bearers of this name appear as founders of trading houses, patrons of the arts, and builders of civic institutions. This reflects the cultural expectation that those named Odhert would not only accumulate wealth but also use it to benefit their communities, creating a lasting legacy that extended beyond mere financial success. The name's persistence through centuries demonstrates its enduring appeal as a symbol of respectable prosperity and community leadership.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Olwen occupies a sacred space in Celtic mythology as one of the most prominent female figures in the Welsh literary tradition. Her story in 'Culhwch and Olwen' from the Mabinogion represents one of the earliest Arthurian legends and showcases pre-Christian Celtic values and storytelling traditions. As the daughter of the giant Ysbaddaden, she symbolizes the bridge between the human and supernatural worlds, embodying both earthly beauty and otherworldly magic. The white flowers that spring from her footsteps connect her to ancient Celtic nature worship and the belief in the sacredness of the natural world.



Historically, the name Olwen reflects the Celtic reverence for feminine power and the importance of women as catalysts for heroic action. Her character demonstrates how Celtic mythology often featured strong, influential female characters who were central to narrative progression rather than passive prizes. The enduring popularity of her story through centuries of oral and written tradition speaks to the deep cultural resonance of her character archetype. In modern Celtic revival movements, Olwen has become a symbol of Welsh cultural identity and the preservation of indigenous storytelling traditions against cultural assimilation.
Individuals named Oswald are typically associated with strong, principled character traits rooted in the name's historical and etymological meanings. They often exhibit natural leadership qualities combined with a thoughtful, strategic approach to challenges. The 'power' element of the name suggests determination, resilience, and the ability to influence others, while the 'god' component implies spiritual depth, moral conviction, and a sense of higher purpose. Oswalds are frequently perceived as reliable and steadfastpeople who can be counted on in difficult situations and who approach their responsibilities with serious commitment.



These individuals often display a blend of traditional values and innovative thinking, making them effective in roles that require both stability and vision. They tend to be protective of those in their care and demonstrate loyalty to their principles and communities. While sometimes reserved or introspective, Oswalds typically possess quiet confidence that inspires trust rather than seeking attention. The historical weight of the name suggests someone who carries themselves with dignity and purpose, often serving as moral compasses in their social or professional circles. Their strength is typically tempered by wisdom and consideration for others, creating a balanced personality that commands respect through competence and integrity rather than aggression or dominance.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Othomann carries significant cultural weight in German-speaking regions, particularly in Bavaria and Austria where it originated during the medieval period. It emerged as a name denoting prosperity and social standing, often given to sons of wealthy merchants or noble families who wished to emphasize their economic success and social position. The name's association with wealth made it particularly popular among the emerging merchant class during the Hanseatic League era, when trade and commerce were transforming European society.



Throughout German history, the name Othomann maintained its connotation of prosperity and good fortune, appearing frequently in business dynasties and aristocratic lineages. During the Renaissance and Baroque periods, it became associated with patronage of the arts and architectural projects, as many wealthy individuals bearing this name commissioned churches, civic buildings, and cultural institutions. The name's persistence through centuries reflects the enduring German cultural values of diligence, prosperity, and family legacy, making it a symbol of achieved success rather than inherited privilege in many historical contexts.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Pazit is a modern Hebrew name that emerged in Israel during the 20th century, reflecting the revival and modernization of Hebrew as a living language. The name carries significant cultural weight as it embodies the Zionist ideal of creating new Hebrew names that connect to the land and heritage of Israel while being distinctly modern. It represents the cultural renaissance of Jewish identity in the homeland, where traditional linguistic roots were creatively adapted to form contemporary names that would shape the identity of the new Israeli generation.



The name's golden connotation connects to both the biblical significance of gold as a precious material in Jewish tradition and the metaphorical value of children as precious treasures in Jewish culture. In Israeli society, Pazit symbolizes the blending of ancient tradition with modern innovation, representing the hope and optimism of the early state-building years. The name reflects the cultural values of beauty, value, and preciousness that are deeply embedded in Jewish literary and religious traditions, while simultaneously expressing the contemporary Israeli spirit of creativity and renewal.
Individuals named Pendaran are typically perceived as possessing strong leadership qualities, wisdom, and a protective nature. Drawing from the mythological figure Pendaran Dyfed, who raised the hero Pryderi, those with this name often exhibit paternal or mentoring characteristics, showing care and guidance toward others. They tend to be grounded individuals with deep connections to tradition and heritage, often serving as pillars within their communities or families.



Pendaran's are generally seen as reliable and steadfast, with a quiet strength that inspires confidence in others. Their decision-making is typically thoughtful and considered, reflecting the wisdom associated with the name's historical bearers. While they may appear reserved initially, they possess strong convictions and will defend their principles and loved ones with determination. The name suggests someone who values stability and continuity, often acting as a guardian of traditions and relationships.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Perzsike holds deep significance in Hebrew tradition as a name denoting spiritual devotion and commitment to divine service. Historically, it has been associated with women who maintained strong religious practices and community leadership roles, particularly in Eastern European Jewish communities where the name gained prominence during the 18th and 19th centuries. The name reflects the cultural value placed on personal relationship with the divine and the importance of maintaining religious traditions through challenging historical periods.



In Jewish cultural context, names carrying meanings related to divine devotion were often given to express parents' hopes for their children's spiritual development. Perzsike specifically emerged as a name that balanced traditional Hebrew roots with local linguistic influences, creating a unique identity that connected bearers to both their religious heritage and their geographical community. The name's persistence through various diaspora communities demonstrates its enduring cultural resonance.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Pyrrhus carries immense cultural weight through its association with one of antiquity's most fascinating military leaders. Pyrrhus of Epirus (319-272 BCE) not only challenged the rising power of Rome but also gave the world the enduring concept of the 'Pyrrhic victory' - a triumph so costly that it amounts to a defeat. This historical figure was renowned as one of the most capable generals of the Hellenistic period, often described by ancient historians as second only to Alexander the Great in military genius. His campaigns in Italy and Sicily demonstrated both the pinnacle of Greek tactical warfare and the limitations of military success without strategic sustainability.



Beyond the historical king, the name appears in Greek mythology as an alternative name for Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, connecting it to the epic Trojan War cycle. In philosophical tradition, Pyrrhonism represents a school of thought that profoundly influenced Western skepticism. The name thus bridges multiple aspects of Greek culture: military history through the Epirote king, mythology through Achilles' son, and philosophy through skeptical traditions. This rich tapestry makes Pyrrhus a name that embodies the complexity of Greek civilization - its brilliance, its costs, and its enduring intellectual legacy.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Raedanoran emerged during the early Christianization of coastal Europe, particularly in regions where red sandstone or clay shores marked significant missionary landing sites. In Celtic Christian tradition, the name became synonymous with the missionaries who braved dangerous seas to bring Christianity to remote coastal communities. These early bearers of the name were often credited with establishing the first churches on dramatic red cliffs, where the striking geography served as both natural fortress and spiritual symbol. The name's components - combining elements meaning 'graceful gift' and 'prayer shore' - reflected the Christian belief in faith as a divine gift washing upon human shores like the tides. Throughout the Middle Ages, Raedanoran became associated with monastic communities dedicated to maritime rescue and coastal ministry, earning the name a reputation for both spiritual depth and practical compassion. The cultural legacy persists in coastal Christian communities that maintain traditions of shoreline prayers and blessings, particularly in regions with distinctive red coastal geology from Devon to Donegal.
Individuals named Rafiki are typically perceived as warm, trustworthy, and socially adept. They naturally excel in building and maintaining relationships, often serving as the glue that holds social circles together. Their innate ability to understand others' perspectives makes them excellent mediators and confidants. People with this name tend to be emotionally intelligent, displaying empathy and genuine concern for others' wellbeing. They approach life with a collaborative spirit, believing that success and happiness are best achieved through mutual support rather than individual competition.



Rafikis often exhibit wisdom beyond their years, offering thoughtful advice and guidance to friends and family. They are typically patient listeners who value deep, meaningful connections over superficial interactions. Their loyalty is one of their most defining characteristics - once someone earns their friendship, they can count on unwavering support through both good times and challenges. While they are generally peaceful and diplomatic, they can be fiercely protective of those they care about. Their balanced nature combines emotional warmth with practical wisdom, making them both comforting presences and reliable problem-solvers in any social context.
Individuals named Rares typically exhibit a distinctive personality characterized by a blend of traditional values and innovative thinking. Their name meaning 'rare' often manifests in their approach to lifethey tend to be original thinkers who value authenticity and are not afraid to stand apart from the crowd. Rares individuals often demonstrate strong independence combined with deep respect for their heritage and family traditions. They are frequently described as having a unique perspective on problems, offering solutions that others might overlook. Their rarity extends to their social interactions, where they prefer meaningful, deep connections over superficial relationships, and they are often seen as loyal and trustworthy friends who bring unique insights to any situation.



In professional and personal development, those named Rares often show remarkable adaptability and creativity. They tend to excel in fields that allow for individual expression and innovation, whether in arts, technology, or entrepreneurship. Their inherent uniqueness gives them confidence in pursuing unconventional paths, and they often become leaders in their chosen fields precisely because they don't follow established patterns. At the same time, they maintain a strong sense of cultural identity and often feel a responsibility to honor their heritage while moving forward. This balance between innovation and tradition makes Rares individuals particularly effective at bridging different worlds and bringing fresh perspectives to established institutions or practices.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Rayhurn is a name with deep roots in English and Scottish heritage, originating from Old English elements that combine 'ra' (deer) and 'burna' (stream). The name first appeared in medieval England as a locational surname for families living near streams where deer frequently gathered to drink. During the 12th century, it became particularly prominent in the Scottish Borders region, where the Rayburn family established themselves as landowners in Ayrshire. The name's Christian significance grew during the Middle Ages as it became associated with purity and natural spirituality, reflecting the Christian symbolism of deer as creatures representing spiritual aspiration and streams as sources of life and baptism.



Throughout the Reformation period, the name maintained its popularity among Protestant families in northern England and Scotland, often chosen for its connection to nature and God's creation. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many bearers of the name emigrated to North America, Australia, and New Zealand, where they often became prominent in agricultural, educational, and religious communities. The name's enduring appeal lies in its combination of natural imagery and historical depth, making it a choice that connects modern bearers to centuries of cultural tradition while maintaining contemporary relevance through its environmental connotations.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Rimona holds deep cultural significance in Hebrew tradition, deriving from the word 'rimon' meaning pomegranate. The pomegranate is one of the seven species mentioned in the Torah as blessings of the Holy Land, making it a symbol of fertility, abundance, and divine favor. In Jewish tradition, pomegranates are said to contain 613 seeds, corresponding to the 613 commandments in the Torah, making the name Rimona symbolic of spiritual completeness and wisdom.



The fruit appears extensively in Jewish art, religious objects, and holiday celebrations, particularly during Rosh Hashanah when it is eaten to symbolize a year filled with as many merits as a pomegranate has seeds. This connection to ancient agricultural traditions and religious symbolism gives the name Rimona a rich cultural heritage that spans thousands of years of Jewish history. The pomegranate's prominence in Temple decorations and traditional embroidery further cements its importance in Jewish cultural identity.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Salbatore carries profound cultural significance rooted in Mediterranean Catholic traditions, where it directly references Jesus Christ as 'Salvator Mundi' (Savior of the World). Throughout Spanish and Italian history, the name has been particularly popular in regions with strong religious devotion, often given to children believed to be blessings or 'saviors' to their families. During the Spanish and Italian diasporas of the 19th and 20th centuries, the name traveled to the Americas, where it became a marker of cultural identity and religious heritage. In Sicily, Salvatore remains one of the most common male names, reflecting the island's deep Catholic roots and Marian devotion. The name also appears in numerous religious artworks, literature, and folk traditions, often associated with protection and divine intervention. In modern times, while its usage has declined somewhat, it continues to represent a connection to traditional values, family heritage, and spiritual identity in Mediterranean communities worldwide.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Sanya carries diverse cultural significance across different regions. In Russian culture, Sanya is typically a diminutive of Alexander or Alexandra, meaning 'defender of mankind,' though it has evolved as an independent name. In South Asian contexts, particularly India and Pakistan, Sanya (often spelled Sania) derives from Sanskrit roots and is associated with brilliance, radiance, and distinction. The name appears in various forms across Middle Eastern and Central Asian cultures, where it often carries connotations of brightness and elevated status.



In Japanese, while not traditionally common, Sanya can be written with characters meaning 'mountain valley' or other combinations, reflecting the language's flexible approach to name creation. The name's multicultural presence demonstrates how similar-sounding names can develop distinct meanings and significance in different linguistic environments while maintaining an overall theme of positive attributes and aspirational qualities. This cross-cultural adaptability has made Sanya a name that transcends geographical boundaries while retaining cultural specificity in each context.
In contemporary times, Shimasani continues to be used within Navajo and other Native American communities as both a given name and an honorific title. While not commonly found in mainstream name databases due to its cultural specificity, it maintains strong relevance in indigenous contexts. The name has seen renewed interest as part of cultural revitalization movements, with younger generations choosing traditional names to honor their heritage. It's often given to girls who are expected to carry forward family traditions or who are born into families with strong matriarchal lineages. The name appears in educational materials, cultural programs, and indigenous media, serving as a symbol of cultural pride and continuity. Its usage reflects a conscious choice to maintain Navajo language and identity in an increasingly globalized world, though it remains primarily within Native American communities rather than crossing over into mainstream naming trends.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Si holds deep cultural significance in Vietnamese society, rooted in Confucian traditions that value scholarship and moral character. In traditional Vietnamese culture, the concept of 'si' refers to the scholarly class - educated gentlemen who were expected to embody wisdom, ethical conduct, and leadership. This name reflects the historical importance of the mandarin scholar class in Vietnamese society, where education and refinement were highly prized virtues.



The name carries connotations of intellectual pursuit, moral integrity, and social responsibility, representing the ideal of the cultivated gentleman who contributes to society through knowledge and ethical leadership. Throughout Vietnamese history, names containing 'Si' have been particularly common among families with scholarly traditions or aspirations for their sons to achieve educational excellence and social standing through intellectual and moral development. The enduring popularity of this name demonstrates the lasting influence of Confucian values in Vietnamese culture, even as society modernizes.
The name Silvester carries strong personality associations rooted in its meaning and historical usage. Individuals with this name are often perceived as possessing an innate connection to nature and a grounded, practical approach to life. They typically demonstrate resilience and endurance, much like the forests their name references, showing ability to withstand challenges while maintaining growth. Silvesters are frequently seen as wise beyond their years, with many displaying thoughtful, analytical minds that prefer depth over superficiality. Their leadership style tends to be quiet and consistent rather than flashy, earning respect through reliability and competence. The name also suggests a certain independence of spirit - while they value tradition and stability, Silvesters often march to their own drum and aren't afraid to take unconventional paths. Many exhibit strong protective instincts toward family and community, reflecting the sheltering quality of forests. Their humor tends toward the dry and subtle, and they often possess hidden creative talents that emerge unexpectedly. Overall, the name conjures an image of someone who is both deeply rooted and capable of significant growth and adaptation.
The symbolic meanings associated with Staerling are rich and multilayered, drawing from both Christian tradition and natural observation. Primarily, the name symbolizes divine communication and the spreading of God's word, reflecting the starling's remarkable ability to mimic sounds and communicate across species boundaries. This represents the Christian mission to share the Gospel in ways that different communities can understand and embrace. The starling's spectacular murmurations symbolize the beauty of collective worship and the mysterious ways individual believers come together to create something greater than themselvesa powerful metaphor for the Church as the body of Christ. The bird's migratory patterns represent the Christian journey through life, with its seasons of movement and settlement reflecting spiritual growth and the search for heavenly home. Additionally, starlings' protective nesting behavior symbolizes God's care and provision, while their vigilance in warning flocks of danger parallels Christian concepts of spiritual watchfulness. The name also carries meanings of transformation and adaptability, as starlings successfully thrive in diverse environments worldwide, symbolizing the Christian ability to remain faithful while adapting to changing circumstances. These layered symbolic meanings make Staerling a name that continually reveals deeper significance as the bearer grows and develops.
Individuals named Stanton are often perceived as grounded, reliable, and possessing great inner strength. The 'stony' etymology suggests someone with firm principles and unwavering determination, much like stone itselfenduring, stable, and resistant to external pressures. They tend to be practical problem-solvers who approach challenges with methodical precision and persistence. This foundation of stability often makes Stantons natural leaders in both professional and personal contexts, though they may sometimes be perceived as reserved or overly cautious due to their thoughtful nature.



Their connection to 'farm' in the name's meaning adds an element of nurturing and growth-oriented thinking, suggesting someone who cultivates relationships and projects with care and dedication over time. While they may not be the most emotionally expressive individuals, their loyalty and consistency make them valued friends and colleagues who can be counted on in difficult circumstances. The combination of stone's permanence and farm's productivity creates a personality profile of someone who builds lasting success through steady effort rather than flashy innovation.
Symbolically, Stoc represents multiple layers of meaning that extend far beyond its literal translation. The tree stump symbolizes the foundation of life - what remains when external trappings are stripped away, representing essential character and core values. In spiritual terms, it signifies being grounded in faith while maintaining the potential for new growth, echoing Christian teachings about dying to self to be reborn in spirit. The stump represents both ending and beginning, death and resurrection, making it a powerful symbol of hope and regeneration. Ecologically, it symbolizes the interconnectedness of life cycles and the importance of strong roots. Personally, it represents stability in the face of change, resilience after loss, and the quiet strength that comes from being deeply connected to one's origins and values. These rich symbolic associations make Stoc a name carrying profound metaphorical weight about the human experience of growth through adversity and finding strength in simplicity.
Individuals named Stoddard are often perceived as reliable, practical, and grounded, with a strong sense of responsibility that harks back to the name's occupational origins. They tend to be methodical in their approach to life, showing patience and careful attention to detail in their endeavors. There's often an inherent connection to nature and animals, with many Stoddards demonstrating nurturing qualities and protective instincts toward those in their care. Their steady demeanor makes them excellent in crisis situations, where they can maintain composure and provide stable leadership.



While sometimes reserved in new social situations, they form deep, lasting bonds with those they trust and are known for their unwavering loyalty and commitment to their principles and relationships. Stoddards typically exhibit strong work ethics and take pride in doing things properly, whether in professional settings or personal projects. They often possess a quiet confidence that doesn't need constant validation from others, and their decisions are typically well-considered rather than impulsive. This combination of reliability, practicality, and depth makes them valued friends, partners, and colleagues who can be counted on in both good times and challenging circumstances.
Individuals named Stoffel are typically perceived as dependable, grounded, and practical with a warm, approachable nature. The name's diminutive form suggests someone who is friendly and easy to connect with, while its religious origins imply a person of integrity and moral strength. Stoffels are often seen as the reliable anchors in their social circlespeople who can be counted on in times of need and who approach challenges with quiet determination. They tend to value tradition and family while maintaining a modern, adaptable outlook on life.



This combination of informal accessibility and deep-rooted meaning creates a personality profile of someone who balances everyday practicality with profound principles. Stoffels are often described as having a 'strong but silent' qualitythey may not seek the spotlight but possess inner resilience and conviction. Their approach to life tends to be methodical and thoughtful, reflecting the name's association with bearing responsibility. The cultural context of the name also suggests someone who values community and connection, often serving as bridges between different groups or ideas, much like the original Christ-bearer legend of carrying across boundaries.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Sudi holds deep cultural significance in Egyptian society, where names are considered more than mere identifiersthey are seen as carriers of meaning that can influence a person's character and destiny. In Egyptian tradition, names with positive connotations like Sudi (meaning 'lucky') are chosen to bestow blessings upon the child and reflect parents' aspirations for their offspring's future. The name embodies the Egyptian cultural value of barakah (divine blessing) and the belief that a positive name can attract positive energy into one's life.



Historically, names like Sudi have been particularly popular during periods of social and economic transition in Egypt, as families sought to provide their children with symbolic protection and advantage. The name also reflects the Egyptian emphasis on community and shared fortune, as a 'lucky' individual was often seen as bringing good fortune to their entire family. In contemporary Egyptian society, while modernization has introduced many Western names, traditional names like Sudi continue to be valued for their cultural authenticity and meaningful heritage.
Individuals named Sultan are often perceived as possessing natural leadership qualities, confidence, and a commanding presence. They tend to exhibit strong decision-making abilities and a sense of responsibility, reflecting the name's regal connotations. These individuals often demonstrate ambition, strategic thinking, and the ability to inspire others, making them effective in positions of authority. Their personality typically combines dignity with approachability, creating a balance between authority and relatability that serves them well in both professional and personal relationships.



Beyond the obvious leadership traits, those named Sultan often display protective instincts toward their family and community, along with a strong sense of justice and fairness. They tend to be traditional yet progressive, valuing heritage while embracing necessary change. Their communication style is typically direct and authoritative yet tempered with wisdom and consideration. Many develop a strong work ethic and sense of duty early in life, often taking on responsibilities that others might avoid. The name seems to instill a sense of purpose and the understanding that with authority comes responsibility to serve others.
Individuals named Tapani are often perceived as reliable, determined, and principled. They typically exhibit strong leadership qualities combined with a practical approach to problem-solving, reflecting the name's meaning of 'victorious.' Tapanis are generally seen as people who pursue their goals with persistence and integrity, often earning respect through their consistent actions and commitment to their values. They tend to be traditional yet adaptable, balancing respect for established ways with the ability to innovate when necessary.



In social settings, Tapanis are often described as steady and trustworthy friends who provide stable support to those around them. Their determination is usually tempered with patience, making them effective in long-term endeavors and leadership positions where consistency and reliability are valued. While they may not seek the spotlight, Tapanis often achieve significant accomplishments through their methodical approach and unwavering commitment to their principles. They typically value family, community, and tradition, seeing these as foundations for meaningful achievement and personal fulfillment.
The name Tobias carries strong personality associations rooted in its biblical origins and historical usage. Individuals named Tobias are often perceived as thoughtful, principled, and intellectually curious. The name's meaning 'God is good' contributes to expectations of moral integrity and spiritual depth, suggesting someone who approaches life with seriousness of purpose and ethical consideration. Historical and literary Tobias figures typically display characteristics of loyalty, perseverance, and wisdomqualities that have become embedded in the name's personality profile.



In social contexts, Tobias suggests someone who is reliable and trustworthy, perhaps somewhat reserved but deeply committed to those they care about. The name's sophistication hints at intellectual pursuits and cultural appreciation, while its traditional roots suggest respect for heritage and family values. Many perceive Tobias as a name for someone who balances tradition with modernityable to appreciate historical wisdom while engaging with contemporary ideas. The common nickname 'Toby' provides a more approachable, friendly dimension to the name's personality, allowing for both formal dignity and casual warmth. These combined traits make Tobias a name associated with well-rounded, substantial charactersomeone who inspires confidence and respect across different social and professional settings.
Individuals named Torran are often perceived as strong, resilient, and deeply grounded, reflecting their name's connection to enduring geological formations. They typically exhibit natural leadership qualities and strategic thinking, much like the watchtowers their name references. Torrans are known for their steadfast naturereliable in crises and capable of providing stability during turbulent times. Their personality often combines practical wisdom with a contemplative nature, making them excellent problem-solvers who approach challenges with both caution and determination.



Socially, Torrans tend to be protective of their loved ones and communities, embodying the guardian aspect of their name's meaning. They often possess strong observational skills and intuition, able to 'see far' like their namesake watchtowers. While they can appear reserved initially, Torrans form deep, lasting bonds with those they trust. Their connection to mountainous imagery often translates into a love for nature, outdoor activities, and environmental awareness. Modern Torrans frequently channel these traits into careers involving protection, strategy, environmental work, or community leadership, naturally assuming roles where their stability and foresight can benefit others.



In personal relationships, Torrans value loyalty above all else and often serve as the 'rock' in their social circles. They may struggle with expressing vulnerability but demonstrate care through consistent action and protection. Their combination of strength and watchfulness makes them particularly effective in mentoring roles, where they can guide others while allowing them space to grow. The name's earthy, stable qualities often manifest in practical intelligence and a preference for tangible results over abstract theories.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Trong holds deep cultural significance in Vietnamese society, deriving from Sino-Vietnamese roots where it means 'important,' 'central,' or 'respected.' In traditional Vietnamese culture, names carrying the meaning of 'Trong' were often given to express parents' hopes that their child would grow to become a person of significance and honor within their community. The name reflects Confucian values that emphasize respect for elders, social hierarchy, and the importance of maintaining family honor.



Historically, names containing 'Trong' were particularly common among scholarly families and those with mandarin backgrounds, as the concept of being 'trong' (important/respected) aligned with Confucian ideals of the educated gentleman. During various periods of Vietnamese history, the name has been associated with leadership qualities and moral authority. In modern times, while maintaining its traditional connotations, the name has evolved to represent not just social standing but also personal integrity and reliability.



The name also carries significance in the context of Vietnamese family structure, where individuals named Trong are often expected to embody the central, stabilizing force within their familial and social networks. This reflects the broader cultural emphasis on collectivism and the importance of each individual's role in maintaining social harmony.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Tzigane carries profound cultural significance as it directly references the Romani people, an ethnic group with origins in northern India who migrated across Europe over centuries. In Hungarian culture, the name evokes images of nomadic lifestyles, rich musical traditions, and a spirit of freedom that has both fascinated and been marginalized by mainstream society. The Romani people have historically been known for their distinctive music, dance, and crafts, with Hungarian Romani musicians particularly celebrated for their virtuosic violin playing and contributions to classical and folk music.



The name also reflects the complex relationship between Romani communities and European societies, embodying both romanticized ideals of freedom and the harsh realities of discrimination. Throughout history, the Romani have maintained strong cultural traditions while adapting to various host societies, creating a unique blend of preservation and adaptation. The name Tzigane thus represents not just an ethnic identifier but a symbol of cultural resilience, artistic expression, and the enduring human spirit in the face of adversity and misunderstanding.
The name Urien evokes a personality characterized by natural authority, strategic intelligence, and deep-rooted principles. Individuals with this name are often perceived as born leaders who command respect through their competence and integrity rather than mere position. They typically exhibit a balanced combination of practical wisdom and idealistic vision, making them effective in both crisis management and long-term planning. The historical Urien's reputation as a warrior-poet patron suggests someone who values both action and reflection, strength and culture.



These individuals tend to be protective of their communities and principles, showing loyalty to those they lead while maintaining the courage to make unpopular decisions when necessary. They often possess a strong sense of historical consciousness and tradition, understanding their place in larger narratives. While they can be ambitious, their ambition is typically tempered by a sense of responsibility and ethical boundaries. The name suggests someone who navigates complex situations with grace, maintaining their core values while adapting to changing circumstances  much like the historical Urien who balanced military defense with cultural preservation during turbulent times.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Valeriu is a name deeply rooted in Romanian culture and history, derived from the Latin name Valerius, which was prominent in ancient Rome. The name carries significant historical weight as it connects modern Romanian identity with its Roman origins, reflecting Romania's Latin heritage and the enduring influence of Roman civilization in the region. Throughout Romanian history, the name has been borne by various political figures, intellectuals, and artists, often associated with strength, leadership, and cultural preservation.



The name gained particular prominence during the 19th and 20th centuries as Romania developed its national identity, with many bearers of the name playing important roles in politics, literature, and the arts. It represents a bridge between Romania's classical Roman past and its modern European present, embodying qualities of resilience and cultural continuity that are central to Romanian national consciousness. The name also reflects the Orthodox Christian tradition in Romania, as several saints named Valerius are venerated in the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Women named Violet are typically characterized by a blend of gentle strength and intuitive wisdom. They often possess a quiet confidence that draws others to them, combined with a deep sensitivity to beauty and harmony in their surroundings. Their observant nature allows them to understand people and situations with remarkable insight, making them excellent confidantes and advisors. Violets tend to be creative souls who express themselves through art, writing, or other forms of aesthetic expression, finding joy in bringing beauty into the world.



In relationships, Violets are known for their loyalty and depth of feeling, forming strong, lasting bonds with those they trust. They value authenticity and are often repelled by superficiality or dishonesty. While they may appear reserved initially, their warmth and compassion emerge in intimate settings. Their strength lies in their resiliencelike the flower that returns each spring, Violets possess an inner fortitude that helps them overcome challenges with grace. They often serve as stabilizing forces in their families and communities, offering wisdom and comfort during difficult times while maintaining their own distinctive individuality and style.
In contemporary naming practices, Washburn occupies a unique position as a distinctive yet traditional choice that appeals to parents seeking names with historical depth and natural symbolism. While not appearing on mainstream popularity charts, it maintains consistent usage particularly in regions with strong English and Scottish heritage, and among families who value surname-first naming traditions. The name has seen a slight increase in usage as part of the broader trend toward unique, heritage-rich names that stand out without being invented or overly trendy. It's particularly favored by educated, middle-class families who appreciate its blend of sophistication and earthiness. Washburn's modern appeal lies in its ability to sound both established and fresh, offering a connection to history while remaining distinctive in an era of common biblical and popular culture names. Its usage spans English-speaking countries, with particular concentration in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
Cultural & Historical Significance

Whitlock has deep roots in English Christian heritage, originating as a surname that described physical characteristics before becoming a given name. The name emerged during the medieval period when descriptive surnames were common, particularly those referencing hair color or texture. In Christian communities, the name gained acceptance as it carried no pagan connotations and could be easily associated with purity and lightthemes central to Christian symbolism. Throughout English history, the Whitlock family name appears in church records, land deeds, and historical documents, often associated with yeoman farmers, clergy, and tradespeople who formed the backbone of rural Christian communities.



The name's transition from surname to given name reflects the broader English tradition of using family names as first names, particularly among Protestant families seeking to honor their lineage while maintaining Christian identity. During the Victorian era, when surname-based first names became fashionable, Whitlock gained popularity among middle-class Christian families who valued both tradition and distinction. The name's continued use in modern times demonstrates its enduring appeal within Christian naming traditions, representing a bridge between family heritage and religious identity that has persisted for centuries.
The symbolic meaning of Wichell extends far beyond its literal translation, representing profound life philosophies about journey, transformation, and wisdom. Symbolically, the 'bend in the road' represents those pivotal moments in life where direction changes lead to growth and discovery. It embodies the understanding that while we may plan our routes carefully, the most valuable experiences often come from unexpected turns. This symbolism makes Wichell a name associated with wisdom gained through experience rather than theoretical knowledge. It represents the courage to embrace uncertainty and the insight to recognize that apparent obstacles can become opportunities. In spiritual terms, Wichell symbolizes divine guidance and the belief that there are no wrong turns in life's journey - only different paths to learning and growth. The name also carries symbolic weight in representing the balance between determination and flexibility - the ability to hold to one's core values while adapting strategies as circumstances require. This rich symbolic tapestry makes Wichell a name that speaks to depth of character, philosophical understanding, and the graceful navigation of life's complex journey.
Individuals named Wintanweorth are typically perceived as having a strong sense of tradition and moral integrity, reflecting the name's origins meaning 'from the white one's estate.' They often exhibit qualities of stewardship and responsibility, with a natural inclination toward leadership and preservation of values. The 'white' element suggests purity of intention and clarity of purpose, while the 'estate' component indicates practical wisdom and organizational skills. These individuals tend to be methodical decision-makers who value stability and continuity, often serving as pillars in their communities or families.



They typically possess a quiet dignity and inner strength that others find reassuring, combined with a deep sense of spiritual or ethical commitment. While they may appear reserved initially, those who know them well appreciate their steadfast loyalty and unwavering principles. Their approach to life is often characterized by careful planning and long-term vision, making them excellent custodians of traditions, businesses, or cultural heritage. The dual nature of the name - combining spiritual purity with practical responsibility - often manifests in individuals who successfully balance idealistic values with pragmatic action, creating lasting positive impact through consistent, principled leadership.
Individuals named Wryeton are often perceived as possessing a unique blend of traditional values and innovative thinking. They typically demonstrate strong problem-solving abilities, approaching challenges with both practical wisdom and creative insight. This combination makes them particularly effective in roles requiring both analytical thinking and outside-the-box solutions. Their name's connection to 'rightness' and settlement often manifests as a desire for fairness, justice, and creating stable environments for those around them.



Wryetons tend to be independent thinkers who value authenticity and personal integrity. They often exhibit natural leadership qualities, though they typically lead through collaboration rather than authority. The name's modern yet rooted nature suggests individuals who respect tradition while being unafraid to challenge conventions when necessary. They are often described as grounded yet visionary, practical yet imaginativeable to navigate complex situations with both emotional intelligence and logical reasoning. This balanced approach to life makes them valued friends, colleagues, and community members.
Individuals bearing the name Yanisin typically exhibit a complex blend of introspection, sensitivity, and strong moral conviction. Their namesake quality of 'shame' manifests as heightened social awareness and emotional intelligence, making them exceptionally attuned to interpersonal dynamics and community needs. This emotional depth often leads them toward roles as counselors, teachers, or community leaders where their natural empathy and wisdom can benefit others. Yanisins tend to be perfectionists in their endeavors, driven by an internal compass that demands excellence and ethical conduct. Their reflective nature makes them excellent problem-solvers who consider multiple perspectives before acting. While they may struggle with self-criticism, this same quality fuels their personal growth and commitment to self-improvement. In relationships, Yanisins are loyal and deeply committed, valuing authenticity and meaningful connection over superficial interactions. Their combination of cultural pride and personal humility often makes them respected elders-in-training within their communities, carrying forward traditions while adapting to contemporary challenges.
Cultural & Historical Significance

The name Zale has deep roots in Greek mythology and maritime culture. In ancient Greek lore, Zale was one of the sailors who accompanied Jason on the Argonaut expedition in search of the Golden Fleece, representing the adventurous spirit and seafaring prowess that characterized ancient Greek civilization. The name's connection to the sea reflects the fundamental importance of maritime trade, exploration, and naval power in Greek history, where control of the seas often determined the fate of city-states and empires.



Throughout Greek history, names associated with the sea carried significant cultural weight, as the Mediterranean was both a source of sustenance and a highway for cultural exchange. Zale embodies this maritime heritage, symbolizing not just physical power over the ocean but also the intellectual and exploratory drive that characterized Greek civilization. The name represents the Greek ideal of mastering natural elements while respecting their power, a concept that resonated through Greek philosophy, literature, and daily life where the sea was both provider and challenge.
Individuals named Zared are often perceived as strategic thinkers who possess a natural ability to observe situations carefully before acting. The name's meaning of 'ambush' translates metaphorically to personality traits of patience, calculation, and the ability to wait for the right moment to make moves in both personal and professional contexts. They tend to be observant, analytical, and methodical in their approach to challenges. Zareds are typically seen as resilient individuals who can navigate complex situations with foresight and determination. Their strategic nature often makes them excellent problem-solvers who consider multiple angles before committing to a course of action. While they may appear reserved initially, they develop deep, loyal relationships with those they trust, demonstrating protective instincts toward their inner circle. This combination of careful observation and decisive action when the time is right makes Zareds particularly effective in leadership roles where timing and strategy are crucial.
Individuals named Zariya are often perceived as radiant personalities who bring light and positivity to their surroundings. They typically exhibit a warm, engaging presence that draws people toward them, much like moths to a flame. Zariyas are frequently described as creative, intuitive, and emotionally intelligent, with a natural ability to understand and comfort others. Their 'scattering' quality manifests in their tendency to spread joy, inspiration, and kindness wherever they go.



Many Zariyas possess strong communication skills and artistic talents, often excelling in fields that allow them to express their inner luminosity. They tend to be resilient yet gentle, combining strength with compassion in a way that makes them natural leaders and healers. Their presence is often described as transformative, capable of illuminating dark situations and bringing hope to challenging circumstances. While they can be sensitive and deeply feeling, Zariyas usually develop strong coping mechanisms that allow them to maintain their radiant nature even during difficult times, making them sources of stability and inspiration for those around them.
Women named Zubaidah are typically perceived as possessing a unique blend of traditional values and modern sophistication. They often exhibit natural leadership qualities, combined with a nurturing disposition that makes them excellent in roles requiring both authority and compassion. The name carries connotations of excellence and distinction, which often translates into high personal standards and ambitious goals. Zubaidahs are frequently described as intellectually curious, culturally aware, and possessing strong moral convictions that guide their decisions. Their approach to life tends to be both practical and visionary, allowing them to achieve concrete results while maintaining broader perspectives.



In social settings, Zubaidahs are known for their elegance, diplomacy, and ability to connect with diverse groups of people. They tend to be excellent communicators who can articulate complex ideas with clarity and grace. Their inherent sense of responsibility often makes them pillars of their communities, whether in professional, family, or social contexts. Many Zubaidahs display remarkable resilience and adaptability, able to navigate challenging situations with poise and determination. The historical legacy of the name seems to inspire contemporary bearers to pursue excellence in their chosen fields while maintaining strong connections to their cultural heritage. These personality traits combine to create individuals who are both grounded in tradition and forward-looking in their aspirations.
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan inaugurated the Audit Diwas celebrations here in the national capital on Sunday. Audit Diwas marks the onset of the 166th year of the establishment of the institution of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and celebrates its role in promoting transparency, accountability and good governance in the management of public resources. Speaking on the occasion, the Vice President commended the institution's significant strides in transforming audit processes to act as a facilitator of good governance and to strengthen executive accountability. He emphasized that audit is no longer a retrospective exercise but a forward-looking instrument of reform, foresight, and innovation. The Vice President complimented the CAG's organization on the recent initiatives in capacity building through institutional collaboration with eminent academic and professional bodies like IITs and IIMs. He expressed confidence in the CAG's role as a trusted partner in the Government's pursuit of holistic development across the economic, social, technological, environmental, and institutional spheres, heralding the nation's progress toward Viksit Bharat 2047. The Vice President extolled the achievements of the CAG in the international auditing arena as Chair of the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) and multiple committees of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), acknowledging the contributions of the Supreme Audit Institution of India in setting global benchmarks for ethical, transparent, and technology-enabled auditing. In his address, the C&AG of India, K. Sanjay Murthy, reaffirmed the institution's commitment to strengthening public accountability through continuous reform, technological innovation, and knowledge sharing. He outlined four foundational pillars guiding the institution's ongoing transformation: Stakeholder Engagement, Digital Transformation, Alignment with Viksit Bharat 2047 and Capacity Building. Under Stakeholder Engagement, K Sanjay Murthy highlighted that the institution is strengthening collaboration through ongoing dialogue with partners, including pre-audit engagement. Public finance data is now being made available in accessible formats, and outreach will be expanded to key sectors such as Power, Urban Development, and Panchayati Raj. The CAG also informed that key findings and recommendations are being shared with the Government of India through management letters, highlighting good practices and areas for improvement from horizontal audits such as those on the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS). The CAG highlighted the partnership with ICSSR in organising colloquiums to reach out to academicians and research scholars. Under Digital Transformation, the CAG highlighted a major shift towards remote and hybrid audits, with mandatory desk reviews of auditee databases before fieldwork to identify outliers and ensure focused audits. He announced the launch of the CAG-Connect Portal, a seamless digital platform linking nearly 10 lakh auditee entities with audit offices in real time. He also informed about the development of the CAG-LLM, an indigenously built Large Language Model aimed at leveraging institutional knowledge and enabling AI-driven audit analytics. Speaking on Alignment with Viksit Bharat 2047, K Sanjay Murthy said the organisation has realigned its audit priorities to serve as an enabler of the national mission for Viksit Bharat, with a focus on assessing the performance of Urban Local Governments and evaluating Ease of Living across 100 major cities. This will be followed by audits on Ease of Doing Business, with a focus on MSMEs and Start-ups, to assess critical enablers such as process integration, grievance redressal, and user experience, ensuring that reforms translate into tangible benefits for entrepreneurs. On the pillar of Capacity Building, the CAG emphasised the development of a future-ready workforce through cutting-edge training initiatives in Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, and Cybersecurity for IT Audit. He informed about the creation of a dedicated group of young officers as AI Champions who are leading innovative, Al-driven audit projects. Recognising the strength of the organisation's workforce of over 40,000 officers and staff, he said their professionalism, dedication, and creativity continue to be the greatest assets of the institution. CAG Murthy concluded his address by reaffirming the CAG's resolve to not be just an examiner of past records, but a forward-looking partner in governance. The Audit Diwas celebrations were marked by several events including conferring of the CAG's Awards for innovation and excellence, technical presentations on the recent new initiatives in AI technology for auditing; and launch of new software aimed at improving communication with the stakeholders and enhance learning capabilities within the organization, CAG said in a statement. The winners of the National Online Essay Writing Competition organized by the CAG through the MyBharat portal were felicitated on the occasion. Bhaskar Kumar and Master Advaith Sajeev were declared winners of the first prize in the Hindi and English categories of the competition. Five AI Champions showcased how AI can be leveraged for operational efficiency and greater impact in auditing and accounting functions by demonstrating five pilot AI projects initiated by them. (ANI)
The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, organised a two-day 'Chintan Shivir 2025' in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan this week. Apart from officers of the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, the event witnessed participation of representatives as well as Finance Departments of the following States and Union Territory: Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan. The Chintan Shivir was kickstarted with welcome speech by Additional Secretary (Personnel), Department of Expenditure Parama Sen followed by address by Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, V. Vualnam. During the first day, deliberations focused on the present status and issues regarding 'Just in Time' flow of funds. In an interactive session followed by a presentation on the topic, suggestions were obtained from the States/UT on the fund flow mechanism for an in-sync, effective and collaborative approach of the fund flows. It was followed by a presentation of the Finance Department of the Government of Rajasthan on how its Integrated Financial Management System is working together with the Public Financial Management System and various fund flow mechanisms of the Central Government to achieve 'Just in Time' flow of funds. In another interactive session, a presentation was made by National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in government processes. Various advantages and challenges on the use of AI in government processes were discussed at length. Various ways in which AI can be used effectively for decision making and policy formulation in the Government was also discussed. Subsequently, the officials broke away in four Groups for 'Chintan'. On the second day, deliberations were held with participating States/ UT on design and implementation issues of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) as the tenure of XV Finance Commission Cycle shall be ending in March 2026 and that the XVI Finance Commission Cycle shall be commencing thereafter. Suggestions/ views of the States/ UT were also obtained in the wake of undergoing appraisal/ approval process of the CSSs ending in March 2026 and requiring continuation beyond the XV FCC. It was followed by presentations by the four groups on diverse topics for bringing in evolving, unique and state-of-the-art thought processes through 'Chintan', to enhance functioning and outreach of the Government. The Chintan Shivir 2025 concluded with concluding remarks of the Secretary, Department of Expenditure, followed by vote of thanks. A special thanks was given to the participating States/ UT and the Government of Rajasthan for joining the Department of Expenditure in the Chintan Shivir. (ANI)
Bollywood stars Shahid Kapoor and Tamannaah Bhatia turned showstoppers for celebrity fashion designers duo Falguni and Shane Peacock, bringing their glamorous and charismatic sides to the evening. On Saturday, the actors turned up the heat on the ramp as they walked in stunning black ensembles, in line with the show's futuristic theme. In key highlights, the audience was treated to extraordinary performances and amazing collections from the label's shelves. Additionally, the effective use of artificial intelligence and robots drew attention, which elevated the ambience a notch higher. The lady in black, Tamannaah Bhatia, graced the ramp and made a powerful style statement in a black outfit with precise slits and a dramatic shoulder design. She completed the look with a hair updo, along with blue eyes, blush, and subtle lips. On the other hand, Shahid Kapoor left the audience swooning as he looked dashing in an all-black suit. Shahid was dressed in a black shirt, pairing it with flared black trousers and a blazer. The actor sported a flawless look, with his hair perfectly styled as it cascaded elegantly with a natural flow. Sharing his experience of walking the ramp, Shahid said, "This is the second time I'm walking for Falguni and Shane, and I think their aesthetic is very cool, very edgy. This is a great campaign for Blenders Pride, and it's always fun working with them. They are very, very good at what they do. They know exactly what they're doing, their cuts, their fits, their styling is always on point." Powered by FDCI, the 'Futureverse of Fashion' show by Falguni Shane Peacock was presented by Blenders Pride Fashion Tour on Saturday, November 15. (ANI)
Hollywood veteran Eddie Murphy has revealed that he was upset after losing the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2007, but his frustration had nothing to do with the award itself, according to People. In the new Netflix documentary Being Eddie, the 64-year-old actor and comedian reflects on the night many expected him to take home the Academy Award for his dramatic turn in the 2006 musical Dreamgirls. Murphy had won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award and Critics' Choice Award leading up to the Oscars, positioning him as the clear frontrunner. However, the award ultimately went to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine. Murphy, who appeared calm and applauded politely during the ceremony, says the real irritation came from being compelled to attend the event in the first place. "Not winning the Oscar or not winning anything...," Murphy says in the documentary. "The mindf--- for me is that I get dressed and come to the thing, 'cause I would usually not go to award shows." The actor adds that his annoyance stems from the effort involved. "Whenever I lose, I'm like, 'These motherf---ers made me come all the way down.' I could have f---ing lost at home.... What a... a waste of time," he says. "I'm never like, 'Oh, I didn't win.' I'm like, 'Hey, make me come down here for nothing?'" Murphy emphasises that while winning awards is "wonderful," not winning has never bothered him deeply. "I still come home, and it's... I'm still Eddie in the morning," he said, reported People. His Dreamgirls co-star Jennifer Hudson, who transitioned from American Idol contestant to acclaimed actress with the film, won the Oscar for best supporting actress that same night. In the documentary, Murphy also revisits another Oscars-related moment -- his 1988 speech while presenting Best Picture, in which he openly criticised Hollywood's treatment of Black artists. The archival clip shows him declaring, "Black people will not ride the caboose of society... I want you to recognise us." Murphy suggests in the film that the statement may have contributed to his complicated relationship with the Academy, according to People. Being Eddie, a documentary that traces the actor's life and career, is now streaming on Netflix. (ANI)
Jan Suraaj party spokesperson Pavan Verma on Sunday said that the"Vote Chori" lost relevance after the Supreme Court declared the Aadhaar Card as a valid document for voter identification. While speaking exclusively to ANI, Verma said, "We have not been against the SIR. It is the Election Commission's responsibility to ensure the voter list is updated. All we said was that there are 8 crore voters in Bihar, and if this exercise is started in June, it would leave very little time and could create chaos. It could have started in February. But later, when the Supreme Court declared the Aadhar Card as a valid document, Vote Chori was no longer an issue..." Verma also reacted to the party's poor performance in the recent Bihar Assembly elections, saying that the results have come as a shock to the party leadership. "All of us are shocked. During the padyatra, people in huge numbers used to join... We are shocked that it did not reflect in the results. Our topics were relevant... Our issues later became the election issues," he said. Verma pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call to voters to cast their ballots for the sake of their children was similar to Jan Suraaj's campaign slogan. "But if you notice that the topics raised by Jan Suraaj became the issue with election approaching. PM Modi asked people to vote for their children. This was the motto of Jan Suraaj," he said. The former diplomat and renowned author emphasised that the party's fight for its ideology will continue, and the strategy for the future will be decided by party founder Prashant Kishor. "He (Prashant Kishor) has publicly spoken about his commitment towards Bihar. It is not easy for new parties to compete with the established parties. The results have just come out. The party will think about it. The strategy for the fight will be told by Prashant Kishor ji himself. There's no lack of effort, our thinking is right, and our intentions are clear. The results are not as expected.", Verma said. The newly formed Jan Suraaj Party, founded by election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor, faced a major setback in the 2025 Bihar Assembly Election, failing to secure a single seat despite contesting in almost all 243 constituencies. The NDA's 'tsunami' swept away the opposition RJD-led Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 89 seats, and the Janata Dal (United) finishing a close second with 85. The other allies of the ruling coalition also registered high strike rates as Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJPRV) won 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) won five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha won four seats. The ruling NDA got 202 seats, a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House. This is the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-mark in the assembly polls. In the 2010 polls, it had won 206 seats. Mahagathbandhan got just 35 seats with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) winning 25 seats, Congress 6, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) - CPI(ML)(L) - two, Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) - one and Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M) one seat. While All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won five seats, and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) got one seat. (ANI)
The Bank of Baroda has extended significant support to the state's disaster relief efforts by contributing Rs 1 crore to the Aapda Rahat Kosh. The cheque was handed over to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday by Sabhayek Singh, General Manager and Zonal Head of the Chandigarh Zone, on behalf of the bank. The Chief Minister expressed gratitude for the generous contribution and said that such noble initiatives inspire others to come forward for humanitarian and philanthropic causes, as per the official press release. Health and Family Welfare Minister (Col.) Dhani Ram Shandil, Deputy General Manager, Bal Kishan, Assistant General Manager, and Rajesh Kumar Gawa, along with other senior officers of the bank, were also present on the occasion. Earlier, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 53.96 crore in Rampur Bushehar, Shimla district. He inaugurated the Community Health Centre building at Gram Panchayat Dhar Gaura, constructed at Rs 3.27 crore, the strengthening works of various drinking water supply schemes under Jal Shakti Sub-Division Rampur completed with an outlay of Rs 1.78 crore and Rs 74.38 lakh improvement works of the Flow Irrigation Scheme (FIS) Foula Ladhidhar scheme in Tehsil Nankhari. He also inaugurated the Rs 89 lakh residence-cum-office complex of the Assistant Engineer, PWD, Sarahan, a release stated. The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stones of several major projects, including the up-gradation of the Jeori-Sarahan road under NABARD to cost Rs. 25.76 crore, the lift drinking water supply scheme for ITBP colony Nogli to cost Rs. 2.77 crore, Rs. 4.57 crore strengthening of drinking water supply schemes for Munish-Bhali and Darkali panchayats and FIS from Belupul to Majheoti in Tehsil Nankhari to cost Rs. 1.19 crore. He also laid the foundation stones for the sewerage system for Nagar Parishad Rampur, which will cost Rs three crore, and a multi-storey shopping complex and bus stand to be built at Nankhari for Rs 9.96 crore. (ANI)
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday said that the state government is particularly committed to the socio-economic development of the janajati community. He said that the progress of the state is not possible without the development of the janajati community, and the present state government is working for their welfare, following the path shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. CM Saha said this at a function organised on the occasion of Janjatiya Gaurav Divas at the Khumpui Academy in Khumulwng. Speaking at the function, Saha said, "We all know that the Prime Minister announced the celebration of Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas on November 15 every year to honour the role of the Janajati community in India's freedom struggle. Bhagwan Birsa Munda is called a legendary leader. Prime Minister Modi has understood the need to highlight his valour and heroism. Birsa Munda was born on November 15, 1875. Today, we celebrate the birthday of Birsa Munda." He added that, like last year, Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas is being celebrated this year through various programs. "At the national level, this program is being celebrated in the Narmada district of Gujarat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the event there. The main program in Tripura has been organised at Khumpui Academy in Khumulwng. Apart from this, arrangements have been made to celebrate this day through various programs across the state. The state government is particularly committed to the socio-economic development of the Janajati community. Due to this continuous effort, Tripura has recently won three national awards," said Saha. The Chief Minister also said at the event that the state government has taken several decisions. "I am announcing some of the initiatives taken by the government in the interest of the people from today's event. Currently, 34,000 students are being given hostel scholarships. During the current financial year, 2,700 additional seats will be added to various student hostels. The hostel scholarship rate will be increased from the current Rs. 80 to Rs 100 per day per student from December 1, 2025. For this, an additional Rs. 8 crore 81 lakh will be spent in the financial year 2025-26 and Rs. 23 crore 35 lakh in the next financial year 2026-27," said Dr. Saha. Tripura CM announced that a boys' hostel with 100 beds will be built for college students in Abhaynagar, Agartala, for Rs. 5 crore 74 lakh. He informed that under the Chief Minister's Tribal Development Mission, solar energy-based water purification systems, along with composite solar units, will be installed in 50 tribal government hostels with a financial assistance of Rs. 19 crore. Tribal Welfare Minister Bikas Debbarma, Industries and Commerce Minister Santana Chakma, Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma, MP Rajib Bhattacharjee, MP Kriti Devi Debbarma, Chief Secretary J. K. Sinha, DGP Anurag, along with other public representatives and senior officials, were present as distinguished guests at the event. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the arrest of 21 individuals for expressing support online for the terrorists behind the Delhi terror attacks. The arrested individuals are from various districts in Assam, including Darrang, Goalpara, Nalbari, Chirang, Kamrup, Bongaigaon, Hailakandi, Lakhimpur, Barpeta, Hojai, South Salmara, Bajali, and Dhubri. The arrests were made as part of an intensified crackdown by the Assam Police against individuals promoting anti-national sentiments on social media. The state government has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards such activities. "Another anti-national have been arrested by @assampolice, taking the total count to 21. We will NOT tolerate anyone expressing support online for terrorists behind the #DelhiTerrorAttacks.", CM Sarma stated in a post on X. https://x.com/himantabiswa/status/1989736821694271805?s=20 CM Sarma on Thursday said that 17 individuals have been arrested across the state for "lauding" the terror attack involving a car blast near Delhi's Red Fort, which claimed at least 12 lives and left several others injured. At least 12 people were killed and over 20 others were injured in a car blast near a traffic signal opposite the Red Fort on Monday evening. Dr Umar un-Nabi, a Kashmiri doctor, who was at the wheel, was also killed in the 'suicide' blast. The accused was working at the Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana. Speaking to reporters, CM Sarma emphasised zero tolerance, with over 100 social media posts under review in the crackdown. Earlier, Security agencies have recovered the diaries of Delhi blast case accused Dr Umar and Dr Muzammil, which mentioned the dates November 8 to 12, indicating that the planning was underway for such an incident during that period, sources said. According to the sources, the diary also contained the names of approximately 25 individuals, most of whom hailed from Jammu and Kashmir and Faridabad. Delhi police have already arrested Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed in connection with the Delhi blast case, as they had an alleged link to past terror cases. Dr Umar, who was driving the car that exploded near the historic Red Fort, used to live in Al-Falah Medical College. Investigation agencies on Thursday informed that around eight suspects were allegedly preparing to execute coordinated explosions at four locations, with each pair assigned to a specific target city. Preliminary investigation indicates that the accused groups had intended to move in pairs, each carrying multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for simultaneous attacks. However, Al-Falah University has distanced itself from Dr Umar and Dr Muzammil, stating that the University has no connection with the accused beyond their official capacities, and that no questionable chemical or material is being used or stored on the University premises. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Rahul Gandhi over the Bihar poll results, saying a large segment of the Congress party is fed up "with 'naamdaar's' actions". "This Muslim League Maoist Congress party, the MMC, has been rejected by the country. A large segment of the Congress party, including those deeply rooted in nationalist ideals and those who once served under the leadership of figures like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, is fed up with this 'naamdaar's' actions," PM Modi said while addressing a gathering at Surat airport on Saturday. PM Modi said that the Congress does not have an explanation for its defeat in Bihar and blames EVMs or the SIR process. "They say no one can save the Congress party; this is the state it has reached... This is a matter of serious introspection for them. They can't even explain the reasons for their defeat to their own colleagues. Therefore, they have taken the easy route. Sometimes the EVM defeats them, sometimes the Election Commission defeats them, sometimes the voter list purification defeats them," he said. PM Modi launched a scathing attack on RJD and Congress leaders, accusing them of spreading the rhetoric of caste politics and said people of Bihar completely rejected "poison of caste division". The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar swept the polls, winning 202 of 243 seats. "In Bihar, during public events, land was illegally occupied and houses were seized, which were converted into Waqf properties. We saw that in Tamil Nadu, thousands of year-old villages were converted into Waqf properties... Only then did we pass a law in Parliament regarding Waqf. During the Bihar elections, these 'jamanati', 'naamdaar', and their allies publicly tore up the Waqf Act and declared that if they won, they would not allow the Waqf Act to be implemented. The people of Bihar have completely rejected this communal poison, following the path of development," he said. "This Muslim League Maoist Congress party, the MMC, has been rejected by the country. A large segment of the Congress party, including those deeply rooted in nationalist ideals and those who once served under the leadership of figures like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, is fed up with this 'naamdaar's' actions," he added. PM Modi said that the Congress does not have an explanation for its defeat in Bihar and blames EVMs or the SIR process. "They say no one can save the Congress party; this is the state it has reached... This is a matter of serious introspection for them. They can't even explain the reasons for their defeat to their own colleagues. Therefore, they have taken the easy route. Sometimes the EVM defeats them, sometimes the Election Commission defeats them, sometimes the voter list purification defeats them," he said. "For the past two years, these 'bail-bound leaders' kept running around Bihar, spreading the rhetoric of caste politics. They tried hard to inject the poison of caste division. But in this election, the people of Bihar completely rejected that poison," he added. He alleged that Congress is not providing opportunities to its young leaders to speak in parliament. "When we meet young Congress members or INDIA alliance members in the Parliament, they say, 'Sir, what can we do? Our careers are coming to an end. We don't even get a chance to speak in Parliament because these people keep saying, 'Lock Parliament,' every time.' They're unable to answer their own constituencies," he said. "The state elections that followed the Lok Sabha elections, in all those, Congress was in a dire state. We won more MLAs in Bihar yesterday than the Congress won in these five or six states combined," he added. PM Modi lambasted the Mahagathbandhan and said there is a 10 per cent difference between the two alliances, and voters cast their ballot on the issue of development. "In this election, there's a 10 per cent vote difference between the victorious NDA alliance and the defeated Mahagathbandhan. This is a significant amount. This means that the average voter voted one way, and on what issue? Development. The yearning for development in Bihar today is palpable," PM Modi said. "Bihar is famous worldwide today. Go anywhere in the world, and you'll find Bihar's talent. Bihar is now showing a willingness to reach new heights in development. This election reflected that willingness. Bihar's women and youth formed a combination that strengthened the foundation of politics for decades to come. Those who analyse politics will take months to analyse the implications of Bihar's election results," he added.PM Modi said people from Bihar living in Surat were closely monitoring the polls held in the state. "My brothers and sisters living in Surat were closely monitoring this election. The people of Bihar don't need to be taught politics. They have the power to teach politics to the rest of the world," he said. "Today, the hunger for development in Bihar is visible everywhere. I remember how, during Covid, people across the country were returning to their homes. At that time, I had the chance to interact with people from Bihar, and many of them used that difficult period to start their own businesses. This is the true strength of the people of Bihar. Wherever you go in the world, you will always find Bihar's talent shining through," he added. The NDA's 'tsunami' swept away the opposition Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, with the BJP emerging as the single-largest party with 89 seats, and the Janata Dal (United) finishing a close second with 85. The other allies of the ruling coalition also registered high strike rates. The parties of the Mahagathbandhan, including the RJD and Congress, suffered significant setbacks, and Jan Suraaj, which had hoped for an impressive debut after its founder, Prashant Kishor, conducted an extensive campaign, failed to open its account. The ruling NDA got 202 seats, a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House. This is the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-mark in the assembly polls. In the 2010 polls, it had won 206 seats. In the NDA, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 89 seats, Janata Dal (United) won 85, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJPRV) won 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) won five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha won four seats. In Mahagathbandhan, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won 25 seats, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) - CPI(ML)(L) - two, Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) - one and Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M) one seat. All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won five seats, and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) got one seat. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday extended his greetings to journalists on the occasion of National Press Day and lauded their contribution to upholding democratic values in the country. The Chief Minister praised media professionals for their dedication, stating that a strong and effective press is essential for the growth and strengthening of democracy. He also appreciated journalists for their commitment, integrity and fearlessness in delivering news and ensuring accountability. In a post on X, CM Dhami wrote, "Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all journalist colleagues, the fourth pillar of democracy, on National Press Day." https://x.com/pushkardhami/status/1989869908457631924?s=20 "For strengthening democracy, it is extremely essential for the fourth pillar to be strong and effective. I bow a million times to your commitment, hard work, and fearlessness in keeping society aware, making power accountable, and providing a platform for the voice of the people," the post read. National Press Day is observed annually on November 16 in India to celebrate the importance of a free and responsible press in a democratic society. It is celebrated to commemorate the establishment of the Press Council of India, which acts as a regulatory body for the news media in the country. A day earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami participated in the Dehradun Literature Festival held at Doon International School on Mohini Road. On this occasion, he released the book 'Leading Ladies of India', authored by Venu Agrahara Dhingra. The Chief Minister said that literature is a powerful medium for expressing emotions, thoughts, and experiences. It also plays a crucial role in fostering social and cultural awareness. He expressed hope that the 'Leading Ladies of India' would inspire readers, especially women, to move forward with confidence. During the event, CM Dhami stated that, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government is continually working towards empowering women. He mentioned that the demand for products made by women's self-help groups in the state is steadily increasing. Several schemes are being implemented by the state government to empower women to become self-reliant. He added that empowering women is essential for the holistic development of society. (ANI)
Following his resignation from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), former Union Minister RK Singh on Sunday said that there is "no use" in staying in a party which tolerates individuals and fields candidates with a criminal background. The former minister claimed that the party's decision to give tickets to such candidates was "diminishing the party's image" and was not in its best interest. Singh added that he has sent his resignation letter to Bharatiya Janata Party National President JP Nadda. Speaking to ANI, RK Singh said, "It has not been specified what those 'anti-party activities' are. They asked me for a showcause and I sent my resignation to the party's national president JP Nadda. In my response to them, I am asking the Bihar BJP, what 'anti-party activities' they are talking about. I said that people with a criminal background or those who are corrupt should not be given a ticket. Is that an 'anti-party activity'? If you give ticket to people with criminal background, you are diminishing party's image. This will never be in the interest of party." "Giving a ticket to such people is in nobody's interest, neither national interest nor the interest of the people, not even in the interest of the party...My statement was in the interest of the party. There is no use in staying at a place where people are troubled if you question people with criminal background," he added. His resignation follows the recent suspension of RK Singh from the BJP party due to "anti-party" activities. He was suspended just a day after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won an emphatic victory in the 2025 Bihar Assembly Elections. In a letter sent to the BJP National President, Singh stated that he had received a letter regarding the party's decision to suspend him, citing anti-party activities, and requested an explanation for why he should not be expelled. However, the letter did not specify the anti-party activities. "I have received a letter forwarded by some members of the media (copy enclosed) stating that the party has decided to suspend me for anti-party activities, and asking why I should not be expelled from the party. The letter does not specify the anti-party activities of which I have been accused. I cannot give a show cause against charges which have not been specified," he wrote in the letter. He further stated that the reason for the show cause is likely due to his statement against distributing tickets to people with a criminal background. He concluded the letter saying his formal resignation from the BJP party. RK Singh, a former MP from Arrah, had been vocal about his disagreements with the party's internal dynamics and had criticised several NDA leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary and JD(U) leader Anant Singh. He also questioned the Election Commission's handling of law and order issues during the elections. The BJP's suspension notice stated that Singh's activities have caused harm to the party and fall under serious indiscipline. Along with Singh, two other leaders, MLC Ashok Agarwal and Katihar Mayor Usha Agarwal, have also been suspended for similar reasons. Earlier this month, Singh claimed that the state government was involved in a Rs 62,000-crore corruption scandal linked to a power project. He also posted related documents on his official X handle. Singh had also urged the Election Commission to strictly enforce the Model Code of Conduct, calling the situation a "failure" on the part of both the poll body and the local administration. RK Singh, a two-time MP from Bihar's Arrah constituency and former Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and Renewable Energy, lost his seat in the 2024 general elections. (ANI)
Sex workers in Kolkata's Sonagachi area are urging the government to include their names in the voter list as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process begins in Bengal. Many sex workers fear being left out due to a lack of documentation, with some having no connection with their parents or original homes. The Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, an NGO working for sex workers, has submitted a written appeal to the Chief Electoral Officer, West Bengal, demanding special verification camps within Sonagachi. They're proposing on-site registration drives, allowing sex workers to self-declare their residence with NGO or peer verification. Secretary of the Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Samiti, Sonagachi, Bishakha Laskar, urged the government to enrol the names of sex workers in the voter list. Speaking to ANI, she underlined that most of them (sex workers) are not in touch with their families, since they left their homes years ago. "Sex workers are facing problems with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) because not everyone has their documents. This is because many have left their homes and have no connection with their families... Our demand is that it would be good if the names of sex workers are included (in the voter list) based on the documents they have..." she said. Furthermore, she highlighted that the sex workers received their Voter ID Card in 2002. Only after that did they start voting. "Sex workers received the official voter ID cards in 2002... Prior to that, they had no voter ID cards...We began exercising our voting rights after 2002...Naturally, our name won't be present in the 2002 voter list..." she said. Laskar stated that now several sex workers have official documents such as Aadhaar Card, PAN Card, Ration Card, etc. She urged the government to consider these documents. "Now some people have documents like Aadhaar Card, PAN Card, Ration Card, Passport, electricity bill, etc...We urge the government to add their names in the SIR on the basis of these documents, it will benefit the community..." she stated. She outlined that the committee has sent a written application for at least 12,000 sex workers present at Sonagachi brothel to the authorities, demanding the enrollment of sex workers' names in the voter list on the basis of the available documents. "There are a total of 12,000 sex workers at Sonagachi brothel, out of which 8,000 reside here and the rest 4,000 fly for work regularly...These sex workers are facing a lot of issues, that's why we have sent the letter to the Election Commissioner...We are waiting for a response..." she said. The Election Commission has assured that special measures are being taken to ensure that all eligible citizens are included. The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Saturday that over 95% of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Enumeration Forms have been distributed across 12 states and Union Territories in Phase II. According to the Daily Bulletin issued at 3 PM today, the ECI confirmed that 48,67,37,064 SIR forms have been successfully delivered to electors out of the 50,97,43,173 printed, covering regions - Andaman and Nicobar, Chattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Over 5.33 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and 10.41 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have been deployed. With 6.41 crore electors, Tamil Nadu has distributed 5.90 crore forms, achieving a 92.04% coverage. Uttar Pradesh, the state with the highest number of electors (15.44 crore), has attained a distribution of 94.37%.In contrast, smaller regions, such as Goa and Lakshadweep, achieved 100% distribution. Form distributed in Gujarat - 98.58%; Madhya Pradesh: 98.38%; Rajasthan: 97.32%; West Bengal: 98.08%; and Puducherry: 93.88%. Only Kerala, at 87.54%, remains below the 90% mark. Currently, a nationwide SIR phase two is being carried out in 12 states and union territories, with the final elector's list to be published on February 7, 2026. According to the Election Commission, printing and training took place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November 4 to December 4. (ANI)
All gates of the Lal Quila Metro Station have reopened for commuters, five days after the deadly Delhi blast at the Subhash Marg traffic signal near the Red Fort, which claimed the lives of 12 people. The station, which falls on the Violet Line of the Delhi Metro, had been closed as a precautionary measure following the explosion. After the blast, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announced on Thursday that the Lal Quila Metro Station would remain shut due to security concerns. Entry and exit at the station were temporarily suspended, and services were halted until the security agencies provided clearance. "The Lal Quila Metro Station will remain closed till further notice due to security reasons. All other metro stations and lines are functioning as per schedule," the DMRC had said in an official statement. On Saturday, the DMRC reopened two of the station's gates, providing partial access to passengers. In a post on X, the DMRC informed the public, stating, "Gate numbers 2 & 3 at Lal Quila Metro Station are now open for commuters." With all gates now operational, Metro services in the area have fully resumed. The station, located on the Violet Line of the Delhi Metro, serves as a key access point for several prominent landmarks, including the historic Red Fort, Jama Masjid, and the bustling Chandni Chowk area. The temporary closure is expected to impact daily commuters and tourists visiting Old Delhi, especially during peak hours and weekends. Meanwhile, on November 10, the blast near the Red Fort complex in the national capital killed 12 people and injured several others. On Saturday, Delhi Police registered a fresh FIR under sections of criminal conspiracy in the Red Fort blast investigation, officials said. The new FIR comes days after the car blast near the historic Red Fort area on November 10 killed 12 people. Meanwhile, security around the Red Fort has been heightened in the wake of the blast, with authorities maintaining a strict vigil over entry points and surrounding areas. On Friday, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had cancelled the registration of four doctors from Jammu and Kashmir - Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed - in the Indian Medical Register/National Medical Register with immediate effect, sources told ANI. Essential DNA, explosive, and other samples have been collected from the site and sent for forensic examination. The investigation has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency. (ANI)
The area surrounding Nowgam Police Station in Srinagar has been sealed off by Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) teams and security forces as an investigation is underway following a blast that killed nine people and injured 32 others, officials said on Sunday. Security personnel and forensic experts are conducting on-site examinations to collect evidence. On Friday, an accidental explosion inside the Nowgam Police Station late at night left nine personnel dead and 32 others injured and caused extensive damage to the nearby building. The injured were admitted to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS) in Srinagar for further treatment. The Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP), Nalin Prabhat, stressed on Saturday that any speculation about the incident was unnecessary, as preliminary findings pointed to an inadvertent blast during a mandated forensic procedure. The DGP informed that nine individuals who lost their lives included one officer from the State Investigation Agency (SIA), three FSL personnel, two crime-scene photographers, two revenue officials who were assisting the Magistrate's team, and a tailor associated with the operation. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday assured that the Government will provide every possible support to the families of the victims who lost their lives in the Nowgam Police Station explosion. CM Abdullah has directed J-K Education and Health Minister Sakina Itoo to ensure the best treatment for the injured, and assured that the damaged structures will be duly compensated, an official statement issued by the Chief Minister's office read. National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Saturday called for a thorough and independent investigation into the Nowgam police station blast, saying that "mistakes" in the initial handling of the explosive may have contributed to the tragedy that claimed nine lives and damaged multiple residential structures. (ANI)
Atleast four people were killed and several others injured on Saturday evening when two vehicles collided in Central Kashmir's Budgam district, officials said. The collision was between a vehicle and a dumper truck. Today, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed shock and sadness over the accident. The Chief Minister has instructed district officials to assist the affected families, provide prompt medical treatment to the injured, and conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident. In a post on X, the official handle of the office of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister shared, "Chief Minister has expressed shock and grief over the tragic accident in Budgam, where multiple lives are feared lost." https://x.com/CM_JnK/status/1989758179887255910?s=20 "He has directed the administration to provide every possible assistance and ensure urgent medical care for the injured. The cause of the accident shall be thoroughly investigated," the post read. The Jammu Kashmir National Conference said that Party President Farooq Abdullah and Vice President and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic Budgam road accident. "Party President Dr Farooq Abdullah and VP & Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have expressed deep shock and grief over the tragic road accident in Budgam, where multiple lives are feared to have been lost," in a post on X, the official account of the Jammu Kashmir National Conference wrote. https://x.com/JKNC_/status/1989764363142754536?s=20 "The honourable Chief Minister has directed the district administration to extend every possible assistance to the affected families and ensure urgent medical care for the injured. He also emphasised that the cause of the accident will be thoroughly investigated to ascertain the circumstances leading to the tragedy," the post read. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kerala chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar hailed the National Democratic Alliance's (NDA) victory in the Bihar assembly elections, stating that the results clearly show the people's support for "good governance, corruption-free governance, and development," while rejecting what he called "exploitative" parties such as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress. "It is a sign that people of Bihar have sent a very clear message: they are pro-good governance, pro-corruption-free governance, and pro-development. This is the message from the people of Bihar to the political ecosystem of Bihar. For too many years, there have been parties in Bihar that have been exploiting people, making promises, and not fulfilling them. The RJD and the Congress are clearly those two parties, and the NDA and the BJP have delivered on every promise," Chandrasekhar told ANI here. He further added that the election results demonstrate the public's trust in the "double-engine government" led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Centre and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the state. "Narendra Modi and Nitish Kumar have proved to be a double-engine government for the people of Bihar, and therefore, the people of Bihar have given them one more opportunity to serve them," he said. Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi while reacting to the Bihar poll results, saying a large segment of the Congress party is fed up "with 'naamdaar's' actions". PM Modi stated that the Congress lacks an explanation for its defeat in Bihar and blames the EVMs or the SIR process. "They say no one can save the Congress party; this is the state it has reached... This is a matter of serious introspection for them. They can't even explain the reasons for their defeat to their own colleagues. Therefore, they have taken the easy route. Sometimes the EVM defeats them, sometimes the Election Commission defeats them, sometimes the voter list purification defeats them," he said. The ruling NDA has gotten another term in Bihar, winning 202 seats, a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House. This is the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-mark in the assembly polls. In the 2010 polls, it had won 206 seats. In the NDA, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 89 seats, Janata Dal (United) won 85, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJPRV) won 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) won five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha won four seats. In Mahagathbandhan, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won 25 seats, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) - CPI(ML)(L) - two, Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) - one and Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M) one seat. (ANI)
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday dismissed Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee's allegations of arms distribution from Raj Bhavan, calling it a baseless claim. In a scathing response, Bose dared Banerjee to verify his claims, "Searching for arms and ammunition in the Raj Bhavan is like a blind man searching in the dark a black cat that is not there," Governor Bose told ANI. The Governor opened Raj Bhavan to the public, inviting scrutiny and transparency. "From 5 am onwards today, people, civil society members, and media are coming in to see whether there is any arms and ammunition in the Raj Bhavan," he said. Bose questioned Banerjee's intentions, asking if the TMC MP was expressing a lack of confidence in the state police force or revealing internal party politics. He emphasised the serious implications of such allegations, stating that they undermine the credibility of the Kolkata Police. "There are serious implications of these allegations...When a ruling party MP says that arms and ammunitions are available inside the Raj Bhavan, is he expressing his lack of confidence in the Police force of the state? Does it show any kind of inner party politics? To say that arms and ammunitions have been smuggled into the Raj Bhavan is to say that the Kolkata Police is conniving with that...," Governor Bose told ANI. The Governor has given Banerjee an ultimatum: apologise to the people of Bengal or face legal consequences. "He has to make amends; he has the option to either apologise to the people of Bengal or there are legal options that can be taken against him," Bose said. Earlier on Saturday, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee had alleged that Governor Bose is "entertaining BJP criminals in Raj Bhavan" and giving them weapons to attack TMC workers in the state. "Tell the Bengal Governor not to entertain BJP criminals in Raj Bhavan. He is keeping them there and giving them arms and ammunition to go and attack TMC workers. As long as such a governor is in office, nothing good will happen in Bengal," Banerjee said while at an event in Hooghly, Seelampur. Meanwhile, amid the ongoing controversial SIR, which has been opposed by the TMC, sex workers in Kolkata's Sonagachi area are urging the government to include their names in the voter list as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process begins in Bengal. Many sex workers fear being left out due to a lack of documentation, with some having no connection with their parents or original homes. According to the Daily Bulletin issued at 3 PM today, the ECI confirmed that 48,67,37,064 SIR forms have been successfully delivered to electors out of the 50,97,43,173 printed, covering regions - Andaman and Nicobar, Chattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. (ANI)
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Sunday called for a swift and thorough probe into the alleged suicide of an RSS worker in Kerala, who reportedly took his life after being denied a BJP ticket for the upcoming local body polls. Speaking to ANI, Tharoor expressed condolences to the bereaved family while urging both the police and the BJP to address the circumstances leading to the incident. "I think an investigation must be conducted expeditiously by the Police and I might say to my friends in the BJP, they should also investigate what's going wrong inside their party. This is a very serious situation. I don't want to do politics over the body of a young man. My heart goes out to his family...But at the same time, the matter must be investigated and I certainly hope that those who have the duty to do their job properly will conduct such an investigation," Tharoor said. An RSS worker died by suicide after reportedly being denied a BJP ticket for the upcoming local body elections in Kerala, police said. The deceased has been identified as Anand K Thampi, a resident of the Thrikkannapuram ward under the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, police added. According to the police's initial reports, the BJP had already finalised its candidate for the Thrikkannapuram ward, and Anand's name was not included in the final list. Following this, a WhatsApp message allegedly sent by Anand to his friends shortly before his death has surfaced, in which he levelled serious accusations against BJP leaders. In the purported message, Anand alleged that certain BJP leaders were responsible for denying him the party ticket. He also claimed that some BJP and RSS leaders maintained links with the sand mafia. Police have recovered the message and are verifying its authenticity as part of the ongoing investigation. Further probe is underway. (ANI)
The Indian Army continues its endeavour to uplift and empower the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, with the 4 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) based in Bhaderwah, has started a pre-recruitment training programme for aspirants preparing for the upcoming Territorial Army (TA) recruitment rallies. The initiative aims to provide employment opportunities, enhance physical and mental preparedness, and guide local youth toward building a disciplined and secure future in the armed forces, according to an official statement from the Army. According to locals, the programme has generated overwhelming enthusiasm, especially among the youth from Bhaderwah, Doda. "Many young aspirants said that the success and inspiration drawn from Operation Sindoor has further strengthened their determination to join the Indian Army and serve the nation with pride," the statement added. The Army officials emphasised that such training camps not only prepare candidates for recruitment but also help channelise youth energy in a positive and constructive direction. "Last time I had given the test, had no idea of the race, and because of that I lost in the race. So I am very thankful for 4 RR to show us how to do these things. I had an interest in joining the army since childhood, after Operation Sindoor the interest has only grown. We thank the 4 RR camp for training, teaching us. We will learn a lot on what to do. They will also give us training for the written portion and help us exercise too," said one of the aspirants With growing participation and increasing motivation, the pre-recruitment drive is expected to significantly boost the number of successful candidates from the region in the upcoming Territorial Army rallies. "This programme is not only a pathway to employment for our youth but also a step toward strengthening national integration and channelising their energy in a positive direction," said an army official. According to the army official, he pre-recruitment training aimed to provide physical conditioning and written examination preparation for youth aspiring to join the Indian Army from remote areas of Doda District. (ANI)
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Vinod Bansal, along with other members of the organisation, on Sunday organised a Shanti Yagna at Arya Samaj Mandir in Kalka Ji to pay homage to the victims of the terror blast near the Red Fort on November 10. During the ritual, prayers were also offered for the speedy recovery of those injured in the tragic incident. On November 10, a powerful explosion near the Red Fort complex in Delhi claimed the lives of 12 people and left several others injured, triggering widespread shock across the national capital. In response to the incident, Delhi Police registered a fresh First Information Report (FIR) under sections related to criminal conspiracy as part of the ongoing investigation into the Red Fort blast, officials said. The new FIR comes days after the car blast near the historic Red Fort area on November 10 killed 12 people. Meanwhile, security around the Red Fort has been heightened in the wake of the blast, with authorities maintaining a strict vigil over entry points and surrounding areas. On Friday, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had cancelled the registration of four doctors from Jammu and Kashmir - Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed - in the Indian Medical Register/National Medical Register with immediate effect, sources told ANI. All State Medical Councils have been informed about the decision. An order has been issued to all medical councils regarding the removal of the above four doctors, effective November 14, 2025. Delhi police have already arrested Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed in connection with the Delhi blast case, as they had an alleged link to past terror cases. Investigation agencies on Thursday informed that around eight suspects were allegedly preparing to execute coordinated explosions at four locations, with each pair assigned to a specific target city. Preliminary investigation indicates that the accused groups had intended to move in pairs, each carrying multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for simultaneous attacks. (ANI)
In a fresh development in the ongoing probe into the Delhi blast case, a team of the Faridabad Crime Branch on Sunday brought a young man to Al Falah University as part of a verification exercise. Investigation into the Faridabad terror module case is underway. The Crime Branch team arrived at the university campus and conducted inquiries related to the case. The probe into the Faridabad terror module case remains ongoing, with agencies continuing to track leads emerging from multiple locations across the Delhi-NCR region. Meanwhile, Intelligence agencies uncovered a Rs 20 lakh fund trail linked to three doctors, Umar, Muzammil, and Shaheen. Intelligence sources on Sunday said that the amount is suspected to have been routed by a Jaish-e-Mohammed handler through a hawala network. Of this, around Rs 3 lakh is believed to have been spent on purchasing 26 quintals of NPK fertiliser, a nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium-based chemical compound used in agriculture, which is also capable of producing explosives used in the blast. Officials further revealed that tensions had reportedly emerged between Dr Umar-un-Nabi and Dr Shaheen over the handling of the funds. Sources added that a key lead was obtained from Muzammil, helping investigators piece together the financial links behind the conspiracy. Meanwhile, Delhi Police sources on Sunday confirmed that three cartridges recovered from the site, two live and one empty, were of 9mm calibre, a firearm type prohibited for civilian possession and used by security forces. A senior official said that despite the cartridge recovery, no pistol or any of its parts were found at the scene."These cartridges are usually only possessed by the armed forces or those with special permission," police said. According to sources, no pistol or any part of it was found at the scene...meaning the cartridges were found, but the weapon used to fire them has not yet been found. The official said that they are now trying to determine how these cartridges came to be there, whether the suspect possessed them. The discovery of the 9mm cartridges adds a new dimension to the ongoing investigation, as officials probe the source of the ammunition and whether it was linked to any terror or criminal network. Security agencies examined CCTV footage and gathered forensic evidence from the blast site. On November 10, the blast near the Red Fort complex in the national capital killed 12 people and injured several others. On Saturday, Delhi Police registered a fresh FIR under sections of criminal conspiracy in the Red Fort blast investigation, officials said. The new FIR comes days after the car blast near the historic Red Fort area on November 10 killed 12 people. Further, security around the Red Fort has been heightened in the wake of the blast, with authorities maintaining a strict vigil over entry points and surrounding areas. On Friday, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had cancelled the registration of four doctors from Jammu and Kashmir - Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed - in the Indian Medical Register/National Medical Register with immediate effect, sources told ANI. All State Medical Councils have been informed about the decision. An order has been issued to all medical councils regarding the removal of the above four doctors, effective November 14, 2025. Delhi police have already arrested Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed in connection with the Delhi blast case, as they had an alleged link to past terror cases. Further, Investigation agencies on Thursday informed that around eight suspects were allegedly preparing to execute coordinated explosions at four locations, with each pair assigned to a specific target city. Preliminary investigation indicates that the accused groups had intended to move in pairs, each carrying multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for simultaneous attacks. Delhi Police confirmed that the man who carried out the car blast near Red Fort was Dr Umar Un Nabi, after forensic DNA testing matched his biological sample with that of his mother. However, Al-Falah University has distanced itself from Dr Umar and Dr Muzammil, stating that the University has no connection with the accused beyond their official capacities, and that no questionable chemical or material is being used or stored on the University premises. Essential DNA, explosive, and other samples have been collected from the site and sent for forensic examination. The investigation has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency. (ANI)
Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Zone Varanasi Piyush Mordia said in a video message, "On 15th November, in Sonbhadra district, a stone mine collapse incident was reported. Workers are feared trapped here. NDRF, SDRF, CISF, Sonbhadra Police and Fire Department teams are here to rescue the people. Operation is underway..."

An accident occurred in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday after a stone mine collapsed, leaving around 15 people feared trapped beneath the debris.

According to officials, one body has been recovered so far as rescue teams continue operations at the site.

Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed to carry out rescue efforts.

Heavy machinery, along with specialised personnel, is being used to remove the debris and widen access to the collapsed area as quickly as possible.

Authorities are continuing efforts to find and save those still trapped.

Further information on the incident is still awaited. (ANI)
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Sunday backed the exercise of updating the electoral rolls across the country through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), saying that it is a "legitimate process for free and fair elections." While he agreed that "some flaws" could be seen in the conduct of the exercise, he also said that political parties have the freedom to raise objections to the electoral roll update. "SIR is a legitimate process for free and fair elections in the country. Of course, there may be some flaws in the conduct of that. Political parties have the freedom to raise objections to that. But SIR will certainly be held in a free and fair manner," the Bengal governor told ANI. Looking to allay any anxiety of voters, he assured that the process makes sure that no eligible voter is left out "There is no need for anybody to be anxious about this. Any genuine voter will be here. No manipulation will be allowed, truth will come out," he said. According to the Election Commission of India, 48,67,37,064 SIR forms have been successfully delivered to electors out of the 50,97,43,173 printed, covering the following regions: Andaman and Nicobar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Over 5.33 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and 10.41 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have been deployed. With 6.41 crore electors, Tamil Nadu has distributed 5.90 crore forms, achieving a 92.04% coverage. Uttar Pradesh, the state with the highest number of electors (15.44 crore), has attained a distribution of 94.37%.In contrast, smaller regions, such as Goa and Lakshadweep, achieved 100% distribution. Form distributed in Gujarat - 98.58%; Madhya Pradesh: 98.38%; Rajasthan: 97.32%; West Bengal: 98.08%; and Puducherry: 93.88%. Only Kerala, at 87.54%, remains below the 90% mark. Currently, a nationwide SIR phase two is being carried out in 12 states and union territories, with the final elector's list to be published on February 7, 2026. According to the Election Commission, printing and training took place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November 4 to December 4. (ANI)
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Sunday visited the United States Navy's advanced Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye and was detailed on its state-of-the-art maritime surveillance systems and cutting-edge modifications, according to an official spokesperson of the Indian Navy. During the visit, CNS Tripathi also called on the Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam, where he was briefed on the operational capabilities and ongoing initiatives of the US Pacific Fleet and the various units stationed at the joint facility. The visit was aimed at strengthening the vigorous and persistent Martinetime partnership between India and the US. It highlighted the importance of strengthening interoperability and enhancing operational synergy between the two maritime forces. "The visit marks a key engagement reinforcing the shared commitment to peace, stability, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific," the release stated. Admiral Tripathi held a series of high-level discussions with Admiral Samuel J Paparo, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, and senior officials of the US Navy. They held discussions to review the key pillars of the India-US defence cooperation, including strengthening maritime security and maritime cooperation, enhancing interoperability, and expanding avenues for operational engagements across the Indo-Pacific, the spokesperson of the Indian Navy confirmed. In a post on X, the Indian Navy said, "During his ongoing official visit to the #UnitedStates, Adm Dinesh K Tripathi, #CNS, held a series of high-level engagements with Adm Samuel J Paparo, Commander @INDOPACOM; Adm Stephen T Koehler, Commander @USPacificFleet; and Lt Gen James F Glynn, Commander U.S. Marine Forces Pacific. @USMC Deliberations reviewed key pillars of - defence cooperation, including strengthening #MaritimeSecurity and #MaritimeCooperation, enhancing #Interoperability, and expanding avenues for operational engagements across the Indo-Pacific." The post further noted that the discussions also covered priority areas of mutual maritime interest, including deeper information sharing and maritime domain awareness, building on mechanisms like IPMDA and linkages with the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region, safeguarding sea lines of communication and critical undersea infrastructure, coordinated responses for HADR and SAR missions, counter-piracy, and non-traditional security challenges, more complex and regular bilateral/multilateral exercises (including MALABAR, PASSEX, and CMF /MILAN frameworks) to refine joint warfighting, logistics, and sustainment, collaboration in emerging domains - unmanned systems, ISR, cyber, and space-enabled maritime operations - to bolster readiness and resilience at sea," "The interactions reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the #IndianNavy and @USNavy, as well as the growing synergy with U.S. Marine and joint forces - anchored in mutual trust, shared values, and a common commitment to a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based #IndoPacific", the post added. Meanwhile, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, on Wednesday, embarked on an official visit to the United States aimed at further enhancing the longstanding maritime partnership between the Indian Navy and the United States Navy, as per an official release. According to the release, Admiral Tripathi's visit to the US was scheduled from November 12 to November 17. (ANI)
The Durga Battalion of the Indian Army's Poonch Brigade, in collaboration with Pritam Spiritual Trust, conducted a 3-day camp in Poonch, providing free artificial limbs, wheelchairs, and crutches to 200 specially-abled individuals. It was held as part of the 77th Poonch Link-Up Day celebrations. Chairman of Pritam Spiritual Trust, Jagbir Singh, stated that the Trust, in collaboration with the Indian Army's Poonch Brigade, provided walkers, prosthetics, hearing aids, and crutches, among other equipment. "The camp is a huge success. Our target was exceeded, and the greatest joy is that God kept the weather clear, so we didn't face any problems... Over 200 people come here. We've provided walkers, crutches, hearing aids, and prosthetics for specially-abled people... It is the beginning of a new life for them..." he said. Ramesh Chandra Sharma, a local, shared that the Pritam Spiritual Trust has been helping the specially-abled individuals for the past 35 years. "For the past 35 years, the Pritam Spiritual Trust has been providing crutches, wheelchairs, and other assistive devices to people with disabilities. We also thank the 93rd Infantry Brigade from the bottom of our hearts for coming here and encouraging us... We also received wheelchairs, crutches, etc..." he said. Meanwhile, the Ghari Battalion of the Indian Army's Poonch Brigade officially began the Poonch Link-Up Day celebrations in Poonch, marking the 77th anniversary of the 1948 link-up between the Indian Army and Poonch after a 15-month siege. Students from different schools showcase their talents during the 'Talent Hunt' program themed around "Operation Sindoor." The Poonch Link-Up Day celebrates the successful culmination of Operation Easy on November 21, 1948, when the Indian Army troops marched through Pakistani-held territory to reconnect the besieged town of Poonch with the rest of Jammu and Kashmir. After the operation, Poonch was connected with Jammu and Kashmir and gained independence from Pakistan after a year-long siege. (ANI)
Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) National Spokesperson Vinod Bansal on Sunday said that universities like Al-Falah University should be investigated after the recent blast near Delhi's Red Fort. He said the attack that claimed several lives was a worrying sign of rising violence. Speaking to ANI, Vinod Bansal said, "Many souls had to sacrifice their lives in the terror attack that took place near the Red Fort in Delhi... We organised a yagya today, praying for the peace of the souls of those who lost their lives and for the speedy recovery of those injured.." "The way these people are creating havoc, terror and large-scale violence in the name of Islam and jihad is worrying... All the universities that are like Al-Falah University should be investigated," Bansal said. Today, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) spokesperson Vinod Bansal, along with other members of the organisation organised a Shanti Yagna at Arya Samaj Mandir in Kalka Ji to pay homage to the victims of the terror blast near the Red Fort on November 10. During the ritual, prayers were also offered for the speedy recovery of those injured in the tragic incident. On November 10, a powerful explosion near the Red Fort complex in Delhi claimed the lives of 12 people and left several others injured, triggering widespread shock across the national capital. In response to the incident, Delhi Police registered a fresh First Information Report (FIR) under sections related to criminal conspiracy as part of the ongoing investigation into the Red Fort blast, officials said. The new FIR comes days after the car blast near the historic Red Fort area on November 10 killed 12 people. Meanwhile, security around the Red Fort has been heightened in the wake of the blast, with authorities maintaining a strict vigil over entry points and surrounding areas. On Friday, the National Medical Commission (NMC) had cancelled the registration of four doctors from Jammu and Kashmir - Dr Muzaffar Ahmad, Dr Adeel Ahmad Rather, Dr Muzamil Shakeel and Dr Shaheen Saeed - in the Indian Medical Register/National Medical Register with immediate effect, sources told ANI. All State Medical Councils have been informed about the decision. (ANI)
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and congratulated him for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) sweeping the Bihar assembly elections. He wished the leadership of the NDA a successful term, highlighting how the results reflect people's "trust in stable and accountable governance." "Met Home Minister Amit Shah and extended my congratulations on the NDA's massive victory in Bihar. The mandate reflects the people's trust in stable and accountable governance. Wishing the leadership a successful term ahead," Pawar said. Following the results for Bihar Assembly elections being declared on November 14, the ruling NDA got 202 seats, a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House. This is the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-mark in the assembly polls. In the 2010 polls, it had won 206 seats. In the NDA, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 89 seats, Janata Dal (United) won 85, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) (LJPRV) won 19, Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) (HAMS) won five, and Rashtriya Lok Morcha won four seats. While the Prime Minister hailed the NDA victory and slammed Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader in turn has said that the victory could not be achieved by them as the election was "unfair from the very beginning." In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi said, "I express my heartfelt gratitude to those millions of voters in Bihar who expressed their trust in the Mahagathbandhan. This result in Bihar is truly surprising. We could not achieve victory in an election that was unfair from the very beginning." "This fight is for the protection of the Constitution and democracy. The Congress Party and the INDIA alliance will deeply review this result and make their efforts to save democracy even more effective," he added. In Mahagathbandhan, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won 25 seats, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) - CPI(ML)(L) - two, Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) - one and Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M) one seat. (ANI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday unveiled a statue of freedom fighter Uda Devi Pasi in Lucknow. Addressing the event in Lucknow, Rajnath Singh said that not just the Pasi community, but the whole nation is proud of Uda Devi. Being an MP from Lucknow, Singh added that it is a matter of "great pride and honour" to have been associated with the land of Uda Devi and Baba Saheb Ambedkar as his place of work. "Uda Devi not only made the Pasi community proud but also the entire nation. Every Indian should feel proud of her. I am truly delighted to be present among you all in Lucknow today for this event related to Uda Devi... she, who belongs to the Dalit community and sacrificed her life in this very region of Lucknow. Lucknow shares a special bond with the prominent Dalit figure, Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar. Bhadant Bodhanand Ji, who was like a teacher to Baba Saheb, and Bhadant Pragyanand Ji, who inspired him, resided in Lucknow. That is why we all recognise Lucknow as the land of Baba Saheb's affection... It is a matter of great pride and honour for me to have a land associated with Uda Devi and Baba Saheb Ambedkar as my place of work," the Defence Minister added. The Defence Minister further said that Uda Devi's sacrifice teaches us that true courage lies in standing tall and strong against injustice, discrimination, and slavery. He said that Uda Devi's life is a great example of the invaluable value of women's empowerment and equality. "Uda Devi's sacrifice teaches us that true courage lies in standing tall and strong against injustice, discrimination, and slavery. Uda Devi's life is a great example of the invaluable value of women's empowerment and equality. India's women have never lagged behind in protecting their country and religion. Today, the doors of Sainik Schools have been opened to girls. Indian women are strengthening the nation's security circle from the heights of Siachen to the depths of the ocean... During Operation Sindoor, women pilots and soldiers played a crucial role in counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir... I can also say without hesitation that every daughter can become Uda Devi to protect the honour and pride of India," the Defence Minister added. Uda Devi Pasi was a heroic Dalit woman freedom fighter who played a pivotal role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company. She served in the women's battalion of Wajid Ali Shah and later under Begum Hazrat Mahal. Uda Devi is known for her bravery during the Battle of Sikandar Bagh in Lucknow on November 16, 1857. During the battle, disguised as a man, she fired upon British soldiers from a tree before being killed. She is considered a symbol of courage, particularly within the Dalit community, and her martyrdom is commemorated annually on November 16. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday paid homage to Uda Devi on her anniversary, highlighting her role as one of the most courageous women fighters of the 1857 uprising and describing her legacy as a source of enduring inspiration for generations. Remembering the Pasi freedom fighter, the Chief Minister said, "Uda Devi, the fearless woman of the first independence war, remains an immortal warrior and an inspiration to all Indians, especially women. On November 16, 1857, she climbed a peepal tree in Secunderabad Bagh, Lucknow, and killed thirty-six British soldiers to fight against foreign rule and tyranny. Her heroic act made her immortal in Indian history." Adityanath emphasised that Uda Devi's courage continues to offer a moral compass during moments of injustice. "The bravery of Uda Devi inspires us to make this sacrifice even greater when faced with significant injustice. She supported the revolutionaries and the country's youth at the time, encouraging them to fight against such injustice," he said. Calling her commitment unwavering, the Chief Minister added, "She fought with complete dedication..." Addressing the gathering in Lucknow, CM Yogi informed that the government has given children an additional book about the local revolutionaries. "The state government has incorporated the entire campaign, struggle, and contributions of every revolutionary, powerful individual, and son of Mother India into the curriculum... We have given the children an additional book about the local revolutionaries... I am happy to share that, following the formation of the state government, three new PAC battalions have been created," the chief minsiter said. The Chief Minister further said that Uttar Pradesh police has recruited 2,19,000 officers, with women filling 20 per cent of these roles. "Over the past eight years, Uttar Pradesh police has recruited 2,19,000 officers, with women filling 20 per cent of these roles. The PAC battalion is being formed in Lucknow, named after revolutionary Uda Devi, for whom a statue is also planned. The women's battalion in Gorakhpur is named after revolutionary Jhalkaribai Kori, while the battalion in Badaun is named after revolutionary Avantibai Lodhi," CM Yogi said. Uda Devi, a member of the Pasi community, served in the women's battalion under Begum Hazrat Mahal during the 1857 revolt. Her act at Secunderabad Bagh remains one of the most documented episodes of women-led armed resistance, and her legacy is commemorated annually in Lucknow, particularly among Dalit communities. (ANI)
Vice President CP Radhakrishnan attended the Audit Diwas Celebrations 2025 as the Chief Guest in New Delhi on Sunday, marking the yearly event that commemorates the historic origins of the institution of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The event was held at Bharat Mandapam on Sunday morning. In his address, the Vice-President appreciated the pivotal role of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, calling the institution the "guardian of the public purse." He highlighted that by upholding fairness and truth in auditing, the CAG stands as a pillar of accountability, transparency, and integrity, the moral wealth of Bharat. CP Radhakrishnan also commended the CAG of India for notifying "One Nation, One Set of Object Heads of Expenditure" for the Union Government and all State Governments, a reform that will significantly enhance transparency and comparability of government expenditure. According to an official statement, the VP also noted that CAG's global reputation has grown through its role as External Auditor for international organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and several others. He further highlighted that the CAG is currently chairing the Asian Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI) -- a testimony to Bharat's journey from being a follower to emerging as a global leader. "As Bharat progresses towards the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047, he emphasized that the CAG will remain a key partner in ensuring fiscal discipline and transparency for effective governance," the official statement from the VP's X account read. He urged officers to continuously upgrade their skills and auditing capabilities to enhance transparency in public spending and ensure that people's money is used for public welfare. Audit Diwas is held yearly on November 16 to mark the historic origins of the institution of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, according to the CAG. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India was established as a constitutional authority with the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1950. The role of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India evolved through legislation and practices in British India and in independent India after 1947, according to the CAG. Before being the CAG, the institution was known as the Supreme Audit Institution, one of India's oldest institutions. It traces its origin to 1858, when a separate department with an Accountant General at the helm was established and entrusted with the responsibility of accounting and auditing financial transactions under the East India Company. After taking over the administration of India, the British Crown passed the Government of India Act, 1858, which introduced a system of an annual budget of Imperial Income and Expenditure in 1860. This laid the foundation stone for the Imperial Audit. (ANI)
During the meeting, the Anganwadi Worker Organization submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister regarding various demands. On this, the Chief Minister assured them of positive action, Uttarakhand CM Office said.

The meeting was attended by Rekha Negi, the State President of the Anganwadi Workers' Association, along with other association members, the release said.

A day earlier, CM Dhami participated in the Dehradun Literature Festival held at Doon International School on Mohini Road. On this occasion, he released the book 'Leading Ladies of India', authored by Venu Agrahara Dhingra.

The Chief Minister said that literature is a powerful medium for expressing emotions, thoughts, and experiences. It also plays a crucial role in fostering social and cultural awareness. He expressed hope that the 'Leading Ladies of India' would inspire readers, especially women, to move forward with confidence.

During the event, CM Dhami said that under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi, the state government is continuously working towards women's empowerment. He mentioned that the demand for products made by women's self-help groups in the state is steadily increasing. Several schemes are being implemented by the state government to empower women to become self-reliant. He added that empowering women is essential for the holistic development of society.

The Uttarakhand Chief Minister said that today, daughters of the state are performing commendably in every field. He also stated that the soul of Uttarakhand lies in its culture, and the government is continuously working to preserve the region's cultural heritage and traditions. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on Sunday accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab of presiding over a complete "collapse" of law and order following the killing of Naveen Arora, who was reportedly linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), in Ferozepur. According to officials, Arora was shot dead by two unidentified assailants while returning home on his motorcycle in Punjab's Ferozepur district on Saturday evening. Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla claimed that criminal activities have surged in the state since the AAP came to power. "Since the Aam Aadmi Party has come to power in Punjab, the law and order situation has completely collapsed. Incidents include the murder of Sidhu Moosewala, an attack on a renowned Kabaddi player, a daylight attack on Shiv Sena leaders, and the killing of Navin Arora, the son of an RSS swayamsevak," he said. He further alleged that the Punjab Police's resources are being diverted away from maintaining law and order. "It is because AAP has used all the Punjab police resources for the VVIP protection of Kejriwal and other AAP leaders from Delhi. They are using it for Vendetta politics against their political rivals. Law and order have been completely destroyed since the AAP came to power," Poonawalla added. Earlier today, Firozpur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Bhupinder Singh said that they have formed 8-9 teams to investigate the case and are working on all angles, adding that the culprits will be brought to justice in the case. "Naveen, aged between 30 to 40 years, was shot dead while returning home by two unknown men. We are investigating the case and have deployed teams to check the CCTV footage as well. Three to four SHOs and two DSPs are also working on this. The culprits will be punished as per the law," the police official stated. According to the official, the victim was riding his motorcycle from his shop to his house when the incident occurred. "Naveen Arora was going from his shop to his house on his motorcycle when two men shot him dead. This is an unfortunate incident.We have formed 8 to 9 teams. The accused will be arrested at the earliest opportunity, and strict legal action will be taken against them.We have technical leads and CCTV leads, and we have also received some information that we are verifying.We are working on all angles," he added. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid a courtesy visit to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, urging the continuation of key Defence and infrastructure projects in the state. According to the Uttarakhand CMO, CM Dhami requested the Union Minister to allow the Air Force Audit Branch to remain operational in Dehradun and to ensure that the maintenance work of the Gwaldam-Nandkesari-Tharali-Dewal-Mundoli-Wan motor road continues to be handled by the Public Works Department (PWD). Chief Minister Dhami informed that the Air Force Audit Branch has been functioning smoothly in Dehradun for a long time. Since the state shares borders with China and Nepal and houses several important military and security establishments, Dehradun holds significant strategic importance. As per the release, CM Dhami requested the Defence Minister to issue necessary directions to ensure that the Air Force Audit Branch continues to operate from Dehradun. The Chief Minister also urged that the maintenance and upkeep of the Gwaldam-Nandkesari-Tharali-Dewal-Mundoli-Wan motor road should remain with the Uttarakhand PWD in the future as well. CM Dhami said that this route is the main pathway for the world-famous Nanda Devi Raj Jat Yatra, the next edition of which is proposed for 2026. Given the religious and cultural significance of this major event, it is essential that the route's maintenance be carried out locally by the Public Works Department. Uttarakhand CM added that, considering local conditions, coordination, and the need for prompt execution of works, the PWD is the most suitable department for maintaining this road, which will greatly benefit the upcoming pilgrimage as well as local commuters. The Defence Minister assured the Chief Minister that the matters raised would be considered positively. (ANI)
At a time when Indian armed forces are looking to strengthen their capabilities against enemy drones, the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force are going to place orders for 16 indigenous drone detection and interdiction systems, which would be capable of hitting unmanned aerial systems at 2 kms with laser and disable them. The Defence Ministry is likely to clear the Defence Research and Development Organisation's Integrated Drone Detection and Interdiction System (Mark 2), which has the capability of hitting enemy drones with laser beams at 2 kms. The 10 Kilowatt laser beam would double the distance at which they can engage drones with laser, as the first system was capable of targeting at around 1 kms only, defence officials told ANI. The DRDO is developing long-range laser-based drone detection and interception systems, as the Pakistanis used a large number of drones in the Operation Sindoor against Indian targets, which were foiled in a big way. The DRDO has also successfully test-fired the direct energy weapon system, which can target systems at 5 kms and is carrying out its trials with the involvement of the Indian defence forces. The 5 km strike capability will be achieved by a 30-kilowatt laser-based direct energy weapon. India, for the first time this April, showcased its capability to shoot down fixed-wing aircraft, missiles, and swarm drones using a 30-kilowatt laser-based weapon system. By doing so, India joined the list of selected countries, including the US, China, and Russia, that have shown such a capability. The Centre for High Energy Systems & Sciences CHESS-- a lab of DRDO, had conducted a successful field demonstration of the Land version of Vehicle mounted Laser laser-directed weapon DEW MK-II(A) at Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. It successfully defeated the fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and swarm drones, causing structural damage and disabling the surveillance sensors. India needs the IDDS in large numbers, as the role of drones in the recent wars, both within and outside the country, has shown a significant use of drones by enemy forces. DRDO chief Dr Samir V. Kamat had said that the DRDO is also working on other high-energy systems, including high-energy microwaves, electromagnetic pulses, and a number of technologies that will give the Star Wars capability. (ANI)
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday said the BJP is setting up Special Intensive Revision (SIR) camps across West Bengal to assist people and ensure they do not face any difficulties. He said, "Camps are being set up here by the BJP across the entire Bengal to help people with SIR so that they do not face any difficulties here. In just a few days, these camps will start across the entire Bengal." The Election Commission has assured that special measures are being taken to ensure that all eligible citizens are included. The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Saturday that over 95% of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Enumeration Forms have been distributed across 12 states and Union Territories in Phase II. According to the Election Commission of India, 48,67,37,064 SIR forms have been successfully delivered to electors out of the 50,97,43,173 printed, covering the following regions: Andaman and Nicobar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Over 5.33 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and 10.41 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have been deployed. With 6.41 crore electors, Tamil Nadu has distributed 5.90 crore forms, achieving a 92.04% coverage. Uttar Pradesh, the state with the highest number of electors (15.44 crore), has attained a distribution of 94.37%. In contrast, smaller regions, such as Goa and Lakshadweep, achieved 100% distribution. Form distributed in Gujarat - 98.58%; Madhya Pradesh: 98.38%; Rajasthan: 97.32%; West Bengal: 98.08%; and Puducherry: 93.88%. Only Kerala, at 87.54%, remains below the 90% mark. Currently, a nationwide SIR phase two is being carried out in 12 states and union territories, with the final elector's list to be published on February 7, 2026. According to the Election Commission, printing and training took place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November 4 to December 4. (ANI)
The event aimed to highlight the significance of ethical journalism and discuss contemporary challenges faced by the media sector. Alongside the Tripura Chief Minister, Secretary Dr P K Chakraborty, Bimbisar Bhattacharjee, Director of ICA, and other dignitaries were present.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami extended greetings to journalists on National Press Day and lauded their contribution to upholding democratic values. He praised media professionals for their dedication, stating that a strong and effective press is essential for the growth and strengthening of democracy.

In a post on X, CM Dhami wrote, "Heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to all journalist colleagues, the fourth pillar of democracy, on National Press Day."

"For strengthening democracy, it is extremely essential for the fourth pillar to be strong and effective. I bow a million times to your commitment, hard work, and fearlessness in keeping society aware, making power accountable, and providing a platform for the voice of the people," he said.

National Press Day, observed annually on November 16, commemorates the establishment of the Press Council of India, which acts as a regulatory body for the news media.

A day earlier, CM Dhami attended the Dehradun Literature Festival at Doon International School and released the book 'Leading Ladies of India' authored by Venu Agrahara Dhingra. He said literature is a powerful medium for expressing emotions and experiences and plays a key role in fostering social and cultural awareness. He expressed hope that the book would inspire readers, especially women. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday visited the under-construction Bullet Train Station at Surat in Gujarat on Saturday and reviewed the progress of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. PM Modi also interacted with the team working on India's first Bullet train project and inquired about the project's progress, including adherence to speed and timetable targets. Workers assured him that the project was advancing smoothly without any difficulties, the Prime Minister's Office said in a release. An engineer from Kerala shared her experience of working at the Noise Barrier Factory in Navsari, Gujarat, where robotic units are being deployed for welding rebar cages. PM Modi asked her how she personally perceived the experience of building India's first bullet train and what she shares with her family about this historic achievement. She expressed pride in contributing to the nation's first Bullet Train, describing it as a "dream project" and a "proud moment" for her family. Reflecting on the spirit of national service, the Prime Minister emphasised that when the feeling arises of working for the nation and contributing something new, it becomes a source of immense motivation. He drew a parallel with India's space journey, recalling how the scientists who launched the country's first satellite must have felt, and how today hundreds of satellites are being launched. Another employee, Shruti from Bengaluru, serving as Lead Engineering Manager, explained the rigorous design and engineering control processes. She highlighted that at every stage of execution, her team evaluates pros and cons, identifies solutions, and explores alternatives to ensure flawless implementation. Prime Minister Modi remarked that if the experiences gained here are recorded and compiled like a Blue Book, the country can move decisively towards large-scale implementation of bullet trains. He emphasised that India must avoid repeated experimentation and instead replicate the learnings from existing models. PM Modi highlighted that replication will only be meaningful if there is a clear understanding of why specific actions were taken. Otherwise, he cautioned, replication may occur without purpose or direction. He suggested that maintaining such records could benefit future students and contribute to the nation's development. "We will dedicate our lives here and leave behind something valuable for the country," the Prime Minister affirmed, as per the release. An employee expressed his commitment in heartfelt words through a poem to which the Prime Minister lauded his dedication and responded with appreciation. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was present during the visit. The MAHSR spans approximately 508 kilometres, covering 352 km in Gujarat and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and 156 km in Maharashtra. The corridor will connect major cities, including Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, Vapi, Boisar, Virar, Thane, and Mumbai, marking a transformative step in India's transportation infrastructure. Built with advanced engineering techniques on par with international standards, the project features 465 km (about 85% of the route) on viaducts, ensuring minimal land disturbance and enhanced safety. So far, 326 km of viaduct work has been completed, and 17 out of 25 river bridges have already been constructed. Upon completion, the Bullet Train will reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad to nearly two hours, revolutionising inter-city travel by making it faster, easier, and more comfortable. The project is expected to boost business, tourism, and economic activity along the entire corridor, catalysing regional development. The Surat-Bilimora section, covering around 47 km, is in an advanced stage of completion, with civil works and track-bed laying fully completed. The design of the Surat station draws inspiration from the city's world-renowned diamond industry, reflecting both elegance and functionality. The station has been designed with a strong focus on passenger comfort, featuring spacious waiting lounges, restrooms, and retail outlets. It will also offer seamless multi-modal connectivity with the Surat Metro, city buses, and the Indian Railways network. (ANI)
In a joint operation, BSF Jammu and Punjab Police apprehended a drug peddler and recovered 80 grams of suspected heroin on Sunday. According to BSF Jammu, based on intelligence, the accused, Sruti Singh, from Pathankot, was in possession of narcotics at his residence. As part of a joint operation, troops from the BSF Jammu, along with personnel from the Punjab Police, conducted a search of the suspect's house in Village Kohlian (Bamial). During the search, approximately 80 grams of suspected heroin were recovered. After the joint operation, the accused was handed over to the Punjab Police along with the recovered narcotics, and an FIR was filed. Earlier, the Border Security Force (BSF) apprehended an armed smuggler and recovered over 11 kg of heroin during an intelligence-based operation in the Gurdaspur sector. According to a BSF official statement, the operation was launched on Saturday following reliable inputs from the force's intelligence wing regarding suspicious activity near the depth area of DBN Road. BSF intelligence staff apprehended an individual moving suspiciously near Pakhoke Mahimara village. The suspect, a resident of Chheherta in Amritsar, was found carrying "01 pistol with a magazine, 01 live round, one mobile phone, and Rs 4,210. The packets were wrapped in yellow adhesive tape, fitted with illuminating strips, tied with nylon thread and hooks. Inside, 20 smaller packets concealed in layers of cloth and plastic were found. The BSF said all seized items have been handed over to PS DBN for further legal action. (ANI)
Union Minister and BJP MP Suresh Gopi on Sunday expressed grief over the alleged suicide of an RSS worker in Kerala, who reportedly took the extreme step after being denied a BJP ticket for the upcoming local body elections and called it "a very unfortunate incident." "Gopi said the matter must be resolved at the local level. The party cannot be held responsible for this. It has to be locally settled," he told ANI. "When it comes to candidature, the party is only looking at the positive possibilities... Workers should be more composed... They need to work toward the party's victory so they can be players, in whatever dispensing capacity the elected person has. That's how they can gain glory. That is all I can tell them, but the pain is theirs. Any message or verbal solace will not be effective during such moments," the BJP MP said. The deceased has been identified as Anand K Thampi, a resident of the Thrikkannapuram ward under the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, police added. According to the police's initial reports, the BJP had already finalised its candidate for the Thrikkannapuram ward, and Anand's name was not included in the final list. Following this, a WhatsApp message allegedly sent by Anand to his friends shortly before his death has surfaced, in which he levelled serious accusations against BJP leaders. In the purported message, Anand alleged that certain BJP leaders were responsible for denying him the party ticket. He also claimed that some BJP and RSS leaders maintained links with the sand mafia. Police have recovered the message and are verifying its authenticity as part of the ongoing investigation. Further probe is underway. (ANI)
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Sunday inaugurated the AI-enabled 'NETRAM' Police Control Room in Surat, a technologically advanced surveillance facility equipped with 1,640 high-tech cameras across the city. Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot, speaking post the launch, said the upgraded system will significantly strengthen real-time monitoring and crime detection. "The control room is equipped with 1,640 latest-technology cameras. This includes automatic number plate detection cameras, red light violation detection cameras, and AI-enabled cameras," he said. Gehlot added that the system has been integrated with data on criminals. "We have uploaded information and images of wanted criminals to the AI-enabled cameras' database. We will get immediate alerts if there is any movement on their end," he said. On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the under-construction Bullet Train Station at Surat in Gujarat and reviewed the progress of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. PM Modi also interacted with the team working on India's first Bullet train project and inquired about the project's progress, including adherence to speed and timetable targets. Workers assured him that the project was advancing smoothly without any difficulties, the Prime Minister's Office said in a release. An engineer from Kerala shared her experience of working at the Noise Barrier Factory in Navsari, Gujarat, where robotic units are being deployed for welding rebar cages. PM Modi asked her how she personally perceived the experience of building India's first bullet train and what she shares with her family about this historic achievement. She expressed pride in contributing to the nation's first Bullet Train, describing it as a "dream project" and a "proud moment" for her family. Reflecting on the spirit of national service, the Prime Minister emphasised that when the feeling arises of working for the nation and contributing something new, it becomes a source of immense motivation. He drew a parallel with India's space journey, recalling how the scientists who launched the country's first satellite must have felt, and how today hundreds of satellites are being launched. Prime Minister Modi remarked that if the experiences gained here are recorded and compiled like a Blue Book, the country can move decisively towards large-scale implementation of bullet trains. He emphasised that India must avoid repeated experimentation and instead replicate the learnings from existing models. The MAHSR spans approximately 508 kilometres, covering 352 km in Gujarat and Dadra & Nagar Haveli, and 156 km in Maharashtra. The corridor will connect major cities, including Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Anand, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Bilimora, Vapi, Boisar, Virar, Thane, and Mumbai, marking a transformative step in India's transportation infrastructure. Built with advanced engineering techniques on par with international standards, the project features 465 km (about 85% of the route) on viaducts, ensuring minimal land disturbance and enhanced safety. So far, 326 km of viaduct work has been completed, and 17 out of 25 river bridges have already been constructed. (ANI)
Former Congress Lok Sabha member DK Suresh on Sunday said that decisions regarding Cabinet reshuffle and power sharing in Karnataka rest solely with the party High Command, adding that he would "wait and watch". Speaking to reporters at his Sadashivanagar residence, he said, "I have seen the reports in the media. This is the prerogative of the High Command and the CM. Let's wait and watch." The younger brother of Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar was responding to questions about reports that the High Command had given the go-ahead for a Cabinet reshuffle. On speculation that a Cabinet reshuffle would rule out leadership change, Suresh said, "I don't have any information on that. It will be decided by the party High Command and not by others." When asked if he would join his brother DK Shivakumar in Delhi, Suresh said, "The media has already reported that I am in Delhi. Visiting Delhi is not new for me. DK Shivakumar has gone to Delhi for work, and I am going for my work." On whether he would meet the Congress High Command, he said he would do so "if the opportunity came up". To a question on whether the waiting period was over, he said, "I don't know about it. These are your words, let's wait and see." On his repeated statements supporting his brother's leadership, he said, "I have spoken about this many times. High Command is final on this matter; we have to see what decision the High Command takes." Asked if everything hinged on DK Shivakumar's "claim", he said, "Let's wait. It is not that only Shivakumar is claiming; a lot of people are making claims. We don't know what claims of others." Responding to Home Minister G Parameshwara's remark that leadership would remain unchanged even if a Cabinet reshuffle occurred, he said, "He is a senior minister. Cabinet reshuffle is the CM's prerogative, and he is functioning as per the directions of the High Command. DK Shivakumar will provide his inputs if the High Command asks for it." On reports of a proposal before the High Command to change the KPCC President, Suresh said, "DK Shivakumar will abide by any decision taken by the High Command. Everyone has to listen to the High Command; let there be no doubt about it. DK Shivakumar is not clinging on to the post; the party has asked him to continue. He will work for the party as long as the party gives an opportunity." (ANI)
Days after the NDA secured a landslide win in the Bihar assembly elections, BJP leader and former MP from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, said that the people of Bhar voted for NDA "once again" and were afraid that the "katta government" might return in Bihar, apparently taking a dig at RJD. Namgyal told reporters here on Sunday, "...the people of Bihar have voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party and the NDA once again. They voted thoughtfully, and the people of Bihar were afraid that the "Katta" government might return, that the rule of goons might return. You know what all happened during the Lalu (Yadav) government. Today, Bihar is on a path of development, and we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the people of Bihar..." Earlier, Namgyal, the Chhattisgarh in-charge of SIR, arrived in Raipur for a five-day visit. Meanwhile, Rashtriya Lok Morcha chief Upendra Kushwaha met with Union Minister and BJP Bihar election incharge Dharmendra Pradhan in the national capital on Sunday. He stated that all the details regarding the new government formation in Bihar would be clear in the next few days. Speaking to reporters in Patna before arriving in Delhi, he said, "The formality to form the new government will be done, and it will be clear in the next two to four days. I have conducted a meeting with our MLAs. Similarly, other parties will also conduct their own meeting. Then, based on that, further proceedings will be conducted. Nitish Kumar will remain the Chief Minister face". Meanwhile, the ruling NDA got 202 seats, a three-fourths majority in the 243-member House. This is the second time the NDA has crossed the 200-mark in the assembly polls. In the 2010 polls, it had won 206 seats. Mahagathbandhan got just 35 seats with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) winning 25 seats, Congress 6, Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation) - CPI(ML)(L) - two, Indian Inclusive Party (IIP) - one and Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M) one seat. While All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) won five seats, and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) got one seat. (ANI)
The Russian government took a sensitive stand on the appeal of Manu Srivastava of Lucknow to save the life of his 21-year-old son Ansh Srivastava, who is suffering from cancer. Manu Srivastava told ANI that the cancer vaccine in Russia was not available in India, and so he requested the Russian government to conduct its vaccine trial on his son. "I requested them, since my son had stage four cancer here. He's being treated here, but the doctors haven't been fully responsive. I was worried as there was no certainty. So when I learned that a vaccine had been developed in Russia, proving very effective in treating cancer, I sent letters to the Government of India and the Russian government. The reply came back saying my request was under consideration and the Russian government had sent it to their Ministry of Health for further processing," he told ANI. "We also wrote to the Indian government. A letter came from there as well. It stated that the vaccine, currently manufactured in Russia, is being implemented only in Russia. The people conducting the trials are local. So, we, and no other country, have yet received approval to conduct trials," he added. Manu Srivastava wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, Union Health Minister, as well as high officials of Russia and South Korea, requesting that his son Ansh be included in the trial of the cancer vaccine being developed in Russia. In response to this appeal, an official letter has been received from the Government of the Russian Federation on October 27. Russia's cancer vaccine has successfully completed preclinical trials, demonstrating both safety and high efficacy, Veronika Skvortsova, head of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency (FMBA), announced at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), Tass reported on September 7. She emphasised that preclinical results confirmed the vaccine's safety, even with repeated administration, and its significant effectiveness. Researchers observed reductions in tumour size and slowed tumour progression, ranging from 60% to 80%, depending on the disease characteristics. Additionally, studies indicated increased survival rates attributable to the vaccine. (ANI)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday condoled the death of Lorin S Robert, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Federated States of Micronesia. In a post on X, he said, "Deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Lorin S Robert, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Federated States of Micronesia. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family and to the people of Micronesia." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1989784275731001417?s=20 Earlier on November 3, Jaishankar has extended wishes to the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) on its Independence Day. In a post on X, he said, "Independence Day greetings to Secretary of Foreign Affairs Lorin S. Robert and the Government and people of Federated States of Micronesia." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1985175009950859453?s=20 India and Micronesia share friendly ties. The Federated States of Micronesia, which marks its 39th year of independence today, has maintained friendly relations with India since diplomatic ties were formally established in 1996. India has an ongoing developmental cooperation with FSM in the spirit of South-South cooperation. Under the India-UNDP fund, the Project titled 'Climate Early Warning Systems for 7 Pacific Island Countries(PICs)', including FSM costing USD one million, is in process. It aims to enhance the ability of the governments of seven PICs to prepare for, respond to, and recover from climate-related disasters. India is also assisting FSM for the project "Strengthening Micronesia's National Gender Machinery", costing USD 1 Million, through the India-UNDP fund. As a part of the project for solarisation of the Head of States' residence/ office in all PICs, India is also assisting FSM with solarisation of the Head of States' residence/office under the India UNDP Fund. This has seen intensification since the initiation of the Forum of India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC). Earlier in September, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hosted the Foreign Ministers Meeting (FMM) of the Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC) in New York, highlighting the progress of a 12-point action plan outlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the FIPIC-III Summit. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly, underscored India's role as a development partner to Pacific Island nations, with a focus on health, technology, capacity building, and training. (ANI)
India's Consul General in New York, Binaya Pradhan met a delegation from the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and discussed strengthening of business opportunities for entrepreneurs of DICCI. In a post on X, the Consulate stated, "Consul General Binaya Pradhan met a Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry delegation led by Milind Kamble and Mr. Sanjiv Dangi. The discussion focused on strengthening business opportunities for entrepreneurs of DICCI in the US-India economic cooperation." https://x.com/IndiainNewYork/status/1989687934006538310?s=20 Earlier on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar chaired the Consul Generals Conference and appreciated the Embassy and Consulates for strengthening India-US ties. He reviewed bilateral ties with the US. In a post on X, he said, "Chaired a Consul Generals Conference in New York today, attended by Embassy of India in Washington DC, Consulate General of India in New York, Consulate General of India in Los Angeles, Consulate General of India in Seattle, Consulate General of India in San Francisco, Consulate General of India in Atlanta, Consulate General of India in Houston, Consulate General of India in Chicago and Consulate General of India in Boston. Reviewed our bilateral ties and support for diaspora activities. Appreciate the commitment and efforts of our Embassy and Consulates to strengthening the India-US partnership." https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1989437235662573731?s=20 The Consulate General of India in New York said in a post on X, "Team CGI New York was honoured to welcome External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. His vision, guidance and leadership strengthen our commitment to work for the India-USA partnership." https://x.com/IndiainNewYork/status/1989461253102997613?s=20 Earlier on Friday, Jaishankar met United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Thursday and discussed the current global order, regional flashpoints and the role of multilateralism. https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/1989146612267118723?s=20 In a post on X, Jaishankar said he valued Guterres' assessment of global developments and thanked him for his "clear and consistent support" for India's growth. "Good to meet with UNSG @antonioguterres in New York today. Valued his assessment of the current global order and its implications for multilateralism. Also appreciated his perspectives on various regional hotspots. Thank him for clear and consistent support for India's growth and development. Look forward to welcoming him in India," he wrote. (ANI)
Kundal lauded the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

In a post on X, the Embassy said, "The Ambassador Puneet Roy Kundal received H.E. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic, at the Indian exhibition that highlights the rich cultural heritage of India, as part of the Diplomatic Bazaar 2025. The partnership between India and Portugal continues to strengthen as both countries mark 50 years of diplomatic relations."

https://x.com/IndiainPortugal/status/1989436195479458248?s=20

On November 5, India and Portugal held the fifth Foreign Office Consultations, discussing cooperation across a range of areas, including defence and security, renewable energy, agriculture, science and technology, tourism, and education.

According to a Ministry of External Affairs release on Wednesday, both sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including political relations, trade and economic cooperation, cultural ties, and people-to-people connections.

Discussions also covered areas such as defence and security, renewable energy, agriculture, science and technology, tourism and education.

Both sides reviewed the current status of the bilateral agreements under negotiation and agreed to expedite these discussions to facilitate their early conclusion.

The two sides also discussed India-EU relations and exchanged views on regional and global issues of common interest. Both sides reiterated their commitment to continue the existing close cooperation in the multilateral fora, including the UN.

During the visit, Secretary (West) also called on Ana Isabel Xavier, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

The release stated that India and Portugal enjoy close historical relations, which are now developing into a forward-looking, multifaceted, and mutually beneficial partnership.

This year, both countries are celebrating 50 years of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations.

Both sides expressed their satisfaction at the activities undertaken to commemorate this year, which has seen high-level visits from both sides, including visits to Portugal by the President of India, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Finance Minister of India. (ANI)
The districts of Setubal and Faro in Portugal remain under an orange warning after Storm Claudia battered the country and killed two people as the storm makes its way towards England and Wales, EuroNews reported. The storm brought heavy rain and strong winds, triggering landslides and flooding. The powerful weather also uprooted numerous trees and damaged homes, roads and vehicles, as reported by EuroNews. Roughly 2,434 incidents, mainly related to flooding, were reported between Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning, according to Portugal's National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection. The district of Faro in southern Portugal was particularly affected on Friday, with heavy rain and strong winds causing flooding and trees to fall, EuroNews reported. Storm Claudia is bringing heavy and persistent rain to England and Wales, with 81.8mm already recorded between Thursday and Friday at a Natural Resources Wales rain gauge at Tafalog in Gwent, UK Met Office reported. In Azeito, in the municipality of Setubal, a road collapsed following a landslide, leaving it completely blocked in both directions. Several places in the Setubal district were flooded, including the Sines market. The storm also claimed the lives of two people, who died following flash floods near Lisbon. The victims, an elderly couple in their 80s, were found inside their home in Ferno Ferro, one of the most affected areas in Seixal, a suburb near Lisbon, as per EuroNews. In all regions of mainland Portugal, the yellow warning level remains in place due to precipitation, including "sometimes heavy showers accompanied by thunderstorms". In coastal areas, warnings are in effect for "waves of four to five metres" expected to continue until Saturday night. Storm Claudia is expected to bring persistent rainfall and strong winds to parts of England and Wales later on Friday, as per EuroNews. The Met Office has issued amber warnings across several regions, and additional yellow severe weather warnings are in force across most of England and Wales. (ANI)
Russia launched three ballistic missiles over Ukraine during overnight attacks from Friday into Saturday, as the death toll in the timeframe rose to nine, according to Ukrainian authorities, EuroNews reported. At least nine people have been killed and 53 have been injured over the past 24 hours by Russian strikes in Ukraine, according to regional authorities. Russian attacks on Ukraine continued from Friday into Saturday, launching three Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" air-launched ballistic missiles, as well as 135 different strike drones, including Shaheds, launched from the areas of Orel, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Kursk, Millerovo, Bryansk, and Chauda Hvardiyske located in the occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea, as per EuroNews. 13 locations were hit by drones and one missile, whilst debris from destroyed drones falling from the sky hit four areas, as per EuroNews. Russia's Friday attack on Ukraine's capital of Kyiv killed seven people and injured 36, leaving widespread damage across nine of its neighbourhoods, according to its mayor, Vitaliy Klitschko. Meanwhile, 34 communities of the southern region of Kherson suffered attacks as well as the frontline city of Kherson, which was divided by the Dnipro river, where one person was reported dead by its Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. In the region of Donetsk, one person was injured in the city of Kramatorsk, according to its governor. Kramatorsk, known as a place where families wait to reunite with soldiers coming back from the frontlines, as per EuroNews. According to Ukraine's Armed Forces, two Kh-47M2 "Kinzhal" ballistic missiles and 91 enemy drones of the Shahed drones were either shot down or jammed. One 65-year-old man was also reportedly killed in the Nikopol district in the region of Dnipropetrovsk, as the regions of Sumy and Kharkiv also witnessed overnight attacks. Meanwhile, a major oil terminal in the Russian port city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar Krai temporarily suspended its operations, approximately 2% of global exports, following Ukrainian attacks on Friday, according to multiple Russian officials and Telegram channels, EuroNews reported. (ANI)
The United States has successfully concluded a series of critical stockpile flight tests of its B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb carried by the stealth F-35A fighter jet, the US Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories stated on Thursday. As per the reports released by the lab, the test was conducted from August 19 to August 21 at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada with support from Hill Air Force Base in Utah. The tests saw inert units of the B61-12 successfully released from the F-35A aircraft, confirming the end-to-end performance of the aircraft, aircrew, and weapon under operational conditions. The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), in collaboration with Sandia National Laboratories, described the trials as the only B61-12 stockpile flight tests using joint test assemblies on the F-35 platform this year. These tests represent a critical step in evaluating the operational readiness of the weapon and its delivery platform. The B61-12, part of the US nuclear arsenal since its development, recently underwent a multiyear life extension programme completed by NNSA in late 2024, extending its service life by at least 20 years. The successful tests validate the bomb's compatibility with the F-35, an advanced stealth fighter, and reaffirm its reliability for future nuclear missions. The life extension programme addresses all known age-related concerns found within the nation's stockpile of B61 weapons, upgrades encryption algorithms, modernises the safety and use-control features of the weapon and supports compatibility with future aircraft designs, as per Sandia National Laboratories. The refurbished B61-12's full-scale production started in May, with completion expected in 2026. "These B61-12 F-35A stockpile flight tests and captive carry flight test were the capstone accomplishment of a tremendous amount of planning and effort by those who were involved across not only Sandia, but many other agencies," said Sandia's Jeffrey Boyd, surveillance lead for the B61-12 and B61-13. "In addition, these B61-12 stockpile flight tests represent the completion of the most B61-12 flight testing surveillance scope in a year to date and the most in a given year for the foreseeable future," he added. Beyond the successful flight tests, the series included the first-ever thermal preconditioning of a joint test assembly for carriage on the F-35. This preconditioning process, which involved testing the bomb under extreme conditions before release, ensured that the B61-12 met environmental standards required for real-world deployment. An advancement to the B61 nuclear gravity bomb, deployed from the US Air Force and North Atlantic Treaty Organization bases since 1968, the B61-12 is a modification of the B61 and has an extended service life of at least 20 years. (ANI)
According to Dawn, citing officials, a 50-year-old man and an 80-year-old woman died in Hyderabad, while a 55-year-old woman passed away in Karachi.

The department reported 180 new dengue cases in the last 24 hours, with 113 patients admitted to public hospitals and 57 to private facilities. A total of 241 patients are currently under treatment across Sindh, Dawn reported.

In Karachi division, 44 patients were admitted to government hospitals, while Hyderabad reported 35 admissions, and other districts recorded 34.

Health authorities conducted 5,229 diagnostic tests during the past day, of which 774 were confirmed positive. Meanwhile, 191 patients recovered and were discharged, as reported by Dawn.

Officials urged residents to adopt preventive measures, remove mosquito breeding sites, and seek immediate medical care upon experiencing symptoms.

As the dengue epidemic deepens across Sindh, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has urged the federal government to declare an immediate health emergency in Karachi and Hyderabad, the two divisions worst hit by the mosquito-borne disease.

The PMA also pressed for urgent anti-vector measures to contain the outbreak, as reported by Dawn.

According to Dawn, data released by the provincial health department shows Sindh has witnessed 11,763 confirmed dengue cases so far this year, including 6,199 cases reported in November alone.

Expressing alarm over the situation, the PMA demanded an independent review of the provincial dengue control programme and called for greater accountability within municipal and health departments.

The association emphasised that the continued rise in infections reflected the failure of government machinery.

"The dengue emergency is not a natural disaster but the direct outcome of institutional negligence," the PMA said in a strongly worded statement.

It blamed the inefficiency and poor coordination between government departments for turning major urban centres into breeding hubs for mosquitoes. (ANI)
Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Gaza and the region with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a phone call, his office said. "A thorough exchange of views took place concerning the situation in the Middle Eastern region, including developments in the Gaza Strip in the context of implementing the ceasefire agreement and the exchange of detained persons, the status quo around Iran's nuclear program, and issues related to contributing towards further stabilization in Syria," the Kremlin said in a statement as per TASS. The phone call took place on Saturday, the Russian state media reported. On October 6 this year, delegations from Israel and Hamas resumed indirect negotiations on resolving the conflict in Gaza, with Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Turkey acting as mediators. On October 9, the parties signed an agreement to implement the first phase of the peace plan previously presented by US President Donald Trump. The ceasefire agreement in Gaza entered into force on October 10. Phase one of the ceasefire includes the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The plan also envisages the rebuilding of Gaza and the establishment of a new governing mechanism without Hamas. The United States has proposed a UN Security Council resolution to back President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza It will be put to a vote at the UN Security Council on November 17. The Times of Israel, which stated it had obtained a draft of the resolution last week, reported that it includes the entirety of US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also endorsed during a joint press conference with the US president in September. As per the draft of the US resolution, it authorised member states to "establish a temporary International Stabilization Force," and indicated the mandate would run through 2027. The stated roles of this force include protecting civilians, securing humanitarian corridors, decommissioning weapons from non-state armed groups, and working with a trained Palestinian police force. The ISF is meant to coordinate with Israel, Egypt, and the new Palestinian police, per the US draft. Countries that expressed willingness to contribute troops have said they would need a UN resolution enshrining the force. The Russian Permanent Mission to the UN said on Friday that Moscow had to prepare an alternative draft UN Security Council resolution to the American one on achieving sustainable peace in Gaza. Russia's draft resolution on Gaza calls on the UN Secretary-General to prepare a report for the Security Council with options for implementing the relevant provisions of US President Donald Trump's plan. Russia was forced to prepare an alternative draft UN Security Council resolution to the American one on achieving sustainable peace in Gaza, according to a Russian Permanent Mission to the UN. "UNSC resolutions are supposed to reflect the universally recognised international legal framework and reaffirm fundamental decisions and principles, first and foremost the two-State solution for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement. Unfortunately, these provisions were not given due regard in the US draft. In this context, the Russian Federation felt obliged to propose an alternative draft UNSC resolution on achieving sustainable peace in the Gaza Strip," according to the Russian Permanent Mission to the UN, Russian news agency TASS reported. (ANI)
Four men have reportedly vanished after being taken into custody by Pakistani security agencies in the Kech and Panjgur districts of Balochistan, as incidents of such disappearances have seen an alarming rise in recent times. Families and community members say the individuals were whisked away to unknown locations, after which all communication and information about them ceased, as reported by The Balochistan Post. According to The Balochistan Post, the missing men have been identified as Haji Munir Ahmed, son of Mohammad Bakhsh; Majid, son of Qadeer Ahmed; Abbas, son of Bahar; and Mehran, son of Haji Akbar. Relatives stated that Haji Munir Ahmed was apprehended from the Chitkaan area of Panjgur. On the same day, Majid was allegedly detained from the Isa area, also in Panjgur, under circumstances that families describe as arbitrary and coercive. The other two men, Abbas and Mehran, were reportedly picked up in the Menaaz locality of the Bulaida region in Kech. Since their detention, there has been no official acknowledgement of their arrest, no disclosure of their whereabouts, and no access granted to their families. These incidents fit a long-standing pattern of disappearances widely attributed to Pakistan's law enforcement and security apparatus. Human rights organisations, both local and international, continue to condemn what they describe as systematic enforced disappearances in Balochistan. They have urged authorities to initiate transparent investigations, release detainees held without due process, and halt practices that violate fundamental rights, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post. Simultaneously, reports have surfaced regarding intensified military operations, including raids and search activities in the Sibi and Quetta districts. Despite these developments, officials have neither confirmed any arrests nor acknowledged casualties linked to the operations. As pressure mounts, rights defenders insist that Pakistan must confront the crisis of enforced disappearances and ensure accountability. Without concrete action, they warn, the region's long-standing grievances will continue to escalate, as reported by The Balochistan Post. (ANI)
Afghanistan has increased its trade volume via Iran and Central Asian countries as part of efforts to reduce reliance on Pakistan after the diplomatic ties between the two nations deteriorated following the intense border clashes last month, Tolo News reported. According to Tolo News, citing Afghanistan's Ministry of Industry and Commerce, it stated that the country is using the Chabahar Port in Iran to bypass frequent disruptions at Pakistan's borders and ease political pressures from Islamabad, shifting transit agreements to alternative routes. An official spokesperson from the Afghan trade ministry also stated that Afghanistan's trade with Iran reached USD 1.626 billion over the past six months, compared to USD 1.108 billion in trade with Pakistan during the same period. Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, ministry spokesperson, emphasised that diversifying trade corridors is key to maintaining stable import and export flows, as reported by Tolo News. The Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment (ACCI) highlighted that reducing transportation costs from Iran and Central Asian countries could significantly boost Afghanistan's regional and global trade. Jan Agha Nawid, ACCI spokesperson, urged the government to sign long-term agreements with neighbouring countries, adopt preferential tariffs, and lower transit costs to expand trade opportunities. "We urge the government to sign long-term agreements with neighbouring countries to create more trade opportunities for Afghans. Preferential tariffs and reduced transportation and transit costs can help pave the way for broader trade relations," the ACCI spokesperson said, as quoted by Tolo News. Following over a month of commercial crossing closures with Pakistan, Afghanistan's Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, recently stressed the urgency of implementing alternative trade routes to ensure the uninterrupted movement of goods, as reported by Tolo News. The ties between the two Islamic nations have seen a decline in recent times due to the border issue, particularly on the matter of the Durand Line, the border drawn by the British in the 19th century, which still remains a topic of dispute. Earlier in October, the two sides were also in the middle of an intense clash along the border region, with Pakistan conducting airstrikes in the Afghan territory, with the Afghan government retaliating by targeting Pakistani checkposts along the border. A ceasefire was later agreed between the two sides following a round of talks between the two nations, with Qatar and Turkiye as the mediators. However, the last round of talks held earlier this month in Istanbul had seen a deadlock as both sides accused one another of putting forward "illogical" demands. (ANI)
The wave of Generation Z protests against the government's unaccountability has now reached the Western Hemisphere, as clashes broke out in Mexico City, with thousands participating in protests, demanding action against rising crime, corruption, and systemic impunity. According to Al Jazeera, the protest organised by the members of Generation Z saw demonstrators, including people of various age groups, such as older activists from opposition parties and supporters of the late Michoacan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who was shot dead at a public Day of the Dead event earlier this month. Demonstrations stated that the protest was triggered by Manzo's death to call out the current government, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, for mismanagement of crime and rising corruption, angered by systemic impunity and failures in public security, Al Jazeera reported. In Mexico City, a group of hooded protesters reportedly tore down fences near the National Palace, the residence of President Sheinbaum, prompting a confrontation with riot police who deployed tear gas. Pablo Vazquez, Mexico City's Public Safety Secretary, said around 100 police officers were injured, including 40 requiring hospital treatment, while 20 civilians were also hurt, as reported by Al Jazeera. Vazquez added that 20 people were arrested and another 20 referred for administrative offences. Media reports stated that police chased and beat protesters at the Zocalo plaza before dispersing the remaining demonstrators. The protest, organised by the group "Generation Z Mexico", claims to be non-partisan and represents Mexican youth frustrated with violence, corruption, and abuse of power. However, some Gen-Z social media influencers withdrew their support ahead of the protests, while public figures including former President Vicente Fox and businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego voiced backing for the marches, as reported by Al Jazeera. President Sheinbaum accused right-wing parties of attempting to infiltrate the movement and using social media bots to boost turnout. The protests mirror global trends, as Gen-Z activists have staged demonstrations this year in countries such as Nepal in Asia and Madagascar in Africa, against inequality, corruption, and government failures. Sheinbaum, in office since October 2024, maintains approval ratings above 70 per cent but has faced criticism over her administration's handling of crime, highlighted by the assassination of Mayor Manzo. Supporters of Manzo also held marches in towns across Michoacan, with some travelling to Mexico City to join the demonstrations. (ANI)
Pakistan is lacking in integrating its climate governance and social protection systems to survive the escalating pace of climate disasters, experts cautioned during the Fifth Annual International Conference, A New Global Order, Yet Again, organised by the IBA. Speaking at a panel on "Climate Change and Social Protection", climate specialists, researchers and development practitioners said Pakistan's current fragmented and reactive climate strategy is no longer viable as the country confronts intensifying heatwaves, floods, droughts, water shortages and widespread socioeconomic fragility. The panellists argued that climate policy and social protection should no longer work in isolation; instead, both must be merged into a unified framework capable of protecting vulnerable communities, as reported by The Express Tribune. According to The Express Tribune, climate policy expert Ali Tauqeer Sheikh opened the discussion by outlining the long evolution of the global "Loss and Damage" debate from early negotiations in the 1990s to breakthroughs such as the Bali Action Plan, the Cancun Adaptation Framework and the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund at COP28. But he criticised Pakistan's growing absence from key global negotiations shaping climate financing. With COP30 in Brazil set to finalise crucial access mechanisms, Sheikh warned that Pakistan's inconsistent diplomatic participation may weaken its ability to secure its rightful share of funding. "We advocate climate justice loudly but fail to appear where decisions are actually made," he stated. He added that Pakistan's climate failures are rooted not just in diplomacy but in outdated governance. Local institutions, still shaped by colonial-era laws, lack resources, autonomy and authority. Sheikh cited Karachi's abandoned Climate Action Plan as evidence of how bureaucratic inertia and weak local governments continue to derail climate resilience. "If local systems remain powerless, adaptation will stay confined to paperwork," he warned. Panellists also noted that universities and think tanks lag behind global climate discourse, limiting research and evidence-based policymaking. Another concern was youth engagement: although young people make up two-thirds of Pakistan's population, only 12 per cent participate in climate or policy processes. Saima Bashir of PIDE stated that youth inclusion remains superficial without training, curricula, or budgets dedicated to climate leadership, as cited by The Express Tribune. Gender vulnerability was also highlighted. Women heavily represented in informal, climate-exposed sectors face disproportionate risks, yet social protection frameworks largely ignore them. Bashir highlighted that only 1.4 per cent of PSDP projects incorporate gender considerations, a statistic she shared earlier in the National Assembly. Experts concluded that unless Pakistan addresses governance failures, gender inequities and youth exclusion, its climate crisis will deepen further, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)
Abu Dhabi [UAE], November 16 (ANI/WAM): The United Arab Emirates today marks the International Day for Tolerance, designated by the United Nations on 16th November each year as an annual occasion to encourage tolerance, unity and the promotion of coexistence and acceptance among people. This year's occasion coincides with the activities of the National Festival of Tolerance and Coexistence 2025, which began yesterday at Umm Al Emarat Park in Abu Dhabi and will continue until 18th November under the theme "Hand in Hand". The festival provides a platform for community, cultural and human dialogue that brings together different segments of society. This year, the People's Republic of China is the guest of honour, alongside the participation of more than 26 countries through artistic, cultural and heritage activities and dedicated pavilions. In 2025, the UAE continued its pivotal role in amplifying the voice of moderation and advancing the culture of tolerance and openness around the world. The country hosted the fifth edition of the Global Tolerance and Human Fraternity Conference and witnessed the convening of the second edition of the Human Fraternity Majlis, with the participation of leaders, officials, experts, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, youth leaders and changemakers from around the world, marking the sixth anniversary of the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity. The UAE also hosted the second International Dialogue of Civilisations and Tolerance Conference, organised by the Emirates Scholar Center for Research and Studies in cooperation with the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence, under the theme "Empowering Youth for a Tolerant Future". The Emirates Scholar Center for Research and Studies launched the Coexistence Platform, the first digital platform powered by artificial intelligence that aims to share the UAE leadership's vision on dialogue and tolerance. The platform enables users to ask questions on tolerance, coexistence and peace and provides accurate responses supported by official sources. The third edition of "World Governments as Incubators for Tolerance" conference, launched by the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence, focused on strengthening dialogue between policymakers, academics and researchers to exchange best practices in enhancing tolerance and inclusivity. It also examined the role of government policies in shaping societal attitudes towards diversity and assessed the effectiveness of different government initiatives aimed at promoting tolerance globally. In April, the UAE hosted the "Global Justice, Love and Peace Summit", the world's largest peace conference. The summit witnessed the declaration of the Peace Charter titled ""A Love Letter to Humanity, signed by 12 Nobel laureates. Over the past years, the UAE has secured its place among the world's top 20 countries in global competitiveness indicators related to tolerance and coexistence. This has been achieved through its significant progress in this field, including the establishment of the Hedayah - The International Center of Excellence For Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism in 2013, the first independent applied research institution supporting dialogue, research and training to counter extremism. The UAE also established the Muslim Council of Elders in July 2014, an independent international body dedicated to promoting peace in the Islamic world. In July 2015, the UAE issued a federal decree law on combating discrimination and hatred aimed at promoting global tolerance and confronting all forms of discrimination and racism. In February 2016, the UAE created, for the first time globally, a ministry dedicated to tolerance, which later became the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence following the July 2020 Cabinet reshuffle. The ministry plays a vital role locally and globally in entrenching the values of tolerance through flagship initiatives such as World Governments as Incubators for Tolerance, which aims to make federal and local government institutions a model in fostering a culture of tolerance in the workplace, and the Knights of Tolerance initiative, which focuses on preparing community leaders committed to tolerance, coexistence and human fraternity, in addition to supporting tolerance clubs in schools and universities. Internationally, the ministry leads initiatives including the Global Tolerance Alliance and other international programmes that promote cooperation among nations and institutions worldwide to advance a culture of peace and mutual understanding. On 21st June 2017, the UAE issued a law establishing the International Institute for Tolerance. In 2018, the country established the World Muslim Communities Council, which works to promote the values of moderation, dialogue, tolerance and national belonging. The UAE designated 2019 as the Year of Tolerance, a year that witnessed the historic meeting in Abu Dhabi between Dr. Ahmed Al Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al Azhar and Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, and Pope Francis, Head of the Catholic Church. The meeting resulted in the issuance of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. During its presidency of the UN Security Council in June 2023, the UAE led efforts to adopt the landmark Resolution 2686 on tolerance, peace and international security, which, for the first time, recognised the link between hate speech, extremism and international peace and security. The resolution also encouraged the promotion of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. The UAE has launched numerous global awards that recognise individuals and entities contributing to peaceful coexistence, including the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Award for Tolerance, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for World Peace, and the UAE International Award for Poets of Peace. (ANI/WAM)
He used his girlfriend, who serves in the Israel Air Force reserves, to obtain various pieces of information about the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and Air Force bases.

Shimon Azarzar, 27, a resident of Kiryat Yam - located outside of Haifa - and his girlfriend were both arrested in October on "suspicion of committing security offences involving contact with Iranian intelligence elements and carrying out security missions under their direction." (ANI/TPS)
Beijing on Sunday urged its students to reconsider studying in Japan, citing what it described as an unstable security environment in the country, official Chinese media reported. This followed remarks by Japanese new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recent remarks in parliament on Taiwan, which drew strong criticism by China as "reckless rhetoric". China's Education Ministry said that safety risks for Chinese citizens in Japan have risen, citing Japan's recent poor public security, a surge in crimes targeting Chinese citizens, and the overall unfavourable study environment as per Xinhua. Earlier this month, Takaichi said Japan could respond with its own self-defence force if China attacked Taiwan.. She said a Taiwan emergency involving the use of military force could pose a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan under its security legislation. The law, if certain conditions are met, allows Japan to exercise the right of collective self-defence. As per a Kyodo report, she apparently acknowledged her government could, depending on the circumstances, authorise the Self-Defence Forces to take action if China were to impose a maritime blockade on Taiwan or engage in other coercive measures, even if Japan is not directly attacked. In 2021, former Prime Minister Taro Aso said Japan "would have to defend Taiwan" with the United States if the island is invaded by mainland China, triggering a strong backlash from Beijing. Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule for 50 years through 1945. On Friday, China also urged its citizens to avoid visiting Japan as an apparent retaliatory measure after Takaichi's remarks. China summoned the Japanese ambassador in Beijing and demanded that Takaichi retract her remarks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday, Japan's Foreign Ministry said it lodged a similar protest the same day over a recent social media post by a Chinese diplomat responding to the remark, Kyodo reported. As per a report in the Chinese Global Times, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning today posted in English and Japanese on social platform X, quoting the Taiwan-related content from the 1972 China-Japan Joint Communique, reminding Japan that "irrespective of which administration is in office, Japan should honor its commitments." An editorial in Xinhua today warned that Japan risked turning its entire country into a battlefield if it intervened militarily in the Taiwan Strait. "This is not merely reckless rhetoric. It is profoundly destabilizing. By dragging the Taiwan question into Japan's already-contested security framework, Takaichi is deliberately blurring the boundary between defensive policy and outright militaristic adventurism," it said. The editorial said, "It is a reckless gambit that ignores Japan's constitutional limits, disregards public sentiment, and gambles with the security of the entire region." Similarly, an opinion piece in the Global Times said that the Japanese side must not misjudge the stern warning issued by China. It said that Takaichi's remarks regarding the island of Taiwan are "extremely egregious". "As the sitting Japanese prime minister, she openly challenged the one-China principle, seriously infringed upon China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and deliberately undermined the post-World War II (WWII) international order. This not only crossed the bottom line of China-Japan relations, but also subverted historical justice and undermined the global environment for peace and development," it said. Meanwhile, today a Chinese coastguard vessel formation passed through the waters surrounding the disputed Diaoyu Islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan. The coastguard in a statement on social media that the operation was "a rights-protection patrol conducted in accordance with the law". Beijing views Taiwan as part of China. Most countries, including Japan and the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent country. The US has a policy, outlined in the Taiwan Relations Act, that requires it to help Taiwan defend itself. Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-ruled island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons. (ANI)
The Chinese military on Sunday urged the Philippines to immediately stop provoking incidents and further escalating tensions in the South China Sea, state media reported. This comes amid the Philippines, United States and Japan conducting another round of maritime drills in the South China Sea, which is known as the West Philippine Sea by the Philippines. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command on Friday organized a bomber formation to conduct a routine patrol in the South China Sea, according to a spokesperson quoted by Xinhua. The patrol in the South China Sea was conducted amid the Philippines' so-called "joint patrols" with external forces, the spokesperson said. The 13th Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MMCA), and the eighth held this year, on Friday and Saturday brought together major assets from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), US Indo-Pacific Command, and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force, according to a news release. The Armed Forces of the Philippines deployed its two missile-capable frigates, BRP Jose Rizal (FF150) and BRP Antonio Luna (FF151), along with an AW159 helicopter. The US sent the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, led by the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), while Japan fielded JS Akebono (DD-108) and a SH-60K Seahawk. The Philippine Coast Guard's BRP Melchora Aquino and BRP Cape San Agustin also supported the mission, as per the the Philippines news agency. The trilateral drills follow the historic Philippine-US-Japan leaders' summit in April, where the three countries pledged deeper maritime cooperation, more joint patrols, and expanded defence coordination, the PNA news report said. The Philippines and Japan last month held their first joint military training exercise since the signing of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between the two countries. The RAA defence pact which was signed in July 2024 and took effect in September 2025, enables the forces of Japan and the Philippines to to train together on each other's territory. Meanwhile, Japan's defence ministry said on Wednesday that three Chinese ships, including a destroyer, had passed through waters south of Kagoshima on Kyushu island on Tuesday before travelling through the Osumi Strait into the Pacific Ocean. The development came days after Japanese PM sanaeTakaichi' remarks on Taiwan which drew strong opposition from Beijing. She told the Japanese parliament last Friday that the use of military force in the Taiwan Strait could be regarded as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. (ANI)
Chagai and Quetta in Balochistan and Attock in Punjab were the top three districts across the country where most Afghan Citizen Card ACC holders or undocumented Afghan nationals were arrested or detained over more than ten months this year, Dawn reported, citing a United Nations refugee agency assessment. The report stated that the highest number of arrests or detentions occurred in 2025, with 100,971 Afghans arrested from January 1 to November 8, 2025, compared to 9,006 Afghans detained in 2024 and 26,299 Afghans arrested in 2023. According to the UNHCR report, released on Friday, before 2023, there was no data collected on the arrest and detention of ACC holders or undocumented Afghan nationals. Since January 2023, the International Organisation for Migration IOM has been collecting such data. From November 2 to November 8, a total of 13,380 Afghan nationals were arrested and detained, marking a 72 per cent increase from the previous week. The report said ACC holders and undocumented Afghans represented 76 per cent of arrests and detentions, while Proof of Registration PoR holders represented 24 per cent. During the same period, 41 per cent of all arrests and detentions were reported in Balochistan and 43 per cent in Punjab, Dawn noted. Key findings of the UNHCR report stated that, cumulatively, from September 15, 2023, to November 8, 2025, 1,723,481 individuals had returned to Afghanistan. Between November 2 and November 8, 55,768 Afghans returned through the Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Chaman, Badini and Bahramcha border crossing points. Between November 2 and November 8, returns and deportations rose by 49 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively, compared to October 26 to November 1, when 37,448 returns, including 7,733 deportations, were documented. The increase in returns was attributed to the reopening of the Torkham border on November 1, which allowed more Afghan nationals to cross. However, overall return numbers remained moderate compared to peaks in late August and September, according to Dawn. During the same period, PoR holders represented 48 per cent of returnees, followed by undocumented Afghans at 43 per cent and ACC holders at nine per cent. Most PoR returns were facilitated by UNHCR through Voluntary Repatriation Centres VRCs. For deportations from November 2 to November 8, undocumented Afghans represented 84 per cent, followed by PoR holders at 13 per cent and ACC holders at three per cent. Since April 1, 2025, 869,448 Afghan nationals returned to Afghanistan, of which 115,159 or 13 per cent were deported. Fear of arrest remained the main reason for return among undocumented individuals and ACC holders at 93 per cent, and PoR holders at 47 per cent. During the same period, returnees most commonly departed from Quetta at 20 per cent, Attock at 13 per cent, and Islamabad at nine per cent, and intended to travel to Kunduz at 19 per cent, Nangarhar at 18 per cent, and Kabul at 17 per cent, Dawn reported. The report said the Pakistan government issued multiple directives in 2025 affecting Afghan nationals. In January, Afghan nationals were instructed to relocate from Islamabad Capital Territory ICT and Rawalpindi or face deportation. In April, authorities announced implementation of the second phase of the "IFRP", targeting ACC holders and undocumented Afghans. In July, a Statutory Regulation Order SRO directed the repatriation or deportation of PoR card holders after card validity expired on June 30. The government later set September 1 as the deadline for PoR holders to leave Pakistan. Police operations continued in Balochistan, where 434 Afghan nationals were taken into custody in Nokundi, officials said. Acting on a tip-off, law enforcement raided a residence in Killi Burhanabad, Nokundi, where Afghan nationals were allegedly hiding. The house owner Sarfaraz of the Burhanzai tribe, along with three unidentified suspects, fled, but police detained around 200 Afghans and registered a First Information Report. In a subsequent operation, police raided the residences of Khaleel Ahmed and Attaullah, sons of Sher Ali, and detained at least 234 Afghan nationals. All detainees were later transferred to the Girdi Jungle Refugee Camp for deportation proceedings under police supervision. (ANI)
New York business tycoon Sant Singh Chatwal, who is also a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award was present along with Onkar Singh, the Coordinator of 'Let's Share a meal', along with hundreds of volunteers from Let's Share a Meal, who distributed thousands of meals at the Times Square Langar (Free Food) event celebrating the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, a statement said. Through the event, they honoured the timeless principle of "Vand Chhakna," of Guru Nanak-- to share what one has with others. This universal message lies at the heart of Langar, the Sikh tradition of serving free meals to all, regardless of background, faith, or status. The event aimed at spreading the message of oneness, equality, and compassion, inspiring people of all cultures to serve and share with love. Families, interfaith organizations, and visitors from around the world are invited to experience the spirit of unity and service, the statement highlighted. On Saturday at Times Square, New York City, the Times Square Langar embodied the teachings of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, emphasizing the shared values of humanity, kindness, and collective well-being. Events like this Langar, and organizations like Let's Share a Meal, help fill a small but meaningful gap, offering nourishment, dignity, and hope to those in need. Recently on November 5, Guru Nanak Dev Jayanti, also known as Gurpurab, which commemorates the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji was celebrated with great enthusiasm. Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth anniversary is celebrated across the world with spiritual fervour, kirtan, processions, and acts of service, reflecting the Guru's message of equality, humility, and devotion to God. (ANI)
The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) has completed 6,000 days of continuous protest in Quetta, marking one of Pakistan's longest-running human rights campaigns. Families of the disappeared have gathered outside the Quetta Press Club for nearly sixteen years, holding photographs and documents as they wait for answers that remain elusive. This prolonged vigil reflects deep frustration over the state's unwillingness to acknowledge, investigate, or resolve cases of enforced disappearances, as reported by The Balochistan Post. According to The Balochistan Post, the milestone comes two years after VBMP marked 5,000 days of protest. Even then, the organisation described its struggle as a long and exhausting effort carried out peacefully. Families from distant districts travelled to stand with VBMP leaders Nasrullah Baloch and Mama Qadeer Baloch, recounting how years had passed without legal clarity or official confirmation about the fate of their relatives. This persistent uncertainty has continued to shape the movement's narrative. VBMP's activism later expanded beyond Quetta. Its long march from Quetta to Islamabad, a journey of hundreds of kilometres, brought national attention to enforced disappearances and became an emblem of the group's resilience. Families walked for weeks to petition state institutions directly, hoping to break the silence surrounding missing persons. However, in its latest statement marking 6,000 days, VBMP says little has changed in practical terms. Complaints and testimonies submitted to courts and commissions have not resulted in consistent accountability. The group alleges that families still face procedural roadblocks, prolonged uncertainty, and even intimidation. VBMP has also criticised the use of counterterrorism laws against its activists, arguing that such actions hinder lawful efforts to trace detainees, as highlighted by The Balochistan Post. Human rights organisations inside Pakistan and abroad continue to warn about systematic disappearances in Balochistan, pointing to weak oversight and broad security powers. Despite these challenges, the Quetta protest camp remains peaceful, open to visitors, and a place where new cases are documented daily, as reported by The Balochistan Post. (ANI)
Russia claimed it has seized control of two more villages in southern Ukraine, while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv is hoping for "the resumption of POW exchanges" that could return 1,200 Ukrainian captives. Zelenskyy wrote on X, "We are ... counting on the resumption of POW exchanges," adding that "many meetings, negotiations and calls are currently taking place to ensure this." Ukraine is working to restart prisoner exchanges with Russia a day after the country's national security chief reported progress in talks, Euro News reported. https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1989946760052031930?s=20 Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, said he held consultations mediated by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates on resuming the swaps. He said both sides agreed to reactivate prisoner exchange agreements brokered in Istanbul to release 1,200 Ukrainians, though Moscow did not immediately respond to the claim, according to Euro News. The Istanbul agreements, drawn up with Turkish mediation in 2022, set rules for large, coordinated prisoner exchanges. Since then, Russia and Ukraine have traded thousands of prisoners, though exchanges have been irregular. Umerov said technical talks would be held soon to finalise procedural and organisational details, expressing hope returning Ukrainians could "celebrate the New Year and Christmas holidays at home -- at the family table and next to their relatives." Ukraine's State Emergency Service said Russian drone strikes overnight damaged energy infrastructure in the Odesa region, including a solar power plant. Ukraine continues to struggle against Russian aerial attacks that have caused rolling blackouts across the country as winter nears, Euro News reported. The combined missile and drone strikes come as Ukraine works to hold back a Russian push to capture the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk. The Russian Defence Ministry said on Telegram that its forces had taken control of Rivnopillia and Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhzhia region, after earlier claiming the capture of two other settlements, Euro News noted. According to Ukraine's Armed Forces, Russia has launched 1,217 drone and missile attacks on Ukraine since Sunday 9 November. Ukraine's air force said Russia fired 176 drones and one missile overnight, and that Ukrainian forces shot down or neutralised 139 drones. The drones struck 14 locations and were launched from Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Chauda in Crimea. Energy facilities were targeted in Odesa, including a solar power plant where fires were quickly contained, according to Odesa regional head Oleh Kiper. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said recovery efforts were ongoing in Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Chernihiv and Sumy. Russia's Defence Ministry said its forces shot down 57 Ukrainian drones overnight. Authorities in Russia's Volgograd and Voronezh regions reported repelling drone strikes on the night of 16 November, according to statements shared via their administrations' Telegram channels. (ANI)
As per Ary News, Pakistan's Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) issued a notification confirming the revised prices.

As per the notification, the price of kerosene oil has been raised by Rs9.29 per litre, rising from Rs185.05 to Rs194.34 per litre. The price of light diesel oil has increased by Rs6.82 per litre, shooting the new rate to Rs170.08 per litre, up from Rs163.98.

The government recently raised the price of high-speed diesel by Rs6 per litre, while petrol prices remain unchanged for the next fortnight.

Ary News reported that earlier, on November 1, the price of kerosene oil was increased by Rs3.34 per litre, from Rs181.71 to Rs185.05, while light diesel oil rose by Rs1.22 per litre, from Rs162.76 to Rs163.98.

The back-to-back increases within just 15 days has sparked frustration among the public and transporters.

According to Ary News, goods transporters announced an increase of four percent in transportation fares following the latest petroleum price hike, on Sunday.

Referring to a video statement by the Pakistan Goods Transport Association Alliance's President, Malik Shehzad Awan, Ary News reported that he strongly condemned the increase in petroleum product prices, stating that the entire transport community rejects the hike in fuel prices.

He further added that the government continues to increase petroleum prices, toll taxes, and withholding taxes, placing additional burdens on transporters.

Awan warned that the government's policies are pushing the transport sector toward a nationwide strike.

According to the report by Ary News, he further stated that they will soon announce a strategy to protest against the irregularities in the petroleum sector. (ANI)
The BBC's recent investigation, highlighted in the brief, exposes China's attempt to portray East Turkistan as a booming "tourist paradise" while continuing to conceal mass repression.

According to the BBC, China claims over 300 million tourists visited the region in 2024, generating billions in revenue, yet independent journalists remain restricted and Uyghurs abroad still report disappearances of family members, highlighting the vast gap between state narrative and lived reality.

The WUC brief also outlines a high-level advocacy mission to Japan by President Turgunjan Alawdun, UZDM President Dolkun Isa, and other representatives.

During engagements from November 7-9, the delegation highlighted the cases of prominent Uyghur intellectuals given death sentences, including Professor Tashpolat Tiyip and Halmurat Ghopur.

The meetings culminated in a significant development: Japanese parliamentary leader Furuya announced plans for a Japanese counterpart to the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act, aiming to block imports linked to forced labour in East Turkistan.

In Berlin, WUC leaders joined the World Liberty Congress (WLC) General Assembly and Berlin Freedom Week, held from November 8-15.

Key activists such as Zumretay Arkin, Rushan Abbas, and Gheyur Kurban participated in strategic discussions on countering forced labour and transnational repression.

At the Berlin Freedom Conference, Rushan Abbas urged global governments and corporations to stop enabling authoritarian profit structures, sharing the stage with senior German and Taiwanese leaders.

WUC highlighted worldwide celebrations of East Turkistan National Day on November 12.

From Munich and Tokyo to Ankara, Istanbul, Central Asia, and Canada, Uyghur communities held cultural events, commemorations, and flag-raising ceremonies to honour the region's historic republics of 1933 and 1944.

A major Human Rights Watch report, also featured in the brief, warns that Turkiye, once considered a haven, is increasingly unsafe for Uyghur refugees due to the government's expanding use of arbitrary "restriction codes."

Human Rights Watch documents degrading detentions, pressure to sign "voluntary return" papers, and cases rooted in Chinese intelligence claims.

Concluding the week, WUCC Executive Committee Chair Rushan Abbas addressed the IRFBA High-Level Conference in Prague, meeting Czech President Petr Pavel and urging stronger global action against China's escalating repression. (ANI)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro criticised what he described as "irresponsible" plans by the United States to conduct five days of military drills in Trinidad and Tobago beginning Sunday, CNN reported. Addressing supporters in the Petare area of eastern Caracas, he accused Washington of pursuing a "criminal war" and urged vigilance. Maduro warned that "the people of Trinidad and Tobago will see if they continue allowing their waters and land to be used to gravely threaten the peace of the Caribbean." CNN reported that Trinidad and Tobago's attorney general was quoted by the Financial Times saying the US would "intensify" exercises in the island nation, located just a few miles off Venezuela's coast. The announcement of the drills came after the US sent a guided-missile destroyer to the country last month for training, a move Venezuela condemned as a "military provocation." Trinidad and Tobago's Foreign Minister Sean Sobers dismissed suggestions that the upcoming drills would be a precursor to any US action in or near Venezuela, CNN reported. The drills will involve the US Marine Corps' 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, deployed to support what Washington calls a mission to "disrupt illicit drug trafficking" in the Caribbean. The Trinidadian government said the exercises will allow US and local forces to familiarise themselves with tactics and enable American training for domestic challenges such as gang violence and drug-related crime. CNN noted that the US has recently reinforced its naval presence in the region, including deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, America's largest warship. In response, Venezuela announced a "massive mobilization" of troops, weapons and equipment in the Caribbean, increasing fears that both nations could be preparing for a wider escalation. Some observers have questioned why such extensive US firepower is required for anti-drug missions, pointing out that the USS Gerald R. Ford represents the largest US military presence in the Caribbean since the 1989 invasion of Panama, CNN reported. President Donald Trump has said he believes Maduro's days are numbered and that US land strikes on Venezuela are possible. CNN also reported that Trump was recently presented with options for military operations inside Venezuela, though he has not made a final decision. Maduro appealed for calm, telling CNN his message to Trump was "yes peace, yes peace." Speaking to supporters on Saturday, he said Venezuelans were calling for "peace" and insisted the nation would not become "slaves to gringos." He added that most Venezuelans were "prepared to defend this country with honor and love," declaring, "The strength of the country will always be that of the people and not the oligarchs or the imperialists." Meanwhile, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado urged supporters of the government to break ranks, stating, "The roar of this land that demands freedom grows and echoes inside and outside the country. Thirty million of us, rise up against a criminal regime that is on its way out." From an undisclosed location, she welcomed US actions, accusing Maduro of turning Venezuela into "a real threat to the national security of the United States." In a voice message posted to X for military and security personnel, she said, "History, the law, and the Venezuelan people will be your judges. Be a hero, not a criminal. Be a source of pride and not a shame for your family. Be part of Venezuela's bright future, not the ruin that tyranny created as this day approaches." (ANI)
As winter draws near, concerns are increasing over worsening food insecurity in Afghanistan, Tolo News reported, with impoverished families appealing for assistance from aid organizations and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Shad Khan, a resident of Kabul, told Tolo News, "I come out at 9 a.m., earn two to three hundred Afghanis, then return home. I need help; the Islamic Emirate should help." Many families facing similar challenges have urged authorities to step in before cold weather intensifies. The UK's Special Envoy for Afghanistan wrote on his X page that 15 million people in the country are facing food insecurity and that urgent action is required to address the crisis. Economic analyst Mohammad Nabi Afghan stated that "a fundamental solution must be considered. Every year, such figures are presented, and aid is collected in the name of these people, but these limited aids are not sufficient. The good news would be establishing a specific mechanism, especially for people living in remote areas and particularly for returnees." The Ministry of Economy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan said it has prepared measures to reduce potential risks in vulnerable areas. Abdul Rahman Habib, spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy, said, "Combating food insecurity requires a comprehensive, multi-dimensional approach one that addresses immediate needs and includes long-term solutions. Furthermore, the support and participation of the international community in both short- and long-term programs are essential, especially in areas such as agricultural and livestock development, water resource management, economic infrastructure improvement, tackling climate change, and job creation." Previously, the World Food Programme warned that over 9 million people in Afghanistan are facing severe levels of food insecurity, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated national and international efforts to prevent a humanitarian crisis, Tolo News reported. (ANI)
Karachi could face a shortfall of 100 million gallons of water per day after a major power breakdown at the Dhabeji Pumping Station, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) said on Sunday, Dawn reported. The station is a key facility operated by the utility and supplies water to several major areas of the city. A KWSC spokesperson said the "major" power breakdown in the second phase of the Dhabeji station was reported at 6:35 am, Dawn reported, adding that the disruption affected the 72-inch Line No. 5 and "four pumps of the phase shut down." The corporation cautioned that "the city could face a shortage of 100 million gallons of water due to the pumps' shutdown and the line being impacted." The utility said water supply was partially restored after power was supplied to two pumps at 9 am, and the remaining pumps would be made operational once repair work on the affected pipeline was completed. Repair efforts began on an "emergency basis" on the directives of KWSC Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Ali Siddiqui. KWSC assured citizens that technical teams were "utilising all resources in making every effort to restore the water supply from the affected line," adding that full restoration of the Dhabeji system was expected by Monday, after which operations would return to routine, Dawn reported. The statement noted that electricity at the Dhabeji station had remained suspended for "many hours" on November 5, November 11 and November 13 due to a "cable fault of K-Electric in the second phase, fourth phase and the K-III Pumping House." The KE said on Friday that power on 20 of the 22 pumps had been restored and blamed "leakages" in KWSC pipelines for damaging underground electricity cables. Dhabeji Pumping Station, Karachi's primary water intake point, has faced repeated outages and maintenance issues for over a decade, Dawn reported. Even brief electricity interruptions lead to immediate disruptions in water supply. Karachi previously faced a 100 MGD shortfall in January when "two water pipelines burst due to a power outage" at the station, while another major failure in June caused a shortfall of 350 MGD. With ongoing shortages, residents in multiple districts continue to rely on water tankers, often struggling to secure supply due to demand exceeding allocated quotas, Dawn reported. (ANI)
In a significant milestone for Buddhist heritage and inter-community cooperation, seventeen Buddhist groups from across India have joined together to organize the 20th Annual International Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony in Bodhgaya, Mahabodhi Temple, Bihar, an official statement said. This marks the first time in the event's history that such a broad coalition has come forward to collectively organise the event that has been held continuously since 2006 by Wangmo Dixey, the Founder and Executive Director of the Light of Buddha Dharma Foundation International (LBDFI- USA) whose father is a Buddhist monk. The chanting is followed by the commemorative walk (of retracing the Buddha's footsteps) from Jethian Valley to the bamboo grove of Venuvana in Rajgir. The event will be held from December 2-13. At a press conference today held by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Ms Wangmo highlighted that they were honouring the Pali tradition by reciting the Tipitaka; remembering it and reflecting on the words of the Buddha. "We are honoured with the recognition of Pali as a classical language by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we are hopeful that more people from India will join the recitation ceremony this year," she said. Dixey added that it was a great honour to bring the sound of Dharma back to the Motherland of India, and that so many eminent Sangha members and laypeople were joining in this great endeavour. "We are grateful to all the Indian and international participants who make this ceremony so auspicious and fruitful. May we dedicate all our good actions to inner harmony and world peace for the benefit of all beings." The International Tipitaka Chanting Ceremony is the largest annual gathering of Theravada Buddhist monks and lay devotees from Southeast Asian Buddhist nations. Each year, thousands travel to the sacred Seat of Enlightenment to honour the Buddha and to participate in the recitation of the Pali Canon -- a living tradition that strengthens historic ties and revitalizes the ancient Buddhist culture of the 'Aryadesh', as the organisers call, the land of the Buddha. This year's unified leadership by India's diverse Buddhist communities reflects a renewed commitment of over 15,000 Indian monks and laypeople are expected to attend, with international devotees from America, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos PDR, Indonesia, Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam also in attendance. 1000 volunteers will assist in the organization of this great gathering. On the opening day, the Chief Guest will be Pema Khandu, Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, and Chawana Mein will be the Guest of Honour. On December 6, Kiren Rijiju will be the Chief Guest, and on December 12, Nitin Gadkari will be the Chief guest for the closing ceremony. Many other VIPs are also expected to be in attendance during the event, according to the information received by LBDFI, the statement said. The President of the core committee of the International Tipitaka Chanting Committee (ITCC) of India is Sanghasena Mahathero of the Mahabodhi International Meditation Centre, Ladakh. The 12-day festival is being sponsored by many Buddhist organisations of India including the Mahabodhi Society of Bangalore who are contributing in a significant way towards the success of the project. The IBC will be sponsoring a cultural group that will perform on the opening day of the Chanting programme, the statement added. Sanghasena highlighted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi the sacred relics of the Buddha from India have been on exposition to many nations for the larger benefit and veneration of the global Buddhist community. The Prime Minister in his leadership is well- balancing the mind and the heart (spiritual) side of humanity. "India has already been the Vishwa Guru in the past, as we had Buddha! Now we are trying to retrieve that position by spreading the message of Buddha, of peace, compassion and non-violence." He added. The Director General of the International Buddhist Confederation, Abhijit Halder explaining the importance of chanting, noted that it not only purifies the mind but also brings discipline and oneness to the body. "When a congregation chants in unison, it is purifying the environment as well as the individual. The atmosphere elevates a person to a completely different level, making the experience almost ethereal," he described. On December 2, the event will open with a major Buddhist procession at 8:00 am, following which a ten-day program of chanting from the Pali Canon alongside evening Dharma talks in Hindi and English will be offered. A 30,000 square foot food tent will be erected on the Kalachakra grounds beside the main temple and food will be offered to all participants. Each day various countries will offer dana to the senior international monks present at the event. On December 13, the assembly will take the walking pathway from the Jethian Valley to the Bamboo Grove, the site of an ancient meditation park on the outskirts of Rajgir. It is expected that this year a thousand followers are expected to join in this historical walk, the statement mentioned. The Tipitaka are scriptures, containing the teachings of the Buddha. The Tipitaka is revered not only as a spiritual guide but also as a monumental literary and philosophical work that reflects the intellectual and cultural landscape of ancient India. This year the program will feature daily recitations of the Buddha's teachings in Pali under the Bodhi Tree, discourses by Dhamma gurus, question-and-answer sessions, an art gallery, and cultural performances by artists from India and abroad. A major highlight this year is the consecration and donation of 220 four-foot golden Buddha statues, handcrafted in Odisha, to lay devotees and communities across India. These statues, representing wisdom and compassion, will serve as spiritual foundations for new temples, meditation centres, and community spaces around India, marking a resurgence of Buddha Dhamma in its sacred homeland. (ANI)
Minister of State for Defence, Sanjay Seth will lead an Indian delegation to the Dubai Air Show 2025, which is set to take place from November 17-18, in the United Arab Emirates, the Ministry of Defence said in an official statement. According to the statement, the delegation comprises senior officers from the Department of Defence, the Department of Defence Production, the Ministry of External Affairs, and the Armed Forces. A bilateral meeting between MoS Sanjay Seth and his UAE counterpart is planned on the sidelines of the Air Show. He will also chair an industry round table with around 50 companies from India, the UAE, Australia, the USA, Brazil, the UK, and Italy to enhance cooperation in defence technology and manufacturing in India. MoS Sanjay Seth will inaugurate the India Pavilion set up at the Dubai Air Show. The Pavilion will feature stalls from HAL, DRDO, Corel Technologies, Dantal Hydraulics, Image Synergy Ekxplor, SFO Technologies. The statement highlighted that apart from the Pavilion, 19 Indian industries, including Bharat Forge, BrahMos, Tech Mahindra, and HBL Engineering, will showcase their capabilities independently. In addition, 15 Indian startups will exhibit their products and solutions. The Indian Air Force will participate in the Air Show with the Suryakiran Aerobatic Team and LCA Tejas. Dubai Air Show is a biennial event that hosts more than 1,500 exhibitors and over 148,000 industry professionals from 150 countries, including major international aerospace companies such as Bombardier, Dassault Aviation, Embraer, Thales, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, and Calidus. The Indian Air Force contingent, comprising the Suryakiran Aerobatic Team and Tejas fighters, landed at Al Maktoum Airbase for the Dubai Air Show, the Indian Air Force Media Co-ordination Centre (IAF-MCC) shared on Saturday. The Indian Air Force's renowned Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) was formed in 1996 and is among the very few nine-aircraft aerobatics teams in the world, and the only one in Asia. This one-of-a-kind team has carried out more than 500 displays in India, besides showcasing the professionalism of the Indian Air Force in Air Shows abroad in China, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore and the UAE. The team has enthralled many spectators in India as well as abroad, flying the Hawk Mk 132 aircraft. The Team's displays involve a seamless fusion of individual skills, teamwork and meticulous planning. Stunning formation loops and barrel rolls to gravity-defying crossovers, their performances push the limits of aerial artistry. The Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team, popularly known as SKAT, inherits the motto "Sadaiva Sarvottam" with ease, aptly describing the adage "Always the Best". (ANI)
Chileans are voting on Sunday in a presidential election shaped by hardline proposals on crime and immigration, Euro News reported. Four years after electing progressive leader Gabriel Boric, the country is now deeply polarised, with a compulsory voting system adding uncertainty to the outcome. More than 14 million citizens are eligible to cast ballots to renew the full Chamber of Deputies and nearly half the Senate, a vote seen as pivotal for Chile's political balance, according to Euro News. Concerns over rising immigration and crime linked to transnational networks have fuelled harsh security rhetoric among candidates. Evelyn Matthei said drug traffickers should be "in jail or in the cemetery," while Franco Parisi has called for "bullet or jail," describing drug trafficking as "narco-terrorism." The three leading candidates present sharply contrasting visions for Chile's future. Euro News reported that Jose Antonio Kast, 59, of the Republican Party, is making his third bid for the presidency, setting aside earlier polarising positions to focus on fighting crime and illegal immigration. Jeannette Jara, 51, a former minister in Boric's administration and a member of the Communist Party, is promising more generous pensions, lower electricity prices, and large-scale housing construction. Johannes Kaiser, 49, a former YouTube commentator and sitting lawmaker, has questioned vaccination programmes, opposed abortion and pledged to withdraw Chile from climate agreements and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. A new compulsory voting law introduced in 2023 could draw millions to polling stations, adding an unprecedented degree of unpredictability to the process, according to Euro News. TikTok has become a crucial battleground, with Jose Antonio Kast enjoying a significant advantage among younger voters. Generation Z and younger millennials represent roughly a third of the electorate, and 30% are expected to make their decision on Election Day, widening the margin of uncertainty. The campaign has been tense, with Jeannette Jara and Evelyn Matthei accusing Kast of orchestrating hate campaigns on social media, allegations Kast denies. Several recent surveys suggest a possible advance of conservative and far-right forces, and analysts warn of a potential "government without counterweights" if right-wing parties secure majorities in both houses for the first time in 15 years, Euro News reported. Sunday's vote is expected to lead to a runoff, as no candidate is projected to win an outright majority. The latest pre-election surveys showed Jara leading with 30% support, followed by Kast at 22% and Kaiser at 15%, while prediction market Polymarket gives Kast a 70% probability of winning the presidency, ahead of Jara at 15% and Kaiser at 12%. If those forecasts hold, Jara and Kast would head to a final vote on December 14, with analysts observing that the conservative candidate is better positioned to inherit most right-wing support if a second round takes place. (ANI)
YAMANASHI, Nov 16 (News On Japan) - Japan aims to achieve carbon neutrality by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to net zero by 2050, and in this context, municipalities and companies across the country are accelerating the use of green hydrogen, which is increasingly viewed as the key to realizing a decarbonized society.

About a 30-minute drive from central Kofu City in Yamanashi Prefecture lies Mt. Yumesakayama, where roughly 80,000 solar panels line the mountainside as part of a mega-solar power plant jointly operated by Yamanashi Prefecture and Tokyo Electric Power. The facility generates around 12 million kWh annually, but electricity produced in excess of demand had gone to waste. Beginning in 2021, that surplus power has been used to produce green hydrogen.

When electricity is sent into the system, positive and negative currents are applied and purified tap water from Kofu is supplied into the device, triggering electrolysis and separating the water into hydrogen and oxygen, which are then sent onward to the next stage. Hydrogen produced by electrolyzing water using renewable energy such as solar or wind power is known as green hydrogen, and because it emits no greenhouse gases not only during use but also during production, it is expected to become a powerful tool for achieving decarbonization.

Yamanashi Prefecture hopes the technology related to transporting hydrogen and developing fuel cells will spread to manufacturers within the prefecture and help stimulate the regional economy. The prefecture is also promoting the everyday use of green hydrogen through initiatives such as demonstration tests of electric-assist bicycles equipped with hydrogen fuel cells, and has already begun commercial sales.

Hydrogen produced at Yumesakayama is stored in cylinders and delivered by truck. Valve manufacturer Kids has introduced fuel-cell forklifts at its factory in Yamanashi and has switched the hydrogen used for fuel cells from conventionally produced hydrogen made with fossil fuels to green hydrogen from Yumesakayama. The company says hydrogen is the only domestically producible energy source that can be locally produced and consumed without relying on imports, and believes it will become increasingly important in the future.

Green hydrogen from Yumesakayama is also used at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward, where it powers electricity generation for the facility. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government, working in partnership with Yamanashi Prefecture, provides subsidies to companies purchasing green hydrogen to help stimulate demand.

Storage technology, which will be essential for the widespread adoption of green hydrogen, is also advancing. At Shimizu Corporations innovation center in Tokyos Koto Ward, the company has introduced a proprietary hydrogen-storage alloy tank. The alloy absorbs and releases hydrogen by raising or lowering its temperature, and finely crushed pieces of the alloy are packed inside the tank. Co-developed with the National Institute for Materials Science, the alloy does not ignite even when exposed to flame while in a hydrogen-absorbed state, eliminating the need for special qualifications to handle it and significantly lowering the barrier to adoption. The alloy uses iron as its main component and does not rely on rare earths, reducing production costs.

In addition to its storage technology, Shimizu has developed Hydro-Cubic, a system that integrates green hydrogen production and fuel-cell power generation. The system has been selected as a model for the hydrogen supply chain at the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Although Hydro-Cubic was originally conceived as a project looking ahead to 2040, the company says technological development is progressing faster than expected and that preparations must now accelerate toward 2030.

The use of green hydrogen continues to expand. In August, Shimizus hydrogen-storage alloy tank was delivered to the TBS Broadcasting Center in Akasaka, Minato Ward. Its ability to be safely installed even in an underground urban environment is a major advantage. Akasaka District Heating, which supplies chilled water and electricity to the TBS Broadcasting Center, nearby commercial facilities, and housing complexes, plans to begin using green hydrogen produced at Yumesakayama in its local heating-and-cooling system starting in January next year.

The systems boiler will mix natural gas and green hydrogen at a ratio of 5050, significantly reducing CO2 emissions. It will be the first attempt in Japan to use green hydrogen in combination with a district heating-and-cooling system in a major urban area. The company says introducing such systems in cities is challenging, but given long-term national and metropolitan policies requiring the reduction of fossil-fuel use, hydrogen may be the optimal solution.

Fuel-cell equipment is also installed at the site, enabling the plant to use green hydrogen to generate electricity during disasters. While cost challenges remain, efforts to produce, transport, store, and utilize green hydrogen continue to expand among companies and local governments as Japan moves toward a decarbonized society.

Source: TBS
Brand Africa, partnering with Integrate Consultinga Kantar affiliateunveiled Moroccos 2025 most admired brands rankings during a Casablanca ceremony gathering industry leaders, communications professionals, and major marketing sector players.

The 15th edition of the pan-African Brand Africa 100 ranking celebrates brands inspiring trust, pride and reflecting increasingly conscious, demanding and engaged Moroccan consumer aspirations. Since 2011, Brand Africa 100 has established itself as the continental reference for brand admiration, covering over 31 countries representing 85% of African GDP and population.

In Morocco, Integrate Consultings study surveyed 1,000 consumers without predetermined lists, capturing authentic market preferences. Results highlight a dynamic ecosystem where local and international brands each contribute to advancing the country and continent.

Orange and Inwi dominated this edition through influence and sustained commitment. Orange earned Moroccos most admired brand title, most admired regional brand, and most admired telecom brand for Generation Z. The operator also received the Brand Africa Excellence Grand Prize recognizing consistent five-year performance. Inwi captured most admired Moroccan telecom brand, most admired Moroccan brand overall, and Moroccan brand doing most good for society distinctions, plus the Brand Africa Elevate Grand Prize acknowledging sustained growth and positive impact.

Danone Morocco achieved remarkable performance with three titles: most admired international food brand, most admired food brand overall, and most admired food brand among Generation Z. Sultan secured most admired Moroccan food brand, symbolizing strong national heritage and enduring household trust. Marjane captured dual recognition as most admired Moroccan retail brand and most admired retail brand overall, reflecting its capacity to modernize customer experience and embody Moroccan retail leadership.

The independent jury evaluated brands based on Brand Africa criteria: authenticity, cultural relevance, innovation, community impact and sustainability.
France is reinforcing its strategic alliance with Morocco through concrete investments in the southern provinces and a renewed cultural outreach, signaling a shift from diplomatic support to multidimensional engagement, ambassador Christophe Lecourtier said.

Frances position is to be present in all domains: a committed, loyal, and concrete ally, Lecourtier told Le360, citing projects in renewable energy, industrial cooperation, and cultural initiatives as pillars of this new phase.

While Paris maintains its clear stance in support of Moroccos sovereignty over the Sahara, the ambassador stressed that the partnership now translates into tangible projects.

Lecourtier recalled that France was the first to endorse the autonomy initiative since 2007 and remains a leading advocate, as reaffirmed by President Emmanuel Macron in 2024: The present and future of these territories is within Moroccan sovereignty.

On the UN front, Lecourtier detailed the intense negotiations preceding the Security Councils October 31 resolution, which explicitly referenced Moroccan sovereignty.

France, he said, fought alongside partners to secure this language and rallied new supporters, including Slovenia, to broaden the coalition.

Our goal was clear: ensure the resolution reflects Moroccos autonomy initiative without ambiguity, he noted.

Beyond diplomacy, France is investing in Moroccos southern provinces to support sustainable growth.

The ambassador highlighted a Dakhla wind farm, designed to power a major desalination plant, and the recent Dakhla Forum, which convened French and Moroccan business leaders. These initiatives underscore Frances intent to participate in Moroccos renewable energy transition and regional development.

Industrial cooperation remains a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship. Renaults plant in Tangier positions Morocco as a key automotive hub, while Safrans aerospace operations in Casablanca strengthen shared value chains in high-tech sectors. This is about building integrated ecosystems that benefit both countries, Lecourtier said.

The Ambassador zoomed in on cultural cooperation. With 12 French Institutes and over 50 schools educating 50,000 students, the network aims to engage Moroccan youth through co-created cultural offerings.

We want cultural initiatives that reflect collaboration, not a one-way dialogue, Lecourtier explained, citing programs in performing arts, cinema, gaming, and visual arts.
Since the Labour Party came into power in the United Kingdom in July 2024, there has been a major change in the governments approach to energy. The U.K. is now rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels towards green alternatives, with ambitious climate goals set for the end of the decade and mid-century. Ahead of the COP30 climate summit in Brazil this month, Prime Minister Kier Starmer reaffirmed his commitment to creating a green economy, while the U.K. energy minister Ed Miliband said we must not give up on tackling global warming.

In 2019, the U.K. announced the target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The government later outlined how it plans to achieve this goal in its 2025 Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan.

Energy-related emissions contributed 81 percent of all U.K. emissions in 2023, which came from burning fossil fuels to generate electricity and heat for industry and buildings, as well as for transport. While energy supply and industry-related emissions have fallen 76 percent and 60 percent, respectively, since the 1990s, emissions from buildings and transport decreased modestly, by 33 percent and 15 percent, respectively. However, the government has set ambitious targets for its renewable energy capacity over the coming decade.

Wind power is the dominant source of renewable energy in the U.K., contributing 30 percent of the electricity supply in 2023. There is currently 15 GW of offshore wind capacity, which the government aims to increase to between 43 and 50 GW by 2030. It also aims to raise onshore wind capacity from 15 GW to between 27 and 29 GW, and solar power from 16 GW to between 45 and 47 GW by 2030. There are also ambitious plans to expand the countrys battery storage capacity, as well as the green hydrogen and sustainable fuels industries.

The Labour government has backtracked on the former Conservative governments commitments to oil and gas in favour of clean energy sources since 2024, including renewable energy and nuclear power. While this has pleased environmentalists, the fossil fuel industry and other critics have said this rapid shift away from fossil fuels could harm the economy.

Ahead of the COP30 climate summit this month, Starmer vowed to tackle the climate crisis, saying that transitioning to a low-carbon economy will cut bills, improve economic growth, and bring national renewal. Starmer said, Britain isnt waiting to act  were leading the way, as we promised. Clean energy doesnt just mean energy security, so Putin cant put his boot on our throat: it means lower bills for working families in every part of the UK.

The U.K. Prime Minister is expected to announce new investments in the low-carbon economy, directed at improving economic growth, as well as encourage greater investment in the U.K. market at COP30. Much like was seen in the United States in the Biden era, the U.K. green economy has been growing three times faster than other sectors, thanks to the governments commitment to a green transition.

Critics who say climate action cannot boost the economy are completely wrong, said Starmer. This government has already brought in 50 billion of investment in clean energy since the election, with more to come  delivering jobs and opportunities now, and for generations to come. That is national renewal.

Meanwhile, this month, energy minister Ed Miliband spoke of the importance of tackling climate change. Were not going to give up, and the progress that weve already made should give us heart, he said. Giving up would be a total betrayal. Defeatism never took a single of a fraction of a degree of global warming. It never created a single job. It never did anything.

As the international community falls behind on its aims to limit global warming, Miliband provided words of encouragement to the community, as well as to members of his party. Weve got to be the bearers of hope, said Miliband. We can fight back. Climate is a strength [in the battle against hard-right populism], not a weakness. Were about giving a better future for peoples kids and grandkids.

This perspective is supported by the significant change in international energy trends, with renewable energy attracting around double the global investment of fossil fuels. In addition, some of the worlds biggest carbon emitters, such as China and India, are investing heavily in the expansion of their renewable energy capacity.

In the U.K., Miliband has been vocal about the need to support a green transition to ensure the future of the countrys energy security and tackle climate change. When Labour came into power in July 2024, Miliband responded to the opposition by stating, We will make tough decisions with ambition and urgency - all part of our plan to make the U.K. a clean energy superpower.

The energy minister has since doubled down on decisions to develop several wide-scale renewable energy projects across the U.K. after years of delays under the Conservative government, making his stance on the green transition crystal clear.

Having introduced ambitious climate targets for the next decade and developed a roadmap to accomplish these goals, the U.K. is stepping into COP30 as one of the worlds renewable energy leaders. Starmer will likely seek out higher levels of private investment in U.K. green energy and cleantech from other world powers. However, to demonstrate the countrys dedication to the global battle against climate change, he must commit to supporting an international, and not just a domestic, green transition.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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In recent years, a growing number of fossil fuel lobbyists have attended the annual United Nations COP climate summits. Previously, host country leaders and event organisers have justified the attendance of these lobbyists by saying that they play an integral role in supporting the green transition, and that their cooperation is needed to meet climate goals. However, with studies showing that not enough change is being made by fossil fuel companies to support the global green transition, many are questioning their right to attend the climate summits.

In 2024, at least 1,773 coal, oil, and gas lobbyists were given access to the UN climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan. This raised concerns about the influence of the fossil fuel industry on negotiations. The situation was made worse when Elnur Soltanov, Azerbaijans deputy energy minister and the chief executive of COP29, was caught on camera agreeing to facilitate oil deals at the negotiations.

In 2023, a record 2,456 fossil fuel lobbyists attended COP28 in Dubai, making up around 3 percent of the 85,000 total attendees. Many fossil fuel lobbyists attended COP29 as part of trade associations, mainly from the global north, while others came with national delegations that brought energy company representatives from their respective states.

The annual COP summits aim to collectively address the climate crisis by making decisions on international climate policy and cooperation, assessing progress under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and negotiating actions to limit global warming.

However, a minimum of 5,368 fossil fuel lobbyists attended the UN climate talks between 2021 and 2024, representing 859 different fossil fuel organisations, including 180 oil and gas corporations. Just 90 of these oil and gas corporations produced 33,699 million bpd of oil and gas in 2024 alone, according to analysis of data from GOGEL 2025. This represents nearly 60 percent of global oil and gas production for the year, according to the analysis by Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO). The same 90 firms also account for 63 percent of all short-term upstream fossil fuel exploration and production expansion projects, according to the Global Oil and Gas Exit List.

Over the last three years, oil and gas companies that lobbied at COP have spent more than $35 billion each year looking for new oil and gas fields, exacerbating the problem the nations of the world had gathered to solve, said KBPO partner Fiona Hauke of Urgewald. These companies have defended their fossil interests by watering down climate action for years. As we head towards COP30, we demand transparency and accountability: Keep polluters out of climate talks and make them pay for a just energy transition.

The findings have intensified calls for fossil fuel companies and other big polluters to be banned from the UN climate negotiations to encourage attendees to strengthen efforts to tackle climate change.

This information clearly exposes corporate capture of the global climate process  the space that should be about science and the people has been transformed into a large carbon business hall, said Adilson Vieira, a spokesperson for the Amazonian Work Group. While forest communities fight for survival, the same companies that cause climate collapse buy credentials and political influence to continue expanding their fossil empires.

Between 2021 and 2024, 37 lobbyists from Shell attended the climate summits, BP sent 36, ExxonMobil 32, and Chevron 20. Meanwhile, in the past five years, the four oil majors have made over $420 billion in combined profits.

Many of the countries most affected by climate change are already frustrated by the lack of meaningful action by the worlds wealthiest, most polluting countries to tackle the issue and accelerate a green transition. This is further compounded by the widespread access of fossil fuel lobbyists to negotiations.

However, some progress has been seen, and greater transparency is expected at this years conference. COP delegates this year are required to publicly disclose who is funding their participation, as well as confirm that their objectives align with the UNFCCC. However, the new requirement excludes anyone in official government delegations.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the UNFCCC agency stated, The secretariat has taken concrete steps forward in 2023 and again this year to enhance the transparency of COP participants. Just as no single COP can be expected to solve the climate crisis overnight, further improvements is an ongoing journey which we will keep supporting, noting that national governments have sole authority to decide who is in their delegations.

With COP30 underway in Belem, a city in the Brazilian Amazon, there is also significant controversy over the widespread environmental destruction required to hold the climate summit in such a location. Now, all eyes will be on the Brazilian delegation to uphold new transparency standards and ensure negotiations promote just climate action.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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PSA For Farmers: Beware of Oregon Department of Revenue Making a Visit to Your Farm

By Oregon Property Owners Association,

Were starting to receive calls from farmers who have been visited by representatives of the Oregon Department of Revenue (DOR) asking to look at their agricultural buildings. If this happens to you  we want to hear from you.

Property taxation in Oregon is predominantly a function of county government. DORs role in Oregons property taxation system is primarily a supervisory role, providing assistance and oversight to county tax departments.

But like most programs, there are exceptions to DORs jurisdictional authority in Oregons property tax system.

The Origins of SAIP & The Unintended Expansion of DORs Role Onto Farmland

One of those exceptions is state-appraised industrial property (SAIP). In 1989, the Oregon Legislature authorized DOR to appraise all industrial property in Oregon with a value in excess of $1 million. Once DOR conducted the appraisal, they were directed to report the assessed value to the county, which then taxed the property.

The purpose for directing DOR to replace the county assessor and conduct the appraisal of high value industrial property was to establish a single valuation process for higher value industrial properties, to insure that the process and method for valuing properties with large property tax assessments did not vary from county to county. That made sense at the time.

Unfortunately, its been 36 years since the 1989 legislation was approved, and in that time, the DOR valuation threshold has not changed, despite a significant increase in property values during that period. In other words, a $1 million industrial property in 1989 is more likely a multi-million dollar property today, given that industrial real estate values have significantly outpaced the consumer price index.

Even if we tied the valuation to the CPI, a $1 million industrial property in 1989 is worth $2.6 million today. But unfortunately, the SAIP limits have never changed.

What this means is that all of a sudden DOR is valuing properties that the legislature never intended them to value. Which brings us to todays problem.

DORs Expanding Reach: When Working Farms Start Being Treated Like Factories

Weve begun to get calls from farmers who are having their agricultural buildings evaluated by DOR as industrial buildings.

Applying common sense, you wouldnt think that an ag building would be considered an industrial building  but the legislature never bothered to define what kinds of buildings constitute industrial buildings.

This led DOR to create its own definition. Under the DOR definition, an industrial building is a facility or property engaged in manufacturing or processing, while processing is defined as the treatment of materials to produce a new product.

Any farm that is preparing farm products on-site could potentially fall into this definition. As the agricultural economy has changed and forced more farmers to integrate on-farm, on-farm preparation in large buildings is becoming increasingly more common.

So it isnt surprising that DOR is now starting to look at larger ag operations. Depending on the size of the farm operation, the combined value of buildings and other property improvements can easily exceed $1 million, meaning that if any part of the property is being used for the treatment of materials to produce a new product, the farm property could be appraised by DOR as SAIP.

We dont think this is what the legislature ever intended.

Oregons Farmers Deserve Better: Time for Legislative Clarity

For a farmer caught up in this situation, it is nearly certain that your property taxes could go up considerably, unless you can successfully appeal the DORs decision. DOR values SAIP much differently than your county tax assessor values your ag buildings for farm use, so the market value could rise significantly.

The OPOA Legal Center has a current case with this issue at the Oregon Tax Court. Were hoping to set a precedent to nip this problem in the bud before it gets worse.

In the meantime, the Oregon legislature should act soon and raise the value of SAIP to keep up with the increase in property values over the last 36 years. No one ever intended DORs authority to extend as far as it has.

The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not represent the opinions or positions of any party represented by the OPOA Legal Center on any particular matter.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

LHAASO experiment. Credit: LHAASO Collaboration

Milestone results released by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) on November 16 have solved a decades-old mystery about the cosmic ray energy spectrumwhich shows a sharp decrease in cosmic rays above 3 PeV, giving it an unusual knee-like shape.

The cause of the "knee" has remained unclear since its discovery nearly 70 years ago. Scientists have speculated that it is linked to the acceleration limit of the astrophysical sources of cosmic rays and reflects the transition of the cosmic ray energy spectrum from one power-law distribution to another.

Now, however, two recent studiespublished in National Science Review and Science Bulletin, respectivelydemonstrate that micro-quasars driven by black hole system accretion are powerful particle accelerators in the Milky Way and are the likely source of the "knee." The studies also advance our understanding of the extreme physical processes of black hole systems.

The research was conducted by researchers from the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Nanjing University, the University of Science and Technology of China of CAS, La Sapienza University of Rome, and other institutions.

Micro-quasars identified as cosmic accelerators

Black holes, one of the most enigmatic objects in the universe, generate relativistic jets when accreting material from companion stars in binary systems, forming "micro-quasars." In this study, LHAASO systematically detected for the first time ultra-high-energy gamma rays from five micro-quasars: SS 433, V4641 Sgr, GRS 1915+105, MAXI J1820+070, and Cygnus X-1.

In particular, the ultra-high-energy radiation from SS 433 was found to overlap with a giant atomic cloud, strongly suggesting that the high-energy protons are accelerated by the black hole and collide with surrounding matter.

The proton energy in this system exceeded 1 PeV, with a total power output of approximately 1032 joules per second, equivalent to the energy released per second by four trillion of the most powerful hydrogen bombs. The gamma-ray energy from V4641 Sgr was found to reach 0.8 PeV, making it another "super PeV particle accelerator," while the parent particles generating these gamma rays had energies exceeding 10 PeV.

These results prove that micro-quasars are significant PeV particle accelerators in the Milky Way, addressing a long-standing issue in science: While supernova remnants were historically recognized as cosmic ray sources, both observational and theoretical studies have shown that they cannot accelerate cosmic rays to the energies of the "knee" and beyond.

Challenges in measuring cosmic ray spectra

To fully understand this phenomenon, precise measurements of the energy spectra of the various cosmic ray species including their respective "knees" are essential. The first step is to measure the energy spectrum of the lightest nucleiprotons. However, cosmic rays in the "knee" region are sparse and satellite detectors have limited acceptance, making detection akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

In ground-based indirect measurements of cosmic ray particles, it is impossible to avoid atmospheric interference. This makes it difficult to distinguish protons from other nuclei. For a long time, this measurement was considered impossible.

In this study, leveraging its world-leading ground-based cosmic ray observational equipment, LHAASO developed multi-parameter measurement techniques and selected a large statistical sample of high-purity protons, allowing for precise measurement of their energy spectrum, with precision comparable to that of satellite experiments. This measurement revealed an energy spectrum structure that was entirely unexpected, clearly displaying a new "high-energy component" instead of a simple transition between power-law spectra.

Multiple accelerators shape cosmic ray origins

LHAASO's new findings, together with the low-energy component measured by the space-borne AMS-02 experiment and the intermediate-energy component measured by the space-borne DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) experiment, revealed the existence of multiple accelerators within the Milky Way, with each possessing its own unique acceleration capability and energy range. The "knee" represents the acceleration limit of the sources responsible for generating the high-energy component.

The complex structure of the proton energy spectrum indicates that cosmic ray protons in the PeV energy range primarily originate from "new sources" such as micro-quasars, which have an acceleration limit significantly higher than that of supernova remnants. This enables them to generate high-energy cosmic rays that exceed the "knee."

Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matterdaily or weekly.

Breakthroughs connect black holes to cosmic rays

These two discoveries support each other, presenting a comprehensive scientific picture. This not only marks a significant advancement in resolving the long-standing mystery of the "knee" origin, but also offers crucial observational evidence for understanding the role of black holes in the origin of cosmic rays.

LHAASO's hybrid detector array design allows for the detection of cosmic ray sources through ultra-high-energy gamma rays, while enabling precise measurement of cosmic ray particles in the vicinity of the solar system. This approach offers insights into the acceleration capabilities of sources at PeV energies and the spectral characteristics they contribute to cosmic rays. For the first time, the "knee" structure has been observationally connected to a specific type of astrophysical sourcethe black hole jet system.

LHAASO, which was designed, constructed, and is operated by Chinese scientists, has taken the lead in high-energy cosmic-ray research due to its sensitivity in both gamma ray astronomical exploration and cosmic ray precision measurement. It has achieved a series of discoveries that have a global impact, thereby contributing to our knowledge of the extreme physical processes in the universe.

More information: Science Bulletin (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2025.10.048 Zhen Cao et al, Ultrahigh-energy gamma-ray emission associated with black hole-jet systems, National Science Review (2025). DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwaf496 , dx.doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaf496
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

A Kambara skull at the Melbourne Museum. Credit: Melbourne Museum

In southeast Queensland, roughly 250 kilometers from Brisbane, lies the tiny town of Murgon. Located on Wakka Wakka Country, it's home to about 2,000 peopleand one of the most important fossil sites in the world.

From the 55 million-year-old clays there, paleontologists have unearthed a range of precious fossils over several decades. These include the world's oldest fossil songbirds, the only known fossils of salamanders in Australia and the oldest fossil marsupial remains in Australia.

And the site continues to serve up ancient treasures. In a new study, published today in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, my colleagues and I report the discovery of the oldest crocodilian eggshells ever found in Australia.

These eggshells now serve as the basis for a new eggshell type, Wakkaoolithus godthelpi. They belong to the oldest known member of a now extinct group of crocodiles known as mekosuchines. And they offer a new look into not just their evolutionbut also the forest-lined wetlands they lived in.

Tree-climbing crocodiles

Mekosuchines were Australia's own unique, local branch of the crocodile family. They dominated inland waters of the continent 55 million years ago. They were part of the group of species that includes alligators, true crocodiles, gharials and caiman.

But they represent a much older branch than the saltwater and freshwater crocs found in Australia today. These modern species made their way to the continent much later, as it came into contact with southeast Asia about five million years ago.

In the 1980s, fossil finds began to take off at sites such as Murgon and the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Queensland, and Alcoota in the Northern Territory. Since then, paleontologists have been able to piece together a good picture of the diversity of mekosuchines. This was much higher than what we see today, with ten extinct genera now accounted for.

These fossil finds preserve a vigorous evolutionary history, and in particular a trend toward land-based hunting by about 33 million years ago.

This diversity includes the likes of Quinkana, a large land-based crocodile with narrow jaws, and dwarf species such as Trilophosuchus which may have been in a position to fill the niche of a tree-climbing huntera kind of "drop croc."

The latter case was originally suggested by paleontologist Paul Willis on the basis of the unusual musculature at the back of Trilophosuchus's skull. Although hotly debated, Willis suggested this would allow Trilophosuchus to hold its head aloft and scan through the three-dimensional environment of the canopy.

One of the new eggshell fragments under high focus microscopy. Credit: Xavier Panades I Blas

Reading eggshells

The new study, however, takes a look at one of the oldest genera of mekosuchines, Kambara. It grew up to two meters long and is thought to have fed on fish and softshell turtles.

At Murgon, University of New South Wales researchers led by Henk Godthelp and Michael Archer uncovered fragments of eggshell, a comparatively rare find. Surprisingly little work has been done in the area of analyzing crocodile eggshells.

Xavier Panades I Blas from the Institut Catala de Paleontologia at the University of Barcelona took up the challenge to explore the shell's preserved microstructure with high-resolution microscopy.

What he found was intriguing. The eggshells of Kambara have their own unique micro-structural features, still preserved after 55 million years.

These features differ from what we know of the microstructures that have evolved among modern crocodiles and alligators. However, it will take a lot more work to put things formally into context.

Still, these eggshells may provide a valuable new avenue for understanding how mekosuchines fit into the big picture of evolution that spans Australia, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

A window into an ancient ecosystem

Beyond evolution, these eggshells are an insight into the environment that existed at Murgon 55 million years ago. Crocodile reproduction is intimately tied to their local environment and modern species display a complex mix of nesting strategies in response.

In the case of the eggshell of Kambara, there is little sign of degradation from bacteria.

This suggests the nest may have experienced periods of dryness due to the ephemeral nature of the surrounding wetlands at Murgon.

While mekosuchines enjoyed a much larger range of territories compared to our modern crocodiles, they eventually experienced a considerable contraction as the continent became increasingly arid.

Between this and the decline of large prey, mekosuchines eventually went extinct on the Australian continent.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Guwahati: The interim government of Bangladesh in Dhaka, while sending its rejoinder to a reputed English daily of India, expressed utter dismay that the esteemed newspaper allowed itself to be used by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 'to whitewash her 15-year reign of crony capitalism, rampant corruption, and crimes against humanity'. Sending a rebuttal to The New Indian Express, the interim government's press secretary Shafiqul Alam also appealed to 'all serious platforms of journalism' to 'report the truth, however inconvenient it may be for the powerful', said a reliable source in the Bangladesh capital city.

Mentionable is that the Chennai-based national daily published an exclusive interview with Hasina, who is now taking an unofficial shelter in India since her sudden departure from Dhaka on 5 August last year, where the leader of Awami League alleged that the current caretaker government chief Prof Muhammad Yunus has 'reportedly acquired around 4,080 kathas of land in Purbachal, where he established a resort under the name Nisorgo'. She also added that Prof Yunus, the lone Nobel laureate of Bangladesh, purchased 300 kathas of land in Uttara locality of Dhaka and held fixed deposits worth approximately Taka 5,000 crore across multiple accounts in different banks of Bangladesh.

Interviewed by senior journalist Gautam Lahiri and published on 7 November 2025, the newspaper carried her voice admitting that there is corruption in the south Asian nation, but 'nobody has been able to show that my (Hasina) family and associates benefitted personally from state resources or were complicit in state-sanctioned corruption'. Responding to the allegation of plundering an estimated $234 billion from Bangladesh during her 15-year premiership, she claimed that all these allegations are unevidenced. That sum far exceeds Bangladesh's entire state budget and if that had happened, the country's economy would have collapsed. What actually happened was that Bangladesh's economy grew by more than 450 per cent over her 15 years in office, claimed the daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The morning daily with a sizable readership in south India also reported that 'for the first time, PM Hasina accepted leadership responsibility for the killing of thousands of citizens during the mass protest against her government' from 15 July to 5 August 2024. She also made it clear that given an opportunity her party will participate in the upcoming national elections of Bangladesh in February next year. But Awami League has been restricted by the current administration in Dhaka from participating in the polls, which she termed as a clear violation of the Constitution of Bangladesh. Hasina also emphasized on a free, fair and inclusive election, 'so that the country can begin to heal and move towards reconciliation' and that will be possible with the participation of her party. The ousted premier however remained silent on the involvement of foreign hands in her removal from power, the interviewer recorded.

The Dhaka's rebuttal stated that Hasina's assertion over the government's decision to ban her party was constitutional violation is 'an outright falsehood', as the action is fully permitted under the country's laws, the very same provision Hasina herself used, just days before her government was toppled, to ban the activities of Jamaat-e-Islami. Refuting Hasina's claim that her party was committed to uphold the Constitution, the rejoinder added that the Awami League government shattered the Constitution time and again with an aim to prolong Hasina's grip on power. 'Of the last three elections, two excluded the largest opposition entity' (Begum Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party) and by her own logic, the Awami League government lacked legitimacy, but she clung to office, asserted the response.

Regarding the 'land and fixed deposits' Hasina referred to actually belong to the Grameen enterprises, the social businesses (founded by Prof Yunus), but he personally does not own a single share. Despite years of repeated accusations, Hasina has failed to produce a single shred of credible evidence  because it does not exist, added the rejoinder, adding Dhaka 'expected at least a minimum level of editorial due diligence to ensure that such wild claims would not be published unchallenged'. By failing to do so, The New Indian Express has done a grave disservice to the readers and regrettably turned the pages into a vehicle for propaganda. The New Indian Express should have challenged such falsehoods without amplifying those unfounded facts, so that it can claim to pursue fair & fearless journalism, stated the rebuttal.
BEIJING (AP)  Japan raised objections Saturday after China advised its citizens to avoid visiting Japan, as a feud over the new Japanese leader's remarks on Taiwan showed no signs of dying down.

The government in Tokyo lodged a protest and its top spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, urged China to take appropriate measures, Japan's Kyodo News Service reported.

China advised its citizens Friday to refrain from traveling to Japan in the near future. It cited earlier attacks against Chinese in Japan and what it called Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi 's erroneous remarks on Taiwan, which it said undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan exchange.

Kihara told reporters that it is precisely because of the differences between the two governments that multilayered communication is essential, a Kyodo report said.

China has repeatedly recommended its nationals take security precautions when in Japan over the past year, but the latest announcement appeared to be stronger in advising against travel, according to notices posted on the website of its embassy in Tokyo.

Japan is an immensely popular destination for Chinese tourists, providing a much-needed economic boost but also sparking an anti-China and anti-foreigner backlash from some. It's unclear what impact the advisory will have on the willingness of Chinese to visit Japan, but several Chinese airlines offered no-penalty refunds on previously sold tickets to Japan following the government's announcement.

The dispute suggests that Japan's already fragile relations with China could turn rocky under Takaichi, who supports building up the military to counter potential threats from Beijing and its claims to contested territory in nearby waters in the western Pacific.

Takaichi, who became prime minister last month, said in parliament that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute an existential threat to Japan, requiring the use of force by its military.

The remark prompted strong objections from China, including a social media post from its consul general in Osaka last weekend saying we have no choice but to cut off that dirty neck that has been lunged at us.

His comment, which was later taken down, sparked a Japanese diplomatic protest that was followed by a back-and-forth that continued all week.

China claims Taiwan, a self-governing island off its coast, as its territory and has staged threatening military drills in the surrounding waters in recent years.

Neither the United States nor Japan has official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but the U.S. is the main supplier of defense equipment to the island's military and opposes resolution of the China-Taiwan situation by force.

Japan is a military ally of the United States and hosts American troops at several U.S. bases on its territory, including a major Navy base south of Tokyo.
By Doina Chiacu

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene accused U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday of putting her life in danger, saying his online criticism has triggered ?a wave of threats against her.

Greene, once a longtime Trump loyalist who has more recently taken positions at odds with the president, said she has been contacted by private security firms warning about her safety.

"Aggressive rhetoric attacking me has historically led to death threats and multiple convictions of men who were radicalized by the same type (of) rhetoric being directed at me right now," Greene, a U.S. House of Representatives member from Georgia, wrote in a post on X. "This time by the President of the United States."

Trump broke with Greene on Friday night in a withering ?social media post in which he referred to Greene as "Wacky" and a "ranting lunatic" who complained he would not take her calls. He continued his criticism on Saturday with two more social media posts, calling her a "Lightweight Congresswoman," "Traitor" and a "disgrace" to the Republican Party.

GREENE SAYS TRUMP AGGRESSION FUELS 'RADICAL INTERNET TROLLS'

In her first response posted on Friday, Greene accused Trump of lying about her and trying to intimidate ?other Republicans before a House of Representatives vote next week on releasing files related to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who was friendly with Trump in the 1990s and 2000s before they had a falling out.

On Saturday, Greene wrote that she now has a "small understanding" of the fear and pressure felt by Epsteins victims.

"As a Republican, who overwhelmingly votes for President Trump's bills and agenda, his aggression against me which also fuels the venomous nature of his radical internet trolls (many of whom are paid), this is completely ?shocking to everyone," she wrote.

The White House did not immediately ?respond to a request for comment on her post.

On Wednesday, Greene ?was one of only four House Republicans who joined Democrats in signing a petition to force a vote on releasing the full Justice Department files related to Epstein.

Trump has called the furor over Epstein, who died in a jail ?cell in 2019, a hoax pushed by Democrats.

He suggested in his Truth Social post that conservative voters in Greene's district might consider a primary challenger and that he would support the right candidate against her in next ?year's congressional election.

Online backlash from Trump supporters is not unusual. Right-wing influencers and conservative media personalities have become a potent online force in amplifying talking points and false claims, and attempting to discredit Trumps rivals.

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Nandita Bose;Editing by Rod Nickel)
MEXICO CITY  Thousands of protesters, primarily organized and led by the youth group Generation Z Mexico, marched through the capital on Saturday to denounce rising violent crime, endemic corruption, and widespread impunity. The demonstration, one of the years most significant youth mobilizations, was galvanized by national outrage following the recent assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo.

The non-partisan march drew supporters across all age groups, collectively focusing intense scrutiny on the security and governance policies of President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration. Protesters were heard accusing the administration of complicity, chanting that a "narcogovernment" was colluding with cartels.

Clashes Erupt Outside National Palace

Tensions escalated into clashes near the National Palace, President Sheinbaum's residence, when a group of hooded demonstrators tore down security barricades protecting the building. Riot police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.

Mexico City Public Safety Secretary Pablo Vazquez confirmed the confrontation led to significant injuries. One hundred police officers were injured, with 40 of them requiring hospitalisation. Additionally, 20 civilians sustained injuries, and police detained approximately 20 protesters, while 20 more were cited for administrative offences.

Manzo Killing Becomes Flashpoint

The murder of Mayor Carlos Manzo on November 1 in Michoacan state has become a major flashpoint for the movement. Manzo, known for his vocal opposition to drug cartels, was shot dead during a public Day of the Dead event.

His death intensified public demands for government accountability. Protesters were seen chanting, Carlos did not die, the government killed him, and held banners that read "We are all Carlos Manzo," accusing authorities of failing to protect leaders confronting organized crime. Many demonstrators wore straw hats, symbolic of Manzos political movement, though Manzo's widow reportedly distanced his movement from the day's protests.

Government Accuses Opposition of Sponsorship

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum defended her government, stating ahead of the protests that the demonstrations were "inorganic" and being promoted by "right-wing politicians" who oppose her administration. She also suggested the protest call was "paid for" and promoted by bots online.

Meanwhile, the movement utilized popular cultural symbols to express their demands. The march featured the pirate-skull flag, known as the Jolly Roger of the Straw Hat Pirates from the Japanese manga One Piece, which has become a global symbol for youth resistance against government overreach and corruption.

The rally in Mexico City aligns with a global wave of Gen Z-led movements (those born 19972012) protesting governance failures and corruption, with similar demonstrations occurring recently in nations like Nepal and Morocco.

As Mexico continues to grapple with persistent cartel violence and high-profile political killings, Saturdays demonstrations signal mounting pressure on the Sheinbaum administration to curb crime and restore public faith in state institutions.
Guwahati: Pragjyotishpur Literature Festival 2025, concluding this evening at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in the city, witnessed four intriguing sessions on second day, where the interaction with eminent actor and playwright Prithwiraj Rabha who spoke about his father Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha's colourful life and struggles, stole the limelight. Organized by the Sankardeva Education and Research Foundation, the three-day festival was inaugurated on 14 November, where acclaimed author Shefali Baidya delivered the keynote address at the inaugural session.

Meanwhile, the organizers have announced eminent researcher and author Moneswar Deori as being the recipient of PLF 2025 award, where promising writer Srotashwini Tamuli has been declared as the winner of PLF youth award. Renowned Tiwa scholar and distinguished essayist Deori has authored over 20 books, who had resigned from his senior government job to devote fully for the world of literature and journalism. Similarly, a researcher at Birangana Sati Sadhani State University, Tamuli is an emerging voice in contemporary Assamese storytelling, said PLF 2025 president Phanindra Kumar Dev Choudhury.

Major attraction of the day was a reflective session on Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha, which was moderated by writer Nayanjyoti Bhattacharyya, where legislator Prithwiraj Rabha brought alive the extraordinary cultural journey of his father from a brilliant student to a legendary artist to a revolutionary preacher. Kalaguru dedicated his life to three masters namely Sri Krishna, Srimanta Sankardeva and Leonardo da Vinci, stated Rabha while narrating the fascinating stories of his father's personal, artistic and revolutionary world.

Earlier, a panel discussion titled 'Assamese Language, Literature and Journalism: Growth and Expansion' attracted the attention of novice journalists, where four seasoned scribes namely Dilip Chandan, Bedabrata Dev Mishra, Bidyut Kumar Bhuyan and Nava Thakuria highlighted the challenges of print journalism while nurturing the native language. They were unanimous in their views that the traditional journalism will return back to the valued readers as the digital fatigue of electronic and other internet media outlets exhaust the consumers.

In another session on 'Evolution of Assamese Performing Arts: From Ankiya Bhawana to Bhramyman', four cultural personalities viewed theatre as the mother of all performing arts. National award-winning filmmaker and playwright Kripal Kalita, much-admired performer Pakija Begum, dramatists Pankaj Jyoti Bhuyan and Hillal Kumar Pathak painted a challenging picture of Assamese theatre but with a lot of promises to keep. Acknowledging the contribution of Assam's mobile theatre groups, the speakers lamented that the landscape of Assamese theatre was yet to ascertain a distinct tradition. The day came to an end with a poetry session titled 'Kavya Kaveri, where several poets captivated the audience with their recitations in different languages.
MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's second-largest oil producer Lukoil said on Friday it has ?been in talks with potential buyers of its foreign assets following last-month sanctions from the UK and the United States and as a deal with Gunvor trading house collapsed.

"The specific deal will be announced after the final agreements have been reached and the necessary regulatory approvals have been obtained," it ?said.

"The company aims to ensure uninterrupted operations of assets during their sale and transfer to new owners. This will avoid the risks of disruptions in the work and supply of energy resources to the countries of presence, and save jobs,"? it added.

The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) last month announced new sanctions targeting Russia's largest oil producers, Lukoil and Rosneft, ratcheting up the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.

OFAC also issued ?a general licence that gave companies ?until November 21 to complete their ?business deals with Lukoil, including any acquisitions of the Moscow-headquartered oil company's international assets.

The Russian company had ?agreed to a sale of its international assets to Swiss commodities trader Gunvor, but that deal collapsed earlier ?this month after the U.S. Treasury signaled Washington's opposition to it.

(Reporting by Olesya Astakhova and Vladimir Soldatkin, Editing by Louise Heavens)
New agreement will turn states sargassum into asset sparing hotels the $150 million USD seasonal cleaning bill

Riviera Maya, Q.R.  An agreement has been signed that will see Quintana Roos sargassum put to better use next year. For the 2026 season, the government will push to have the states seaweed transformed into an asset.

Each seaweed season, the state of Quintana Roo spends billions dealing with the arrival of the unwanted sargassum. During 2025, hotels across the state forked out over 2.7 billion pesos keeping their beaches clear of the seaweed.

Tony Chavez, President of the Riviera Maya Hotel Association, said that Mexico receives around 45 million tourists each year, 22 million of whom visit the state of Quintana Roo.

Approximately 95 percent of the people living in the state depend on tourism, so, thats the importance of this phenomenon, that it doesnt negatively impact tourism in a destination like the Mexican Caribbean, he noted.

He explained that the new agreement, which was signed earlier this month between the Instituto Mexicano de Investigacion en Pesca y Acuacultura Sustentables (Imipas), the Secretaria de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (Agricultura), the Asociacion de Hoteles de la Riviera Maya (Ahrm) y The Seas We Love (TSWL), will turn sargassum into a raw material for production.

The agreement was signed earlier this month that will turn sargassum into an asset.

According to Chavez, approximately $150 million USD is spent annually by the states hotels to deal with the sargassum that arrives across Quintana Roo. The new initiative will help to transform sargassum into a raw material now that they have greater scientific knowledge.

Today, with the support of Imipas, we have greater scientific knowledge and institutional capacity to leverage this collaboration and turn it into an opportunity, he said.

Ignacio Munoz Gorbea, the CEO of The Seas We Love, said the agreement is a long-term collaborative commitment with the only federal government agency capable of managing sargassum, which is Imipas. What we seek is to safeguard the well-being and economic development of the people of Quintana Roo, both locals and tourists.

Munoz Gorbea says this technical cooperation will position Mexico as a leader in the Caribbean since the region generates millions of tons of sargassum annually. He says Imipas will assume the responsibility of structuring a sargassum governance model and developing a value-added market.

Through this agreement, essential technical aspects will be defined such as harvesting sites that allow for maximizing efficient use, innovation and technology transfer through the development of sustainable fishing techniques and gear for sargassum collection, optimal harvesting periods and the necessary conditions to provide certainty for industrial investments.

Chavez says that the states tourism sector is advancing with a coordinated strategy with the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat), the Ministry of the Navy (Semar) and federal authorities to collect sargassum at sea before it reaches the coast.

He reported that for next year, they have set a goal of reducing its environmental and tourism impact by up to 80 percent.

The Navy collects sargassum at sea and often redirects its flow to other areas to stop it from reaching the beaches.

Chavez explained that from the beginning, the vision of the hotel sector has been to prevent sargassum from reaching the beaches since in addition to affecting tourism, it also damages the reefs, causes erosion, affects marine species and generates millions of dollars in daily beach cleaning costs.

If we manage to stop 80 percent of the sargassum in the open sea and only 20 percent reaches the shore, it would be a great success, he said.

Clearing beaches of washed-up sargassum costs the hotel industry millions.

Chavez explained that currently, different permits are required to collect sargassum from the sea, transport it to land and process it. Those different permits come from different agencies such as Conapesca, the Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Finance.

There are seven secretariats involved. In December, we will ask them to simplify the procedures because we need permits to collect it, transport it, process it and convert it into fuel or fertilizer, he explained.

The hotel industry is asking the government for the harvesting of sargassum to be simplified.

He said that as part of the plan, a plot of land donated by the state government to the federal government was arranged. That land will be used to create an industrial development hub where the collected sargassum will arrive and where the companies responsible for processing it would operate.

He said that these companies could access tax incentives including a 100 percent exemption which would generate jobs and promote a marine bioindustry with clean energy.

A plot of land has been donated to the federal government by the state for sargassum disposal from where a company will operate.

The goal is to transform sargassum into useful products such as biofertilizers, biofuels and alternative materials, which would position Mexico as a leader in circular economy within the Caribbean.

He said that in the meantime, the hotels continue to bear the brunt of the cost of dealing with the washed-up sargassum, an expense that over time, has become unsustainable. We cannot continue to receive these quantities on our shores. We need permanent solutions, he said.

The Navy implemented machinery on their sargassum vessels during 2025 to help in collection and removal efforts.

The 2025 sargassum season came to an end approximately one month earlier than anticipated. The state government reported that as of mid-October, 120,000 tons of seaweed had been collected from Quintana Roo beaches.
Police investigating deadly early morning shooting in central Cancun

Cancun, Q.R.  At least one person was killed in an early morning shooting in central Cancun Sunday. Police were at the scene at Plaza de Toros where the male driver of a white car was found dead.

The shooting happened in the plaza parking area off Bonampak Avenue shortly before daybreak. Forensic personnel were at the scene more than an hour collecting evidence.

The body of the deceased male, who has not been identified, was found laying outside his vehicle.

The deceased is reported to have been an active off-duty city police officer. He was in his personal vehicle when he became the target of an armed attack.

Local authorities have reported on the start of an investigation into what they say is aggravated homicide. Police in Cancun have intensified their presence in the area in an attempt to find those responsible.

Authorities have kept the name of the deceased confidential along with details surrounding the death of the man.

In a briefing early Sunday, the State Attorney General (FGE) said the Quintana Roo Attorney Generals Office (FGE Quintana Roo) reports the opening of an investigation into the aggravated homicide of a male whose identity is being withheld.

The incident occurred in the early morning hours in the municipality of Benito Juarez.

Following this event, and in close coordination with the Interinstitutional Group, investigative efforts are being intensified to locate and apprehend the perpetrator(s) and bring them to justice.

The Quintana Roo Attorney Generals Office firmly reaffirms its commitment to the administration of justice, compliance with the law, and the principle of zero impunity.
Police make historic weapons seizure used in CJNG criminal territory from Isla Mujeres to Puerto Morelos

Riviera Maya, Q.R.  Personnel with the Secretary of Citizen Security (SSC) have reported a historic weapons seizure in the northern zone. Their weekend seizure included handguns, rifles, grenades, silencers and bullet proof vests and the arrests of two men believed working a large area of the north including Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Kantunilkin and Isla Mujeres.

Authorities say Marcos Josue N and Angel Roberto N, alias El Flaco are in custody for illegal weapons possession. They are also being investigated for drug trafficking.

In a statement, the SSC (Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana) said the detainees are suspected members of the CJNG criminal group. Marcos Josue N is considered the main logistics operator, responsible for the distribution of weapons and tactical equipment in Cancun as well as in Puerto Morelos, Kantunilkin and Isla Mujeres.

During their arrests, police reported the seizure of two handguns with magazines loaded with 7 and 11 rounds, 32 rifles, all with magazines, one with 56 rounds and another with 30, 12 handguns with magazines, 125 rifle magazines and two silencers.

Four riot grenades and four chemical grenades, 26 boxes of cartridges of different calibers with 50 cartridges each, 17 boxes with 20 cartridges each, nine bulletproof vests, nine black T-shirts with the inscription Deltas Q. Roo CJNG, 15 black Operativas Jaguar caps and six Deltas Operativo Jaguar patches.

During their search, authorities reported finding bags of marijuana, crystal meth and powdered cocaine.

Five notebooks with handwritten notes, two backpacks, three plastic boxes, a cooler, a suitcase, four cell phones, a large case, a gray case, three drones (one with a controller and two batteries), two pairs of license plates from the state of Jalisco and two vehicles: a gray Volkswagen T-Cross and another Nissan Frontier, white in color, were also part of the mass seizure.

The evidence, as well as the detainees, were turned over to the Specialized Prosecutors Office for Combating Drug Trafficking.

Authorities noted that the inspection, seizure and arrests were a coordinated effort of the security task force comprised of the SSC (Secretariat of Citizen Security), the Ministry of Defense, the Navy, the National Guard, and the FGE (State Attorney Generals Office), thus reaffirming the commitment to combat organized crime head-on to safeguard the well-being of the people of Quintana Roo.
Going solar can bring you some serious savings, and one homeowner recently took to Reddit to share their first-year results on just how much solar has changed the way they use energy.

The post, shared to the r/solar community, described a 7.3-kilowatt system installed on a home in North Carolina. The original poster explained that while their electric company doesn't offer full one-to-one credit for energy buyback, the panels have still made a massive difference.

"We spent about $12,578 after the federal tax rebate and saved $750 this year," they wrote. "I love being able to crank the heat in our home office during a sunny winter day without any guilt."

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The OP also noted that replacing their old gas-powered furnace and water heater with efficient electric appliances has maximized their savings, with their electricity use dropping by over 600 kilowatt-hours compared to the year prior.

For anyone considering making the switch, going solar is definitely one of the best ways to cut your monthly energy bills and help the planet in the process. Sites like EnergySage can help with free tools that make it a cinch to compare quotes from local installers and see estimated costs in just minutes.

With solar tax credits set to begin expiring at the end of the year, homeowners could save thousands by locking in their installation soon.

And those savings can really add up  with EnergySage's help, the average person can save up to $10,000 on solar panel purchases and installations. Its free mapping tool even breaks down the average costs and available incentives by state, helping you secure the best deal possible.

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Buying panels outright may not be in everyone's budget, but leasing them can also help you lock in low, predictable energy rates. Palmetto's LightReach program installs panels on your home for no money down, and pairing your panels with efficient electric appliances like the OP really amplifies the savings. Companies like Mitsubishi make it easy to find the right heat pump and installer for your needs.

Speaking of the OP, commenters on the thread were quick to celebrate their savings.

"Awesome. I just got solar installed and I'm excited for the savings," shared one person.

"Congrats  I am sure it feels good to be able [to] take a look at the overall numbers for the entire year, and see real-world values!" another Redditor said.

If you don't have solar panels on your home, which of these factors is the biggest barrier to installing them? Upfront costs Trouble with my HOA Too much maintenance An incompatible roof Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
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How to Do It is Slates sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Stoya and Rich here. Its anonymous!

Dear How to Do It,

Im a married father with a lovely family. Ive always been the more sexual person in our relationship, and that gap has widened over time. Other than the first few months of our relationship and during pregnancy, she hasnt shown much desire for sex. Meanwhile, my passion for her just continues to increase. Shes gorgeous and has an incredibly sexy body.

About two years ago, I started to really want a better sex life and tried to talk about it. She had complained of low libido as a mom with a stressful career, but also shared that she used to be much more sexual before we met. The thing is, she didnt seem to want to do anything about it or even talk about it, and that sent me spiraling. Months of reading personal anecdotes from mostly women on Quora, Reddit, etc., led me to believe she either has a kink/fetish were not satisfying or she had a past partner with a very large dick, or maybe both!

When I try to bring this up, she swears off any fetishes and acknowledges Im extremely generous in bed and that she typically orgasms multiple times. But even so, she doesnt express desire, and she gets cagey when I ask about my size compared to her previous partners. Upon measuring, it turns out Im about average length at 5.5 inches, but my girth is quite exceptional at 5.6 inches. Statistically, it seems unlikely that a previous partner was much thicker, but very likely longer. Would that difference really make a significant difference in her pleasure and overall experience during sex?

Bewildered

Dear Bewildered,

Certainly it is possible that your wife is a secret size queen and that you dont measure up to her past lovers, but this assumption is quite a leap that evidence doesnt really support. Instead of relying on Quora and Reddit, you should instead put stock in your wifes own words: Her lack of (spontaneous) interest in sex likely derives from her duties as a mother and worker. It seems reasonable to assume that when she was younger, she didnt have this constellation of responsibilities. There may be other libido-sapping factors afoot that havent been acknowledged or even suspected/discovered, like hormonal issues. All of this is to say that if you had a monster 10-inch-by-6-inch dick, that still might not be enough to spark her horniness.

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I dont know what is producing these multiple orgasms she has when you two do have sex, but that doesnt really matter: Whether its your penis of average length, oral, manual, her own volition, or some combination of these factors and more, you are helping her get there. She may be more oriented toward responsive desire, which means external stimulus is required to get her in the mood. You dont seem to experience this and instead have spontaneous desire (that is, horniness that manifests without a trigger), which is more common in men. This may mean that you will usually or always need to initiate sex with your wife. Think of it as your role. It doesnt mean your wife isnt into sex with you, it just means that if youre going to have it, its likely going to start with you. You should familiarize yourself with the concepts of spontaneous/responsive desire (and the dual control model that defines them). Emily Nagowskis Come As You Are provides a lot of good background that may help you understand that your wifes lack of spontaneous desire isnt a reflection of you, but you can certainly do things to foster good sex between you two. You have taken your wifes attitude toward sex personally, which is understandable in an intimate setting, but also a bit shortsighted. Dont think of it as a referendum on your deficiency, but do think of it as inspiration to work with her. If you talk about it in these terms and allow her to have her space to approach sex as she sees fit, I think youll both have a much easier time navigating sex when it is appropriate.

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Get advicesubmit a question! Please keep questions short (<150 words), and dont submit the same question to multiple columns. We are unable to edit or remove questions after publication. Use pseudonyms to maintain anonymity. Your submission may be used in other Slate advice columns and may be edited for publication. Thanks! Your question has been submitted. Dear How to Do It, * Your letter signoff Your pronouns Your email (optional and confidentialplease include if you're open to How to Do It following up) Submit

Dear How to Do It,

My ex was big and great in bed. My husband is much smaller but does try hard to help get me to orgasm. Most times I just cant because I cant feel it. I cant help but think of my ex and our sex life all the time because of this. What should I do?

Missing the Big Guy

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Dear Missing the Big Guy,

What should you do? The options are endless. In fact, Im fighting off decision paralysis by proxy as I type. If youre asking the question referring to your overall relationship, you should weigh just how important sex is to you and whether there are other elements of your marriage that help compensate. If your husband, for example, is kind, offers stability, and has good taste in movies, you might be more willing to forgive an underwhelming sex life than if he is rude, erratic, and still insists on seeing every Marvel (while making you sit through them as well). If youre asking whether you should go back to your big-dicked ex, well, hes your ex for a reason, right? Either you didnt want to be with him, he didnt want to be with you, or you both didnt want to be with each other, in which case sex was not enough to make the relationship worth it to at least one of you.

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But if youre wondering what you should do to make sex more pleasurable since intercourse is kinda meh, there is a lot. You could look into alternate pathways to orgasm that dont involve PIV like oral or manual sex. You could use a vibrator on yourself during sex, before, after, or all of the above (your husband could also use it on you). If all of this is out of the question and you just want to get stuffed, get a dildo thats more your preferred size and try to integrate that into your sex life (alternately, you could reserve it for solo masturbation if he doesnt want to use it with you). Or perhaps you want to investigate more intense manual sex (multiple fingers, fisting even). Or discuss opening up your relationship, which would potentially put you in contact with hung guys to satisfy your craving. Its a bummer that intercourse with your husband isnt wowing you, but you absolutely dont have to settle for how things are right now, nor should you.

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Send Us Your Questions About the Workplace

The columnists behind our advice column, Good Job, want to help you navigate your social dynamics at work. Does your colleague constantly bug you after hours? Has an ill-advised work romance gone awry? Ask us your question here!

Dear How to Do It,

My wife is pregnant with our second child, and this pregnancy has been complicated. In the first trimester, she suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum, which made sex nearly impossible (honestly, it felt inappropriate to even ask). As a result, I ended up pursuing solo sex. When her nausea symptoms improved at the beginning of the second trimester, we started having sex again. But she was then diagnosed with vasa previa and was consequently prescribed pelvic rest with no vaginally penetrative or orgasmic activity. Per doctors orders, her sex life came to a halt.

Overall, my sex drive is much higher than hers, even before this pregnancy. She has not been very into fellatio in the past, nor has she really been receptive to giving me handjobs lately. While I am personally frustrated, I am obviously not pushing the issue given the context.

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With everything going on, I have increased my porn use and have bought a Fleshlight to cope with the sex drive discrepancy. She seems to have issues with this. She seemed OK with it in the pastand particularly so if she refused sexual activitiesbut now, as shes been discussing in our couples therapy sessions, it bothers her. She does not like me looking at other women and compares it to going to the strip club. I personally feel that this is a step below the tactile interactions that are frequent in a strip club.

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Our counselor has asked us to write a list of relationship wants, expectations, and boundaries. Would it be a reasonable boundary to say that how I pleasure myself is my business, particularly if it is not affecting my desire for her and is utilized as a way to make up for any pent up frustrations I have? I feel that her recent request is further restricting my sexuality, and I personally do not consent to an invasion of my personal sexual time. I also feel shamed by her about my porn use. Im watching porn in what I think is a responsible manner. Its not interfering with my job or my sexual appetite for my wife, and its ethically sourced.

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How much am I really obligated to engage in compassionate celibacy? How can I bring these issues and sentiments up in a respectful manner that she and our counselor may understand?

Listing Boundaries

Dear Listing Boundaries,

I think it is completely reasonable to push back and tell your wife that your masturbation is your business alone. But I want to encourage you to temper your approach. Empathize with her given the complications of her pregnancy and that shes been told that she cannot have sex. Perhaps she is particularly sensitive, which may account for her seeming change of opinion on the matter of your masturbation/Fleshlight use. Despite the constraints on your sexual relationship currently, you should be attempting to foster intimacy with her. Even if its just cuddling, if thats something youre both into. You can talk to her about thismaybe there are ways you can help her feel desired outside of the realm of sexual expression.

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Regarding your current masturbatory habits is, of course, entitled to her opinion. She is allowed to not like how you masturbate or even that you do it at all. But she should also realize that just because she has feelings and opinions on something that you do does not mean that she is entitled to any resulting behavior on your end. Therapy is a great venue for sorting stuff like this out, and your assignment gives you the perfect excuse for bringing it up. You are not doing so to be combative or petulant; youre doing it because you were asked.

It would also be fair for you to express your feelings in returnto say that your wife has made you feel ashamed could help her see the implications of her reaction. However, that could also sound accusatory so you have to be careful, especially given the sensitivity of the situation. For simplicity, I would avoid belaboring the discussion of how this affects your feelings or avoid it all together. It could open the door to a nit-picking back and forth. If you focus on the practicalhow you jerk off is how you jerk off and you should feel comfortable doing so as it takes the pressure off her and allows you to express your sexuality in a way that does not violate the clearly monogamous constraints of your marriage. You can be firm hereyou dont want to set any precedent for her dictating how you pleasure yourself. But try to be compassionate at the same time. You may want to reserve this conversation entirely for therapy and ask for help expressing yourself if you worry about coming off as coarse. Is it worth getting into a philosophical exploration of attraction, expressing that as a person existing in the world, your desire doesnt turn off once a ring slips on your finger? Probably not, but if it has to go there, I think your position is the more reasonable one.

Rich

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My partner and I have been together for 6 years, and I recently learned something shocking. We were splitting a bottle of wine and started talking about things in our past that would surprise the other. He certainly won: He told me that he had sex several times with his own mother. He wasnt traumatized by the experience, and I believe him. They still have a warm relationship. The weird thing is that I feel like we are competing as women now, and she would have something over me if she knew that I knew. Am I crazy?
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In the past few decades there have been numerous incremental changes to grocery stores, like the crazed proliferation of snacks and frozen food, security cameras tracking anything that moves, and self-checkout robots flashing in panic because they cant detect your Twix bar in the bag. But by all appearances, shopping carts and baskets waded through that swirl of advancement mostly unaffected.

Carts remain the open-ceiling prison cells on wheels they were 50 years ago, and baskets dont look much different either. If you were somehow able to travel back in time via a flux-capacitor-equipped shopping cart to an A&P in 1969 and take it for a spin around the store, no one would look at you weird. Just your pajama pants, perhaps.

The carts stubborn tech resistance is under pressure, however, as companies are looking to take something which totally aint broke and create new problems under the guise of convenience. Several stores are testing smart carts that are essentially self-checkouts on wheels, letting users scan items while bumping into another person because theyre not watching where theyre walking. The Caper by Instacart, for instance, automatically scans any item you toss in, includes built-in weight measuring for that far-too-ripe produce, and takes payment as well, likely threatening the job security of both actual cashiers and those anxious stationary self-checkouts (sounds like grounds for the first human-robot union to me).

You probably havent seen any of these carts from the future at your local market, though, because theyve been adopted at a pace as slow as a buggy (as they call them down South) with a wobbly wheel. Most grocery stores appear satisfied with the standard grocery receptacles weve been using for decades. They just work too damn well. And it was the invention of the shopping cart in the first place that remains the enduring golden goose of American consumerism.

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Leaning on a cart while mindlessly meandering around a giant supermarket may seem rudimentary, but it wasnt always this way. In the general stores of the early 1900s, you didnt stroll around shoving items into a receptacle; instead, you presented a generic list to a clerk, who reached for the stacked items piled high on shelves, often allowing for ragamuffins to steal things from the counter while his back was turned. What you acquired were mostly dry goods, and so if you wanted bread and meat as well, that often necessitated separate trips to the bakery and butcher.

But in 1916, the best-named grocery store to date came into existence and changed how we shop: Piggly Wiggly. It was where Memphis resident Clarence Saunders put a rather innovative idea into practice. What if we actually displayed the items by category, let customers walk around the store and place what they wanted into a wooden basket, and then had the cashier check them out? At the time, it must have felt like too much power for one customer to have.

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It wasnt, though. The idea of self-service sold like hotcakes during a time when people actually used that expression. The streamlined approach saved on labor costs and inefficiencies, and those savings took off even more with the advent of supermarkets, which introduced volume discount selling, loss leaders (items priced below market value to lure you into also buying those with higher markups), and warehouse-like buildings usually located outside the town center. It was epitomized when former Kroger employee Michael Cullen launched the 6,000-square-foot King Cullen in 1930, generally considered the countrys first supermarket.

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A lot of them are consciously, explicitly modeled after a theme attraction. This is something you would come to tour because it was so exciting and innovative, says Benjamin Lorr, author of The Secret Life of Groceries. Weve gone to all this trouble to create this bounty-land where you walk in and youre astonished by how much is available to you.

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Yet a core problem remained. Human beings have frail limbs that can only carry so many groceries, and most of us dont know how to juggle. So customers back then would do this crazy thing where they stopped shopping when they couldnt carry any more, and then would just, you know, head home. This was clearly a barbaric state of affairs and needed to change.

The whole model is trying to get you to buy, buy, buy, more, more, more, says Lorr, and were limited by our puny human frame, so we had to invent this other thing to truly load up to our hearts desires.

Enter Sylvan Goldman, a successful grocery owner in Oklahoma who purchased the Humpty Dumpty chain in the mid-1930s. He couldnt help but notice the above drawback, and worked with mechanic Fred Young on a prototype for the shopping cart. Picture a folding chair on wheels with a basket on the seat and a platform at the wheelbase to hold another basket. Thats essentially what the first patented shopping cart was: a contraption for holding two baskets.

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Did this newfound chariot of abundance cause a shopping cart stampede? Not exactly. There was a great deal of resistance, with men reportedly finding the carts a bit effeminate, and women not enjoying the feeling of pushing around what felt like another baby carriage. So Goldman secretly hired models to walk around the stores pushing the carts and create the impression that all the sexy cool kids liked them. It totally worked, as that tactic usually does.

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Only one finishing touch remained: The lonely carts had no ability to hug each other, and took up a ton of room like dumb metal cows, almost needing an extra supermarket-sized space just to store them. But in 1946 Kansas City engineer Orla Watson developed the so-called nesting feature, which involved a swinging one-way rear door that allowed the carts to fit together. Goldman was like Hey, I was going to do that, and took Watson to court; however, he eventually recognized Watsons design and acquired an operating license as part of a compromise.

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Now it should be noted here that Goldman didnt really invent the cart qua cart, which obviously had existed in various forms for thousands of years. When asked what the country would have been like if he hadnt invented shopping carts, he amusingly responded, Oh, Ill tell you, itd be just like it is now because somebody else would have. His innovation, rather, was transporting the age-old concept to the context of a self-service grocery store, which, along with the proliferation of supermarkets, automobiles, and refrigeration, cultivated the impulsive consumer culture we know and love today. Whereas once people were mindfully selecting items and placing them into a basket, now they could mindlessly shovel them into a cart and forget whats in there.

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It accelerated a kind of visual scanning, encouraging the eye to spiral around miscellaneous brands in a horizontal aisle-by-aisle manner, which is definitely today continued in the vertical bottomless scrolling of shopping onscreen, says University of Leeds professor Andrew Warnes, author of How the Shopping Cart Explains Globalization. Goldmans patents engendered a kind of acceleration of self-service that, yes, leads to a kind of forgetting, a too-rapid movement to the next item in a rapid repetition of impulse buys.

Having initiated a new frontier of shopping, the wily basket and the oaf-like shopping cart became the go-to grocery receptacles for decades, and except for slight alterations to size and material, the addition of child seats (to carts, not baskets), and the creation of tiny versions of carts to get the kids addicted young, they mostly remained unaltered. But the past few years have seen companies trying to change that.

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Amazon is testing the Dash Cart at select Whole Foods stores in the Bay Area. After signing into the cart (you read that right), customers can scan items, use the screen map to remember what aisle those elusive sun-dried tomatoes are in, and check out by simply rolling through the specialized Dash Cart lane. Its like preboarding in reverse. Woolworths (in Australia) and Walmart (in Chile) are testing their own versions as well. And since your average brutalist cart and basket might be lacking in style for some people, now companies like Roulette are pushing the sexy luggage-like shopping trolley, so your groceries can feel like theyre going on a trip. Hopefully it matches your outfit.

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We may look at grocery stores with smart carts, self-checkouts, online ordering, and elaborate security apparatuses, and think that its all a sign of massive transformation. But the core model remains virtually unchanged. Tech-wise, its a rather slow-moving industry with razor-thin margins, customers resistant to change, and an environment rife with potential glitches for testing new technologies. Which is partially why these brainy carts dont seem likely to displace their slow-witted elders en masse anytime soon.

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The other reason for their stickiness (aside from the remnants of rotting fruit)? In a sense, the shopping cart is the enduring, iconic symbol of our mentality toward impulse shopping for comfort. But as Warnes describes, modern companies thought it would stay only that: a symbol.

I tried to suggest in the book that its a failed skeuomorphthat when Amazon and other internet providers first started using [the cart] as an icon in the 1990s, they had this belief that their services would soon render it obsolete. So that it would become a kind of weird dead link for the technology that killed it, like the paper clips and rulers and pencils that you see on Microsoft Office toolbars, he says. I do find it interesting that shopping carts dodged this common fatealthough many have shrunk in size, if anything they are used more today than ever, and not least because many of us visit the supermarket more frequently than we used to.

One can imagine the shopping cart and basket perched like angels above the fray, watching the decades go by as the country and grocery stores change all around them. We may one day see drone baskets that hover alongside you while you shop, and carts that return themselves to the corral. But for now, they remain our primary hunter-gatherer tools as we wade into the grocery jungle, only taking our hands off them during those rare moments when someones items are a little too close to ours on the conveyor belt and we slap down the divider.
News / National

by Simbarashe Sithole

MUZARABANI - A Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officer, Detective Sergeant Moyo, tragically died last night in a head-on collision at the 10-kilometre peg along the Muzarabani-Centenary highway.Moyo, who was stationed at Mvurwi Police, was driving a Toyota Vitz (registration number AFD 3452) with one passenger on board when the accident occurred.According to sources, a speeding and unregistered Toyota Dyna encroached into the oncoming lane, resulting in a fatal crash that killed Moyo instantly.When Bulawayo24.com attended the scene, police were yet to arrive.Bulawayo24 SEO Keywords
Adam Merner joined the 1,000-driving win club as he won with a dominant Maintenance Man at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park on Saturday, Nov. 15.

The Port Morien, N.S., native pushed his career driving total to the milestone in the third race, one half of a double. He got Maintenance Man to the front in a :28.3 quarter and rated him to a :58.2 half, and the nine-year-old gelding pulled clear by 2-1/2 lengths to three-quarters in 1:28.1. Allaboutthecash (Brady Sweet) and the first-over Raising Sand (Marc Campbell) reeled him in on the far turn, but Maintenance Man repelled them to win by three lengths in 1:57.3. Allaboutthecash edged out Raising Sand for second. Merner also trains the winning son of Bettors Delight-Double Flip for Steve MacDonald of Stanhope, P.E.I. The win payout was $4.20.

Merner, who completed the double with No Mo Fear ($15.40) later on the card, now has career totals of 6,549 drives, 1,001 victories, 1,086 seconds and 1,093 thirds with purses in excess of $3.5 million and a .300 UDRS. He has been a mainstay at the P.E.I. tracks throughout his career, with the bulk of his work coming under the lights in Charlottetown, along with regular appearances at Red Shores Summerside and tracks across the Maritimes. The reinsman has put together another powerhouse campaign in 2025 with 124 wins from 727 starts for a win rate of 17.1 per cent and $575,524 in seasonal earnings. His 2025 UDRS sits at a sharp .308, marking his third straight year above the .300 mark.

Bee Two Bee refused to budge when it mattered most, turning back a field of heavyweights to capture the $5,500 Preferred 1 Pace. The contest headlined the 11-dash card, with Bee Two Bee ($5) and driver Jason Hughes seizing early control from post two and never relenting. The eight-year-old son of Sunshine Beach-Bee Fullof Steinam rolled through splits of :28.3, :57 and 1:25.4 before being challenged by Malignity (Paul Langille) nearing the final turn. House Edge Hanover (Ken Murphy) appeared late off cover, but Bee Two Bee held them both off to score in 1:54.3. Malignity missed by a half-length, with House Edge Hanover third.

Bee Two Bee is trained by Ashley Gamester for owners Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I. and Blair MacLauchlan of Charlottetown, P.E.I. The stallion is now 42-for-175 lifetime with earnings of $546,327.

Racing continues next Thursday, Nov. 20 at Red Shores Charlottetown.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.

(With files from Red Shores)
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

People fish near the towering Dukovany nuclear power plant, background, in Dukovany, Czech Republic, Oct. 21, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Petr David Josek

The eight huge cooling towers of the Dukovany power plant overlook a construction site for two more reactors as the Czech Republic pushes ahead with plans to expand its reliance on nuclear energy.

Mobile drilling rigs have been extracting samples 140 meters below ground for a geological survey to make sure the site is suitable for a $19 billion project as part of the expansion that should eventually at least double the country's nuclear output and cement its place among Europe's most nuclear-dependent nations.

South Korea's KHNP beat France's EDF in a tender to construct a new plant whose two reactors will have an output of over 1,000 megawatts each. After becoming operational in the second half 2030s, they will complement Dukovany's four 512-MW reactors that date from the 1980s.

The KHNP deal gives the Czechs an option to have two more units built at the other nuclear plant in Temelin, which currently has two 1,000-megawatt reactors.

Then, they are set to follow up with small modular nuclear reactors.

"Nuclear will generate between 50% and 60% around 2050 in the Czech Republic, or maybe slightly more," Petr Zavodsky, chief executive of the Dukovany project, told The Associated Press in an interview.

The nuclear expansion is needed to help the country wean itself off fossil fuels, secure steady and reliable supplies at a reasonable price, meet low emission requirements and enable robust demand for electricity expected in the coming years to power data centers and electric cars, Zavodsky said.

Cooling towers of the Dukovany nuclear power are seen in Dukovany, Czech Republic, Oct. 21, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Petr David Josek

Europe's nuclear revival

The Czech expansion comes at a time when surging energy demand and looming deadlines by countries and companies to sharply cut carbon pollution are helping to revive interest in nuclear technology. While nuclear power does produce waste, it does not produce greenhouse gas emissions, like carbon dioxide, the main driver of climate change.

The European Union has accepted nuclear by including it in the classification system for environmentally sustainable economic activities, opening the door to financing. That has been a boost for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Francethe continent's nuclear leaderthat have heavily relied on nuclear.

Belgium and Sweden recently scrapped plans to phase out nuclear power. Denmark and Italy are reconsidering its use, while Poland is set to join a club of 12 nuclear-friendly nations in the European Union after signing a deal with U.S.-based Westinghouse to build three nuclear units.

The EU generated 24% of nuclear electricity in 2024.

Britain signed a cooperation deal with the United States in September that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said would lead to "a golden age of nuclear in this country." It will also invest 14.2 billion pounds ($19 billion) to build the Sizewell C nuclear power plant, the first in the U.K. since 1995.

CEZ, the dominant Czech power company in which the government holds a 70% stake, and Britain's Rolls-Royce SMR have agreed on a strategic partnership to develop and deploy small modular nuclear reactors.

Cooling towers of the Dukovany nuclear power plant are seen in Dukovany, Czech Republic, Oct. 21, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Petr David Josek

Money matters

The cost of the Dukovany project is estimated at over $19 billion, with the government agreeing to acquire an 80% majority in the new plant. The government will secure a loan for the new units that CEZ will repay over 30 years. The state will also guarantee a stable income from the electricity production for CEZ for 40 years. Approval is expected to be granted by the EU, which aims to become "climate-neutral" by 2050.

"We're in a good position to argue that we won't be able to do without new nuclear units," Zavodsky said. "Today, we get some 40% electricity from nuclear, but we also currently get another 40% from coal. It's clear we have to replace the coal."

Uncertainty over financing has caused a significant delay in the nuclear expansion. In 2014, CEZ canceled a tender to build two reactors at the existing Temelin nuclear plant after the government refused to provide financial guarantees.

Russia's energy giant Rosatom and China's CNG were excluded from the Dukovany tender on security grounds following the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine.

CEZ signed a deal wit h Westinghouse and France's Framatome to supply nuclear fuel for its two nuclear plants, eliminating the country's dependence on Russia. The contract with KHNP secures fuel supplies for 10 years.

Workers conduct a geological survey to make sure the site is suitable for an expansion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant in Dukovany, Czech Republic, Oct. 21, 2025. Credit: AP Photo/Petr David Josek

Opposition

While atomic energy enjoys public support, skeptical voices can be heard at home and abroad.

The Friends of the Earth say it is too costly and the money could be better used for improving the industry. The country also still does not have a permanent storage for spent fuel.

The Dukovany and Temelin plants are located near the border with Austria, which abandoned nuclear energy after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear explosion. In 2000, a dispute over the Temelin plant resulted in a political crisis and blocked border crossings for weeks.

Austria remains the most nuclear-skeptical EU country and its lower house of Parliament has already rejected the Czech small modular reactors plan.

 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

AI's superior ability to formulate thoughts and statements for us weakens our judgment and ability to think critically, says media professor Petter Bae Brandtzg.

No one knew about Chat GPT just three years ago. Today, 800 million people use the technology. The speed at which AI is rolling out breaks all records and has become the new normal.

Many AI researchers, like Brandtzg, are skeptical. AI is a technology that interferes with our ability to think, read, and write. "We can largely avoid social media, but not AI. It is integrated into social media, Word, online newspapers, email programs, and the like. We all become partners with AIwhether we want to or not," says Brandtzg.

The professor of media innovations at the University of Oslo has examined how AI affects us in the recently completed project "An AI-Powered Society."

The freedom of expression commission overlooked AI

The project has been conducted in collaboration with the research institute SINTEF. It is the first of its kind in Norway to research generative AI, that is, AI that creates content, and how it affects both users and the public.

The background was that Brandtzg reacted to the fact that the report from the Norwegian Commission for Freedom of Expression, which was presented in 2022, did not sufficiently address the impact of AI on societyat least not generative AI.

"There are studies that show that AI can weaken critical thinking. It affects our language, how we think, understand the world, and our moral judgment," says Brandtzg.

A few months after the Commission for Freedom of Expression report, ChatGPT was launched, making his research even more relevant.

"We wanted to understand how such generative AI affects society, and especially how AI changes social structures and relationships."

AI-Individualism

The social implications of generative AI is a relatively new field that still lacks theory and concepts, and the researchers have therefore launched the concept of "AI-individualism." It builds on "network individualism," a framework which was launched in the early 2000s.

Back then, the need was to express how smartphones, the Internet, and social media enabled people to create and tailor their social networks beyond family, friends, and neighbors.

Networked individualism showed how technology weakened the old limits of time and place, enabling flexible, personalized networks. With AI, something new happens: the line between people and systems also starts to blur, as AI begins to take on roles that used to belong to humans.

"AI can also meet personal, social, and emotional needs," says Brandtzg.

With a background in psychology, he has for a long time studied human-AI relationships with chatbots like Replika. ChatGPT and similar social AIs can provide immediate, personal support for any number of things.

"It strengthens individualism by enabling more autonomous behavior and reducing our dependence on people around us. While it can enhance personal autonomy, it may also weaken community ties. A shift toward AI-individualism could therefore reshape core social structures."

He argues that the concept of "AI-individualism" offers a new perspective for understanding and explaining how relationships change in society with AI. "We use it as a relational partner, a collaborative partner at work, to make decisions," says Brandtzg.

Students choose chatbot

The project is based on several investigations, including a questionnaire with open-ended answers to 166 high school students on how they use AI.

"They (ChatGPT and MyAI) go straight to the point regarding what we ask, so we don't have to search endlessly in the books or online," said one high school student about the benefits of AI.

"ChatGPT helps me with problems, I can open up and talk about difficult things, get comfort and good advice," responded a student.

In another study, using an online experiment with a blind test, it turned out that many preferred answers from a chatbot over a professional when they had questions about mental health. More than half preferred answers from a chatbot, less than 20% said a professional, while 30% responded both.

"This shows how powerful this technology is, and that we sometimes prefer AI-generated content over human-generated," says Brandtzg.

'Model power'

The theory of "model power" is another concept they've launched. It builds on a power relationship theory developed by sociologist Stein Braten 50 years ago.

Model power is the influence one has by being in possession of a model of reality that has impact, and which others must accept in the absence of equivalent models of power of their own, according to the article "Modellmakt og styring" (online newspaper Panoramain Norwegian).

In the 1970s, it was about how media, science, and various groups with authority could influence people, and had model power. Now it's AI.

Brandtzg's point is that AI-generated content no longer operates in a vacuum. It spreads everywhere, in public reports, new media, in research, and in encyclopedias. When we perform Google searches, we first get an AI-generated summary.

"A kind of AI layer is covering everything. We suggest that the model power of social AI can lead to model monopolies, significantly affecting human beliefs and behavior."

Because AI models, like ChatGPT, are based on dialog, they call them social AI. But how genuine is a dialog with a machine fed with enormous amounts of text?

"Social AI can promote an illusion of real conversation and independencea pseudo-autonomy through pseudo-dialog," says Brandtzg.

Critical but still following AI advice

According to a survey from The Norwegian Communications Authority (Nkom) from August 2025, 91% of Norwegians are concerned about the spread of false information from AI services like Copilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini.

AI can hallucinate. A known example is a report the municipality of Troms used as a basis for a proposal to close eight schools, was based on sources that AI had fabricated. Thus, AI may contribute to misinformation, and may undermine user trust in both AI, service providers and public institutions.

Brandtzg asks how many other smaller municipalities and public institutions have done the same and he is worried about the spread of this unintentional spread of misinformation.

He and his researcher colleagues have reviewed various studies indicating that although we like to say we are critical, we nevertheless follow AI's advice, which highlights the model power in such AI systems.

"It's perhaps not surprising that we follow the advice that we get. It's the first time in history that we're talking to a kind of almighty entity that has read so much. But it gives a model power that is scary. We believe we are in a dialog, that it's cooperation, but it's one-way communication."

American monoculture

Another aspect of this model power is that the AI companies are based in the U.S. and built on vast amounts of American data.

"We estimate that as little as 0.1% is Norwegian in AI models like ChatGPT. This means that it is American information we relate to, which can affect our values, norms and decisions."

What does this mean for diversity? The principle is that "the winner takes it all." AI does not consider minority interests. Brandtzg points out that the world has never before faced such an intrusive technology, which necessitates regulation and balancing against real human needs and values.

"We must not forget that AI is not a public, democratic project. It's commercial, and behind it are a few American companies and billionaires," says Brandtzg.

More information: Marita Skjuve et al, Unge og helseinformasjon, Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning (2025). DOI: 10.18261/tfv.27.4.2 Petter Bae Brandtzaeg et al, AI Individualism, Oxford Intersections: AI in Society (2025). DOI: 10.1093/9780198945215.003.0099
Pima County and eight environmental groups are trying to stop the state Land Department from selling 160 acres that Hudbay Minerals Inc. wants to buy in the Santa Rita Mountains foothills south of Tucson so it can deposit mine tailings there.

But the Land Department, rejecting the opponents arguments, has agreed to put the parcel up for auction at Hudbays request. For this sale, the state has appraised the land, next to Hudbays Copper World site, at about $993,000.

Hudbay says if it can put tailings on this state land, it could, in turn, create a buffer elsewhere between its mine wastes and residential neighbors in Corona de Tucson.

Opponents say that by selling this parcel, the state will facilitate additional mining at Copper World, because buying it will allow Hudbay to process more copper from the overall mine site and increase its sales revenue by at least $344 million, they estimate, at the environments expense.

Land Department officials, however, say theyre obligated under the state constitution to raise maximum revenue from their lands to help public schools and universities. Opponents complain that the departments appraisal significantly undervalued the parcel by appraising it under its current zoning of rural residential use rather than for its future, lucrative mining use.

The eight groups have written to Gov. Katie Hobbs asking her to block the sale, but Hobbs staff declined to comment on the issue. Hobbs told the Star on Nov. 5 that she couldnt comment because I havent been briefed on the issue, but she promised to get a comment to the paper later.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors, which has fought the state land sale for a few years, reaffirmed its opposition to the sale as well as the mine itself in an Oct. 21 resolution.

Acreage is north of future open pits

The mine is slated for about 4,500 acres of private land on the Santa Rita Mountains west slope. Toronto-based Hudbay also talks of expanding operations later to the mountains east slope, where its earlier Rosemont Mine proposal has been blocked by court rulings for over six years.

The company promises Copper World will create more than 400 long-term, direct jobs and another 3,000 indirect jobs, as well as infuse $170 million and $250 million in tax revenue into state and local coffers, respectively. Hudbay said it will invest $1.7 billion to build the mines first of two phases.

Opponents say its construction will destroy thousands of acres of valuable wildlife habitat and pump thousands of acre-feet of groundwater from an aquifer thats already being pressured by pumping for nearby Green Valley and Sahuarita.

Copper Worlds future will not rise or fall solely on the fate of these 160 acres. The mine has already received the three major state permits it needs regarding air quality, groundwater protection and mine reclamation.

A lawsuit filed by opponents is pending over another Land Department agreement to provide Hudbay an 11-acre right-of-way to carry tailings across a separate state land parcel, but a win by opponents there would more likely delay, rather than stop, mining.

In the current case, mine opponents say Hudbays purchase of the 160 acres would amount to the state Land Department facilitating the project despite what they see as the likelihood that the mines groundwater pumping on nearby private land would reduce the value of other state land near the mine site.

Hudbay says the land purchase would let it offer a buffer to neighbors long wary of the companys plans.

The 160 acres are directly north of the large block of private land on which Hudbay plans to build five open pits. It lies just south of another planned mine tailings area that, in turn, sits just south of the burgeoning Corona de Tucson subdivision community running north from that area along Houghton Road.

That area just south of Corona de Tucson is one of three sites that Hudbay earmarked for mine tailings disposal in a map in its 2023 preliminary feasibility study for Copper World. That map didnt include the 160 acres of state land its now seeking to buy.

About making money

Opponents say Hudbays own 2023 report on the project shows the 160 acres will provide enough space for tailings to let the company mine and process 41 million additional tons of copper ore over Copper Worlds expected 20-year life.

John Dougherty, director of the opposition group Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, said, Conservative calculations show this would be worth $344 million. These guys are about making money like any business.

Their obligation to their shareholders is to maximize the amount of money they can make. If they have a chance to make an extra $344 million in revenue they will do it, said Dougherty, contending that the companys use of the buffer issue is a smokescreen to mask its monetary goals.

A company spokesman said Hudbay officials dont know how much additional revenue would be generated due to the 160 acres, but that their primary motive for buying the land is mitigation, not profit.

Acquiring this 160-acres will allow Copper World to significantly increase the buffer space between (another tailings facility it owns to the north) and nearby adjoining properties located at the southern edge of Corona De Tucson, the company wrote to the Star.

The company said it intends to use this parcel as part of an overall tailings management facility that will be designed and built to the highest engineering and environmental standards to ensure public health, safety, and environmental protection.

Furthermore, this 160-acre parcel is orphaned and landlocked, partially surrounded by the Copper World project. The immediate sale of this land will bring the best value to the state trust and meet its fiduciary responsibility, Hudbay said.

Dougherty also pointed to a comment in Hudbays 2023 preliminary feasibility study that described the tailings site north of the 160-acre site as optional.

In the current mine plan, this location would not be utilized for tailings storage until Year 15 of operations. Hudbay believes that a preferable alternative location for tailings storage can be secured by that time, the feasibility study said.

Speaking to that comment, Dougherty said that based on maps of the area, Hudbay needs the 160-acre parcel to access its other private land for the waste dump, including the site directly to the north near Corona de Tucson.

But because Hudbay has already said the northerly tailings site is optional, Dougherty said that calls into question the credibility of its statement that buying the 160 acres now will let it move tailings disposal away from the northerly parcel that isnt needed now.

There is absolutely no need for the State Land Department to auction the 160-acre parcel at this time. If Hudbay needs the 160 acres in 15 years, let them come back and ask for it then, Dougherty said.

Hudbay officials declined to respond to questions from the Star about the 2023 report, calling the northerly tailings facility optional.

But in its written statement, the company said Save the Scenic Santa Ritas statement about Hudbays alleged desire to increase revenue by buying that site is a red herring, attempting to distract from the community benefit that moving the facility further away from nearby residents and the school will bring. We have made this commitment to mitigate our impact on our neighbors and will continue to seek other opportunities.

A Hudbay spokesman said Dougherty accurately stated that 41 million additional tons of copper ore could be mined as a result of this 160-acre parcel, but that its really hard to estimate how much the sites use would mean to company revenues, since we dont know what copper will be trading for in the future.

We dont know if we can get as much tailings out of the land to the north. This commitment weve made for this mitigation opportunity, we will not be able to achieve that, without the 160 acres, the spokesman said.

Pima County concerns

The state Land Department has declined a request from Pima County Administrator Jan Lesher to cancel the sale. Land Department official Lynn Cordova told the Star she expects it will be sold by auction sometime in 2026, no later than May 8, following at least 10 weeks of public advertisements of the impending sale.

The Arizona State Land Department is required to act in the best interest of the Trust, Cordova, the departments legislative policy administrator, told the Star. The commissioner has determined that its in the best interest of the Trust to sell the land.

She did not elaborate, but the department holds state lands in trust and is obligated to generate revenue, primarily for K-12 education, universities and other public institutions, by selling or leasing the land.

The Arizona State Land Trust supports K-12 schools, universities, and other public agencies by generating revenues via the sale and use of state lands and the investment of proceeds from the sales. The trust currently includes about 9.2 million acres of land.

Any proposed use of the land will need to comply with all existing environmental regulations that may exist at the federal and state levels, Cordova said, adding, Compliance with these regulations is not within the purview of the Land Department.

Among other things, Pima County cites a lack of commitment by Hudbay to ensure that if the 160 acres is purchased, the buffer between that land and Corona de Tucson would be preserved. County officials noted, for instance, that when the Land Department first broached the idea of selling this parcel in 2023, along with a couple of smaller parcels to be used as a buffer, the department told county officials it couldnt legally require Hudbay to keep the buffer parcels permanently free of tailings.

On Oct. 29, Hudbay sent Lesher a letter offering an assurance that the land north of the 160 acres it wants to buy will be kept undeveloped as a buffer between tailings and neighboring homes.

Once the 160-acre auction is noticed, Copper World would begin the planning to alter the northern border of its Tailings Storage Facility-North southward for the purpose of increasing the buffer between the facility and what would otherwise be nearby adjoining properties located at the southern edge of the Corona de Tucson community, wrote Javier del Rio, Hudbays senior vice president for Hudbays USA business unit.

Our ability to achieve this community mitigation benefit is solely dependent on the timely acquisition of this parcel so that project design can be changed to incorporate this mitigation, del Rio wrote.

But mine opponents say Hudbays commitment to preserve the buffer is meaningless without a formal deed restriction placed on that property something that Land Department officials have at least implied isnt legally possible.

Asked by the Star if Hudbays recent letter had eased the countys concerns about the land sale, Deputy County Administrator Carmine DeBonis replied it hadnt changed the county governments opposition to the mine or the land sale, which will facilitate development of the mine.

He noted the county has now passed four resolutions since 2007 opposing the mine or reaffirming that opposition, including the most recent one last month.
Mark Boggett co-founded Seraphim Space as the space tech investor marks its 10th anniversary.

As CEO of the worlds leading global space investor, Mark Boggett can see anything up to 200 diverse opportunities land on his desk every month.

Since the pioneering space tech fund was launched a decade ago, the Briton has marvelled at companies connecting a bluetooth item on Earth from space to on-the-ground radars which can detect cosmic objects the size of a small coin.

From the outset, Seraphim Space has built a global brand and a huge following on social media and its reach now allows the company to see a majority of the global deal flow in space.

We have this visibility that no one else has got, says Boggett, who co-founded the company in 2016. It ultimately leads to our USP which is that we see every space business. When we see a new one we know if its special or not.

Read More: I was an antiques dealer before Gen Z helped grow our stationery sales to $50m

Crucially for Boggett and his partners, it also helps educate investors. In its portfolio of 147 space tech companies and led by defence startups, seven have become valued at 1bn and only three have failed. The British-based firms net asset value has also surged to 259.8m.

Seraphim Space runs three key venture funds; an accelerator focused on supporting start-up companies access finance, a private venture fund while, in 2021, the worlds first publicly listed space tech fund was listed.

Boggett says he was originally drawn into the sector during a risk averse, expensive period for the industry before the space economy expansion led to satellite deployment becoming increasingly cheaper and more accessible.

Seraphim Space has invested in the world's first microsatellite synthetic aperture radar to monitor natural catastrophes and hazards like flooding.

He cites Elon Musk's SpaceX and reusable rockets as the key driver. In 2024, a launch into orbit occurred every 34 hours, with thousands of satellites the size of cars and buses and now the size of microwaves and shoe boxes with more capability able to see Earth in real time and provide new forms of communication.

It's the next generation of space capability and its game changing, says Boggett.

The space industry is set to become one of the most prized sectors in the global economy and is projected to reach 1.4 trillion by 2035.

Where once it took serious investment and time to send into orbit, more than half of the 18,000 satellites launched in space history have arrived since 2020. Analysts predict 100,000 in space during the course of this decade.

Boggett, who grew up in Manchester, studied for a degree in accountancy from University of Leeds and then a masters in economics and finance. Having trained in the investment side, his career has been focused in deep technology.
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1.32 Cr voters with dubious records in Bihar final list: Investigation

As many as 1.32 crore voters are still there in the Bihar electoral rolls released after Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Reporters Collective has found after investigation

Wednesday October 8, 2025 3:10 PM , ummid.com News Network

New Delhi: As many as 1.32 crore voters are still there in the Bihar electoral rolls released after Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Reporters Collective has found after investigation.

1.32 crore voters across the 243 assembly seats of Bihar continue to have dubious or fake addresses in these finalised voter rolls, the Reporters Collective said.

Reporters Collective in its report titled The Mess, called ECIs Final Voter List for Bihar has classified dubious and fake addresses as those where the Election Commission of India has registered more than 20 voters under the same address.

Duplicate Voters

The Reporters Collective in its finding also said it found more than 14.35 lakh suspect duplicate voters.

"These are the voters with two different IDs but same names, same name of a relative, and an age difference of 0-5 years.

"Of them about 3.42 lakh duplicates were the most alarming, where the ages on both voter IDs matched perfectly as well. Additionally, there were tens of thousands of cases where people across Bihar hold at least three EPIC IDs", the report said.

The Reporters Collective conducted this analysis in collaboration with a group of data analysts for all 243 assembly constituencies, followed by reporting in select constituencies to verify the data analysis.

Bihar SIR

The Reporters Collective published its report a week after the Poll Panel released on September 30, 2025 the Final Electoral Rolls of Bihar following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.

The ECI had in August released the draft voter lists with deletion of around 65 lakh voters. The list had sparked a massive outrage and the matter went to the Supreme Court of India.

Based on the Final Electoral Rolls the Election Commission has announced to hold the 2025 Assembly Elections in Bihar in two phases in November .

6L Muslim Voters Deleted

A separate analysis, conducted by researchers Yogendra Yadav and Rahul Shastri for The Indian Express, further reveals that the revision process resulted in the deletion of around 80 lakh eligible voters and disproportionate removal of Muslims from the final list.

They further said that names of around 6 lakh Muslim voters and 16 lakh female voters have been deleted from the Final Bihar Electoral Rolls released after completion of SIR.

Yadav and Shastri in their report questioned the CEC Gyanesh Kumar who said, The voters list in Bihar has been purified."

"We can't fully trust the final voter list released by the Election Commission", they said.

SC Directive to EC

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of India has ordered the Election Commission to provide the complete details of 3.66 lakh voters deleted from the Final Electoral List by October 09, 2025.

The Supreme Court also asked the Poll Panel to clear the confusion about the 21.53 lakh voters added in the final list. The SC asked the EC to explain whether these voters are new or the one whose names were not included in the draft list released in August.

The SC also asked the Poll Panel to maintain transparency in the process.

The Supreme Court during earlier hearings had warned the Election Commission that the voter lists revision could be annulled if any illegality is detected.



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The Boston Global Forum recently introduced the book Artificial Intelligence Society at Harvard University, marking 30 years of VietnamU.S. diplomatic relations. Co-authored by Professor Thomas Patterson and Nguyen Anh Tuan, the book outlines AI-driven opportunities for Vietnam.

Nguyen Anh Tuan at the book launch of Artificial Intelligence Society

Presented by the Harvard Faculty Club and the Boston Global Forum (BGF), the book launch coincided with the 2025 World Leader for Peace and Security Award ceremony honoring spiritual leader Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The event also celebrated the awards 10th anniversary.

Artificial Intelligence Society: 30 Years of U.S.Vietnam Partnership  From Nha Trang to Boston (19952025) is a collaborative work between Prof. Thomas Patterson (Harvard University) and Nguyen Anh Tuan (Co-founder, Co-chair and CEO of BGF, and former Editor-in-Chief of VietNamNet).

Published bilingually (VietnameseEnglish) by Tri Thuc Publishing House, the 486-page, 30-chapter book offers a symbolic and vivid account of the VietnamU.S. relationship through the lenses of technology, peace, and innovation.

The book is divided into two main parts:

Part I: Nguyen Anh Tuan  Experience and Creation (15 chapters) adopts an autobiographical style, sharing the Vietnamese co-authors reflections and initiatives, while highlighting emerging AI opportunities for Vietnam.

Part II: Thomas Patterson  Love for Vietnams People and Culture (15 chapters) presents the Harvard professors heartfelt and profound observations on Vietnams culture and development.

The birth of the AIWS model

At the heart of the book is the creation and evolution of the AI World Society (AIWS) model - a new social framework co-founded in 2017 by Governor Michael Dukakis and Nguyen Anh Tuan.

The book details the 20-year friendship between Patterson and Tuan, which ultimately inspired the AIWS initiative.

In his epilogue, Governor Dukakis writes: "Under Tuans inspiring leadership and far-sighted vision, BGF launched the AIWS initiative. It is truly special that I co-founded this pivotal effort with him..."

Professor Patterson adds: "My friend Tuan is a true visionary. This realization didnt strike like lightning - it unfolded gradually through lived experience, keen observation, and above all, witnessing the growth of his early ideas into tangible efforts."

Nguyen Anh Tuan shared during the launch that AIWS is a "shared child of Vietnam and the United States." In the book, he writes that the initiative is a harmonization of Vietnams best values with the methodologies and strategic thinking of Harvard University and Governor Dukakis, creating meaningful global contributions.

Global impact and contributions from leading thinkers

Nguyen Anh Tuan  Co-founder, Co-chair, and CEO of BGF, and former Editor-in-Chief of VietNamNet.
Dalton Rhone, a traveler from the United States, recently visited Vietnam and explored several provinces including Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, and Thanh Hoa.

He described Ninh Binh as one of the most captivating destinations in northern Vietnam, famous for its stunning landscapes and flavorful food.

Among the culinary highlights, one dish stood out as a signature of the region: fish stewed with gao fruit.

Dalton tries Ninh Binhs specialty: fish stewed with gao fruit.

At first glance, many mistake the name fish stewed with gao as referring to a cooking method involving a ladle (gao in Vietnamese), similar to how fish is stewed in clay pots. But in fact, the dish uses the gao fruit, native to Ninh Binh and some southern provinces.

The stew can be made with either ripe or green gao fruit. Ripe gao is bright yellow with a mildly sour flavor, while unripe gao offers a tart, astringent taste similar to unripe figs.

The gao fruit is native to Ninh Binh. The yellow outer layer is its flower; the fruit appears after the flower falls.

Dalton shared that the homestay where he stayed in Ninh Binh had a gao tree. The staff invited him to pick and taste the fruit, turning it into an unexpected local experience.

I felt lucky to visit Ninh Binh during the gao harvest season, around September to October. It was a unique chance to try this rare fruit, Dalton said.

According to him, locals often eat gao fruit with salt. It can be enjoyed while still green for its sourness, or when ripe, offering a flavor reminiscent of blueberries.

Its really hard to describe. Some say it looks like rambutan, but the taste is nothing like it, he added.

Fish stewed with gao is best cooked in clay pots over a wood fire for hours.

Dalton was especially impressed by the gao fish stew.

The dish combines rich flavors from fish and pork belly with the subtle sweetness of the gao fruit, creating a fruity yet savory taste Ive never encountered before.

Not only that - the gao fruit stays slightly crunchy even after hours of stewing, giving it a very satisfying texture that contrasts beautifully with the tender meat and fish, he explained.

Dalton enjoys the fish stew with hot rice, praising its rich aroma and depth of flavor.

After the meal, Dalton couldnt hide his excitement. He called fish stewed with gao an extraordinary dish, unlike anything he had tasted in Vietnam or elsewhere.

This is a dish you absolutely must try if you come to Ninh Binh, he declared.

Nguyen Hong Thu Trang, a local in the tourism business who has both prepared and tasted the dish many times, shared that locals typically use snakehead fish or field perch for the stew.

The fish must be fresh - either cut into chunks or stewed whole. The gao fruit is halved or sliced and soaked in water to prevent discoloration.

The stew combines the slightly tangy, astringent taste of gao with the firm, savory flavor of the fish.

Photo credits: Dalton Rhone

To make the dish more flavorful and juicy, locals often add pork belly, along with fish sauce, pepper, and caramel sauce to enhance the color and aroma.

Before cooking, a layer of ginger, lemongrass, and galangal is placed at the bottom of the clay pot to infuse fragrance and prevent burning as the stew simmers down.

The gao fruit is placed on top, as it cooks quickly and allows its tangy essence to seep down into the fish and meat.

The stew is best when slow-cooked in a clay pot over a wood fire for several hours. When done, the fish is firm but tender, with a deep, fragrant aroma.

Its perfect with hot rice, especially in winter. Gao fruits slightly nutty, sour flavor - similar to figs - also helps mask the fishiness, Trang explained.

Aside from fish stew, gao fruit is sometimes used in sour soups, replacing tamarind or dracontomelon as the tangy element.

Thao Trinh
Photo courtesy of Bui Hanh Nhung.

With a GPA of 3.66/4, the Quang Ninhborn student ranked first in the Materials Technology major under the Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering, at the university. She is also the first student of the university to successfully defend a thesis with a perfect score of 10, especially notable in the engineering field.

Hanh Nhung's graduation project was about a new material, nanocomposite complex, applied in sensor manufacturing to detect pesticide residues in food.

Five years ago, Hanh Nhung was the top entrant to this program, with a university entrance score of over 26/30 points.

Nhung told VietNamNet she was not surprised by the result after her continuous efforts, but said she did not expect to surpass male classmates to become the valedictorian of the Materials Technology field.

Engineering is often seen as a male-dominated field. What I achieved proves that there is nothing women cannot do, said Nhung.

During high school, she hesitated for a long time before deciding on a career path. One day, after reading news about material science, she became intrigued and realized that materials are not only related to construction.

Out of curiosity, I continued to learn more and found that the field of materials science is very broad. I saw its potential for growth, especially as society demands more skilled workers in this field, she said.

After visiting Phenikaa University, she was impressed by the facilities and the enthusiasm of the professors, which motivated her to apply.

Studying in an engineering field, she gradually got used to the fact that female students made up only about one-fifth of the class, and sometimes, only one or two girls were in a course.

She noted that the biggest challenge was the heavy load of knowledge in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing.

We were even trained in programming and information technology, Nhung said.

She spent long hours in laboratories, sometimes from early morning until 10 pm, as some experiments could not be interrupted halfway.

This is a demanding and somewhat dry field, but its also fascinating and meaningful. At first glance, it might seem repetitive like other engineering majors, but in reality, it is closely connected to practical human life, she said.

During her studies, she gained hands-on experience tightening screws, working on assembly lines, and visiting factories.

Fortunately, my male classmates always helped us girls with tasks that required physical strength, Nhung recalled.

Through constant effort, Hanh Nhung achieved numerous awards, including Phenikaa Universitys Outstanding Student Award for multiple academic years and Third Prize at the 2023 National Student Chemistry Olympiad.

She also won two First Prize in the universitys Scientific Research Competitions (academic years 20222023 and 20232024) and a Consolation Prize in the 2023 Ministry-level Student Research Contest.

Remarkably, she has had four international publications indexed in ISI, including two Q1 and two Q2 papers. All of her research focuses on materials for sensor applications.

In 2024, Hanh Nhung was honored with the Vietnam Female Student in Science and Technology Award, presented by the Central Youth Union and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

She has no special study secrets or specific methods. The most important thing, she said, was flexible time management and knowing what to prioritize at different times.

In class, I focused on the lecture and was not afraid to ask questions when I did not understand something. I often visited professors offices or sent emails to ask for clarification, she said.

Alongside studying and doing research, Nhung was also active in youth union and student association activities, earning titles such as Five-Good Student (2023 and 2025), the January Star Award 2023 from the Vietnam National Union of Students, and Outstanding Youth Union Officer of Hanoi 2023 from the Hanoi Youth Union.

Participating in extracurricular and communication club activities helped me balance the demanding life of a female engineering student. These activities also helped me develop soft skills and make student life more colorful, Nhung said.

Regarding her future plans, she intends to pursue a masters degree, and possibly a PhD, if conditions allow.

I feel happy when conducting research and developing new materials with practical applications in science and daily life. I want to go further because I believe science and technology are vital. They are the lifeblood of a nations development, she said.

Thanh Hung
from left: Hoang Huong, Pho Duc Dam, Vo Thi Ngoc Ngan

Legal experts say that property seizure is a preventive measure to stop asset dispersal and ensure future enforcement of court judgments.

Before his arrest, TikToker Pho Duc Nam (Mr Pips) was known for videos flaunting his lavish lifestyle and sharing tips on making money to hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok and YouTube.

This hot TikToker was prosecuted to investigate the crimes of fraud to appropriate property and money laundering. Related to the case, the police agency seized and froze huge assets, estimated at over VND5,200 billion.

Specifically, the assets included: VND316 billion in accounts, bonds worth VND9 billion, savings books worth over VND200 billion, VND69 billion in cash, $2.3 million in cash, 890 SJC gold bars, 246kg of pure gold bars, 31 supercars, seven luxury motorcycles, 59 famous-brand watches worth about VND300 billion, and 84 gold jewelry items inlaid with diamonds.

The appropriate agencies froze transactions on 125 properties.

On December 27, 2024, the police agency seized an additional VND12 billion, 18 apartments and villas, and $500,000 in a foreign account.

Regarding the case of producing and selling fake food led by Vo Thi Ngoc Ngan (Ngan 98), on October 15, HCMC police said they coordinated with the Peoples Procuracy to search the defendant's residence, seizing 80 pink books (land-use right certificates), over $8,000, four savings books, and two cars to serve the investigation and verify asset origin.

The investigation agency is continuing to clarify the relationship between the seized assets and Ngan 98's criminal activities, while verifying the origin of the money flow related to producing and selling fake food under Ngan's direction.

In another development, on October 6, at the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) press conference, a representative of the Investigation Police Office (C01) said the ministrys Investigation Police Agency has prosecuted the case and the defendant, and temporarily detained Hoang Thi Huong (aka Hoang Huong, owner of the Hoang Thi Huong business household and owner of the Hoang Huong ecosystem) for the crime of violating accounting regulations, causing serious consequences.

Initial investigation results determined that Hoang Huong has 18 companies, 25 business households, and 44 individuals named in businesses within the ecosystem set up by Huong to sell functional foods, health protection foods, and other products.

To evade taxes, Huong directed employees to record revenues under household businesses and individuals. From January 2021 to June 2025, the defendant left nearly VND1,800 billion in revenue out of accounting books and wrongly declared VAT tax on nearly VND2,100 billion in revenue.

The Investigation Police Agency seized two assets of Hoang Huong, with an estimated value of over VND300 billion, to remedy the damage.

Lawyer Dang Van Cuong told VietNamNet that under the current laws, asset attachment is one of the preventive measures to avoid asset dissipation and ensure judgment execution.

The asset attachment measure is applied to defendants charged with crimes for which the 2015 Criminal Code provides for fine penalties, asset confiscation, or forced compensation to ensure judgment execution.

Besides coercive measures like asset attachment and account freezing, procedural agencies can also attach and freeze assets derived from crime or assets of criminal origin to ensure judgment execution.

In principle, assets derived from crime can be confiscated, while assets related to crime or criminal tools can be determined as case evidence and handled according to evidence handling principles.

The investigation agency will clarify the methods and tricks used to commit the crimes, determine the exact amount of money the suspects appropriated from the victims, and trace how the money was transferred, laundered, or concealed.

All assets obtained through criminal acts, assets related to crimes, and even those generated from the execution of criminal acts must be identified and subjected to preventive or coercive measures for recovery. These assets are considered evidence in criminal proceedings and will be handled according to the law.

For criminal assets or crime-related assets located abroad, Vietnamese investigative authorities will coordinate with the host countries to verify their origins and ownership, requesting relevant individuals to hand over or transfer these assets to Vietnamese authorities for handling under Vietnamese law.

In principle, the settlement of criminal cases involving foreign individuals or assets located overseas will comply with international law, judicial assistance treaties, and principles of international relations. For countries that do not have mutual legal assistance agreements or bilateral or multilateral treaties with Vietnam, such matters may be handled through diplomatic channels.

T. Nhung
This years festival featured a variety of traditional Vietnamese and Japanese rituals and artistic activities, including sutra chanting at the Tam The Hall of Tam Chuc pagoda, Xam folk singing, flower-offering and Buddha recitation ceremonies (Pure Land Buddhism), sutra writing (Japanese Buddhist tradition), a lantern night, morning meditation sessions, and a Buddha offering ceremony at Ba Sao Pagoda.



Notably, at the festival, the Japanese Buddhist delegation performed the sacred fire Goma ritual, which intends to overcome difficulties and fulfill wishes. Symbolising the power of fire, the ritual reminds people to appreciate the blessings of the sun - the life-giving energy - and harness its strength to dispel misfortune and illness.

The Japanese Buddhist delegation perform the sacred fire Goma ritual, which intends to overcome difficulties and fulfill wishes. (Photo: VNA)



According to Venerable Thich Minh Quang, Deputy Chief of the Vietnam Buddhist Sanghas Office and deputy head of Tam Chuc pagoda, the festival is held biennially, with Tam Chuc pagoda once again selected as this years venue.



The festival is a spiritually significant event that prays for national peace and well-being, while helping Buddhists and the people gain a deeper understanding of the distinctive cultural rituals of Buddhism of the two nations.



It also contributes to further tightening the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, and promoting the national tourist area to international visitors, particularly the Japanese community living and working in Vietnam./.VNA
The land designated for Gia Binh Airport in Bac Ninh province lies beside National Highway 17, intersected by Route 280, and is currently surrounded by vast rice fields.

Covering nearly 2,000 hectares, with an investment of over 196 trillion VND (approximately 8 billion USD), the construction of Gia Binh Airport is underway with initial groundwork and technical infrastructure already being developed.

The area is a sprawling plain located about 40 kilometers from Hanois iconic Hoan Kiem Lake.

Heavy machinery has been operating continuously in recent days to level the ground. In terms of size, Gia Binh Airport surpasses both Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports (which each span around 1,500 hectares), second only to Long Thanh Airport (about 5,000 hectares).

The master plan includes four runways - arranged in two pairs located to the north and south, separated by 1,800 meters for independent operation. The airport will be equipped with taxiways, aprons, and flight operation facilities designed to 4F standards, making it the largest airport project in northern Vietnam.

Recently, the Bac Ninh provincial government disbursed over 1.997 trillion VND (about 81 million USD) in compensation to 4,054 households across Gia Binh, Nhan Thang, and Luong Tai communes, covering over 436 hectares to accelerate site clearance.

Land clearance for agricultural plots is scheduled for completion no later than November 30, 2025, while resettlement areas are to be ready by December 15, 2025.

Gia Binh Airport is planned to serve as the main air gateway for northern Vietnam - a regional hub for passenger and cargo transportation, boosting economic development in the Red River Delta.

The airport will meet ICAO 4F standards, capable of handling new-generation wide-body, long-range aircraft.

Project timeline and infrastructure

The Gia Binh Airport project will be developed in two phases:

In the first phase (20212030), two runways - each 3,500 meters long and 45 meters wide, spaced 1,800 meters apart - will be constructed. The airport is expected to handle up to 30 million passengers and 1.6 million tons of cargo annually.

By 2050, nearly 53 trillion VND (around 2.1 billion USD) will be invested to expand capacity to 50 million passengers and 2.5 million tons of cargo per year. Two additional runways will be built in the southern section, meeting international aviation technical standards.

Gia Binh International Airport is planned to connect directly with expressways from Hanoi and Hai Phong, and will also feature urban rail links to Hanoi and the national railway network.

At a working session on November 12, Hanois Party Committee approved the investment policy for a new road connecting Gia Binh Airport to the capital, developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) in a build-transfer (BT) model.

According to the Hanoi Peoples Committee, this route will pass through Tu Son and Phu Khe in Bac Ninh and the communes of Thuan An, Phu Dong, Thu Lam, and Dong Anh in Hanoi. Infrastructure construction is expected to begin between 2025 and 2026, with a projected total investment of approximately 32.97 trillion VND (about 1.34 billion USD).

The Gia Binh Airport construction zone in Bac Ninh spans nearly 2,000 hectares. Photo: Thach Thao

The site lies adjacent to National Highway 17, crossed by Route 280. Photo: Thach Thao

Machines operating non-stop to level the site. Photo: Thach Thao

Construction site for Gia Binh Airport. Photo: Thach Thao

Construction zones are restricted with signage and barriers. Photo: Thach Thao

Gia Binh Airport site location next to Highway 17 and Route 280. Photo: Google Maps

Thach Thao
The PM and his entourage were welcomed at the airport by the Kuwait PMs Advisor Basel Humood AL Sabah, who is also a member of the royal family; Minister of Social Affairs, Family and Childhood Affairs Amthal Al Huwaila; and Ambassador of Kuwait to Vietnam Yousef Ashour Al-Sabbagh. The Vietnamese side included Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwait Nguyen Duc Thang, embassy staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Kuwait.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse begin a three-day official visit to Kuwait (Photo: VNA)

Kuwait is the first stop on PM Prime Minister Chinhs working trip to three countries, including Algeria and South Africa. This is the first visit by a Vietnamese Prime Minister to Kuwait in 16 years, and timed a head of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries (January 10) next year.



Over nearly five decades, Vietnam and Kuwait have enjoyed strong and positive development. The two countries have maintained regular high-level visits and exchanges, as well as bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Kuwait is currently Vietnams largest trading and investment partner among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Bilateral trade reached 7.3 billion USD last year. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) is partnering with Japan in the 9 billion USD Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical LLC, committing to supply crude oil on a long-term basis.



The two countries have also maintained cooperation in other areas. They have established several locality-to-locality agreements, including those between Ho Chi Minh City and Ahmadi province, and between Thanh Hoa and Al Farwaniyah provinces. In addition, the two sides have cooperated closely and supported each other at multilateral forums.

Embassy staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Kuwait welcome Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife (Photo: VNA)

During the trip, the Vietnamese PM is scheduled to meet with Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, hold talks with Kuwaiti PM Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and receive several ministers and executives of major Kuwaiti conglomerates. The Vietnamese Government leader will visit several socio-economic establishments and deliver a speech at the Kuwait Diplomatic Institute.



The two sides will discuss directions, measures, and a broader framework for deeper cooperation in the near future, aiming to strengthen bilateral relations and elevate them to a new level. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinhs visit to Kuwait underscores Vietnams determination to implement its foreign policy strategy toward the Middle East, and to realise Resolution 59 on international integration in the new context./.VNA
As seafood exports face growing challenges from the global economic slowdown, technical barriers in importing markets, and rising input costs, developing the domestic market is increasingly seen as a strategic direction to stabilise production, maintain supply chains, and reduce dependence on external markets.

Experts note that local consumers are showing a growing preference for high-quality seafood products that are safe, hygienic, and traceable. This trend presents an opportunity for exporters who already meet strict international standards to reach domestic buyers with premium products.

However, many enterprises struggle to access modern distribution systems. Despite having reputable brands and advanced production capacity, some find it hard to compete with smaller producers whose lower-quality products often dominate due to lower prices and inconsistent quality control.

Le Hang, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), said the main challenges facing the industry are related to business mindset and strategy. Most seafood companies are focusing primarily on exports and do not pay enough attention to the domestic market.

Their efforts in communication, branding, and storytelling for local consumers are still lacking. Even the members of VASEPs club for domestic seafood suppliers, which includes around 30 businesses, have yet to effectively promote their products to local customers, she noted.

In addition, many companies still rely on traditional sales methods and have yet to tap into modern distribution channels, especially e-commerce. VASEP estimates that only about 2025% of seafood enterprises are actively engaged in online platforms.

Consumer habits also pose barriers, particularly in rural areas where shoppers still prefer fresh over frozen products and are not fully aware of the safety and quality benefits of deeply frozen seafood processed under strict control for antibiotic residues and hygiene.

Distribution infrastructure remains another challenge. High discount rates, logistics costs, and strict quality requirements make it difficult for enterprises to enter supermarket chains and trade centres, leaving traditional markets and small-scale distributors as the main sales outlets.

Dang Huu Kien, Senior Advisor at the Vietnam Fisheries Corporation JSC, noted that Vietnam produces around 4 million tonnes of caught seafood annually, with 52% used for frozen processing and the rest consumed domestically. Out of 5 million tonnes of farmed aquatic products, about 70% is exported, with the remainder serving the local market.

He pointed out that domestic consumption remains fragmented and largely spontaneous, with limited structured links between supply and demand. Even government trade promotion events and exhibitions have yet to generate a lasting impact.

To unlock the domestic markets potential, Hang said stronger coordination between enterprises and management agencies, especially the Ministry of Industry and Trade, is crucial to build a modern, professional supply chain from production to distribution. She called for reduced commercial discount pressures, improved cold logistics, and standardised cooperation processes to support businesses. Product sampling and domestic exhibitions, modelled after the Vietfish international seafood exhibition, could also help bring processed seafood closer to local consumers.

She added that e-commerce channels such as Shopee, TikTok Shop, and Zalo OA should be leveraged more effectively to expand market reach. At the same time, companies must maintain strict production standards and ensure traceability from farm to table to build consumer trust.

According to Kien, it is essential to establish a comprehensive ecosystem connecting producers, processors, distributors, and consumers. Stronger multi-party cooperation between authorities, enterprises, and farmers or fishers will help fix fragmented production and enhance the value of Vietnamese seafood in the domestic market./.VNA
The official celebration will take place on November 15 in Hanoi.

A particularly meaningful moment will be the presence of Alix Turolla Tardieu, 92, the granddaughter of Victor Tardieu - the founder and first principal of the Indochina College of Fine Arts - and her son Giacomo Tardieu, both traveling from Italy.

Also attending is Arnaullt Fontani, the great-grandson of Evariste Jonchere, the school's second principal. Leaders from central government agencies and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism will also be present.

Organizers hold a press conference to announce the centennial celebration activities.

During the ceremony, the university will receive a Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister and another from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism for its outstanding achievements in training, research, and artistic creation.

The university will also unveil a commemorative publication titled 100-Year Imprint: From Indochina College of Fine Arts to Vietnam University of Fine Arts, along with a documentary film Vietnam University of Fine Arts  A 100-Year Journey.

As part of the centennial celebration, three major exhibitions will spotlight the evolution of Vietnamese fine arts:

100+ Exhibition (October 31  November 15, at the universitys museum) features outstanding student works from the Faculty of Painting, across three key disciplines: lacquer, oil painting, and silk. It affirms the current academic quality of the institution.

100 Years of Modern Vietnamese Fine Arts (November 1424, at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum) showcases 150 paintings, sculptures, and reliefs from the collections of the Vietnam University of Fine Arts, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum, A&V Foundation, and the family of painter Ngo Manh Lan.

Archival photo of the Indochina College of Fine Arts
With high waves and strong winds, and no flat land to gather materials, construction conditions were extreme. All materials - cement, steel, and stones - were shipped from the mainland and carried manually onto the island. During the construction of the pier, military engineers lived and worked directly on the island in harsh conditions.
At the fifth meeting of the Governments Steering Committee on Science, Technology, Innovation, Digital Transformation, and Project 06, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced a plan to allocate approximately $3.8 billion from the 2026 state budget toward these priorities.

The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Chinh, took place on the morning of November 15 at the Government headquarters. It gathered senior officials including Deputy Prime Ministers Le Thanh Long, Ho Duc Phoc, Bui Thanh Son, Mai Van Chinh, and Ho Quoc Dung, alongside leaders of ministries, agencies, and representatives from universities, enterprises, and major tech corporations.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the fifth meeting of the Governments Steering Committee on science, innovation, digital transformation, and Project 06. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

According to reports presented at the meeting, since the implementation of Resolution 57-NQ/TW by the Politburo, there has been decisive and comprehensive leadership in promoting science and technology (S&T), innovation, digital transformation, administrative reform, and Project 06.

The Government and Prime Minister have issued 12 directives, 22 telegrams, and 28 formal conclusions to translate Resolution 57 into actionable policies. Ministries and localities have implemented 370 of 944 tasks, while 176 more are underway within schedule - amounting to a 67% on-time completion rate.

Significant strides have been made in developing policies and legal frameworks. Since the beginning of 2025, the Government submitted 19 draft laws and 10 resolutions related to S&T, innovation, and digital transformation. During the 10th National Assembly session, nine critical laws were tabled for approval.

In October alone, the Government issued 10 decrees related to tech and innovation, totaling 22 new decrees issued in 2025.

A supplemental budget of approximately $1 billion has already been allocated in 2025. The 2026 budget, approved by the National Assembly, will reserve around $3.8 billion for these efforts.

Science, innovation, and digital transformation have become key growth drivers. Eleven strategic technology groups and 35 strategic product categories were approved, with six to be deployed in 2025. The National Technology Initiative Portal and Tech Exchange have been launched. Vietnam retains its 44th place among 139 countries in the Global Innovation Index.

Digital infrastructure is expanding rapidly. Vietnam ranks in the global top 13 for Internet speed. 5G now covers 39.5% of the population. A 3,900-km fiber optic link to Singapore has been completed. Multiple AI data center projects are in progress, with a proposed Super Data Center in Ho Chi Minh City under review.

Vietnams digital industry continues to thrive. According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the ICT sector recorded over $165 billion in revenue during the first 10 months of 2025, a 52.4% increase year-on-year. Exports of digital products hit $142 billion, up 27%.

Tax management, e-invoicing, and cashless payment systems have advanced considerably. Over 315,000 businesses are using e-invoices generated from POS systems, with 3.58 billion e-invoices issued. Tax collection from e-commerce reached $6.1 billion, up 64%. Social support disbursements totaling $1.3 billion and $7.2 million in disaster aid were processed via the VNeID platform.

Digital government and Project 06 have delivered practical benefits. Two-tier local governments now operate effectively. E-government services are becoming more proactive and data-driven. Over 132.4 million banking profiles and 1.4 million customer records have been verified using chip-based ID cards.

66.7% of hospitals nationwide and 74% of provincial public hospitals have adopted electronic medical records. Five million digital party membership cards have been issued. The VNeID platform offers 50 services and receives 1.5 million visits daily. It was also used to collect 5.4 million public comments on the draft documents for the 14th Party Congress.

The centralized digital signing platform has been launched. The "Digital Mass Literacy" initiative has trained 203,000 learners, reducing training costs by 80%.

Administrative reforms have intensified. More than 741 procedures have been decentralized, 1,007 administrative procedures simplified, and 222 business conditions eliminated. A government-approved plan aims to reduce 3,071 procedures and 2,269 conditions affecting business activities.

Efforts to train and attract high-quality human resources have also accelerated. A national chief engineer selection was held, and leading universities have introduced AI and innovation into their curricula. Nearly 50 international cooperation agreements have been signed in 2025.

Looking ahead: six major tasks

In his concluding remarks, Prime Minister Chinh acknowledged the substantial progress achieved and praised the commitment of ministries, localities, research institutions, businesses, and citizens. However, he emphasized ongoing challenges such as slow implementation of key plans, uneven development of databases, and inadequate digital infrastructure in remote areas.

Disbursement of funding remains inconsistent, and theres a shortage of skilled personnel, especially in AI, data science, and cybersecurity. Coordination across ministries is lacking, and data sharing is still fragmented. Bureaucratic inertia, fear of accountability, and outdated regulatory frameworks are further hindering progress.

The Prime Minister called for stronger political will, clearer delegation of responsibilities ("six clarities": person, task, timeline, responsibility, authority, deliverable), and a results-oriented approach. He advocated for inclusive, risk-sharing policies that benefit the state, businesses, and citizens while avoiding waste, corruption, and inefficiency.

By the end of 2025, Vietnam aims to complete all overdue and in-year digital transformation targets. At least 80% of public services should be delivered entirely online.

Six overarching directions:

All ministries and localities must complete their data systems by the end of 2025, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and accessibility.

Legal frameworks must be updated in sync with new laws, with eight draft laws expected to pass in the 10th National Assembly session.

Digital infrastructure, especially in localities, must be modernized and interoperable. Idle infrastructure should be repurposed effectively.

Digital workforce development should be prioritized. Local "digital literacy squads" will engage communities directly to accelerate transformation.

Data privacy and cybersecurity must be guaranteed at all times and for all users.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) will be introduced to monitor implementation in real time.

Further action items

Prime Minister Chinh instructed each minister, provincial leader, and agency head to assume full responsibility for achieving 2025 targets and to submit commitment documents. Ministries must expedite decrees in accordance with upcoming laws and continue legal reviews to support new service models.

A national strategy on digital transformation and data must be finalized by November 25 by the ministries of Agriculture, Environment, Health, Culture, Sports, Tourism, and the Government Inspectorate.

A comprehensive audit of digital service provision and database governance will be conducted by December, following Ministry of Public Security guidelines.

All relevant agencies must revise 322 legal documents and align administrative procedures for seamless cross-provincial digital service delivery.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will launch a national program for strategic tech products and a framework to support global digital enterprises and public R&D institutions. It will also oversee nationwide 5G deployment and resolve issues related to the Starlink project, aiming for 500,000 users by 2026.

The Ministry of Public Security will develop digital election tools for VNeID and fast-track the launch of National Digital Data Center 01, with a second center under review. A government resolution on digital society and governance is due by December 15.

The Ministry of Education will digitize lifelong learning records and academic credentials, with 100% digitization to be completed by Q1 2026.

The Ministry of Health will finalize a national electronic health records plan, detailing targets for coverage, connectivity, and data interoperability.

The State Bank and commercial banks will effectively implement a $20 billion credit program to finance strategic digital infrastructure.

The Ministry of Finance, in coordination with the Ministry of Science and Technology, will ensure timely allocation of budget resources for high-priority and interregional tech projects, such as data centers, national laboratories, and key databases.

All agencies are expected to swiftly register funding and begin immediate implementation of their assigned tasks.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will also coordinate preparations for the 2025 year-end Steering Committee review meeting.

VGP
Vietnams negotiating delegation was led by Minister of Industry and Trade and Government Chief Negotiator Nguyen Hong Dien, joined by members of the negotiating team and representatives from the Ministries of Public Security, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Home Affairs, Agriculture and Environment, Science and Technology, and Justice, and the State Bank of Vietnam.

During the talks, the Vietnamese and US delegations made major progress on multiple issues, including services, digital trade, agriculture, technical barriers to trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS), while narrowing differences on outstanding matters.

In the closing session, representatives from the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) and the Vietnamese negotiating team stated that the talks yielded positive results, laying a favourable foundation for the early conclusion of the Vietnam  US Reciprocal Trade Agreement.

Notably, the US side highly valued the goodwill, effort and creative approach of the Vietnamese delegation, particularly the results of the direct meeting between Minister Dien and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held immediately before the official technical negotiation session. Responding to Vietnams proposals, the US side offered initial positive feedback and indicated it could consider further steps based on the overall negotiation outcome.

The two sides also agreed on follow-up work after this round and consented to hold several online meetings in the coming days to continue addressing outstanding issues and prepare for a virtual ministerial-level negotiation between Greer and Dien, slated for later in November.

Besides the negotiations, Minister Dien held working sessions with the US Under Secretary of State, members of the House of Representatives including the Chair of the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives, and met with leaders of major US technology and semiconductor companies as well as the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), to promote bilateral economic, investment and trade cooperation, and call for support for Vietnams reciprocal trade negotiations./.VNA
A representative from the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations praised Van Nguyen as a prominent figure in the journey of safeguarding and promoting heritage through performing arts.

Yuji Suzuki, Director-General of the Japan Federation of UNESCO Associations, expressed admiration for the projects Van Nguyen has carried out. He remarked that the growth of Vietnams cultural industry owes much to artists who persistently pursue heritage like him.

Van Nguyen shared that receiving the title from UNESCO is an immense encouragement, fueling his creativity grounded in tradition. Every project he pursues seeks to combine heritage with technology and contemporary theatre to create new experiences that resonate more with younger audiences.

Over the years, he has made his mark through various heritage-related projects, including:

The upgraded 2024 version of the live stage spectacle The Quintessence of Vietnam.

The 20222023 music series honoring the dan bau (Vietnamese monochord).

A portfolio of theatrical works about the Tu Tran sacred temples of Thang Long.

The 2018 Vietnam Cultural Week and International Exchange Festival.

A collection of plays depicting ancient crafts of Thang Long.

Tinh Le
Travelers have all kinds of hacks for saving money on flightsfrom joining airline loyalty programs to flying on certain days and packing light to avoid extra baggage fees. But one controversial money-saving travel hack thats gained notoriety recently is a practice known as skiplagging.

Skiplagging (also known as the hidden city flying) is where you skip out on the last leg of your flight, getting off at the layover city rather than the final destination, Aktarer Zaman, CEO of Skiplagged, a search engine that uses an algorithm to reveal hidden-city flights, explained to me in an interview.

He gives this example: A flight from New York to Orlando might be $350, but a similar flight from New York to Dallas with a layover in Orlando might be $170. His platform shows travelers both of those routes, and those who choose the cheaper option then get off at the layover destination, which, in this scenario would be Orlando.

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Skiplagged, Zaman says, was built to empower travelers by giving them different flight options so they can save some money when booking flights. About half of the flights booked through the site are purchased within a week of travel, which is when last-minute airfare is more costly, Zaman explains.

But skiplagging requires some extra strategies and you could get in trouble with airlines if they find out that youre using the hidden city trick.

Ahead, Zaman and other travel experts answer popular questions about skiplagging.

Why Dont Airlines Like Skiplagging?

Skiplagging, or hidden city flying, has become a controversial travel hackwhere passengers intentionally exit at the layover city to save money, despite airlines pushback against the practice. (Vizerskaya via Getty Images)

Airlines arent smitten with skiplagging for a couple of reasons.

Skiplagging disrupts airline pricing models, which are based on passengers completing their full itineraries, explains Jesse Neugarten, CEO and Founder of Dollar Flight Club, a site that sends cheap flight alerts. When travelers skip legs of their journeys, it can lead to lost revenue for airlines and complicate seat allocation and planning.

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Some major airlines have filed suit against Skiplagged. In October 2024, a federal jury awarded American Airlines $9.4 million in its copyright infringement and ill-gotten revenue suit against Skiplagged, about half of what the airlines attorneys asked for in closing arguments. But other have also taken turns going after Skiplaggeda judge in 2015 dismissed a United lawsuit against the site, and Southwests 2021 lawsuit was settled out of court.

American Airlines has said that when a customer doesnt fly all of the segments on their itinerary, it can lead to operational problems with checked bags and prevent other customers from booking a seat when they might have an urgent need to travel.

Intentionally creating an empty seat that could have been used by another customer or team member is an all-around bad outcome, the media statement said.

The way Zaman sees it? If airlines were to reduce airfare to hub cities, itd shut down the practice of skiplagging entirely.

What Are The Pros and Cons of Skiplagging?

The appeal of skiplagging is simple: it can save you a lot of money, Neugarten says.

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For budget-conscious travelers or those frustrated by the rising cost of airfare, skiplagging offers an opportunity to stretch travel budgets further, he says. Its a tempting option for anyone looking to hack the system for cheaper flights.

Those who book on Skiplagged save, on average, 47% or $180 on their flights, Zaman says. In the past year, 298,967 people have skiplagged, according to the data, saving a combined $53.6 million, according to the sites statistics.

The cons surrounding skiplagging can include landing in hot water with your preferred airline.

Skiplagging is not illegal, but it does violate the terms and conditions set forth by most airlines, explains travel advisor Duncan Greenfield-Turk, CEO of Global Travel Moments.

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Airlines could punish travelers who try the hidden-city trick by stripping away miles and frequent flyer benefits, barring them from future flights, and charging them for the missed segment, Greenfield-Turk says.

Still, Zaman says about 99.7 of travelers who have used the site to skiplag in the month were able to successfully complete their trips without any problems.

How Do You Get Caught Skiplagging?

Hidden-city flying starts with a single boarding passsome travelers use layovers as their true destination, a money-saving tactic that airlines are increasingly cracking down on (Alona Horkova via Getty Images)

Skiplagging does require some extra strategy when traveling.

For starters, travelers cant book round-trip flights if theyre skiplagging. Youll need to book one-way tickets if you are traveling. Thats because if you miss a leg on your departing flight, the airline will cancel the rest of your trip.

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If youre skiplagging, you cant check a bag because it will arrive at baggage claim in your itinerarys final destination. Zaman recommends traveling lighttaking only a backpack with you that can fit under the seat of you. Anything larger risks getting checked at the gate, and all checked bags will end up at the final ticketed destination, he says.

When you book your flight, dont plug in your frequent flyer account. If you do, the airline might strip any miles youve accrued with them, he cautions.

A final caution: Dont overuse hidden-city itineraries. Flying on the same route with the same airline many times within a short time frame raises a red flag that youre frequently skiplagging, Zaman says.
Vu Thi Thuy, CEO of Nhat Nam Real Estate

She used VND4,144 billion to pay back earlier investors, while nearly VND5,000 billion was embezzled and spent for personal purposes.

According to the indictment, on July 2, 2019, Vu Thi Thuy founded Nhat Nam Company with charter capital of VND50 billion. By the end of July 2019, she had changed its registration from Nhat Nam Real Estate Service Trading Investment Co., Ltd. to Nhat Nam Real Estate Trading Investment JSC.

At that time, the company raised its charter capital to VND200 billion, of which Thuy contributed VND100 billion, her ex-husband Mai Thanh Tung VND50 billion, and another person named Vu Duc Tai VND50 billion. Thuy served as the companys legal representative, chairwoman of the board, and CEO.

In fact, Tung and Tai were only named as shareholders and did not contribute capital to the company. By September 2022, Thuy changed the business registration, moved the company headquarters to HCMC, and reduced the charter capital to VND80 billion, with the defendant contributing 99.8 percent.

The indictment states that after establishing Nhat Nam Company, Thuy began raising funds from investors. She created a network to approach and persuade victims through a corporate leadership team consisting of herself and two deputy CEOs, Tran Thien Tam and Trinh Van Ton.

Vu Thi Thuy also established a Strategic Board, an Advisory Board, business groups, and representative offices in various provinces to implement the strategy of advertising, introducing, and expanding the scope of capital mobilization for the company. The indictment shows that Nhat Nam Company opened 32 representative offices in Hanoi, HCMC, and other provinces and cities.

The 'herding' tricks

To attract many investors, Thuy lured the naive by promising that upon signing a contract and depositing money with Nhat Nam Company, they would receive profit distribution (including both principal and interest) on a daily basis (excluding holidays). After two days, the company would pay a profit distribution rate of 78 percent/month, equivalent to the investor receiving 168192 percent of the contract value (over a 2-year term).

Additionally, every month, or during company establishment events, holidays, and Tet, Thuy offered promotional policies and rewards to investors who signed contracts. The larger the investment amount, the higher the incentive was, such as giving gold, travel vouchers, and adding cash to the contract value.

In addition, investors were granted Expanded Shareholder Certificates, received dividends every three months, were given a company real estate purchase voucher worth VND250 million, and received instant bonuses.

These incentive policies were only offered for a short period of 1030 days, creating a sense of urgency for investors to sign contracts immediately so as not to miss the promotion, leaving individuals little time to consider and evaluate.

In reality, Nhat Nam Company's business activities in real estate investment, restaurants, and hotels were ineffective, incurring losses of billions of VND. However, in 2022, Thuy establish a series of companies more, including Nhat Nam Son Tay Investment and Construction JSC, Song Da Nhat Nam Group JSC, Nam Nhat Khang Investment JSC, and Song Da Invest JSC, to continue using these legal entities to sign capital mobilization contracts.

The indictment points out that the Nhat Nam Real Estate CEO used a small portion of the investors' contributed capital to purchase some land in provinces and cities like Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Central Highlands, Dak Lak, Tay Ninh, Phu Quoc, and Bac Giang.

Still, this land was mostly agricultural land, perennial crop land, or 50-year leased land, with only some areas used for building subdivided houses, which were then advertised as large real estate projects developed by Nhat Nam Company.

To build trust, and to provide status and means for company members (Strategic Board, office managers), Thuy even signed fake contracts (where no money was actually deposited into the company) worth billions to tens of billions of VND and granted Strategic Shareholder Certificates to the Deputy General Directors and Strategic Board members.

Afterward, the company's Board of Directors and Strategic Board used these contracts and certificates for advertising to attract investors. Thuy instructed the accountant to pay "sham" profit distributions for the "sham" contracts as if they were real contracts.

Thuy also instructed accountants to pay out fake profit distributions for these non-existent contracts, later deducting them from internal bonuses and commissions.

Through these tactics, from 2020 to 2023, Thuy and her accomplices convinced thousands of investors to sign more than 43,000 investment contracts, collecting VND9,113 billion. She used VND4,144 billion to pay back earlier investors, while nearly VND5,000 billion was embezzled and spent for personal purposes.

T. Nhung
By observing and listening, we can begin to predict the shape of literature in the coming decade. Whether we like it or not, our generation will eventually step aside - and it is the young who will define the future of Vietnamese literature, Thieu remarked.

AI doesn't replace people - it expands creative possibility

Half a century after national reunification, Vietnamese literature has undergone a profound transformation. Once focused on war and liberation, it has since embraced the renewal period and assimilated cultural essence from both East and West - resulting in a literary landscape that is modern yet uniquely Vietnamese.

Representing the new generation, writer Cao Viet Quynh pursues genres like fantasy and science fiction, blending Western narrative inspiration with Vietnamese mythology.

He believes young writers today have unprecedented opportunities, thanks to technological advances - particularly artificial intelligence (AI).

AI doesnt replace humans; it expands creative range, he said. It supports writers in research, world-building, character development, and accelerates both speed and depth of storytelling. If we embrace technology while holding firmly to our Vietnamese cultural core, this generation can create works that are both original and globally resonant.

Cultural identity: The roots of creativity and integration

Writer Le Quang Trang believes that national identity is the lifeblood of enduring literature. Preserving this identity doesnt mean clinging to the past, but rather infusing the Vietnamese spirit into contemporary storytelling.

He recounted a trip to China where he attended a performance of Yanan, Yanan - a play over 50 years old that still packed theatres with young audiences. They revitalized tradition using technology, lighting, sound, and advanced stagecraft. It was, he said, a masterclass in how cultural heritage can become fuel for fresh creativity - something Vietnamese literature should learn from.

We have an endless reservoir of themes, characters, cultural and historical material. The question isnt whats left to write, but rather how to write in a way that moves people, that brings the Vietnamese soul to the world, Trang said.

Todays youth are well-educated and globally connected, but sometimes forget to listen to their own inner voice. For Vietnamese literature to thrive globally, it must return to cultural identity - not as nostalgia, but as a source of contemporary regeneration. When the Vietnamese soul is placed at the center, our literature can step into the world on its own terms.

He also called for stronger support structures to help young writers not only survive - but thrive and reach wider audiences. These include a national strategy to promote Vietnamese literature through cinema, tourism, theater, and other creative industries; more creative grants, translation programs, writing residencies, and international literary forums; and reforms in writing and literary criticism education, helping young authors find their own voice and unique perspective - not just technical skill.

Most importantly, he emphasized, we must view literature as a central part of cultural life. Young writers want to walk alongside the nation - with their words, intellect, and spirit of renewal.

A new literary era demands fresh preparation

Reflecting on the journey of Vietnamese literature since 1975, writer Vu Anh Duc said now is the time to prepare for a new era.

What I want to emphasize is that literature is movement - its not the static words already printed on the page, Duc said. We must prepare for a new age in Vietnamese literature.

To help Vietnamese literature go further, he advocated for well-structured investment in literary translation - especially translations focused on specific historical periods - to offer comparative insights and broaden the nation's literary vision.

Tinh Le
WASHINGTON DC  Minister of Trade and Industry Nguyen Hong Dien has recently had a working session with Jacob Helberg, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, in Washington DC, as part of his US visit to facilitate the 5th round of talks on a bilateral trade agreement.

In the meeting, the Vietnamese official reaffirmed that Viet Nam consistently views expanding cooperation with the US in high technology as a strategic step aligned with the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Viet Nam aims for growth driven by science, technology and innovation, striving for an average growth rate of more than 10 per cent over the next decade. Cooperation with the United States in artificial intelligence (AI), advanced technologies and the development of a technology ecosystem is therefore considered appropriate and essential.

The trade minister stressed that Viet Nam has shown goodwill in trade negotiations, helping the US secure favourable outcomes with various partners.

For that reason, Viet Nam hopes for reasonable and flexible solutions consistent with the comprehensive strategic partnership and requested that the US consider removing Viet Nam from the D1 and D3 lists restricting exports of high-tech products, as well as recognising Viet Nams market economy status. These steps would help lay the groundwork for stronger cooperation in the future.

Under Secretary Jacob Helberg expressed his pleasure at meeting the Minister again and highly valued Viet Nams proactive approach, especially its AI cooperation initiatives. The US side reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cooperation with Viet Nam in security, energy, logistics, supply chains and manufacturing.

Helberg recalled discussions with Minister Dien held earlier in Malaysia, highlighting shared priorities such as advancing cooperation in leading technologies, building a high-tech ecosystem and promoting mechanisms to protect foundational industries, particularly semiconductors and AI.

He noted that Viet Nam possesses significant manufacturing strengths and holds strategic importance for the US in developing high-tech sectors.

He welcomed Viet Nams proposals and said he would report them fully to senior US leaders, including President Donald Trump. The UnderSecretary emphasised two parallel approaches: advancing the reciprocal trade agreement and expanding strategic cooperation in economic security, supply chains and technology. He proposed establishing shared principles to serve as the basis for developing sector-specific MOUs and launching pilot projects.

Minister Dien expressed confidence in the Under Secretarys role in promoting bilateral relations and hoped the two sides would soon achieve concrete and substantive results that would help advance the Viet NamUS partnership in the years ahead.  VNS
HA NOI  According to the agreed plan, the fifth round of in-person negotiations on the Viet NamUnited States Reciprocal Trade Agreement concluded after the three-day session from November 12 to 14 in Washington DC, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported.

Viet Nams negotiating delegation was led by Minister of Industry and Trade and Government Chief Negotiator Nguyen Hong Dien, joined by members of the negotiating team and representatives from the Ministries of Public Security, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Home Affairs, Agriculture and Environment, Science and Technology, Justice and the State Bank of Viet Nam.

During the talks, the Vietnamese and US delegations made major progress on multiple issues, including services, digital trade, agriculture, technical barriers to trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS), while narrowing differences on outstanding matters.

In the closing session, both the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the Vietnamese negotiating team assessed the round as highly positive, creating favourable conditions for the early conclusion of the Viet NamUS Reciprocal Trade Agreement.

The US highly valued the goodwill, effort and creative approach of the Vietnamese delegation, particularly the results of the direct meeting between Minister Dien and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held immediately before the official technical negotiations. Responding to Viet Nams proposals, the US side offered initial positive feedback and indicated it could consider further steps based on the overall negotiation outcome.

The two sides also agreed on follow-up work after this round and consented to hold several online meetings in the coming days to continue addressing outstanding issues and prepare for a virtual ministerial-level negotiation between Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Minister Dien, expected later in November.

In addition to the negotiations, Minister Dien held working sessions with the US Under Secretary of State, members of the House of Representatives including the Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, and met with leaders of major US technology and semiconductor companies as well as the Footwear and Apparel Association, to promote bilateral economic, investment and trade cooperation and rally support for Viet Nams reciprocal trade negotiations.  VNS
HA NOI  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, accompanied by his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran and a high-level Vietnamese delegation, left Ha Noi on Sunday for official visits to Kuwait and Algeria, and attendance at the G20 Summit along with bilateral engagements in South Africa.

The trip, from November 16 to 24, is made at the invitations of PM Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al Sabah of Kuwait, PM Sifi Ghrieb of Algeria, and President of South Africa and G20 Chair for 2025 Cyril Ramaphosa.

PM Chinh's participation in the G20 Summit reflects Viet Nam's high regard for cooperation with G20 members and international partners. It also underscores the countrys growing role, stature and international standing, as well as its increasingly active and responsible contributions to multilateral conferences and forums.

At the same time, the trip demonstrates Viet Nam's consistent policy of valuing its relations with Middle Eastern and African countries, including South Africa, Kuwait, and Algeria.

The trip aims to strengthen political trust, further deepen friendship, and promote multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and South Africa, Kuwait, and Algeria in particular, and with countries in the Middle East and Africa in general.

Through this trip, Viet Nam wishes to advance and create new momentum for its bilateral relations with the three countries, toward new heights. A key focus is to promote the signing of agreements that will create a legal framework for bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, and other areas of strength, while strengthening collaboration at international organisations and multilateral forums.

PM Chinh's tour of these three countries continues implementing foreign policy set at the 13th National Party Congress, as well as the Politburos Resolutions No. 34-NQ/TW and No. 59-NQ/TW on international integration in the new context, and the Secretariats Conclusion No. 125-KL/TW dated February 14, 2025, on promoting and enhancing and elevating multilateral diplomacy until 2030.  VNA/VNS
KUWAIT  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse Le Thi Bich Tran, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation landed at Kuwait International Airport on Sunday afternoon (local time), beginning an official visit to the Middle Eastern country from November 16 to 18.

The visit is made at the invitation of Kuwaits Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

Welcoming the Vietnamese delegation at the airport were Basel Humood Al-Sabah, a member of Kuwaits royal family and advisor to the Kuwaiti Prime Minister; Amthal Al-Huwaila, Minister for Social Affairs, Labour, Family and Youth; and Yousef Ashour Al-Sabbagh, Kuwaits Ambassador to Viet Nam. On the Vietnamese side were Ambassador Nguyen uc Thang, embassy staff, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Kuwait.

Kuwait is the first stop on PM Chinhs working trip to three countries, which also includes Algeria and South Africa where he will attend the G20 Summit. This is the first visit to Kuwait by a Vietnamese Government leader in 16 years and comes ahead of next years celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties (January 10, 19762026).

Nearly five decades after diplomatic relations were established, Viet NamKuwait relations have grown positively. The two countries maintain high-level visits and contacts as well as bilateral cooperation mechanisms. Kuwait is currently Viet Nams largest trade and investment partner among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, with two-way trade last year reaching US$7.3 billion. Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) is working with Japan on the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex (NSRP), a $9-billion project with a long-term crude oil supply commitment.

The two countries also maintain cooperation in other sectors. Several local-to-local cooperation agreements are already in place, including between HCM City and Ahmadi Province and between Thanh Hoa Province and Al Farwaniyah Province. Both sides also coordinate and support each other at multilateral forums.

During the visit, PM Chinh will carry out a number of important activities, including meetings with Emir Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah and Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah; official talks with Kuwaits counterpart; visit socio-economic facilities, work with major Kuwaiti economic groups and deliver a policy speech at the Kuwait Diplomatic Institute.

The two sides will also discuss and agree on directions, measures and a framework for deeper cooperation to strengthen bilateral ties and elevate them to a new level. PM Chinh's visit to Kuwait reaffirms Viet Nams determination to implement its foreign policy strategy towards the Middle East and to realise Resolution 59-NQ/TW on international integration in the new context.  VNS
VIENNA  Ghada Waly, outgoing Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has praised Viet Nam's proactive and constructive participation in negotiation and preparations for the signing ceremony of the UN Convention against Cybercrime recently held in Ha Noi.

In a farewell meeting in Vienna on November 14 with Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Vu Le Thai Hoang, who is also Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the UN and other international organisations in Vienna, Waly conveyed her thanks to Viet Nam's senior leaders, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other relevant agencies for their efforts in warmly hosting the UN Secretary-General, as well as over 2,500 international delegates from all continents.

With 72 countries signing the Convention over October 2526 and many preparing to join, Viet Nam hosted a historic UN signing ceremony, opening new opportunities to promote global cooperation in the fight against cybercrime, she said.

The UN official affirmed that the signing ceremony marks a positive start to the process ahead, with UNODC continuing to support Viet Nam in implementing the Convention, particularly in capacity building, technical assistance, and connecting with international partners.

For his part, Hoang expressed his gratitude to UNODC and Waly for their contributions to the close and positive cooperation between Viet Nam and UNODC, describing it as a model of effective collaboration between a UN organisation and a member state.

The signing ceremony marked a historic milestone in the international communitys efforts to establish a global legal framework to address the growing complexities of cybercrime, he said, stressing that Viet Nam highly values UNODCs coordination and technical support throughout the preparations for the signing ceremony, particularly Walys practical contributions as the head of UNODC.

The success of the signing ceremony also creates opportunities for Viet Nam to play a stronger role in multilateral processes moving forward, particularly in the ratification of the Convention and in negotiating instruments for its effective implementation, the diplomat added.

The two sides discussed cooperation orientations to build on the success of the signing ceremony, including plans to organise a series of events to promote the Convention and encourage countries to sign and ratify it quickly, ensuring its early entry into force.

Hoang said the Vietnamese Embassy in Austria is planning the 2nd Viet NamAustria technology forum in Vienna, focusing on cybersecurity cooperation, expressing the hope to work with UNODC to ensure the events success.

The Vietnamese diplomat wished Waly, who also served as Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna, success in her new role, and expressed confidence that the cooperation between Viet Namand UNODC will continue to strengthen, significantly contributing to the UNs efforts for peace, security, and sustainable development around the world.  VNA/VNS
PHU QUOC  Park Eun Jung, Chief Representative of the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) in Viet Nam, on Saturday visited a fruit seller in Phu Quoc special zone to thank him for helping Korean tourists find their lost mother.

The Chief Representative also presented the Vietnamese man, Tran Hoang Phuong, with a commendation letter from the agency.

At Phuong's fruit shop on Tran Hung ao Street, Phu Quoc, An Giang Province, Park Eun Jung, together with city leaders and Phuong, had a cheerful exchange.

Park Eun Jung expressed her gratitude and presented a laptop as a souvenir gift to Phuong.

She said the story of Phuong helping a Korean tourist find her lost mother has been widely reported by many media outlets in South Korea.

Recently, we see more and more Korean tourists coming to Viet Nam, including Phu Quoc, and they really love this place because of its beautiful landscapes and special products. It is even better when recently, a Phu Quoc citizen named Phuong helped one of our people find a lost mother while travelling here. We are very touched by his action and came here to express our gratitude, said Park Eun Jung.

Phuong said, I was truly surprised today when the KTO came to visit and thank me. I did not expect that my small action would have such a widespread impact.

Nguyen Thi Kim Loan, Vice Chairwoman of the Phu Quoc City People's Committee, said local leaders warmly welcomed, acknowledged and appreciated Phuongs action.

The act has sent a very positive message to tourists domestically and internationally.

Currently, local authorities encourage residents, businesses and Party members to raise awareness and responsibility to build Phu Quoc sustainably, friendly and hospitable with the motto that every citizen is a tourism ambassador.

At about 7pm on November 2, Phuong was at his fruit shop when two Korean tourists reported their mother missing and asked for camera footage to help search. The lost mother, about 70 years old, was senile, and her children were very worried. After about 15 minutes checking the camera, Phuong discovered she had passed by his shop.

Seeing her children still searching on the street, he worried because they were unfamiliar with the area and did not speak Vietnamese. He asked his wife to watch the shop, took a motorbike, and went with the woman's son to look for her, asking people along the way but with no results after an hour.

In that situation, Phuong posted information on social media asking nearby people to help search. Shortly after, someone reported seeing the elderly lady walking with a cane toward Suoi May area. He immediately rode his motorbike to follow and luckily found her walking along the road, then took her back with her son.

After finding the mother, her son offered Phuong about US$500 as thanks, but he firmly refused.

Seeing them panicked and worried, I just wanted to help, not thinking about money. Not only if foreigners, if Vietnamese were in that situation, I would also willingly help within my ability, Phuong said.

For his kind act, last Tuesday, Phuong also received commendations by leaders of Phu Quoc City.  VNS
HCM CITY  Vietnamese authorities have ordered the immediate recall and destruction of a batch of sunscreen labeled A Cosmetics Mem Perfume Moisture Whitening SPF 45+ after laboratory testing revealed it offers an actual SPF of just 2, far below the advertised 45+.

The recall was issued by the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV) following quality testing by the Lam ong Department of Drug and Cosmetic Testing at Ngoc Dung Pharmacy in a Lat.

The tests showed a serious discrepancybetween the claimed sun protection factor on the label and the products true performance.

Investigations also found the products origin unclear.

The companys registration listed it merely as a soft whitening body cream, with no SPF or sun protection function, making the SPF 45+ label illegal.

The recalled batch, lot number 262024, comes in 150g jars and is marketed by Phuong Anh Cosmetics Co., Ltd (in former Tan Phu District, HCM City), while manufacturing was conducted by Kachi-H Cosmetics Co., Ltd in Tay Ninh Province.

Authorities have directed provincial health departments to notify all retailers and pharmacies to immediately stop selling or using the affected batch and return it to suppliers.

The DAV and local authorities are overseeing the recall and destruction of all units, and are advising the public not to use the product.

Lam ong authorities have also been instructed to inspect Ngoc Dung Pharmacy for compliance with cosmetics business regulations and to assist in tracing the products origin.

Both Phuong Anh and Kachi-H companies are required to fully cooperate with the investigation.

Sun Protection Factor (SPF) measures how effectively a sunscreen protects skin from UVB radiation.

Experts warn that using counterfeit or substandard cosmetics can expose users to harmful chemicals, skin irritation, long-term skin damage, and potentially toxic absorption.

This incident follows a series of recent enforcement actions against fake or substandard cosmetics in Viet Nam.

On November 13, the DAV ordered the recall of LYZEEN Whitening Protective Spectrum Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++, confirmed as counterfeit.

Earlier, businessman Nguyen Quoc Vu, husband of celebrity oan Di Bang, and two others were accused of producing more than 1,600 counterfeit sunscreen products.

Vietnamese authorities continue to strengthen oversight of cosmetics and personal care products to protect consumer health amid rising cases of fraud and quality violations.  VNS
Thuy Dung

The Man Bac archaeological site in ong Thai Commune in the northern province of Ninh Binh dates back nearly 4,000 years and is broadly representative of the late Neolithic culture in Viet Nam, particularly during the transitional period between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age.

After numerous ancient burial sites, tools, pottery and traces of habitation were unearthed at the site, Man Bac has provided valuable insights into the area's prehistoric population.

Developing a sustainable conservation strategy that integrates research and promotes tourism is essential to share the site's value with the community.

Traces of ancient Viet Nam

Mount Man Bac has a crescent shape that surrounds a closed valley, known as Thung Vung. Next to this valley is a flat, elevated area at the foot of the mountain, where archaeologists discovered traces of prehistoric habitation in March 1998.

Since then, the Man Bac archaeological site has become a key location for learning about prehistoric Viet Nam.

According to Prof Lam Thi My Dung, PhD, from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities at Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi, the Man Bac archaeological site has garnered the attention of both domestic and international scientists due to its immense value.

Multiple excavations have been conducted since 1999, and the results indicate that the site contains a vast amount of data and artefacts, including stone tools, pottery, and animal and plant remains. Of particular interest are burial sites from the late Phung Nguyen culture and early ong au culture dating back nearly 4,000 years.

These findings provide important historical scientific evidence for understanding the economic, cultural and social aspects of the Man Bac inhabitants, as well as ancient Vietnamese people in general, during the pre-ong Son period, Dung said.

Research also indicates that Man Bac is a habitation and burial site with a high concentration of remains, including 105 burial sites containing 107 bodies, along with a distinctive array of artefacts.

This serves as vivid evidence of a prehistoric community that lived there for an extended period, exhibiting advanced social organisation and skills in using natural resources. It reflects the transitional phase from the late Neolithic stone tool culture to the early use of metal in the early Bronze Age in Viet Nam.

In addition to its archaeological significance in tracing the emergence of ancient Vietnamese people, Man Bac is notable for the presence of earthenware later known as Bo Bat pottery.

This shows that the ancient residents of Ninh Binh established a vibrant ceramic culture at Man Bac, which became an important part of prehistoric ceramics in northern Viet Nam.

The pottery found at Man Bac holds significance not only for daily life, but also for the spiritual life of the local people, reflecting their understanding of the natural world at that time, Dung said.

Due to its valuable data and precious artefacts, the Man Bac archaeological site was designated as a provincial heritage site by the Ninh Binh cultural authority in 2017.

Awakening ancient heritage

To showcase the outstanding heritage value of the Man Bac site and provide scientific foundations for future conservation, Ninh Binh Province has carried out research on an area of 196 square metres.

The project aims to investigate the nature of habitation and the relationship between the residential area and the burial site.

It also seeks to preserve the cultural layers using a multi-dimensional stratigraphic recording method, thereby creating a database for interdisciplinary research.

According to Hoang Van Diep, PhD, from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities at Viet Nam National University, Ha Noi, the 2025 excavation revealed three distinct cultural layers with two continuous development phases within a nearly two-metre thick stratigraphic layer.

The excavation also yielded a diverse array of artefacts in terms of both type and quantity, including materials such as stone, pottery, bone and mollusk shells. Of particular interest is a fragment that may belong to a unique artefact known as a nha chuong  an ancient symbol of status or authority  from the Phung Nguyen culture.

This indicates that, in adapting to their natural environment, the ancient residents of Ninh Binh demonstrated considerable innovation. They invented fired pottery dating back 8,000 to 9,000 years, which is regarded as one of the earliest types of pottery in the region, he said.

Highlighting the value of Bo Bat pottery provides a solid opportunity for the province to restore and develop its ancient ceramic craft, linking it to cultural tourism and tradition. Bo Bat pottery is currently made into souvenir products that meet the growing demands of domestic and international tourists.

With a strong commitment to sustainably harnessing the value of the Bo Bat pottery village, Ninh Binh is prioritising policies and support for the development of this craft.

Efforts include effectively implementing projects to restore and promote the heritage of Man Bac and ancient Bo Bat pottery, planning the preservation of historical sites and promoting the craft village in connection with other cultural heritage destinations in the province to attract more visitors.

From excavation to inspiration

After six excavations, the Man Bac archaeological site has provided a wealth of scientific information about prehistoric inhabitants in the coastal region, said Nguyen Cao Tan, deputy director of the Provincial Department of Tourism.

This represents an important resource that can be effectively integrated with other archaeological sites in the province, particularly the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site of Trang An, he said.

By doing so, a unique space can be created for tourism products that explore the distant past of prehistoric peoples, their stories of adaptation to the environment and the cultural narratives of ancient inhabitants. This will serve as a new direction and a fresh tourism product for Ninh Binh."

The province is working to submit a proposal to classify Man Bac as a national heritage site. Efforts are also underway to create a national treasure dossier for the Man Bac artefact collection.

This initiative aims to support the development of a sustainable cultural industry and tourism, helping to transform Ninh Binh into a developed industrial province while preserving its identity as a national heritage centre. VNS
To see where the youngest Americans are living, Your Law Firm analyzed Census Bureau and CDC data to build a Youth Index based on median age, the share of residents under 18, and migration patterns among young adults versus retirees.

The results highlight clear regional divides  and show just how quickly certain states are shifting.

The 10 Youngest States in the U.S.

10. Georgia

Youth Index Score: 53.99

Median Age: 37.4

Under 18: 23.5%

Migration Ratio: 3.05

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Georgias steady draw of young adults  especially around Atlanta  keeps the states age profile lower than most of the Southeast. A growing tech scene and film industry bring in early-career workers looking for opportunity.

9. Louisiana

Youth Index Score: 54.07

Median Age: 37.8

Under 18: 23.6%

Migration Ratio: 3.25

Louisiana stays young due to strong family networks, university hubs, and an economy that consistently recruits workers in their twenties and thirties. Its large share of residents under 18 also keeps the median age down.

8. Idaho

Youth Index Score: 54.64

Median Age: 37.1

Under 18: 24.5%

Migration Ratio: 2.50

Young families priced out of coastal cities continue to move to Idaho, lowering the median age and shifting the states demographic makeup. The rapid growth creates both opportunity and strain in schools and housing.

7. Oklahoma

Youth Index Score: 58.08

Median Age: 36.9

Under 18: 24.1%

Migration Ratio: 3.11

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Affordable living, military communities, and energy-sector jobs help Oklahoma retain and attract young adults. Its high birth rate reinforces that trend.

6. Nebraska

Youth Index Score: 61.14

Median Age: 37.1

Under 18: 24.7%

Migration Ratio: 3.43

Nebraskas mix of stable jobs and university towns keeps its age profile younger than most of the Midwest. New graduates often stay local due to strong job placement and low housing costs.

5. Kansas

Youth Index Score: 62.05

Median Age: 37.2

Under 18: 24.0%

Migration Ratio: 3.96

Kansas strong migration ratio reflects its appeal to young workers in agriculture, military, and growing tech fields. Families tend to stay, keeping the under-18 share high.

4. Alaska

Youth Index Score: 67.89

Median Age: 35.6

Under 18: 24.3%

Migration Ratio: 3.78

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Alaska consistently draws younger adults seeking high-paying, short-term work. The military presence and oil industry also contribute to a youthful population.

3. Texas

Youth Index Score: 68.70

Median Age: 35.5

Under 18: 25.2%

Migration Ratio: 3.43

Texas population boom is driven by strong immigration, high birth rates, and job growth in major metros. Families and young professionals moving to the state keep it among the youngest in the country.

2. North Dakota

Youth Index Score: 71.07

Median Age: 35.7

Under 18: 23.7%

Migration Ratio: 4.62

The states huge influx of 20- and 30-somethings tied to the energy industry propels it to #2. It has the highest young-to-older migration ratio in the entire study.

1. Utah

Youth Index Score: 99.23

Median Age: 31.7

Under 18: 28.3%

Migration Ratio: 4.50

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Utah is, by far, Americas youngest state. High birth rates, strong job growth, and a culture centered around family life all push the median age down. Nearly a third of Utahs population is under 18  the highest share in the country.

Curious which states are growing older? These are the states that are aging faster than the rest of America.
Thanh Ha

In addition to its white sandy beaches and crystal-clear turquoise waters, the central coastal city of Nha Trang is also world-renowned as the home of the finest agarwood  the "Wood of the Gods".

This precious treasure is carefully nurtured by artisan Pham Tuan Anh in his unique agarwood forest and conservation area, while countless fascinating stories await visitors at the Hoang Tram Agarwood Museum.

Inspired by his father, Tuan Anh has cherished a deep love for agarwood since childhood. He left a career in finance and banking to spend nearly three decades pursuing his dream of bringing this precious wood closer to people while promoting Viet Nams agarwood to the world.

The product can only be produced from Aquilaria trees, which are native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia and some other regions.

Legacy rooted in nature

In Viet Nam, agarwood can be found in the central region from Nghe An Province to as far as Phu Quoc Island. Among localities, Khanh Hoa's agarwood reserves and quality are considered among the best in the world with manufacturers from Taiwan Island, Japan, the Middle East and Europe using Khanh Hoa's agarwood for their most expensive and high-end products.

"A healthy Aquilaria tree becomes wounded and is infected by certain moulds or fungi. As a defence mechanism, the tree produces a dark, aromatic resin to protect itself from the infection," said Anh.

"Over time, this resinous secretion accumulates in the heartwood, transforming the pale, odourless wood into the dark, fragrant agarwood. The more resin the tree secretes, the darker and more valuable the wood becomes."

The value of agarwood is written in Vietnamese scholar Le Quy on's book Miscellaneous Chronicles of the Pacified Frontier in the late 18th century.

He noted that agarwood was "the fragrance of the heaven carried by the wind, setting on the wounded part of the Aquilaria tree and nurtured by soil, sun, and sea breeze, and other natural conditions -- making it truly the spiritual essence of heaven and earth".

Anh began his work in 2000 planting more than 30,000 trees over an area of 30ha in Dien Tho Commune, about 20km from Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province. After five years of many challenges, he successfully covered the entire land with Aquilaria.

"I thought I had both the ability and passion to create a sustainable, green, quality agarwood brand that wins the trust of Vietnamese and international customers," said Anh.

He now owns a forest, a conservation area, and a museum dedicated to Khanh Hoas agarwood  which he believes to be the most fragrant in the world, produced by Aquilaria trees that thrive in the regions arid soil and harsh climate.

The dark, aromatic and resinous wood is highly prized for its distinctive scent. It is used in perfumes due to its rich, woody and earthy fragrance; incense for religious ceremonies and creating a calming atmosphere; and in traditional medicine for therapeutic properties, believed to treat ailments like nausea, asthma, and digestive issues.

"Agarwood is the most magical product in the world. Major religions in the world such as Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism have employed agarwood in their worship," said Tuan Anh.

"The ancient belief is that the captivating scent of agarwood serves as a bridge connecting humans to the spiritual realm, conveying their wishes to the gods. It is the only scent that cannot be created in the laboratory -- no one has yet fully deciphered the chemical structure of agarwood molecules," he added.

Preserving sacred heritage

The conservation area was established with an aim to preserve the Aquilaria trees and develop sustainable agarwood forest as natural sources became over-exploited.

It is the only "agarwood tourism" model in Viet Nam open to visitors, offering unique experiences such as forest tours, visits to seed nurseries, and workshops for crafting agarwood products.

In 2015, he built an exhibition space so that Vietnamese people and international visitors could learn about agarwood in the best way.

At the Hoang Tram Agarwood Museum, visitors explore 3,000 years of agarwood history through ancient documents and a diverse collection of agarwood specimens and artefacts.

"We have a collection of really valuable artefacts -- including large blocks of agarwood weighing 5kg, 10kg and even 20kg, some up to 70 years old," he said.

"There are also Buddha statues carved from over 100-year-old agarwood blocks. They are incredibly valuable and hold great historical and cultural significance."

Many other pieces help distinguish Khanh Hoa agarwood from that of other regions.

"Here, we organise programmes to attract tourists passionate about agarwood. I'm pleased to see a growing number of visitors interested in learning about and using agarwood products," Anh said.

"Previously, people only knew agarwood burners and bracelets, but now there are many other practical products -- such as agarwood tea and wine," Anh added.

A demonstration of extracting agarwood is one of the most captivating activities for visitors. The process requires patience and precision to remove unused parts and gradually reveal the aromatic heartwood.

At the museum, visitors are introduced to the art of agarwood appreciation, experiencing its fragrances in an artistically rich and meditative setting.

According to experts, agarwood when burnt, can emit fragrance in eight waves over 24 hours. Each wave unfolds a distinct scent profile -- sometimes vanilla, pine or musk.

Even more fascinating, the same agarwood can release slightly different aromas in different places at the same time.

Those who appreciate the fragrance must reach a state of calm and focus to discern and name each scent. Through this process, Anh said, they can purify their thoughts and find tranquillity and peace amid the noise and chaos of modern life. VNS
One month left to have your say on proposed Glyndwr National Park

There is less than one month left for members of the public to have their say on plans to create a new National Park in north east Wales.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) launched a 12-week statutory consultation in September on the proposed Glyndwr National Park, which would include parts of the Clwydian Range, the Dee Valley and nearby coastal areas.

The plan follows the Welsh Governments commitment to create a fourth National Park in Wales, the first since 1957.

The new designation would be based largely on the existing Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape. NRWs revised proposal includes adjustments to the park boundary by reinstating the Gronant and Talacre Dunes area and removing some lower-lying areas in Powys.

There has been a mixed response to the plans so far, with questions on the overlapping responsibilities between the park and local councils, a lack of clarity on planning powers and the risk of extra costs.

Earlier this month Denbighshire councillors voted not to support the proposed Glyndwr National Park, saying the plans were not thought out and raised serious concerns about infrastructure, funding and the impact on local services.

There are also from some sectors that without proper management, more visitors could put pressure on local roads, housing and the Welsh language.

However, the Welsh Government has said the new park will be properly funded without reducing budgets for existing national parks or local authorities, but details have not yet been shared.

Ash Pearce, programme manager, said: This is an exceptionally rare opportunity to influence the long-term protection of this special landscape, balancing the needs of local communities, visitors, and the environment.

Please share your thoughts by submitting a response form before the consultation closes.

The statutory consultation follows two years of detailed evaluation commissioned by Welsh Government, including data gathering, technical assessments, and engagement with communities and stakeholders across the region.

Previous public engagement in 2023 and a public consultation in 2024 have helped shape the current proposal.

The proposed Glyndwr National Park map can be downloaded from the NRW website. Once downloaded, open with Adobe Acrobat.

The remaining consultation events will take place on the following dates:

Tuesday 18 November: Drop-in session at Llangollen Town Hall between 4pm and 7pm

Wednesday 19 November: Microsoft Teams meeting between 6pm and 7.30pm

Wednesday 26 November: Microsoft Teams meeting for environmental groups between 3pm and 4.30pm

Thursday 27 November: Microsoft Teams meeting for tourism, recreation and access sectors, between 3pm and 4.30pm

Tuesday 2 December: Microsoft Teams meeting between 6pm and 7.30pm

All responses must be submitted to NRW no later than 11.59pm on Monday 8 December 2025.
UPDATE - NOVEMBER 16, 5:00 P.M.

According to U.S Forest Service - Inyo National Forest, in an online post, says all evacuation orders have been lifted.

The containment percentage is still at 56% contained.

UPDATE - NOVEMBER 15, 7:30 P.M.

Containment for the Pack Fire now reaches 56%, after fire activity decreased from November 14.

A total of 3,000 acres has now been burned involving Mono County.

According to the CalFire website, the cause is still under investigation.

UPDATE - NOVEMBER 14, 10:07 a.m.

Fire activity in Mono Countys Pack Fire decreased overnight, with minimal flames and mostly smoldering reported, Cal Fire officials said.

Rainfall over the area has aided crews working to strengthen containment lines. A local Type 3 Incident Management Team assumed command of the fire at 7 a.m. on Friday.

According to Mono County, residents of Crowley Lake began being escorted back into the community as the evacuation order for that area was downgraded to a warning.

Escorts are available via South Landing Road. Long Valley and McGee Creek communities remain under mandatory evacuation.

Cal Fire reports that 1,795 residents and 1,196 structures are affected by evacuation orders and warnings.

Crowley Lake Drive remains closed between McGee Creek Road and the Long Valley Fire Station, while Highway 395 is open.

Current Fire Status (Cal Fire & Mono County):

Size: 3,000 acres

Containment: 5%

Structures Threatened: 30

Structures Damaged: 15

Firefighters on scene: 368

Resources: 30 engines, 6 water tenders, 4 dozers, 14 hand crews, numerous air tankers

Evacuation Shelters:

Mammoth Lakes Middle School, 1600 Meridian Blvd., Mammoth Lakes

Tri-County Fairgrounds, 475 Sierra Street, Bishop

Evacuation Zones:

Orders: MCU-E043, MCU-E044-A, MCU-E044-B

Warnings: MCU-E041, MCU-E042, MCU-E045, MCU-E046, MCU-E047, MCU-E048, MCU-E049, MCU-E050, MCU-E051

Supporting Impacted Families (Mono County):

Several local families have lost homes and businesses due to the Pack Fire, according to Mono County in an online post.

Mono County is working with the Mono County Office of Education (MCOE) to collect gift cards for affected families. Officials say gift cards provide families with flexibility during recovery, allowing them to purchase food, clothing, household items, and other essentials. Gift cards can be dropped off at:

All Mono County Library locations

Mono County Office of Education, 451 Sierra Park Road, Mammoth Lakes

Inyo County Office of Education, 166 Grandview Dr., Bishop

Monetary donations allow families to purchase essentials, including food, clothing, and household items. Physical donations are not being accepted.

The Town of Mammoth Lakes also says there's discounted lodging available, including Convict Lake Resort, Mammoth Lake Inn, and Outbound Mammoth.

Pet services are also available in the area, including Bishop Dog Boarding, and Mammoth Middle School for food and supplies.

Additional relief information can be found at the Mammoth Lakes website.

For the latest evacuation updates, shelter information, and fire details, visit READY Mono.

UPDATE - NOVEMBER 14, 7:58 a.m.:

Mono County is reporting that residents of Crowley Lake began being escorted back into the community starting at 8 p.m.

The evacuation order for that community has been downgraded to a warning.

Escorts will be available from both southbound and northbound closures on Highway 395, according to a post from the county on Facebook.

The only entrance to Crowley Lake will be South Landing Road.

The communities of Long Valley and McGee Creek remain under mandatory evacuation.

Crowley Lake Drive will remain closed between McGee Creek Road and the Long Valley Fire Station.

Aspen Springs, Hilton Creek, Convict Lake, and Sunny Slopes remain under evacuation warning.

Benton Crossing Road is reopened to vehicle traffic.

Fire activity has decreased due to rain, and fire crews will work through the night, with additional resources arriving on Friday.

The fire is five percent contained.

UPDATE - 7:35 P.M.:

The Pack Fire burning in Mono County has grown to 3,400 acres, according to Cal Fire.

Evacuations for the fire remain in place.

Evacuation centers are located at the Mammoth Lakes Middle School on Meridian Boulevard in Mammoth Lakes, and at the Tri-County Fairgrounds on Sierra Street in Bishop.

URGENT UPDATE  NOVEMBER 13, 2:58 p.m.

UPDATE  LOCAL EMERGENCY PROCLAIMED

The Mono County Office of Emergency Management has officially declared a Local Emergency in response to the rapidly spreading Pack Fire.

This declaration allows resources to be quickly mobilized to protect residents, property, and critical infrastructure.

Residents are urged to stay alert, follow official instructions, and ensure they are signed up to receive emergency notifications.

Officials say for verified updates, evacuation information, maps, and preparedness guidance, visit READY Mono.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION NOTICE:

Mono County officials have issued immediate mandatory evacuations for all residents in the Crowley Lake area due to the rapidly spreading Pack Fire, according to an online post.

Officials say all residents in the affected zones must evacuate now.

Mono County reports that the Whitmore Animal Shelter is being evacuated. A temporary animal shelter has been established at the Tri-County Fairgrounds, 475 Sierra St. in Bishop.

Phone: (760) 873-3580

Animal Services Assistance:

Mono County Animal Control is available to assist with pet evacuations and can provide essential supplies. If you are unable to evacuate your animals or need resources, call:

Manager: (760) 965-9606

North County Officer: (760) 616-4834

South County Officer: (760) 616-4198

Bridgeport Office (Non-Emergency): (760) 932-7407

Available supplies include crates, collars, leashes, and food.

ORIGINAL STORY - NOVEMBER 13, 1:15 p.m.

A fast-moving wildfire is prompting full evacuations for the Crowley Lake and McGee Creek communities in Mono County.

CAL FIRE reports that the Pack Fire has burned approximately 1,000 acres since it started just before 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

According to Mono County officials, the fire jumped Highway 395 and is now about a quarter mile from reaching Lake Crowley. The left (northern) flank of the fire is approaching structures along Highway 395.

All air tankers have been released due to strong winds and turbulence, officials said in an update posted Thursday afternoon on the countys Facebook page and the READY Mono website.

A Temporary Evacuation Point has been established at Mammoth Lakes Middle School and the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Bishop. A designated temporary animal shelter is also available at the Tri-County Fairgrounds.

Authorities say if you are unable to evacuate your animals or require any resources to call one of the following numbers:

Manager: (760) 965-9606

North County Officer: (760) 616-4834

South County Officer: (760) 616-4198

Bridgeport Office (Non-Emergency): (760) 932-7407

A list of affected areas can be found here.

Road Closures:

Highway 395 is closed in both directions from Benton Crossing Road to Rock Creek Road. Drivers traveling from Inyo County to northern Mono County or Nevada are advised to use U.S. 6 in Bishop as a detour.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

For the latest official information, including real-time incident updates, evacuation orders, road closures, and emergency alerts, visit READY Mono at https://ready.mono.ca.gov/pages/2025-pack-fire.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Irans foreign minister said Sunday that Tehran is no longer enriching uranium at any site in the country, trying to signal to the West that it remains open to potential negotiations over its atomic program.

Answering a question from an Associated Press journalist visiting Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi offered the most direct response yet from the Iranian government regarding its nuclear program following Israel and the United States' bombing of its enrichment sites in June during a 12-day war.

There is no undeclared nuclear enrichment in Iran. All of our facilities are under the safeguards and monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Araghchi said. There is no enrichment right now because our facilities  our enrichment facilities  have been attacked.

Iran says it is threatened over accessing bombed sites

Asked what it would take for Iran to continue negotiations with the U.S. and others, Araghchi said Iran's message on its nuclear program remains "clear.

Irans right for enrichment, for peaceful use of nuclear technology, including enrichment, is undeniable," the foreign minister continued. We have this right, and we continue to exercise that, and we hope that the international community, including the United States, recognize our rights and understand that this is an inalienable right of Iran. And we would never give up our rights.

Irans government issued a three-day visa for the AP reporter to attend a summit alongside journalists from major British outlets and other media.

Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, also attended the summit and told the gathering that Tehran had been threatened over potentially accessing the bombed enrichment sites. Satellite pictures analyzed by the AP since the attack show that Iran has not done any major work at the sites at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz.

Our security situation hasnt yet changed. If you watch the news, you see that every day we are being threatened with another attack, Eslami said. Every day we are told if you touch anything, youll be attacked.

Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity  a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels  after U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. Tehran long has maintained its atomic program is peaceful, though the West and the IAEA say Iran had an organized nuclear weapons program until 2003.

European nations also pushed through a measure to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran over the nuclear program in September.

The IAEA's Board of Governors is set to meet this week and could vote on a new resolution targeting Iran over its failure to cooperate fully with the agency.

But Araghchi left open the possibility of further negotiations with the U.S. should Washington's demands change.

He told journalists at the summit that the U.S. administration's approach does not suggest they are ready for equal, fair negotiations to reach mutual interests.

"What we have seen from the Americans so far has actually been an effort to dictate their demands, which are maximalist and excessive. We see no chance for dialogue in the face of such demands.

Iran summit decries aggression

Irans Institute for Political and International Studies, affiliated with the countrys Foreign Ministry, hosted the summit. Titled International Law Under Assault: Aggression and Self-Defense, the conference included papers by Iranian political analysts offering Tehrans view of the 12-day war in June, many seizing on comments from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praising Israel for having done the dirty work in launching its attack.

Irans defensive response was remarkable, inspiring, historic and above all, pure, wrote Mohammad Kazem Sajjadpour, an international relations professor. How can one possibly compare Israels dirty deeds to the noble and clean actions of the Iranian nation?

Images of children killed by Israel during the war lined the walkway outside the summit, held inside the Martyr General Qassem Soleimani Building, named for the Revolutionary Guard expeditionary leader killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2020.

But Iran finds itself in a difficult moment after the war. Israel decimated the countrys air defense systems, potentially leaving the door open to further airstrikes as tensions remain high over the nuclear program.

Meanwhile, economic pressures and societal change continue to challenge Irans Shiite theocracy, which so far has held off on making decisions about whether to enforce its mandatory hijab laws or raise the price of government-subsidized gasoline, both of which have sparked nationwide protests in the past.

The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Firefighters rescued three people from a balcony during a house fire Saturday afternoon on Albuquerque's West Side.

Albuquerque Fire Rescue was dispatched to the fire at a two-story, single-family residence at 919 Galeras NW, tucked in a neighborhood between Ladera and Interstate 40, around 5:15 p.m., according to the agency. Officials said the fire was "knocked down" within minutes.

"Damage to the structure was significant mostly on the second floor of the structure," AFR said.

AFR said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined and that the Fire Investigations division is looking into it.

The people who were rescued sustained minor injuries, AFR said.
Im a resident in close proximity to the proposed land swap between the New Mexico State Land Office and the Mescalero Apache Tribe. This proposed land swap is highly suspect. The desired tract lies smack in the middle of existing and future residential development.

Anyone with any sense can see that State Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard is pushing this through despite the valid, deep-seated concerns of the residents. My wife and I just happened to run into her on the way in to the public meeting at the New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum on Nov. 7. She neither acknowledged our concerns of the possible consequences of tribal ownership and development, not did she express an iota of desire to entertain or seek alternatives. Furthermore, her ongoing mischaracterization of the facts and gaslighting of our concerns are appalling and deeply concerning.

Both the tribe and the State Land Office are deliberately evoking cultural and historical sensitivities to justify this land swap in an apparent effort to downplay the well-founded concerns of the residents. In that sense, Garcia Richard is blatantly disregarding her duty to represent the people who elected her and entrusted her with the stewardship of these lands. I know many of us residents would gladly support designating the desired portion of the tract as a cultural heritage site for tribal use with the assumption that land could never be developed. This is something the governor could easily do and do so now.

The tribe and State Land Office can still identify another tract to swap that would be better suited for possible commercial development. Again, the state owns several tracts on the east side of Interstate 25 near and around the Dona Ana Mountains, which I understand are of a cultural significance as well.

That said, one has to ask  where was this desire 30-plus years ago before the surrounding area was developed? Additionally, since the State Land Office has no expressed will to steward this land for the benefit of its citizens, the office should transfer ownership of the residual portion of the tract that the tribe is not interested in to Dona Ana County. That way, the county, rather than the State Land Office, can manage it on behalf of the citizens of this area so it can remain a natural stormwater drainage conduit, wildlife corridor and recreational area.

There is a simple and reasonable solution to this as I identified above which would be a win-win for all stakeholders, all that is lacking is Garcia Richards will to accept that.
The display case at The Donut King in Eufaula, Ala., tempts customers with glazed, cinnamon, chocolate-covered, strawberry-flavored, sprinkled, cream-filled and jelly-filled doughnuts, as well as doughnut holes. (Haley Laurence/haley@redclaymedia.com)

Sometimes, you just really need a doughnut.

Luckily for us, Alabama is home to plenty of donut shops and bakeries that can help out with that, and our readers were more than happy to let us know which ones are their favorites.

We recently asked followers on This is Alabamas Facebook what their favorite doughnut shop in the state is and got hundreds of responses.

So whether youre a fan of the classic glazed or prefer to try a unique flavor with every visit, heres a look at 10 Alabama donut shops you need to visit.

Cothran's Bakery has locations in Gadsden and Boaz.

Cothrans Bakery

440 George Wallace Drive in Gadsden

If the giant donut located atop the sign outside Cothrans Bakery in Gadsden is any indication, the beloved bakery is where you need to go next time youre craving a sweet treat for breakfast. While it has plenty of desserts to choose from on the ever-changing menu, including cakes, cookies and more, doughnuts are Cothrans specialty, and theyve always got something good (and glazed) coming out of the oven.

Small Town Donuts

112 Covington Avenue in Opp

Small Town Donuts in Opp has garnered a following of doughnut fans throughout the state thanks to its wide selection of doughnuts and pastries that are baked fresh every day. Whether you prefer the classics like a simple original glazed and cinnamon twist, or youd rather have something more decadent, like its triple chocolate magic doughnut and maple bacon cinnamon roll, theyve got you covered -- and then some.

The display case at The Donut King in Eufaula, Ala., tempts customers with glazed, cinnamon, chocolate-covered, strawberry-flavored, sprinkled, cream-filled and jelly-filled doughnuts, as well as doughnut holes. (Haley Laurence/haley@redclaymedia.com)

The Donut King

S. Eufaula Avenue in Eufaula

If youve ever made a pitstop in beautiful downtown Eufaula to grab breakfast at The Donut King while on the way to the beach, you know that the popular shops doughnuts are hard to beat, which is likely why theyre known to sell out early and often. In business for more than 30 years, Donut King has an array of doughnuts up for grabs each day, and you really cant go wrong no matter what you pick. That said, no matter what you decide, be sure to get an order of melt-in-your-mouth doughnut holes to go with em. Youll be glad you did. Theres a reason AL.com named them a top 2 doughnut place in the state, after all.

Duchess Bakery

222 1st Avenue SE in Cullman

Youd be hard-pressed to find a doughnut shop thats been around longer than The Duchess Bakery in Cullman, which has been serving up its signature Duchess glazed doughnuts for more than 80 years. The iconic bakery has plenty of flavors to choose from each day, but like a lot of the shops on this list, its best to get there early before the best ones are taken. Of course, theres also plenty of cookies, cupcakes and other desserts available too in case you need a sweet treat for the afternoon.

Donuts D-Lite has locations in Millbrook and Wetumpka.

Donuts Dlite

Locations in Millbrook and Wetumpka

No matter which location of Donuts Dlite you visit, youre bound to find a display case filled with dozens of flavors of doughnuts and other savory breakfast pastries, which are made daily. If you cant decide what to get, we recommend the red velvet cake doughnut as well as the classic long john with white creme (although they do have Bavarian too, if thats more youre style.) Regardless of what you get, just know that the earlier you get there, the more options youll have.

Donut Joes

3199 Lee Street in Pelham

Donut Joes in Pelham has been serving made-from-scratch doughnuts to the Pelham community and surrounding area since 2009, and in that time, theyve accrued a serious fanbase. The family-owned business offers a variety of handmade doughnuts and fritters as well as fresh coffee daily. Flavors range from classic glazed to rich cake doughnuts and more. Plus, there are plenty of savory options on the menu, too, if youre looking for the best of both worlds.

Bigfoots Little Donuts in Huntsville, Alabama. (Matt Wake/mwake@al.com)

Bigfoots Little Donuts

7914 Memorial Parkway in Huntsville

While the doughnuts at Bigfoots Little Donuts might be on the small side, theyve managed to make a big impression on our readers. The popular shop, which started out as a food trailer in 2013 before opening its first location seven years ago, has become known for its made-to-order mini doughnuts. Yelp! even named em the best donut shop in the whole state in 2024.

Hero Doughnuts and Buns

Locations in Birmingham and Montgomery

Who doesnt love a restaurant where you can get a doughnut and a burger all at the same time? At Hero Doughnuts & Buns, you dont have to decide between a sweet treat and an actual lunch. The eatery offers a wide selection of doughnuts made from its signature French brioche in flavors like Boston Creme, Bread Pudding and Maple Sea Salt as well as sandwiches, like its popular super crunch chicken sandwich, and massive burgers featuring brioche buns and more.

Inside The Heavenly Donut Company at 4911 Cahaba River Road, Suite 105, in Birmingham. (Mary Colurso | mcolurso@AL.com)

The Heavenly Donut Company

4911 Cahaba River Road Suite 105 in Birmingham

For more than a decade, the Biersdoerfer family has been serving fresh, handmade daily doughnuts to the Birmingham community through The Heavenly Donut Company. Their menu features light and fluffy glazed doughnuts, sour cream old fashioned doughnuts and beignets as well as flavored doughnuts covered in toppings, like Oreo and red velvet. Plus, dont miss out on their unique Donut of the Day picks, which include banana pudding, key lime and more.

Wake & Shake

108 Main Street South in Wedowee

Tucked away in charming Wedowee is family-owned and operated Wake & Shake Donut Shop, which offers the perfect combination of sweets: doughnuts in the morning and ice cream in the afternoon. With a wide selection of flavors that include the classics you cant go wrong with to decadent seasonal additions, the hardest part of ordering will be deciding between them all. (Pro tip: just get one of everything.)

READ MORE: Small towns to visit
A fire at a Homewood retirement home on Saturday night affected 25 units, according to local police.

Homewood Police and Fire personnel reported a fire at Skyline Village on 260 Goodwin Crest Drive. City of Homewood fire chief Brandon Broadhead told ABC 33/40 a cause hasnt been determined.

Evacuating about 90 residents and making sure they were safe was the main priority because most residents have disabilities and mobility restrictions, Broadhead said. One person was hospitalized for minor smoke inhalation.

The fire was extinguished within eight to 10 minutes with assistance from Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook fire crews. The sprinkler system caused water damage, forcing residents on the first through third floors to find shelter for the night.

I think my crews did a fantastic job sheltering them in place, ensuring they know what to do, so that we minimized any injuries to the citizens, Broadhead told ABC 33/40.

The American Red Cross of Alabama is working with other agencies to help about 40 displaced residents with food, clothing and lodging.

Our hearts are with every resident who was displaced last night, said Anne Rygiel, executive director of the Red Cross Mid Alabama chapter said in a statement. Many of these individuals left their homes with only what they were wearing, and this experience has been incredibly difficult for them. Were committed to walking with them through this recovery, providing comfort and support for as long as were needed.

AL.com reached out to the Homewood Fire Department Sunday for comment.

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This story has been updated with a statement from the Red Cross of Alabama.
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt said Sunday that Democrats were selfish during the 43-day government shutdown.

Democrats demanded people go without a paycheck so they could score political points during the shutdown, yet they were still taking one themselves, Britt told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures.

It was selfish and centered on all of the wrong things, Britt said.

Members of Congress, unlike most federal employees, still get paid during shutdowns. While some members said they would donate their paycheck, ABC News reported that some Democrats planned to draw their regular salary.

Britt was among Republican and Democratic members who said she would not accept her pay during the shutdown.

Alabama has about 41,000 federal employees who missed an average of $10,713 in pay across five weeks, according to one analysis. Those employees should now get back pay.

Bartiromo said Britt played a pivotal role in helping to end the longest shutdown in history working with the White House and bipartisan negotiators.

Britt said she returned to Alabama during the shutdown and talked with people who were furloughed or working without pay. She said Alabamians were unable to make their mortgage, rent or car payments.

We saw the Democrats putting partisan politics and poll numbers above the people that they serve, Britt said. The consequences of this was devastating.

She said Trump wants to achieve results for the people he serves. Thats what hes been doing, and Democrats are trying to thwart that.

Britt said she supports Trumps idea of sending direct payments to Americans to ensure people have money. Republicans have already been talking about affordability with tax cuts and eliminating taxes on tips.

She said people will ultimately see the results of Trumps Big Beautiful Bill soon.
A man was shot while authorities say he was trying to rob people at a Jefferson County home.

The wounded suspect was taken into custody hours later in downtown Birmingham.

Jefferson County sheriffs deputies responded to a 911 call at 6:30 a.m. Saturday in the 3200 block of Mulga Loop Road.

When they arrived, they learned the 22-year-old suspect had tried to rob the residents at a home there. A shot was fired, and the suspect was hit, said JCSO spokesman Henry Irby.

No other injuries were reported.

The suspect fled the scene and ran into a wooded area. Deputies searched the area but were unable to locate him.

Investigators learned that the wounded suspect had traveled to the downtown Birmingham area.

Shortly before 2:30 p.m., Irby said, deputies located him and took him into custody near Carraway Boulevard and Seventh Avenue North.

The suspect was taken to UAB Hospital for treatment of his gunshot wound. Once released, he will be booked into the Jefferson County Jail.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
States are working to get food assistance flowing again after the government shutdown. And theyre also working to implement new work restrictions and cuts to SNAP benefits.

This summer, Congress made changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program when it passed the One Big Beautiful Bill.

The United States Department of Agriculture, which runs SNAP, issued new guidance Friday that will begin to push many people off of the program.

More people may lose benefits as individual states clean up accounting, implement work requirements and begin to share costs for the program with the federal government.

Alabama residents who did not receive regular SNAP benefits during the shutdown should have promptly received payments starting Nov. 14, according to the state.

Heres what to know about the changes to SNAP.

New work requirements

Historically, some able-bodied adults without dependents have been able to avoid work requirements.

The One Big Beautiful Bill changes mean that most able-bodied adults under the age of 65 must prove they are working to continue receiving benefits.

Able-bodied adults without dependents need to prove they are working at least 80 hours a month, pursuing an education, or in a training program to keep qualifying for SNAP. Without proof, they can only receive benefits for a maximum of three months.

Parents with dependents under the age of 14 may be exempt from work requirements. Parents with dependents between the ages of 14 and 18 probably will need to work.

Veterans, homeless individuals, and young adults transitioning out of foster care also all used to be exempt. Now, all these groups need to meet the work requirements.

People with disabilities remain exempt from work requirements.

Immigrants, refugees lose SNAP benefits

The One Big Beautiful Bill changes non-citizen eligibility for SNAP, including cutting off some people who are in the country legally.

According to new guidance from the USDA, only the following groups can qualify for SNAP: U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, Cuban and Haitian entrants and Compact of Free Association (COFA) citizens. COFA is a financial assistance agreement between the U.S., Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau.

Lawful permanent residents, also known as Green Card holders, are only eligible for SNAP after a 5-year waiting period, as long as they meet all other eligibility requirements.

Some Green Card holders can qualify sooner, if they are under 18 or have a U.S. military connection, for example.

Refugees, those who have been granted asylum, and human trafficking survivors will lose benefits.

When do changes take effect?

State are supposed to implement the new rules starting Nov. 1.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville says he will "sue the hell out of" corrupt Biden officials, but the law Congress passed empowers him to sue the United States. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Imag

This is an opinion column.

America, I dont know what you did to deserve this, but U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville might be about to sue you.

As you probably heard, the Senate budget deal to end the shutdown included a sneaky new provision. It allows some U.S. Senators who have their phone records subpoenaed without their knowledge to sue for up to $500,000.

Watch on Instagram here

Mind you, this law doesnt protect regular people, only U.S. Senators. If the Justice Department wants our phone records, thats fine by them.

Heck, they didnt even include their buddies in the U.S. House.

And up here in DC, thats just rude.

In its Jan. 6 investigation, the Justice Department lawfully subpoenaed phone records of eight U.S. Senators, including Tommy Tuberville, to see who they were talking to back when President Trump was soliciting their help to overturn an election.

A federal judge reviewed and approved the warrant.

Those senators have since found out, and they want somebody to pay.

And that somebody could be you.

Again, the Justice Department followed the law, but like kindergarteners on a playground, the Senate has now changed the rules after the fact. Because this new law is retroactive, those eight U.S. Senators can now sue.

Since this has come out, many Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have said this looks bad.

And most of the Senators affected have said they arent going to sue.

Most, but not Tommy Tuberville.

In a tweet on Friday, he said he wants Jack Smith, the special prosecutor who subpoenaed the phone records, imprisoned and the judge who approved the warrant impeached  and if he doesnt get his way, he says hes going to sue the hell out of every Biden official.

Thing is, this new provision doesnt give him the power to sue Biden officials. It empowers him to sue the United States.

Which is us.

Thats right, if U.S. Senators, like Tuberville, sue under this new law they made, taxpayers will be on the hook for that money.

Whether its the Justice Department that did something wrong, or the senators themselves up to no good, it doesnt change this:

Under the law they passed, its We the People who have to pay.
An Alabama historically Black college has settled its dispute with an accreditation organization, according to court documents.

Tuskegee University asked to dismiss its lawsuit against the American Veterinary Medical Association in a Nov. 14 filing. The historically Black college sued the association on Nov. 10 after its veterinary accreditation was endangered.

We welcome the American Veterinary Medical Associations decision to reconsider its procedures and to commit to providing robust due process in Tuskegee Universitys upcoming hearing regarding the Veterinary Colleges accreditation status, said Thonnia Lee, strategic communications vice president.

The complaint said that the AVMA made an error-plagued decision to place Tuskegee on terminal accreditation status, despite not having conducted a site visit of Tuskegee since 2021.

Lee said Tuskegee filed the suit to ensure fairness and tr

The university has been on probation since 2022 due to major deficiencies in finances, clinical resources and student outcomes, according to news reports.

The school filed support letters from Gov. Kay Ivey, Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt and U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell, Shomari Figures and Mike Rogers.

We are confident we will now be able to properly present the notable improvements we have made since the AVMAs visit to our campus in 2021, Lee said.

Tuskegee is the only HBCU in the country with a veterinary program. Accreditation is necessary to qualify for many federal grants and financial aid.

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This story was updated to include comments from Tuskegee University.
This year, the singer-songwriter celebrates the 50th anniversary of Horses, the album that made her famous, and releases her memoir Bread of Angels. Her voice, steadfast in its commitment to the worlds just causes, continues to resonate through her writing and performances

They call her the godmother of punk for a reason, and not just because she began her career reciting poetry in churches. Patti Smith, 78, still follows her own profane rituals to the letter and possesses a private, personal symbology  objects that may seem banal but, for her, contain emotions and memories, Proust-like in their power to condense time.

At the moment of our interview, the artist has just carried out two of these rites. She landed in Madrid at 3 p.m., fresh from Dublin, and went directly, as is her wont, to the Reina Sofia Museum to pay homage to Guernica  a ritual she used to fulfill weekly when the painting was housed at MoMA in New York. Then, to eat a bocadillo de calamares and drink a black coffee while people-watching. She arrives at our meeting caressing a book by Rimbaud, her beloved Rimbaud, to whom she owes her vocation as a poet. The volume was given to Smith by Lumen, her publisher in Spain. Ive been accumulating objects. I have some postcards that appear in this book, manuscripts by Artaud, Emily Dickinson but I am not really a collector. I save things that allow me to remember and feel good. A stone I found at the tomb of Osamu Dazai, the copy of Pinocchio I read as a little girl though if I had to pick one thing to keep, it would be my wedding ring, she says, pointing to the simple gold piece of jewelry now hanging around her neck. I could do without the rest. But not this, she says.

The next day, Smith would go to the Teatro Real to sing every track of Horses for a clearly devoted audience. The city was the second stop on her European tour in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the album that made her a star, seemingly against her will. But thats not all. She also just published Bread of Angels, her definitive memoir. The book traverses her entire life, not just eras of it, like her previous books.

At 78, Smith still has the energy of that 20-year-old who had so much to say. Creating, regardless of the medium, is what makes her happy. Writing is solitary. Acting is the opposite, its collective, its electric, its communion. I love both, but they come from different parts of me. When I write, I am building something in silence. When I act, I am sharing what Ive built. I couldnt live just as a performer, however. Writing keeps my feet on the ground, its where I understand things. Acting is where I celebrate them, she says.

Patti Smith, during the concert at the Teatro Real in Madrid on October 8th. Claudio Alvarez

Question. As prolific of a writer as you are, you spent 10 years on this book.

Answer. Because I didnt expect to write it. I actually had a dream where a messenger came to my house and gave me a book, and it was white and had a white ribbon. It had four photographs of white dresses that were mine. My wedding dress, the white dress that Robert [Mapplethorpe, the photographer who was her life companion and who stars in Smiths book Just Kids] gave me, the white dress my brother gave me and a white communion dress. I never had a communion, mind you. And I had written it, it was the story of my life, and the only photographs in it were those dresses. Then I woke up and I had my hands in front of me as if I were holding it up and I thought, this is a sign that I should write it. But I wrote for awhile and then I stopped, because it was about my life and there is so much loss in my life. Sometimes I needed to stop, because it was affecting me.

Q. There was a moment, in the middle of the process, when you discovered that your father was not your biological father.

A. Yes, I stopped writing it for a few years because I had to process who I was, but that wasnt a bad thing. My father was a great man who I learned so much from. Its just that I had to process it, and then decide what to do with that information. I decided to include it, because we all have had unexpected things happen to us and often, we dont know how to deal with them. People asked me if I hated my mother because of it. And I dont. I am who I am because my mother and father raised me. I am their daughter. My home provided shelter for homosexual couples, we had parties for people who were rejected by their families during that period. I grew up free. My father was very philosophical, he read a lot. My mother was much more pragmatic, but I am who I am thanks to them, though it has been difficult for me to capture the essence of the whole story. Look, now that Ive finished this book, Im going back to fiction, which is more gratifying.

The majority of the books Smith has published have been inspired by mourning. In fact, Bread of Angels came out on November 4, Mapplethorpes birthday and the anniversary of the death of her husband, musician Fred Sonic Smith. But pessimistic her books are not. Of course, many times I have had to stop writing for a long time, to breathe, to put my ideas in order. But mourning is not the end of love; it is its proof. You cry because you have loved deeply. And if you can still feel love, you can still feel hope. That is what keeps me moving forward. I think that is a kind of gratitude for having once had what you lost. When I feel that, I write, or I sing, and that transforms the mourning into something that can breathe.

Gratitude makes her world turn. Gratitude for what she has experienced, for her two children, for the people she has known and from whom she has learned. When you say thanks you are more free, you remove links from the chains. One has to know how to process all the good that comes your way, but realistically, says Smith, the recipient, among many other honors, of a National Book Award, a French Order of Arts and Letters, and an honorary doctorate from Columbia University. Its very nice, I dont know, to get into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame or have medals or for it to seem like people love you a lot, even when they dont know you at all, but aside from that, its not everything. For me, theres no fame or money that eclipses writing three good pages in a row. But I also dont think that Im writing a masterpiece when Im writing them, I dont know if Im explaining myself.

Question. You have always had a complicated relationship with fame.

Answer. Well, its because I appreciate it. Last night, I gave a concert for 5,000 people in Dublin, many of them young people, and I could feel their love. But it is my duty to perform. My father wasnt in any party, but he had a very socialist mindset. He didnt want positions at work that were above the other workers. My mother was a waitress. My father worked at the factory, they were both very intelligent, very well-read. From them, I learned to value good people over everything. My mother, when I was leaving a concert and was very tired, forced me to stick around to sign things for the fans. She told me, Dont forget who got you here. Its because of them youre on that stage. Im trying to say that Im thankful, but I put it all in perspective.

Q. But at the same time, you are a mythomaniac. You had a very particular encounter with Bob Dylan, in fact.

A. Yes, well, I still dont know why I reacted like this, but when he came to see me and say he liked my poetry, I burst out with I hate poetry. And I ran away, thinking to myself: Oh my God, its Bob Dylan. The crazy thing is that he liked that I had been like that. I suppose because we both are of a rebellious nature, and are conflicted about fame. My first reaction was to reject it.

Q. In your life you have rejected many things  like when they wanted to retouch the Horses album cover, which is now iconic, though it might not have been if youd agreed. Or when you refused to change the arrangements or lyrics. It takes a lot of courage to stay out of the dynamics of success.

A. No, its not hard. I mean, its hard if you have a certain goal. But I didnt care if they told me my hair was messed up or if I left this or that song in, the album wouldnt sell. Fine, then it wont sell. I knew what I wanted and I knew what I wouldnt do. I dont know, people have to make their own decisions. Im not criticizing people who take a different path. We have a lot of great pop stars who are very entertaining. I enjoy their work, though they do things that I would never do.

Q. You belong to a place and time, 1970s New York, that no longer exists. Perhaps, because there are no artists left who come from working-class families.

A. I hadnt thought about that, but its an interesting theory. Maybe thats why we have a different work ethic. But I also think that I come from an era in which we didnt have social media. Robert and I didnt have a television or a telephone, just a turntable. There was no pressure or scrutiny, or possibility of getting famous in record time. And I also think that I come from a time in which being a writer or a musician was vocational, like being a doctor. Now we are in an era and a culture in which the goals are different, so the motivation is different. There are young musicians that approach me to get a publicist. Wait, youre 20 years old, what do you care about a publicist? I have never had one.

Q. In your book, you talk about an incident with some Italian fans in the 1970s where they asked you to help their family members, who were political prisoners during the Years of Lead, and you felt so impotent that you almost left music.

A. I didnt even know I was famous in Italy. And the truth is that I felt really ashamed because I didnt even know about the countrys political situation. I came from a rural environment and I knew the political problems around me and the ones in New York, and not a lot else. Suddenly they were asking me to use my voice in a situation I didnt know about. I did my research, of course, and I realized that there were a lot of unjust situations that I didnt know about, because at the time we didnt have the means of finding out about them. But I also realized the responsibility that comes with being who I am. I am not an activist, I believe in human beings, and I speak and make decisions when I feel that I have to do so.

Q. Has speaking openly cost you?

A. When I demonstrated against the war in Iraq, I had a few very bad years, because that was not well looked upon in the United States. I dont know, everyone knows my opinion on Palestine. Many years ago, I did a concert in Israel, I saw the situation and from then on, its been a subject that keeps me up at night. Sometimes Im walking on the street in New York and they call me antisemitic, or they tell me I dont care about the hostages. Of course I care about the hostages, but Im not going to sit down to explain everything to them. Theyre not going to bully me. Im not a politician, nor do I wish to be one. Im an artist and a mother. Well, first Im a mother and then an artist, though I have spent more time as an artist than as a mother. I dont know, it really frustrates me that we are in a world in which everything has to be black or white.

Q. Have there been moments in which more has been demanded from you than you could give, in that sense?

A. Of course. On occasion, I have accepted gigs for money. I havent gotten rich, and I have to take care of an entire family. My sister has a lot of medical bills, and sometimes I do jobs to help her. When my husband died, I had to go back to playing because I didnt have money and I had two children. I actually got an offer from Spain, I dont know now whether it was an investment fund or a bank or something like that. It wasnt that much, but at the time it really helped. I dont always do it, I have turned down a half million dollars because it was from a pharmaceutical company. But I remember that I came here, and there was a press conference and they said, Patti, why are you doing this? And I answered, I have two small children and if one of you is against what Im doing, perhaps youd like to help me pay the pediatrician. I make decisions according to the needs of my people. I have my principles, but also the right to adjust them when necessary.

Q. What have you learned to leave behind over the years?

A. So many things. The need to always be right, for example, which is something that the current world seems to lack. And that things will turn out how you imagined them. Its freeing to doubt, to try to see things from another point of view, though that doesnt make me hold back on my own opinions, of course. Above all, I have learned to deal with pain. In this book, I have written things that I never though I was capable of writing. For example, about my accident, when I fell onstage and broke my neck, and about what happened afterwards. And about my family and loss. Now I feel so much more at peace.

One of the images of Patti Smith (1995) included in 'Bread of Angels'. Steven Sebring (Cedida por Penguin Random House)

Q. Do you still believe that the people have the power?

A. Yes, the problem is that we forget how to use it. I look at the world and I despair. In the United States, we are living the worst of all possible scenarios, and I grew up with Eisenhower in power, so you know Ive had time to see things. Everything is very divided, they dont want anything that will bring us together. And now people use their voice, go out into the streets, and receive all kinds of punishments just for being American  well, not American, for being a person. So yes, I think that the line of that song, which was my husbands idea, is more necessary today than ever, because Ive never seen a world so driven by power and money. And at the same time, I see people who go out into the street and are not afraid. I see Greta Thunberg, who is ridiculed in my country I see the Greta Thunbergs of the world, because there are many. I wish I were young and could have gotten on the [Global Sumud] Flotilla. But Im 78 years old, I can only talk about it in what I write, at my concerts, and support young people. I see images from protests and there are a lot of good people out there, especially young women. Good people. Humanists.

Q. You always had faith in the next generations. In your book, you say that one of the most traumatic things was growing up, losing innocence.

A. The thing is, I was happy when I was 10 years old. With my friends, my family and my dog. I wanted to go to Never-Never Land. I was really tall for my age, and had boy and girl characteristics. As you grow up, you have to define yourself and decide. And the passage of time has brought me very good moments, but Walt Whitmans phrase comes to mind, I am large, I contain multitudes. I am a mother, I take care of my family and I am the leader of a band. But sometimes I am 10 years old, and sometimes I am more of a man in the classic sense, and sometimes more of a woman. And thats OK, I really like being 10 sometimes.

Q. Its a way to not lose ingenuity in a world that becoming more and more hostile.

A. And enthusiasm. Do you know the book The Alchemist? I read it one day on a plane and theres a passage in which the shepherd, who has a hard time, says the world conspired to help him because he kept up the language of enthusiasm. Well, if I were to get a tattoo it would be that, the language of enthusiasm. We have to be enthusiastic to be alive, to learn things, for all of it.

Q. Do you ever think about posterity? In how you would like to be remembered?

A. There are a lot of people who love me, but there are also many who dont like me, and with social media, you notice it more. Sometimes I think about what theyll say about me, yes. I would like for them to remember me as someone who you could trust, as someone who never tried to take anyone down the wrong path. I wish I had written a book as good as Pinocchio, but I hope that in my books, people have found comfort. When I think about posterity, I think about Just Kids, which is already 15 years old, but I still run into people on the subway asking me to sign their copy because they had it in their backpack, covered in coffee and wine stains. I dont think I have yet written my great work, because that helps me to keep writing, thinking that my masterpiece has yet to come. I also think that I have been a person with a lot of failings and that Ive made bad decisions, but thats why I try to do better. As Jackson Browne sang, Dont confront me with my failures, I had not forgotten them.

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Portrait of American financier Jeffrey Epstein (left) and real estate developer Donald Trump as they pose together at the Mar-a-Lago estate, Palm Beach, Florida, 1997. (Photo by Davidoff Studios/Getty Images) Davidoff Studios/Getty Images

The House Oversight Committee released over 20,000 files from Jeffrey Epsteins estate Wednesday, many of which include emails with influential friends and reporters. Other documents come from lawsuits or work that was shared with him via email.

Though none include direct communication between President Donald Trump and Epstein, the exchanges between the financier and his friends, including Ghislaine Maxwell, suggest that Trump may have known more about Epstein than he has previously disclosed.

Trump is mentioned in emails over 1,000 times  more than anyone other than Epstein himself. Epstein also corresponded frequently with two reporters, former New York Times reporter Landon Thomas Jr. and author Michael Wolff, and sought to influence world politics.

Miami Herald reporters have been combing through the records. Here are some highlights:

Epstein implies he has dirt on Trump

He wrote in a 2011 email to his convicted accomplice Maxwell that Trump spent hours with a victim at his house  describing Trump as the dog that hasnt barked. The White House and House Oversight Committee Republicans said that the victim, whose name was redacted in the emails, was Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre, who died by suicide this past April, previously said that Trump never had sex with her nor did she see him partake in any sexual acts with other girls. She worked at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which is where Maxwell recruited her for Epstein, leading to years of sexual abuse.

In one missive on Dec. 8, 2015, Epstein offers a reporter photos of Trump with girls wearing bikinis in his kitchen. It is unclear if the photos exist. Later, in 2019, he told Wolff, the author, that Trump knew about the girls.

of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop, Epstein wrote in an email to Wolff on Jan. 31, 2019.

Soon after, on Feb. 1, 2019, Epstein wrote that Trump came to his house many times but never had a massage. The email was apparently sent as notes to himself on various talking points about the charges against him.

On other occasions, Epstein implied in his correspondence that he had some sort of leverage over Trump, and weighed using it.

On Dec. 3, 2018, an unidentified individual texted Epstein: It will all blow over! Theyre really just trying to take down Trump and doing whatever they can to do that...!

yes thx. its wild. because i am the one able to take him down, Epstein responded.

Epstein claims he sent Trump a truckload of baby food

In an email exchange from 2016, Epstein wrote to Deepak Chopra, author and new-age guru, that he had lost a bet against Trump when Marla Maples, Trumps second wife, got pregnant.

I lost a 10k dollar bet with him, and sent him a truck of baby food in payment, Epstein wrote.

The couple married in 1993 after the birth of their daughter, Tiffany Trump. Maples and Trump divorced in 1999. Epstein also repeated the story in an email to Thomas, the reporter.

Epstein mocks #MeToo movement

There are several emails and iChat messages in which Epstein mentions or mocks the #MeToo movement.

In an iChat exchange in early December 2018 with a user only identified as E E, Epstein writes so many guys caught in the me too. reaching out to me. asking when does the madness stop. funny.

Later in the conversation, while still discussing #MeToo, and the idea that if its political then it should have a counter party, Epstein writes imagine pink dick hats followed by a million man march on wash. all wearing the hat.

Or a multi message lesbian deplorable march as, both groups can champion the idea of not doing dick! he wrote in a third consecutive message.

The hat comment seems to play on the Womens March on Washington the day after Trumps first inauguration, where hundreds of thousands of women wore pink hats with kitten ears, called pussy hats.

Sexual innuendos

Scattered in his correspondence are sexual innuendos and discussion of the sex lives of the people around him.

In one exchange, Boris Nikolic, a biotech venture capitalist, told Epstein he was flirting with a 22 years old hot blond blue eyes mexican chick, and it would be a blast if Epstein were there.

It turns out she is with her husband. Did not have chance to check him out, Nikolic wrote on Jan. 28, 2010. But as we concluded, anything good is rented ;)

Epstein later named Nikolic the successor executor of his will, but Nikolic told Bloomberg he was shocked to discover that and would not fulfill the role.

Epstein tracked Trumps activities

The emails show that Epstein kept close tabs on Trump, constantly tracking his whereabouts over the years. Some of the comments raise questions about what, if any, contact Epstein had with Trump directly.

In 2017, Thomas reached out to Epstein offering to connect him with Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son. Epstein suggested they meet up that weekend, as donald arrives at 5pm tonight.

What is the latest from the inner circle? Thomas said.

they believe all on track, Epstein responded.

When Manhattan modeling management executive Faith Kates wrote to Epstein, asking where he was having Thanksgiving dinner in 2017, he answered eva  apparently referring to Epsteins ex-girlfriend Eva Andersson-Dubin. Kates asked who else is down there?

david fizel. hanson. trump, Epstein responds. Trump was in West Palm Beach for Thanksgiving and hosted a large public dinner at Mar-a-Lago. There is no indication that they met for Thanksgiving that year.

On March 24, 2018, Thomas urges Epstein to call Trump, after a Daily Beast article published with the title: How Close Is Donald Trump to a Psychiatric Breakdown?

Maybe its time for you to jump in now. Given how he is throwing caution to wind in such epic fashion, why wouldnt he take your call? Thomas wrote.

Epstein seen as authority on Trump

Friends and acquaintances constantly asked Epstein for insight on Trump. What were his political chances? Who would be his Cabinet picks? Did the Russians have stuff on him?

The latter question about Russia  from former Secretary of Treasury and Harvard President Emeritus Larry Summers in July 2018  went unanswered, but in most scenarios Epstein was happy to play along, building an image for himself as an authority on Trump.

Thomas, the reporter, asked Epstein on Nov. 10, 2016, if Steven Mnuchin would be Trumps Secretary of Treasury. As a response, Epstein asks for his phone number.

Mnuchin was confirmed the following year.

Epstein played to his audience: when people wrote him with concerns about Trump, he disparaged him. He calls Trump borderline insane, a con man, and stupid.

In an email sent to Summers on Feb. 8, 2017, Epstein wrote: i have met some very bad people,, none as bad as trump.

not one decent cell in his body, he added. so yes- dangerous.

2025 Miami Herald. Visit miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Protesters rally at a news conference calling for Congress to release all of the Jeffrey Epstein files, outside the U.S. Capitol, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf) AP

Lawmakers seeking to force the release of files related to the sex trafficking investigation into Jeffrey Epstein are predicting a big win in the House this week with a deluge of Republicans voting for their bill and bucking the GOP leadership and President Donald Trump.

The bill would force the Justice Department to release all files and communications related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in federal prison.

There could be 100 or more votes from Republicans, said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., among the lawmakers discussing the legislation on Sunday news show appearances. Im hoping to get a veto-proof majority on this legislation when it comes up for a vote.

Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a discharge petition in July to force a vote on their bill. That is a rarely successful tool that allows a majority of members to bypass House leadership and force a floor vote.

Three Republicans joined Massie in signing the discharge petition: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., panned the discharge petition effort and sent members home early.

Democrats also contend the seating of Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., was stalled to delay her becoming the 218th member to sign the petition and gain the threshold needed to force a vote. She became the 218th signature moments after taking the oath of office last week.

Massie said Johnson, Trump and others who have been critical of his efforts would be taking a big loss this week.

Im not tired of winning yet, but we are winning, Massie said.

What is the Epstein Files Transparency Act?

The bill would require the Department of Justice to create and release a searchable database of files related to the Epstein investigation. Information about Epsteins victims or ongoing federal investigations would be allowed to be redacted.

Johnson seems to expect the House will decisively back the Epstein bill.

Well just get this done and move it on. Theres nothing to hide, adding that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been releasing far more information than the discharge petition, their little gambit.

The vote comes at a time when new documents are raising fresh questions about Epstein and his associates, including a 2019 email that Epstein wrote to a journalist that said Trump knew about the girls. The White House has accused Democrats of selectively leaking the emails to smear the Republican president.

Johnson said Trump has nothing to hide from this.

Theyre doing this to go after President Trump on this theory that he has something to do with it. He does not, Johnson said.

What is Trumps involvement?

Trumps association with Epstein is well-established and the presidents name was included in records that his own Justice Department released in February as part of an effort to satisfy public interest in information from the sex-trafficking investigation.

Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and the mere inclusion of someones name in files from the investigation does not imply otherwise. Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial, also had many prominent acquaintances in political and celebrity circles besides Trump.

Khanna voiced more modest expectations on the vote count than Massie. Still, Khanna said he was hoping for 40 or more Republicans to join the effort.

I dont even know how involved Trump was, Khanna said. There are a lot of other people involved who have to be held accountable.

Khanna also asked Trump to meet with those who were abused. Some will be at the Capitol on Tuesday for a news conference, he said.

Massie said Republican lawmakers who fear losing Trumps endorsement because of how they vote will have a mark on their record, if they vote no, that could hurt their political prospects in the long term.

The record of this vote will last longer than Donald Trumps presidency, Massie said.

A MAGA split

Trump publicly called it quits with Greene last week and said he would endorse a challenger against her in 2026 if the right person runs.

Greene attributed the fallout with Trump as unfortunately, it has all come down to the Epstein files. She said the country deserves transparency on the issue and that Trumps criticism of her is confusing because the women she has talked to say he did nothing wrong.

I have no idea whats in the files. I cant even guess. But that is the questions everyone is asking, is, why fight this so hard? Greene said.

Even if the bill passes the House, there is no guarantee that Senate Republicans will go along. Massie said he just hopes Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will do the right thing.

The pressure is going to be there if we get a big vote in the House, Massie said, who thinks we could have a deluge of Republicans.

Massie appeared on ABCs This Week, Johnson was on Fox News Sunday, Khanna spoke on NBCs Meet the Press and Greene was interviewed on CNNs State of the Union.
In recent years, former first lady Michelle Obama has embarked on several book tours. The first occurred in 2018 when she promoted her memoir, Becoming. In 2022, Mrs. Obama published The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, which was marketed as an inspiring book crafted to lift the spirits of the nation.

Instead of offering encouragement, The Light We Carry highlights Michelles claims about experiencing racism as first lady. On that book tour, she discussed her supposed struggle with being perceived by whites in America as an angry black woman, a topic she often brings up while touring the country with a constant grimace on her face.

Michelles most recent platform for spewing forth perceived racism is entitled The Look, which is not referring to the furrow in her brows or her perpetual pout. Thus far, under the guise of sharing her eclectic style evolution through photographs on The Look book tour, Michelle Obama continues the tradition of blaming everything from racial hair struggles to sweaty gym avoidance on the adoring white liberals waiting in line to buy her book.

How is Michelle Obama consistently able to turn things like a visual journey about her style evolution into a chance to speak out against the oppression she feels from the racist white people around her? And how does someone elevate her fashion sense while also expressing bitterness and making an ungrateful spectacle of herself by embodying the kind of intolerance that the person making the accusations claims she has been a victim of?

While promoting The Look, the Churlish One reminisced with Robin Roberts on 20/20 that both she and Barack were all too aware that as the first black couple, we couldnt afford any missteps, and that as a black woman, I was under a particularly white-hot glare. According to Michelle, during Obamas time in the White House, as a couple, they were deprived of the grace offered to white presidents because making a mistake in a political environment where youre the first and people are where your opponents are, using your race as a fear-based strategy to make you seem like the other, then everything matters.

If I remember correctly, for eight years and beyond, both she and her husband were revered as deities, and Michelle was featured on the cover of every prestigious magazine before, during, and after her husbands tenure. In March 2009, right after Barack was sworn in, Michelle was featured on the cover of Vogue in an effusive cover story written by Andre Leon Talley, who lauded her fearless fashion and elevated her to having the potential to be the most transformative first lady in history.

But even more astonishing than her superhuman ability to appear on a book tour every two to three years is how Michelle Obama misuses everything from a memoir to personal fashion as a weapon to blame white America for all the negative things in her life, including her struggles with her hair.

As part of the Look book tour, Michelle also visited her friend Tracee Ellis Ross at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), where she lamented many injustices. One in particular involved hair, which, ironically, she wore straightened to the event.

White people didnt ask for an explanation, I dont think, but, clearly annoyed, Michelle felt it necessary to educate the audience about the biased nature of hair racism:

Let me explain something to white people. Our hair comes out of our heads naturally in a curly pattern. So, when were straightening it to follow your beauty standards, we are trapped by the straightness. Thats why so many of us cant swim, and we run away from the water. People wont go to the gym because were trying to keep our hair straight for yall. It is exhausting, and its so expensive, and it takes up so much time. Braids are for yall so we can work harder and focus on the work. So why do we need an act, an act of law, to tell white folks to get outta our hair? Dont tell me how to wear my hair. Dont wonder about it. Dont touch it.

While revealing discrimination in her own life, Michelle becomes so consumed by hostility that she fails to see her own hypocrisy and prejudices against others. Take, for example, her implication that white people dont know that black people have naturally curly hair, or that not a single white person on earth struggles with a similar issue.

The former first lady also suggests that hordes of white hair Nazis are somehow forcing her to straighten her hair, which she claims would be natural if it hadnt been trapped by the straightness. Was Michelles pin-straight, shoulder-length bob, which she proudly wore to the event, a response to some white person pressuring her to style her hair in a Caucasian way?

Then, while criticizing alleged white racist attitudes toward hair, Michelle lends credibility to the racial stereotype that black people cant swim by saying, Thats why so many of us cant swim, and we run away from the water. Those comments shift the conversation to her personal chef, Tafari Campbell, and his untimely death. Is Michelle suggesting that Tafari tragically drowned in Marthas Vineyards Edgartown Great Pond because he was so worried about keeping his hair dry that he lost his footing on his paddleboard, fell in, and drowned?

Michelle then implies that some minorities have a weight problem because black people wont go to the gym because, as she says, were trying to keep our hair straight for yall. It seems as if Michelle is blaming white people for the health struggles of those who are less concerned about high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes than they are about sweat causing their straightened hair to curl up.

Then the queen of braids, who Im sure has a whole staff of stylists and servants tending to her tentacles, uttered an innuendo comparing the birds nest she regularly balances atop her head to the braids worn by slaves to cope with a workload imposed by a cruel Massa, who often whipped braided people into submission as he forced them into the fields to pick cotton.

So Michelle Obama is on another book tour, selling books, while preaching to white folks to get outta our hair. In addition to that, while proudly sporting a Jackie O pageboy, she accuses white people of dictating her hairstyle and also warns them against behaving like children at a zoo animal encounter by wondering how it would feel to touch it.

From the perspective of a casual Caucasian female observer, if truth be told, based on Michelle Obamas irrational sense of victimhood and her desire to exploit book tours to advance bigotry, it seems the former first lady suffers more from a sense of deep-rooted self-hatred than she does from racism.

Jeannie hosts a blog at www.jeannieology.us.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
As a political Independent, I read and listen to the full spectrum of information from left to right before deciding what to support, what not to support, and what to propose that differs from what is offered.

Something that has struck me is how the two sides have established two very different narratives, based on two distinct literary genres, which inform two very different worldviews.

Image created using AI.

Republicans are to Democrats (including Progressives/Liberals/Socialists) as Tragedy is to Disaster.

Some may think that Tragedy and Disaster are synonymous. This is an error. The two are quite different, and equalizing their meanings is sloppy and misleading.

The word disaster originates from the Latin-rooted term that literally means ill-starred or bad star. It entered English via the Middle French desastre and Old Italian disastro. The term combines the Latin prefix dis- (meaning bad or ill) with astrum (star), which itself derives from the Ancient Greek astron (), meaning star.

This etymology reflects an ancient astrological belief that catastrophic events were caused by unfavorable positions of stars or planets, dictating unfortunate fate or misfortune. Historically, disaster did not denote the catastrophic event itself but rather the astrological influence believed to bring about such events.

Over time, the focus shifted from the supposed celestial cause to the actual calamitythe harmful event that affects lives, property, and societies. In summary, disaster etymologically means an ill-omened or bad star, symbolizing the belief that fate or destiny, influenced by the heavens, brought forth misfortune or calamity.

The word tragedy derives from the Ancient Greek term  (tragoidia)literally meaning goat song. It is a compound of  (tragos), meaning male goat, and  (oide), meaning song or ode. Tragedy refers to ritual performances in ancient Athens where choruses dressed in goat skins performed songs honoring the god Dionysus. Early tragedy was a choral form connected with religious festivals and sacrificial rites, a communal and ritualistic expression of human experience and fate.

The evolution of the word tragedy from its original etymological meaning to its current literary sense as a serious, somber dramatic work centered on the downfall of a central character is deeply rooted in ancient Greek culture and philosophy. The transformation of tragedy into a literary and dramatic genre focused on moral and psychological complexity was most profoundly shaped by Aristotle in his work Poetics (c. 335 BCE).

Aristotle defined tragedy as a narrative involving a noble or admirable protagonist who experiences a reversal of fortune (peripeteia) from good to bad, brought about not by moral depravity but by a fatal flaw or error called hamartia. This flaw leads inexorably to the protagonists downfall, evoking emotions of pity and fear in the audience, which Aristotle described as resulting in catharsisa purging or cleansing of those emotions.

Over time, tragedy became recognized as a dramatic form that depicts the profound human conditionhubris, fate, moral conflict, suffering, and existential awareness. Renowned tragedians such as Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides expanded the genre from ritual chorus to dramatizations with complex characters and personal dilemmas. Shakespeare and later dramatists adapted and broadened the tragedys scope, but the core notion remained: a serious, dignified work portraying the downfall of a central figure due to critical choices, character flaws, or response to circumstances.

In summary, tragedy evolved from sacred ritual (goat song) to a sophisticated artistic genre centered on the downfall of a morally ambiguous protagonist, highlighting universal human themes through a structured narrative intended to provoke emotional and philosophical reflection.

Comparing the two and distilling them to their essences, tragedy always involves individual choice (agency) marred by character flaws, and disaster always involves the result of events out of the control of the individual. In tragedy, the individual is responsible for a bad outcome. In disaster, a larger system is responsible for the individuals bad outcome.

So for those among us who think Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, think again. Their relationship was a complete disaster. They were star-crossed lovers. The universe opposed their relationship. Their relationship was fated to fail, and nothing, nothing, they could do would ever change that.

At the heart of the American political divide lies a profound moral disagreement about causalitywhether human struggle originates in collective systems or individual acts.

For Democrats, injustice and suffering largely stem from external arrangements: economic systems, social hierarchies, and institutional power dynamics. For Republicans, adversity is more often a byproduct of personal decision-making, discipline, and moral character rather than structural constraint. This divergence forms the organizing principle of their moral universes, shaping everything from welfare policy to education, criminal justice, and healthcare.

Democrat Belief: Systemic Causes, i.e., Disasters

Democrat thought, rooted in progressive, liberal, and sometimes socialist traditions, views citizens as deeply shaped by the systems into which they are born. Structural inequalitymanifested in class, race, and gender hierarchiescreates enduring disadvantages that individuals cannot easily overcome by effort alone.

In this worldview, the economy and institutions are not neutral fields of merit but weighty architectures of privilege and exclusion. Hence, a poor person is not merely someone who has failed to save or work harder, but someone overwhelmingly constrained by systemic barriers: underfunded schools, discriminatory lending, healthcare costs, and generational poverty.

Democrats see these as collective responsibilities rather than private misfortunes. Their moral reasoning thereby justifies intervention, whether through redistribution, regulation, and public investment, i.e., to repair an unjust system.

Republican Belief: Individual Responsibility, i.e., Tragedies

Republicans, by contrast, locate moral agency within the individual. Their philosophical inheritance stems from classical liberalism, Protestant ethics, and the republican ideal of self-reliance.

To them, human beings possess the capacity to choose virtue, enterprise, and prudence over sloth or vice. Consequently, inequalities in outcome are not necessarily evidence of injustice but of differences, whether in effort, in prudence, in values.

Republican discourse often warns that government overreach displaces the very virtues of independence and responsibility needed for a free society to endure. Welfare dependency, for example, is seen not as the system trapping the poor but as the erosion of personal initiative through misplaced compassion. Policies should therefore aim to strengthen moral character and unleash private initiative, rather than compensating indefinitely for its absence.

Both perspectives claim to uphold justice but define it differently. For Democrats, justice means fairness of conditionsremoving perceived systemic impediments so everyone can start at an equitable (equal) point. For Republicans, justice means fairness of processensuring the freedom to act and reap the natural rewards or consequences of those actions.

The Democrat sees the struggling citizen as victimized by systems beyond control; the Republican sees the same citizen as endowed with agency that government paternalism risks destroying. Democrats trust coordinated reform to fix supposedly flawed systems; Republicans trust voluntary associations, families, churches, and markets to cultivate moral strength.

This philosophical split reaches beyond policyit touches metaphysics itself. Democrats imply that the human person is largely determined by context; Republicans that the person transcends it. That is why Democrats speak of changing the system, while Republicans speak of changing yourself. One seeks liberation through external reform, the other through internal regeneration. The former diagnoses sin in structures; the latter in souls.

Ultimately, this opposition forms the enduring core of American political conflict: a debate over where the moral center of agency liesin the system that shapes us, or in the self that chooses despite it.

Michael Applebaum is a physician and attorney in Chicago. He is a victim of the Chicago Public School system. Among other degrees, he earned one in Drama.
If you remember the wonderful Song of the South, Br'er Rabbit begs Br'er Fox not to throw him in the bramble bushes, knowing, which fox doesnt, that hes safe there in a place where Br'er Fox will be ensnared. After the disastrous Schumer shutdown (which I predict will add impetus to a remake of the SNAP program and the end of the Obama (Un) Affordable Care Act), the Democrats amped up their nonsense about Trump having engaged in wrongdoing with blackmailer and procurer of underage females , Jeffrey Epstein.

As you may recall, three judges, two of whom were appointed by Obama and one by Clinton, have blocked the Department of Justice from releasing the Epstein grand jury documents to the media.

Anyone with any sense at all knows that the prior administration that hamstrung Trump with so many false prosecutions and two impeachments would have long ago released any dirt they had that tied Trump to Epsteins criminal conduct.

As you may also recall, Trump threw Epstein out of Mar-a-Lago years ago before prosecutors went after Epstein.

Still, with so much of the evidence locked up by the judiciary, the Democrats replayed their J6 Committee scenario. They selectively released what they obtained from the Epstein estate after they tampered with it and outright lied to accuse Trump of the opposite of what the emails showed.

Heres a Courier searchable database of the 20k Epstein files already released.

The most well-known of the Epstein victims, Virginia Giuffre, testified under oath and in a book she wrote before her death that Trump had never done anything improper. It seems, in fact, that he was working with the authorities to nab Epstein. Giuffres lawyer praised Trump for cooperating voluntarily with Giuffres counsel in her suit against the Epstein estate.

Other emails establish Epsteins animus against Trump and, in fact, they show Epstein working with Michael Wolff (former NYT reporter, USA Today, Vanity Fair), the New York Times, and the House Oversight Democrats when they tried to take down Trump.

There are even emails from Epstein to Stacey Paskett (Congresswoman from the Virgin Islands), prompting her with questions during the hearing.

The desperate Democrats released an Epstein email this week, which they claimed proved Trump was part of the Epstein inner circle. It was quickly learned that they replaced Virginia in the email with victim because, in context, had her name not been removed, everyone would recognize she had already exonerated Trump. Read as written contextually, Epstein was saying that he was almost certain Trump was cooperating with Palm Beach authorities against him -- a speculation that was warranted, because he was. Epsteins adviser, Michael Wolff, confirmed that Epstein told him that it was Trump who first informed the police about what was going on in Epsteins house.

Only the fact that the House Oversight Committee quickly published the unredacted email kept this outrageous scam from going any further.

Not dissuaded from the failure of their first attempt to tar Trump with the Epstein emails, the Democratic Party on its official X account accused Trump of having spent Thanksgiving of 2017 with Epstein. Unfortunately for them, there was ample media and video proof that Trump spent that day with his family, so they deleted the tweet.

Greg Gutfeld summarizes this double fiasco:

...watching people fall for these "bombshells" is hysterical. they never cared about the case, or the victims -- but only take an interest in it if it advances them politically. and even then, they will knowingly deceive their willing media enablers with an easily identifiable redaction. not just stupid, but maliciously so.

Then Congressman Tim Burchett moved for a House vote to bring the Epstein estate files to the House floor, and the Democrats blocked the effort.

Trump has long cautioned that a number of perfectly innocent peoples names may show up in these files, and discretion in disclosures is warranted. The Left has, as you might expect, little regard for such niceties as fairness. They may well regret this, as some of their friends and members are already showing up. Perhaps thats why Burchetts effort failed: Whatever they say in public, they know in private that they want this stuff buried.

Just by way of example:

Before Epstein was arrested a second time in 2017, the emails show that NYT reporter Landon Thomas alerted Epstein that a second investigation was underway.

Do the emails incriminate Obama? Maybe:

@tomselliott Epstein email to Tom Pritzker in Nov. 28, 2016: "barrack and the boys in pb, wild wild." Surely he's not referring to our former president at Epstein's Palm Beach residence? Who, by the way, happened to be in Palm Beach at exactly this time, as per contemporaneous news reports.

Then theres Katie Couric, George Stephanopoulos, and Woody Allen dining at Epsteins home in an event to honor (now former) Prince Andrew during Epsteins post-incarceration on charges he was soliciting underage prostitution.

We no longer live in the age of innocence where scandalous behavior drives people out of the public eye, but as Trump has warned, some perfectly innocent people may face consequences. Innocent or not, Larry Summers seems to be taking the first hit from the Epstein emails release. He had been slated to lead the policy plank of the Democrats Project 2029 at the Center for American Progress. CAP is now reviewing this to determine whether to continue this plan.

Thats just the beginning, as the fallout hasnt had much time to materialize.

Tired of this non-stop ankle biting and lying, Trump asked the Attorney General, the Department of Justice, and the FBI to investigate "Jeffrey Epsteins involvement and relationship with Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Reid Hoffman, J.P. Morgan, Chase, and many other people and institutions to determine what was going on with them and him. He added that its FIND OUT time. Bondi promptly announced she had selected SDNY United States Attorney Jay Clayton to take the lead in this.

Do you imagine this instantaneous appointment just happened -- or, like me, do you think Trump gave these malicious idiots enough rope to discredit themselves, absolve himself, and leave them in substantial legal jeopardy?
From Wikimedia Commons: Rome, from the Vatican (J.M.W. Turner, 1820)

The story of Christianity, from its birth in persecution to its global witness today, is one of triumph through suffering. The Church was conceived in martyrdom and strengthened by the blood of those who refused to deny Christ. Across two millennia, it has known both glory and exile, power and abasement. Yet its endurance has never rested on wealth or empire but on the courage of believers who acted  who built, sheltered, defended, and bore witness in the face of mortal danger.

Today, the question of Christianitys survival bears both the weight of history and the anguish of the present. Across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, Christians face violence, dispossession, and the deliberate erasure of their faith. Churches are burned, families displaced, children kidnapped, and entire villages emptied. To be Christian in parts of the Muslim world is to live ones faith under siege. In the secularized West, the threat is different but no less grave: the slow amnesia of God, the polite apostasy of comfort. The Church thus confronts a double peril  annihilation by the sword and corrosion by neglect.

From the seventh century onward, Arab-Islamic conquests reshaped the religious landscape of the Old World. Lands that had been vibrant centers of Christianity  Syria, Egypt, North Africa, and later Asia Minor  fell under Muslim rule. Christians endured centuries as dhimmis, tolerated yet subordinated, their survival purchased through tribute and silence. Over time, conversion, migration, and persecution reduced once-flourishing Churches to remnants. The vast Church of the East (i.e., the Nestorian Church), which stretched from Antioch to China, was nearly extinguished. By the twentieth century, only scattered enclaves remained, living relics of the faiths earliest centuries.

This tragic decline is put down to savage warfare, genocidal-scale massacres, and deculturation. The fate of Christian communities established long before the upheavals of Islamic expansionism amounts to a disaster for humanity. The light that once radiated from Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria now flickers in the lands of its birth. To ignore those communities is to deny part of humanitys moral memory.

Meanwhile, Europe  Christianitys second heartland  faces its own eclipse. Secularization has hollowed out belief, leaving cathedrals as empty monuments to forgotten transcendence. The East suffers persecution; the West suffers amnesia. The faith that once transformed empires now struggles to survive both fanaticism and indifference.

Against this darkness, the papacy remains a moral voice charged with defending both the persecuted and the faith itself. Saint John Paul II, tempered by Nazi occupation and communist repression, embodied courage born of suffering. His cry in Warsaw  Do not be afraid!  gave a nation the strength to defy tyranny. His role in the fall of Soviet communism showed the power of faith to reawaken human dignity. When he forgave his would-be assassin, his mercy was not weakness but strength; yet he never ceased warning of the dangers facing Christianity, especially the gathering storm over the Middle East. His call for solidarity with persecuted believers remains one of the most urgent legacies of his pontificate.

Pope Benedict XVI, scholar and pastor, defended truth in an age of confusion. His 2006 Regensburg Address  a plea for reason purified by faith and against violence committed in Gods name  exposed both Islamic extremism and Western moral exhaustion. For this he was vilified, yet his warning proved prophetic. In Iraq, Syria, and Egypt, Christian communities were later ravaged by war and ethnic cleansing by Islamists. Benedict saw that a civilization severed from its Christian roots abandons the very foundation of human rights. His papacy was a reminder that defending Christians abroad also means defending the moral reason that sustains freedom itself.

Pope Francis, elected in 2013, emphasized mercy and dialogue. His outreach to the Muslim world sought reconciliation instead of confrontation. Yet for many suffering believers, that gentleness felt like silence. His humanitarian efforts expanded the Churchs relief work, but the prophetic voice that names evil often fell muted. Whether this reflected prudence or timidity, the cost of restraint was borne by those who suffered in silence. Compassion without courage risks becoming complicity.

The rise of Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian missionary and former Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, renews the question of leadership. Having shaped the Churchs global episcopate, he now faces a wounded Church in desperate need of moral clarity. Will its future shepherds be diplomats or martyrs? Administrators or apostles? His challenge  and that of the whole Church  is to unite mercy with truth, love with courage, in the defense of those who die for Christ.

To protect Christians is not only to shield them from violence but also to guard the integrity of the faith itself. Mercy without truth becomes sentimentality; truth without mercy becomes cruelty. The real defense of the Church lies in the union of the two  charity joined to clarity. This is the mystery of the Cross: Christ conquers not through power but through sacrifice. Yet as the martyrs testify, love is not weakness. To die for ones faith is the highest form of courage; to speak truth with charity, even when it offends, is the truest form of mercy. Christian persecution calls for moral defiance.

Christian leaders, therefore, must not retreat into fearful diplomacy or dissolve the Gospel into vague humanitarianism. Dialogue with Islam is imperative, but it must be honest. The slaughter of Christians in Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Middle East cannot be softened by euphemism. Naming evil is the first act of justice. A Church that hesitates to speak loses its moral authority; a world that ignores the persecuted betrays its conscience.

Nor can Western Christians remain passive spectators. Far from being limited to popes, the duty to protect is incumbent on everybody. The Church is not a bureaucracy; it is a body, and when one member suffers, all suffer. In the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia, priests and families live their faith under threat of death. Their endurance is a sermon to the rest of the world  a witness that faith can outlast fear. Their blood is the seed of future Christianity.

Solidarity should immediately move beyond sympathy. Likewise, prayer should become action: advocacy in parliaments, support for relief agencies, and public witness that refuses to hide persecution behind politics. Western governments that speak solemnly of human rights cannot remain indifferent while believers are driven from their ancestral homes. To defend persecuted Christians is not partisanship; it is fidelity to the Gospels command to love ones neighbor, even when doing so costs reputation or comfort.

Yet protection abroad must be matched by renewal at home. So far, the greatest threat to Western Christianity is apathy rather than persecution  the silent apostasy of a culture neglecting its faith. When Europe and North America forget their Christian inheritance, they lose the moral grammar of freedom itself. To protect Christianity, therefore, also means to re-evangelize the baptized, to rekindle conviction where comfort has bred complacency.

Christians must become each others protectors. Solidarity across nations and denominations is no longer optional but essential. Aid for the persecuted, advocacy for their rights, and intercessory prayer are one vocation of love. The Churchs strength lies not in armies but in communion  a unity of conscience that stands firm when others fall silent.

Who, then, will protect the Christians of the world? It will be the saints and martyrs whose blood awakens courage; the pastors and thinkers who speak truth with love; the leaders  John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and perhaps Pope Leo XIV  who embody both mercy and fortitude. Above all, however, the protector of Christians is Christ Himself. The Church endures not through worldly power but divine promise: The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

True protection is not the absence of suffering but the triumph of fidelity. As long as believers refuse to renounce the Cross, Christianity will not perish, even if it must pass through fire. The question, then, is not only who will protect Christians, but also whether Christians will protect the truth of Christ within themselves. For when faith burns brightly in the heart of the faithful, no darkness  however deep  can extinguish its flame.
Does Trump need to speak directly to the American people to better explain the successes of the administration? Certainly  but not in the usual manner.

The default way that every president since Dwight Eisenhower has addressed the nation on television is to sit at the historic Resolute Desk and give a speech. Similarly, if we think back to the early years of nightly news broadcasts, that is the same way the news was delivered: A man sat behind a desk and read the news to us.

Todays news reports are completely different. There is a screen over the shoulder of the broadcaster that has pictures, graphics, charts, or whatever is helpful in conveying the story. In addition, there are reporters in all parts of the globe to give us firsthand knowledge along with video to better convey the message. There are interviews with newsworthy people to tell what they know.

Why cant the president do this? He can.

One thing we hear is that the public is not convinced that the economy is improving. In an address to the nation, the president could use graphics like this to help show the improvement. There are any number of other graphics, statistics, and stories that help tell about the upgrade in the economy. They should be simple and direct.

He could also have various administration officials reporting from newsworthy locations. For example, Secretary Kristi Noem as a reporter could give us a little update from the quiet border.

The president could interview certain Cabinet secretaries. He could simply say, Tell us what you have found and what you are doing to fix it. There is something in every department that would be worth hearing.

Lastly, the president could use the national address to do more than just report on administration activities and accomplishments. He could also make it a call to action.

There are many times when the president wants Congress to do something, but they are as unmovable as a tree stump. In this address, the president can make his case for a certain course of action. There could be a QR code on the TV screen at the end of the address. The viewer could scan that, which would open to a form where he can enter his ZIP code. A message of support for the presidents desired action could then be sent to the appropriate congressman. If congressmen are swamped with these messages, they are more likely to do what the president wishes.

So I wholeheartedly agree that the president should use his bully pulpit to talk to the American people. He just needs to use an updated version.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
In 1934, Congress enacted the National Firearms Act. In effect since, it requires federal registration of machineguns, requires rifles and shotguns have an overall length of 26, rifles have barrels at least 16 in length and shotguns have barrels at least 18 in length. It also requires registration of silencers, which are properly termed suppressors.

Graphic: KelTec CMR30, which meets NFA standards. Author.

In 1986, Democrats snuck in a provision on a fraudulent voice vote that banned private ownership of machineguns. Since that day, only machineguns made before 1986 may be lawfully owned. As a result, machineguns are scarce and when sold at all, command insane prices. The military and police can still own those weapons.

Unlike what many believe, the NFA was never a gun control measure. It was passed as an Act to provide for the taxation of manufacturers, importers, and dealers in certain firearms. It used the taxing power of Congress to indirectly regulate behavior it didnt have the authority to regulate otherwise at the time.

The effects of the NFA were clear:

Its primary enforcement mechanism wasnt criminal prohibition  it was taxation. The law imposed a $200 tax (roughly $4,700 in todays dollars) on the manufacture and transfer of certain firearms  namely machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, silencers (suppressors), and any other weapons.

Since, the Supreme Court,and Congress have upheld the NFA solely on taxation grounds. Sonzinsky v. United States in 1937 and United States v. Miller in 1939 ruled that since the tax raised revenue, Congress could legislate it, even if its effect was regulatory.

Circa 2025, virtually every part of that taxation scheme vanished:

When Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill earlier this year, it removed the $200 tax on suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and any other weapons. Effective January 1, 2026, the NFAs central revenue-raising provision for those categories  its entire legal foundation  is gone. Machine guns and destructive devices still carry the $200 tax stamp, but for suppressors and short-barreled firearms  the very categories whose inclusion in the NFA has always been most constitutionally suspect  Congress eliminated the tax entirely. Yet the registration and regulatory regime remain.

This is a significant issue not only on constitutional grounds, but because short- barreled rifles and suppressors have become enormously popular in recent years. Legal stabilizing braces are often used on AR-pattern pistolsshort-barreled rifles-- as a legal way to get around the NFA prohibition. An entire industry has grown up around making suppressors easier to own, but with the $200 tax no longer required, what is the continued justification for the NFA?

The One Big Beautiful Bill  a landmark pro-gun reform package that otherwise repealed large swaths of Biden-era gun control  was supposed to remove suppressors and short-barreled firearms from the NFA entirely. But at the last minute, a Democrat Senate parliamentarian ruled that repealing the NFAs registration requirements would violate the Byrd Rule, which limits what can be included in budget reconciliation bills. The argument was absurd. The NFA was created as a tax and taxes are precisely what the Byrd Rule exists to address. If removing a tax regulation isnt budget-related, what is?

Good question indeed.

Gun Owners of AmericaGOAhas filed suit arguing that with the taxation justification for the NFA gone, the entire act must be struck down.

It doesnt just challenge a rule, it challenges the intellectual and constitutional lie that federal bureaucrats can regulate away your rights under the guise of a tax that no longer exists. If the lawsuit succeeds  and it should  it will set the stage for a wider dismantling of the federal gun control regime, including the Hughes Amendments 1986 machinegun freeze, which also relies on an outdated NFA framework.

Graphic: AR-15 variant, also meeting NFA standards. Author.

But wont short-barreled rifles and shotguns increase crimes? Not at all. Most crimes arent committed with the aid of any firearm, and the overwhelming majority of those that are involve handguns, which are small, weigh little and are easy to conceal. Short-barreled long guns are heavy, bulky, and very hard to conceal. Long guns of any kind are seldom used in crime for those reasons, and despite what the media would have us believe, assault weaponsusually AR-pattern long gunsare used in only a tiny portion of that tiny portion of weapons used in crimes.

If the NFA is struck downand it should bethere is nothing preventing Congress from enacting legislation in this area. Nothing, that is, other than their fear of enraging the American public who zealously guard their Second Amendment rights. Having to explain why guns and suppressors already long in common use ought to be outright banned is something sane legislators should want to avoid.

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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.
Is President Trump's show of strength against Venezuelan and Colombian drug traffickers having an unexpected knock-on effect in cartel-plagued Mexico?

It's hard not to think that when one sees the intensity of protests like these at the center of Mexico City:

 HAN CAIDO TODAS LAS BARRERAS QUE RODEABAN EL PALACIO DE GOBIERNO DE MEXICO.



Solo queda el esquema de seguridad. No lo puedo creer, los jovenes van a tomar el Palacio.pic.twitter.com/ro6s5nzqND  Agustin Antonetti (@agusantonetti) November 15, 2025

Anti-Sheinbaum protesters have hopped the wall protecting the National Palace in Mexico City. Mexican police are responding with crowd control munitions. pic.twitter.com/WgdIMi1K1e  Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) November 15, 2025

Brutal videos coming out of Mexico City.



Both anti-cartel protests and riot police officer are being kicked unconscious in front of the presidential palace



 pic.twitter.com/zZzAmg0R7K  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) November 15, 2025

 BREAKING: It's getting WORSE in Mexico. The rioters are now fighting the police and police are KICKING a rioter who fell to the ground.



This is insane.



These people came out because they're fed up with "Narco-President" Sheinbaum.pic.twitter.com/xtyXEC029d  Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 15, 2025

Update: Battle in Mexico City. In the main square, Zocalo, while patriots battle with police protecting the Presidential Palace. Officers launch tear gas and bullets! . Mexico rises up against Sheinbaum!!pic.twitter.com/ChnJZGD6w4  US Homeland Security News (@defense_civil25) November 15, 2025

The Mexican anti-cartel Gen Z rebellion has reached Claudia Sheinbaums presidential palace in Mexico City.



The crowd has torn down the wall she built a few days ago and is now trying to get past the riot police who have taken cover in an ancient Roman testudo (turtle) formation pic.twitter.com/3AWvsmb4Zc  Visegrad 24 (@visegrad24) November 15, 2025

As President Trump blows narcoboats out of the water in a bid to shake Venezuela's Marxist cocaine dictator, Nicolas Maduro, out of his illegitimately held nest, now narco-plagued Mexico is seeing huge protests in a bid to accomplish something similar, and the words "Latino Spring" come to mind.

I've seen radical protests in Mexico City before, but nothing like these videos. I recall being there as the guest of a billionaire I was covering for Forbes magazine in March 2001. When the Chiapas 'revolutionary' known as Subcomandante Marcos marched into the Zocalo with his communist denizens (same place where these riots took place), we got up from our meal and looked out the window of the restaurant to watch the radicals march in pretty peacefully, not saying much.

This riot seems more similar to the 2010-2011 Arab Spring chain of events and protests that toppled one weak dictatorship after another in the Arab world, brought on by one seemingly insignificant event when a Tunisian fruit seller self-immolated after police goons seized his fruit cart.

In Mexico, the triggering event was likely the broad-daylight assassination a few weeks ago of the small-city mayor of Uruapan, who had challenged the cartels and criticized the government for doing little, prompting the government to deny him the needed security. Yes, many elected leaders have already been killed in Mexico. But something about this killing seems different.

Both the Arab Spring and these events in Latin America come in the shadow of U.S. policy shifts. The Arab Spring took off when President Obama shifted U.S. policy to one of weakness and apology tours. This event in Mexico City is coming as a result of President Trump's show of strength. That may make a difference in the outcomes.

Regardless of the U.S. role, the assassination of the mayor put the population on the boil. Mexicans are tired of the narcos ruling everything, tired of the thievery, murders, lost quality of life, and their flaunted riches, brought on by the border surge's "crossing fees" from illegal migrants from all over the globe into the U.S. They are especially tired of the government's coddling of these dirtbags as cartel power grows. They seem to be afraid of them.

Now a protest was organized, beginning with the spraying of the words 'narcostate' on the hastily erected walls protecting the presidential palace, and the riots have begun.

They have reportedly spread to other Mexican cities whose leaders are accused of complicity with narcotraffickers.

DEVELOPING, Mexico : Its being reported multiple states are undergoing mass civil unrest, with states like Guadalajara, Puebla, Mexico City, and others showing clashes between police and anti-cartel protestors.



Puebla, MX 



pic.twitter.com/ey8LalPAAt  Anthony (@anthonycabassa) November 15, 2025

Watch Colombia, too.

Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, blames computer bots and two disfavored billionaires for organizing the riots.

According to Bloomberg:

President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized a Gen Z march planned for Saturday in Mexico City, calling it a movement financed by right-wing politicians and business leaders who oppose her government. The demonstration is being promoted on social media by 8 million bots operating from outside the country, she said on Thursday during a daily news conference from the presidential palace. We agree with freedom of expression and freedom of demonstration if there are young people who have demands, but the issue here is who is promoting the demonstration, Sheinbaum said. People should know how this demonstration was organized so that no one is used.

... and ...

Other government officials named specific individuals: Billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego, former President Vicente Fox and businessman Claudio X. Gonzalez are among the key sponsors of the march, according to an analysis produced by Infodemia, an official fact-checking agency tasked with combating what it calls fake news targeting the government.

I've spent time with both of those billionaires, too, from that same Forbes run -- one fiery and the other a sweetie -- but both are Milei-style libertarians in contrast to Sheinbaum's boutique socialist orientation.

She hates them, and her minions blame them for the rioting. I find it doubtful that either would have had anything to do with it, though I wouldn't rule out the CIA, which has been called to get active in Venezuela's narcostate and might have extended orders. Fox seems more like a buffoon but I don't know everything.

But riots like this, with this intensity, are hardly likely to be astroturf. The discontent in Mexico is real. The U.S. finally has a president willing to do something about narco problems. That can credibly be something that gives angry, frustrated Mexicans heart to continue. There's still a lot of information we don't know at this point, and the media coverage here has been sparse. But the reaction looks pretty big. And the rioters may well force Mexico into getting serious about its narco problem, or else consider that they may go the way of Maduro, too.

UPDATE from Andrea:

Looking at what Monica describes, I cant help but be reminded of what I wrote in 2017, right after Trumps first inauguration. I wrote this at Bookworm Room, my personal site (where I try to have meme roundups most weeks, although I didnt get the chance this past week). I was relaying a back-and-forth I had on Facebook against a Progressive who was hysterical about the fact that the first Trump administration planning to deport illegal aliens:

My first point was that, behind all that compassion, he is actually complicit in a moral evil when he supports corrupt Latin American governments  the ones that prey on their people  who use illegal immigration as a safety valve. The system he supports means that decent people in Latin America who are devastated because of government corruption and its related economic devastation are actively encouraged to trek through dangerous deserts and sneak into America just so that they can send home billions of American dollars that keep those rotten systems afloat. With the funds illegal immigration brings to Latin America, those governments dont have to improve. I finished by telling the man he ought to be ashamed of himself, and was quite racist, for being complicit with tyrants.

It strikes me that Trumps deportations and the closed border mean that corrupt governments have lost their safety valveand their beleaguered people, with nowhere to go, are finally pushing back.

Image: Screen shot from El Universal (Mexico) video, via X.
A Protestant minister in Berlin said she conducted a poly wedding for four men at what the Daily Caller characterized as a summer pop-up wedding event outside a Kreuzberg church.

According to the Berliner Zeitung, the allegedly Protestant minister, Lena Muller, 33, posted that four young men said yes to each other and stood under Gods colorful blessing.

This, despite the fact that Germany does not recognize multi-partner marriages. (Intolerant fascists!)

Im not sure God would bestow his blessing on these particular nuptials, colorful or not. Especially insofar as the Bible clearly states His belief mandate that marriage should be between one man and one woman. But perhaps He has become much more hip and woke in the last couple of millennia. Or not.

People like this minister  and those who claim to be spiritual but not religious," and folks who speak of my truth are akin to those who purport to want to save our democracy from Trump/Republicans/conservatives/anybody who doesnt agree with them.

How so, you ask?

In that the latter dont really want to save our democracy (representative republic), they want to save their bureaucracy and enhance their power. And that the former eschew the concept of objective truth and morality and actually desire to make themand Christianitycomport with their wishes and actions. No matter what they may be.

Whats next to defile the divine unity of one male and one female? Will we soon be O.K. with blessing the sexual union of Three Men and a Truck? Three women and two men (a full house, females over males!) Five guys, three gals? Two trans women, three cis-women, three trans men, and two cis-men? Four anogenders, five demifluxers, and a goat?

If there are no standards, if nothing is deemed immoral, and if there is a mindset of absolutely anything goes ... any society or nation so afflicted soon goes away. Permanently.

There is a reason Western Europe is being successfully invaded. By Muslims. When a nation forgets or willfully erases its past and no longer believes in itself or its raison d'etre, it opens up a void that must be filled by something else.

Often, that something is antithetical to that nations previous identity and well-being. This might seem ironic but quickly becomes a fait accompli.

The same thing could happen here in the U.S. Already is, in fact.

Tolerance is neither a virtue nor always good. Diversity is not necessarily our strength.

It is, however, our destiny.

Image: Ted Eytan, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0 Deed
In 1939, as the world prepared to plunge into the chaos of World War II, a small, frozen country withstood the onslaught of the Soviet Union. Three million Finns against 171 million Russians. One hundred and five days of combat at -50C (-58F). This forgotten story is what Olivier Norek, 50, a former police officer and author of crime novels, brings to light in The Winter Warriors, which has already sold more than 300,000 copies in France. His new work not only revives the so-called Winter War, but also mirrors the present with Vladimir Putins current aggression. I didnt want to write about the war in Ukraine, says the author, visiting Madrid. But I did want to understand it. And to understand it, I thought I had to tell the story of a war from a century earlier. Because forgotten history is doomed to repeat itself.

It all began, he recounts, one morning in 2022, while listening to the radio. I heard Vladimir Putin threatening us with a nuclear winter. In 2022, no one was prepared for that. Not me either. And when Im afraid, I investigate. I wanted to understand a century of relations between Russia and the rest of the world, to discover if the past could give me the intellectual tools to understand tomorrow. On that journey through history, Norek stumbled upon an almost mythical episode: the war that pitted the Soviet Union against Finland between 1939 and 1940. I encountered 105 days at -51C (-59.8F), and a gigantic army trying to subdue a tiny country... and failing. And at the center of it all, a man: Simo Hayha, a five-foot-two (1.57 meters) farmer with an angelic face and deadly aim, who became Russias worst nightmare. An unlikely hero. When you come across a story like that, you know you have to tell it.

The White Death

Simo Hayha, known as The White Death, is a figure as legendary as he is elusive. His exploits  more than 500 confirmed kills as a sniper  made him a living legend, but he never spoke of it. Simo was a man of few words, Norek explains. He gave only one interview, to a German newspaper. So I decided to respect his silence: in my novel, he doesnt speak. You only hear him when he describes his rifle. Everything else is related through the eyes of those around him: his comrades, his superiors, the soldiers who feared him. That was my way of preserving the mystery.

In times of ostentation and noise, isnt a silent hero almost revolutionary? Simo didnt want to be a hero. He was a peasant who just wanted to take care of his farm. But when he was told that Russia was going to attack his country, he gave up his life and took up a rifle. Before, he hunted wolves; then he had to face men. And in that transformation, he became something greater. Thats what we writers look for in our characters: someone who wasnt prepared, who doesnt have the right weapons, but who takes on the mission because his cause is just. You dont choose to be a hero; you become one through the eyes of others.

Image from the Winter War, in 1939. Sovfoto (Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

When the war ended, Hayha returned to his farm. He bought a cow, a horse, and an old yellow beetle. He turned away journalists. He lived in silence. He only agreed, once a year, to let a man knock on his door to go hunting with him. That man was the president of Finland.

The sublimation of a country

For Norek, the valor of The Winter Warriors lies not only in its protagonist, but in the collective. It wasnt just Simo who was elevated. An entire country was elevated: the women sewing uniforms, the young men going to the front, the elderly defending their villages. When you have a just cause, everything else ceases to matter. This idea permeates the book and Noreks thinking. During World War II, when Germany attacked Russia, the Soviets resisted because they had a just cause. But when they attacked Finland, they failed, because their cause was unjust. The justice or injustice of a cause determines the inner strength of those who defend it. When you fight for love, for your land, for your people, you are almost indestructible.

Noreks novel, however, devotes considerable space to the Russians. For me, it was essential not to dehumanize the enemy. At the beginning of the book, I speak of the blood spilled: not Finnish blood, but that of both sides. At one point, a soldier falls, wants to turn around, but knows that if he does, his own comrades will shoot him. He kneels, looks to the sky, and prays. In that instant, it doesnt matter which side the bullet comes from. If the reader doesnt know whether hes Russian or Finnish, then Ive done well. Because deep down, they were all young men, brothers, cousins, boys who didnt choose that war. Those in command never send their sons to the front. Thats the universal tragedy.

The bitter cold is not just a backdrop, but the very spirit of the story. I wanted to tell the story of war, violence, and death in a poetic way. Winter, because it is white, because the snow is a movie screen or a blank page, allows me to tell everything. The snow absorbs the blood and turns red. It is another character, a mirror of the soul. And, moreover, its whiteness inspires poetry. Horror can only be told with beauty, or it is unbearable.

Reality and fiction

Although The Winter Warriors is based on real events, Norek insists that his perspective is that of a storyteller, not a historian. Ive written a history book with the soul of my crime novels. I didnt invent anything, I didnt add heroic acts; everything I recount is true. I only changed the way I told it. Because for a novelist, whats essential is the human element: the characters, the emotions. You can have the best plot twists, but without emotions, theres no story. One of the discoveries that most impacted him during his research had to do with the human side and concerned an unusual strategy designed by General Mannerheim, the Finnish commander-in-chief during the war. He decided that each village would form a combat unit. It seems simple, but it was decisive. To your left was your brother, to your right your best friend, in front your cousin. That way, no one ran away. They werent fighting for an abstract concept, but for those they loved. It was the first war won thanks to love.

The Winter Warriors is not just a historical novel, but a moral mirror. I want the reader to remember that wars repeat themselves when we forget. Today, in Ukraine, the same thing is happening. The first year we feel emotions, the second we send weapons, the third we begin to tire. And the fourth, when we hear Ukraine, many people yawn. But it is not only Ukraine that is being defended, it is Europe. If Ukraine falls, if Finland is attacked, we all have a problem. That is why the author insists that diplomacy must go all the way: When words disappear, violence arrives. We still have time to debate, to talk. But if that spark ignites, it will set us all ablaze. We have never been so close to a Third World War.

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Here we are, a little over a year since Trump won re-election. Americans (conservatives) are doing okay, but the leftists are coming apart at the seams.

Itd be funny if it werent so dangerous.

Right now, half the country cant sleep without popping Ambien or rage-scrolling X. Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) is a national epidemic, and its rotting our society from the inside out, courtesy of a brainwashing trifecta: indoctrinating schools, hysterical media, and a public so fixated on Orange Man Bad that theyre one trigger away from Antifa cosplay. Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert appeared on Fox News recently and reported that 75% of his patients are TDS zombies  obsessed, traumatized, hyper-fixated. One woman couldnt even vacation without a Trump sighting sending her into therapy-worthy meltdown. Profound pathology, Alpert calls it  the defining pathology of our time.

The good doctor said his patients

suffer persistent intrusive thoughts about Trump,

compulsively monitor news about him,

endure chronic hyperarousal and vigilance, and

lose the ability to function normally in daily life.

No kidding. Its as if leftists are allergic to Republican (conservative, American) victories, so they melt down. I work with many people like this. They never mention the countless Democrat crimes but fixate endlessly on alleged Republican misdeeds.

TDS isnt just some spontaneous mental hiccup. Its manufactured madness, pumped out by an educational system thats less about reading, writing, and arithmetic and more about radicalizing kids into confused, deranged mini-Marxists. The left has a schedule of abominations: Slaughter as many unborn in the womb as possible, anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 to perhaps as many as 2,000 a day. Then they encourage children who manage to be born alive to consider chemically sterilizing themselves and surgically mutilating their genitalia. Meanwhile, theyre putting graphic pornography into K12 classrooms and exposing them (no pun intended) to drag queen story hour. Im sure they have no prurient interests in pursuing those activities.

This is reflected in Harvards Woke-O-Meter catalogue, where 6% of general education courses peddle intersectionality and systemic racism drivel, per a 2025 N.Y. Times analysis. Without these indoctrination mills, wed have fewer purple-haired hysterics demonizing MAGA hats and churning out snowflakes who see Trump as Satan incarnate. Instead, campuses are breeding weak-minded fodder for leftist cults  easy prey for AOCs squad or Bernies Bolsheviks. As one Minnesota bill hilariously proposed, TDS is Trump-induced general hysteria such that the individual struggles to distinguish between legitimate policy and psychic pathology. Exactly. Our schools arent building citizens; theyre constructing victims primed for violence.

Enter the media, the TDS super-spreader. Colberts smirk-fests, Behars View tantrums, and Roswell Rachels lunacy arent informing; theyre inciting. Studies show lefties drowning in stress, insomnia, and even suicidal ideation from politics overload, thanks to 24/7/365 Trump-bashing. Its cult programming: Deify Obama, and demonize Trump as the Emmanuel Goldstein of our 1984 fever dream.

Where is this coming from? For the most part, conservatives are religious, whereas leftists are not. Both Judaism and Christianity teach that human beings are flawed, and Utopia is therefore unattainable. The lefts godless religion needed a devil, and Trump is it.

No wonder Alperts couch is booked solid. Patients spew Trump hatred within five minutes of sitting down. The medias job? Terrify the citizens into compliance, and divide us while eroding trust in everything. Meanwhile, the afflicted masses are turning TDS into a Molotov cocktail. Kevin Downey, Jr. warns: emotionally frail leftists, dehumanized by media mantras (MAGA = Nazis), graduate from Cybertruck swastikas to hammer attacks on strangers. Antifa guttersnipes sip Skinny Girl Mojitos, then virtue-signal violence as resistance. Weve seen it. Two assassination attempts against Trump, riots, ICE ambushes  all TDs-fueled frenzy.

Why? Because schools teach victimhood, media amplify paranoia by highlighting some information and burying the rest. The result? Violence becomes virtue. Blue-city D.A.s drop charges on child-kidnappers but prosecute Trump for existing. Representative Warren Davidsons TDS Research Act? Genius  its time the NIH studies this venom before it ignites a civil war.

The danger is that theyre ripping our republic apart. Reagans shooting united us. He reportedly said to the surgeons about to treat him, I hope youre all Republicans, and one responded, Today, were all Republicans. Thats ended.

Trumps existence has driven the left into hysterical paranoia. Fix it: Shrink the government so it doesnt loom like Big Brother. Defund woke academia. Sideline legacy media for citizen journalism. And pray the affected rediscover faith to remind them that humans aint perfectible, and neither is politics.

Until then, TDS isnt just ruining vacations; its unraveling our Republic.

Trump wins by existing. We win by surviving the meltdown.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
The pre-2024 election lawfare cases against Donald Trump are, one by one, being overturned. Among the most egregious was New York prosecutor Alvin Braggs novel legal theory that turned a misdemeanor business records case into 34 felonies over paying then-Trump attorney Michael Cohen for legal services, which Bragg represented as hush money paid to Stormy Daniels. That paying hush moneya non-disclosure agreement--is legal didnt bother Bragg. He, and other prosecutors including Fani Willis and krazy eyz killa Jack Smith, had a job to do: bankrupt, convict and imprison Trump to keep him from a second presidential term.

Graphic: X Post

In 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents, including former presidents, have broad immunity for their official acts while in office. It was a decision the lawfare prosecutors and judges labored mightily to misconstrue or ignore, and Judge Juan Merchan allowed that case to go on to convict Trump of 34 felonies despite much of the testimony implicating his official acts.

With the Supreme Courts immunity decision and Trumps reelection Jack Smith was forced to resign before the courts could entirely disqualify him over his illegal appointment as special counsel.

Trump continuesat great financial cost--to have substantial success in overturning those lawfare decisions, and not only at the Supreme Court. Trump initially moved to transfer the Bragg case from New York courts to the federal courts. That motion was, unsurprisingly, denied. Bragg and the other anti-Trump conspirators needed their cases in hostile, anti-Trump jurisdictions.

After the Supreme Courts immunity decision in July of 2024, Trump again moved to transfer the case, which was again denied.

Trump filed an appeal to the 2nd Circuit, which on November 4, 2025, handed down its decision:

The District Court denied leave, concluding, among other things, that good cause had not been shown for the delay in seeking removal a second time. We cannot be confident that in doing so, the District Court adequately considered issues relevant to the good cause inquiry so as to enable meaningful appellate review. Those issues include but are not limited to the impact of Trump v. United States on the removability of the underlying state prosecution. For example, the District Court did not consider whether certain evidence admitted during the state court trial relates to immunized official acts or, if so, whether evidentiary immunity transformed the States case into one that relates to acts under color of the Presidency. Nor did the District Court consider whether any notice of removal of a criminal prosecution under  1455(b)(1) must be filed before trial even if new grounds for removal arise during or after trial. We therefore VACATE the District Courts order denying Trumps motion for leave to file a second notice of removal and REMAND for reconsideration of the motion consistent with this opinion.

In these days of continuing judicial lawfare against Trump, even this is no guarantee the District Court wont ignore the ruling and again refuse to transfer the case, but thats not Trumps only appeal option. He has recently appealed the case in the New York appeals system where theyll have the opportunity to try to restore at least a little integrity to New Yorks justice system. The appealtake the linkis convincing. It alleges:

1) Bragg had no authority to prosecute a federal campaign funding violation.

2) Merchan allowed substantial testimony that violated Trumps immunity privileges.

3) Merchan allowed the jury to convict Trump without unanimous agreement in an illegal pick one from column A or one from column B or C manner.

4) There was no evidence of Trumps intent to defraud anyone, as required by NY law.

Finally, the appeal argues Merchan violated judicial ethics by refusing to recuse himself despite multiple ethics violations, including his own campaign donations to Democrat candidates and his daughters involvement as a part owner of an advertising company paid millions by the Kamala Harris campaign and other Democrats. Some of those ads specifically featured Merchans trial of Trump.

Graphic: X Post

Transferring the case to federal court could overturn the verdict, as could a rational, lawful decision by New Yorks Appeals Court.

Democrats have delighted in branding Trump a convicted felon, which was one of the goals of their lawfare campaign. They used that epithet during the campaign, but Americans understood what was happening and elected Trump to spite them and in the hope that Trump would restore the Constitution and rule of law.

That process continues.

Become a subscriber and get our weekly, Friday newsletter with unique content from our editors. These essays alone are worth the cost of the subscription.

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.
It's funny how a death-squad dictator can get all whirled-peasy when he's got the U.S.'s biggest aircraft carrier parked on his front porch looking at him.

But here we are with Nicolas Maduro, socialist dictator, election thief, and drug dealer, singing a new tune.

According to the Associated Press:

The president of Venezuela took part in an event with his supporters on Saturday, where he recalled British musician John Lennon and even went on to sing part of one of his iconic songs, Imagine. Nicolas Maduro was delivering a rallying speech to a group of supporters in the populous Petare neighborhood on the outskirts of the capital, Caracas, when, in the middle of his remarks, he asked his communications minister, Alfred Nazareth, to remind him of the songs name. What a beautiful song, the lyrics. For the young people, look up the lyrics. Its an inspiration for all times, the Venezuelan president said after hearing a passage of the song, which was played over the events sound system.

Spare us. The AP has a video of it at the link above, or it can be viewed on its own tweet here:

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro breaks into singing John Lennon's 'Imagine' as he talks about US tensions. pic.twitter.com/R270tpM5AF  The Associated Press (@AP) November 16, 2025

... or at this one:

Hoje Nicolas Maduro cantou Imagine do John Lennon para pedir paz pic.twitter.com/abzOT6wJtX  Sam Pancher (@SamPancher) November 16, 2025

Let's cut to the chase. Maduro is running scared as President Trump declines to state what he intends to do with all that military hardware pointed at Venezuela, along with orders to CIA operatives inside the country -- of unknown purpose.

But we know he's taking out the drug boats, 20 at last count, and it's unlikely to stop at the small fry serving as mules to transport the drugs. The kingpins, the warehouses, the processing centers are far more likely to be the targets they're moving toward.

And with Maduro the drug dealer in chief -- he actually makes his money off narcotrafficking because we know he's wrecked his oil industry, Maduro knows his days are dicey.

It's creepy he picked that song, given his record of human rights violations. It's creepier still when one remembers that that was Jimmy Carter's favorite song, the one he wanted played at his ostensibly religious funeral. Carter, of course, normalized fraud in Veneuela's electoral system.

The Vatican figures here, too. 'Imagine' is the favorite song of one of Pope Leo's closest wokester allies, Filipino Cardinal Luis Tagle, who was caught singing the looney anthem in his region's karaoke tradition:

Maduro may also be looking for allies in the Vatican to pull his chestnuts out of the fire because he knows the local bishops aren't going to help -- they've verbally blasted him to kingdom come after all the vile things he's done, so he's trying to rally the Pope Leo set to his defense as they might be more naive.

It's not the only peacenik-type statement he's made in the last few days, it's just the glurgiest and yuckiest.
To be honest, I never liked Starbucks. The coffee is OK, but too expensive, and I always got confused with grande being medium. Nevertheless, the place was always full of coffee drinkers with their laptops, and there was always a woke flavor to the place. It seems that every other table was having a conversation about climate change or telling each other that Obama walked on water.

Enter business reality, and ownership is counting dollars and cents as every enterprise eventually does. The employees are now on strike, and the New York City mayor-elect has an opinion about the whole thing. This is the story:

On Thursday, Mamdani came out in support of the striking workers, saying, Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labor Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract, adding that he wont be buying anything from Starbucks during the period of this strike. Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee, said the newly elected progressive mayor, who is set to take charge of the city on Jan. 1, 2026. Starbucks workers across the country are on an Unfair Labor Practices strike, fighting for a fair contract. While workers are on strike, I wont be buying any Starbucks, and Im asking you to join us. Together, we can send a powerful message: No contract, no coffee. The union said on X that the coffeehouse chains workers across the country are currently striking, calling for the biggest and longest ULP strike in Starbucks history. They further urged customers not to buy from Starbucks for the duration of the open-ended unfair labor practices strike, with the hashtag #NoContractNoCoffee. According to the Union, the company hasnt made any efforts to wrap up the collective bargaining process for nearly a year, and has instead engaged in fighting with its own workers, via union busting, one of the issues theyre demanding be addressed.

Well, talk about a Mayor Elect with an opinion about everything. New York City is falling apart, cops are fleeing, the infrastructure is a mess, and taxpayers are looking for a new zip code, but he has an opinion about Starbucks. Maybe hell tell his socialist colleague in Seattle to raise their taxes!

And what leftist cause doesnt have a slogan these days? No contract, no coffee. Im surprised that he is not calling for the state to seize the means of coffee brewing and give every proletariat a free cup.

Not so long ago, I remember hearing that Starbucks was woke and cool. It was the place where the overeducated with gender studies diplomas went to solve all the worlds problems. I guess thats not the case anymore. Now they want the big Starbucks to treat its employees fairly.

You will never make the woke happy, no matter whether they buy grande or tall coffee and eat an expensive muffin with it. Good luck to all involved, and Ill keep getting my coffee somewhere else.

Image created using AI.

P.S. Check out my blog for posts, podcasts, and videos.
Samsung is leaving everything ready for the release of its first tri-folding phone, the Galaxy Z TriFold. Despite years of patents and speculation surrounding the complex design, a market debut appears imminent. Recent rumors point to December 5 as a possible official launch date. Now, recent developments confirm that the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is on track for release, particularly in the United States market.

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold: Unlocked US firmware testing begins

The initial release for the Z TriFold is expected to be limited to a few global regions. In fact, the US could be the only Western market in the first wave. The device will be available in both carrier-locked and unlocked versions in the country. This week, a critical milestone was reached: firmware testing for the unlocked US variant (model number SM-F968U1) has begun.

For a high-profile device reportedly launching in just a few weeks, the timing of this final firmware testing is notably late. This suggests a rushed development schedule. It could also be about a highly secretive process where the final software elements for the unlocked US model are just now becoming visible outside of the companys direct control. The start of this testing confirms that the necessary logistical steps for a US market release are now in motion.

The cost and complexity of folding thrice

The TriFold introduces a challenging new hardware format, folding twice to achieve a highly portable profile. When fully opened, the device will offer a large 10-inch main display. When closed, it shrinks to a 6.5-inch cover screen. This dual-folding design requires a powerful processor, likely a high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, to manage the software complexities of the two hinges. Previous reports suggested that Samsung aims to offer a portable PC experience with this handset.

Consumers should note the expected pricing reflects this complexity. Current estimates place the device around $3,000 USD (approximately 4.4 million Korean won). This price positions the TriFold at a significant premium over existing folding smartphones, which already carry high costs.

The US firmware testing marks the final, necessary step for retail readiness. The Galaxy Z TriFold is scheduled to launch soon, introducing a new, complex, and highly expensive device format to the competitive mobile market.
Alan Cumming has said he has seen Nicola Sturgeon blossom since standing down as first minister.

The actor said he has stayed friends with the former SNP leader since he met her campaigning ahead of the independence referendum in 2014 when she was Alex Salmonds deputy.

Having seen her recently, he said she seemed happy and relaxed.

Speaking about their friendship, he told the PA news agency: We met in 2014 when I came over from New York.

I was on Broadway and I came one weekend on my day off to campaign for independence and I campaigned with her.

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who recently released her memoir, will step down as an MSP at the election in May (Jane Barlow/PA)

Thats when we first met, so a long time now.

Weve just stayed friends over the years, and I really love her.

I think since she stood down, Ive seen her blossom.

Shes also got more time to come out and have fun.

On his most recent meeting with Ms Sturgeon, Cumming added: I thought she was looking more relaxed and more happy than Ive seen her looking in many, many years.

I think shes in a really good place.

Ms Sturgeon stepped down in early 2023 and is Scotlands longest serving first minister.

The politician will step down as an MSP at the May election, ending three decades in frontline politics.

She oversaw Scotlands pandemic response but in her later years failed to gain a second referendum and saw headline policies such as gender reforms blocked by the UK government, leading to costly court battles.

The SNP became embroiled in chaos shortly after her resignation as police began making arrests over a long-running investigation into its finances.

Portraits of Donald Dewar, Henry McLeish, Jack McConnell, Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf on the stairs inside Bute House in Edinburgh (Russell Cheyne/PA)

Ms Sturgeon, her then husband and former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, as well as the partys former treasurer Colin Beattie, were all arrested months after she quit. Ms Sturgeons home, which she shared with her then partner Mr Murrell, was searched, attracting significant media attention.

Police concluded their investigations into Ms Sturgeon and Mr Beattie and no action was taken, but Mr Murrell was later charged with alleged embezzlement.

Earlier this month, Ms Sturgeon said her political appetite had been reawakened due to the release of her memoir in the summer, but she ruled out returning to frontline politics.

The time is definitely right for me to leave the political stage, she said.

Im stepping down from elected politics after 27 years, which I think is long enough for anybody, but Im never going to lose my interest in an appetite for political debate and trying to use my voice, such as it is, to influence the things that I care about in the direction that I would like to see them take.

Ive been sort of reflecting to some friends recently that since I published my memoir back in August, and Ive been doing lots and lots of promotional events, I think Ive had my political appetite reawakened a little bit  but Im desperately trying to sort of push it back down into a proper place.

Im definitely not coming back. I think I should say that categorically.
The group of disputed islands in the East China Sea are known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters

China has sent its coast guard through the waters of the Senkaku islands and military drones past outlying Japanese territory as Beijing ramps up tensions over the Japanese prime ministers remarks on Taiwan.

On Sunday the Chinese coastguard said its ships made a rights enforcement patrol through the waters of the Senkaku, which are administered by Japan but also claimed by China as the Diaoyu islands.

China coast guard vessel 1307 formation conducted patrols within the territorial waters of the Diaoyu islands. This was a lawful patrol operation conducted by the China coast guard to uphold its rights and interests, the statement said.

China and Japan have repeatedly faced off around the islands but the latest activity comes amid an intensifying diplomatic spat after the Japanese prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, told parliament that if China attack democratically ruled Taiwan it could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

That sparked an angry response from Beijing, which has signalled it expects a retraction from Takaichi.

Related: Canada says Russia and China are ramping up spy efforts in Arctic region

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and intends to annex it under what it terms reunification. It has not ruled out the use of force. Taiwans government and people overwhelmingly reject the prospect of Chinese rule  preferring to maintain the status quo without explicitly declaring themselves independent, but vowing to defend themselves if necessary.

An attack or invasion by China would threaten to spiral into a regional or global conflict, potentially involving the US and other allies including Japan, which has territory just 110km (68 miles) from Taiwan.

In Taiwan, the defence ministry said on Sunday morning that it had detected 30 Chinese military aircraft, seven navy ships and one official ship, which was likely the coast guard, operating around the island over the past 24 hours.

Maps provided by the ministry showed up to three drones flying between Taiwan and the Japanese islands off its north-east coast, appearing to go particularly close to Yonaguni, the nearest island. Chinese military transits there are not rare, but infrequent, and Chinese military activity in Taiwans air defence identification zone generally has been low in recent weeks.

Late on Saturday, the ministry said China had been carrying out another joint combat patrol to harass the airspace and sea around us. It added Taiwan had sent its own aircraft and ships to monitor the situation. Taiwan reports such Chinese patrols a couple of times a month as part of what Taipei says is an ongoing military pressure campaign.

Japan has been facing mounting pressure from China since Takaichi made her remarks, with Chinas consul general in Osaka prompting a formal protest from Tokyo by commenting that the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off.

Beijing then summoned the Japanese ambassador for the first time in more than two years, and Chinas defence ministry declared that any Japanese intervention would be doomed to fail.

On Friday, China cautioned its citizens against travelling to Japan, prompting Tokyo to urge Beijing to take appropriate measures, though it did not elaborate.

Three Chinese airlines said on Saturday that tickets to Japan could be refunded or changed for free.

In another escalation, Chinas government on Sunday urged its citizens to carefully reconsider studying in Japan, citing what it described as an unstable security environment, according to the Kyodo news agency.

While the advice does not amount to a ban, a dramatic reduction in the number of Chinese students could have a negative impact on Japanese universities. A record 336,708 foreign nationals were studying in Japan last year, according to the Japan Student Services Organisation. They included more than 123,000 Chinese students  by far the single biggest group.

Late on Saturday, a Chinese state media editorial accused Takaichi of staging a political stunt that was not just dangerously provocative but fundamentally perverse.

A conflict between Japan and China would not be a limited skirmish; it would likely draw in other powers, including the United States, and could quickly spiral into a large-scale conflict with unimaginable consequences.

The government of Taiwan says only its people can decide its future. Japanese leaders have previously avoided publicly mentioning Taiwan when discussing such scenarios, maintaining a strategic ambiguity also favoured by Tokyos main security ally, the US.

However, Chinas ruling Communist party says the unification of Taiwan with the Peoples Republic of China is inevitable, and casts any opposition to it as escalatory. As it moves towards being capable of military annexation, China has also been escalating its non-military activity and its rhetoric towards Taiwan.

The Japanese embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

With Reuters
She is the first woman  who, moreover, is neither a Rothschild by blood nor Jewish  to lead the main bank of the legendary financial dynasty. She warns that a stock market bubble is forming: Valuations are very high

Rothschild. Merely pronouncing this surname evokes money, power, and intrigue. For 250 years, the dynastys checkbook has financed much of History with a capital H  from the Napoleonic Wars to the Suez Canal and the Zionist dream of the State of Israel. Mayer Amschel founded his empire in the Frankfurt ghetto at the end of the 18th century. Days before his death, he signed his will with two very clear directives: business was to remain strictly in the hands of the male heirs, and the familys Jewish roots must be preserved, resorting to endogamy if necessary. The patriarch would turn in his grave if he saw that the main banking group that survives from his seed is now run by a woman who does not carry Rothschild blood and is not Jewish.

Ariane Langer is today the Baroness Ariane de Rothschild, but 59 years ago, when she was born in San Salvador in El Salvador, she was simply the daughter of an expatriate executive working for a German pharmaceutical multinational in that small country.

I didnt set foot in Europe until I was 18. It seemed like a world of madmen. It was so cold, she admits. She was used to other climates. During her childhood and adolescence, the Langer family lived in several countries across Latin America and Africa. Their eventual landing in Europe took place in France, her mothers homeland. Ariane pursued higher education in Paris, later earning an MBA from Pace University in the United States. She began her career at AIG, first in New York and then in Paris. It was in the French capital that her life changed forever: one of the insurance companys clients was Benjamin de Rothschild, the seventh generation of the famous banking dynasty.

The Rothschild family expanded across Europe in the 19th century. The patriarch sent four of his five sons to the major capitals of the time to spread the banking model he had created. The British and French branches of the family became the most successful in business. The current Edmond de Rothschild Group, which now has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, traces its origins to the French branch of the family, founded in the 1950s by Benjamins father. When his father died in 1997, Benjamin took over the group. Two years later, he married Ariane. More interested in competitive sailing (he won several regattas with Gitana, the team founded 150 years ago by Julie de Rothschild) and in car racing, he gradually gave increasing responsibility in the family business to his wife, who in 2008 joined the companys executive committee.

Baroness Rothschild runs a bank with assets under management valued at 200 billion euros. Jaime Villanueva

When Benjamin died in 2021 at the age of 57, all the power passed to his wife  and with it, a herculean task. She must defend a business managing nearly 200 billion ($231 billion) in assets in a sector as competitive as private banking and wealth management. And at home, her mission is no less delicate: to safeguard a fortune valued at 5.3 billion ($6.13 billion), according to the business magazine Challenges, with several would-be claimants eyeing it. Both friendly and hostile fire strike at the same weak point  her origins.

Question. From El Salvador to leading one of the most influential financial families. How would you define your professional career?

Answer. I never planned this path; I wanted to do other things. In any case, my career can be summed up in one idea: having strong convictions. Values help you overcome everything.

Q. Youre the first woman, and the first person outside the family, to run a bank bearing the Rothschild name. It must not have been easy, was it?

A. Indeed, it was very difficult. I came into a very conservative, very male-dominated environment, where things had been done a certain way for a long time. The people at the bank wondered why change. Having the owners wife on the board was something they couldnt understand. They had forgotten that I was part of the family, regardless of whether I was a man or a woman.

Q. How did you manage to gain respect in this very male-dominated world?

A. Working twice as hard as them. When I started, I had so much to do that I didnt know where to begin, so I asked them to leave the bank open for me on Sundays. Everyone laughed  ha, ha, ha [she imitates the sound still ringing in her head]. After the sixth Sunday in a row, the laughter died down. They saw that I was serious.

Q. Those who know you say that diplomacy is not among your virtues. Youre known for being very direct. Is that true?

A. Yes, thats true. I dont have time to beat around the bush. I cant afford to. Without being rude, I prefer to be clear from the start. The world of finance has other ways, but thats not me.

Q. What other traits define your leadership style?

A. My entrepreneurial spirit and giving freedom to teams. Once the strategic guidelines are set, I leave room to create; Im not involved in day-to-day micromanagement.

The Baroness and her husband Benjamin de Rothschild, in La Rioja in 2017 Gari Garaialde (Getty Images)

In recent years, the Baroness de Rothschild has had to make difficult professional and personal decisions. Among the professional ones, she delisted the bank from the stock exchange, centralized all activities in Switzerland, and sought new wealthy clients in the Gulf countries and Asia to accelerate growth that was showing signs of stagnation.

On the family front, she ended up in court with several relatives. The first were David de Rothschild and his son Alexandre  owners of Rothschild & Co and cousins of her husband. This firm  where two French presidents, Georges Pompidou and Emmanuel Macron, once worked, and which was even nationalized by Francois Mitterrand  operates out of Paris. Although it is about half the size, it has been gaining ground (and clients) from the Edmond de Rothschild Group. After the dispute went to court, an agreement was reached to define under what circumstances the shared family name  a calling card that opens many doors  could be used. Some confusion had arisen among clients, and given the shared origins and similarity of their businesses, the market has speculated in recent years about a potential merger for strategic reasons  something both sides have consistently and categorically denied.

The second dispute involves the Baronesss mother-in-law, Nadine de Rothschild. An actress and writer in her youth, at 93 she is waging a fierce legal battle over the use of artworks housed in the Chateau de Pregny, the Baronesss official residence in Geneva. Nadine wanted to create a museum to display her share of the familys multimillion-dollar art collection. On the walls hang paintings by Goya, Rembrandt, and El Greco, among others, making Pregny a kind of mini-Louvre. However, the most notable part of the collection remains the so-called Treasure of Naples  a trove of jewelry and goldsmithing that the King of the Two Sicilies gifted to the Rothschilds nearly two centuries ago to settle his debts.

Q. Was it difficult to face your mother-in-law?

A. I was obligated to preserve the family legacy. The works of art dont belong to us; they must be passed down from one generation to the next. My mother-in-law didnt understand that the collection only makes sense as a whole, that it cant be cut into pieces. And the worst part is that she didnt create this collection; she inherited it from previous generations. The philosophy in this family is very clear, and I want it to be respected.

Q. You have four daughters who will eventually inherit the financial group and the entire family fortune. Do you think theyll have it easier than you have?

A. No. They will face a different reality. Each new generation has the burden of surpassing the one that came before, and thats difficult to achieve. For me, its very important to give them space to forge their own path. Comparisons always arise, and thats a mistake because everyone has their own approach and lives in a different context. The pressure others put on my daughters is an added problem, but all four of them are very strong, focused, and command respect. They must learn to handle the pressure of surpassing what has already been done.

The interview with El PAIS took place in mid-October at the headquarters of Edmond de Rothschild in Madrid. The subsidiary was celebrating its 25th anniversary, and the Baroness had traveled there to mark the occasion. In Spain, she says she feels at home. Im very Latin, and when I come here, I can speak Spanish again and experience the culture I love most.

Her entire team  there are heads of government with more modest entourages  addresses or refers to her as madame. She comes across as approachable, accommodating, and does not shy away from any question. Her easy smile brings warmth to a face dominated by icy blue eyes  an iron fist in a velvet glove.

Q. What do you think differentiates Edmond de Rothschild from other entities?

A. First of all, its a family business. There are few families dedicated to wealth management. That gives us a long-term perspective. Furthermore, we are entrepreneurial; we have always developed activities beyond finance. Stability is another defining characteristic. Spain is a prime example: in the 25 years weve been in this market, firms have entered, exited, and even re-entered.

Q. The official information says that you seek financial profitability while maintaining a social commitment. Doesnt that sound a bit hollow? Are those two goals really compatible?

A. One of the smartest questions my daughters have asked me is, Mom, why do you do all this? When you have children, you wonder what youre going to leave them. Were a generational business with very defined values. In the private equity sector, I decided 17 years ago that investments would always aim to have a social impact.

Q. What growth plans do you have for the coming years?

A. We want to develop primarily the markets where we already have a presence: France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Monaco, Dubai, and Israel. These are markets with great potential. Contrary to what Donald Trump says, Europe has a very strong and promising future.

Q. What do you think of Donald Trump?

A. Being such a disruptive figure, hes achieving some things that seemed impossible. The peace he brought to Gaza is incredible. The question is how his policies will evolve in the medium and long term. Achieving this balance is more difficult than being disruptive in the short term.

Q. The asset management business requires scale. Edmond de Rothschild is a relatively small firm compared with the sectors leaders. In this industry, size is needed to finance technology investment or attract talent; otherwise, you can be overtaken. Have you considered growing through acquisitions?

A. If opportunities arise, of course. Regarding size, let me tell you something: its true that financial giants are being formed, but just as in the fashion industry H&M or Zara coexist with Dior, in private banking theres also room for both types of firms; we cater to different clients. More than a question of scale, its about competitiveness, about being able to be disruptive in a creative sense: you have to listen to clients to see what products they need, and not the other way around. We make tailor-made suits. We must work to provide a perfect service.

Q. Many financial assets are trading at all-time highs. Are you concerned that a bubble is forming?

A. Absolutely. There are several factors that worry me a great deal. First, the disconnect between geopolitics and the markets. Its unlikely that this disconnect will last forever. Its as if investors have forgotten that what happens in the geopolitical arena affects the economy and the markets. Im also concerned about the growing social tension in the U.S. [] All of this isnt yet reflected in the markets, but it worries me considerably. Another aspect to consider is the extremely high level of debt worldwide. Its insane that bonds issued by many companies are trading cheaper than government debt. We also need to keep an eye on the development of AI and its enormous demand for electricity to develop data centers. Companies continue to deliver good results, but valuations are very high, and they face very serious disruptions.

Ariane de Rothschild and Pablo Alvarez, at the inauguration of the Macan winery in 2017 in the town of Samaniego (Alava). David Aguilar (EFE)

Jakob (later James) de Rothschild was the son of the familys founder who established the French branch of the dynasty in the early 19th century. His youngest son, Edmond, grew up in a rich intellectual environment. From a young age, he witnessed figures like Alexandre Dumas, Honore de Balzac, and Frederic Chopin attending the gatherings held at his home. These influences sparked in him a lifelong curiosity for the arts and sciences, which he later expressed through intense philanthropic activity. His foundations work was not limited to France, where they provided financial support to Nobel laureates such as Marie Curie and Jean Perrin. Edmond also financed the migration of many Jewish families persecuted in Russia and Eastern Europe to Palestine, the land of his ancestors.

One hundred and fifty years later, the Rothschild family remains committed to these same causes: philanthropy (through programs in medical research, child welfare, womens social integration, and the promotion of the arts and sciences) and Israel (where one of Tel Avivs main avenues bears the family name) through an independent foundation. Its at this point in the interview  when the conversation turns to the Gaza massacre and taxes  that the Baronesss smile fades.

Q. What is philanthropy to you?

A. Before taking over the bank, I started with the familys philanthropic activities and all the non-financial businesses. Philanthropy is part of this family. If youre fortunate enough to have money, you also have a duty to give back. My concern was to evolve from a very generous, very traditional model of philanthropy  giving money without really knowing where it goes  to an impact strategy. You have to follow the projects you get involved in and work as hard as possible on their sustainability so they can continue to thrive if you stop giving money. Ive also wanted to instill the values of philanthropy throughout the entire bank, not just in the foundations.

Q. In the 21st century, philanthropy sounds like charity to many people. Another option would be for governments to raise taxes on the wealthy and, with the revenue collected, lead these impactful projects from the public sector. What do you think?

A. The day governments manage their budgets properly, perhaps they can speak up. The debate about whether the rich should pay high taxes is understandable; however, its complicated nowadays when you see how catastrophic the management of public finances is. Saying that taxes should be raised for the sake of raising them isnt the solution; they should review their policies first. You cant accumulate deficits year after year. If that happens in a company, it will fail. Politicians should do a self-assessment before talking about taxes again. Look at whats happening in France: governments change, but none of them do anything to solve the debt problem.

Q. Following the massacre of tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza, have any changes been considered regarding your philanthropic activities in Israel?

A. Theyre different things. We have a foundation in Israel, but it has nothing to do with what we do in Europe. There are no funds flowing from one place to another. There, were focused on educational issues. Its something my father-in-law started, and I changed it because, being centered on postgraduate and doctoral programs, it seemed like a very elitist approach. The aid wasnt reaching parts of the population, such as Israeli Arabs, Ethiopians, or even ultra-Orthodox Jews. My job is to educate people, not to be involved in geopolitics. Cutting off all aid overnight would be the worst possible solution. And I have the independence to do what I want because Im not Israeli. Our mission is, first and foremost, long-term, and that includes being there in good times and bad, and secondly, achieving fair representation of the countrys population in aid programs.

Q. But dont you think the most urgent need for aid in that region is now in Gaza?

A. The peace agreement is very recent and we have to see how it develops. The priority now must be humanitarian aid.

The Rothschild business empire extends far beyond banking. The Edmond de Rothschild Group also operates in perfumery, owning the historic fragrance house Caron. The family are also landowners, with 1,000 hectares of forest and more than 600 hectares of farmland and pasture, where they produce one of the most award-winning brie cheeses. Their hospitality division includes several luxury hotels, among them the Palacio de Samaniego in La Rioja, Spain.

But the Rothschilds are best known outside finance for their wine business. They produce about 4.2 million bottles a year from vineyards in France, Spain, South Africa, and New Zealand. Their flagship label, Chateau Lafite Rothschild (Bordeaux), has broken price records at auctions, with some vintages fetching up to 200,000 ($231,000) per bottle. In Spain, they are co-owners  alongside the Alvarez family, owners of Vega Sicilia  of Macan, a winery in La Rioja.

Q. Why are you finding it so difficult to make the Macan project profitable?

A. When you start a project like this in the wine world, it takes almost a generation for the results to appear. Macan is a fantastic business story that has united two families obsessed with quality. We are growing steadily in a challenging environment for the wine business.

Q. And when will it start to turn a profit?

A. Macan is already making money. This year will be profitable. But everything we earn is being reinvested in the winery.

Q. Pablo Alvarez, CEO of Vega Sicilia, like you, is known for being very direct. Have you had any clashes in management?

A. We understand each other very well because we dont waste time. Hes direct, and weve always been very clear about Macans objectives.

Q. What is a good wine to you?

A. The one that makes you happy. It depends a lot on your mood, the context, and, of course, the company. The best wine in the world isnt worth it if you have horrible company.

Q. Do you plan to open more hotels in Spain?

A. If I can, of course I will.

Q. In which area would you like to do it?

A. I love Seville. I have a very strong love for that city.

Amid so many open fronts, the Baroness has a safe harbor: her home in Mallorca. Im a fanatic of the island, she says. Hidden in the mountains, she owns a residence she retreats to whenever her many responsibilities allow. Obsessed as she is with preserving the family legacy for her four daughters, she plants local olive varieties on the terraced slopes of the property. When Im there, no one can find me. I turn off my phone  and Im happy.

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Skincare products you should never buy for your kids, according to experts

Beauty brands are increasingly moving into a new  and controversial  category: skincare for kids.

That jumped into the spotlight last week when Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell came under fire after launching Rini, her new childrens skincare line, which currently sells hydrating face and eye masks.

Although she said on Instagram that the brand is meant to help kids care for themselves in a fun, gentle, and safe way, many followers argued she had absolutely missed the mark. Critics accused the Canadian actor of pushing harmful beauty standards onto young girls, noting that 4-year-olds dont need specialized skincare of any kind.

Mitchells brand also arrives in the middle of the Sephora kids phenomenon, in which tweens and early teens flock to beauty stores in search of the latest TikTok-approved products. The trend has spawned 7-year-olds posting get ready with me videos and sharing full skincare routines online  a development dermatologists say is cause for concern.

From a dermatologic perspective, young children do not need skincare beyond the basics, like a gentle cleanser, a bland fragrance-free moisturizer, and excellent sun protection, Dr. Shannon Humphrey, a board-certified dermatologist in Canada, tells The Independent.

From a developmental perspective, we want children to be playing rather than worrying about a hydrocolloid face mask. The concern is that introducing beauty routines too early may redirect childrens attention away from play and social development.

Dermatologists say children need only a gentle cleanser, a bland fragrance-free moisturizer, and excellent sun protection (Getty/iStock)

Research suggests that viral skincare routines may be doing more harm than good. A study published in Pediatrics in June analysed 100 social media videos of girls aged 18 and under sharing their skincare regimens and found that many were using products containing an average of 11 potentially irritating active ingredients.

Dermatologists have been closely monitoring the rise of these trending beauty products  most of which arent formulated for children  and warn that certain items should be strictly off-limits.

Here are nine skincare product types that dermatologists say kids should avoid, and why.

Serums with Peptides

Consultant dermatologist Dr. Daniel Glass, the founder of The Dermatology Clinic London, says kids should steer clear of facial serums that have peptides.

These ingredients are amino acids added to skin care products to boost their effectiveness in creating new proteins, like elastin and collagen, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Those proteins can then help overcome signs of aging, such as dullness and wrinkles.

While these ingredients may benefit more mature skin, theyre not needed in children and are often too harsh for developing teenage skin, potentially causing issues such as irritation, dryness, and damage to the skin barrier, Glass tells The Independent. Teenagers naturally produce plenty of collagen and dont need these potent actives.

Anti-aging creams

Any product thats considered anti-aging has ingredients that are not meant for children (Getty Images)

Just because adults on TikTok are sharing candid reviews of anti-aging creams doesnt mean children should be copying them.

Dr Matthew Knight, a board-certified dermatologist in Florida, notes that ingredients such as retinol are designed for anti-aging concerns that simply dont apply to kids.

Anything labeled wrinkle-fighting, or collagen-boosting, is completely unnecessary in this population and will only irritate skin without a long-term benefit, Knights says, simply.

Alcohol-based toners

Humphrey emphasises that products with active ingredients  those formulated to treat specific skin concerns  arent appropriate for young, sensitive skin. That includes alcohol-based toners, which are meant to strip excess oil, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Instead of helping, she says, these toners can irritate childrens skin and disrupt their natural skin barrier.

Their skin barrier is thinner and more permeable, which allows ingredients to penetrate more readily and more deeply, Humphrey says.

This makes childrens skin more sensitive and more prone to irritation, inflammation, or allergic reactions when exposed to products that are unnecessary or too strong for them.

Exfoliators

Exofoliants are used to remove dead skin cells, resulting in smoother and brighter skin.

However, Humphrey says that most exfoliators have two ingredients that are too potent for developing skin and can disrupt the skin barrier: Alpha-Hydroxy Acids and Beta-Hydroxy Acids. These are also two ingredients that have been credited with anti-aging effects that kids dont need to worry about.

Hydroquinone and many botanical brightening agents are unnecessary for children and carry a higher risk of reactivity, she says.

Antibacterial body wash

Since there are many different soaps that your kids can choose from, Dr. Glenn Kolansky, a board-certified dermatologist in New Jersey, is urging parents to read product labels.

He says that children should not use any soap with the antimicrobial chemical triclosan, since it can disrupt the skin cell turnover, a natural bodily process that removes dead skin cells to reveal new, healthy skin cells below, according to the U.S. Dermatology Partners.

Research has also found that triclosan can lead to skin irritation for a child. A recent study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that children with higher levels of the chemical were more likely to develop eczema and hay fever.

Fragrances with phthalates

Most perfumes are made with phthalates that can disrupt childrens hormone levels (Getty Images)

Kolansky urges kids to avoid using any cosmetic products with phthalates, an endocrine disruptor that can interfere with the bodys hormones. However, phthalates play a big role in the beauty industry, since they function as solvents and stabilizers in perfumes and other fragrance preparations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kolansky explains that phthalates increase T3 and decrease T4 levels, which are two essential thyroid hormones.

Besides controlling main body functions like metabolism, these hormones play a role in skin to maintain moisture, the natural cycle of skin cell renewal, and collagen production. Phthalates mimic or block hormones in the body, leading to excess signaling or inhibition of essential signaling, he says.

Scented glitter products

Along with fragrances and body sprays, scented glitter products, like a body butter meant to hydrate and moisturize the skin, contain phthalates. According to Knight, these types of products are not only endocrine disruptors that can affect ones hormones, but they are also a huge trigger for allergic contact dermatitis in kids.

Essential Oils

Essential oils on kids skin can result in two forms of dermatitis, a common skin condition that causes inflammation (Getty Images)

While essential oils like lavender are often used for their calming scents, theyre also popular among adults to target issues such as inflammation, acne, or athletes foot.

However, Knight warns that these oils should not be used on childrens skin. Lavender, tea tree, peppermint, and citrus oils are frequent causes of allergic contact dermatitis and irritant dermatitis, he explains  with the latter occurring when a substance damages the skin directly, rather than through an allergic reaction.
The proposed amendment to the Crime and Policing bill is now before the House of Lords. Photograph: House of Lords/Parliament/PA

Mothers fleeing domestic violence who keep their children overseas without permission would be criminalised for the first time under a new law.

The change is introduced in a proposed amendment to the crime and policing bill, backed by fathers rights groups and the Reunite International charity. The amendment has not been debated in parliament, and is now before the House of Lords.

If it is passed, it means a parent who remains abroad with their child or children without permission of the other parent will commit a criminal offence.

Critics say making the retention of children a criminal offence under the Child Abduction Act 1984 undermines the Hague Abduction Convention and contradicts the UKs domestic abuse principles, which prioritise child safety.

Currently, retaining a child overseas is a civil matter, although it is a crime to take a child abroad without the consent of everyone with parental responsibility.

About 75% of overseas abductions are by primary-carer mothers, at least 75% of whom are fleeing domestic abuse. There are about 500 new parental child abduction cases a year.

Roz Osborne, the chief executive of Global Action on Relocation and Return with Kids said the vast majority of abduction cases her charity sees, about 90 a year, involve primary-carer mothers.

Typically, she travels with her child on a permitted holiday to her home country. Once there, she realises she cannot return to the country where the abuse occurred, said Osborne. Many mothers are unaware that taking their children to a safe place could be considered illegal, believing instead that they are doing the right thing to protect their child.

With prison sentences of seven years for this new offence, this could have serious and lasting consequences for children and their protective parent, she added.

Ruth Dineen, a co-founder of Hague Mothers, an advocate group for abused mothers affected by the Hague Abduction Convention, said: This provision could result in children being compelled to return to the UK alone, without their mothers, and potentially into the care of an abusive father.

If mothers do return with their children, they could face a jail sentence and forced separation from their child.

Charlotte Proudman, who specialises in family law and womens rights, called the proposal a travesty of justice. It will result in real injustices for victims of domestic abuse and child survivors because it means police have to investigate  and the CPS have to prosecute. There are no exceptions for allegations of child abuse, domestic abuse or rape.

The change in the law, first proposed by the Law Commission more than a decade ago, has been supported by Both Parents Matter (formerly Families Need Fathers) and Reunite International, a group set up by parents left behind in cross-border parental abduction cases.

Alison Shalaby, the chief executive of Reunite, said: This is not about criminalising parents; its about providing additional support for left-behind parents. This will mean the police are able to contact the abducting parent and say: We wont take it any further if you bring the child back.

Helen Blackburn, a partner at the The International Family Law Group, agreed it would act as a vital deterrent.

It also enables left-behind parents to access additional mechanisms to try and ensure a childs return, she said. This is particularly vital when children are in a country where it is not possible for the left-behind parent to seek their childs return via civil remedies.

In their submission supporting the amendment, Both Parents Matter said: Currently, a parent will sometimes simply remove the child under the guise of a short trip, as the risk of adverse repercussions may correctly be perceived to be low.

Treating child abduction solely as a civil law matter is often ineffective in ensuring the return of children. Closing the loophole would create an effective deterrent that would reduce the occurrence of child abduction.
Stars including Ewan McGregor, David Tennant and Alan Cumming have gathered for the Bafta Scotland awards in Glasgow.

McGregor is to be recognised with an outstanding contribution award at the event in celebration of his exceptional body of work.

Others at the ceremony include Tennant, who is nominated in the actor film/television category for his role in Rivals  based on the book by the late Dame Jilly Cooper.

James McAvoy is at the event in Glasgow (Jane Barlow/PA)

He appeared on the red carpet with Gary Lamont, who was nominated in the audience award for favourite Scot on screen for his performance in Rivals.

Speaking about the series, Lamont said: We knew there was magic in the air, we could feel it was special, but none of us dared say that it was going to be a hit.

After that all the actors watched eight episodes together and you could hear a pin drop.

Tennant said his wife urged him to take on the role, telling him its going to be a massive hit.

Asked how it felt to be nominated,Tennant said what a lark, while Lamont described how they texted each other about it as he joked: Ive been coming to Bafta for a long long time and I keep saying if you hang around long enough they will throw you a nomination.

He added: Im delighted.

Commenting on the Bafta Scotland awards, Tennant said: Scotland punches above its weight culturally throughout Britain and throughout the world, and I think its good to boast about that now and again and go, you know what, this is an industry that we are doing well in, lets be proud of it.

Others nominated in the actor film/television category of the Bafta Scotland awards are Ncuti Gatwa for his role in Doctor Who, and James McAvoy for horror film Speak No Evil.

They are up against Peter Capaldi for the episode of Black Mirror named Plaything, James McCardle for Four Mothers, and Ruaridh Mollica for Sebastian.

Izuka Hoyle is nominated for actress film/television (Jane Barlow/PA)

In the actress category, Saoirse Ronan is nominated for her role in The Outrun, along with Tilda Swinton for The End, Karen Gillan for Douglas Is Cancelled, and Anna Prochniak for The Tattooist Of Auschwitz.

Also nominated for the actress award are Catherine McCormack for Lockerbie: A Search For Truth and Izuka Hoyle for Big Boys.

McGregor made his breakthrough in the 1990s in films such as Brassed Off, Shallow Grave and Trainspotting  which was released in 1996.

He has gone on to star as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, returning to the role for the Disney+ original series Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2022, as well as appearing in films such as Moulin Rouge! in 2001 and T2: Trainspotting in 2017.

McGregor made his directorial debut in 2016 with American Pastoral, which is based on the novel of the same name, and starred in the film along with Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Connelly.

In television, he won an Emmy Award for his performance as Roy Halston in the Netflix limited series Halston, on which he also served as executive producer.

More recently he starred in Paramount+ TV series A Gentleman In Moscow in 2024, on which he was also an executive producer.

The Outrun, which was filmed in the Orkney Islands, has received the most nods with four nominations, while drama series Lockerbie: A Search For Truth has three.
Hanya Aljamal was eager to start her studies at Goldsmiths University at the end of last month  but first, she had to get there. Running the gauntlet of the capitals transport network for the first time in her life, and manoeuvring through the London Underground, proved to be an overstimulating experience.

I asked a bunch of people if I was taking the right route, she told The Standard, crediting Google Maps for her accomplishment. I now have to charge my phone like crazy, so that I don't get lost in the middle of nowhere, she added.

For most new London students, getting lost in the Underground is among the first crises theyll encounter. But for this 28-year-old Palestinian, Londons commute had been just one small challenge in a much more extraordinary experience. Just days before starting her studies, she had left her family and her home in Gaza for the very first time  and with it, the reality of living through over two years of conflict thats claimed nearly 70,000 Palestinian lives.

Hanya is among a small cohort of Palestinian students who recently left the besieged territory after securing a chance to study in the UK. Around 75 Palestinian students have so far arrived from Gaza after the UK government began helping with evacuations last month for scholarship holders. Hanya was among the most recent group of 17, arriving just before November to start an MA in Law.

Hanya Aljamal (Hanya Aljamal)

Her journey to this point had been anything but straightforward.

After months of applications, English-language tests, video calls and waiting, it was only on October 20 that Hanya learned that she would finally be extracted from Gaza. She was given just two days' notice to say her abrupt goodbyes  and she had to leave everything behind.

I wasnt allowed to exit with anything except the clothes on my back and my phone, charger, and documentation, she recalled. That was a bit humiliating, to be honest. While her sentimental belongings remained in Gaza, the memories of the last two years would always be with her. I feel like I'm here, but not completely present, she admitted, still adjusting to her new reality.

Having previously worked as an English teacher in Gaza, Hanyas life had been upended just like everyone elses in 2023 when Israel began its latest onslaught in the occupied territory. Her initial plans to study in the US were shattered, as were the buildings and community around her. For Hanya, the war had become an endless fight for survival, dodging bombs and bullets while navigating displacement and starvation.

Hanya Aljamal worked with Action For Humanity in Gaza (Supplied)

During this time, Hanya decided to do what she could to help her community and started working for Action for Humanity . Operating out of Gaza as well as other countries in crisis, the UK-headquartered NGO has been instrumental in supporting the Palestinian people and distributing urgent aid in the Gaza Strip with Hanyas help. Her humanitarian work also made her a target  the United Nations states that 543 aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war. Despite this, she never stopped, giving her all to her community while also speaking to journalists and bravely documenting her experiences as she tried to raise awareness of the reality on the ground.

Hanya represents the very best of what Action For Humanity, and the entire humanitarian and development sector, stands for, Charles Lawley, Director of Communications and Advocacy at AfH, said. She embodies courage, compassion, and unwavering commitment to humanity, even in the most difficult circumstances. She continued to give with every fibre of her being in conditions that most people could not imagine, yet she lived through them.

He added: Hanya has not just been the voice of Action For Humanity's operations in Gaza, but the heart too. Her work led to her being named the Young Humanitarian of the Year at the 2025 AidEx awards, something that she told The Standard was a collective recognition" for all the humanitarians putting themselves on the line of fire to help.

Back to school: Hanya has finally started studies at Goldsmiths (Hanya Aljamal)

But accolades alone werent enough to secure her a place in the UK. Getting the necessary proof of her English-language abilities took months and is a hurdle that many Palestinian students struggle to navigate. Hanya also said, it took me a village to get me here, crediting many people for their help, including Alice Walpole, the Director of Goodenough College, the Kay Mason Foundation, AfH, the Gaza Scholarship Initiative, the Red Cross, and UK government officials. Rebecca Long-Bailey, Member of Parliament for Salford, was among those supporting Hanyas journey: "When I first spoke with Hanya online about her tireless humanitarian aid work, she panned her webcam across to show me the view from Action for Humanity's Gaza aid work office: It was rubble, ruins, and devastation. Hope was in short supply, she told The Standard, adding she was delighted that Hanya finally made it to London.

When the necessary approvals arrived, Hanya couldnt quite believe how quickly things started to move. The journey began at 3am at the crossing dividing Gaza from Israeli territory beyond. After waiting for hours in the holding centre and various border checkpoints, Hanya finally crossed into Israel, where she was connected with UK delegates and offered her first bite of food and water. More travelling would follow as she continued to Jordan, where, for the first time in two years, Hanya saw a city that hadnt been reduced to rubble. In Amman, shops were stocked, electricity was in full supply, and the sounds of explosions were replaced by the honking of cars and the city's hubbub.

Then, on October 27, having bought warm winter clothes and completed the necessary medical tests and biometrics, Hanya boarded a plane for the very first time and watched the Middle East disappear out of view. I was lucky enough to have the window seat, she recalled.

This entire journey  from Gaza to Goldsmiths  took little more than a week, and highlights just one of many emotional stories emerging from Palestine. It also doesnt end there. The vastness of London, compared to the home she had left behind, was among the many things that confronted her and would likely take some time to get used to. The concept of space and urbanisation and transport and lights and electricity and all that infrastructure is just like bewildering to me, she continued. Having lived in a blown-up war zone for the past two years.

Adjusting to life at Goldsmiths was equally as daunting: she had already missed one month of crucial studies. And while she has experienced a lot of kindness in London, only now can she begin coming to terms with everything that came before.

Yet despite everything, Hanya also retains hope that her next chapter in London will help her make even more of a difference. I want to follow up with my master's degree to be more empowered, to empower others and to have some agency or leverage some change in the world, she said. And while Google Maps and her winter clothes may have helped her settle into London life, she also knows it's an ongoing process.
Thousands protested against crime, corruption and impunity in Mexico City on Saturday in a demonstration led by Generation Z activists.

While largely peaceful, the demonstration concluded with young participants clashing with police, who were attacked with stones, fireworks, sticks, and chains.

The capitals security secretary, Pablo Vazquez, confirmed 120 injuries, including 100 police officers, and 20 arrests.

This mirrors a global trend of Generation Z organising protests against inequality, democratic backsliding, and corruption this year.

The largest "Gen Z protests took place in Nepal in September following a ban on social media, and led to the resignation of that nations prime minister.

In Mexico, many young people say they are frustrated with systemic problems like corruption and impunity for violent crimes.

Protesters charge against police during a youth anti-government march in Mexico City (AP)

We need more security, said Andres Massa, a 29-year-old business consultant who carried the pirate skull flag that has become a global symbol of Gen Z protests.

Older participants also joined the demonstration.

Arizbeth Garcia, a 43-year-old physician who joined the protests, said she was marching for more funding for the public health system, and for better security because doctors are also exposed to the insecurity gripping the country, where you can be murdered and nothing happens.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum still has high approval ratings despite a recent spate of high profile murders that includes the assassination of a popular mayor in the western state of Michoacan.

In the days leading up to Saturdays protest, Sheinbaum accused right-wing parties of trying to infiltrate the Gen Z movement, and of using bots on social media to try to increase attendance.

Thousands took part in the protest on Saturday (AP)

This week some Gen Z social media influencers said they no longer backed Saturdays protests. While elderly figures like former President Vicente Fox, and Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas Pliego published messages in support of the protests.

Saturdays march was attended by people from several age groups, with supporters of the recently killed Michoacan Mayor Carlos Manzo, attending the protest wearing the straw hats that symbolize his political movement.

The state is dying, said Rosa Maria Avila, a 65-year-old real estate agent who traveled from the town of Patzcuaro in Michoacan state.

He was killed because he was a man who was sending officers into the mountains to fight delinquents. He had the guts to confront them, she said of Manzo.
Glen Powell explains why he brought a UPS driver to his Saturday Night Live hosting debut

Glen Powell brought an unexpected guest to the set of Saturday Night Live: A UPS driver.

During his opening monologue on SNLs latest episode, the 37-year-old actor revealed that he flew his UPS driver to New York City for the taping. He explained that he wanted the driver to be at his hosting debut  which was initially supposed to happen in 2021.

I was actually supposed to host four years ago for Top Gun: Maverick, Powell said from Studio 8H.

And when I got the call, I was on a porch with my family, and we all lost our minds. We were all jumping up and down, celebrating, he said. And a UPS driver happened to be delivering a package at that exact same moment.

He added: He was like, What is going on? and I was like, Im hosting SNL! And he was like, Are you serious? And I was like, Yep, Christmas episode, tune in!

Glen Powell brought a UPS driver on stage during his SNL monologue November 15 (Getty Images)

Powell then took a selfie with the driver, Mitch.

But Powell confessed his dream got taken away.

Top Gun got delayed because of COVID, so SNL had to take their offer back, he added.

SNL creator Lorne Michaels called him at the time and told him without Top Gun, no one will know who the F you are, Powell said.

So, the actor didnt end up hosting the long-running sketch comedy program  and Mitch mocked him for it.

For four years, this UPS driver was just going around saying, Glen Powell is a liar! he added. So now, I am here hosting, and it feels amazing.

Powell said it felt even better to prove to his UPS driver that hes not crazy, so his sisters found his cellphone number and The Running Man star got in touch with him.

So to prove to Mitch that I am not a liar, I flew him all the way to New York, Powell said. He thought it was a scam, but he still came, and he is sitting in the audience tonight.

The camera then cut to a shot of Mitch in the audience, before Powell brought him on stage to recreate the selfie they took.

While this was Powells first time hosting SNL, he did make an appearance on the show in March 2024, when his Anyone But You co-star Sydney Sweeney was the host.

During her opening monologue, Sweeney addressed and denied speculation that the pair were secretly dating.

Thats obviously not true, she said at the time. Me and my fiance produced the movie together, and he was there the entire shoot.

Her fiance at the time, Jonathan Davino, is the man of my dreams, and were still together and stronger than ever, Sweeney said. He even came here tonight to support me. Can we cut to him?

The camera then hilariously cut to Powell sitting in the audience.
The home secretary has condemned speculation around the Labour leadership as deeply mortifying as allies of Angela Rayner were forced to deny a bid to topple the prime minister, just days after the health secretary had to do the same.

Shabana Mahmood described the past week of Labour infighting, which has dominated the headlines and embroiled the most senior members of the party, as horribly embarrassing as she called on ministers to focus on the job rather than engage in tittle tattle.

As she made her plea, a source close to Ms Rayner hit out at false reports claiming that the former deputy prime minister was among those plotting a challenge to Sir Keir Starmer.

Shadow minister Chris Philp said Labour party was fighting like rats in a sack, while a Labour insider suggested it showed the PM was a man on borrowed time.

The turmoil at the top of government follows a tumultuous week in which Wes Streeting was forced to openly deny that he was planning a coup to overthrow Sir Keir. The bitter row broke out on Tuesday after allies of the prime minister insisted he was willing to fight off any challenges to his leadership, with Mr Streeting singled out as a likely challenger.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood described the Labour leadership row as mortifying (PA)

Speaking to the BBCs Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Mahmood referred to the briefings as tittle tattle, a phrase also used by Ms Rayner to condemn the row.

She said: I think what happened earlier on this week was horribly embarrassing.

Its deeply mortifying for everybody in the government and Im pleased that the prime minister has dealt with it.

Ms Mahmood pointed to policy announcements from this week, such as the abolition of police and crime commissioners, and added: We all have important difficult jobs to do, and it is incumbent on all of us as cabinet ministers to focus on the job.

Because all of this tittle tattle, these off-the-record briefings, people who havent got the courage of their convictions to say publicly on the record what theyre saying privately to journalists, all of that, it doesnt stand the test of time.

Ms Mahmood was also asked on Sky News if the PM needed to think again about his leadership after a difficult week for No 10.

She said: No. Keir Starmer is our prime minister. We won an election just under a year and a half or so ago, when people thought that we would not win an election for maybe a generation or more.

Allies of Angela Rayner have insisted she is not plotting a challenge to Keir Starmers leadership (James Manning/PA Wire)

I have no time for these things that people say or brief off the record, or any of this, frankly, Westminster bubble tittle-tattle.

The continued fallout at the top of Labour came as Ms Mahmood outlined details of her immigration crackdown, which she will unveil on Monday in the House of Commons, and which faces strong opposition from MPs.

But the big announcement threatens to be overshadowed by the row, with one insider suggesting Sir Keir is a man on borrowed time. There are still unanswered questions around the source of the leak, with the prime minister launching an investigation amid fresh attention on whether his longtime ally and chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, could survive in his post.

Pollster Scarlett Maguire, founder and director of Merlin Strategy suggested that voters are desperate for politicians to put aside infighting and get on with governing.

She told The Independent: Bitter public infighting is never a good look, especially when voters are desperate for politicians that get on with the job and deliver tangible change.

That being said, there is clearly deep-rooted unhappiness with the current leadership of the country.

Pointing to figures from YouGov earlier this week, she added: A majority of the public think Keir Starmer should step down, including nearly four in 10 Labour voters.

Do you think Keir Starmer should remain as leader of the Labour Party, or stand down and let someone else take over?



Should remain: 27%

Should stand down: 51%



2024 Labour voters

Should remain: 46%

Should stand down: 36%



Results link in replies pic.twitter.com/oSpwSAPbMt  YouGov (@YouGov) November 12, 2025

Meanwhile, a Labour insider suggested to The Independent that they agreed that the saga has been embarrassing. Were at a point where its being openly discussed on the media every day. If that isnt a man on borrowed time I dont know what is, they said, referring to Sir Keir.

Ministers have been grappling with their own MPs who are worried about the partys polling and the potential fallout of the upcoming Budget.

A source close to Ms Rayner denied on Sunday that she was making any potential moves towards a leadership bid, calling the idea total rubbish.

They said: This is total rubbish and obviously false. Amidst all the stirring and silly games, Angela is focussed on representing her local community and ensuring that the priorities she championed in government are delivered in full.

She had earlier sparked speculation about a return to frontline politics by insisting she had not gone away during her first interview since her resignation in September.

Health secretary Wes Streeting (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

She also condemned the saga as arrogant tittle tattle and criticised the briefings against Mr Streeting.

Mr Philp, meanwhile, told Sky News: The Labour Party are... fighting like rats in a sack.

Youve got Keir Starmer briefing against Wes Streeting. Youve got Angela Rayner sharpening the knives in the background.

Goodness knows what Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell are both up to.

Instead of serving the national interest, the Labour government are fighting each other just weeks away from a Budget that will unleash enormous tax rises on this country that will drive up unemployment even further.
Mark Boggett co-founded Seraphim Space as the space tech investor marks its 10th anniversary.

As CEO of the worlds leading global space investor, Mark Boggett can see anything up to 200 diverse opportunities land on his desk every month.

Since the pioneering space tech fund was launched a decade ago, the Briton has marvelled at companies connecting a bluetooth item on Earth from space to on-the-ground radars which can detect cosmic objects the size of a small coin.

From the outset, Seraphim Space has built a global brand and a huge following on social media and its reach now allows the company to see a majority of the global deal flow in space.

We have this visibility that no one else has got, says Boggett, who co-founded the company in 2016. It ultimately leads to our USP which is that we see every space business. When we see a new one we know if its special or not.

Read More: I was an antiques dealer before Gen Z helped grow our stationery sales to $50m

Crucially for Boggett and his partners, it also helps educate investors. In its portfolio of 147 space tech companies and led by defence startups, seven have become valued at 1bn and only three have failed. The British-based firms net asset value has also surged to 259.8m.

Seraphim Space runs three key venture funds; an accelerator focused on supporting start-up companies access finance, a private venture fund while, in 2021, the worlds first publicly listed space tech fund was listed.

Boggett says he was originally drawn into the sector during a risk averse, expensive period for the industry before the space economy expansion led to satellite deployment becoming increasingly cheaper and more accessible.

Seraphim Space has invested in the world's first microsatellite synthetic aperture radar to monitor natural catastrophes and hazards like flooding.

He cites Elon Musk's SpaceX and reusable rockets as the key driver. In 2024, a launch into orbit occurred every 34 hours, with thousands of satellites the size of cars and buses and now the size of microwaves and shoe boxes with more capability able to see Earth in real time and provide new forms of communication.

It's the next generation of space capability and its game changing, says Boggett.

The space industry is set to become one of the most prized sectors in the global economy and is projected to reach 1.4 trillion by 2035.

Where once it took serious investment and time to send into orbit, more than half of the 18,000 satellites launched in space history have arrived since 2020. Analysts predict 100,000 in space during the course of this decade.

Boggett, who grew up in Manchester, studied for a degree in accountancy from University of Leeds and then a masters in economics and finance. Having trained in the investment side, his career has been focused in deep technology.

Read More: 'My company is helping thousands of over-50s feel inspired and not retired'

A director at specialist investor YFM Equity, he joined forces with James Bruegger and Rob Desborough, partners he had worked with since 2006, after interest was heightened when Google purchased satellite firm Skybox Imaging for 300m in 2014. It demonstrated to us that you could build businesses quickly, efficiently and do it profitably, adds Boggett.

With no business background in space  they had always harboured an interest since childhood  they were introduced to CEOs of 11 of the worlds largest traditional space companies by the UK space agency. The British Business Bank then agreed to back the fund in 2016 to the tune of 30m.

A decade after launching and witnessing the exponential growth, Boggett is acutely aware that Seraphim Space is part of the problem when it comes to dealing with space junk.

The space industry is on the verge of becoming one of the most lucrative sectors in the global economy

We are a financier of the large constellations and we are adding to the large debris problem in the space environment, he says. If left unchecked it could render space no longer commercially viable.

The space tech fund took a multi-million stake in Tokyo-based Astroscale, a satellite servicing group whose tech is extending the life-span of Earth-orbiting satellites via docking vehicles able to inspect, repair or take away broken space hardware.

Seraphim Space has also partnered with San Francisco-based LeoLabs, which is billed as the Google Maps of space, whose ground radars can see an object "the size of a 2p piece from 1,000 kms away". Once identified, the company can track it through space in real time and then determine the path that piece of debris is on.

Read More: 'We threw phone cases from a 250-metre-high dam to show that our products work'

With offices also in San Francisco and Berlin and its portfolio extending to over 35 countries, Boggett relishes global travel and conferences he speaks at regularly, alongside his family life. My passion is my work, he says. Is there anything that keeps him awake at night? War in space. Economies are reliant on space, he notes.

Meanwhile, there are no immediate plans on the space tourism market. It is, he says, an industry several decades away from being a commercial one and outside of Seraphim Spaces 10-year view.

This rules out space travel or anything to do with the moon or Mars, admits Boggett. If we look at tomorrow, its about building infrastructure, data centres and manufacturing in space, lift entire dirty industries and take them into space without the pollution.

Read more:

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Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, is announcing a raft of new immigration reforms on Monday - Shutterstock /Andy Rain

Countries that refuse to take back illegal migrants from Britain will face visa bans, Shabana Mahmood is to announce.

States that will not accept the deportation of failed asylum seekers or foreign criminals are to face a sliding scale of penalties, from the removal of fast-track visa services to bans on entry documents for everyone from tourists to senior politicians.

On Monday, the Home Secretary will announce plans to block people from travelling to the UK from Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo unless there is a rapid improvement in the number of returned migrants they accept.

Other countries will also be at risk of a future crackdown. Those with the worst records for accepting refused asylum seekers also include Somalia, Bangladesh, Iran and Egypt, according to analysis of Home Office data by the University of Oxfords Migration Observatory.

The visa bans, which mirror measures introduced by Donald Trump, the US president, against some African and East Asian nations during his first term, are among a string of measures to ramp up the removal of illegal migrants and foreign criminal offenders.

Reforms to be announced by Ms Mahmood will include legislation to prevent immigration judges from putting migrants rights to a family life under the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) ahead of protecting the public and controlling the UKs borders.

Ms Mahmood will commit the UK to working with other European countries on reforms to the ECHR in an attempt to prevent it from blocking deportations.

In addition, illegal migrants will be restricted by law to only one appeal against their removal, rather than endless appeals where they cite different reasons at different times to remain in Britain.

The appeals will be decided by a Danish-style independent board of adjudicators with powers to identify and weed out unfounded cases.

Ms Mahmood said: Illegal migrants and foreign criminals are exploiting our human rights laws. I share the publics fury at seeing our laws used against us. It is an outrage that an arsonist sentenced to five years in jail cant be deported because his sibling lives in the country.

We will write domestic laws so the safety of British citizens comes first. We will bear down on vexatious human rights claims that ground flights. Bogus cases raised by claimants without a leg to stand on will be heard and dismissed faster.

In a crackdown on pull factors driving Channel crossings, refugees who enter the UK illegally will be forced to wait 20 years before they can apply for permanent settlement. Refugee status will become temporary, with reviews every 30 months to determine whether their home country is safe for them to be returned.

Asylum seekers with assets such as jewellery, cars and e-bikes will be required to contribute towards their taxpayer-funded bed, board and financial support.

Alex Norris, the border security and asylum minister, said the Home Office would not seize family heirlooms but if a migrant arrived with a bag full of gold rings they would have to pay towards their asylum support.

Asylum seekers get 49.18 a week to cover essential needs like food, clothing and toiletries. If their accommodation provides meals it drops to 9.95.

The proposal mirrors a Danish scheme where police have powers to seize valuables worth more than 10,000 kroner (1,000) from refugees to cover housing and food costs.

Denmarks policy of forcing migrants to hand over jewellery and valuables has earned it its reputation as one of the toughest countries in Europe on illegal immigration.

The plans, to be set out in a 33-page blueprint, are Sir Keir Starmers latest attempt to take the fight to Nigel Farages Reform UK party, which is leading in the polls.

There is turbulence within Labour over the Prime Ministers leadership after he ditched Budget plans to raise income tax, and last weeks briefing war against possible leadership rivals.

No 10 sources insisted last week that Sir Keir would fight any challenge, with Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, named as a supposed rival. Ms Mahmood, who has been tipped as a possible future Labour leader, described the attacks on Mr Streeting as horribly embarrassing.

Speaking to the BBCs Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, she said: We all have important, difficult jobs to do and it is incumbent on all of us Cabinet ministers to focus on the job.

On Sunday, the Home Secretary denied to Sky News that her immigration crackdown was racist.

Challenged by Trevor Phillips, a Sky presenter, that Labour had been panicked into a racist immigration policy, Ms Mahmood said: I reject that entirely. I am the child of immigrants. My parents came to this country legally in the late 60s and the early 70s. This is a moral mission for me.

On Sunday night, Ms Mahmood warned Labour MPs thinking of rebelling against her plans that anger about illegal immigration is making second and third generation immigrants such as her less safe in Britain.

She wrote in the Guardian: I know that a country without secure borders is a less safe country for those who look like me.

Dark forces are stirring up anger in this country, and seeking to turn that anger into hate. We must take the opportunity we have to stop that from happening. And I know we can.

The Home Secretary has previously warned countries refusing to take back illegal migrants that she expected them to play ball, play by the rules and if one of your citizens has no right to be in the country, you do need to take them back.

World leaders face visa bans

On Monday, she will reveal that countries will first be issued with a warning that they face visa curbs if they continue to block returns. This would be followed by removal of fast-track services, where visitors pay to get their papers more quickly.

In the second stage of penalties, visas for diplomats and VIPs would be removed, followed by a third stage of a ban on all visas  from tourists up to a countrys president. The sanctions are likely to be targeted initially at countries where there is no co-operation on returns.

Home Office data show that by June last year, there were 12 countries to which fewer than 5 per cent of recently refused asylum seekers were returned after a final negative decision on their application.

The prospect of visa bans was raised earlier this year by both Ms Mahmood and Sir Keir, but this is the first time the Government has explicitly committed to them. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, also floated the proposal last year.

Ms Mahmood will legislate to reform how the ECHRs Article 8, which protects family life, is interpreted by judges to prioritise public safety and interests over those of illegal migrants.

This will include narrowing the definition of family to immediate family, such as child or parent, rather than cousins, brothers or step-children.

The Home Secretary said: It defies belief that a man who killed two [people] by dangerous driving cannot be removed because his partner lives here. The supposed harm that the removal of an illegal migrant will cause to extended family members cannot come before the safety of the British people.

She will also join with at least nine other EU countries to negotiate reform to Article 3 of the ECHR, which protects migrants against inhuman and degrading treatment but which ministers admit has been expanded beyond what is reasonable to include poor quality healthcare in their home countries.

Migrants who form new relationships or have children while awaiting removal will no longer be able to claim them as reasons to stay in the UK unless there are exceptional circumstances. If rejected by the new appeal board, they will face automatic deportation with no right of further appeal except on a point of law to a court.

Modern slavery laws  a legacy of Baroness May, the former prime minister  will be rewritten to require migrants to make a claim as a victim as soon as they arrive in the UK, rather than allowing them to raise them unexpectedly later on. Definitions of modern slavery will be tightened to prevent abuses.

Sir Keir said: In a more volatile world, people need to know our borders are secure and rules are enforced. These reforms will block endless appeals, stop last minute claims and scale up removals of those with no right to be here.

But Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: Tinkering around the edges as Labour proposes wont work. Only the Conservatives have a proper plan to leave the ECHR and deport all foreign criminals and illegal immigrants.

Labour is living in fantasy land with these half-measures that are no more likely to work than their previous failed smash the gangs gimmick.
Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump previously had a good relationship - Annabelle Gordon/UPI/Shutterstock

Marjorie Taylor Greene has accused Donald Trump of inciting death threats against her after the former allies fell out in a bitter public row over the Epstein files on Friday night.

The Georgia congresswoman claimed on Saturday that she had been contacted by several private security firms warning of risks to her safety, which she alleged were egged on by the US president.

I am now being contacted by private security firms with warnings for my safety as a hot bed of threats against me are being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world. The man I supported and helped get elected, Ms Greene wrote in a post on X.

Aggressive rhetoric attacking me has historically led to death threats and multiple convictions of men who were radicalized by the same type rhetoric being directed at me right now. This time by the President of the United States.

It is unclear which companies she was referring to and The Telegraph could not verify her claims.

I am now being contacted by private security firms with warnings for my safety as a hot bed of threats against me are being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world.



The man I supported and helped get elected.



Aggressive rhetoric attacking me has historically  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) November 15, 2025

Ms Greene and Mr Trump have rowed in recent weeks as she pushed for the release of more files related to Jeffrey Epstein, the paedophile financier.

She has also been increasingly critical of what she says is the presidents lack of focus on domestic policy and solutions to end the recent US government shutdown, claiming that all our country does is fund foreign countries and foreign wars, and never does anything to help the American people.

On Friday night, Mr Trump announced that he was withdrawing his support for his formerly staunch ally and would back primary challengers for her seat in the 2026 midterm elections.

The US president continued to post about Ms Greene on his Truth Social account on Saturday, a day after he called her a ranting lunatic who had gone far-Left.

Marjorie Traitor Green is a disgrace to our GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY! he wrote.

Lightweight Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Brown (Green grass turns Brown when it begins to ROT!), betrayed the entire Republican Party when she turned Left, performed poorly on the pathetic View, and became the RINO that we all know she always was.

Just another Fake politician, no different than Rand Paul Jr. (Thomas Massie), who got caught being a full fledged Republican In Name Only (RINO)! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!

Donald Trump with Tucker Carlson, centre, and Marjorie Taylor Greene in 2022 - Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Ms Greene, one of the most powerful and outspoken figures in the Maga movement, claimed that the falling-out resulted from her vocal support for the release of the Epstein files, which include several emails alleging that Mr Trump had spent time with one of Epsteins victims.

Mr Trump has vociferously denied wrongdoing and has called the files a hoax, while claiming without evidence that Epstein had deep ties with Democrats.

On Friday, he ordered Pamela Bondi, his attorney general, to investigate Epsteins alleged links with Bill Clinton, the former US president.

Ms Greene said the purported threats against her made her feel a small understanding of the fear and pressure the women, who are victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his cabal, must feel.

I never thought that fighting to release the Epstein files, defending women who were victims of rape, and fighting to expose the web of rich powerful elites would have caused this, but here we are, she wrote on X.

Ms Greene and Mr Trump were once strong allies, but have clashed in recent weeks over the Epstein files - Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP

As a Republican, who overwhelmingly votes for President Trumps bills and agenda, his aggression against me which also fuels the venomous nature of his radical internet trolls (many of whom are paid), this is completely shocking to everyone.

The Political Industrial Complex and the toxic violent nature of American politics must end.

CNN reported that, before her election to Congress, Ms Greene liked a social media post saying that a bullet to the head was the easiest way to remove then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi from power and endorsed a commenter who expressed enthusiasm for hanging Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

Ms Greene did not deny liking the post and replying to the comment, but said in a statement on X in 2021 that many people had managed her social media accounts over the years.
On October 30, financial markets breathed a sigh of relief. The leaders of the United States, Donald Trump, and China, Xi Jinping, sealed an agreement on camera that, although light on substance, was highly significant: for at least a few months, global trade would enjoy a period of relative stability, and the tariff escalation between the worlds two largest powers would be contained.

Above all, the message conveyed by the trade truce signed in Busan, South Korea, was a recognition of the new global geoeconomic reality: China has leveraged its worldwide dominance (90% of the market) in the production and refining of rare earths  essential for manufacturing cars, LED screens, and military equipment  to force Washington, for the first time, to roll back some of its controls on next-generation semiconductor exports. This is what Arthur Kroeber, one of the founders of financial consultancy Gavekal Research, calls the end of American impunity. In short, the foundations of the new world order contained in a simple handshake.

Geopolitics has been reshaping the world since 2016, to the point that the economy can no longer be understood without it, leaving for now a landscape we might call fractured. During his first term, Trump deepened the rift between the United States and China through an aggressive  and at the time unprecedented  trade war. Just before the coronavirus pandemic erupted in 2020, the U.S. had imposed tariffs on two-thirds of the products it imported from China. The rivalry between the two powers continued with little change during Joe Bidens presidency, the only difference being that the White House sought to bring its allies into the offensive against Beijing. Trumps return to the Oval Office has further deepened that fracture with China and paved the way for a strengthened alliance of countries not aligned with either of the two powers.

In 2025, China has intensified its geoeconomic offensive, deploying its full investment, diplomatic, and technological capacity to consolidate its position as a central power in the global economy. Xi Jinping demonstrated this ambition in the Chinese city of Tianjin at the end of August, when he brought together around 20 leaders under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). For the first time since 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended, sharing the spotlight with Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, while leaders from countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia were present in the second row as special guests. It was an unmistakable attempt by Xi to assert his regional leadership.

Military power

A few days later, many of those leaders traveled to Beijing to attend the Victory Day parade, a display of tanks, planes, and missiles orchestrated to send a clear message to the West. In his speech following the military exhibition, Xi called on the world to choose between peace and war, though it was not made clear who stood where. It is Chinas Weltanschauung moment, as defined by Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief economist for Asia-Pacific at Natixis  a turning point in Beijings vision of the world. Trump is giving Xi a golden opportunity to reshape the world in the direction he desires, Garcia Herrero emphasized in a note distributed to the banks clients.

At the end of September, China renounced its position as a developing country within the World Trade Organization (WTO), a status that had granted it preferential treatment in implementing multilateral trade agreements since its accession in 2001 and allowed it to benefit from global trade. This move enables WTO reform and secures China a prominent role in designing the new trade model. Now that the second Trump administration insists that the global order is obsolete and essentially used as a weapon against the U.S., Beijing is determined to exploit the power vacuum left by Washington and play an active role in reshaping the global landscape, as evidenced by its WTO move. This also allows China to expand its sphere of influence and attempt to lead the Global South alternative. This new reality can hardly be managed without significant adjustments to the trade regime, so maintaining the status quo is no longer an option, argues Ignacio Garcia Bercero, senior researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute and European negotiator for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), in a recent paper.

India provides a clear example of how Trumps aggressive tariff policy is pushing some of Americas allies toward Beijing or reinforcing their non-aligned positions. This illustrates what Elena Pisonero, Spains former Secretary of Commerce, calls the rise of intermediate actors in her recent book El espiritu del sherpa (In English, The Spirit of the Sherpa). These actors find unprecedented maneuvering space in this fragmented new landscape: India maintains strategic alliances with the U.S. through the Quad [the informal Indo-Pacific alliance of India, Australia, Japan, and the U.S.], has robust trade relations with China, preserves historic ties with Russia, and develops energy partnerships with Gulf countries, Pisonero notes. Similar positions are held by the Gulf monarchies, Turkey, and Vietnam.

In August, the White House announced 50% tariffs on a long list of Indian products in retaliation for its oil purchases from Russia. Far from backing down, New Delhi refused to negotiate with a gun to our head. The India-China rivalry is deep, and Indias cooling ties with Washington does not push the country directly into Beijings arms, but it does reinforce elements of a new global financial architecture  alternative investment and development banks, agreements to reduce dollar use in transactions among these countries, mechanisms to counter Western financial sanctions  that operates outside Western structures and is becoming increasingly difficult to dismantle. Slowly but unmistakably, the use of the renminbi is rising.

According to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), 8.5% of foreign exchange transactions in April were conducted in Chinese currency, up from 7% three years earlier  an increase heavily influenced by Hong Kongs stock activity. Around 30% of transactions with trade partners are already conducted in renminbi, 10 points higher than three years ago. American unilateralism has exposed the costs of over-dependence on the U.S., providing China with a clear opportunity. Its simple message: at least we are consistent, says Ian Bremmer, founder of Eurasia Group.

Economists at the World Economic Forum argue that these developments mean the global economy is undergoing one of its most turbulent periods in decades, with a convergence of shocks and structural shifts rewriting the rules of growth, trade and governance.

Jose Manuel Amor, partner at Analistas Financieros Internacionales (AFI), adds that this is not merely rising tension between blocs but a cyclical shift: Globalization as we knew it is dissolving, and we are moving toward a multipolar world, with one still-dominant leader  the United States  tempted to exploit interdependence created over recent decades and needing to adapt to increasing pressure from other poles [China, BRICS, Global South]." In this new world, adaptation determines success.

But Beijing also faces its own weaknesses  diplomatic and economic. China has been unable to resolve the overcapacity in its economy, stemming from high domestic savings and low private consumption. This makes the giant more dependent on external demand  a third of its growth comes from exports  and fuels internal deflationary pressures, with prices in negative territory for five consecutive quarters. Neil Shearing, chief economist at Capital Economics, argues that the real problem for the global economy over the next five years is not import tariffs, which can indeed slow global trade growth, but Chinas overcapacity.

Countries like Vietnam, Mexico, and India have benefited from the restructuring of global supply chains, particularly in sectors highly sensitive to cost increases from tariffs on China.

New markets

The escalation of the trade war with the U.S. has led China to redirect part of its exports toward other markets  and it has done so in record time. According to BNP Paribas Research, between April and July this year, Beijing reduced its exports to the United States by an average of 23% year-on-year. At the same time, its sales to the African continent increased by 34%, well above exports to Southeast Asian countries (17%) or to Europe (7%). This does not mean these regions suddenly developed an insatiable appetite for Chinese products; rather, many of these countries are being used by Chinese producers as an alternative route to reach the U.S. market and thereby avoid tariffs. This is known as the phenomenon of trade diversion through third countries.

However, China is beginning to face the limits of this strategy. After all, there is little added value in repackaging Chinese products and sending them to the U.S., and it does not create employment. There is also the added risk that any surplus generated by these operations in the U.S. trade balance could be penalized with higher tariffs.

Countries like Mexico are increasingly reluctant to serve as intermediaries for Chinese producers and are cautiously considering raising tariffs on Chinese packages from 19% to 33.5%. Chile, Ecuador, and Uruguay are moving in a similar direction. In Latin America, only Brazil  in response to U.S. tariffs on coffee  has openly pursued closer ties with Beijing. Others, like Argentina, clearly aligned with the current U.S. administration, are simply benefitting from an investment of nearly $7 billion in the so-called lithium triangle, which will make the country the worlds second-largest producer of this metal in 2025.

Production plants

There is a tendency to view global trade entirely from a Western perspective. And yet the forces reshaping world trade today are coming less from Washington than from Beijing, says Shearing. China continues to invest in production plants beyond what its domestic market can absorb, making exports a survival mechanism for the giant. To offload this excess production, Chinese companies have been cutting prices, accumulating a 25% reduction since 2022, while export prices elsewhere have remained essentially flat, he emphasizes.

As a result, despite the tariff escalation triggered by Trumps arrival in the White House, Chinas share of global exports had risen from 13% in 2018 to 18% by early 2025. This strategy comes at a high economic cost: approximately one in three Chinese manufacturers operates at a loss, which is fueling a structural slowdown in Chinese productivity. Beijing has launched measures to address its overcapacity through various campaigns, with limited results so far.

At the same time, the reduction in Chinese solar panel production costs has boosted solar energy production worldwide. Nothing in economics is ever simple.

In todays fractured world, friends and alliances matter  and China has spent years cultivating them through the Belt and Road Initiative, its New Silk Road. Beijing has literally built roads, ports, digital networks, and parallel payment systems around the world. It has woven an alternative economic architecture, in which its companies, led by tech firms, provide everything from infrastructure to terminals enabling countries to participate in the digital economy.

Container ships at Qianwan terminal in Qingdao Port, Shandong, China, on October 24, 2025. Costfoto / NurPhoto / Getty Images

Chinese financing for these projects is often tied to clauses that benefit state-owned enterprises, guarantee long-term contracts, or pave the way for preferential trade agreements. Some countries have fallen into debt traps, such as Ecuador, Zambia, and Sri Lanka, and have had to renegotiate terms or even turn to traditional development institutions like the World Bank for bailouts. Yet even these setbacks demonstrate the new balance: China is now both creditor and arbiter of the Global Souths solvency.

Power in the 21st century is no longer measured solely in aircraft carriers or missiles, but in routes, cables, and contracts. Geoeconomics is the continuation of geopolitics by other means. And China, more than any other actor, understands that those who finance the worlds infrastructure shape its future. Coinciding with the tariff crisis between Brasilia and Washington, for example, the Lula da Silva government is planning a major railway connection to the Peruvian mega-port of Chancay on the Pacific, a project that would likely be backed by Chinese financing.

Todays competition is not only between states, but also  and particularly  between companies. China leverages its tech giants  Huawei, ZTE, Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and Baidu  as vectors of global influence. They have also challenged U.S. technological dominance. So much so that the U.S. Congress demanded the sale of the short-video platform TikTok, developed by ByteDance, or its total ban to prevent access to data from 150 million American users. Ultimately, in September, TikTok was sold to a group of investors close to the White House, with details discussed by Trump and Xi during their meeting in South Korea at the end of October.

A key player

Huawei, for its part, has become another essential element in this strategy, particularly in the development and deployment of 5G infrastructure  a field that defines technological competition in the 21st century. Its leadership in fifth-generation networks has allowed it to offer solutions that are both cheaper and more advanced than those of Western competitors, which has facilitated contracts worldwide. Washington has launched a campaign to exclude the Chinese tech giant from 5G networks in the U.S. and among its allies, even issuing ultimatums to some countries, such as Spain, that continue to work with Huawei, threatening to block their access to security information.

Trump and Xi have already agreed that their next meeting will take place in April 2026. The U.S. president has committed to traveling to Beijing, which in itself represents a diplomatic victory for the Asian country, which had been intent on avoiding a scenario like the one Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy faced in the Oval Office last February. In a world undergoing such a radical systemic change, the scheduling of this meeting may well be the only certainty left standing by then.

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A cold weather warning has been issued for parts of England, bringing warnings of snow and ice as temperatures are set to plummet. Widespread cold conditions and wintry hazards are anticipated across the country this week.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the alert for the Midlands and northern England, effective from Monday. It will remain in place from 8am until 8am next Friday, covering the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Met Office confirmed that snow and ice are possible following a spell of above-average temperatures.

Dogs running in Kennington Park, London, in December 2022 (PA Archive)

This comes after Saturday saw the UK's coldest night since March, with temperatures dropping to minus 7C in Tulloch Bridge in the Scottish Highlands.

What is causing the cold snap?

A significant drop in temperatures is expected due to a change in wind.

Recent mild spells have been caused by southerly winds, but this pattern is set to change and, by Monday, colder air in the north will sweep southwards and bring winds from the Arctic.

According to Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley, the cold snap will be triggered by high pressure to the northwest.

He said this pressure "will drive a cold northerly flow from the Arctic", bringing with it "much colder conditions than of late".

Temperatures could dip as low as minus 7C in places next week, according to the Met Office.

A cold snap has been forecast by the Met Office for next week. The weather map shows how temperatures will plummet on Wednesday. (Met Office)

Its certainly going to turn much colder over the next couple of days, there will be an eight to 10 degree drop in temperature, you will be struggling to get double figures, Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge told The Independent.

We will probably see our first widespread countrywide frost on Monday morning and the lowest temperatures will be somewhere between minus 5C and minus 7C.

When and where will it snow?

There is potential for it to snow in areas exposed to this northerly wind from the Arctic.

On Tuesday, there is a small area of low pressure that is going to bring in a band of rain, sleet and hill snow, Mr Partridge said.

This is likely to hit northern parts of the UK, he explained.

Wintery showers, with a mixture of rain, sleet and snow, could hit Scotland, Northern Ireland, the North Yorkshire Moors, west Wales and the moors of southwest England.

The Met Office has said snow could fall in these areas on Tuesday and Wednesday. But it will be dry and sunny for most areas on Thursday, with overnight frosts.

Are there any weather warnings?

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a cold weather warning ahead of the drop in temperatures.

The alert is in place from 8am on Monday until 8am next Friday. It covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.

UKHSA explained alerts are issued when cold weather is forecast that could lead to significant impacts on health.

In addition, Mr Holley also warned "it is possible warnings may be issued for snow and ice at times".
At least nine people were killed and 32 injured after confiscated explosives stored at a police station in the restive Himalayan region of Kashmir detonated late on Friday.

Most of those killed were policemen and forensic officials who were examining the explosives, NDTV reported.

Two members of the local administration were killed as well.

The explosion occurred at around 11.20pm as officials were examining the material in the compound of the Nowgam police station in the regional capital Srinagar.

The identification of the bodies is underway as some have been completely burnt, Reuters reported, quoting an unnamed source. The intensity of the blast was such that some body parts were recovered from nearby houses around 100-200 metres away from the police station.

The blast reportedly ignited vehicles parked nearby and sent flames high above the building.

According to the news agency PTI, there were small successive explosions after the main blast, which prevented immediate rescue operations.

Five of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.

Due to the unstable and sensitive nature of the recovery, the sampling process, the handling was being done with utmost caution by the FSL team, Kashmir police chief Nalin Prabhat said at a press conference, referring to forensic officials. Unfortunately, during this course, last night around 11.20 pm, an accidental explosion has taken place. Any other speculation into the cause of this incident is unnecessary.

He confirmed that nine people were killed while 27 police personnel, two revenue officials and three civilians from the adjacent areas received injuries. The extent of this damage is being ascertained, Mr Prabhat added. The cause for this unfortunate incident is being enquired into. Jammu & Kashmir police stands in solidarity with the families of the deceased in this hour of grief.

Aftermath of the explosion at the Nowgam police station in Srinagar, Kashmir (AP)

The Nowgam explosion came barely days after a deadly car blast in the Indian capital Delhi killed 13 people. In the aftermath of the blast near the iconic monument of Red Fort on Monday  since classified as a terror attack  Indian authorities detained five individuals in Kashmir and blew up the family home of the main suspect in the restive valley.

In the days before the Red Fort blast, the security apparatus in Kashmir had conducted a sweeping crackdown during which some 1,500 people were questioned across the federal territory in a supposed attempt to thwart a reorganisation of militants, the Indian Express reported.

The explosives that went off at the police station had reportedly been found during the crackdown, which started in Kashmir after posters supporting the proscribed militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad appeared in Srinagar, and quickly extended to Faridabad in the northern Indian state of Haryana.

Indian authorities claimed the crackdown unearthed a terrorist network operating across Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The Kashmir police said they analysed CCTV footage of men putting up the posters which led them to Adeel Ahmad Rather, a Kashmir doctor working in Uttar Pradesh, who was arrested on 27 October.

They found an assault rifle in his locker, the police claimed, and his interrogation revealed a terror ecosystem, involving radicalised professionals and students in contact with foreign handlers, operating from Pakistan and other countries.

#BREAKING: J&K Police Top Officials tell me that the massive blast at Nowgam Police Station around 11:20pm tonight happened when FSL team along with Police and Tehsildar were inspecting the large Ammonium Nitrate explosive which was confiscated earlier. Casualties in the blast. pic.twitter.com/67U143jOFg  Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) November 14, 2025

The police subsequently arrested Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai of Al-Falah Medical College and University in Faridabad and allegedly found a large haul of ammonium nitrate and other chemicals used for making improvised explosive devices when they raided two homes rented in his name in the city.

It was apparently this haul of explosive material  at least some of it  that blew up at the police station on Friday.

A fellow Kashmiri colleague of Dr Shakeel at Al-Falah is the main suspect in the Red Delhi blast. Investigators claim Dr Umar Nabi was in the Hyundai car that exploded near the iconic monument but it is not yet clear if he was the driver. His identity was reportedly confirmed after DNA taken from the blast site was matched with that of his mother.

Indian paramilitary troopers frisk a pedestrian during a random search in Srinagar (AFP via Getty)

The Nowgam explosion took place the same day Indian authorities destroyed Nabis family home in Kashmirs Pulwama. Theres no provision in Indian law that allows the demolition of a suspects property as a form of punishment but it is an increasingly common practice, especially in states governed by prime minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party.

Authorities ordered out Nabis parents, brother and sister-in-law, who lived together in the two-storey house, and blew it up.

Nabis sister-in-law, Shagufta Jan, said the family had not heard from him since last Friday when she told him police had come looking for him.

He called us on Friday, and I told him to come home, she said. He said he would come after three days.

The Indian government on Friday declared the Red Fort attack a terror incident, a classification that could again raise tensions with Pakistan.

India routinely accuses Pakistan of supporting Islamist militants in Kashmir, where a bloody insurgency against Delhis rule is midway through its third decade. Islamabad denies the allegation.

The nuclear-armed neighbours fought a four-day military conflict earlier this year after India carried out airstrikes across the border in what it said was retaliation for a terror attack in Kashmir that had killed nearly two dozen people, mostly Hindu tourists from the mainland.

The fighting, marked by drone and missile attacks and heavy artillery shelling, left over a hundred people dead on both sides and pushed South Asia to the brink of all-out war before the US brokered a ceasefire.
Iqbal Mohamed, the MP for Dewsbury and Batley, commented that biological women have rights which I will always fight to protect

Your Party has been hit by a fresh row over trans issues between two of its founding MPs.

Zarah Sultana, who is founding the new hard-Left party alongside Jeremy Corbyn, rebuked Iqbal Mohamed over a series of gender-critical social media posts.

Mr Mohamed, the MP for Dewsbury and Batley, said womens rights must not be taken away, prompting Ms Sultana to insist a pro-trans position must be non-negotiable for the party.

The infighting comes just days after Adnan Hussain, the independent MP for Blackburn, quit Your Party over its toxic culture and following his own clash with Ms Sultana over gender identity.

In September, Mr Hussain angered activists by saying trans women are not biologically women. Ms Sultana then declared that bigotry has no place in the new hard-Left party.

Responding to an activist who welcomed Mr Hussains departure and claimed that he was transphobic, Mr Mohamed wrote on X: Transphobic how?

On being told it was transphobic to want third spaces for trans people, he hit back: No it absolutely is not, either in logic or British law.

Mr Mohamed added: White or brown men shouldnt be telling or forcing biological women to give up their rights and private spaces to other biological men, black, white, brown or trans.

What about the biological womens rights? They have rights which I will always fight to protect. I also believe in the human rights of all trans and LGBTQ+ people but not by taking away the hard-won rights of women.

Zarah Sultana believes an ironclad commitment to trans rights is non-negotiable for a socialist party - Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images

Responding to Mr Mohameds remarks, a spokesman for Ms Sultana told The Telegraph: Zarah will always stand with the trans community. She believes an ironclad commitment to trans rights is non-negotiable for a socialist party.

Her experiences as a Muslim woman have only strengthened her commitment to solidarity with all oppressed groups.

The working class is diverse, yet united by shared economic interests and a common enemy: the super-rich and the establishment politicians who serve them.

People dont need manufactured culture wars. They need real, material improvements in their lives. Your Party must stand up and deliver exactly that.

Party infighting

The organisations first four months have been overshadowed by a series of public rows between Mr Corbyn and Ms Sultana.

Your Party was driven to the brink of collapse in September when the MP for Coventry South accused her fellow independents of excluding her from a toxic boys club.

Mr Corbyn has also found himself at odds with his co-founder over party funds, his handling of anti-Semitism during his time as Labour leader and even Your Partys final name, which is yet to be decided.

In what will widely be seen as a swipe at Ms Sultana, Mr Mohamed said on Sunday: Dont blame Corbyn for the faults of the Left and its ability to look for differences to fight over.

And make sure that he is not replaced by a selfish, egotistical power hungry, dishonest, me-myself-I person.

The remarks are likely to further deepen divisions in the party just after it was plunged into a fresh row over allegedly withheld donations to the party.

On Thursday night, a statement was posted to Your Partys official X social media account with the signatures of all its would-be MPs  with the notable exception of Ms Sultana.

The post expressed frustration over deliberate acts obstructing more than 800,000 of funds from being transferred to Your Party. Ms Sultana currently runs MOU Operations Ltd, a company set up earlier this year to support the new partys launch.

MOU was looking after around 850,000 that was donated through a membership portal created by Ms Sultana without permission from her fellow MPs at the height of the partys feud.

A spokesman for Ms Sultana said she transferred 200,000 last week, with further instalments to be paid as soon as possible.
Jeremy Corbyn says Your Party is likely to back a second Scottish independence referendum and support independence north of the border - PA/Jane Barlow

Jeremy Corbyn has said Your Party will stand in next years Scottish Parliament elections.

The co-leader of the new hard-Left party said he planned to put up candidates on Holyroods regional list in a move that could see the party pick up several MSPs in urban areas.

The announcement comes amid a week of infighting between Your Partys socially conservative Muslim MPs and its largely progressive grassroots.

Adnan Hussain, the independent MP for Blackburn, quit the party on Friday after a public clash with Zarah Sultana, Mr Corbyns fellow co-founder, over his gender-critical views. Hours earlier, Your Party had been plunged into a fresh row over donations that had allegedly been withheld from the party.

Despite the ongoing chaos, Mr Corbyn remained optimistic about its hopes in Scotland, saying supporters were urging him to contest the Holyrood elections next May.

During a visit to Scotland, the former Labour leader said: Everyone I have met who supports Your Party in Scotland says we should be contesting elections  and I agree with them, and we should.

Your Party, co-founded by Mr Corbyn and Zarah Sultana, has been hit by infighting - PA/Jacob King

In an interview with The Herald newspaper, he said he would be looking to stand candidates in January following the partys Scottish Assembly.

Mr Corbyn also suggested Your Party would support a second referendum on independence  and would campaign for Yes if one were to take place.

Asked about the partys platform, he said: Well, the policies will be as are laid out in the founding statement on issues of redistribution of wealth and power, taxation issues, also giving the people of Scotland the right to decide their own future.

It will be decided by the party at the Scottish level, and not be decided by me. But the principle would be that if the Scottish organisation of Your Party believes that it is right to have a referendum, that will be the policy.

My impression is that most Scottish members would support independence. That is my impressionm and I think that is the way I am reading it.

The Islington North MP was in Glasgow for a series of regional assemblies, which brought in around 200 supporters across three different venues, organisers said.

The meetings were overshadowed by an ongoing row over the alleged obstruction of more than 800,000 of funds raised by Ms Sultana that were meant to be transferred to the party.

MOU Operations Ltd, a company set up earlier this year to support the new partys launch, was looking after around 850,000 that was donated through a membership portal created by Ms Sultana without permission from her fellow MPs at the height of the partys feud.

A spokesman for Ms Sultana said she transferred 200,000 last week, with further instalments to be paid as soon as possible.
A powerful explosion ripped through an industrial complex in Argentina's Buenos Aires province on Saturday, 15 November, igniting a huge fire.

More than 20 people were injured in the fire, which also damaged several buildings, according to authorities.

Dozens of fire crews were deployed to control the blaze, which originated in Carlos Spegazzini, an industrial sector known for its petrochemical operations.

A plane passenger filmed the blaze from above, showing huge clouds of smoke billowing into the air.

The fire broke out around 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) from Ezeiza Airport.
Ghislaine Maxwell and Donald Trump in 1997. Photograph: New York Daily News Archive/NY Daily News/Getty Images

Since Ghislaine Maxwells controversial transfer to a low-security prison camp this summer, her time at Texass FPC Bryan has prompted uproar over alleged favorable treatment  including claims this week that she was provided custom-made meals, access to a puppy and as much toilet paper as she wants.

Some of the recent accusations were in a 9 November letter that Jamie Raskin sent to Donald Trump. The Democratic representatives letter, which cited whistleblower information, demanded answers about Maxwells conditions  including whether Trump directed anyone in his administration to give her special treatment.

Whistleblower disclosures, Raskin said, also revealed that Maxwell was working on a commutation application with Trumps administration. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Jeffrey Epsteins sex trafficking of teen girls, a scandal that has dogged Trump for years and has recently hit a feverish pitch during his second term.

The special treatment and the alleged request for a commutation of her sentence has prompted feverish speculation as to why Maxwell is getting such treatment and whether or not Trump could pardon her. The disgraced socialites team on Friday denied that she was seeking clemency.

Though both Maxwell and Trump have denied the US president was involved in, or knew of, Epsteins wrongdoing, the former British socialite remains at the center of the scandal. That was heightened this week when amid of trove of released emails there was a message between Epstein and Maxwell that referred to Trump as the dog that hasnt barked and said he had spent considerable time with one of the victims.

Certainly, Maxwells treatment after she was transferred from Florida to her new, much more relaxed prison in Texas is eye-catching.

More perks allegedly afforded to Maxwell included a special area where she can receive visitors, replete with an assortment of snacks and refreshments for her guests, and treating the warden as her personal secretary and administrative assistant. CNN reported she could have unlimited toilet paper.

As for the aforementioned puppy? An inmate who trains puppies to become service dogs was instructed to provide one to Maxwell for a time so she could play with the puppy, even though neither inmates nor staff are ordinarily allowed to pet the service dogs in training.

The deference and servility to Ms Maxwell have reached such preposterous levels that one of the top officials at the facility has complained that he is sick of having to be Maxwells bitch, Raskin also said.

This application, Raskin said, demonstrated either that Ms Maxwell is herself requesting you release her from her 20-year prison sentence for her role as a coconspirator in Jeffrey Epsteins international child sex-trafficking ring, or that this child sex predator now holds such tremendous sway in the second Trump administration that you and your DOJ will follow her clemency recommendations.

While the White House has previously said pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell is not something [Trump] has thought about, legal veterans told the Guardian that this kind of alleged treatment is uncommon, and raises the specter of still more favorable developments for Maxwell.

The government isnt going to give an incarcerated prisoner all of these perks in exchange for nothing, said Eric Faddis, founder of the Colorado law firm Varner Faddis and a former prosecutor. What it tells me is that the government believes they received something of value from Ghislaine and this is sort of her reward.

Faddis said that he had seen inmates improve their lot by cooperating with the government and providing information deemed useful but not to the extent alleged. It seems like the government gave, perhaps special preference, to Ghislaine based on the ostensible weight of the information she provided and its value.

Neama Rahmani, founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, said this is not typical.

Sex trafficking and other sex-related crimes are considered crimes of violence. Inmates convicted of them are typically isolated from the general population because they are considered dangerous and theyre also at increased risk of being attacked or killed by other inmates.

Theyre segregated, theyre in administrative custody. Theyre generally not in a low-security facility with the general population, Rahani said. The fact that shes allegedly getting these special meals, visits, puppy access  that is not standard, that is not typical in these types of cases.

If the allegations about special treatment were true, including seeming irregularity surrounding her placement, it could be a quid pro quo, such as a were gonna give you benefits because youre keeping your mouth shut and not implicating people in power or with money.

That said, it could be some completely benign, such as theres not a whole lot of placements for female inmates in the federal system, and this is the best the BOP had.

John Day, a former prosecutor in New Mexico who founded the John Day Law Office, voiced similar sentiments about the alleged perks.

Even if its 50% exaggerated, its still outrageous  and it indicates some type of favorable treatment that no one else could get unless you were connected in the right ways, he said.

These are the kind of privileges that are given to someone who has done something in return, Day continued. This is not normal treatment for the crime she was convicted of, and it raises all sorts of questions about the propriety of it, and whos behind it, and what the motive is.

Larry Levine, founder of Wall Street Prison Consultants and a former federal inmate, was skeptical of the whistleblower allegations. With special meal claims, for example, Levine said inmates figure out how to prepare and eat bespoke meals, including by pilfering food from the kitchen.

I used to have omelets and chicken breast and veal parmesandelivered to my cell that was made by an inmate, he said. It was special food because no one else had it.

Levine said it was possible BOP staff were preparing food for Maxwell but thought it very unlikely. That would cause big, big, big problems with the inmates  Why is she getting this and we have to eat this crap here? he said. It would cause civil unrest in there.

He also wasnt shocked by the claim that Maxwell received visitors in a cordoned-off area.

In a visiting room, where there are many inmates and visitors, everyones going to be gawking at her, and officials might determine that keeping her separate fosters safety and security. Ive seen that happen before.

Levine was emphatic, however, that Maxwells move to the Texas prison was unprecedented. Under Bureau of Prisons guidelines, sex offenders present safety concerns that do not permit their incarceration at low-security institutions such as Bryan. Theres your big special privilege.

It is unclear what these alleged privileges mean for Maxwells future, if anything. Levine noted that thousands seek commutations and that the process is backed up. So could she ask? Sure, but I dont think shes going to get it. That said, with Trump, everythings in the air.

Rahmani said he believed that Maxwell was seeking a commutation, especially given that the US supreme court declined to hear her appeal. Theres no doubt in my mind that Maxwell and her team are lobbying the president. I would be shocked if the president were actually to do this, but you never know when it comes to Trump.

He pointed to Maxwells sit-down with Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general who previously served as Trumps personal lawyer.

It is pretty rare for someone with his title and position in the DoJ to handle a case personally, he said. So you know, she does have some access that most folks do not.

Given the cumulative circumstances, Day said, You take it all together, nobody should be surprised if the next step is a commutation or a pardon.

That seems to be where all the arrows are pointing and if you follow all the breadcrumbs.

Maxwells team insisted that she was taking steps outside of seeking clemency, claiming that she will soon be filing a habeas petition in Manhattan federal court to challenge her conviction. In the four years since the verdict new evidence has indeed come to light  and is continuing to do so, Leah Saffian, counsel to Maxwell, said in a statement.

Habeas petitions are distinct from petitions to the supreme court, in that they relate to prisoners rights and conviction challenges, the statement said at another point. Prior to any such [pardon] application a prisoner needs to demonstrate that all possible avenues of appeal have been exhausted.

The Guardian has reached out to the White House and the Department of Justice for comment. The White House pointed to comments from Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, earlier this week when a reported asked about whether Trump was considering a pardon for Maxwell. Hes answered this repeatedly. Its not something hes talking about or even thinking about at this moment in time. I can assure you of that, she said.

The justice department referred the Guardian to the Bureau of Prisons.

The Bureau of Prisons said in a statement that allegations of misconduct, including any suggestion of preferential treatment, are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated through internal processes. It added that violations of this policy can result in disciplinary action that can include firing and prosecution.

The BOPs standards of employee conduct explicitly prohibits all staff from providing preferential treatment to any inmate, the agency said.

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Nigel Farage at a Reform UK event in Redruth, Cornwall in February. Photograph: Jonny Weeks/The Guardian

I know whenever I come back here next, Nigel Farage told a jubilant crowd of hundreds in a leisure centre in Redruth, Reform UK will become a dominant force, not just in Cornwall politics, but in British politics.

That was in February and when the local elections arrived three months later it appeared Farages prophecy was in part coming true  Reform took 28 seats on Cornwall council, the highest number of any party.

But during his speech at Carn Brea leisure centre, Farage also warned his rapturous supporters we have to convert theory into reality  and reality in Cornwall is now biting.

Six months on from the local elections  after which Reform was unable to form an administration, leaving the Liberal Democrats and independents to set up a ruling coalition  the partys presence in the county is in disarray following weeks of resignations, suspensions and infighting that mean Reform UK no longer holds the highest number of seats in the authority.

Critics say that along with the chaos in the Reform-led council of Kent, the farcical scenes in Cornwall, where Reform act as the official opposition are further evidence that the party is not capable of delivering beyond a protest vote.

Two key figures involved in the fiasco, the former leader and deputy leader of the Reform group in Cornwall, said interference from national figures in the party was in part behind their decision to stand down and could also be blamed for some of the infighting that has brought Reform into disrepute.

Rowland OConnor, a seasoned figure in the party who won 16.5% of the vote in North Cornwall in last years general election, was the first to stand down in early October  not only stepping down as deputy but from Reform itself.

I made a commitment to serve the people of my division as a local councillor and to represent their best interests on anything to do with council services: buses, transport, roads, hedges, potholes, bins, all the things that one would expect a council to be involved in, said OConnor, who represents St Columb Major, St Mawgan and St Wenn division.

But the position I found myself in as deputy leader and also as a Reform UK councillor, was that the national agenda right was being emphasised.

OConnor said the two key propositions from Reform UK on a national level were challenging immigration and net zero. The direct impact of immigration in Cornwall is negligible, he said. On net zero, Reform councillors sitting on planning committees  like all councillors  are required to be apolitical in their decision-making, he added.

There was an ongoing divergence between what time I was able to dedicate to serving the residents in my division versus trying to unravel the push-pull between national and local.

Two days later, Reforms leader in Cornwall, Rob Parsonage, also resigned the role and from the party. Parsonage, who represents Torpoint, said as leader he would receive instructions over WhatsApp from head office ordering them to put motions in to scrap all net zero target-related matters.

The trouble with that is you have to go in there with an open mind and with a view to assessing a planning application based on its merits, the regulations and the law, Parsonage added. So, effectively, youre being asked to do something that youre not allowed to do.

OConnor and Parsonage have formed the Cornish Independent Non-aligned Group with two other former Reform councillors, Anna Thomason-Kenyon and Karen Knight.

Parsonages wife, Christine Parsonage, who was elected as a Reform councillor for St Columb Minor and Colan, stood down at the end of last month on health grounds. Her short time as councillor, however, was mired in controversy after it emerged she lived more than 40 miles away from her division in Torpoint.

She was heavily criticised by members of Newquay town council in August for not attending their meetings as the Cornwall council representative for the area she represented. She later admitted standing as a paper candidate  a contender who does not realistically expect to be elected.

The five departures mean Reform now has 23 seats on Cornwall council, having previously held 28, compared with the Liberal Democrats 26.

Before the departure of Rob Parsonage and OConnor, the former had come under criticism from within his own party. Curtis Mellows, the then chair of the Reform Cornwall south-east branch, did not hold back with his criticism of Parsonage online, calling him an odious little man.

Hes got no leadership qualities whatsoever, Mellows said. He tries to make out hes got experience in politics. Well, he proved he hasnt. I told the head office this guy shouldnt be there, and hes going to be a disaster  and youve seen whats unfolded in the south-west.

In another twist, Mellows himself is now suspended from the party after making allegedly offensive comments about Prince Harry in a social media post.

Mellows said he had made formal bullying complaints about members of the party in the county, which were not dealt with by the regional or national figures. I wouldnt let the bullying drop and I kept on and on and on about it, he said. Theyve obviously decided to get rid of me, which is fine.

Despite the election of a new leader and deputy leader for the Reform group, the infighting continues.

Only this week, the chair of the Camborne, Redruth and Hayle branch was removed, much to the dismay of branch members.

The waters are muddied further by the fact the chair who was removed from the branch against its members wishes is  and remains  the newly appointed deputy of the party in Cornwall, Roger Tarrant.

Members of the branch have been anonymously briefing the local press, complaining of the removal of our popular and successful previous chairman, and the parachuting in of an unknown.

So as Reform unravels, how are the parties in power responding? Leigh Frost, the Liberal Democrat leader of Cornwall council, said: Its quite astounding. In reality, everyone knew that this would eventually come. Its no surprise.

We had a lot of Reform paper candidates in the local elections in May. A lot of those people got elected on the wave, and are now realising what its like to be a councillor, what it means to be a councillor.

Ultimately, some of them are realising its very difficult and dont want to do it, and thats entirely up to them.

Others are realising that theres more to it, and they want to do a good job for their communities, which is great, and sort of realise that Reform isnt the answer to that.

A Reform UK spokesperson said: These claims are untrue. Reform UK councillors have complete autonomy to take a stand on local issues and are encouraged to come up with solutions to improve their communities.

However, voters are right to expect their elected Reform UK representatives to remember the platform they were elected on, which includes opposing the net zero agenda and ensuring taxpayer funds are spent on local people, not illegal migrants.

The newly appointed Reform leader in Cornwall, Paul Ashton, also rejected comments that local councillors had to focus on national Reform policies, such as immigration and net zero, rather than prioritising important issues affecting Cornish voters, such as affordable housing and public services.



He said there was no directive from Farage or any other senior Reform figure that members had to toe the national line. There is nobody from HQ breathing down our necks saying youve got to do this or youve got to do that.
Helen Holland, 81, was struck a police outrider escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh in 2023 (PA/Family handout)

The grieving family of a grandmother killed by a motorcyclist escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh through London have said they are suing the Metropolitan Police after he was acquitted.

Helen Holland, 81, died two weeks after she was sent flying through the air while after being struck by a police outrider at a pedestrian crossing in West Cromwell Road, west London, on 10 May 2023.

PC Christopher Harrison, 68, was travelling at between 44mph and 58mph as he approached the crossing, despite a 30mph limit.

A jury found him not guilty of causing her death by careless driving on Thursday after almost two and half hours of deliberating.

After the verdict was returned, one of Ms Hollands ten grandchildren shouted from the public gallery of the Old Bailey: You ruined our family with no consequences.

Helen Holland, from Birchanger, Essex, was visiting her sister in London when she struck as she crossed the road (Family handout)

Now the family has revealed they plan to sue the force  not because they want any money  but to acknowledge that the grandmother did nothing wrong. The green man was illuminated, signalling it was safe to cross the road, when she was struck as she made her way home from visiting her sister.

Ms Hollands son Martin, 59, described her as the heart and glue of their family.

He told the Sunday Times: We are suing them just to make sure its recognised. Were not in the slightest bit interested in compensation  its about proving that mum did nothing wrong. She would never take a risk. Certainly crossing a road was one of the big risks that was important to her. She knew how to cross a road.

On the day of the incident, PC Harrison was among the team of convoy motorbike outriders that was escorting Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, as she left the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office in King Charles Street just after 3pm.

PC Harrison, who had 21 years of experience in the specialist escort group, was the main outrider in front of the hearse at Queen Elizabeths funeral in September 2022.

He told the court he couldnt put it into numbers how many times he had undertaken the journey and that he was very familiar with the route.

PC Christopher Harrison, who was part of a convoy escorting the Duchess of Edinburgh, was cleared of death by careless driving (PA Archive)

Ms Holland was 2.9 metres onto the crossing when PC Harrisons motorbike hit her. She suffered a skull fracture, bruising to her arms, legs and body, plus fractures to her lower legs.

A post-mortem examination gave the cause of death as complications from a severe head injury.

PC Harrison told jurors the collision was a tragic accident which occurred in circumstances that he had no control over.

Under cross-examination, he accepted he forgot to switch on his body-worn camera and did not use his whistle as he approached the pedestrian crossing but insisted he had not been complacent that day.

She was just there in front of me, he told jurors. She just appeared, between the kerb line and the point of collision. At no point did I see her on the island, Im sorry.

Jurors at the Old Bailey took almost two and half hours to acquit the Met officer (PA Archive)

Ms Hollands sister, Dorothy Phillips, 91, who attended every day of the Old Bailey trial, has been left too scared to cross the road in the wake of tragedy.

Now nobody can go across any green crossing with any security at all, she said. I wont. Im too frightened to even cross the road.

PC Harrison is still likely to face disciplinary proceedings after a 12-month the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation found there was sufficient evidence to indicate he may have breached the police standards.

In a statement released after the trial, Commander Adam Slonecki said the Met are deeply sorry, adding: While nothing we can say or do can make up for this loss, we have worked to safeguard against future tragedies regardless of todays outcome.

Escort riders now have bullhorns fitted to their motorcycles to ensure public safety. They use these in addition to their whistles to warn people they are approaching. We will now consider any misconduct matters for PC Harrison as soon as possible.
Credit: Russian Defence Ministry

Russia has seized territory in south-eastern Ukraine while Kyivs forces were focused on defending a key front-line city to the north.

Moscows defence ministry said on Sunday that it had captured two settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, exposing the strategically important towns of Orikhiv and Huliaipole to a possible encirclement by Russian forces.

Holding off Russian advances on that section of the front is key to shielding the regional capital of Zaporizhzhia.

Ukraine has been grappling to keep the 630-mile front line stable, while bolstering defences in Donetsk, particularly around the besieged city of Pokrovsk, which appears poised to fall imminently.

Ukrainian troops have increasingly been diverted further north to reinforce the key city  leaving its defences along the south-eastern front more vulnerable to sustained Russian attacks.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraines armed forces chief, this week warned, with unexpected candour, that the front-line situation in the region had significantly worsened.

Within the region, Russian forces have advanced some 19 miles over the course of six weeks, according to pro-Ukrainian maps.

The Telegraph was not able to independently verify Russias most-recent claimed advances and Ukraine has not yet commented, but it follows confirmed advances in the region.

Moscow has concentrated much of its firepower on encircling Pokrovsk, aiming to finally capture the city before winter sets in to give Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, his biggest battlefield conquest for more than two years.

Pokrovsk has descended into a contested grey zone, according to the latest battlefield maps, with house-to-house battles taking place inside. Ukraine says that between 300 to 500 Russian troops used the dense fog to infiltrate the city.

Video of Russian soldiers taking advantage of the fog to drive into southern Pokrovsk in motorcycles, Bukhanka, and other modified vehicles.https://t.co/vuNp68mHfAhttps://t.co/GrFY1bOmss pic.twitter.com/R3BDwRvnml  Rob Lee (@RALee85) November 10, 2025

With Ukraine continuing to suffer severe manpower shortages, there are growing calls for Kyiv to withdraw its troops from Pokrovsk to avoid unnecessary casualties and refortify other parts of the front. In the past, Ukrainian generals have faced criticism for waiting too long in the face of political pressure.

Kyiv has downplayed losses

Meanwhile, Russia has more quietly been making territorial gains at the intersection of the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, where defence has been comparatively de-prioritised.

Russia occupies around 70 per cent of Zaporizhzhia region, primarily in its east and south, though Ukraine retains control over its regional capital of Zaporizhzhia.

Kyiv has at points downplayed losses, but earlier this week a military spokesman admitted that Ukrainian forces had been withdrawn from positions around five settlements to more defensible positions. The retreat, he said, came amid fierce Russian artillery strikes, unfavourable weather conditions and manpower shortages.

A satellite image shows smoke rising Pokrovsk. The city has seen house to house fighting as Russian forces try to conquer the Donbas - Reuters

Volodymyr Zelensk, the Ukrainian president, visited troops in the region on Thursday, describing the situation near the town of Orikhiv as one of the most difficult on the extensive front.

Serhiy Sternenko, a prominent Ukrainian military blogger, said that the country is heading towards a strategic-scale catastrophe amid Russian breakthroughs in the south east.

Under the current circumstances, and without global changes not only at the level of military command but also in the political approach to defensive warfare, it is only a matter of time before Russian tanks roll into [the city of] Zaporizhzhia or Dnipro, Mr Sternenko wrote on X.

Our defence is falling apart. Amid deafening silence about it, he concluded.

Russian advance has accelerated in recent weeks

Russian forces may attempt to encircle Huliaipole from the north east, trying to degrade Ukraines defences in order to make rapid advances through infiltration tactics, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think-tank.

Moscow has targeted local supply lines and Ukrainian drone operators and is making an effort to exploit Ukraines weakened fortifications to mass small-group assaults in the small but strategic city which has been a fixture of the front line since the early months of the war.

Michael Kofman, a military analyst, said that while attention has been fixed on Pokrovsk, much of the Russian advance has taken place further south west at the [Zaporizhzhia]-Dnipro-Donetsk border, and has accelerated in recent weeks.

Ukrainian defences around Huliaipole look increasingly incohesive. This area appears to be a lower priority for Russia, and Ukraine Counter-attacking in Pokrovsk means few forces are available to stabilise the situation anywhere else, like [Zaporizhzhia], Mr Kofman said.

However, he noted that Russian forces are continuing to underperform tactically, largely due to units claiming positions and advances that never took place.

Some analysts have suggested that Russia is pushing forward in an attempt to force Ukraine to deploy resources to the Zaporizhzhia region, diverting them from Pokrovsk.
Shabana Mahmood said anger about illegal migration could turn on second-generation immigrants. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

Shabana Mahmood has warned Labour MPs that dark forces are stirring up anger over migration, amid growing alarm among senior party figures over the most sweeping overhaul of refugee rights in a generation.

On Monday, Mahmood will announce controversial new laws to overhaul refugee status, which must be reassessed every two years, as well as curbing asylum appeals and toughening the approach to rights to family life.

The home secretary warned in an article for the Guardian that anger about illegal migration could turn on second-generation immigrants such as her and rupture community relations.

I know that a country without secure borders is a less safe country for those who look like me, she said.

But the Guardian understands the harshness of Mahmoods plans has led to significant unease among senior Labour aides and ministers, with at least one on resignation watch. Two said they were particularly concerned about the plans to ramp up deportations of refugee families, including those with children.

Charities warned it would risk another Windrush scandal and leave refugees in near-permanent limbo, with children liable to be unrooted from schools and adults unable to build careers, and make integration harder.

The home secretary will announce three new safe routes for refugees to legally come to the UK from war-torn countries such as Sudan and Eritrea, but even the status of those refugees will be under constant review.

Mahmood confirmed on Sunday that refugees would be liable to be returned if their country was no longer deemed dangerous, with their status reviewed every 30 months, including families with young children in school.

The government will announce that it will legislate to toughen how courts apply the European convention on human rights (ECHR) regarding family life, enabling more deportation of people with family members still in the UK.

On Sunday night it also emerged that Mahmood had threatened three countries with visa bans for refusing to take people back from the UK.

The Times reported that Mahmood wrote to the embassies in London of Angola, Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, warning that they have a month to start cooperating on removals before a sliding scale of sanctions are imposed. Mahmood is expected to confirm the measures on Monday.

Related: Asylum system in UK out of control and dividing country, home secretary says

In her article for the Guardian, Mahmood said she knew the changes would face opposition but said the alternative would risk public support for all refugees collapsing.

Dark forces are stirring up anger in this country, and seeking to turn that anger into hate. We must take the opportunity we have to stop that from happening. And I know we can, she wrote.

The true nature of this country is openness, tolerance and generosity. We want to provide sanctuary to those in danger. We want to be a Greater Britain, not a littler England. To do so, we must restore order and control.

Mahmood will announce three modest routes for refugees from war-torn countries such as Sudan, Palestine or Eritrea to come if they are students and those seeking to work in certain professions, as well as those sponsored by community and voluntary organisations who support them when they arrive. Refugees arriving via those routes will not be given permanent settled status.

Other key measures to be announced on Monday include:

Restricting asylum seekers to one single appeal rather than different appeals on multiple grounds.

Creating a new body for fast-tracking cases for dangerous criminals and those with little hope of success.

Legislating to restrict last-minute modern slavery claims

Joining other countries in seeking reform of ECHR article 3 rights, to more narrowly define the risk of torture and degrading treatment.

Changing the Home Offices duty to provide support to asylum seekers to a discretionary power, enabling them to potentially be removed from accommodation.

Several senior aides are understood to have severe reservations about how that would affect school-age children and MPs are understood to be particularly concerned about Ukrainian refugees, many of whom brought young children who have now fully integrated into British life.

These sweeping changes will mean that a child who is settled at school, studying hard for their GCSEs, will be uprooted and forcibly removed, possibly being put in detention as part of that process, the Refugee Councils Enver Solomon said, likening it to how long-settled people were treated under the Windrush scandal.

Related: What changes to the UK asylum system are being proposed by Labour?

Mahmood is also understood to be seeking to legislate to change the way the ECHR is interpreted by UK judges. Asylum seekers often use its provisions on right to family life in order to stay in the UK.

The effect of the changes could mean many more people are deported from the UK even if they have young children living here. Judges will be required to prioritise public safety over family rights. A Home Office source suggested this would be more likely to apply to extended family.

Mahmood is to warn concerned Labour MPs that the changes are necessary to address public concern about the levels of migration as well as counterattacks from Reform UK.

Unless we act, we risk losing popular consent for having an asylum system at all. In a country that is seeing division stirred up on our streets, we will not bring unity unless we restore order to our borders, she wrote in the Guardian.

My goal is to ensure there are legal routes into this country for those who are truly fleeing peril, and for whom this is the first safe country they have encountered.

The Home Office has briefed widely that Mahmood has been inspired by the Danish system, which has much tighter rules on family reunions as well as on refugee status.

Mahmoods predecessor, Yvette Cooper, temporarily suspended new applications in September from a family reunion route that allowed those granted asylum in the UK to bring their family.

Home Office sources have suggested the asylum changes will have far wider effects than anything brought in by the Conservatives.

Almost 40,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats to claim asylum in the UK so far this year and the number of asylum applications in the UK is at a record high. Government figures show 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025.

Both the Conservatives and Reform UK have said they would leave the ECHR in order to undertake more severe measures to cut migration. Mahmood has said she will not leave the ECHR, but there are likely to be significant legal challenges to what she is proposing on Monday.

The Conservatives have suggested the party could support the plans brought forward by Mahmood if she faces a rebellion from Labour backbenchers.

But the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, criticised the plans as very small steps in the right direction with a few gimmicks.

He told Sky Newss Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips programme: We want no illegal immigration whatsoever. We need to have a cap on legal inward migration each year, so the numbers are very, very dramatically lower.

Several loyalist MPs told the Guardian they were deeply uncomfortable at the prospect of disrupting the lives of settled refugee families if their countries became safer to return to. At least one minister is understood to have severe reservations.

The Labour MP Tony Vaughan urged the government to think again on the changes. The prime minister said in September that we are at a fork in the road. These asylum proposals suggest we have taken the wrong turning, he posted on X.

The idea that recognised refugees need to be deported is wrong. The rhetoric around these reforms encourages the same culture of divisiveness that sees racism and abuse growing in our communities.

The Labour MP Stella Creasy wrote in the Guardian that leaving refugees in a state of perpetual limbo for 20 years was economically as well as morally damaging. If we want to stop the boats we need to stop the BS when it comes to what is generating refugees or how to respond to them, she said.

If you cant stabilise your status, you will always struggle to get a job, a bank account or a mortgage, making it more likely you will be dependent on state or voluntary support.
Behind his desk in his office, the secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Albert Ramdin, 67, has three portraits hanging like guardians: Mahatma Gandhi, champion of nonviolence; Martin Luther King Jr., fighter for civil rights; and Nelson Mandela, advocate of dialogue with ones enemies. Their example inspires this former Surinamese foreign minister, who has spent most of his career in this multilateral organization. Last May, he succeeded Luis Almagro as the head of the OAS. Ramdin has taken charge of the Pan-American institution at an especially challenging time for the world, for the Americas, and for the OAS itself.

The United States is deploying its largest concentration of warships in the Caribbean and attacking alleged drug-running boats amid speculation that it might strike targets inside Venezuela. The OAS is trying to advance a roadmap for Haiti. It has just sent a special mission to Guatemala ahead of a Supreme Court election process. Elections are approaching in several countries that could prove vital for their democracies. Yet deep divisions among governments in the region led the Dominican Republic to postpone the triennial Summit of the Americas, originally scheduled for December, citing the impossibility of holding a productive dialogue. It is now scheduled to take place next year.

Latin America is more polarized than it has been in the last 30 years, says the veteran diplomat, who weighs each word as if it were a precious jewel. But he also says he is optimistic: We are all in the same boat. The only way forward is by working together, reaching agreements, and if not, at least having the courtesy to listen to one another.

Question. Lets talk about one of the major hot topics in the hemisphere: the deployment of U.S. warships in the Caribbean. These forces have launched at least 16 attacks against suspected drug boats, killing nearly 70 people, and many experts consider this missile-firing campaign illegal.

Answer. U.S. naval assets remain in international waters, so no one can have a problem with that. Its not any countrys territory. And I dont think any country can object to the formal reason the United States has given, and which is the one we have to work with: that its fighting international organized crime. I havent heard any country say thats not a good thing, because drug trafficking is one of the great scourges we suffer in this hemisphere.

Q. But even if we accept that narrative, and agree that it is necessary to combat drug trafficking, the end doesnt justify the means, right?

A. No. And this is something were going to have to discuss at some point. To be completely honest: how do we combat international criminal organizations? They do whatever they want; they dont obey the law or abide by any kind of social convention. They can kill without scruples. At the same time, we expect our governments to combat this kind of crime which is inhumane, against human rights, and against due process  and to do so while respecting the law to the letter. Of course, I stand for human rights and due process, but were fighting an unequal battle if we do it this way. And thats a discussion weve just begun with some member states: we need a legislative framework that gives governments the opportunity to combat these organizations effectively.

Q. What should that framework look like?

A. I dont know exactly. It must include more freedom to fight, but at the same time it must defend human rights. Although, in my opinion, we would be naive to think that we can fight these criminal organizations, which have absolutely no scruples, in the same way that we deal with everyday crime on our streets. Its impossible.

Q. The Venezuelan government, and many other groups and individuals, believe that the real objective of the United States is not the fight against drug trafficking, but to achieve regime change.

A. Yes. Thats why I say I have to base my opinion on official statements. I know there are very strong feelings that this might be a different objective. Ill leave that to the analysts, who are free to say what they think. Im not. I have to keep in mind that I represent the member states of the OAS.

Q. So then...

A. Lets put it this way: Venezuela has a problem beyond organized crime. The political climate in Venezuela is one in which there are issues that need clarification. One of them is the outcome of the July 2023 elections. Several regional governments have asked Caracas for proof of its claim that it won. It hasnt provided any. In contrast, the opposition has presented documentation proving their victory. And that presents a problem: is this government legitimate or not? Its not for me to judge. But if there is a problem, its my duty to ensure that we find ways to resolve it, and that we do so peacefully, diplomatically, and through negotiation. There is a problem in Venezuela regarding governance and legitimacy. No one can doubt that. So lets talk about it. Lets try to find a solution. That isnt fully happening yet. There are different ways to apply diplomacy, and we only learn about some of them later, through historical records.

Q. Differences over Venezuela, and other issues, have postponed the Summit of the Americas. The president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, has said that it would be difficult to achieve a productive dialogue, given the level of disagreement. Is this the same perception you have within the OAS?

A. I think its prudent for the Dominican Republic to say that perhaps now isnt the time to hold that summit. We have a very complex environment. We have leaders who dont share the same vision. Agendas that do not fully align. The positions of the countries have changed. Were witnessing a transformation of the political landscape.

The Summit of the Americas should be a historic moment for the countries and the hemisphere, a moment in which, on a basis of unity, new directions are agreed upon. If the outcome was going to be nonexistent or poor, it would have been unwise to hold it. If we cant even agree to disagree, we would emerge with more polarization than is good for the hemisphere.

Furthermore, there are going to be elections in several countries: Honduras, Peru, Costa Rica. Perhaps it would be wise to wait for new leaders who will govern for four or five years and can implement the approved measures. It makes no sense to meet with leaders who will only remain in office for a couple more months.

Albert Ramdin, secretary general of the OAS, on November 5, 2025. Jocelyn Augustino

Q. You have held various positions at the OAS for many years. Have you ever experienced such polarization before?

A. In almost 30 years of diplomatic experience, this is the most polarized environment I have ever encountered. And the least willing to cooperate. Things escalate very quickly. They become very personal, if you look at the exchanges between some presidents. We used to have a certain degree of diplomacy, of agreeing to disagree. That narrative no longer exists. I think leaders need to rethink how they present themselves in the political arena, and also how they behave in it. Im not trying to say what leaders should or shouldnt do, but I do hope that we try to make this hemisphere a better place.

Q. How can that be achieved if the leaders themselves are unwilling to engage in dialogue?

A. Whats missing is an agenda, a conducive environment, a unifying and forward-looking agenda. Thats whats lacking, and it could be because we havent worked on it within the multilateral system; we havent demonstrated our value. And the OAS is a valuable organization that supports the strategic interests of member countries, whether in matters of migration, security, democracy, or human rights. Its a valuable and cost-effective role. We have to put into practice this new direction, which is based on three things: first, unity, accepting our differences. We must be a little more tolerant. And also peace: strengthening democracy, electoral systems, governance, and everything else. And prosperity: job creation, economic wealth, social value.

US misgivings about multilateralism

Q. That sounds very good, but as you yourself acknowledge, there are member states skeptical about the OASs mission itself. Starting with the largest, the United States, which contributes almost half of the budget and whose administration is wary of multilateralism.

A. We all have to get used to different kinds of politics. And President [Donald] Trump is very outspoken and direct. Some consider him unpredictable. But even before I was elected secretary general, I had already forged good relations with this administration, and I think we have made significant progress. We have been very frank and honest with them, telling them that their skepticism about multilateralism is unfounded. I asked them for some time, a couple of months, to demonstrate that their strategic interests are served by our work. We manage issues such as migration, security, human rights, electoral processes, and strengthening democracy. All of these issues are of strategic interest to the United States, and we are working hard on them. If we werent there, there would be great chaos in the Western Hemisphere. But there are some aspects that we need to reconsider.

Q. For example?

A. We want to address migration and security. I recognize and respect national legislation regarding the deportation of undocumented or irregular migrants, and their desire to be repatriated. It is a decision we must respect. If national legislation permits it, any country can carry out deportations. Provided, of course, that the receiving country is consulted and the human rights of the individuals are respected. Beyond that, it is not my place to judge.

Q. Do you believe that the United States respects human rights in its deportation processes?

A. There have been some complaints, but I think the message is clear. I think theyre trying. Its not easy for a country to deal with that. Governing isnt easy, thats something Ive learned. But the problem of migration and transnational organized crime cant be solved simply by deporting people. It can only be solved if we address the root causes of migration.

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States, in his office last Wednesday. Jocelyn Augustino

Q. On paper, thats an excellent idea. But again, how do you do it when the main contributor of the OAS is skeptical about multilateralism, and about the OAS itself?

A. Little by little, the situation is changing. The United States has already begun disbursing its contributions to the OAS, which it had withheld during a review process. So the money is coming in, and promises have been made that the rest will arrive soon. They are funding projects and have appointed a permanent representative, which demonstrates a commitment. We are addressing critical issues with them, the issue of Venezuela The United States has a critical opinion, and I welcome those opinions if they are constructive. I dont need flattery, just fair and honest criticism.

Q. Have you received any kind of pressure from the administration in Washington to refocus the priorities of the OAS?

A. The Trump administration expects the OAS to be much more efficient, transparent, and accountable, and to demonstrate its usefulness. I couldnt agree more: its something we were going to do anyway. So Im glad we have a contributor within the OAS who thinks this way. But the rest of the member states must understand that the organization needs everyones contributions. Its not good to depend on a single contributor for everything important. Thats why I would like to see the United States contribution reduced from the current 48% to perhaps 30% by the end of my term. But for that, we need the commitment of all the member states. At some point during my term, we will have to seriously consider a new quota system. Not next year, maybe not the year after, but soon. Its not fair to depend on a single member state and expect that state not to say, Things have to be done my way.

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Ukraines army said on Saturday it struck a Russian oil refinery in the Ryazan region near Moscow, as part of efforts to reduce the enemys ability to launch missile and bomb strikes. Explosions and a large fire were observed at the site, said the military. Ryazan is located about 200km (125 miles) south-east of Moscow.

Russian officials often do not admit such attacks have succeeded, and the Ryazan governor, Pavel Malkov, adopted the standard line that Ukrainian drones were shot down but debris happened to hit the target. Falling debris caused a fire on the premises of one enterprise, Malkov said. A wave of 25 Ukrainian drones attacked the region, Malkov said.

Officials in southern Ukraine said four people were killed by Russian attacks on Saturday. Prosecutors in the Kherson region said three civilians are known to have been killed in the village of Myklitskyi and the city of Kherson. The governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Ivan Federov, said a Russian attack killed one person.

The US will not lift sanctions on Serbian oil company NIS unless Belgrade terminates the firms majority Russian ownership, Serbias energy minister said on Saturday, warning that her country faced difficult decisions. Washington sanctioned Petroleum Industry of Serbia (NIS) as part of its crackdown on the Russian energy sector. Analysts say Serbia is on the brink of a winter energy crisis with its lone oil refinery facing a potential shutdown.
A United Airlines flight from Dallas to Chicago was forced to divert to St. Louis after a passenger allegedly made a bomb threat.

The plane was diverted to Lambert St. Louis International Airport, Missouri, Sunday morning and a passenger has been arrested, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The man who was arrested said there was a bomb in his wifes luggage, sources told the outlet.

Passengers were evacuated and were waiting on the concourse, the airports director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge told the newspaper.

The Chicago-bound flight left Dallas at 6:57 a.m. and landed at Lambert around 8:40 a.m.

A United Airlines flight from Dallas to Chicago was forced to divert after a passenger made a bomb threat (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Bomb and arson teams were still searching the aircraft more than two hours later, according to the director.

No injuries have been reported, she added.

United flight 380 from Dallas to Chicago landed safely in St. Louis to address a potential security concern, a United spokesperson told The Independent. Law enforcement searched and cleared the aircraft. The flight will continue on to Chicago this afternoon.

The incident follows another bomb threat on a United flight from Houston to Washington, D.C. on November 4.

All flights in and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia were temporarily halted.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy later confirmed the flight landed safely and the Federal Aviation Administration later received the all clear.

Passengers have faced significant travel disruption and cancellations over the last two weeks due to the government shutdown, which ended last week after more than 40 days.

Thousands of flights were cancelled across major U.S. airports after the FAA ordered a 10 percent reduction in air traffic as air traffic controllers, unpaid for nearly a month, stopped reporting for duty, prompting federal officials to limit travel over potential safety risks.

The government has been short of air traffic controllers for years, and multiple presidential administrations have tried to persuade retirement-age controllers to remain on the job.
Nataliia Khodemchuks husband Valery died in the initial explosion at Reactor 4 in 1986 - State Agency of Ukraine of on Exclusion Zone Management

The widow of the first victim of the Chernobyl disaster was killed in a Russian drone strike on her apartment block.

Nataliia Khodemchuk was the wife of Valery Khodemchuk, a circulating-pump operator who died in the initial explosion at Reactor 4 in 1986.

Ukraine said that Ms Khodemchuk, 73, died after sustaining severe burns in her flat that was hit by an Iranian-designed Shahed drone. She died in hospital, becoming the seventh fatality from the barrage overnight on Friday.

Her apartment in the Troieshchyna district of Kyiv was situated in a housing block for former Chernobyl workers and their families.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, wrote on X: Nearly four decades [after the disaster], Nataliia was killed in a new tragedy caused once again by the Kremlin.

Ukrainians who survived Chornobyl, who helped rebuild the country after that disaster, are once again facing danger  the terror of an aggressor state.

Seven people were killed in the Russian attack on Kyiv on Friday - Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

The home of Oleksiy Ananenko, a Chernobyl engineer who was one of three divers in the so-called Suicide Squad that went underneath the reactor to avert a second disaster, was also hit by the strike.

Mr Ananenko, whose actions are thought to have saved millions of lives by preventing a 3-5 megaton nuclear explosion which would have rendered much of Europe uninhabitable, was not injured.

Ms Khodemchuks husband is presumed to have been instantly vapourised by the blast on April 26, 1986, or subsequently crushed by the debris of the collapsing building. He was 35 years old.

He was the first of around 31 people who died in the seconds to months after the explosion, though some reports suggest that thousands of Chernobyls liquidators, the workers who cleaned up the radioactive fallout from the plant, died later as a result of acute radiation exposure.

The remains of Mr Khodemchuk, who was played by Kieran OBrien in the 2019 HBO miniseries Chernobyl, are entombed in the sarcophagus, a 300,000-tonne concrete and steel structure encasing the destroyed reactor to limit radioactive contamination.

It took 206 days and some 600,000 workers from across the Soviet Union to construct. Mr Khodemchuk is commemorated with a plaque built into the side of the sarcophaguss interior dividing wall, east of the pump hall where he died.

There is also a cenotaph honouring him at Moscows Mitinskoe Cemetery, which Ms Khodemchuk visited annually for more than 20 years before the invasion of Ukraine, the state agency said.

Nataliia Khodemchuk pictured with her husband Valery before his death

Some of these workers recounted the experience of building the sarcophagus in the Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievichs oral history of the disaster, Voices from Chernobyl.

We poured the sarcophagus. It was a giant grave for one person, the senior operator, Valery Khodemchuk, who got caught under the ruins in the first minutes after the explosion. Its a 20th-century pyramid, Ms Alexievich was told.

Since 2017, the sarcophagus has been surrounded by the New Safe Confinement structure.

In February this year, a Russian drone punched a hole in its outer roof and caused a smouldering blaze which took more than two weeks to extinguish.

Visitors in 2015 photograph a memorial to Valery Khodemchuk at a wall that separates the reactors - Sean Gallup/Getty

The attack on the 1.5bn containment structure left the sarcophagus open to the elements, sparking nuclear safety concerns.

During the five-week occupation of the plant and exclusion zone in 2022, Russian forces reportedly churned up radioactive dust with military vehicles and digging trenches, leading to fears of new radiation hotspots in the area.

Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of targeting nuclear facilities, including the Zaporizhzhia plant, and endangering nuclear safety in Ukraine and across Europe.
Fears over climate change could fuel drug use, according to a government report.

The UK Health Security Agency said Britons were at risk of being gripped by eco-fear, eco-anger and eco-grief, and that their mental well-being could be damaged by difficult climate emotions.

The report by the agency, overseen by the Department of Health and Social Care, suggested that emotional troubles linked to climate change could lead to drug abuse.

One section assessed the mental anguish suffered by victims of flooding, drought, and wildfires, as well as by those who have an overarching awareness that climate change is happening.

It said this awareness could cause sadness, fear, anger, worry, low mood, sleep disorders, panic attacks and helplessness, adding: Environmental change can increase psychological distress [and] substance misuse.

However, it said that activism and taking climate action could help alleviate climate-related distress and promote well-being, creating a sense of control and community.

The report, summarising strands of research on climate change and mental health, stated: There is considerable evidence suggesting increased risk of depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicide, substance misuse and violent behaviour, as well as reduced well-being and difficult climate emotions. These impacts can be long-lasting, ranging from months, years and even decades.

Risks will increase as climate warms

The report stated that there was mixed evidence of those who had experienced flooding, wildfires and drought turning to drink or drugs, while there was greater evidence that people who had endured those disasters suffering PTSD as a result.

A 2006 study cited in the report found that seven per cent of participants had increased their alcohol or drug intake after suffering because of flooding in Britain.

The new report also said that increases in ambient temperature could lead to mental health problems. The authors anticipated that rising temperatures would mean mental health impacts will also increase, which will result in higher health and social care demand and cost in future.

Prof Lea Berrang Ford, the head of the UKHSAs centre for climate and health security, said: Climate change is already impacting mental health, and these risks will increase as the climate warms and extreme weather events become more frequent and severe.

There are practical and effective steps government and social care organisations can take to ensure adequate protection and support.

Much we can do to minimise impacts

Prof Robin May, the chief scientific officer at UKHSA, said: Crucially, this report highlights there is much we can do to minimise the adverse impacts from climate change on mental health.

We hope that it will help galvanise activity and lead to coordinated action in this area.

The report comes after a 2023 poll found that more than half of teenagers thought the world would end in their lifetime because of climate change.

The new UKHSA report said children should be given emotional support and the ability to learn coping strategies alongside the opportunity  to take meaningful action.
Brazils environment minister, Marina Silva. She spoke approvingly of the potential for a roadmap, without any firm commitment. Photograph: Mauro Pimentel/AFP/Getty Images

Brazils environment minister, Marina Silva, has urged all countries to have the courage to address the need for a fossil fuel phaseout, calling the drawing up of a roadmap for it an ethical response to the climate crisis.

She emphasised, however, that the process would be voluntary for those governments that wished to participate, and self-determined.

The issue is one of the most controversial at the Cop30 summit in Brazil, with countries fighting over whether and how such a roadmap can be discussed. As host, Brazil is carefully neutral about what can be on the formal agenda.

Silva spoke approvingly of the potential for a roadmap, without explicitly committing Brazil to it. She said: When we have a terrain or environment that is quite grim, it is good that we have a map. But the map does not force us to travel, or to climb.

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, she added: The map is an answer to our scientific knowledge [of the climate crisis]. It is an ethical answer.

Scores of countries meeting in Belem for the UN climate summit, which is entering its second week, want to establish how a global phaseout of fossil fuels could work. They want to build on a historic resolution made two years ago at Cop28 in Dubai to transition away from fossil fuels.

That promise had no timetable attached or details on how it could be achieved, and although it was passed unanimously, some countries have since attempted to disavow the pledge. Attempts last year to elaborate on what it would mean in practice were stymied by opposition from petrostates at Cop29 in Azerbaijan, which is heavily reliant on oil and gas exports.

There was no mention of the transition away from fossil fuels in the outcome of Cop29 as a result.

For these reasons, Brazil has been wary of calls by some countries to put the transition on the agenda for Cop30. But Silva has worked hard behind the scenes to ensure the pledge could be discussed at the summit outside the formal agenda.

She won round Brazils president, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, who made public reference three times to the need to move away from dependence on fossil fuels at the summit of world leaders that preceded Cop30, and at the opening of the conference.

This is something that we know at some point had to be put forward, because it is the only way to face the problem from the root, Marina Silva said. We recognise that it is not easy, and we cannot sell false hopes. Raising the subject is courageous, and I hope [to see] this courage from all, from producers and consumers.

Brazil had not initiated the call for a phaseout, she said, because that had been done at Cop28. Instead, it was allowing the discussions to take place in accordance with what some countries wished. We know these topics are delicate. We will give the opportunity to discuss it, she said.

There is not enough time at Cop30 to draw up a roadmap, a process Silva said could take several years because many countries faced complex issues around dependence on fossil fuels, or wanted to use the proceeds from selling fossil fuels to finance their development.

Brazil raises the subject, because Brazil is both a producer and consumer, she said. But Brazil is different, because Brazil, if it wants to, need not depend on fossil fuels. We have to understand that there are some that depend on fossil fuels in their economies and dont have easy solutions, and others where fossil fuels are the basis of their economy.

To be fair is to be fair to everyone, but the essential, primordial justice is not to be unfair to the planet, because it is our home.

If the pledge receives enough support, Cop30 could set up a forum in which the process of drawing up a roadmap to the phaseout could begin.

The process would require dialogue with all signatory countries to the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC) and criteria for how the process would unfold, Silva said. Once we have criteria, a governance structure can be drawn up; once we have a strategy, and create safeguards to be able to establish trust in the process, I believe that with these elements we can transform good ideas into steps that are clearer, and more concrete.

There is no guarantee that a proposal to start drawing up a roadmap would win approval at Cop30, even if it does not require the formal consent of the conference, which proceeds by consensus and can be hijacked by special interests. Cop experts have told the Guardian they believe there could be support for such a proposal from about 60 countries, but there are thought to be at least 40 opposed. There are 195 countries represented at the talks.

Leo Roberts, a programme lead at the E3G thinktank, said: Despite being the root cause of climate change, fossil fuels are about the most contentious subject there is within the UN negotiations, so to see a chunky group of countries openly backing a route to achieving global phaseout is in itself pretty groundbreaking.

In simple terms, theres no route to a world where warming stays below 1.5C in which countries arent able to discuss fossil fuel phaseout.

Panamas climate negotiator, Juan Carlos Monterrey, said: We need this language for real in this conversation. Its quite stupid that we talk about everything but that when fossil fuels are the actual problem.

Negotiations continued on Saturday on four outstanding issues that have not yet been incorporated into the formal agenda: trade, transparency, finance and how to address the shortfall between the emissions cuts countries have planned and those required to hold to the 1.5C temperature limit.

The Cop30 president, Andre Correa do Lago, promised a note that would address these issues, after consultations  which have been going on since Monday  were inconclusive. He called on countries to adopt the mutirao spirit, meaning one of cooperation and constructive discussion.

Work on other substantive issues  including adaptation to the impacts of the climate crisis, the just transition for those affected by the move to a low-carbon economy and how to build institutional capacity in developing countries  carried on productively, the presidency said.

Brazils chief negotiator, Liliam Chagas, said the technical part of the Cop process was nearing completion, and the political phase  when ministers who have the power to change their countries positions arrive  was beginning.
RFA Argus, the Royal Navy ship that carries injured service personnel, has been deemed unfit to sail

The Royal Navys decrepit support ships are stuck in port, severely limiting Britains ability to fight a war.

Experts say that problems with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA)  which refuels, rearms and resupplies British warships  are now so severe that they are crippling the senior service.

All three RFA vessels that act as Navy amphibious warfare ships are out of action. In addition the Navys only fleet solid support vessel has been languishing in dock for more than a year.

Meanwhile RFA Argus, a hospital ship, has been trapped at Portsmouth Naval Base since failing a safety inspection in June that found asbestos on board and ruled that the hull was not seaworthy.

Commander Tom Sharpe, a retired frigate captain, said the woeful state of the RFA was now posing a serious threat to naval operations.

He said: This is absolutely crippling the Navy. The RFA is the logistics branch of the Royal Navy. If you dont have logistics youre simply not a blue-water navy. You cant support it at range, so whats the point being a navy?

A defence source insisted the RFA was very much still operating globally but conceded the Navy was aware of the problems and was doing the best we can to fix this.

Sources told The Telegraph that the 28,000-tonne RFA Argus, first used during the 1982 Falklands war, was now in such a poor state of repair that the vessels shaft needed emergency welding to prevent the stern seal from blowing out, flooding the ship.

Admiral Lord West, the former head of the Navy, said: RFA Argus is in a decrepit state. Its appalling she has been allowed to get into a state thats not seaworthy.

RFA Lyme Bay, which is one of three bay-class amphibious warfare vessels, has become the latest casualty.

After returning from an exercise with the Royal Marines this autumn, Lyme Bay will be stuck in port in Gibraltar until at least April because of budgetary restrictions, sources claimed. When functioning the ship can can carry armoured vehicles and up to 500 troops.

Her sister amphibious warfare vessels, RFA Mounts Bay and RFA Cardigan Bay, are also out of action. Manpower shortages have affected Mounts Bay, while Cardigan Bay has been plagued by delays to her refit programme that look likely to continue into next year.

The vessels are meant to step in for the Navys amphibious warfare capability, after HMS Bulwark and HMS Albion were axed by John Healey, the Defence Secretary, last year.

But Lord West said the RFA was not ready to take on the task, adding: Our amphibious capability has been reduced to a level thats a shadow of its former self.

Fort Victoria  the 35-year-old vessel that is the UKs only solid support ship, supplying ammunition and food at sea  has also been placed in extended readiness and is unlikely to return to sea without costly repairs.

RFA Mounts Bay is out of action because of manpower shortages - MoD/AFP via Getty

The UK Carrier Strike Groups deployment to the Indo-Pacific was forced to rely on a Norwegian vessel, HNoMS Maud, and later Americas USNS Wally Schirra, to resupply it because RFA Fort Victoria was out of action.

This has left Britain with a capability gap as it waits for replacement vessels to arrive in the early 2030s.

Cdr Sharpe said: The idea of having carriers without fleet solid support ships is just appalling. We want to be global and have global ambitions and rightly so.

But if we cant get the RFA to work, we might as well bin it, bin the carriers and just build frigates and destroyers. Someone has to take bold action on this to fix the RFA.

A real mess

Mike Critchley, a maritime defence expert and former naval officer, said the crisis should be addressed urgently.

He added: The Navy has got in a real mess over its RFA support.

To send an aircraft carrier to the other side of the world without being able to provide the food and ammunition from MoD [Ministry of Defence] or UK sources is appalling.

Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales, which is leading the UK Carrier Strike Group, is on her way home having taken part in an exercise with the Italian navy this week.

Since leaving in April, she has been supported by Tidespring, the RFA tanker, which has supplied more than 30,000 cubic metres of diesel and 4,200 cubic metres of aviation fuel.

On Wednesday, the Government announced the production of the RFAs next generation of solid stores ships could begin with three 700ft-long, 39,000-tonne ships to be built in the early 2030s.

A Navy spokesman said: The Royal Fleet Auxiliary continues to operate globally in accordance with defence requirements and priorities.
UliU / Getty Images

Apero or aperitivo hour is a pre-dinner ritual celebrated daily across Europe, featuring light, refreshing drinks and small snacks that whet the appetite. Though the tradition has deep roots around the world, the U.S. has only recently adopted the custom, driven by the popularity of classic aperitif drinks like the Aperol Spritz and Hugo Spritz. The drinks tend to be low in alcohol, bright, and effervescent. Because of this, Americans often associate aperitivo with warm weather. But as many outside the U.S. know, the social ritual can, and should, be practiced year-round.

Drinks professionals know this as well. At this years Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, top sommeliers Matt Conway, owner of The Tippling House, Bethany Heinze, co-owner of Verns, and Marie Stitt, co-owner of Babas on Cannon, all based in Charleston, South Carolina, shared their favorite aperitif drinks and snacks that can hold up to the cooler temps sweeping the country. In their seminar titled Happy Hour Meets Apero Hour: Top Somms Share Their Secrets, they each revealed fall-friendly drink pairings that can usher in the holiday season.

Chilled Light Red Wine and Comte Cheese (Tiberio Cerasuolo dAbruzzo Rosato)

Aperitivo is an integral part of our culture at Babas, says Stitt, who co-owns the European-style cafe and bar with her husband, Edward Crouse, whom she met in Northern Italy. [We] fell in love with the Italian tradition of aperitivo  the hospitality and generosity of the Italians offering savory snacks along with your first sip of the evening.

Stitt chose to feature an expressive rosato wine made from Montepulciano grapes grown in Italy and beloved by sommeliers: Tiberio Cerasuolo dAbruzzo Rosato. For aperitivo in the fall and winter, this is a perfect rosato for this time of year, says Stitt. This is one of my favorite categories of wine  I love a chilled red. It totally toes the line between rosato and light red. This kind of dry style of darker rose is a bit more serious and has a savory quality to it.

Related: Italian Amaro vs Red Aperitivo Liqueurs: Whats the Difference?

The tangy, tart characteristics, along with a touch of tannin and high acidity, not only make this wine easy to drink but also incredibly food-friendly. At the seminar, attendees tried this with Comte cheese, a nutty, semi-hard cows milk cheese from eastern France.

This would also be a perfect wine for Thanksgiving, she says. The translation for Cerasuolo wine basically means cherry-like. It even has this kind of pomegranate, cranberry thing going on.

Kir Royale and Potato Chips (Dirler Cade Cremant dAlsace)

A Kir Royale is a traditional French aperitif, a bubbly take on the Kir, a 19th-century drink that traditionally combines Burgundy white wine with creme de cassis. The Royale version replaces white wine with Champagne. For the seminar, Heinze chose a sparkling French wine from the Alsace region: Dirler Cade Cremant dAlsace.

My dad always told me I had Champagne on a beer budget, and alas! says Heinze. I love a Cremant. It's essentially French sparkling wine made in the same method, but not from the Champagne region, and not with the same price tag.

This grippy, acidic, bone-dry sparkler is the ideal stomach opener during aperitivo hour and the perfect base for a sweetener like creme de cassis  a rich, black currant liqueur.

There is a wide variety of styles within this category, she says. I like a crisper, lighter style to use for cocktails, so Alsace is the perfect place. The varietals used are more lean and floral with a mineral intensity that will lift the cocktail and not compete with the other elements.



Pair this with savory potato chips. The bubbles in the drink will cut through the fat of the chips, and the touch of sweetness will balance out the salt.

Sparkling Spanish Rose and the Gilda (Ameztoi Txakolina)

When seeking an optimal aperitivo, Conway looks for something delicious, easy to make, and guaranteed to wet the whistle.

Txakolina (chalk-oh-lee-na), produced in the Spanish Basque Country, is typically a very dry sparkling white wine, high in acid and low in alcohol. Refreshing and mineral-forward, its incredibly food-friendly and is often a popular pre-dinner favorite.

Related: 11 Aperitifs to Serve at Your Next Dinner Party

The expression Conway chose to feature for the seminar was a rose variation: Ameztoi Txakolina. It's lightly effervescent, fresh with zippy acidity, he says. It's an ideal way to have something fresh and fun to get your senses excited.

This gentle blush-colored sparkler pairs perfectly with a regional Basque pintxo (peen-chose), or bite-sized bar snack, the Gilda. Created in the mid-century at Bar Casa Valles in San Sebastian, named for the 1946 film, the Gilda is often a skewer made with an olive, a pickled guindilla pepper, and an anchovy fillet. Salty, tangy, delicious, and paired with Ameztoi Txakolina, a foolproof aperitivo duo.

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Ecuador's Minister of the Interior John Reimberg posted this photo after Wilmer Geovanny Chavarria Barre, alias "Pipo", leader of Los Lobos, the largest and most powerful criminal gang in Ecuador, was arrested Sunday, November 16, 2025, in Spain. - From JohnReimberg/X

Wilmer Geovanny Chavarria Barre, known as Pipo, the alleged leader of drug trafficking gang Los Lobos  Ecuadors most powerful and violent criminal organization  has been arrested in Spain, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced on Sunday.

Today we captured Pipo Chavarria, the most wanted criminal in the region and top leader of Los Lobos, President Noboa posted on his official X account.

The announcement coincided with a national referendum in Ecuador, which included proposals aimed at combating organized crime, such as the potential reintroduction of foreign military bases.

In a blow to Noboa, who had supported the idea foreign bases, voters looked set to reject the proposal, with nearly two-thirds voting against at more than 70 percent of the vote counted.

Ecuadors Minister of Defense, John Reimberg, stated that Chavarria was responsible for at least 400 deaths, and said the arrest was the result of a coordinated operation between Ecuadors National Police and Spanish authorities.

Chavarria is accused of orchestrating assassinations, controlling illegal gold mining operations, and trafficking narcotics in collaboration with Mexicos Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Noboa said the gang leader had faked his death, changed his identity, and hid in Europe while continuing to direct criminal operations in Ecuador.

Los Lobos  designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States in September 2024  has been linked to drug trafficking, illegal gold mining, and providing armed support to CJNG in securing key cocaine routes, particularly in the port city of Guayaquil.

The US Treasury Department sanctioned the group in June 2024, stating it had thousands of members and was a major driver of escalating violence across Ecuador.

Los Lobos began as a murder-for-hire group that operated alongside Los Choneros, now its rival in the fight for drug trafficking dominance, according to the US Treasury Department.

Authorities suspect Los Lobos of involvement in the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio on August 9, 2023, in Quito.

Chavarrias arrest marks a major development in Ecuadors ongoing fight against transnational organized crime.

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Over 1,000 movies were shot in the Spanish capital last year, most of them in the city center, partly because of low permit fees: This occupation of our streets has become the norm in our daily lives

On Pelayo street, in Madrids trendy neighborhood of Chueca, the production company left a letter-size sheet of paper stuck to a plastic fence alerting residents to the fact that on the night of June 17 and 18 there would be a film shoot in the area. At 8.30 p.m. on the 18th, there were more than 40 people filling 100 meters of sidewalk as they prepared to start shooting, while the actors, already in makeup and wardrobe, chatted in a circle. Passersby stopped to ask what was going on, then looked up at the giant spotlights hanging from the balconies and figured it out. A group of young tourists crossed the street, dodging the hustle and bustle, while a neighbor looked out over the balcony railing to watch the scene below.

Madrid wants to consolidate its position as a benchmark for the audiovisual industry, according to Almudena Maillo, Madrids Councilor for Tourism. In 2024, 41 films, 53 series, 430 commercials and 496 other medium and large-scale projects (including music videos and television programs) were shot in the capital, according to data from the Madrid Film Office, a city agency.

Figures for the last five years show a stability in the number of production companies interested in filming in the streets of the Spanish capital. The 1,020 shoots in 2024 represented an increase of almost 10% over the previous year, and showcase how Madrid is on track to surpass the figures reached before the Covid pandemic.

Filming on Madrid's Gran Via. Madrid Film Office

Without the sets that Madrids neighborhoods have provided over the years, there would be no classics like Pedro Almodovars Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, a comedy shot in the streets of Chueca in the 1980s, or the famous scene of a deserted Gran Via in Alejandro Amenabars Open Your Eyes (1997). The latest available data from the Madrid Film Office, from 2023, show that Madrid is home to 29% of the total number of active companies (2,881) dedicated to audiovisual activities in Spain and that the industry employs some 25,500 people in the city. The agency said that the figures for 2024 prove that the city remains a privileged set for film shoots. Productions shot here last year include Pedro Almodovars The Room Next Door, with Juliane Moore and Tilda Swinton in the leading roles.

Residents dont want to be extras in a film

While city officials celebrate Madrids popularity as a film and television set, residents of the most in-demand neighborhoods are not particularly thrilled to find their streets constantly crowded with cameras, cables, coat racks and people running around with spotlights and microphones in their hands. Were not against film shoots. An occasional one is not bad, but this occupation of our streets has become the norm in our daily lives, says Esteban Benito, of the Neighborhood Association of Chueca and Las Salesas.

Benito was particularly struck by the notice that the production company in charge of the shoot on Pelayo Street sent a few days before filming began, warning neighbors that they might hear a crashing sound sometime in the early evening, though definitely not in the middle of the night because they were going to make a pane of glass explode. In addition, the scenes required getting the ground wet, so they would bring a truck with a tankful of water and a smaller vehicle with a crane and lifting basket. For Benito, it was yet another attack on the residents right to peace and quiet.

The fact is, the central neighborhoods of the Centro district are by far the most in-demand by production companies. In 2024 the city received 4,000 requests to occupy public roads (each project, explains a spokesman for the Tourism department, may require more than one). One out of every three approved permits was for the Centro district (1,130). The second most popular city district was Chamberi (370). Carlo Dursi, president of the Madrid Audiovisual Association (AMA), acknowledges that there is a high concentration of productions in the neighborhoods contained within these central districts of Madrid, then adds, by way of consolation, although never as much as in Rome.

Dursi underscores that AMA is not aware of any recurring conflicts with residents and that, when there have been any, these have been quickly resolved. We are happy with the citys permit policies, he says, pointing to a fact that some local residents see in a less positive light: permits to shoot on Madrids streets are very cheap.

The fee for 2025 is 48.65 (under $57) for the issuance of administrative documents, plus 0.58 per linear meter and calendar day of street occupation and 0.87 per meter of occupied parking space and calendar day. Benito, the Chueca resident, believes that these prices are a joke.

The city says that the real payment is the return on the image it projects of Madrid, and that is why it charges so little, he adds. But the shoots, on many occasions, not only bring revenue to the city coffers, but also to the neighborhood by renting out premises or hiring local catering services. Production companies sometimes also take care of cleaning and repairing street furniture.

Taking into account the rates in Madrid, the shooting in those 100 meters of Pelayo Street paid by the production company was just under 1,200 ($1,400). According to the Barcelona Film Commission, the fee for the paperwork in that city is close to 90 ($105), plus between 480 ($561) and 600 ($701) per day and location, depending on the number of technical vehicles involved. In other European capitals such as London, Paris or Rome, the price could multiply several times over.

Casilda Rivilla, of the neighborhood association representing the Sol and Las Letras neighborhoods, two other very popular locations in this area, stresses that the income from filming on public streets should benefit the neighborhood in some way. Its not just about making it more expensive just for the sake of it, she notes. But it would be a way to take care of the neighborhood and reduce the frequency of problems they run into, such as finding a parking spot on a street where filming is taking place.

Our neighborhoods are the scene of a significant number of film shoots and it is true that this is a symbol of the good and dynamic cultural life of our city, says Lucia Lois, a city councilor for the leftist party Mas Madrid. However, she admits that it is also true that they cause inconvenience to the residents of Centro, especially parking and access problems. Mas Madrid proposed in a plenary session in March that measures be taken in this regard, such as setting a monthly filming limit per street, forcing the production company to give advance notice to neighbors, or offering alternative free parking spaces. Rivilla stresses: We are in favor of culture, but it cant get out of control.

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Casey Sherman, the nephew of the youngest known victim of the Boston Strangler, doesnt believe that the man who confessed to the notorious murders was the right suspect.

"I honestly dont believe Albert DeSalvo did it," Sherman told Fox News Digital. "I go back to the psychological profile developed by Albert DeSalvos own psychologist, Dr. Ames Robey, who created the profiles of all the potential suspects. He told me in an extensive interview that he didnt think DeSalvo was capable of homicide.

"Albert DeSalvo was a sexual predator," Sherman said. "He was a con man. He was a thief. He was certainly taking advantage of women in a physical way through these sexual assaults. But DeSalvo never murdered these women."

'Yogurt Shop Murders': Austins Unsolved Cold Case Continues To Raise Questions Decades Later

Albert DeSalvo (1931-1973) holds one of the necklaces he made while in prison up to his neck at Walpole State Prison in South Walpole, Mass., circa 1970s. DeSalvo is the alleged Boston Strangler, a serial killer who killed 13 women in the 1960s. DeSalvo confessed to the murders, but there has always been a shadow of doubt concerning his guilt.

The killings, which happened between 1962 and 1964 in the Boston area, are explored in a new Oxygen true-crime documentary, "The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession." It features never-before-heard audio made by DeSalvo, who was murdered in prison in 1973.

The special is hosted by Sherman, an author who previously wrote a book about the 1964 murder of his aunt, Mary Sullivan.

Read On The Fox News App

Fox News Digital reached out to the Boston Police Department for comment about the film and Shermans claims.

Casey Sherman, author and nephew of murder victim Mary Sullivan, has spent years investigating the Boston Strangler case.

"Growing up, I heard whispers about my aunts murder," Sherman said. "One day, I finally approached my mother, who was 17 when her 19-year-old sister was killed. They were best friends. They had planned to live their lives together, raise families together and grow old as sisters together. All of that was stolen from my mother.

"I saw her get emotional for the first time," Sherman recalled. "I did what any child would do  I hugged her. I said, Mom, at least they got the guy. She looked at me and said, Casey, I dont know if they ever did.

"My mother didnt have any evidence to support her belief. It was a sisters intuition, a bond that could never be broken."

A view of Mary Sullivan's apartment, where she was murdered.

For decades, Sherman has investigated Sullivans murder. In 2013, investigators announced that DNA tests performed on DeSalvos exhumed remains confirmed he killed Sullivan and was likely responsible for the other victims. While Sherman initially supported the findings, over time he grew skeptical about how the DNA evidence was presented and interpreted.

"The Boston Strangler: Unheard Confession" features never-before-heard recordings of Albert DeSalvo.

"When I interviewed everyone connected to the case, I began to find a much different story," Sherman said. "I spoke with about 50 witnesses and people who worked on the Boston Strangler task force. One original member believed throughout his entire career that authorities pinned these murders on the wrong man. There were several other suspects."

Thirteen women between the ages of 19 and 85 were sexually assaulted and killed, crimes that terrified the region. All the victims were strangled with articles of their own clothing; one was also stabbed repeatedly.

The Boston Strangler was dubbed "Americas Jack the Ripper" by the press. Like the infamous killer of Victorian London, the serial killer terrorized a major city with a string of brutal murders that targeted women and left the nation gripped by fear.

Albert DeSalvo recanted his confession before dying in prison, where he was serving a life sentence for other crimes. The Boston Strangler was also known as "America's Jack the Ripper."

DeSalvo, a blue-collar worker and Army veteran who was married with children, confessed to the slayings. At the time, he was a patient at Bridgewater State Hospital, which housed the criminally insane, The Associated Press reported.

Albert DeSalvo (left), the self-professed "Boston Strangler," is seen here being escorted to Middlesex County Superior Court in 1968. He was returned to Walpole State Prison to begin serving a life sentence on a conviction of sex and armed robbery offenses.

Police lacked evidence to bring DeSalvo to trial. He was never convicted of the killings and was instead sentenced to life in prison in 1967 for a series of unrelated assaults. DeSalvo recanted his confession before he was stabbed to death in a maximum-security prison, according to the outlet.

"There are 60 hours of confession tapes from Albert DeSalvo," Sherman said. "What you hear in the documentary is only a sample. One investigator kept the tapes  considered the holy grail in this case  because, at the time, nothing tied DeSalvo to any of the murders. I learned that this man had them in his possession. I built a friendship with him over several months and finally got him to let me listen to the tapes.

Albert DeSalvo prays in the chapel at Walpole State Prison in South Walpole, Mass., in the early 1970s. DeSalvo was killed Nov. 25, 1973.

"Albert DeSalvo confessed to events that never happened," Sherman claimed. "There were glaring mistakes in these confessions. John Bottomley, who led the interrogation, had no experience in criminal investigations. He was a real estate lawyer who had never questioned a suspect before.

Mary Sullivan, Casey Sherman's aunt, was found murdered and sexually assaulted in her Boston apartment Jan. 4, 1964. She was 19 years old.

"He offered leading questions and showed DeSalvo photographs of the crime scenes, which you should never do. I shared the confession tapes with veteran homicide detectives, and they were shocked the interrogation was allowed to happen this way."

Sherman said that, during his research, he uncovered 40 letters DeSalvo wrote to a Massachusetts family who visited prisoners at Walpole State Prison.

"He told this family in no uncertain terms that he planned to recant his confession in front of a reporter from The New York Times," Sherman said. "DeSalvo never got the chance. He was murdered in prison."

Charles Terry is pictured in custody in New York City June 7, 1963, after confessing to the strangling of Zenovia Clegg, a 62-year-old divorcee, in a Times Square hotel. The 34-year-old Terry was grilled about crimes committed by the Boston Strangler, but there was no evidence linking him to the Boston Strangler murders. And he was never charged in those cases.

Skeptics, including Sherman, have long argued that there were at least two killers responsible for the murders  maybe more. They point out that DeSalvo didnt match witness descriptions, wasnt on the list of more than 300 suspects and often gave inconsistent and contradictory statements.

But not everyone agrees. Several key investigators, law enforcement officials and forensic experts have maintained that DeSalvo was the Boston Strangler or at least responsible for most of the murders attributed to the serial killer.

This undated photo shows convicted murderer George Nassar sitting in a car between two law enforcement officials as he waits to be transported from the Salem Jail to Walpole State Prison.

Sherman noted that DeSalvo was a cellmate of George Nassar, a convicted murderer and career criminal. Sherman, like others, believes Nassar may have manipulated DeSalvo into confessing to divert suspicion from himself. However, there is no conclusive evidence to support that claim.

George Nassar is interviewed while in prison. In 1965, Albert DeSalvo told Nassar he was the Boston Strangler.

Nassar, who died in 2018, always denied having anything to do with the crimes.

"If I had been, theoretically, on a score with Al, and we were in a criminal conspiracy together, and I found out that he was murdering women and getting away with it, Id have given him a quick and painless death, right there," he told Wbz.

Sherman is adamant that there was a motive. He noted that during the height of the murders, a reward was being offered as the city grew desperate for answers. He believes DeSalvo and Nassar may have concocted a plan in hopes of collecting the money themselves.

F. Lee Bailey, who served as Albert DeSalvos defense attorney, said he believed DeSalvo was the Boston Strangler.

DeSalvos attorney, F. Lee Bailey, previously said, "They had the right guy, beyond question," Unsolved.com reported.

"No one has ever come up with anything meaningful to contradict that."

Sherman said he would welcome a reexamination of the case, even if it proves him wrong.

This undated photo shows Diane Dodd, center, with her son, Casey Sherman, at a news conference asking officials to release information and evidence concerning the murder of Dodd's sister, Mary Sullivan (shown in photo), who they say was not killed by Albert DeSalvo, the confessed Boston Strangler. On the far right are DeSalvo's brother Richard DeSalvo, partly obscured, and Richard's son, Tim DeSalvo.

"The victims' families deserve answers and the truth behind the tragic murders of their loved ones," he said. "Theres no statute of limitations on murder in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

"I do think the answer exists," Sherman reflected. "Ive presented my theories on the case, and others have as well. The killers are dead, and many who were connected to the case are gone. Now its up to the public to keep raising questions and debating the answers.

An aerial view of the exhumation of Albert DeSalvo's remains at Puritan Memorial Park, circa 2013.

"Im not beholden to any single theory, and even in 2025, reexamining these murders may reveal new information that wasnt available just a few years ago. Its an ongoing quest to find the truth."





Original article source: Boston Strangler's unheard confession tapes cast new doubt on 'Americas Jack the Ripper': victim's nephew
For nearly two years, Cherie Jimenez has played Gabi Hernandez on Days of Our Lives. In a recent interview, the actress discussed how she first joined the Peacock soap opera.

Jimenez appeared on the YouTube series Talk About it with Franjez, where she reflected on the casting process.

During the interview, Jimenez explained that she had originally auditioned for Days of Our Lives years earlier. I got the audition for Days of Our Lives, and thought Wow, I haven't auditioned for Days since I was 22 for the role of Gabi.

Jimenez noted that the new audition sides listed a different character name, leading her to believe the part was for a relative of Gabi. I thought it was to be her sister because we kind of look alike or to be a cousin or something, she said. I was like, Oo, this is fun. I'll take this audition."

She added that the audition took place during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, sharing how the opportunity to work at the time felt like a blessing.

Jimenez recalled completing the callback over Zoom from her home in Texas. The casting director said, Do you know about soap operas? We do it in one take," she said. I was like, Yeah, I've heard." Jimenez admitted she stumbled during the audition and worried it was over. A week later, I find out I have a screen test.

She explained it was at this point that she learned which role she was actually being considered for. It said Gabi Hernandez, she noted, recalling how she immediately recognized the characters name.

Jimenez traveled from Texas to Los Angeles for the screen test. She said the final round included five other actresses, one of whom she already knew.

She also shared a personal moment from the screen test that put her at ease. What's crazy is that in the show, the symbol of the DiMera family is the phoenix, she said. Jimenez referenced Stefano DiMera, long known to fans as The Phoenix, and called him the greatest villain in TV history of the soap world. She noted a personal connection to the symbol, My son's name is Phoenix. Jimenez shared, So in the screen test before I started, I looked over and I saw a phoenix statue, the actress explained how that made her think of her son and be put at ease.

Two weeks later, Jimenez received a call from her team with the results. They unanimously decided nobody else compared. You were it, she recalled.

Jimenez said she cried hysterically, of course with gratitude when she heard the news. For the first time, it was my turn, she said, describing her reaction as a wild feeling.

She added that she believes the timing was meant to be, calling Gabi a huge role, and a dream role.

Days of Our Lives continues streaming weekdays on Peacock.

This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 16, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A supporter of Jose Antonio Kast, presidential candidate of the far-right Republican Party, holds Chilean flags as they attend a closing campaign rally in Santiago, Chile November 11. - Rodrigo Garrido/Reuters

Chile faces a stark range of candidates in Sundays presidential election where the frontrunners include a longtime Communist Party member and two ultraconservatives.

As the country grapples with growing crime rates, surging immigration and discontent with the policies of the leftist President Gabriel Boric, some analysts expect voters to choose a different direction for the South American nation. But just how different remains unclear.

Heres a look at whos running and their campaign pledges.

Who are the candidates?

On the ballot are eight candidates with at least three frontrunners including Jose Antonio Kast, an ultraconservative politician who has promised to make Chile great again; Johannes Kaiser, a libertarian who is considered even more radical than Kast; and Jeannette Jara, a longtime Communist Party member who has been distancing herself from the leftist government.

Leading the polls is Jara, a 51-year-old Communist Party member and former labor minister under the leftist Boric administration.

Despite being the only candidate for Chiles left-wing coalition, she doesnt have an uncontested path to the presidency. Her ties to the unpopular Boric administration have weighed her down, so much so that she has been gradually distancing herself from her own party  even hinting that she might suspend her Communist Party membership if elected president.

Presidential candidate Jeannette Jara of the Unidad por Chile coalition leads a campaign rally ahead of general elections, in Santiago, Chile, on November 11. - Luis Hidalgo/AP

Shes running on a promise to drive development through domestic production, protect workers rights, and raise the minimum wage. She has also acknowledged the countrys security concerns, saying it ought to build more jails, boost law enforcement numbers, and secure its borders with more advanced technology.

Her closest rival, according to most polls, is Kast, a far-right politician often compared by analysts to Donald Trump. Many of his policies mirror those of the US president, including his proposal to close the borders and remove some 300,000 people who entered Chile irregularly.

Kast has always opposed abortion rights, same-sex marriage and immigration, and in a previous presidential run, he proposed digging trenches in several parts of the northern border to prevent irregular immigration.

Presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast delivers a speech during the presidential campaign closing event held at the Movistar Arena on November 11, in Santiago, Chile. - Cristobal Basaure Araya/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

Four years ago, the Associated Press (AP) reported that his German-born father had been a member of Adolf Hitlers Nazi party, but that issue has not come up much during this race. Kast has repeatedly denied that his father was a supporter of the Nazi party, describing him instead as a forced conscript in the German army. CNN has reached out to his party for comment on APs reporting.

Kast founded Chiles Republican Party in 2019 and is widely credited for bringing extreme right positions to the national stage. But in the final weeks of campaigning, another ultraconservative emerged  one that some consider more radical than Kast.

Johannes Kaiser, presidential candidate for the National Libertarian Party, during a closing campaign rally at Plaza de la Aviacion in Santiago, Chile, on November 12. - Cristobal Olivares/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Kaiser, a YouTuber turned politician, gained traction in the final months of the election with his hardline proposals which include a free market economy, austerity measures and tougher penalties for criminals.

In a recent interview with Agence France-Presse, the far-right politician proposed sending immigrants with criminal records to El Salvadors notorious prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center, known as Cecot.

Dissatisfied with Chiles Republican Party, Kaiser and four other deputies founded in 2024 a new right-wing party linked to libertarian ideas.

In an interview with CNN Chile in February 2024, Kaiser said his presidential campaign is further to the right than that of Kast, declaring, to my right is Genghis Khan.

What is at stake?

Insecurity is arguably the biggest issue in the South American country, where the number of victims of crimes has been steadily increasing since 2021, according to the National Institute of Statistics.

I believe that in the elections in Chile, as in many Latin American countries, the issue of security is central, without a doubt: the fight against organized crime, against criminal gangs, all these laments of a society that feels held hostage by the high levels of drug trafficking and other activities, Luz Araceli Gonzalez, professor of International Relations at Tecnologico de Monterrey, told CNN.

All candidates have promised to get tougher on crime, but so far it remains to be seen whose proposals resonate most with voters.

If no candidate obtains more than half of the votes on Sunday, the two frontrunners will go to a runoff election on December 14, according to Chilean law.

An electoral worker prepares demonstration ballots inside the old Mapocho train station that is now a cultural center to be used as a polling station for the general election in Santiago, Chile, on November 14. - Esteban Felix/AP

Jara is the favorite to win the first round by a narrow margin, but even if she moves on to the runoff, shes expected to face a much tougher challenge against what could be a more unified right.

There is an electorate that doesnt identify with either the left or the right, or with the degrees of polarization between them, but rather seeks solutions and answers, and those answers today are on the right, said political analyst Guillermo Holzmann. It is the most extreme right wing that is now being validated, that is not only considered sensible, but also reasonable and electable.

Holzmann argues that Kasts chances in this election are greater than his previous runs due to issues the Boric administration has failed to resolve, such as the growing sense of insecurity and the fight against organized crime.

Chile enters these elections with a degree of uncertainty, he said. Although weve been expecting a presidential runoff for months, and its clear there will be a shift in ideological orientation in the next government.

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James Howard, 53, was arrested by law enforcement officials in Montana on the evening of Nov. 8 in Missoula.

A Montana man with four prior impaired-driving convictions told police he slammed into another vehicle because he was trying to pee into a Budweiser can while behind the wheel, according to a probable cause affidavit.

James Howard, 53, was arrested Nov. 8 after his Chevrolet Suburban plowed into the back of a Volkswagen at an Interstate 90 exit ramp in Missoula, the affidavit, which was posted by the news site The Smoking Gun, states.

Im going to jail for a fking long time, Howard, who had been driving with a suspended license, told the arresting officer.

James Howard, 53, was arrested by law enforcement officials in Montana on the evening of Nov. 8 in Missoula. weerapat1003  stock.adobe.com

Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Van Kerkove spotted Howard holding a large Budweiser can in his right hand when he arrived at the Grant Creek Town Pump gas station just after 9 p.m. local time on Nov. 8.

Van Kerkove also noticed that Howard had wet his pants and was alleged to have slurred his speech while his breath reeked of alcohol, according to the affidavit.

Both drivers had pulled over to the gas station in Missoula after their crash, which resulted in no injuries, the affidavit read.

Howard then moved the beer can into the center console of his vehicle, according to the document.

When Van Kerkove asked for it, Howard handed it over and said it contained urine, not suds. He told the trooper hed rear-ended the other car while attempting to relieve himself into the can, the affidavit read.

The Volkswagens driver, Scott Drury, told officers he had exited I-90 and stopped at a light on North Reserve Street when he saw headlights approaching rapidly in his rearview mirror.

He told his girlfriend to brace for impact before the vehicle was hit, the filing notes.

Van Kerkove reported a strong smell of alcoholic beverage coming from Howards breath, and that Howards speech was slow and slurred, according to the affidavit.

Howard was arrested after his Chevrolet Suburban plowed into the back of a Volkswagen at an Interstate 90 exit ramp in Missoula. Stephen Fore  stock.adobe.com

The trooper also noted that Howards pants were wet with urine.

Howard stated he had consumed one beer. He also said he had more than a couple of DUIs and was not supposed to be driving.

Howard did not agree to perform the walk-and-turn or one-legged-stand tests, stating, I just cant do it, according to the filing.

A preliminary alcohol screening test showed Howard had a breath alcohol concentration that was more than three times Montanas legal limit, it was alleged in the document.

A check of Howards criminal record showed one impaired-driving conviction in North Dakota earlier this year as well as three others in Montana in 1994, 1995 and 2007.

Howard was arrested on charges of aggravated DUI, driving while his license was suspended or revoked and careless driving, according to the affidavit and charging information.

The Post has sought comment from Howard and Drury.
President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of White House on November 7, 2025. - Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg/Getty Images

A version of this story appeared in CNNs What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.

In need of a reset on multiple policy fronts, the Trump administration isnt afraid of turning to some good old-fashioned rebranding.

 Tired of hearing about how Epstein emails released by a House Democrats feature President Donald Trump?

Trump asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate any Democrats who, like Trump, were Epstein associates and are mentioned in the emails. As the House moves toward a bipartisan demand for the FBI to release its Epstein files, Trump is trying to flip the script on what hes now calling the Epstein Hoax.

 Need a reset for the unpopular military policy in the Western hemisphere?

Trumps Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave the operation a new name, Southern Spear.

 Hoping to make people believe a militaristic deportation strategy is focused on dangerous criminals instead of the preschool teachers and parents who have featured in recent news stories?

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem unveiled Operation Dirtbag, in which ICE announces the deportation of previously convicted sex offenders, among mothers, in Florida.

That Noem announcement came the same week a judge in Illinois ordered hundreds of detainees rounded up in ICEs Operation Midway Blitz to be released.

Trying to make the people believe on affordability

On affordability  Trumps most obvious political problem at the moment  he is working hard to reframe his policies around that term to argue that they will drive costs down. In fact, tariffs are likely to drive costs up, and tax cuts passed by Republicans will predominantly benefit the wealthiest Americans.

But it is the new name for Trumps Venezuela policy that has the most obvious feel of a complete relaunch.

Though it has not gotten authorization from Congress, the Pentagon has overseen the apparently extrajudicial killings of 80 alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific  and counting.

The administration says it is protecting Americans from narco-terrorists, although its not clear the strikes will do much to stop the flow of drugs into the country, and it is deeply unpopular  less than a third of Americans said they supported it in a Reuters poll released this week.

Its not clear the strategy has changed, but Hegseth gave the strategy a new name this week.

Today, Im announcing Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR, Hegseth said on X from his official Secretary of War account.

People watch the USS Gravely, a US Navy warship, departing the Port of Spain on October 30, 2025. - Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images

To military watchers, Southern Spear sounds like more of the same

It seems like a rebranding of an operation that started back in January of 2025, military analyst retired Maj. Mike Lyons said Friday on CNN This Morning.

I think the Navy thought they wrapped it up during the summertime, Lyons added.

CNN has reported that Pentagon briefers went further, laying out military options to Trump for US military action inside Venezuela. Trump on Friday suggested he has made up his mind on a path forward in the country.

Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican and Air Force veteran, has said presidents should make the argument for why military action was in American interests and, when necessary, get authorization from lawmakers, as the Constitution requires.

None of that has happened yet regarding Venezuela or the targeting of suspected drug boats, Bacon told CNNs Wolf Blitzer on Friday.

I implore the president and his team, make your case to the American people, when youre using our military and youre going to pursue hostilities there has to be support from the people, and you need to get support from Congress, Bacon said.

Trump could look to the legacy of President George H.W. Bush, who launched the popular Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi invasion in the early 90s.

Bush also launched Operation Just Cause in 1989 to arrest and depose Gen. Manual Noriega in Panama. That operation may have played well for him in the US and led to the capture of Noreiga, but Panama today marks its anniversary with a national day of mourning for the hundreds of civilians who were killed.

Call it a hoax

Trumps strategies for bending public perception are well-documented. He almost never says Democrats without also adding radical left, for instance.

His go-to method for defusing a controversy and reframe something in the publics mind is to call it a hoax.

A serious investigation by a special counsel into contacts between Trumps campaign and Russians during the 2016 election has years later, by force of his constant repetition, been turned into the Russia Hoax.

Now hes doing the same thing by trying to turn calls to release the Epstein files into the Epstein Hoax.

On policy that touches peoples lives, rebranding is difficult

Republican lawmakers took Trumps cue and officially named the massive tax and spending cut law they passed as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Thats its name in US law.

That was good for getting it approved, but its not good for explaining to people what its all about, Trump said back in August. He has yet to come up with something better, but he may be more focused today on trying to convince Americans he is addressing the affordability crisis.

He claims prices have fallen, but Americans arent experiencing that in their daily lives.

Volunteers pass out Make America Great Again merchandise at a Turning Point USA event at the University of California, Berkeley on November 10, 2025. - Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Is the MAGA brand bigger than Trump?

Trump has also struggled recently to control his own most famous catchphrase, MAGA, or make America great again.

It is his brand, but he was at odds with other MAGA adherents on the subject of immigration.

In a sometimes-contentious interview with the Fox News personality Laura Ingraham, Trump defended the idea of visas for skilled immigrants. He said the US did not have enough workers for certain jobs, which did not sit well with Ingraham. She argued that MAGA believers think the US has plenty of talent.

Dont forget, MAGA was my idea. MAGA was nobody elses idea, Trump shot back. I know what MAGA wants better than anybody else, and MAGA wants to see our country thrive.

But he may be losing a little bit of control over the MAGA brand.

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I've said it before, and I'll state it again and again: I am so thankful to live in such a wonderful place as our beloved Massachusetts. Our state may be small, but it has so much to offer. Four beautiful seasons, rich American history, beaches, forests, mountains, culture, great food I could go on and on. But for the sake of this article, I will narrow down my favorite things about the Bay State to a mere five. These local spots top my list of the best places to visit in Massachusetts.

1. Berkshire Mountains

Photo by GF for Only In Your State

I didn't grow up visiting the Berkshires, but I am beyond thankful that I discovered this region as an adult. I have taken numerous trips to this magnificent part of the state over the past several years, and each one was incredible. The scenery here is truly spectacular, and there are so many mountains and parks to explore. My favorite hike to date is the Race Brook Falls trail in the tiny town of Sheffield. This magnificent series of waterfalls is a truly spectacular sight to behold.

2. Boston Theater

Photo by Kimberly Falchek for Only In Your State

Now that my children are a little bit older, I have rediscovered my love of theater and have had the opportunity to travel to the city to see several amazing shows. Better yet, my kids have accompanied me to these performances and have also fallen in love with the performing arts. Boston has several gorgeous historical theaters, such as the Boch Center  Wang Theatre and the Citizens Opera House, that draw in top-notch shows, ballets, and musicals. These historic venues have been painstakingly preserved and restored, and are just as remarkable as the shows they host.

3. Charming North Shore Towns

sphraner  stock.adobe.com

Every time I drive along the stunning North Shore coast or stop in a quaint, historic town such as Marblehead, Manchester-by-the-Sea, or Essex, I'm forever grateful that I get to live in such a remarkable region of Massachusetts. From hidden gems such as the sprawling Crane Estate in Ipswich to the picturesque Motif #1 in Rockport, there is always something new to discover in this quintessential New England spot.

4. Cape Cod Beaches

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One of my favorite things about living in Massachusetts is being within driving distance of the ocean. While the rocky beaches of the North Shore make a quick day trip for me, a vacation to Cape Cod is always a welcome treat. With over 100 public beaches to choose from, a trip to the Cape offers relaxation, adventure, and endless coastal fun.

5. Historic Boston

Photo by Kimberly Falchek for Only In Your State

The history books tell us about the events leading up to the American Revolution, but here in Massachusetts, we have the unique opportunity to visit the places where all the action unfolded. As locals, it is easy to walk past attractions such as the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum or the Old North Church, and save the visit for another day, but each time you do this, you are missing out on one of our state's most valuable resources.

What Massachusetts spots are you most thankful for? If they aren't on this list, please tell us all about them. To make the most of your local adventures, be sure to use Only In Your State's AI-powered itinerary planner.
FILE - France's outgoing Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot speaks to the media after Mideast talks with his counterparts from European and Arab countries and French President Emmanuel Macron at the foreign ministry in Paris, Thursday Oct. 9, 2025. (Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool Photo via AP, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

PARIS (AP)  France's government on Sunday announced the release of a French-Chilean national who had been held for four months in Venezuela.

A tired-looking Camilo Castro was flown back to France, landing Sunday at Paris' Orly airport. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot credited the country's diplomacy for obtaining Castro's release from prison.

In a post on X, President Emmanuel Macron expressed relief that Castro was free.

France sometimes advances quietly, but always with determination and composure: That is how we protect our own, Macron wrote.

Castro lives in Colombia and went missing in June after he crossed into neighboring Venezuela in what the 41-year-old yoga teacher hoped would be a quick there-and-back trip to extend his Colombian visa, according to Amnesty International.
It was around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic that actor Glen Powell got the call that he would host Saturday Night Live.

He and his family were celebrating the news on a porch when a UPS driver delivering a package happened upon them and asked what was going on. Powell told the driver to tune in to the SNL Christmas episode because hed be hosting.

They celebrated that moment roughly four years ago with a selfie, Powell said, displaying the image during his long-awaited SNL monologue Saturday.

But it wasnt to be.

Glen Powell takes a selfie with "Mitch the UPS guy" during his monologue on "Saturday Night Live." (NBC)

Powells hosting duties were contingent on the release of Top Gun: Maverick, in which he plays Lt. Jake Hangman Seresin, but the film was delayed by the pandemic.

Without Top Gun, Powell quoted SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels as saying, no one will know who the eff you are.

The movie didnt reach the public until spring 2022, and it would be a couple more years before Powell, who stars in the new movie The Running Man, would make his SNL hosting debut.

So I didnt end up hosting, which means for four years, this UPS driver was just going around saying Glen Powell is a liar, he said.

But on Saturday, the native of Austin, Texas, was finally able to prove to the man identified as Mitch the UPS guy that Im not crazy.

Powell said his sisters tracked Mitch down, and Powell flew him to New York City so he could witness the moment from Studio 8H.

He called Mitch to stand with him on the storied stage for another selfie as his monologue concluded.

I had to wait my entire life plus four years to be here, Powell said. But if I have learned anything, its that the best things in life dont happen overnight, and no one knows that better than UPS.

SNL airs on NBC, a division of NBCUniversal, which is also the parent company of NBC News. Olivia Dean was the musical guest.
Getty Police car (stock image)

NEED TO KNOW

A human skull was discovered in a wooded area outside Detroit this week, and police believe the remains could be linked to a previous investigation

A survey crew was working in the wooded area, located near Michigan Avenue and Newburgh Road in the city of Wayne, on Nov. 13 when they discovered the skull

Police said that the skull could be linked to a case from March, in which more skeletal remains were discovered nearby

A human skull was discovered in a wooded area outside Detroit  and police believe the remains could be linked to a previous investigation.

According to CBS Detroit, FOX 2 and Click On Detroit, a survey crew was working in the wooded area, located near Michigan Avenue and Newburgh Road in the city of Wayne, at around 2 p.m. local time on Thursday, Nov. 13, when they discovered the skull.

Wayne Police Deputy Chief Finley Carter III told the outlets that the skull, which had no teeth, could be linked to a case from March, in which more skeletal remains were discovered in the city.

The Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office is set to perform lab work on the skull to try and identify who it belonged to.

The outlets reported that the remains found in March were discovered near the same site, and those have not yet been identified.

Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Carolyn Isaac, who spoke with FOX 2, said that the discovery of the skull will help officials create a more complete profile of the unidentified person.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"Once we have an idea of the biological profile  'Who does this match up with? Any missing persons reports?'  then we will get information from a potential missing person. Do they have X-rays of their head, or a CT scan or detail X-rays? Then we will try and compare them point by point," she said.



Officials have not yet shared a cause of death for the unidentified person, but Carter told the outlets that the investigation is still ongoing.

The Wayne Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Read the original article on People
2011 MusiCares Person Of The Year Tribute To Barbra Streisand - Show (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Bill Maher warned Democrats Friday that embracing socialism will hand Republicans their next election victory.

The HBO host targeted New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Sen. Bernie Sanders during his Real Time segment, calling them symptoms of a party veering dangerously left.

Democrats must recognize that Zohran Mamdani is the future of the party. Unfortunately, its the Republican Party. Maher said. And if you missed his victory speech in last weeks mayoral election in New York, dont worry. Youll see it in every attack ad for the next two years.

Vermonts failed single-payer healthcare system proves socialism doesnt translate from theory to reality, according to Maher. He noted Sanders champions universal healthcare for 340 million Americans, yet Vermont couldnt sustain it for 626,000 residents.

Thing is, socialism will f*ck you because socialism to put it simply just doesnt work and has never worked, Maher said. He pointed to Venezuelas economic collapse after embracing Hugo Chavezs policies, contrasting it with Polands prosperity after adopting capitalism following Soviet rule. (RELATED: How Americas Biggest Socialist Group Could Get A Million Mamdanis Elected)

Democratic socialism is like a dating profile. Things look great until you meet up in the real world, Maher said.

Maher noted that thirteen Democrats won in Trump districts during 2024, all moderates. Post-election analyses reached identical conclusions about the partys path forward, he added

All the left-leaning think tanks have done autopsies on 2024, and they all came up with the same message. Move to the center, Maher said.

He distinguished between existing social programs and Democratic Socialists of America members like Mamdani.

Bernie, AOC, Mamdani are not Democrats. Theyll be the first to tell you that theyre democratic socialists, Maher said. And thats a very different thing. And I dont think people know that yet.

Americans want normalcy from both parties, not extremes, Maher argued.

Weve had enough of Trumps macho bullsh*t and also enough of p*ssy politics, he concluded.
My general vintage computing projects, mostly microcomputers, 6502, PalmOS, 68K/Power Mac and Unix workstations, but that's not all you'll see. While over the decades I've written for publications likeand, these articles are all original and just for you. My promise: No AI-generated article text, ever. All em-dashes are intentional and inserted by hand. Be kind, REWIND and PLAY.Old VCR is advertisement- and donation-funded, and what I get goes to maintaining the hardware here at Floodgap. I don't drink coffee, but the Mr Pibb doesn't buy itself. :-) Thanks for reading.
Traffic comes to a standstill near Amber Palace in the city that shares its name, seven miles from Jaipur in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan, when a chorus of horns announces the arrival of a formation of elephants. They make their way through the tuk-tuks, covered in bridles and brightly colored paint on their trunks and eyes. At this hour, the sun is beating down and the animals are returning to their sanctuaries after a long days work. Each one carries its mahout on its back, the keeper who has accompanied it since its younger years.

For centuries, the elephant has been a sacred symbol in India, home to the worlds largest population of Asian pachyderms in the world at around 27,000, spread throughout the country. In southern regions like Kerala, it is still possible to find wild herds in the forests, while in areas to the north, such as Rajasthan, elephants only remain in captivity, in protected sanctuaries that provide refuge for animals that have been injured or rescued from poachers. Although sanctuaries were initially conceived to protect the species and promote local traditions and culture, over time they have become the hub of a thriving but controversial tourism industry. At Amber Palace alone, some 125 elephants transport hundreds of visitors to the top of the complex every day. Across the country, there are an estimated 2,700 to 3,500 elephants in captivity, with more than 75% involved in tourism activities.

According to the government of Rajasthans 2024-2025 economic report, tourism accounts for around 15% of the states GDP. Demand has driven the proliferation of centers offering rides, body painting sessions, and animal feeding. But that growth has come at a cost.

Defining elephants as domesticated is misleading: it simplifies their situation and distorts their biological reality, warns the World Animal Protection (WAP) report Elephants. Not Commodities. Although they live in contact with humans, they retain the behaviors and instincts of wild species. Talking about domestication hides a very different process: training to ensure the animals obedience, the organization points out.

Elephants bring tourists to Amber Palace. FABIO LOVATI

Lack of regulation

In Rajasthan, elephants live only in captivity, housed in sanctuaries created for the rescue of injured or poached animals. But not all meet the same standards. According to Geeta Seshamani, co-founder and secretary of Wildlife SOS. Some are truly committed to providing natural spaces and decent conditions, while others function as tourist attractions. Many facilities lack the space and tools necessary to encourage the exploratory and social behavior typical of elephants, which leads to joint disorders due to both immobility and excessive exertion imposed in captivity, the activist continues. She adds, Without adequate regulation, and with demand constantly growing, it will become increasingly difficult to distinguish truly ethical centers from those that operate based on market logic.

Several academic studies and field observations show that some elephants live in appalling conditions: they suffer from sleep and nutritional imbalances, isolation, and discomfort due to the continuous use of sticks and rigid saddles (howdahs). These factors jeopardize the physical and, in many cases, psychological well-being of the elephants. In many cases, elephants in captivity continue to exhibit stereotypical behaviorssuch as compulsive rocking or repetitive movementswhich are clear symptoms of stress and frustration.

A clear example is Malti, an elephant who worked for years at Castle Amber and who was transferred to a sanctuary after a long campaign by PETA India, an organization dedicated to protecting the areas elephants. A group of 120 veterinarians signed a document that confirmed that the elephant was suffering psychologically. It was necessary to rehabilitate her and transfer her to a specialized care center, remembers Khushboo Gupta, PETA Indias director of advocacy projects. The organization denounced the abuse that Malti had suffered in captivity and the lack of protective regulations.

Other elephants have shown signs of suffering that sometimes result in aggressive reactions: in 2024, an elephant named Gouri was filmed attacking a tourist, which revived a debate on the limits of forced contact between humans and animals. Elephants have attacked humans and other elephants out of pure frustration that stems from being ridden, explains Gupta.

The connection with the mahout

Another factor to consider in the protection of elephants is their relationship with their mahouts. Although tradition holds that this is a symbiotic or spiritual bond, it is based on training that often employs invasive practices that have been passed down from generation to generation and respond to an economic need: for many mahouts, caring for elephants is often their only source of income.

Some 15,000 people depend on the 65 elephants in the village, explains Ballu Khan, chairman of the Elephant Village Development Committee in Jaipur. To make matters worse, the rate for rides has been reduced by about 1,500 rupees [around $15], but the owner only receives 1,200. This is a serious problem for the mahouts, who, despite everything, continue to care for their elephants.

Kumar, a young mahout who works at a sanctuary near Jaipur, describes the daily routine of Padma, a 35-year-old elephant: Every day she consumes about 260 kilos of food: 200 kilos of sugarcane, 20 kilos of sorghum, 15 kilos of green fodder, 10 kilos of watermelon, 10 kilos of bananas, and 5 kilos of wheat rotis at night. The daily cost of feeding her exceeds 4,000 rupees. Balancing that expense with family needs and such limited income is becoming increasingly difficult. My family has been doing this for generations, but it had never been so hard to support ourselves, he laments. In recent years, more sanctuaries have sprung up here in southern Rajasthan, and in my opinion, that increase, not only in demand but also in supply, has put our work in crisis.

The legislative framework also influences the status of elephants. In 2021, a committee of experts declared 10 elephants in Jaipur unfit to be ridden and the state government ordered their removal. We applaud the measures taken by the government to stop the use of some older or sick animals, says Gupta.

However, the most recent reforms have raised concerns. Amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act of 2022 and the entry into force in 2024 of the Rules for the Transfer of Captive Elephants have expanded the circumstances under which elephants can be kept in captivity, including for religious and cultural purposes. According to PETA India, these changes facilitate transfers between states and blur the line between conservation and exploitation.

Elephants are the only wild animals that private individuals can own. Although the law prohibits their sale, they continue to be transferred commercially under the guise of gifts or donations, says Gupta. In the name of tourism, we are turning a national symbol into an attraction. At what cost? she asks.

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The final US pennies struck this week might be worth a fortune.

Coin experts estimate the last pennies minted Wednesday could sell for as much as $5 million each when they hit the auction block in December, USA Today reported.

US Treasurer Brandon Beach pressed the button at the Philadelphia Mint on Wednesday to stamp out the final pennies after 232 years of production.

The US government first started to mint pennies in 1793, when Philadelphia served as the nations capital.

US Treasurer Brandon Beach and Kristie McNally, acting director of The US Mint, pose for a photo with the last struck penny on Wednesday in Philadelphia. REUTERS

The last five pennies ever minted bear a special omega symbol marking their special status  which will surely get bidders tongues wagging when they eventually go up for auction later this year.

Collectors would go nuts for a modern rarity of business-strike Lincoln cents, John Feigenbaum, publisher of rare coin price guide Greysheet, told USA Today.

The demand would be incredible because the item would be a required element of a truly complete set.'

Feigenbaum, who runs the Professional Numismatists Guild, a nonprofit made up of rare coin experts, put the value between $2 million and $5 million per coin.

Not everyones that optimistic.

US Treasurer Brandon Beach helps load a blank coin to be one of the last pennies pressed at the US Mint in Philadelphia on Wednesday. AP

Mike Fuljenz, president of Universal Coin & Bullion in Beaumont, Texas, told USA Today that he thinks the final penny that was struck could bring up to $1 million.

The second and third final coins might fetch $10,000 and $20,000, he told USA Today.

All auction proceeds will fund Mint operations, with any excess going to the US Treasury.

Coin experts estimate the last pennies minted Wednesday could sell for as much as $5 million. Two of the last struck pennies are seen above. REUTERS

The Mint produced 232 omega-stamped pennies for the auction  one for each year the penny existed. Three more were made for display at the Treasury and other institutions. The Mint also struck 235 gold pennies, according to Reuters.

President Trump ordered the penny killed off in February after production costs had ballooned to 3.69 cents per coin, nearly four times face value.

For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents, Trump wrote online. This is so wasteful!

The move saves taxpayers $56 million a year.

Despite the demise of the penny, Beach said that existing one-cent coins arent going anywhere.

Although today we say goodbye to the copper 1-cent coin, the penny remains legal tender, Beach told USA Today.

And we encourage you to use it.

About 300 billion pennies remain in circulation. The Mint will keep making collector versions in limited quantities.

The shutdown has already caused headaches for retailers. Some stores have started rounding cash transactions to the nearest nickel.

Kwik Trip, a Midwest convenience chain, decided to round down where pennies ran out  a policy thatll cost the company millions annually.

President Donald Trump ordered the penny killed off in February after production costs had ballooned to 3.69 cents per coin, nearly four times face value. AP

Four states and major cities including New York and Philadelphia require merchants to provide exact change, creating legal complications.

The National Association of Convenience Stores and other retail groups asked Congress for legislation to sort out the mess.

Jeff Lenard, a spokesperson for the association, said the group had pushed for penny elimination for three decades. But he added, This is not the way we wanted it to go.

The penny first appeared in 1793. Abraham Lincolns profile showed up in 1909 on what would have been his 100th birthday, making it the first US coin to feature a president.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, speaks to members of the media as she arrives for a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2025. Credit - Eric LeeBloomberg/Getty Images

Contact us at letters@time.com.
Composite image of milk jug, bowl of mayonnaise, and a fridge - Static Media / Shutterstock / Getty

It's probably not the first thing that comes to mind at the mention of staple food, cooking necessity, or even condiment. And yet mayonnaise is very important and versatile, an enduring and vital ingredient in so many world cuisines, but particularly in the patchwork of American food. Mayo can be used as a binder in casseroles, as an enveloping dressing for egg, chicken, and tuna salad, and it's most often employed to add moisture and flavor to many of the signature sandwiches of all 50 states and then some. Mayonnaise is even crucial for the best crab cakes. Whether it's homemade or purchased for relatively cheap at any and every supermarket in the country, mayonnaise is a part of life, for better or for worse.

It's such a mundane, everyday item, made from basic ingredients, and inherently simple  yet mayonnaise has historically inspired a great deal of revulsion, as well as appreciation and love. Moreover, feelings about mayonnaise, and a collective lack of understanding of it, has generated a lot of misinformation that lives in the ether. Let's look into the lore and mythology of mayonnaise  and point out how much of it is just plain not true.

Read more: 13 Meats That Are Now Illegal In The US

Mayonnaise is a simple mixture

Bowl of mayonnaise with ingredients - Zarina Lukash/Getty Images

Perhaps armed with the vague sense that mayonnaise is something that can be easily prepared at home with just a few simple ingredients found in the pantry or fridge, or because it comes in the jar ready to go without any extra steps necessary, there persists the notion that mayonnaise is a blend of ingredients. It's so closely associated with other frequently used condiments and spreads, after all, which are just a sum of their parts  like ketchup, barbecue sauce, or mustard, which are fairly simple preparations of a few ingredients all jumbled up together.

For while mayonnaise may technically be a mixture by the most general definition of the word, technically speaking, mayonnaise is the result of a chemical and scientific process called an emulsion. That identifies the substance that comes from an almost miraculous and counterintuitive method. Without an emulsifying agent, the main ingredients in mayonnaise wouldn't physically be capable of blending or combining. Mayonnaise is essentially just vegetable oil and eggs. The yolk of the latter contains a naturally occurring material called lecithin. That emulsifying agent unites and breaks down the oil and eggs on a molecular level, allowing all of the ingredients to meld together and stay that way.

Mayonnaise is a dairy product

Hand holding jar of mayonnaise with spoonful - Pawel Kacperek/Getty Images

It's totally understandable why people might think that mayonnaise is a dairy product. It's often used in addition to or in lieu of things like sour cream, cream-based soups, or plain yogurt in vintage casseroles and contemporary dishes, as it adds a similarly smooth, velvety texture and thickening effect. It also bears a distinctively white color. But unlike other creamy condiments like creme fraiche or cream cheese, mayonnaise isn't a substance that comes from milk. Almost all mayo is completely dairy free, in fact. Mayonnaise gets its uniquely tangy taste and thick texture from eggs reacting with oil and an acid. The lecithin present in egg yolk is an emulsifier, forcing the oil to bind with water and providing a creamy sensibility.

If one is lactose intolerant and avoids mayonnaise out of fear of the physical effects, eat it without worry. That also means it's safe for vegetarians, but not for vegans  eggs aren't meat, but they certainly come from an animal. However, vegan-friendly mayonnaises can be found in supermarkets or made at home, utilizing a plant-based source like soy or peas.

Mayonnaise must be refrigerated

Plastic bottles of Kraft mayonnaise - JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock

With commercially canned and jarred foods widely available for decades, proper storage of such foods is embedded knowledge at this point. When one buys an unrefrigerated product from the supermarket, it can stay in the pantry or on a shelf as long as it's not opened. Once the seal is literally broken and air is introduced, one best tightly close the lid or wrap it up in some other way and place it all in the refrigerator. If you don't, the food will turn bad very quickly and bring food poisoning symptoms to whomever dares eat it. This process is conducted every time a new jar of mayonnaise is opened: The lid goes back on, and it stays in the fridge, where it will remain fresh and safe for months.

While mayo is one of the most feared sources of food-based illness, and it's treated with care, it's actually not necessary to store mayonnaise  in its original container with nothing else added to it  in a refrigerator. Corporate mayo is produced with acids like lemon juice and/or vinegar. Those act as natural preservatives, which help mayonnaise keep its integrity even at room temperature. Be warned, however: Shelf mayo doesn't last as long as chilled mayo does.

Mayonnaise-based salads are bound to make you ill

Potato salad in bowl on tiled table - Jc Gary/Getty Images

The one thing seemingly everybody knows about mayonnaise is also mostly incorrect. As far as many people are concerned, mayonnaise turns almost instantly dangerous or deadly when it's taken outside. Used as the sauce or dressing for chicken salad or potato salad at a picnic, potluck, or party, mayonnaise, as common knowledge holds, instantly and rapidly rots as it warms up under the sun, inviting in all kinds of food-borne illness and the gastrointestinal havoc to come.

That's not entirely true, or at least it's not true as much as it once might have been. Mayonnaise, when used in a dish, is perishable chiefly because it's made with eggs. The U.S. Department of Agriculture gives mayo-laden salads a safety period of roughly two hours maximum, and that's at room temperature and without any chilling or refrigeration happening. Modern store-bought mayo, unlike the homemade stuff of the past, is also treated with preservatives, which help it last and stay safe for longer. The acid in the lemon juice used in mayo also helps preserve foods slightly. Moreover, any deterioration isn't necessarily the mayo's fault. Meat and veggies change the acidity level of the dish, allowing bacteria to thrive.

All mayonnaise is the same

A store shelf with several brands of mayonnaise - Joe Raedle/Getty Images

When one goes to the average grocery store to pick out a jar or squeeze bottle full of mayonnaise, they're presented with a daunting array to choose from. All those transparent containers full of fluffy white emulsions of oil and eggs all certainly look the same, and whether you buy Duke's, Hellman's, Best Foods, or a more obscure brand or private label mayonnaise, you might not taste much of a difference when it's slathered on some bread as part of a sandwich. Hellman's and Best Foods, for example, are the exact same mayonnaise  the name on the label depends on where in the U.S. the jar was purchased.

While one can still try and rank store-bought mayonnaise brands from worst to best, move out geographically a bit and mayonnaise does start to change. There are significant differences between American-made mayo and Japanese mayo, for example. The leading brand of that style is Kewpie, and it doesn't look nor taste like its Western counterparts because it's made with a different set of instructions. Kewpie and other Japanese mayos have a slightly yellow appearance, along with a texture that's stronger and even creamier. That's all because Japanese mayo uses just the yolk from the eggs, while American mayo utilizes the yolk and the white. And while Western mayo manufacturers add a tang with the addition of distilled vinegar, in Japan, companies use rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar, imparting a sweetness into the mayo.

People who don't like mayonnaise are just picky eaters

A child grossed out by a sandwich with a dollop of mayonnaise - Tylim/Getty Images

Mayonnaise is an odd food in that it's just as easy to love as it is to hate, and no matter which side you align with, you can kind of see the other side's point. On one hand, it's what makes sandwiches creamy and luxurious; on the other, it's a savory gloop that doesn't resemble the eggs and oil from which it originated. Perhaps it's just best not to think too much about mayonnaise when eating it, so as to prevent a feeling of getting grossed out, which is a common reaction to mayonnaise.

But those among us who hate mayonnaise aren't just being contrarian, immature, or picky: There's a deep-seated biological imperative at play. Paul Rozin, a University of Pennsylvania psychology professor specializing in the motives behind disgust, said in an interview with Bustle that the sense that some foods are repulsive and should be avoided is the body's evolved defense to prevent the eating of rotten or germ-laden food. So many natural foods that decay turn slimy, so it makes a lot of sense why some people loathe the very slimy mayonnaise. Several studies have shown that relative sliminess is one the major triggers for aversions to specific foods.

Miracle Whip is just sweetened mayonnaise

Jars of Miracle Whip on shelf - PJ McDonnell/Shutterstock

Mayonnaise has its passionate fans and avid haters, but that's a simple fight compared to what happens when an ostensibly similar but ultimately way different condiment enters the conversation. The old Miracle Whip vs. mayonnaise debate has raged for decades, pitting the centuries-old simplistic emulsion of eggs and oil against a marvel of modern food science. Kraft debuted Miracle Whip in 1933, offering it as a less expensive alternative to jarred mayonnaise during the difficult economic times of the Great Depression. It was named after an emulsifying machine built in-house by employee Charles Chapman, and the recipe was based on a then-popular concept called boiled dressing. Home cooks took eggs, vinegar, water, milk, spices, salt, and a considerable amount of sugar, reduced it, and then added a thickening starch of some kind. It replicated mayo without the use of expensive vegetable oil.

Today, the FDA makes Kraft label Miracle Whip as a salad dressing, because it lacks the oil necessary to call the substance mayonnaise. Because it lacks that key ingredient, Miracle Whip isn't mayonnaise  but it's definitely sweeter, owing to the sugar used (which isn't found in real mayo).

Aioli is merely fancy mayonnaise

A white ramekin of aioli - Fg Trade/Getty Images

It looks like mayonnaise, it tastes like mayonnaise, and it comes in a little metal ramekin at sit-down burger joints like a side of mayonnaise for dipping fries does. But aioli is not actually mayonnaise, or even a version of it gussied up with extra spices or top-shelf ingredients.

The two condiments are fundamentally different on a basic level. Aioli developed in the Provence region of France and Spain, and the main ingredient is crushed garlic, and a lot of it. After being broken down into a paste, the garlic gets a touch of salt, a bit of lemon juice, and a vegetable oil of some kind. The lemon juice emulsifies the oil into everything else and results in a creamy, gloopy mixture with the consistency of mayonnaise. But that's still an aioli. Mayonnaise, by definition, is made with eggs  whole ones. Aioli, if the recipe used even calls for eggs, only makes use of the yolks. One can try to simply transform mayo into aioli, or something akin to it, but they're really condiment cousins, not topping twins.

Mayonnaise is good for your hair

Woman touching her long dark hair - B-bee/Getty Images

Made of mostly natural ingredients, one could be mistaken for think rich, white, and glossy mayonnaise is some kind of health and beauty product. To be sure, the internet is rife with instructions for mayonnaise hair masks. Such a do-it-yourself cosmetic kit is a tempting project because it can be done cheaply, and with ingredients one probably already has in the home, particularly mayonnaise. Those articles all promise the same things: that the addition to mayo to one's hair will undo the detrimental effects of dyes and heat treatments and restore strength and luster. Supposedly, it's all because of the eggs in mayo. Eggs are high in protein, and that macro is said to help hair follicles get hearty. And if the oil used in that mayo is olive or canola, those lend long-lasting moisture to the hair.

There isn't a lot of scientific backing or proof to any of the hair mask theories that float around online. Adding oil to dry hair will of course make it oilier, particularly curly or wavy locks, which tend to lack naturally occurring oils. Straight hair doesn't tend to need the addition of outside oils. As for building strength, it's mostly conjecture and hearsay. There isn't nearly enough protein in even a large portion of mayonnaise to do any hair any good.

Mayonnaise isn't very healthy

Wooden spoon getting mayonnaise out of bowl - Karinsasaki/Getty Images

The proof for mayonnaise being an unhealthy food is right there in the numbers. Just one 15-gram serving, a tablespoon's worth, packs 90 calories and 10 grams of fat, of which 1  grams is the heart-unfriendly saturated fat. This means that pretty much all of the calories in mayo come from fat, because there's next to no carbohydrates or protein in the stuff. This makes mayo look pretty bad from a health standpoint, particularly when it goes head-to-head with other common condiments, like the fat-free and barely caloric mustard and ketchup.

But mayonnaise isn't all bad news, or uniformly unhealthy. Because it can be made with a variety of oils, whichever one that's used imparts its healthy profile into the mayonnaise. Olive oil and avocado oil provide mayo with omega-3 fatty acids, which promote cardiovascular health. And all kinds of mayo are imbued with vital nutrients that the body needs, particularly Vitamin E and Vitamin K.

A French chef invented mayonnaise in the 1700s

Person making homemade mayonnaise - Vadim Zakharishchev/Shutterstock

Specifically when and where mayonnaise was created are details obscured by the passage of time. The most commonly cited origin story takes place in 1756. In the early days of the Seven Years' War, forces from France attacked Port Mahon, a Spanish stronghold on the Mediterranean island of Minorca. Under the direction of the Duke of Richelieu, the French secured Port Mahon, and the embedded chef wished to throw a celebratory feast. One particular dish he wished to make required the use of cream, and as he wasn't able to get any on a fairly remote island in the middle of war, he got an ingredient with the consistency he wanted by making an emulsion of oil and eggs. The chef called his creation mahonnaise, after Port Mahon.

That's the story that's perpetuated through the ages, but it's not necessarily true. It's probable or even likely that the chef essentially stole the idea from Salsa Mahonesa, or "sauce of Mahon." He claimed as his own a local preparation devised by Spanish residents. But this story may also be culinary lore, as mayonnaise wasn't broadly known in France for another 50 years. In the 19th century, influential French chef Antoine Careme used a sauce called magononnaise, which gets its name from manier, the French word for "to stir," and which accurately describes the mayo creation process. It could also be a derivative of moyeu, an old French word for egg yolk.

Hellman's came up with the idea of mayo as a cake ingredient

Chocolate cake made with mayonnaise - larik_malasha/Shutterstock

For those who retch at the mere mention of mayonnaise, the thought of using it in a chocolate cake is downright unconscionable. The technique has been adopted by countless home cooks and even professional pastry chefs. It all goes back to Hellman's and Best Foods, which published the recipe as a way to push sales and get people to expand their minds in terms of mayonnaise's uses. "Cakes and Cookies with Personality: Exciting New Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, and Frostings" was a pamphlet published by Best Foods in 1937, and it included a recipe for mayo cake.

Empire Mayonnaise distributed a similar recipe two years later, and Kraft soon followed suit with a Miracle Whip Cake idea. Such cakes with a surprising and bolstering ingredient were all the rage in the 1940s, and Hellman's still gets credit for starting the trend. But it didn't invent the cake in its corporate kitchen. It lifted the recipe from "Home Economics Department," a column by Martha Lee in the Oakland Tribune. In 1927, Lee offered up a recipe for chocolate cake made with dates, walnuts, nutmeg, and cinnamon, as well as a homemade mayonnaise of eggs and oil whisked together. And really, using mayo in a cake isn't all that weird  eggs and oil often go into cake, just separately.

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More rain will leave a lingering threat of flooding in California Monday, after a massive atmospheric river system slammed much of the state over the weekend, causing multiple deaths.

At least six people died, according to the Associated Press, including a 7-year-old girl swept into the ocean at Garrapata State Park in Monterey County on Friday. California State Parks and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office announced that the girl's body was recovered on Sunday, about a half mile from where she went missing,

Her father, 39-year-old Yuji Hu from Alberta, Canada, died while trying to save his daughter in 15-20 foot waves. The girl's mother was also swept away but managed to get back to shore with the help of an off-duty lifeguard.

Rainfall records were broken in locations across Southern California on Saturday, topping previous records dating back to the historic floods of 1952. Downtown Los Angeles and airports in Long Beach, Burbank, Santa Barbara, and Paso Robles all topped their highest rainfall for the day.

The region had been bracing for the event, as areas that had been damaged by wildfires earlier this year are particularly susceptible to flash floods and mudslides.

AP Photo/Ethan Swope

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for some residents living near the burn scars left behind from the Palisades and Eaton fires.

Workers were seen in some neighborhoods placing sandbags to help prevent runoff in Altadena.

As the storm battered the region on Friday night, a boat off the coast near Imperial Beach capsized. At least four died in the incident and four more were hospitalized.

Damage Across California

Further north, the atmospheric river has left a trail of damage on the way to Southern California.

In Santa Cruz County, a tree fell on a California Highway Patrol car, leaving the officer with minor injuries.

In Sutter County, a 71-year-old man died after his car was swept away while he was trying to cross a road covered in 2-3 feet of floodwaters on Friday.
On the heels of an impactful Pacific storm that brought rain and showers to portions of California, Nevada and Arizona this past weekend, AccuWeather forecasters warn that another storm will sweep into the West Coast with additional moisture.

By Sunday morning, widespread 36-hour rainfall totals exceeded 3 inches across the Los Angeles basin, with some areas recording over 5 inches. Late last week, evacuation orders were issued around burn scar areas from the Palisades and Eaton fires earlier this year, but were lifted by late Saturday afternoon.

Early-week storminess

The current storm in the train will continue to introduce additional moisture to portions of the Southwest through Tuesday.

While much of the heavy rain has ended, showers will continue across portions of California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah. Any heavier downpours within these showers or thunderstorms could lead to localized flooding across far southeastern California, southern Nevada and western Arizona. The threat will be higher due to recent heavy rainfall.

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"Snow at pass levels with the additional storm can bring travel delays through early week," stated AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex Duffus.

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Much of Central and Northern California will receive a much needed, but brief, break in active weather. Forecasters warn that another storm will approach the West Coast around midweek.

After a brief break, another storm will arrive midweek

While the exact track this midweek storm may take is still being ironed out, the risk remains for coastal California to endure another swath of rain, some mountain snow and blustery coastal winds.

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Later in the week, another opportunity for stormy conditions will present itself along a portion of the West Coast. A storm pushing into western Canada will migrate southward into Washington, Oregon and potentially Northern California by this weekend.

This late-week event will bring a chance for accumulating snow in the upper levels of the Washington Cascades and Coastal Range.

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Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty George Washington.

NEED TO KNOW

Ken Burns six-episode docuseries The American Revolution premieres on PBS Nov. 16

The series is narrated by Peter Coyote and features the voices of Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep and others

The American Revolution does a deep dive into the lives of Black Americans during the war and how the conflict affected them

George Washington has long been highly regarded as the father of his country. It's hard to imagine that the 13 original colonies that became the United States would have won their independence from Britain in the Revolutionary War without Washington as their fearless military leader.

But when it came to pulling out all stops to win the war, Washington is said to have had his limits.

According to Ken Burns' latest sprawling documentary, the six-episode The American Revolution, Washington, who led the Continental Army for eight years, from 1775 to 1783, objected to allowing Black soldiers to fight on the side of the patriots. His reason had nothing to do with military strategy or whether they could help win the war.

William T. Ranney/Princeton University Art Museum George Washington at the Battle of Princeton.

"Washington was also shocked to see Black soldiers encamped alongside their White neighbors," actor Peter Coyote, Burns' longtime collaborator, says in his narration. "Unconvinced they could ever make good soldiers, Washington persuaded the Massachusetts provincial Congress to enlist no more of them."

I think that Washington was concerned about what it might mean for slavery and slaveholders," historian Christopher Brown says in the docuseries, which premieres on PBS on Nov. 16 and airs over six nights. "I think he was alert to the ways that it could end up eroding the institution."

As Coyote explains, at the time of the American Revolution, 40% of the population of Virginia, the colony Washington called home, were enslaved Blacks, while only 2% of the New England population were enslaved. Owners like Washington lived in constant fear of uprisings like the unsuccessful ones that had risen up on the then-British colony of Jamaica three times in 15 years.

Virginia's royal governor Lord Dunmore issued a proclamation in November of 1775 that any enslaved person owned by a rebel who escaped captivity and fought on the side of Britain would gain their freedom.

John Trumbull/Alamy The Battle of Princeton in 1777.

"Britain is the biggest slave-trading nation on Earth," writer Rick Atkinson explains in episode 2, "An Asylum for Mankind," which focuses largely on how the war affected the enslaved population in the colonies. "Nevertheless, the British believe that if they can convince enough slaves to abandon their masters in the South to take up arms against the American rebels, that this is a manpower pool that can also derange the economies of the Southern states."

Dunmore's proclamation resulted in the Southern colonies becoming more dedicated to the revolution's cause and deepened the divide between the colonies and Britain, as some 800 enslaved Black men and and equal number of women and children escaped to Dunmore's Ethiopian Regiment. The men, for the first time in their lives, received a paid salary. One of them, Harry Washington, who was enslaved by Washington at Mount Vernon, managed to escape captivity after an unsuccessful attempt in 1771 and fight on the side of the British.

To be clear, historian Vincent Brown explains, the British were not anti-slavery. "They are firmly committed to slavery," he says. "But, opportunistically, when they think they can encourage slaves to rise up against rebelling colonists, they'll do so."

"For enslaved people, this seemed a way to get out of a situation that was intractable," historian Annette-Gordon Reed adds. "And it gave them an impetus to get involved in all of this. In the sort of chaos of war, they found an opportunity, a way to escape their situation."

Charles Willson Peale/The Metropolitan Museum of Art A portrait of George Washington.

Washington, according the the documentary, "called Lord Dunmore a monster and an arch traitor to the rights of humanity."

Said Washington (voiced by Oscar-nominated actor Josh Brolin): "If that man is not crushed before spring, he will become the most formidable enemy America has. His strength will increase as a snowball by rolling and faster. Nothing less than depriving him of life or liberty will secure peace to Virginia."

The American Revolution takes a detailed look at the war and painstakingly uncovers the various layers of the conflict, including the dark irony of a war for independence being launched by White men who owned enslaved Black people. They appeared not to believe that the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness extended to anyone who wasn't a White male.

John Trumbull/Yale University Art Gallery The signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

In recent years, the reputations of founding fathers like Washington and Thomas Jefferson have suffered because of their contradictory views and actions regarding freedom. They preached independence while holding enslaved Black people on their plantations.

The docuseries underscores this shift by presenting an alleged encounter between Washington and Darby Vassall, a 6-year-old boy the general found swinging on the gate of a house the Continental Army had taken possession of in Cambridge, Mass. "Washington urged him to come inside and get something to eat," Coyote says. "He had plenty of chores for him to do. When Darby asked what sort of wages he could expect, Washington thought the question impertinent and unreasonable."

"Darby Vassall lived to be a very old man," the narration continues, "and when asked, he liked to say that, in his experience, George Washington was no gentleman, since he'd expected the boy to work for free."

The docuseries' six two-hour episodes feature voice work by an assortment of A-list talent portraying historical figures, including Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Kenneth Branagh, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Morgan Freeman, Paul Giamatti, Jonathan Groff, Ethan Hawke, Maya Hawke, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Laura Linney, Josh Lucas, Edward Norton, Mandy Patinkin, Liev Schreiber and others.

The American Revolution will premiere on Sunday, Nov. 16 and air for six consecutive nights through Friday, Nov. 21 at 8:00-10:00 p.m. ET on PBS. The full series will be available to stream beginning Sunday, Nov. 16 at PBS.org and on the PBS App.

Read the original article on People
(Reuters) -Switzerland did not make a deal with the devil by agreeing a new tariff framework with the United States, Economy Minister Guy Parmelin said on Sunday, rejecting criticism that it amounted to "surrender" in Donald Trump's trade war.

The non-binding framework trade agreement, announced on Friday, promises a lower U.S. import tariff rate of 15% for Switzerland - down from 39% - in return for $200 billion in investments by Swiss companies in the U.S.

"We haven't sold our soul to the devil," Parmelin said in an interview with the Tagesanzeiger newspaper.

The minister said he was "satisfied" with the deal and argued that Swiss companies had been eyeing more U.S.-based production even before Trump.

Swiss industrial groups have welcomed the agreement, which puts companies on an equal footing with those in the EU following a similar deal between Brussels and Washington.

However, opposition parties have voiced concern over concessions and questioned the transparency of the negotiations, in which executives from Swiss companies like watchmaker Rolex and luxury goods group Richemont also lobbied Washington for relief.

Switzerland hopes the lower tariff rate will be activated within days or weeks - but the framework agreement is non-binding, with further negotiations expected.

A final agreement must go through the Swiss parliament and could be put to the public in a referendum.

Switzerland's second-biggest party, the Social Democrats, has cautiously welcomed the deal, but the Greens have called it a "surrender agreement", saying it puts Trump's interests before those of Swiss farmers and consumers.

As part of the deal, Switzerland has agreed to reduce Swiss import duties on a number of U.S. products across agricultural and industrial sectors.

(Reporting by Rachel MoreEditing by Christina Fincher)
Texas National Guard troops walk through the Joliet Army Reserve Training Center in Elwood, Illinois, on October 7, 2025. - Jim Vondruska/Reuters

Texas National Guard troops are expected to leave Chicago and return to their home state very soon, a source familiar with the planning told CNN, after weeks in limbo as a court battle played out over the legality of their deployment.

Specific timing is unclear but preparations are now underway for their departure, the source said.

Two hundred federalized troops had arrived in the city over a month ago with a mission from the Trump administration to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other US Government personnel  but instead stayed waiting at training bases for weeks.

The deployment was halted by a federal judge who said there was no justification to bring in the military. And the Supreme Court took the rare step of asking for additional briefing in that high-profile case.

The Texas National Guard members had been activated by President Donald Trump under Title 10 status in early October, and drew immediate backlash amid increasingly tense protests at the ICE facility in the suburb of Broadview, Illinois.

The administration also federalized 300 troops from the Illinois National Guard last month to respond to the greater Chicago area.

On Friday, US Northern Command said, in the coming days, the Department will be shifting and/or rightsizing our Title 10 footprint in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago to ensure a constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city.

Northern Command declined to comment further when asked what this will mean for troops in those cities.

The administration has framed demonstrations in Chicago and Portland, Oregon, as violent protests carried out by domestic terrorists, arguing that military deployments to the cities are necessary to protect federal immigration personnel and property  despite state and city leaders insistence that the protests have been largely peaceful and any violence has been easily dealt with by local law enforcement.

The departure of Texas troops comes about a month after US District Court Judge April Perry issued a scathing ruling halting the deployment in Chicago, saying she had seen no credible evidence that there has been rebellion in the state of Illinois that would justify federalizing National Guard soldiers and calling Department of Homeland Security assessments of the protests unreliable.

The Supreme Court late last month asked for additional briefing in the case, questioning whether those troops can be used under the federal law at issue to augment immigration officials. The Department of Justice and Illinois officials were asked to address that issue in a series of new briefs due through mid-November.

Legal sagas over deployments

The legal sagas over the Chicago, Portland and Los Angeles deployments  dealing with the balance of presidential and state power  have seen numerous twists and turns as they unfolded in both district courts and before appeals judges.

While attempting to deploy hundreds of troops to Chicago and Portland, the Trump administration compared the cities to a war zone, saying there is either a rebellion or danger of a rebellion there.

You look at a place like Portland, its just  its ridiculous, when they say that theres no problem. The place is  it was on fire over the weekend, the president said last month.

The deployments there came after Trump mobilized thousands of National Guard members to the Los Angeles area this summer to quell protests  a move the states Democratic leaders cast as an unnecessary escalation amid demonstrations over the administrations immigration policies.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued the Trump administration in June over the federalization of the California troops and joined a lawsuit in Oregon over Trumps attempt to send federalized troops in Los Angeles to Portland to respond to protests there.

A federal judge ruled in September that Trump violated federal law by using thousands of federalized California National Guard members and US Marines to help carry out law enforcement activities during the aggressive immigration crackdown.

The administrations attempt to invoke a rarely used law to deploy National Guard troops to several major American cities to curb crime and shut down protests has come up against multiple legal challenges.

The president can federalize the states National Guard for US operations in the case of an emergency when regular forces are unable to enforce federal law. Exactly what the law means by regular forces is still being discussed in the courts.

Prior to Trumps call-ups this year in the Democrat-led cities, the last time the National Guard was put under federal control for an operation within American borders was during the Los Angeles riots in 1992  and it was coordinated with state officials at the time.

There were also National Guard troops deployed to Memphis and Washington, DC  but not federalized under Title 10.

Trump announced in August he is placing the Washington, DC, police department under direct federal control and deploying National Guard troops to the nations capital, saying the move is aimed at restoring order in the city.

The president then brought the model to Tennessee next.

Like in Washington, DC, the National Guard troops in Memphis are not dedicated just to securing federal property but are also supporting local law enforcement in their operations.

About 200 additional National Guard troops will be deployed in Memphis over the next few days, the Memphis Police Department told CNN Thursday.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNs Andy Rose, Danya Gainor, Karina Tsui, Elizabeth Wolfe, Bill Kirkos, John Fritze, Holmes Lybrand, Michelle Watson, Zoe Sottile and Devan Cole contributed to this report.

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Relatives carry pictures of the Kocani nightclub fire victims, a fire that killed 63 people, during a protest in Skopje, North Macedonia, on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, just a few days before the start of the trial for the fire. (AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski)

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP)  Thousands of people took to the streets of North Macedonia's capital on Saturday demanding justice for the victims of a nightclub fire  the deadliest blaze in the country's history  ahead of the trial next week of the club owner and others.

The March 16 fire and the ensuing stampede killed 63 people, most of them young revelers, and injured more than 200. It was sparked by a pyrotechnic flame that engulfed the roof of the crowded Pulse club in the eastern town of Kocani.

Protesters, including relatives of the victims, dressed in black and marched to the Criminal Court in Skopje, carrying large banners with photos of their loved ones.

Parents blame corruption and greed for the deaths of their children. Authorities said the venue had numerous and serious safety violations and was operating with the wrong license.

Natalija Gjorgjieska was among the families demanding justice on Saturday. Her husband, musician Andrej Gjorgjieski, was killed in the fire. We demand the truth. Where did the mistakes occur, who didnt respond, which institutions were late, who had the responsibility to prevent and did not?" she said.

The prosecution filed indictments for 34 people, among them the club owner, security guards and former mayors of Kocani, as well as representatives of three legal entities, including the security firm and the club owner's companies. They are accused of serious crimes against public security."

Other defendants include inspectors, civil servants and former economy ministers. If found guilty, they face up to 10 years in prison.

Corruption has long plagued North Macedonia. The Berlin-based monitor Transparency International ranked North Macedonia in 88th place globally on its Corruption Perception Index last year, one of the worst rankings in Europe.

Bribes to authorities to skip licensing requirements and skirt safety regulations are commonplace.

The European Union has repeatedly expressed concerns over pervasive corruption in the country, identifying it as a major obstacle to the nation's accession to the bloc. North Macedonia is a veteran candidate country, waiting for entry into the EU since 2005.



AP journalist Boris Grdanoski contributed to this report from Skopje, North Macedonia.
A file photo of the USS Kentucky nuclear submarine during a visit to South Korea [Getty Images]

South Korea's government has announced that it has finalised an agreement to build nuclear-powered submarines in partnership with the United States.

The US has approved the "attack submarines" and agreed to cooperate in sourcing fuel, according to a fact sheet released by the White House on Thursday.

The agreement marks a significant step in South Korea's relations with the US and comes amid a period of growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula: with the nuclear-armed North Korea, and an expansionist China to the west.

Here's what you need to know about the agreement.

What's in the agreement?

The agreement between the US and South Korea comes as leaders from both countries reached a broad trade deal earlier last month that would see reciprocal tariffs cut to 15% from 25%.

US President Donald Trump had slapped a tariff rate on Seoul of 25% earlier this year - which his counterpart Lee Jae Myung managed to negotiate down to 15%, after Seoul said it would invest $350bn (265bn) in the US, including $200bn in cash investment and $150bn in shipbuilding.

In a White House readout released on Thursday, the US said it had "given approval for the Republic of Korea to build nuclear-powered attack submarines... [and would] work closely to advance requirements for this project, including avenues to source fuel".

In an earlier post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump had said the vessels would be constructed at a shipyard in Philadelphia run by South Korean conglomerate Hanwha.

Only six countries currently possess nuclear-powered strategic submarines: the US, China, Russia, the UK, France and India.

South Korea already possesses about 20 submarines, but they are all diesel propelled and therefore need to surface far more frequently. Nuclear submarines are also able to operate further and faster.

"I have given them approval to build a nuclear-powered submarine, rather than the old-fashioned, and far less nimble, diesel-powered submarines that they have now," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

South Korea is a powerhouse when it comes to civilian nuclear energy. It had a nuclear weapons programme in the 1970s but gave it up following US pressure.

And so its ability to enrich or reprocess uranium is limited by the US as it is entirely dependent on imports.

Why does South Korea want nuclear submarines?

The latest vessel programme is aimed at countering North Korea, which recently revealed that it was pursuing its own nuclear submarine programme.

President Lee had told Trump at the APEC summit last month that South Korea needed them for that express purpose.

In a TV interview last week, Ahn Gyu-back, South Korea's Minister of Defence, said that nuclear submarines would be a "proud achievement" for South Korea, and a major leap in strengthening the country's defence against the North.

The stealth of nuclear submarines would keep North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "awake at night", he added.

US President Donald Trump met his Korean counterpart in South Korea last month [Getty Images]

Does North Korea have nuclear submarines?

North Korea has also been pursuing a nuclear submarine programme  possibly with Russia's help, according to South Korean officials.

In March 2025, North Korea unveiled pictures of what it claimed was a nuclear-powered submarine that was under construction, showing Kim visiting the shipyard.

Pyongyang is expected to have the submarines within the next few years.

North Korea is also estimated to have an arsenal of approximately 50 nuclear weapons, as part of its broader nuclear weapons programme.

Jo Bee-yun, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, suggested that Seoul's acquisition of nuclear submarines will help it stay apace in East Asia's escalating arms race.

"North Korea's nuclear weapon is an established fact," she told the BBC. "[South Korea acquiring] nuclear submarines is only a step in the larger trend of rising tension."

Will this inflame tensions on the Korean Peninsula?

It is unclear how much the nuclear-propelled submarines will contribute to South Korea's defence capabilities  and though they are very expensive, they don't quite change the balance of power on the Korean Peninsula, according to some experts.

Yang Uk, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, told the BBC that the nuclear subs' primary purpose is to assure South Korean voters that their government is responding to North Korea's nuclear threat.

"South Korea cannot develop its own nuclear weapons to counter North Korea's," Dr Yang said. "What's something that they can do? Fielding nuclear submarines."

Dr Yang believes North Korea might revel in the change, however, because it reinforces their justification to hold on to nuclear weapons  meaning it will become more difficult to demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear arsenal.

Jo nonetheless emphasised the strategic advantage that South Korea stands to gain from the new submarine deal, describing it as a "major change" which "means South Korea is now a regional player".

"The best feature of a nuclear submarine is its speed," she said. "It can now go fast and far and South Korea can operate together with more countries."

What's in it for the United States?

For Washington, support for South Korea's nuclear-powered submarine programme likely aims to put pressure on both North Korea and China.

"Trump has put the burden of defence spending on the back of South Korea," Dr Yang explained. "South Korea will greatly expand its defence budget. They will act as America's proxy in putting pressure on China and North Korea."

Donald Trump is attempting to counter the influence of other nations in South Korea, according to experts [Getty Images]

US and China have long competed for strategic influence in South Korea, leaving Seoul to walk a geopolitical tightrope. More recently, China has been increasing its naval activity near South Korea's maritime border  a move akin to those seen in the South China Sea.

Beijing must be "furious" about South Korea's nuclear submarine agreement with the US, Dr Yang said.

Following the deal's announcement, the Chinese Ambassador to South Korea, Dai Bing, said he hoped South Korea would "deal with this issue prudently, taking into consideration the concerns of all sides".

Dai also added that Beijing was engaging with Seoul on the matter through diplomatic channels, and emphasised that "the (security) situation on the Korean Peninsula and in the region is still complex and sensitive".

What next?

Although President Trump said the submarines would be built in Philadelphia and bring jobs to the US, South Korean officials have maintained they must be built locally, where existing facilities can deliver them in a much shorter timeline.

South Korea's Prime Minister Kim Min-seok had himself said during a parliamentary hearing that the South Korean owned shipyard in Philadelphia did "not have the capability" to build such vessels, according to reports.

Hanwha, who owns the shipyard, has yet to comment on the matter.

But now that an agreement has been reached, the next step is to adjust the nuclear agreement between the two countries, allowing for the US to provide nuclear fuel and to set the fence for its military use.
USS Gravely, a US warship, enters the Port of Spain on October 26, 2025. - Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro criticized irresponsible plans for the United States to hold five days of military drills in Trinidad and Tobago beginning on Sunday.

Supporters of the regime gathered on Saturday to watch Maduros address in the eastern Caracas neighborhood of Petare, where he called for vigilance and accused the US of pursuing a criminal war.

The people of Trinidad and Tobago will see if they continue allowing their waters and land to be used to gravely threaten the peace of the Caribbean, he said.

On Thursday, Trinidad and Tobagos attorney general was quoted by the Financial Times as saying that the US would intensify exercises in the twin-island nation, which sits a few miles off the coast of Venezuela.

The announcement of the drills followed a move by the US last month to send a guided-missile destroyer to the country for training exercises, a step that nearby Venezuela denounced as a military provocation.

Trinidad and Tobagos Foreign Minister Sean Sobers on Friday denied that next weeks exercises would be a precursor to any potential US military action near the country, particularly in Venezuela.

While there are signs of unease globally over US action in the region, the Caribbean nations Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has championed US presence and has feuded with Maduro.

The drills will include the US Marine Corps 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, already deployed in the region to support what Washington says is a mission to disrupt illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean.

The government of Trinidad and Tobago said the exercises would allow US and its own troops to become familiar with each others tactics and techniques, and that its forces would be trained by the Americans to deal with domestic issues such as drug-related crime and gang violence.

In recent weeks, the US has amassed its naval forces in the Caribbean, also bringing its largest waship, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, to the region. In response, Venezuela has said it is launching a massive mobilization of military personnel, weapons and equipment in the Caribbean.

This has raised fears that both the US and Venezuela may be preparing for a larger conflict.

Possible land strikes

While the US has characterized its regional build-up of forces as aimed at combating drug boats, some experts have questioned why so much firepower is needed for this purpose. They have noted that USS Gerald R. Ford represents Americas largest military presence in the region since its invasion of Panama in 1989.

President Donald Trump has said he believes Maduros days are numbered and that US land strikes on Venezuela are possible. CNN has also reported that earlier this week, Trump was presented with options for military operations inside Venezuela. Trump has yet to decide on how to proceed, but he has previously voiced reservations about taking military action meant to oust Maduro.

Maduro recently urged the US to avoid conflict, telling CNN his message to Trump was yes peace, yes peace. He repeated these pleas during the address to his supporters on Saturday.

While speaking in English, Maduro said that Venezuelans are on the streets calling for peace.

He claimed that Venezuelans do not want to be slaves to gringos who would destroy the national flag and that the majority is prepared to defend this country with honor and love.

The strength of the country will always be that of the people and not the oligarchs or the imperialists, he said.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado called on Maduro loyalists to join the movement against the regime.

The roar of this land that demands freedom grows and echoes inside and outside the country. Thirty million of us, rise up against a criminal regime that is on its way out, Machado said while in hiding at an undisclosed location

Machado, who went into hiding following a disputed election last year, has welcomed the US actions as cutting off support to Maduros regime. She has also accused Maduro of turning Venezuela into a real threat to the national security of the United States.

In a voice message shared to X on Saturday that was addressed to members of the military and security forces, Machado argued that absolutely no one needs a path of redemption more than Maduro loyalists.

History, the law, and the Venezuelan people will be your judges, she said. Be a hero, not a criminal. Be a source of pride and not a shame for your family. Be part of Venezuelas bright future, not the ruin that tyranny created as this day approaches.

CNNs Stefano Pozzebon and Isa Cardona contributed to this report.

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Key Points

Nebius' stock has skyrocketed since its return to the markets.

Its struck new multibillion-dollar deals with Microsoft and Meta Platforms.

Analysts could be underestimating its growth potential.

10 stocks we like better than Nebius Group 

Nebius (NASDAQ: NBIS) was once known as Yandex, which owned Russia's top search engine and its associated websites, apps, and cloud services. But the sanctions against Russia derailed its expansion plans, and its Nasdaq shares were suspended in early 2022.

Yandex subsequently divested its Russian assets, retained its non-Russian businesses, and rebranded itself as Nebius, an Amsterdam-based provider of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure services. The rebooted company's shares started trading again at $14.29 per share on Oct. 21, 2024.

Today, Nebius' stock trades at about $100. That massive rally was driven by the explosive growth of the AI market, but could it soar even higher over the next 12 months? Let's review its business model, future catalysts, and valuations to decide.

Image source: Getty Images.

A remote approach to processing AI tasks

Nebius operates only one first-party data center in Finland, but it leases additional data centers through colocation deals in Missouri, France, and Iceland. It's currently building its second first-party data center in New Jersey, and it recently leased another data center in the U.K.

Nebius installs Nvidia's top-tier data center graphics processing units (GPUs) in those data centers to help its clients remotely process their machine learning and AI tasks. So, instead of building their own data centers and installing those pricey, power-hungry GPUs to support their latest AI applications, companies can simply outsource that processing to Nebius' cloud-based GPUs.

Nebius differentiates itself from bigger cloud-based AI infrastructure companies like CoreWeave by integrating managed software services like Kubernetes into its data centers. It also provides dedicated services for the data training, edtech, and autonomous robotics markets. By bundling all those tools together, it promotes itself as a full-stack AI infrastructure company that doesn't simply process GPU-intensive tasks like CoreWeave.

Can Nebius maintain its monstrous momentum?

In 2024, Nebius' revenue surged 462% to $117.5 million -- but its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) came in at negative $266.4 million. In the first nine months of 2025, its revenue soared another 437% year over year to $302.1 million as its adjusted EBITDA improved from negative $162.4 million to negative $79.9 million.

It was also "sold out of all available capacity" by the end of the third quarter of 2025, and it expected to generate an annualized run rate of $7 billion to $9 billion in revenue by the end of 2026. But that doesn't mean it expects to generate up to $9 billion in revenue in 2026. It means that it expects its monthly revenue in December 2026 to reach that annualized run rate when multiplied by 12 -- and possibly serve as a baseline for its total annual revenue in 2027 and beyond.

Most of that growth will be driven by its massive deals with Microsoft and Meta Platforms. It signed a five-year $17.4 billion AI infrastructure deal with Microsoft this September and another five-year $3 billion deal with Meta this November. It also aims to boost its data capacity from 190 megawatts (MW) today to 1 gigawatt (GW) by 2026.

For now, analysts expect Nebius' revenue to rise 392% to $578.2 million in 2025, 191% to $1.68 billion in 2026, and 158% to $4.34 billion in 2027. They also expect its adjusted EBITDA to turn positive in 2026 and more than double to $852 million in 2027. However, those estimates seem conservative when compared to Nebius' annualized run-rate target and its recent deals with Microsoft and Meta. Therefore, I wouldn't be too surprised if Nebius crushes those estimates and drives analysts to raise their targets again.

Where will Nebius' stock be in a year?

With a market cap of $25.7 billion, Nebius trades at 15 times next year's sales. It isn't cheap, but it also isn't as overvalued as some of the market's high-flying meme stocks are.

If Nebius merely matches analysts' expectations and continues to trade at 15 times its forward sales, its market cap could increase more than 150% to $65.1 billion over the next 12 months. But if it exceeds those estimates and commands a higher valuation, it could soar even higher. So, while it's still a speculative stock, it might be worth nibbling on before other hyperscale cloud giants follow Microsoft's and Meta's lead and strike more multibillion-dollar AI infrastructure deals with the company.

Should you buy stock in Nebius Group right now?

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Where Will Nebius Stock Be in 1 Year? was originally published by The Motley Fool
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced new efforts to "clean up" the nation's energy sector amid a corruption scandal and near-constant attacks from Russia.

Zelenskyy met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on Sunday morning, saying he called on lawmakers to revamp the leadership at the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate and the State Energy Supervision Inspectorate, in addition to other efforts to expunge Russian influence in the sector.

"In full coordination with law enforcement and anti-corruption bodies, ensure the renewal of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency and to promptly complete the competition for the position of Head of ARMA so that the new Head of the Agency can be selected by the end of this year," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

He further called on lawmakers to "promptly conduct an audit and prepare for sale the assets and shares in assets that belonged to Russian entities and to collaborators who fled to Russia. All such assets must operate one hundred percent in Ukraines interests  to support our defense and to contribute to Ukraines budget."

Trump Administration Stays Silent As Massive Ukraine Corruption Scandal Rocks Zelenskyy's Inner Circle

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's president, is pushing new efforts to end corruption in the country's energy sector.

The new energy initiative also comes after a former associate of Zelenskyy's was accused of being the mastermind behind a $100 million embezzlement scheme involving nuclear energy.

Read On The Fox News App

Tymur Mindich, who was once Zelenskyy's business partner, was identified by Ukraine's anti-corruption watchdogs as being the orchestrator of a scheme involving top officials and Ukraine's state nuclear power company. Prior to the scandal, some feared Mindich's growing influence over Ukraine's lucrative industries that he had access to because of his ties to Zelenskyy.

Mindich allegedly exerted control over loyalists who then pressured contractors for Energoatom, Ukraine's state-owned nuclear power company, demanding kickbacks to bypass bureaucratic obstacles. The requested kickbacks were reportedly as high as 15%.

Zelenskyy himself was not implicated in the investigation.

Former Zelenskyy Associate Accused In $100 Million Embezzlement Scheme

Ukrainian MPs vote for a bill stripping anti-corruption institutions of their independence on July 22, 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Parliament moved to curtail the autonomy of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office.

The new effort comes as Zelenskyy says that his team is "working to ensure another start to negotiations" on ending the war with Russia.

"We are also counting on the resumption of POW exchanges  many meetings, negotiations, and calls are currently taking place to ensure this. I thank everyone who is helping. Thank you to everybody who stands with Ukraine," Zelenskyy wrote.

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Ukraine's president further said that he is preparing for a full week of diplomacy with Greece, France and Spain, as well as renewed negotiations over prisoner of war exchanges with Russia.

Zelenskyy will meet with officials in Greece on Sunday to discuss natural gas imports, while talks with France on Monday and Spain on Tuesday will center on bolstering Ukrainian air defenses.

Fox News' Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.





Original article source: Zelenskyy moves to 'clean up' Ukraine's energy sector as corruption scandal rocks leadership
Leeah Derenoncourt is one of many digital nomads uprooting their lives in America and heading for greener pasturesand the lower cost-of-living allows her to save thousands. (Courtesy of Leeah Derenoncourt)

Theres a new class of workers taking advantage of the best-of-both worlds: holding down a fully remote U.S. job, while still being able to travel the world. Its a dream thats enticed many Americans already looking to ditch the U.S. for greener pasturesand one Gen Zer has found a new home in a sprawling urban city nestled by the scenic Andes mountains.

Leeah Derenoncourt is a 24-year-old digital nomad born in the U.S. currently working out of Chiles capital, Santiago, but she was jet-setting long before relocating to South America. Her parents jobs in international public health took her around the world from Haiti, Tanzania, Zambia, and the Philippines, eventually settling back in Maryland when she was 10 years old. Her childhood planted the seed for even more adventures later in life: After receiving her bachelors degree in public relations from Emerson College in December 2022, she packed her bags and headed for the airport.

When I first graduated college, I was bopping around a little bit. I spent a month in Colombia, just because I was like, Where can I go [thats] not that expensive? I went there, and I loved the culture, Derenoncourt tells Fortune. It was a great place to start the living abroad journey.

Derenoncourt started her career by freelancing as a publicist for a Gen Z-focused PR company in the U.S., later working at SafetyWing, a health insurance company for remote workers. But throughout this digital nomad journey, shes maintained her residency in the U.S., allowing her to travel internationally while working for American companies. She wound up living in Medellin on Colombias digital nomad visa for one year, landing a job at a fully remote U.S. communications company. But Derenoncourt was ready for a new journey, so she moved to Chile, settling in a studio apartment with her partner. Shes been living there for a few months so far, and thanks to its lower cost-of-living, is able to save up for future adventure: graduate school.

Having lived the digital nomad life for several years now, the Gen Zer admits it has its perksbut also its downsides. However, she says she believes every person should get the travel bug out of their system when theyre young.

I strongly believe that people in their early 20s should travel. And I am very aware that sometimes the only way you can is if youre working and traveling at the same time, Derenoncourt says. But just be very intentional about what youre doing, where youre going.

The perks of the digital nomad lifestyle: work to live lifestyle and cheaper rent

One of the most obvious benefits of stepping outside of the U.S. is also getting away from the grindsetand Americans have long been craving a slice of the slow life. Despite having little full-time work experience back home, and technically holding down a U.S. job, Derenoncourt still feels the difference in work-life balance.

People work very hard, but there is this sense of you work to live type of thing, she says. Versus I feel like when Im in the U.S., I would log off from work, and then I would go talk to my friends, and theyd be like, Oh, so how was work? and I was like, Dont talk about it.

People spend their time off the clock differently there, too. Derenoncourt says theres a bigger culture of community abroad: She and her friends would gather in parks and go out together all the time. Unlike other digital nomadswho she says can flit quickly from country to countrythe 24-year-old prefers to stay rooted and builds local connections in her city.

Digital nomads, especially [in] the tech world, can think of other countries [as] their playground. Theyre like, Look at my U.S. dollar, it goes so far, Derenoncourt explains, adding she feels some guilt in earning more than most locals. But she reasons shes very young, makes a modest U.S. salary, connects with her community, and is dating someone from the area. Seeing that, I feel less guilt. But I do think a lot of people who are digital nomads dont think about that. They just go, Wow, this is so great for me.

That being said, Chiles lower cost-of-living is a major perk; its even enabled her to save up for graduate school. In Colombia, her studio apartment rent was only $650, and even then Derenoncourt admits she was overchargeda far cry from the $1,836 shed have to cough up for a similar place in D.C. If she stayed behind in the U.S., she says shed probably be forced to live with several roommates. The Gen Zer says Chile is still more expensive than Colombia, but its affordable enough to set aside more than a thousand dollars each month.

Saving enough on cost-of-living to eventually pursue a masters degree

While Derenoncourt enjoys her current job in communications, she one day hopes to return to school and pursue a masters in arts and cultural management. But instead of heading back to the U.S. to pay sky-high tuition costs, shes opting to eventually study at a European university. The education is more affordable, and she can make her money stretch further. So far, shes been saving $1,200 a month for her next degree.

Ive been saving for a couple years now, Derenoncourt says. I could save for this amount of time, and I wouldnt be able to pay a fraction of what that masters would cost in the U.S.

On top of that, Chiles lower cost-of-living has enabled the Gen Zer to save up four months worth of expenses. She also sets aside $100 a month for a flight fund in case theres an emergency back in the U.S. and needs to get home quickly. As she maps out her next adventure, Derenoncourt shows how working abroad isnt just a phaseits a path to freedom, growth, and new horizons.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
Housel explained that the most expensive mistakes rarely come down to intelligence. Theyre rooted in something simpler: a lack of awareness.

Wealth, for many, is framed as a status pursuit  the six-figure salary, the perfectly timed investment and the satisfaction of being ahead of the curve.

Yet Morgan Housel, bestselling author of The Psychology of Money and Same As Ever, argues that real financial success has less to do with flash and more to do with the everyday decisions we often overlook.

Must Read

In conversation with Moneywise ahead of his upcoming book, The Art of Spending Money, Housel explained that the most expensive mistakes rarely come down to intelligence.

Theyre rooted in something simpler: a lack of awareness.

Most financial mistakes don't come from lack of intelligence, Housel said. It comes from ignorance. And there are so many people, college-educated, smart people, who, if you ask them, how much do you make and how much do you spend? They honestly can't really tell you.

Want the full Morgan Housel conversation? Subscribe to our mailing list to watch all our latest interviews before anyone else.

Check your bank account daily

It sounds obvious but you need to regularly open your banking app and look at the numbers. Yet for many people, that simple act is loaded with avoidance and anxiety. A MarketWatch survey found that 42% of Americans dont check their account balance  not because they forget, but because theyre afraid of what theyll find. (1)

Check your bank account every single day, Housel reinforced to Moneywise.

The gap, he said, lies in awareness. If you cant say how much you earned in a month or how much youve already spent, youre flying blind.

Most banks and credit unions offer apps that let you check balances and spending patterns in seconds. The fix doesnt require a complicated budgeting system. Start by opening your account once a day and jotting down two numbers: what came in and what went out.

Over time, that habit will help you spot patterns  unused subscriptions, impulse purchases or excess spending thats depleting your account slowly. Its a small step, but that kind of consistency can keep your financial foundation intact.

Read More: Vanguard reveals what could be coming for U.S. stocks, and its raising alarm bells for retirees. Heres why and how to protect yourself

Look in the proverbial mirror

Money isnt one-size-fits-all. Too often, people follow inherited financial scripts: a parents idea of security, a buddys cant miss stock tip or the medias latest version of what success should look like.

But wealth, Housel says, is personal. The real work begins not with copying someone elses strategy but with figuring out what makes sense for your life, goals and tolerance for risk.

Everyone has their own little quirks of what's going to make you happy, Housel said.

Thats easier said than done in an age of social media milestones and finance hacks. According to Bankrates Social Media Survey, 57% of American adults who use social platforms say those apps make them feel worse about their money.

Those highlight reels are rarely the full story. Behind every carefully curated image of abundance lies a set of trade-offs  credit card debt, financial stress and compromises no filter reveals.

The result is a distorted comparison game: measuring your financial reality against someone elses performance. The real challenge is shutting out the noise long enough to define what financial stability looks like on your own terms.

Live in a humble bubble

One of the most costly money mistakes, Housel warns, is chasing validation from people who arent even paying attention. The car, the watch, the designer bag  theyre less about personal satisfaction and more about signaling to an outside audience.

Instead, ask yourself: What goals actually matter within your own four walls? What would contentment look like if no one else were watching?

David Dubois, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing at INSEAD, underscored this point in an interview with Forbes.

Status is one of the key central motivations that explains why people buy luxury, he said. Obviously, nobody cares to admit they want to build their status by purchasing luxury goods  but status building is very important because people want respect in the eyes of others.

A recent survey from Boston Consulting Group and Worth Media found that 54% of affluent Millennials openly use luxury purchases to signal wealth and achievement, while 70% say they worry about projecting the right image. In other words, the logo still doubles as a social resume. (3)

Thats exactly why Housel advises resisting the gravitational pull of status.

Live within what I call a humble bubble of making sure that your aspirations and your goals try to keep them as close to your life as possible, he said.

What To Read Next

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Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

Marketwatch (1); Bankrate (2); Forbes (3).

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
It really irks me, Spyres told FOX23.

When hail hits Oklahoma, Jonathan Spyres knows what comes next. The owner of IT RoofTech in Tulsa says his crews can spot storm damage easily with high-tech equipment  but lately, getting insurers to pay for repairs has become the real battle.

And one company, he says, stands out for the wrong reasons: State Farm, the countrys largest homeowners insurer.

The case that pushed him over the edge was a 90-year-old State Farm customer who had been with the insurer for more than 60 years. When a storm ripped half the mans roof off, Spyres documented the damage and the homeowner filed a claim.

Must Read

State Farm denied it.

It really irks me, Spyres told FOX23. Hes been with you since 1958, and this is a slam dunk (1).

For Spyres, that denial marked the moment he realized something bigger was going on  and national data shows he may be right.

A growing national trend: More denials, more unpaid claims

The frustrations Spyres describes are not limited to Oklahoma.

Across the U.S., insurers are increasingly closing homeowners claims with no payment at all. A 2024 review of 14 major insurers found nearly 48% of claims were closed unpaid (2).

Consumer Reports researchers say theyve tracked mounting complaints that insurers are delaying, minimizing or refusing legitimate claims as premiums continue rising to record highs (3).

Those trends match what Spyres says hes experiencing on the ground  including his slam dunk case that got rejected.

Lawyer says hes seeing the same thing: Bad-faith denials

Tulsa attorney Christopher Camp told FOX23 hes also noticed an unusually high number of denials linked to State Farm in recent years. He characterizes many as bad-faith denials.

An insurance company has an obligation to fully, fairly and promptly investigate all claims, Camp said. They cant unreasonably delay or deny claims they know are valid.

Spyres says several homeowners hes worked with ended up suing State Farm  and they won.

But in 2024, State Farm shifted tactics.

Theyve rewritten the script, he said. Theyll approve it  but not really put any funds to it.

In one example he shared with FOX23, materials for a roof replacement cost $16,000, yet State Farm paid just $11,000.

He says the biggest sticking point is code-required upgrades, which are legally required to bring a roof up to Oklahomas building standards.

A June 26, 2025 special notice from the Oklahoma Insurance Department reminds insurers that if a policy includes ordinance or law coverage, code-related costs must be covered, whether or not a local authority actively enforces the code (4) .

Spyres says he sends this notice to adjusters repeatedly  but often gets no response.

Even on his own home, he says State Farm denied some required code costs.

Read more: 22 US states are now in a recession or close to it  protect your savings with these 5 essential money moves ASAP

State officials say theyre taking action

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond told FOX23 his office has opened an investigation into insurers handling of claims.

I find the insurance coverage for Oklahoma homeowners to be out of balance, Drummond said. Roofing companies that do good work are not being fully remunerated. Thats simply wrong."

The states Insurance Commissioner said he issued the bulletin about code coverage after receiving multiple complaints from roofers about claim underpayments  though he declined to name specific companies.

State Farm told FOX23 it is committed to paying what we owe promptly, courteously and efficiently, and urged customers to contact their agent or claim handler if they have concerns.

The company also pointed to the Insurance Information Institute  a nonprofit funded by insurers  which has warned that some roofing companies overcharge for materials or unnecessary add-ons.

What homeowners should watch out for

Consumer attorneys say rising denial and underpayment rates make it especially important for homeowners to watch out for two red flags:

1. A denial that comes fast  even when the damage seems obvious

Experts say quick denials without thorough inspection are becoming more common as insurers look to reduce payouts. 2. An approved claim that doesnt cover code items or full material costs

If your policy includes ordinance and law coverage, the Oklahoma Insurance Department says code-related items should be applied.

Homeowners should also be aware: if a contractor isnt fully paid, they can place a lien on your home  even if the insurer is the one shorting the bill.

Most homeowners dont think about their insurer until a storm tears through their roof. By then, switching companies wont fix the immediate problem.

Consumer experts say this is the moment to review:

Whether your policy is replacement cost or actual cash value

Whether it includes ordinance and law coverage

Your insurers complaint history in your state

What happens if you dispute a claim estimate

In a year when nearly half of claims nationwide ended with no payment, its worth knowing exactly whos on your side.

What To Read Next

Join 200,000+ readers and get Moneywises best stories and exclusive interviews first  clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.

Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

FOX23 (1), Weiss Ratings (2), Consumer Reports Advocacy (3), (4) Oklahoma Insurance Department

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood arrives at 10 Downing Street to attend the nation's weekly cabinet meeting in London in October 2025. - Leon Neal/Getty Images

Britain plans to carry out the most significant reform of its asylum policy in modern times by making refugee status temporary and quadrupling the wait for permanent settlement to 20 years, as the Labour government confronts a broken asylum system that has fueled support for right-wing parties.

After a summer of protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, a mass anti-immigration demonstration in London, and constant criticism from the surging hard-right Reform UK party, the government unveiled plans to curb illegal small-boat crossings from France and return refugees to their home countries when it is safe to do so.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britains asylum system  created in the wake of World War II  was not designed to cope with modern flows of people across a conflict-ridden world.

The world has changed. It is more volatile and insecure, Starmer said Monday. The result is a severe strain on both our asylum system and our wider social contract. He insisted that Britain remains a decent, compassionate, tolerant country, but said demonstrating control of borders is an essential task of government.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood had previously teased the measures in a weekend media blitz.

We have a system that is out of control, she told the BBC on Sunday. Its unfair, and its putting huge pressure on communities. It is important that we restore order and control to this system, so that we can retain public permission and public confidence in having an asylum system at all.

The governments plan has three main prongs. First, ending the automatic path to settled status after a refugee has been in Britain for five years. Under the changes, a refugees status will now be reviewed every two-and-a-half years during a 20-year wait before they can apply for permanent settlement.

Mahmood said this measure will upend the generations-old assumption that sanctuary provided to refugees can quickly lead to settled status and all of the rights that go alongside that.

If your country becomes safe in the intervening period you will be returned to your country, Mahmood stressed. Those who arrive legally will also face a 10-year pathway to permanent settlement, double the current wait.

Second, housing and weekly allowances will be removed from those who have a right to work and can support themselves but choose not to. Those who break the law will also have their support withdrawn. Mahmood said: It is not fair if British citizens and long-term residents in this country have to follow one set of rules and comply, and another group of people  who also have the right to work  get away with not complying.

Third, the government will narrow the way that British courts interpret Article 8 in the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees all people the right to a family life. But the government said that people using wider familial links as a reason to stay in or bring others to Britain is leading to high numbers of arrivals from those who would not otherwise have the right to live in the country. The government wants to stipulate that family connections must refer to immediate family members.

Earlier Monday, Jonathan Sumption, a former UK Supreme Court judge, warned that if Britain interprets one of the articles in a different way to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, it could be judged to be in violation of the treaty. Sumption said the conflict poses a constitutional problem for the UK.

People swim to try and board a migrant dinghy into the English Channel in August 2025 in Gravelines, France. Migrant crossings by boat have caused much controversy in the UK, with far-right groups organizing demonstrations outside hotels housing migrants across the country. - Carl Court/Getty Images

The new policy takes inspiration from Denmarks approach, one of the toughest in Europe. But Britain is now poised to go further: The new 20-year route would make Britains path to settlement the longest in Europe, followed by Denmarks eight-year process.

Since winning a landslide election in 2024, Labour has tried to tread a line between showing competence in tackling illegal immigration, without alienating its more progressive voter base which favors a more compassionate approach.

Both sides have been left alienated: Right-wing voters support the more drastic measures proposed by Nigel Farage, the firebrand leader of Reform UK, while many on the left have been alarmed by Labours tough talk.

But Mahmood, herself the daughter of immigrants from the Pakistani side of Kashmir, said she rejected the idea that dealing with this problem is somehow engaging with far-right talking points.

This is a moral mission for me, because I can see illegal migration is tearing our country apart. It is dividing communities. People can see huge pressure in their communities and they can also see a system that is broken, and where people are able to flout the rules, abuse the system, and get away with it, she said.

The Home Secretary also criticized the previous Conservative government for wasting time and public funds in its failed efforts to tackle illegal immigration. The Conservatives passed a contentious bill allowing the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda for their claims to be processed by the East African nation, but Mahmood said this cost 700 million ($920) and saw only four people deported  all volunteers.

In a measure of the hardening of Britains debate around immigration, other mainstream parties did not forcefully criticize Labours plans. Chris Philp, who used to be a Conservative Home Office minister, told the BBC his party would support the new measures if they are sensible, while claiming the measures arent radical enough.

Ed Davey, leader of the more progressive Liberal Democrats, also said Labour is right to announce asylum measures to tackle the chaos.

The Denmark model

The UKs new policy draws inspiration from Denmark and other European countries where refugee status is temporary, support is conditional and integration is expected.

In a video on X, Mahmood said she was taking action because asylum claims are rising in Britain despite falling across other parts of Europe. In the last four years, 400,000 people claimed asylum here, she said. Over 100,000 are housed and supported at taxpayers expense, putting huge pressure on local communities.

Danish police conducting spot checks on incoming traffic from Germany stand at the A7 highway border crossing in 2016. - Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The Home Office says that Denmarks policies have reduced asylum claims there to a 40-year low and resulted in the removal of 95% of rejected applicants. Earlier this year, a UK delegation of senior Home Office officials visited the capital of Copenhagen to study Denmarks approach to asylum, Reuters reported.

However, its reforms have drawn significant criticism, with rights groups saying the measures foster a hostile climate for migrants, undermine protection and leave asylum seekers in prolonged uncertainty.

Britains Refugee Council criticized the governments new policy announcement.

People who have been persecuted, tortured or seen family members killed in brutal wars are not asylum shopping refugees dont compare asylum systems before running for their lives, the group wrote on X.

We know why people come to the UK: because they already have family here, they speak some English, or they have long-standing ties that help them rebuild their lives in safety, the group added.

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Vladimir Putin is running Russia in hiding. A new investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Sistema project claims that the Russian president has been filmed in at least three nearly identical offices  one at Novo-Ogaryovo near Moscow, another in Sochi and a third in Valdai  allowing the Kremlin to conceal his real location the investigation claims.

Researchers analyzed more than 700 Kremlin videos and found that many appearances described as being at Novo-Ogaryovo were actually recorded at the Valdai residence, roughly 250 miles northwest of Moscow. They identified telltale clues such as thermostat shapes, door-handle placement and decorative lines on the wall. Leaked itineraries of state TV crews confirmed travel to Sochi and Valdai on dates when official captions said "near Moscow."

Russia Drawing Up Plans To Conduct Nuclear Tests After Trump Announcement

Independent sociologist Konstantin Gaaze told RFE/RL that Putins current pattern of secret locations and information control "most resembles Saddam Husseins," citing the creation of multiple identical rooms and hidden residences. Analysts noted that Valdais dense forest and isolation make it easier to protect with Pantsir-M air-defense systems than the Kremlin or Moscow suburbs.

Putins official estate, Novo-Ogaryovo, built in the 1950s, became his main workplace in the early 2000s. Satellite imagery shows it ringed by high walls, helipads and underground shelters. But since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he has rarely been seen there. Instead, investigators and satellite images reviewed by Dagens and Charter97 indicate that he now spends most of his time at Valdai, a fortified lakeside complex hidden among forests between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Russia's Lavrov Looks To Draw China In On Ukraine's Security Guarantees

Read On The Fox News App

His coastal residence, Bocharov Ruchey, in Sochi  once a preferred retreat  has been used less often since Ukrainian long-range drones reached Russia. Analysts say Valdais distance and cover make it a safer command center.

The Sistema report claimed that the three matching offices were built gradually: Novo-Ogaryovos original in about 2015, Valdais copy by 2018, and Sochis by 2020. Each features the same beige palette, identical furniture and the Russian flag behind Putins desk. The duplication lets Kremlin media maintain the illusion of a single, stable seat of power.

Russian opposition politician Maxim Katz told Fox News Digital that the findings reflect an obsession with personal safety, "He thinks NATO or the Ukrainians could strike him. For someone with a KGB background, it makes sense to have multiple identical rooms. They just didnt execute it perfectly  you can see the differences."

Katz said the same mentality governed Putins conduct during the pandemic.

"Its well known that hes obsessive about his security and health  it was most obvious during COVID. Even ministers and prime ministers had to isolate himself for a week or two before meeting him. That long table with French President Emmanuel Macron shows it perfectly  Macron refused a test, and Putin agreed to meet only at a very long table because he was afraid of infection."

Click Here To Download The Fox News App

He added that Putin "never comes close to the front, or anywhere Ukrainians might reach. He takes his safety seriously and avoids unnecessary risks."





Original article source: Investigation reveals Putin uses multiple matching offices in different locations to conceal whereabouts
Crowds of people on Bangla Street in Phuket Island, Thailand on November 25, 2024. - Arnulf Hettrich/imageBROKER/Shutterstock

A Russian man wanted for extradition by the United States over cyber-crime allegations has been arrested on the Thai holiday island of Phuket, local police have announced.

Denis Obrezko is allegedly part of the notorious group Void Blizzard, Thai police said, a cyber espionage gang recognized by Microsoft for hacking attacks that align with Kremlin interests.

The 35-year-old was arrested on November 6 in a joint operation between the FBI and Thai authorities, one week after entering the country on a flight to Phuket, according to Thailands Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB).

This individual had previously breached security systems and attacked government agencies in both Europe and the United States, the CCIB said Friday.

He will be held at the Criminal Court in Bangkok pending extradition to the US, it said.

Local police had tracked Obrezko down at his hotel room, where they found electronic devices including a notebook computer, mobile phone and digital wallet that were seized for forensic examination, officers said.

Microsoft Threat Intelligence (MTI) previously flagged Void Blizzard for targeting organizations that Russia opposes, noting its focus on government, defense, transport, media, NGOs and healthcare sectors in the United States and Europe, including Ukraine.

They often use stolen sign-in details that they likely buy from online marketplaces to gain access to organizations, researchers said in a statement. Once inside, they steal large amounts of emails and files.

Russian diplomat Ilya Ilyin, of the Russian embassy in Thailand, confirmed that a Russian citizen was detained on Phuket last week on suspicion of committing cybercrimes, and that the arrest was allegedly at the official request of the United States, according to the TASS news agency.

CNN has contacted the US Department of Justice for comment.

Tools and tactics

Void Blizzard is known for using basic techniques for initial access, including password spraying where common passwords are systematically applied across multiple usernames, and using stolen authentication details, MTI found.

Despite the lack of sophistication in their initial access methods, Void Blizzard has been effective in gaining access to and collecting information from compromised organizations in critical sectors, MTI added.

Void Blizzard regularly targets government and law enforcement entities, especially in NATO countries and those offering military or humanitarian aid to Ukraine, MTI said.

The groups activities have affected various sectors in Ukraine including education, transportation and defense.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
16 November 2025 15:20 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

Today marked a historic milestone for Azerbaijan, as the country was officially admitted as a full-fledged member of the Central Asia Consultative Meetings. From now on, Azerbaijan joins the traditional five countries, transforming centuries-old brotherly ties and shared heritage into a framework of political, geopolitical, and geo-economic unity across the region. This landmark decision was witnessed in Tashkent, the capital of the brotherly nation of Uzbekistan, where President Ilham Aliyev has been on an official visit since yesterday. Unlike traditional visits, this one signaled a transition: Azerbaijan was no longer merely a guest but a full participant, intent on strengthening and institutionalizing regional ties.

Speaking at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia, President Aliyev highlighted the vision of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, noting that it reflects a clear understanding of the necessity for closer cooperation between Azerbaijan and Central Asian states. This approach is timely and justified: countries with centuries-old shared values, common cultural and religious traditions, and mutual interests are increasingly working together to pursue common goals. Joint projects are being implemented on the principles of Islam, construction, tolerance, friendship, and brotherhood, further solidifying regional unity.

Azerbaijans inclusion in the Central Asia Consultative Meetings is more than symbolic; it represents a deepening of political, economic, and cultural linkages. As President Aliyev noted in his speech, this is the third time Azerbaijan has participated in Central Asian summits. In 2023, he attended at the invitation of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, and in 2024, at the invitation of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Over the past three years, Azerbaijan has hosted numerous reciprocal visits, with 14 high-level trips to Central Asia and 23 visits by regional leaders to Baku, cementing strategic partnerships and strengthening dialogue.

The country has signed treaties and declarations on alliances, strategic partnerships, and joint investment funds, while cultural diplomacythrough exhibitions, concerts, and national culture dayshas reinforced societal and people-to-people connections. These developments demonstrate that Azerbaijan and Central Asia are gradually forming a single geopolitical and geo-economic region, whose significance is increasingly recognized on the global stage.

Azerbaijans integration into the regional framework comes amid significant infrastructure and trade projects that enhance connectivity. The Middle Corridorlinking Central Asia with international markets through Azerbaijanhas seen cargo volumes rise by 90% over the past three years, with transit times substantially reduced. Key projects such as the Alat International Port, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the Zangazur Corridor, and nine international airports have positioned Azerbaijan as a strategic transport hub. Plans to link Azerbaijans mainland with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, alongside digital initiatives like the Digital Silk Road and Caspian subsea fiber-optic and electricity networks, further strengthen its regional role.

Beyond economics, Azerbaijans accession reflects deep humanitarian and cultural cooperation with Central Asian countries. President Aliyev highlighted the support from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan in establishing schools, creativity centers, and mosques in Azerbaijans liberated territories, demonstrating enduring solidarity and brotherhood. These initiatives not only provide tangible benefits for local communities but also symbolize a long-term commitment to regional unity and mutual development.

At this historic moment, the leaders of Central Asian countries shared their perspectives on Azerbaijans full accession to the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the significance of Azerbaijans inclusion: "With Azerbaijans admission, the regional cooperation format expands from the traditional Central Asian Five to a Central Asian Six. This step reflects Azerbaijans growing engagement with Central Asia and is expected to strengthen political, economic, and cultural ties across the region."

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed confidence in Azerbaijans contributions as a full member: "Today we made a historic decision on the accession of Azerbaijan to our format as a full-fledged participant," he stated at the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. "In its new capacity, Azerbaijan will play a substantial role in deepening regional cooperation."

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov highlighted the opportunities arising from this expansion: "The Kyrgyz Republic supports the initiative for Azerbaijan to join our consultative meetings format as a full member. Expanding our format with fraternal Azerbaijan will open new horizons for cooperation in Central Asia, particularly in international transit, logistics, and energy," he noted. "Today, we can confidently say that the consultative meetings format of the Central Asian heads of state has proven successful. It has demonstrated its viability and become a unique platform where not only existing regional challenges are addressed, but new initiatives and proposals are actively developed."

From a strategic standpoint, Azerbaijans elevation to full membership enables it to actively shape regional policies, align infrastructure and digital initiatives with Central Asian partners, and enhance its influence in international forums. It also reinforces the collective regional capacity to address economic, energy, and connectivity challenges. By bridging the South Caucasus and Central Asia, Azerbaijan strengthens a corridor of stability, economic growth, and political coordination stretching from the Caspian to Central Asia.

Azerbaijans accession to the Central Asia Consultative Meetings marks a turning point in regional cooperation. It underscores the countrys commitment to strategic partnerships, deepens regional integration, and positions Azerbaijan as a central actor in shaping the future of Central Asia. The event in Tashkent is not only a diplomatic milestone but also a concrete step toward enhanced economic connectivity, cultural exchange, and geopolitical significance for Azerbaijan and its Central Asian partners.
16 November 2025 17:41 (UTC+04:00)

Belgium has issued a firm and unequivocal condemnation of Russias recent large-scale attacks on Ukraine, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot announced on his social media platform X, Azernews reports.

Belgium strongly and unequivocally condemns Russias large-scale strikes on Ukraine in recent weeks. These attacks deliberately target civilians, residential areas, hospitals, energy infrastructure, and vital services. As a result, innocent people, including children, have been killed and injured, the minister said.

He also expressed deep concern over Russias recent strike near the Azerbaijani Embassy in Kyiv.

An attack on a diplomatic mission is not only unacceptable  it is a direct assault on the principles that uphold the international system. Belgium firmly supports Azerbaijan and all diplomatic staff affected by this violence, he noted.

In his message to the people of Ukraine, he added: You are not alone. We stand with you. Together with our European and international partners, Belgium will continue its support and increase pressure on Russia until this war ends.
16 November 2025 11:21 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijan has been granted full membership status in the Central Asia Consultative Meetings, marking a significant step in regional cooperation.

According to Azernews, the announcement was made by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during the 7th Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State, held today in Tashkent.

With Azerbaijans admission, the regional cooperation format will expand from the current Central Asian Five to a Central Asian Six.

Azerbaijans inclusion reflects its growing engagement with Central Asia and is expected to strengthen political, economic, and cultural ties across the region.
16 November 2025 10:38 (UTC+04:00)

On November 16, the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia was held in Uzbekistans capital, Tashkent.

Azernews reports that the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, arrived at the Congress Center.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev welcomed the Azerbaijani leader.

The event participants posed for a family photo.

Emphasizing that today is truly a historic day for the fraternal peoples, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said: We are making fundamental decisions on the accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the consultative meetings format as a full-fledged participant. We will build a solid bridge between Central Asia and the South Caucasus, paving the way for the formation of a unified space of cooperation, which will undoubtedly strengthen the strategic interconnectedness and resilience of both regions. I sincerely thank all my esteemed colleagues for adopting this important decision and congratulate Ilham Heydarovich on Azerbaijans accession to the consultative meetings format as a full-fledged participant.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that the strengthening of solidarity and the aspiration for joint development contribute to reinforcing international subjectivity and increasing the role of Central Asia on a global scale. Cooperation within the Central Asia+ formats has intensified. The region now speaks with a unified position on authoritative international platforms. Undoubtedly, with Azerbaijans accession to our format, the voice of our region in the global community will become even more significant, the President of Uzbekistan underscored.

Today we made a historic decision on the accession of Azerbaijan to our format as a full-fledged participant, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said. He expressed confidence that Azerbaijan, in its new capacity, will make a substantial contribution to strengthening regional cooperation.

Underlining that the Kyrgyz Republic supports the initiative for the Republic of Azerbaijan to join our consultative meetings format as a full member, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov stated: Expanding our format with fraternal Azerbaijan will open new opportunities and broad horizons for cooperation in Central Asia, particularly in international transit, logistics, and energy. Today, we can confidently say that the consultative meetings format of the Central Asian heads of state has proven successful. It has demonstrated its viability and become a genuine, one-of-a-kind platform where not only existing regional challenges are discussed, but new initiatives and proposals are actively put forward.

Today, we are witnessing the creation of a new regional transport artery. The construction of the strategically important China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway will not only connect but will also reshape logistics, opening the shortest route for our countries to the largest markets in Asia and Europe. In this context, the Zangezur Corridor project is seen as a logical and strategic continuation of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway, President Sadyr Zhaparov added.

Congratulating Azerbaijan on its accession to the Consultative Meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon said: I congratulate esteemed Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev on the accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Consultative Meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia. It is gratifying that our platform is confidently establishing its significance as an important participant in international and regional processes. It is balanced and demonstrates a commitment to advancing the growing interests of the countries in the region.

Speaking at the event, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on Azerbaijan's accession to the consultative meetings as a full-fledged participant.

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said: "And now, with your permission, let me give the floor to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, esteemed Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev. The floor is yours, Ilham Heydar oglu."

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev then addressed the event.

Speech by President Ilham Aliyev

- Dear Shavkat Miromonovich,

Dear Heads of State,

Dear friends,

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev, for the invitation to participate in the 7th Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia. I am grateful to the Uzbek side for its traditional hospitality.

Under the wise leadership of my brother Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan is confidently advancing along the path of development and creation. Its significant international standing, effective economic reforms and large-scale projects in industry, transport and agriculture have elevated Uzbekistan to a leading position in the region. Thanks to the President's daily dedication, Uzbekistan has joined the ranks of the world's leading sporting nations. The recent Summer Olympics clearly demonstrated this. Shavkat Miromonovich is not only a wise statesman but also a person who has made a significant contribution to the development of Uzbek-Azerbaijani relations. He is loved and respected in Azerbaijan for his concrete actions and kind attitude toward our people. As a visionary politician, Shavkat Miromonovich clearly sees the need for closer cooperation between the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan. Once again, dear Shavkat Miromonovich, thank you very much for everything.

We visited the Center of Islamic Civilization. Established on the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, the center serves as yet another testament to the Presidents dedication to Uzbekistans rich cultural heritage. At a time when attacks on our religion are growing in some countries and Islamophobia is taking on a systemic character, the opening of the Center of Islamic Civilization demonstrates to the entire world that Islam is a religion of creation, tolerance, friendship, and brotherhood. Outstanding representatives of the Islamic world made immense contributions to global science and culture, and the Center of Islamic Civilization clearly showcases this. I am confident that the majestic and uniquely curated Center of Islamic Civilization in Tashkent will become a source of pride for the entire Islamic world.

Esteemed colleagues, this is the third time Azerbaijan has participated in Central Asian summits. In 2023, I attended the summit at the invitation of esteemed President of Tajikistan Emomali Sharipovich Rahmon, and in 2024, at the invitation of esteemed President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Kemelevich Tokayev.

The relations between Azerbaijan and Central Asian states are quite unique. We are bound together by centuries-old history, spiritual and cultural heritage, brotherhood, friendship, and solidarity. We have not only maintained these ties but also infused them with new momentum, which has the nature of a strategic partnership.

Reciprocal high-level visits have become regular in recent years. Over the past three years, I have visited Central Asian countries 14 times. During the same period, my colleagues have visited our country 23 times.

Azerbaijan has signed treaties and declarations on alliance and strategic partnership, as well as those on the establishment of joint investment funds, with Central Asian countries. Culture days, exhibitions and concerts are regular in nature, bringing our peoples even closer together and demonstrating how close we are and how much we value our friendship.

Although Azerbaijan is located in the South Caucasus, thanks to this active interaction, Central Asia and Azerbaijan today form a single geopolitical and geo-economic region, whose importance in the world is steadily growing.

We successfully cooperate within the framework of various international organizations, support each other's initiatives, and develop common approaches to resolving global and regional issues.

After restoring its territorial integrity and sovereignty, our country embarked on large-scale work to revive the liberated territories. We highly appreciate the fraternal support that Central Asian countries are providing to Azerbaijan in this regard.

In particular, the Mirzo Ulugbek School and the Kurmangazy Children's Creativity Cente are already operating in the city of Fuzuli, while the Manas School is open in Aghdam. This is a gift from our Uzbek, Kazakh and Kyrgyz brothers.

In October of this year, the foundation of a mosque was laid in the city of Fuzuli, and this mosque will serve as a symbol of Turkmenistans fraternal support. All of this will remain in the grateful memory of the Azerbaijani people as a testament to our brotherhood and solidarity.

Today, Azerbaijan and Central Asia serve as a vital link and bridge between East and West, North and South.

The development of the Middle Corridor is of strategic importance for our countries. Joint efforts to modernize the transport and logistical infrastructure, synchronize and digitalize customs procedures open up vast opportunities for increasing the volumes of cargo, strengthening economic resilience, and expanding cooperation in international markets.

Over the past three years, cargo transportation along the Middle Corridor through Azerbaijan has increased by 90 percent. Transit time along the corridor has significantly reduced.

The Alat International Port, which is expected to reach a throughput capacity of 25 million tons per year in the coming years, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, nine international airports, the region's largest cargo airline, and other factors have transformed Azerbaijan into an international transport hub.

I am confident that the agreements reached in Washington this August to connect the mainland of Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic will contribute to expanding transit opportunities for international transportation. The construction of the Zangazur Corridor on the territory of Azerbaijan is nearing completion. With an initial throughput capacity of 15 million tons, this railway will become an important artery of the Middle Corridor. Construction of the highway that will form part of the Zangezur Corridor is also nearing completion.

Our cooperation in digital communications also has tremendous potential. The Digital Silk Road project includes plans to build a Caspian subsea fiber-optic cable network.

The Caspian subsea electric cable construction project ushers great prospects for joint electricity exports to global markets.

In conclusion, I would like to thank my esteemed colleagues for the decision on Azerbaijans accession to the cooperation format of the Central Asian states. This decision once again confirms the friendly and fraternal nature of our relations and will serve to strengthen cooperation and interaction across a vast geographical area. I would also like to congratulate fraternal Turkmenistan on assuming the chairmanship in our format. Thank you for your attention.

x x x

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev once again congratulated President Ilham Aliyev on the participation of brotherly Azerbaijan in the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia, saying: "This is truly a great historic event for us. We once again express gratitude to you for your words about the Uzbek people and the reforms carried out in Uzbekistan. Thank you very much for highlighting Islamic civilization. Indeed, as you mentioned, this is a factor that we should further promote. This Center is our collective accomplishment. I believe that this will help us take concerted actions in the relevant direction in the future. Thank you once again. I express my gratitude to you for your comprehensive speech and for your initiatives to enhance our mutual collaboration."

x x x

Then, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres letter to the meeting participants was read out.

The meeting featured the signing of the resolution on the full-fledged participation of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia and other documents.
16 November 2025 13:26 (UTC+04:00)

High-tech infrastructure and transport-logistics development are crucial for the future of Central Asia, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the 7th Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Heads of State held today in Tashkent, Azernews reports.

According to Mirziyoyev, regional countries should combine efforts to implement strategically important projects, including the construction and modernization of power plants, electricity lines, roads and railways, border checkpoints, green corridors, fiber-optic networks, and other key facilities.

To strengthen interregional transport connectivity, we prioritize projects such as the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the Trans-Afghanistan Transport Corridor, he noted.

Mirziyoyev also highlighted that the Trans-Caspian route and other corridors linking Central Asia with European countries open significant opportunities for the region.

To coordinate these efforts more effectively, the Uzbek President proposed establishing an Infrastructure Development Council at the level of deputy prime ministers of the Central Asian countries.
16 November 2025 14:22 (UTC+04:00)

I congratulate the esteemed Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev on the accession of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Consultative Meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia. It is gratifying that our platform is confidently establishing its significance as an important participant in international and regional processes. It is balanced and demonstrates a commitment to advancing the growing interests of the countries in the region, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon stated at the 7th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State of Central Asia in the Central Asia + Azerbaijan format, Azernews reports.

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16 November 2025 16:23 (UTC+04:00)

Ukraine is actively working to secure natural gas supplies from Azerbaijan, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on his Facebook page, Azernews reports.

We are creating broad opportunities for winter supplies. In particular, through our Polish partners, we are actively working with Azerbaijan. We hope to reach long-term agreements, Zelensky emphasized.

He also noted that a historic deal with France has been prepared, which will significantly strengthen Ukraines combat aviation, air defense, and other defense capabilities.

Additionally, Zelensky said his upcoming visit to Spain on Monday is expected to be productive. According to the schedule, the visit will take place on Monday. It will be meaningful and provide support that will truly help Ukraine defend itself and achieve its objectives, he stated.
16 November 2025 16:11 (UTC+04:00)

Nazrin Abdul Read more

A civilian was injured in a landmine explosion in Azerbaijans Aghdara district, Azernews reports, citing a joint statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor Generals Office, and the Mine Action Agency of Azerbaijan (ANAMA).

The incident occurred on November 16, 2025, in the liberated Sirkhavand village. According to official information, 35-year-old Natiq Namig oglu Aliyev, a resident of Barda district, sustained leg injuries after stepping on an anti-personnel landmine in an area that had not yet been cleared of mines.

He was promptly transferred to the Barda Diagnostic Center for medical treatment, and his condition is being monitored.

The Aghdara District Prosecutors Office has launched an investigation into the incident.

Authorities once again warned citizens to strictly follow safety protocols, heed mine hazard signs, and avoid entering potentially contaminated or unfamiliar areas. ANAMA and security agencies emphasized that entering uncleared territories remains extremely dangerous.
16 November 2025 20:02 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev concluded his visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan on November 16.

A guard of honor was arranged for the Azerbaijani President at Tashkent International Airport.

President Ilham Aliyev was seen off by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
16 November 2025 09:00 (UTC+04:00)

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are facing an energy crisis as water levels have plummeted at the reservoirs powering their largests hydropower stations, officials said this week, Azernews reports, citing Tribune.

The two landlocked Central Asian countries are heavily reliant on hydropower. Both use massive Soviet-built hydropower plants for their domestic electricity output.

The water level in the reservoir connected to Tajikistan's Nurek power plant has dropped by 2.47 metres (8.1 feet) over the last year, the state utility firm told AFP on Friday.

The Tajik Ministry of Energy and Water Resources had said on Thursday the situation there was alarming.

In neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, the reservoir feeding Toktogul hydroelectric plant has lost two billion cubic metres (70.6 billion cubic feet)  around 20 percent  over the past year, President Sadyr Japarov said earlier this week.

Restaurants in Kyrgyzstan have been ordered since Thursday to close at 10:00 pm and public establishments must switch off lights by 6:00 pm to save power.

Tajik authorities said officials who failed to stop an "irrational" use of electricity would be fired.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, both countries have experienced periodic power cuts, especially in winter, despite attempts to renovate ailing energy infrastructure.

To address the chronic lack of energy, both countries are building new power plants which are intended to better utilise and store water.

When completed, the new facilities  Kambar-Ata in Kyrgyzstan and Rogun in Tajikistan  may even potentially allow power to be exported to neighbouring countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
16 November 2025 18:50 (UTC+04:00)

Iran will consider resuming talks with the United States only if Washington changes its current stance, a source from the Iranian Foreign Ministry told journalists, Azernews reports.

According to the source, Tehran seeks a mutually acceptable compromise and is prepared to increase transparency around its nuclear program. In return, Iran expects the lifting of sanctions, emphasizing that such a deal would benefit all parties involved.

"Iran is ready for a solution that works for everyone," the official said, underlining that any progress depends on a shift in U.S. policy.
Oregon Coast's Rogue Ales Abruptly Closes All Operations - Newport, Portland, Astoria

Published 11/14/25 at 7:35 p.m.

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff





(Newport, Oregon) - For nearly 40 years, it's been a staple and boundary-breaker of Oregon's microbrew scene, as well as Oregon coast culture. Now, as of Friday, Rogue Ales & Spirits has abruptly shut down all operations in its main Newport facility  including satellite restaurants in places like Astoria and Portland.

According to the Lincoln Chronicle, Rogue management met with Port of Newport officials on Friday and announced their immediate closure, and that they would be vacating the property rented from the Port.

The company's South Beach facility alone employs about 60 people, which has created an outpour on social media of calls for assistance to those left jobless just before the holidays.

Regional media is reporting that Rogue Ales has owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in back rent and taxes to the Port of Newport and the county. Sales have reportedly dropped steadily in recent years, much of which has to do with after effects of the pandemic. In spite of remaining one of Oregon's top brewers and most recognizable brands, it suffered one of the heaviest drops in sales in 2024 at 18%.

The brewer has been renting a 47,000-square-foot space at Newport's South Beach, which includes the restaurant and warehouse. Some three employees are staying on for awhile to help clear that out, regional media reports.

Rogue already had just shut down another similarly-sized area used for distillery operations.





The brewers started their company in Ashland in 1988, then moved to the central Oregon coast a year later. Their bayfront retail / restaurant in Newport became a kind of legend in the state's drinking and culinary world as early as the '90s. For several years, the Rogue Ales property hosted a microbrew festival each fall, which often included the Duffy Bishop Band (photo here from Oregon Coast Beach Connection archives).



Rogue Ales stage in 1993

Rogue brewers distributed their beer to all 50 states and more than 50 countries. All that  and a good chunk of coastal culture  are going away.

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Driving 18 wheeler trucks is not "a job Americans will not do". It is a well paid job that Americans want to do. Unfortunately some sleazy trucking companies want to cut corners by replacing those American drivers with cheaper but unqualified illegal alien truck drivers. Several Democrat states have facilitated that by issuing Commercial Drivers Licenses (CDLs) to illegal aliens. That has led to a string of deadly crashes by illegal alien drivers who could not read English. The Trump administration has moved to put a stop to this danger on the highways.

Now a notoriously liberal and heavily Democrat circuit court has jumped in to try to protect the illegal alien truck drivers and to keep dangerous conditions on our roads. The DC Court of Appeals has issued an order blocking a USDOT rule that cracked down on states issuing these illegal CDLs. Once again, our federal courts Democrat judges are a threat to our safety, and indeed to our democracy.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2025/11/14/court-curbs-duffys-rescue-plan-for-truckers/

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/11/d-c-appeals-court-strikes-down-trump-dots/

Meanwhile, in one of those states with a fatal crash caused by an illegal alien truck driver, the Florida Highway Patrol has so far arrested and turned over to ICE 6,200 illegal aliens they have encountered on FLorida highways.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/immigration/3887535/florida-highway-patrol-has-arrested-6200-illegal-immigrants-for-ice/
Charlotte, NC, heart of the sanctuary county of Mecklenburg, is the scene of the latest ICE immigration enforcement action, which is codenamed Operation Charlotte's Web. The operation is targeting illegal aliens who have committed criminal offenses in the US for deportation. Thirty cars full of ICE agents arrived in Charlotte Friday and immediately got to work locating and arresting criminal illegal aliens.

Mecklenburg County has been one of NC's handful of "sanctuary counties" where illegal aliens who are convicted of crimes are turned back out on the streets instead of turned over to ICE for deportation as they should be. There are estimated to be 58,000 illegal aliens living in Charlotte.

As expected, leftwing Democrats are pitching a tantrum. Ultra liberal Democrat Governor Josh Stein is leading the effort to protect criminal illegal aliens from deportation, with the sanctuary Democrat sheriff of Mecklenburg also sounding off, as well as a host of other leftwing Democrats who want these criminals to stay in our country. The leftwing NC Democrats, like their radical colleagues in Chicago are encouraging mobs to harass ICE law enforcement.

As usual with Democrats, Stein complained about arrests of "immigrants" but Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino quickly corrected Stein. "Immigrants, rest assured we have your back as we did in Chicago and Los Angeles." Bovino responded. "Governor Stein should learn the difference between an illegal alien and an immigrant. Illegal aliens have NO PLACE in our communities and should self-deport via CBP Home."

ICE teams have also headed to New Orleans.

https://redstate.com/beccalower/2025/11/15/dhs-confirms-border-patrol-operations-have-officially-begun-in-charlotte-nc-n2196245

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15294419/Trumps-immigration-crackdown-Border-Patrol-sending-agents-armored-vehicles-Charlotte-New-Orleans.html

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/ice-border-patrol-begin-sweeping-deportation-raids-criminal-illegals-charlotte
Freezing temperatures and the chance of snow are possible as a cold snap is set to follow flooding from Storm Claudia in parts of the UK, forecasters said.

A major incident was declared in Monmouth, south-east Wales, where people were rescued or evacuated from homes that were flooded in Fridays torrential rain.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had imposed four severe flood warnings amid fears there may be danger to life by Saturday night while there were 45 flood warnings in England.

As the emergency services pressed on with rescue work, a cold snap that could bring snow and a marked wind chill is expected in the coming days which could see temperatures dipping as low as minus 7C in places next week, according to the Met Office.

A drop in temperatures of around 5C is set to see top figures plunge to around 11C on Sunday and get colder for the start of the week.

Snow and ice are possible, the forecaster said.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: As Storm Claudia retreats to the south, high pressure to the north west will drive a cold northerly flow from the Arctic across the UK.

This will bring much colder conditions than of late and, whilst generally drier than recent days, there will also be a risk of wintry hazards, such as snow and ice.

There will be widespread frosts across the UK, with temperatures dipping as low as minus 7C in places next week, and daytime temperatures staying in single figures across the country.

Couple this with a brisk northerly wind, and there will be a marked wind chill. This will be a notable change in our weather after a prolonged spell of above-average temperatures.

Some 119.6mm of rainfall was recorded at an NRW rain gauge at Tafalog in Gwent, south-east Wales, in the 12 hours to 6am on Saturday, while 80.6mm was recorded over the same period at Suckley, Worcestershire.

Fallen trees damaged by Storm Claudia near Aberystwyth (Sue Lithgow/PA)

Punishing winds also hit north-west Wales and north-west England during Storm Claudia, including 63mph recorded at Aberdaron in Gwynedd and 68mph at Warcop Range in Cumbria.

River levels on the Monnow reached record levels, exceeding those recorded during Storm Dennis in 2020 and Storm Bert last year, NRW said.

A team of British Red Cross team volunteers were at a local leisure centre helping people who were evacuated in Monmouth.

Homes, businesses, transport and energy infrastructure all suffered in the significant flooding in parts of Wales, according to the Welsh Government, which thanked those who had been working tirelessly in dreadful conditions to keep people safe along with neighbours who were helping in the community.

Peter Fox, the Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd for Monmouth, described the situation in the area as extremely bad.

He said: I personally havent seen it so bad for probably 40 years, certainly in Monmouth since defences were put in place there.

Plaid Cymru representatives for South Wales East called for support for those hit by the flooding.

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The partys deputy Senedd leader MS Delyth Jewell said she had tabled a question to the Welsh Government on the issue, adding: It must be very distressing for people to see their homes and businesses water damaged.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said fast-moving water and blocked routes had created challenging conditions.

Gwent Police, Welsh Ambulance Services NHS University Trust, Sara (Severn Area Rescue Association), Mountain Rescue, the Coastguard and members of neighbouring fire and rescue services have been involved in the operation to provide assistance.

The Environment Agency reported that 20 properties in England had flooded as a result of Storm Claudia, including some in Cumbria.

Officers were clearing debris and erecting temporary defences where required in affected areas, it added.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued a cold weather warning for parts of the Midlands and northern England from Monday, and the Environment Agency has warned flooding will continue throughout the weekend.

The cold weather alert is in place from 8am on Monday until 8am next Friday and covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West and Yorkshire and The Humber.
Unspoiled outpost six miles off Northern Irelands shore is a test case in new environmental drive

Situated six miles off Northern Irelands northern shore is a success story  and Stormont has had a significant role.

Rathlin, Northern Irelands only inhabited island, is defying expectations of inevitable decline. Residents and tourists have been consistently climbing for two decades. Now its part of a fascinating experiment which exemplifies how retaining tiny island communities can have societal benefits far beyond their shores.
Irish League

You are mad if you decide not to work with him: Barry Johnston on becoming Oran Kearneys assistant at Ballymena United
EXCLUSIVE | Caught on camera: Moment UVF gunman shoots up young womans home

New recruit to ranks of East Belfast, a coke dealer brought in for his 10k-a-month kickbacks, said to be behind cowardly attack

CCTV of the UVF gunman who fired shots at a house on the Beersbridge Road, Belfast

Ciaran Barnes Sun 16 Nov 2025 at 08:00

This is the image detectives are hoping might snare an East Belfast UVF gunman who shot up the home of an innocent woman.
Chinese and Russian experts agreed to enhance cooperation on Amur tiger and leopard conservation at a meeting in Hunchun City of northeast China's Jilin Province. They plan to develop smart monitoring systems and work to raise public awareness. #GLOBALink




Ex-Presbyterian safeguarding boss quit within weeks of writing article about confronting abuse

Dr Jacqui Montgomery-Devlin called on the church to be more upfront in tackling problems

Dr Jacqui Montgomery-Devlin

Angela Davison Sun 16 Nov 2025 at 13:00

A former head of safeguarding for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI) left her post shortly after writing an article highlighting the need to be upfront about abuse.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us

We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.
Crispina ffrench, co-owner of The Dolphin Studio, has been helping to make its silkscreen print calendars since she was a child. Celebrating its 55th anniversary this year, the effort is still homegrown and all in the family.
Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province and elsewhere in Saudi Arabia
The Irish Coast Guards Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Malin Head is coordinating a search for a missing crew member following a distress alert from a UK Naval support vessel just before 9am this morning.

The missing crew member on board was last seen at approximately 10.30pm last night. The vessel was located north of Tory Island when the alert was raised.

Malin Head Coast Guard are coordinating a search for the missing crew member in the sea off the northwest coast between Tory Island, Co Donegal and Eagle Island, Co Mayo.

The search from the air is being conducted by the Coast Guards fixed wing plane, Rescue 120F based in Shannon Airport, Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 118, based in Sligo and the Irish Air Corps plane, CASA 284.

A search is also being coordinated at sea by the UK Naval support vessel and three RNLI all weather lifeboats based at Ballyglass, Arranmore Island and Lough Swilly. Other vessels of opportunity are also involved in the search.

Air assets from the Irish Coast Guard, all weather life boats, assets from Irish Air Corps, Irish Naval Service, and the UKs Royal Navy and Air Force will continue to search the area overnight, and will continue to monitor weather and search conditions.
Bad weather was no deterrent for hundreds of people who took to the streets of Dublin to call on the Government to "put people and nature before big polluters" in todays national climate march.

The march, which was part of a global day of action for climate justice, to coincide with the COP30 World Climate Negotiations in Brazil, was organised by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition and supported by Friends of the Earth and a wide range of civil society organisations, trade unions and community groups.

There were strong calls for Government action on climate that addresses inequality, stands up to big polluters and improves the wellbeing and living standards of people and communities.

Speaking at the march, Deirdre Duffy, chief executive of Friends of the Earth said: People showed up in their thousands today to show the government that climate justice is their highest political priority. Young and old from all backgrounds including grassroots groups from across the country, we flocked to Dublin today to call for action. People and planet must come before the profits of polluters.

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The call for climate justice has been loud and clear - people want to see climate action that results in healthier, connected communities, whose wellbeing and health is prioritised ahead of corporate profit.

We all deserve to have good quality homes that dont break the bank to heat, to have healthy air to breathe, to have access to reliable public transport that lets us move around freely."

The demonstration is also endorsed and supported by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, student unions, and local community organisations. Photo: Mark Stedman

Ms Duffy added: But the Government is failing us on these basic needs and instead letting big polluters run riot. Its letting data centres guzzle up energy and water resources that homes and public services need. Its saying that it wants new gas infrastructure at a time when we need to get off fossil fuels. All of this is a recipe for driving up energy bills for ordinary people, not to mention adding fuel to the fire of climate breakdown.

This government cant have its cake and eat it. They cant let polluters like data centre and gas companies do as they please while ordinary people pick up the cost.

"Todays march has shown that people want change. From securing warm, well insulated, homes for all, to ensuring that the people hit hardest by extreme climate impacts are protected, there is clearly huge appetite to create a better, fairer, cleaner and more equal world. I hope the Government takes heed, listens to the people and starts to act.

Todays climate march and rally was endorsed by 59 organisations and groups, including Friends of the Earth, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Trocaire, Oxfam, SIPTU and the National Womens Council.

Speakers at the rally included Katie Morgan, vice president of Forsa, Thomas Morelli from Stop Shannon LNG and Grecia Eugenia Rodriguez Navarro, a Mexican human rights defender.

Music at the event included performances from the activist singing group Singing for Change and musician Danny Groenland with accompanying artists.
JAKARTA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian search and rescue teams recovered eight more bodies on Saturday during the third day of operations following a landslide in Cibeunying Village, Cilacap Regency, Central Java Province, bringing the total number of victims found to 11, with 10 people still missing, authorities said.

Head of the Cilacap Search and Rescue Office Muhammad Abdullah said the victims were recovered from several worksites.

"A total of eight victims were found on the third day of search operations," he said.

The search and rescue operation was temporarily halted in the late afternoon due to unfavorable weather. Efforts are expected to resume early Sunday morning with personnel safety prioritized, Abdullah added.

"We ask for the prayers of all Indonesians so that this search and rescue operation proceeds safely and smoothly, and that all victims can be found soon," he said.

Landslides triggered by heavy rains struck the Cibuyut and Tarukahan hamlets of Cibeunying Village in Cilacap Regency on Thursday evening. 
The search for a missing UK Navy crew member off the north-west coast has ended, and they have not been found, the British Ministry of Defence has said.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Tidesurge crew member was last seen at about 10.30pm on Friday.

A large-scale multi-agency search has been taking place in the sea off the north-west coast between Tory Island, Co Donegal, and Eagle Island, Co Mayo.

No further details have been released about the crew member, and their family has requested privacy.

My thoughts are with their family during this tragic time, as well as their fellow crew members Defence Secretary John Healey

On Sunday, British Defence Secretary John Healey said: After an extensive search, it is with deep sadness that we confirm the missing crew member of RFA Tidesurge has not been found.

My thoughts are with their family during this tragic time, as well as their fellow crew members.

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I am hugely grateful to the Irish authorities, the RNLI, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy who have responded rapidly to this incident and have worked tirelessly on the search.

The Irish Coast Guard received a distress call from a UK naval support vessel before 9am on Saturday.

A search and rescue operation was launched immediately after the serviceperson was declared missing.

After an extensive search for a missing crew member of a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships company, the individual has not been found, and the search has now ended Ministry of Defence spokesman

A British Ministry of Defence spokesman said: After an extensive search for a missing crew member of a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ships company, the individual has not been found, and the search has now ended.

The individuals family have been informed, and an investigation is now underway into the incident.

No other individuals have been harmed or reported missing.

The Irish Coast Guard, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, RNLI and Irish authorities were involved in the search, which was co-ordinated by the Irish Coast Guard maritime rescue sub centre in Malin.

The search from the air was carried out by the Coast Guards fixed-wing plane Rescue 120F, based in Shannon airport; Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118, based in Sligo; and the Irish Air Corps plane, CASA 284, the Department of Transport previously said.

There was also a search coordinated at sea by the UK naval support vessel and three RNLI all-weather lifeboats based at Ballyglass, Arranmore Island and Lough Swilly, it added.
A variety of stories feature on Ireland's front pages on Sunday morning, including scoliosis stories relating to Harvey Morrison, and Gerry Hutch being hit with a 790,000 tax bill.

The Sunday Times lead with Harvey Morrison's death being among six included in the work of the scoliosis inquiry and a minister being set to tell older voters to split their homes into flats.

The Business Post lead with the State readying a 'nuclear option' to ram through vital projects.

The Sunday Independent lead with a family claiming that Tusla failures led to the death of their four year old.

The Irish Mail on Sunday lead with Harvey Sherratt Morrisons mother saying she received a report that said her son was refused surgery because he was not fit for a sneeze.

The Irish Sunday Mirror lead with Ireland's match against Hungary today.

The Sunday World lead with the Criminal Assets Bureau hitting Gerry Hutch with a demand for unpaid taxes after gardai raided his homes in Spain and Dublin.
A woman in her 70s has died after she got into difficulties in the sea off the Wicklow coast on Saturday afternoon.

Gardai in Wicklow were assisted by the Irish Coast Guard in a search and recovery in the Magherabeg beach area, which is close to Brittas Bay, at around 2pm.

The search operation involved the Wicklow and Greystones Coast Guard divisions, the Dublin-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Search and Rescue 116 and an all-weather lifeboat.

A garda spokesperson said that the womans body was recovered from the water at around 4pm yesterday.

(Her) body has since been removed to the mortuary in St Columcilles Hospital in Loughlinstown, Co Dublin, the spokesperson added.

A post-mortem examination will take place in due course.

A file will be prepared for the Coroner's Court.
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BusinessMarketsFossil fuels Opinion We are addicted to fossil fuels, so lets just accept it

Javier Blas November 16, 2025  11:49am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 51 View all comments

Suggesting that fossil fuels will stay around for a long time remains taboo in the energy debate. In climate change gatherings, the world has agreed to consign coal to history and transition away from oil and natural gas. It has signalled, too, the beginning of the end of the fossil-fuel era and a swift transition to renewables. Thats all very well meaning, but theres a problem: With apologies to Margaret Thatcher, fossil fuels are not for turning. The main long-term influence is the global push to reduce carbon emissions. AP Just two years ago, the International Energy Agency (IEA) unequivocally said that fossil-fuel demand would peak before the end of this decade. It was a black-and-white statement that left no wiggle room.

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The world is on the cusp of a historic turning point, IEA executive director Fatih Birol said at the time, adding: This is the first time that a peak in demand is visible for each fuel this decade  earlier than many people anticipated. The message won accolades from green campaigners and shocked the energy establishment. But it was premature, in part because it didnt anticipate an obvious flaw: governments backpedalling on their clean-energy commitments. Related Article Climate policy New Liberal energy policy breaches Paris climate agreement, backs in coal Thus, the IEA is in retreat. The agency, whose analysis is closely followed, isnt so sure any more about a peak. Maybe coal will reach a zenith, but oil may not, and gas certainly wont. And when, and if, fossil-fuel demand eventually tops out, it will do so at a higher level than the agency anticipated, in some cases barely showing any reduction from todays consumption levels. The flip-flopping has damaged the agencys reputation, perhaps irreparably. It could have been avoided by sticking to the unsexy basics: providing boring, data-driven analysis exploring all the possibilities rather than a narrow set of outcomes. The focus should be on whats occurring rather than on what governments, subject to voter pressure, say they hope will happen.

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So whats happening? The IEA gets it right this time. The world remains thirsty for energy, it says in the 2025 edition of its flagship report, the World Energy Outlook, published November 12. At the same time, there is less momentum than before behind national and international efforts to reduce emissions, it adds. In an earlier draft, it appropriately put the blame where it lays, citing a great emphasis in some countries, notably in the United States, on preserving the energy status quo rather than changing it. That wording didnt survive the drafting process; we can only wonder who Tipp-exed it out. Related Article Opinion

Global warming Could tech bros like Mike Cannon-Brookes become the new climate pariahs? Colin Kruger Senior business reporter The biggest obstacle is that electricity demand is exploding as the world moves to electrify everything. Out go gasoline cars, in come electric vehicles; out go gas boilers, in come heat pumps, and so on. Add new power needs, from cooling and water desalination to data centres, and the growth pace is unprecedented, Birol said in an interview.

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Solar and wind are making a huge effort to meet a significant chunk of the incremental demand, but nuclear, coal and gas are still needed. And oil keeps growing. Put together, that means that the energy transition is, for now at least, one of addition rather than substitution, where renewable sources of energy top up fossil fuels rather than replacing them. To be sure, addition and substitution are two phases of any transition; the former is a prerequisite step to achieve the latter. But what the IEA is mapping out now suggests the addition phase may last for 25-plus years. Every year, the IEA tries to imagine the future of energy, making huge assumptions about economic development, population growth, political will, technological developments and prices. While the exercise is quite useful, it doesnt come remotely close to being a forecast. The agency long used a baseline model  the current policy scenario (CPS)  but it had significant shortcomings. Historically, it undercounted solar and wind power and over-estimated fossil fuels. Thus, in 2020, the IEA discontinued it, in part due to pressure from green campaigners, effectively replacing it with a stated policies scenario (STEPS) including policy proposals, even if the specific measures needed to put these proposals into effect have yet to be fully developed.

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In short, it mixed policy with political promises. It added another, called net zero emissions (NZE), which mapped what would be needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Norway is western Europes largest petroleum producer. AP Starting in 2023, that renewed emphasis on political ambitions shifted the path for fossil-fuel demand  and carbon-dioxide emissions  to predict peak consumption by 2029. This year, the IEA has revived its CPS  in part due to pressure from the Trump administration. Related Article Blood Oil Blood oil: How this Australia-bound ship is helping pay for Putins war The scenario shows that neither oil nor gas demand would peak until, at the earliest, 2050. Even the new edition of the STEPS scenario doesnt show a zenith this decade any more for oil and gas. Instead, the high point for oil demand is delayed one year, from before 2030 to around 2030, and gas keeps growing until 2035.

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Peak consumption has become the holy grail of the energy debate. But the precise year when it arrives is far less important than the shape of the consumption curve before and after its reached. Focusing on the path, rather than the summit, is crucial to understanding where the world is heading. For oil, those curves show demand remaining not far from todays levels of about 100 million barrels a day. Consumption may grow a bit, reaching nearly 113 million barrels a day by 2050 under CPS, or it may drop a bit to 97 million barrels a day under STEPS, but it wont collapse in the off-a-cliff- trajectory that green campaigners hope for. To me, thats the most important message of this weeks report: Fossil fuel demand remains entrenched. Now that we know where were going, we can have a sensible debate about the benefits  and costs  of changing course. Javier Blas is coauthor of The World for Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earths Resources. Bloomberg

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EnvironmentClimate changeElectricity How to use every electron of your three hours of free power Caitlin Fitzsimmons November 16, 2025  4:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 293 View all comments

Have you ever seen the viral clip of an old television interview with Mariah Carey in which the singer appears not to know what an electricity bill is? Bill who? Carey says. Oh you have to pay for that?  In America, we get it free. The British interviewer scoffs and tells her that she doesnt get free electricity, she just feels like she does. Loading Whether Carey was genuinely clueless or deadpanning for comedic effect, it will never not be funny.

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Yet what once seemed ridiculous is becoming reality  from July 1, 2026, households in several Australian states can get three hours of free electricity every day. Some retailers already offer this. In Australia, we get it free The federal government is using its power under the default market offer (DMO) framework to force retailers to offer free electricity during the middle of the day. It does not mean that consumers must be on the default offer, but a solar sharer offer tariff will be available as well. The Australian Energy Regulator will be responsible for setting the tariff structure for the solar sharer plan, to ensure that retailers do not simply raise prices at other times. The mandate will apply in DMO regions: NSW, South Australia and South East Queensland. The government says it will work with non-DMO states such as Victoria and Western Australia to consider implementing the policy elsewhere.

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It is worth shopping around  some retailers already voluntarily offer plans with windows of free electricity. Many of the tips on electrification and time-shifting can also be used by households wanting to make the most of their own rooftop solar. Why is this happening? The policy helps households with the cost of living, while also improving the stability of the grid, which is straining under mismatched supply and demand. There is plentiful solar supply in the middle of the day when no one wants it, and none in the evening when they do. This demand curve is sometimes called the solar duck because of its shape. There is so much solar power during the day that it is increasingly being switched off, the government says, with the Australian Energy Market Operator recording negative prices nearly a fifth of the time in the most recent quarter. The policy aims to ensure this excess of cheap solar power is not wasted.

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The potential savings By squeezing every kilowatt of power out of three hours of free electricity, households could save almost $6000 a year, according to Saul Griffith, founder of Rewiring Australia. He says the average Australian home has a connection to the grid that can draw down 15kW an hour (45kWh over three hours). At an average of 36c/kWh, that is worth $16.20 a day ($5913 a year)  as long as you can suck it all down in the time window using batteries and timers. The potential $6000 value can be offset against a smaller electricity bill, no gas bill and no fuel purchases for a car. Households will need to select the solar sharer offer tariff from an electricity retailer and ensure they have a smart meter. They dont need to have solar themselves, so renters can also benefit.

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Home batteries The solar sharer policy works with the federal governments incentive to encourage the purchase of a battery alongside rooftop solar. As of June 30, 271,000 households had installed solar batteries, the Clean Energy Council says. Since the Cheaper Home Batteries program started on July 1, that has swollen by another 120,000. Technically, non-solar households could also use home batteries to store free daytime electricity from the grid. However, there is no subsidy, and electricity prices may change before the purchase pays off. EV charging

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Running an EV on free electricity is far cheaper than buying petrol or diesel. The catch is that the car needs to be parked at home during the day. The average Australian drives 38 kilometres a day, the EV Council says. That means they can either choose to charge for one to two hours each day, or go for a week or more between larger recharging sessions. Related Article Electric vehicles Petrol car sale ban needed in 10 years to meet net zero by 2050: EV lobby Even renters can do it because it is possible to charge an EV via a standard 240V wall socket  it is just slow. Also known as a level-1 charger, this will add one to four kilometres of range for every 10 minutes of charging, the EV Council says, meaning it would take from four to 17 hours to add 100 kilometres of range. A dedicated level-2 EV charger will add four to 12 kilometres every 10 minutes  or between one and four hours to add 100 kilometres of range.

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Ultra-rapid public chargers can add up to 300 kilometres of range in just 10 minutes. Griffith says policies should be extended to ensure free charging is available during the day at workplaces and curbside street chargers. Electric vehicles are essentially batteries on wheels. New policies to support vehicle-to-grid charging mean EVs can both charge from and discharge to the grid or directly power the home or specific appliances. While EVs are not subsidised, they are better value than home batteries by cost per kilowatt hour of storage. Shifting usage Modern smart appliances come with in-built timers, while basic models can be used with a circuit timer  a small device that can be bought in a hardware store for less than $10.

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The easiest thing to time shift is the hot water system. The economics stack up, Griffith says, to replace a gas-powered system with an efficient heat pump machine immediately, despite the high upfront price. Free electricity will unlock savings of $1-1.50 a day, shrinking the payback period to a year or two. Next is the power-guzzling pool pump. For homes with swimming pools, using a timer to soak up free electricity is a clear win. It takes effort to change habits around washing dishes and clothing, but there is a pay-off for those who can do it. Shifting heating and cooling to the middle of the day will also work, but only if you have a well-insulated home.

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It is hard to shift refrigeration, or when you turn on lights, cook meals (slow cookers notwithstanding), watch television or use computers. This is a job for batteries. The next generation of appliances such as fridges and stoves is likely to come with small batteries to allow them to charge by day, Griffith says. Get to the heart of whats happening with climate change and the environment. Sign up for our fortnightly Environment newsletter.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has fielded repeated questions on the details of the Coalitions energy policy and how her party can prove it will bring down both prices and emissions, which remains a welcome outcome but without clear aspirations to deliver.

On prices, she said: [Australians] will have a look at our plan, and theyll see that it will work, because theyll know that immediately it starts to put downward pressure on prices by being technology-agnostic about base load power, injecting more gas supply into the system, opening up gas fields in Australia.

Sussan Ley and David Littleproud have announced their energy policy. Edwina Pickles

On how it would bring down emissions, Ley said: on average, year-on-year, in line with comparable countries, and as fast and as far as technology will allow.

She said the Coalition would focus on breakthrough technology that did not yet exist.

In 25 years time, will be technologies that were not talking about today, she said. Meanwhile, we know that carbon capture and storage has come a long way. We know that blue hydrogen has come a long way.

Littleproud added: The technology, whether it be carbon capture and storage, with balance in terms of nuclear, the whole facet of where our economy can be balanced, and one day, it would be a great achievement.
Qantas next-generation Airbus A321XLR aircraft will touch down at Brisbane Airport for the first time at 6pm today as it commences its Sydney-Brisbane return route.

The extra long-range craft will be used on return services between Brisbane and Sydney, marking the newest route for the state-of-the-art Airbus  which Qantas launched in September.

The A321XLR features a wider and longer cabin than previous-generation narrow-body aircraft, wider seats, higher ceilings, larger windows, free Wi-Fi and space for about 60 per cent more bags than Qantas Boeing 737s  and also uses less fuel per seat than the 737 it replaces.

Qantas A321XLR will now fly from Brisbane.

The national carrier is only the fourth airline in the world to operate the A321XLR and the first in the Asia-Pacific region.

Qantas Domestic chief executive Markus Svensson praised the technology and comfort improvements of the A321XLR.

Weve had great feedback from customers who have flown on the aircraft, with its 60 per cent larger onboard baggage space a real drawcard and a much quieter cabin than previous-generation aircraft, he said. The A321XLR is also far more efficient than the previous-generation aircraft it is replacing, which is helping us to progress toward our sustainability goals.

Brisbane Airport boss Gert-Jan de Graaff said the aircraft was a great addition to the Brisbane-Sydney route, one of the busiest in the country, as the airport undergoes major improvements.

As Brisbane Airport celebrates 100 years and Qantas marks 105 years since its birth in Queensland, we are forging a future together focused on sustainably connecting the world, he said. The introduction of this aircraft complements the transformation currently under way in our terminals.
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NationalVictoriaVCE Veteran exam supervisors say VCE special arrangements are ballooning Jackson Graham November 16, 2025  8:42am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Veteran VCE exam supervisors say the number of special exam arrangements given to students has gone through the roof in recent years. Yet Russell Jackson and David Williams, who have two decades of combined experience as invigilators, say many students who have approval dont actually use the arrangements. Former teachers Russell Jackson (left) and David Williams oversee VCE exams. Joe Armao Of the 459 students undertaking at least one exam at Caulfield Grammar in Melbournes inner south-east this year, about one in four (26 per cent) have provisions to sit their exams differently, including rest breaks, additional time or working on digital devices. Williams, who taught at Caulfield Grammar for 26 years before returning as the schools chief exam supervisor eight years ago, says he has seen a marked rise in the number of special arrangements.

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It has become incredibly complex and the potential for errors is very high, Williams says, noting that this years English exam was facilitated across 11 rooms due to provisions. Exam rules state students on devices must be in a different room to those without provisions, and there must be one supervisor for every four students. Ive had contact with people at other schools, and they say the same thing, the special exam arrangements have gone through the roof, really. Students do it because they want to protect themselves. Parents play a role too, they say you should try to get that special arrangement because that might help you. Exam provisions have been on a steady rise across the state, as the number of approvals has jumped by 185 per cent since 2015  up from 3957 students to 11,305 students in 2024, according to the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). Of the 89,010 students who sat at least one exam in 2024, about 12.5 per cent received provisions. Mental health was the most common reason for approvals, comprising 43 per cent of students, followed by those with health impairments (22 per cent of provisions).

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Approvals are primarily based on schools providing evidence to the VCAA, and outlining existing arrangements for the students. In Victoria, private schools have proportionally had the biggest rise in approvals. Education authorities say an improved understanding of mental health and other medical problems has resulted in more students applying for exemptions. The ones that do use it, you can see them relaxing or trying to refocus, and I think it works really well for them. But the vast majority, in my experience, dont take it. Exam supervisor David Williams Still, Williams says students often didnt use their break provisions, which are typically 10 minutes every hour, and added to the end of the exam time. The ones that do use it, you can see them relaxing or trying to refocus, and I think it works really well for them. But the vast majority, in my experience, dont take it, he says.

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Invigilators, who are casuals employed by the school for exams, start their shifts at least an hour before exams to lay out student numbers and answer booklets. Related Article Exclusive

Education Laptop in the loo: VCE students desperate cheating ploys revealed They remove exams from a safe, address student questions, check bathrooms for prohibited material, and have a stash of spare pens and erasers at the ready. At the end of each day, Williams takes the completed papers home before a courier collects them and takes them for marking. The preparation work involved can be itself a test, Williams says, but the bottom line is: It doesnt matter what else goes on beforehand or the panic about anything, when the kids are there were relaxed, and were there just to support them. For Jackson, 80, a former English and history teacher at Caulfield Grammar and an alumnus himself, the most rewarding aspect of being an invigilator is seeing the children of his former students sitting exams.

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Sometimes I go up to a student after the exam and say, I taught your father. And they look absolutely stunned and then delighted, he says. In 13 years in the role, Jackson says he has only experienced two incidents of concern: once when a student brought a calculator into an exam that didnt permit its use, but didnt use it; and when he found a note that appeared like a cheat sheet, but later proved irrelevant to the exam material. He acknowledges time can feel slow during a three-hour exam. There are times when you become really quite drowsy, he says with a laugh. It gives me time to think about all sorts of things, and ponder about my own schooling and growing up and how different it would have been in my exams. VCAA chief executive Andrew Smith says the increase in special arrangement provisions means there is a greater need for exam supervisors. Were fortunate to have people from a whole range of walks of life, but those former teachers, former educators, who still want to give back to young people, this is an opportunity for them to do it. We are really grateful to all the people who help make the exams a success. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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PoliticsFederalThe Dismissal Opinion I was 23 when my hero cancelled me, I taunted a prime minister, and played dumb with a spook Sally Gibson Writer November 16, 2025  4:00am

November 16, 2025  4:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share 104 View all comments

It was largely because of this masthead that the sacking of the Whitlam Labor government 50 years ago was coined The Dismissal. And also partly that the miniseries of that name ever came about. I was 23 years of age and working as a special writer on The Age under the inimitable Peter Smark and editor Creighton Burns when the phone rang from Sydney. It was an acquaintance, the late Byron Kennedy, who I knew through 3AWs producer of the Derryn Hinch show, Terry Hayes, and who himself was the producer of the hit film, Mad Max. He was calling to see if I was interested in working on an idea that he and his partner, George Miller, had for a miniseries on the sacking of the Whitlam government. Former Age reporter Sally Gibson asks the then-prime minister Malcolm Fraser about the last book hed read, at a book fair in December 1980. The Age Byron and George had recently completed Mad Max 2 and had the funds to invest in some passion projects, and as a Melbourne boy, Byron was an Age reader.

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We noticed an article you did in The Age, Byron said. It was about a prostitute and you wrote it in screenplay form with dialogue. Indeed, I had recently finished an article for the-then features editor, Eric Beecher, spending a week with a prostitute in one of Melbournes notorious unlicensed massage parlours. Id phoned a service advertised in the local rag and asked the owner for permission to shadow one of its sex workers for a week. In a dingy one-bedder in Dandenong Road, St Kilda East, I followed one of his girls and, to disguise my identity from the Johns, played the receptionist, greeting clients and taking calls when the girls were busy in the bedroom. Given the obvious drama in such a story, I wrote it as a three-act play. Byron continued: Were thinking of making a miniseries on the sacking of the Whitlam government. Would you like to write a three-page outline for a pitch to television? Would I ever! Id been a uni student doing honours in political science when Kerr did the unthinkable. Six years later, my rage had not abated and I leapt at the offer: I was keen to help Australians understand the full play of the politics that led to what I now believe was a coup detat rather than just a day-to-day tabloid story of loans affairs and sex scandals.

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The Channel 10 board apparently prevaricated over the appetite of Australian audiences for a political drama before giving it the green light and I was offered a five-week contract in Sydney to research the six-hour show, though I knew it wouldnt be enough. When Id first joined The Age in 1980, I had sought opportunities to express my rage, as Gough had advised. On one occasion I was assigned to cover a book fair where then prime minister Malcolm Fraser was officiating and discussed with the chief of staff my idea of asking Fraser what was the last book hed read. This was an insulting trope of the times suggesting the person was ill-read but disguised as an innocent question. Photo: Matt Davidson When I came up behind the PM and put my question, he turned around and, more than twice my age and at least a foot taller, dressed me down. And the lightning-fast Age photographer captured it. Now, it was November 1981, and the Kennedy-Miller miniseries had to be in the can by the following June to meet the governments new tax concessions for film and TV investment. I worked every day and night for eight months as I forensically examined books, news clippings, TV footage, Hansard, and interview material, weighing up the most likely scenario for the 300-odd scenes necessary and then co-writing the script with Terry Hayes leading.

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I was an extra in the critical last scene of the show when Whitlam marches through the doors of Old Parliament House to deliver his formidable Kerrs cur speech, which I can still quote word for word. In finally watching the whole show for the first time last weekend, I saw my young self with a pixie haircut right behind Max Phipps, after which the show cuts to the original footage. Related Article The Dismissal A huge mistake that changed history: Whitlam failed to tell the right people hed been sacked While the show was in post-production, I returned to journalism and, according to Terry, it was he who came up with a range of titles for the show, including the one that was accepted: The Dismissal. Disappointingly for me, the screening was delayed as Channel 10 did not want to be seen to be influencing the next federal election due to be fought by Fraser. In the end Bob Hawke won and the show was put to air on the three nights that followed, and was a smash hit in the ratings. I wonder now, had Fraser won that election, if the show would have ever been aired.

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Nevertheless, the most shocking event in Australian political history, henceforth, became known by the name of our miniseries, which is regularly cited among the best Australian TV shows of all time. Many of the actors were reputedly happy to work for free because they recognised the series significance. One of the directors said, wisely at the time, that none of us would ever work on anything like that again. He was proved right  though I did go on to have my own interesting government career, and a political campaign as an independent candidate. The most fascinating aspect of the project for me was at the start of my research. When word got out, I was phoned by someone introducing themselves as from the prime ministers office. Another tall, intimidating bloke, twice my size in both directions  who struck me more as an intelligence officer  arranged a cafe meeting with me near the studios in Kings Cross and tried to grill me ever so slowly on the tenor of the show. I kept my cool and played dumb while assuring him we were aiming for a balanced portrayal of events. He scheduled a second meeting closer to the completion of the shoot, where I reiterated my reassurance. In the end, the feedback from all sides was positive.

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Through the show, I was fortunate to get to know the cream of Australias directorial and acting talent from Bill Hunter (Rex Connor) and John Stanton (Fraser) to John Meillon (Kerr) Max Phipps (Whitlam), Robyn Nevin (Lady Kerr) and Ruth Cracknell (Margaret Whitlam) as well as directors Phil Noyce and George Ogilvie, among many others. The research took me into the minds of the key personalities; it was a rabbit hole that threatened to devour me given its import and social magnitude. Journalist Sally Gibson found herself co-writing TV mini-series The Dismissal in the early 80s. Fairfax Media Early in my research, I tried to secure an interview with each of the key players. I had come upon Whitlams home number and braced myself to call him from a landline under the stairs of my Glebe share house. How dare you call me on my private number! he boomed down the handset. But, but, but ... youre my idol! Yes, my all-time hero had cancelled me, for which my body still keeps the score. Related Article Political Sketch

The Dismissal The Dismissal: Norman Gunstons moment, while a boy got high on a king The next day, from his work phone, he denied me an interview to protect his legal rights to sue for libel should he be seen to be collaborating with the show. Yet in releasing his dysregulated emotions upon me, Gough told me all I needed to know about the impact of his personality on the proud John Kerr.

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However, my view was, and firmly remains, that Kerr was 100 per cent in the wrong. By taking such a monstrous affront to Whitlams treatment of him, Kerr himself lost everything, and we all lost the integrity of our polity. My rage only expands as the years go by. Sally Gibson is a journalist and was researcher and co-writer of The Dismissal. She appears this week on a special edition of the Truth Lies and Media podcast. The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here
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Exclusive PoliticsNSWExtremism Senior neo-Nazi may face deportation to South Africa after parliament rally Michael McGowan November 16, 2025  12:52pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

A senior member of the neo-Nazi group that held an anti-Jewish protest outside of state parliament could face deportation back to his native South Africa, at the same time as NSWs top bureaucrat has warned public servants who express white supremacist views face being sacked. The Herald can reveal officials in the Department of Home Affairs are preparing a brief for the Albanese government to consider the visa of Matthew Gruter, one of the 60-odd black clad neo-Nazis who staged a made-for-social-media rally outside parliament last Saturday. Matthew Gruter, who attended Saturdays neo-Nazi rally, works for a major engineering firm that has held contracts with the Australian Defence Department and NSW government. Instagram It comes after the Herald revealed on Thursday that Gruter, a senior member of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Network in NSW, was a South African national who had been in Australia with his influencer wife for about three years. The purpose of the brief, which could go before ministers as early as Monday, is to consider the status of his visa.

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Gruter, a civil engineer who was employed with multinational company Aurecon, had been photographed leading National Socialist Network (NSN) training sessions and had been spotted wearing the silver wristband reserved for the groups leaders in photographs with his pregnant wife. The wristband is inscribed with the words blood and honour, a slogan associated with the Hitler Youth. Related Article Exclusive

Extremism Engineer. Teacher. Postie: The neo-Nazis who rallied in Sydney While no decision has been made on Gruters visa, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has previously outlined a tougher approach than his predecessors in allowing foreign nationals who were inciting discord. He has spoken out about blocking visas for potentially divisive visitors, including right-wing podcaster Candace Owens and rapper Kanye West. He has also refused visas to former Israeli minister Ayelet Shaked.

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I really dont care about receiving criticisms on freedom of speech. Like, do not care, Burke told this masthead in August. People who live here have rights to freedom of speech within Australia, [but] we get to choose if someones coming here with the intention of  inciting discord. Related Article Exclusive

Political leadership Divisive debate has no place in Australia, Tony Burke says When the Herald contacted Gruter last week about his involvement in the rally he responded: Since when is loving and advocating for your own People [sic] a crime? Separately, NSWs most senior bureaucrat has warned public servants that publicly espousing Nazi views could result in them being fired, saying it was simply inconsistent with our job to express hostility or incite hatred against sections of the community.

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Simon Draper, the secretary of the NSW Premiers Department, sent a missive to the states approximately 460,000 public servants after the Herald revealed at least one government employee was among the group of neo-Nazis who rallied outside parliament. Warning the public service could not allow its reputation to be sullied by the hateful actions of a few, Draper indicated publicly expressing views aligned to Nazism or white supremacy would end in termination. Related Article Exclusive

Extremism Security contractor with education department links among neo-Nazis at Sydney rally The NSW Public Service is as wide and varied as our community. Naturally we do not seek to regulate the private thoughts and opinions of our people, even those most odious to any reasonable person, he wrote. However, we do insist that public servants serve the public. Its in the title. And we mean all members of our community. It is simply inconsistent with our job to publicly express hostility or hatred toward some sections of our community.

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Drapers message followed the Heralds report confirming one NSN member who took part in the rally was a Sydney Trains employee. Cooper Stephens was on Thursday stood down from his job as a train guard while the agency investigated his involvement in the rally. Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, welcomed Drapers intervention, saying no Australian should be expected to work alongside such a person. Nazism is not a point of view or a political movement. It is the treasonous worship of genocide and race war. It cannot be normalised in any segment of our society, he said. Employers have a duty to their staff and to the public and protecting them from contact with those who support the murder or deportation of those deemed non-white is a part of that duty.

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Stephens, based in south-west Sydney, works as a train guard for the state government agency. He was based in a depot with a large multicultural staff contingent, sources have told the Herald. In a statement, a spokesman for Sydney Trains said it was very concerned with the matter. In the interim, Sydney Trains has directed the employee not to attend work while the matter is examined, the spokesman said. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Sunday advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, citing security concerns.

In a statement published on its official website, the ministry cited the travel advisory issued by the Chinese foreign ministry, which referred to a deteriorating security environment for Chinese citizens in Japan as well as recent provocative remarks made by the Japanese leader regarding China's Taiwan.

The statement advised Chinese tourists to avoid traveling to Japan at this time and recommended that those already in Japan closely monitor the local security situation, heighten safety awareness, strengthen self-protection, and promptly contact local police or the Chinese embassy and consulates in Japan to seek assistance in case of emergency. 
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Exclusive PoliticsQueenslandQueensland government Key public servant speaks out on alarming health program ban Matt Dennien November 17, 2025  5:00am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

The senior public servant who oversaw the introduction of Australias first pill testing programs has described the Crisafulli governments unwinding of Queenslands fledgling scheme as absolutely staggering. Michael DeAth, a former ACT Health and Queensland Education department head, has spoken publicly for the first time after the recently legislated ban. Its particularly alarming as we head into something like schoolies, DeAth said in an interview with this masthead. Queensland Premier David Crisafulli and former senior public servant Michael DeAth. Michael Howard Despite flagging its opposition to the former governments drug reforms before last years state election, the LNP allowed already contracted pill testing services to operate at the official 2024 schoolies event on the Gold Coast the following month.

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Since then, it has stripped funding from the sector and banned its work in rushed legal amendments after the operator of the states two short-lived fixed-site services geared up to resume operations in September with philanthropic funding. Various government ministers have justified the decision by claiming pill checking condones the use of illegal drugs  which there is no safe way to take  and, by extension, supports the illicit drug trade. But a recent government-commissioned review found the schemes successful implementation detected significant numbers of unexpected, more dangerous additives, and drew suggestions it could actually force accountability from suppliers. Former public servant speaks out DeAth was director-general of ACT Health when it launched Australias first trials at Groovin the Moo festivals from 2018, and has worked as a public servant across Australia and New Zealand for more than two decades.

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Many of those roles spanned child protection and education, with his latest position being director-general of Queenslands education department from December 2021 until he was swept out in the first wave of the Crisafulli governments overhaul of public service bosses. Ive engaged and been involved in the policy space with  young people for a very long time, DeAth told this masthead in an interview, noting he was more than concerned by Queenslands stance. Related Article Pill Testing Health body calls for urgent talks as pill-testing ban looms And I think thats particularly alarming as we head into something like schoolies, where  once again, I cant emphasise enough  wed love to believe that all young people would do the right thing all the time, and they wouldnt engage in risk-taking behaviour, he said. But we do know that in those contexts there is a degree of risk-taking behaviour that young people engage in. So, the opportunity lost to save lives or reduce harm, I find quite surprising.

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DeAth said he felt for other sections of the public service which would have to pick up the consequences and doorknock the homes of any young person who was injured or killed. He also said he found it quite alarming that a senior member of the government would discredit another jurisdiction pursuing the programs as commies, after Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijies attack on the Allan Labor government in Victoria. Pill testing services have been scrapped in Queensland. CheQpoint I find that particularly disturbing in this day and age that such a comment would be made ... [about] a government choosing to take action that the evidence would show reduces harm and can save lives, DeAth said. A number of jurisdictions across Australia and elsewhere in the world [are] doing this work and saving young people. Goodness, you know, its not like its a new thing.

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In a statement, Bleijie reiterated the governments view that there is no safe way to take drugs. We will not be rolling out the welcome mat to drug dealers in Queensland like Queensland Labor and other Labor states have, he said. As a father of two young adults and a teenager, I want to do everything we can to protect the health and safety of our young people. Evaluation found successful implementation A University of Queensland evaluation of the drug checking service, ordered by the former Labor government and only released by the LNP as it passed laws banning it, found 1341 people attended fixed and mobile sites.

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Of these, more than half were able to speak to a health professional for the first time about their drug use as a result. Follow-up surveys found two-in-five did not use the tested sample, one-in-five used less, and one-in-10 disposed of some. Only 57 per cent of samples tested contained just the substances expected, with significant numbers also containing unexpected psychoactive substances, creating additional risks. DeAth said, in the face of the growing evidence base supporting the services as a harm-reduction method, he found Queenslands decision to ban it staggering, absolutely staggering. I cant think of a good reason why you wouldnt do it, he said. I know the argument thats put forward is some ideology, if you like, of no drugs are good drugs. If were not going to do something in the face of pretty compelling evidence that saves lives, what are we going to stop doing that were already doing thats having that positive impact?

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In a section of the evaluation on unintended consequences, the authors noted multiple participants and stakeholders suggested drug checking could deter manufacturers and distributors from adding other dangerous substances. If substances were found to contain adulterants, they may be less likely to purchase the substance from the same person in the future, the report said  something DeAth called a terrific outcome. Considerations for the future, the evaluation team wrote, included expanding resourcing and the number of fixed-site locations or regional mobile services, and investing in better technology. Asked at a media conference last week about his concern that teens attending schoolies may have fewer tools at their disposal to know about the circulation of drugs with more dangerous additives, Health Minister Tim Nicholls leaned again on his governments now common refrain. We simply say, as we have always said, there is no safe way to take drugs, and that is the very clear message that we have been consistent about all the way through, he said. Start the day with a summary of the days most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
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WorldEuropeDefence The giver generation and the fight over German conscription David Crowe November 16, 2025  12:50pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

Berlin: Quentin Gartner has a term for the young Germans who will be called up for physical checks next year in a government plan to fill an urgent gap in the nations armed forces. Gartner, the elected head of a group that speaks for millions of school students, calls the teenagers the giver generation because they are being asked to sign up for the military when they receive too little from the state in return. It is a powerful criticism in the days after German politicians struck a deal to start mandatory medical examinations for every male who turns 18 so they can be selected for voluntary military service. Members of the Bundeswehr, Germanys armed forces, arrive to attend an event to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Bundeswehr at which 280 new recruits took their oath of service on November 12. Getty Images The goal is to recruit 20,000 more volunteers next year alone, but sceptics think the government will miss the target and take the next logical step: mandatory conscription.

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We want to take responsibility, says Gartner, the secretary-general of the Federal Student Conference. Related Article Exclusive

Defence Europe steps up plan for defence pact with Australia I think millions of young people want to give something back to the country, but there also has to be a state that is willing to take responsibility for us. The new policy has ignited a debate about the gap between the generations, with young people demanding a better deal on education, health and housing. Prospects are grim, with the economy growing just 0.2 per cent this year and unemployment at 6.3 per cent. (In Australia, annual growth was 1.8 per cent at last count and unemployment was 4.3 per cent).

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And the security fears in Europe are the worst they have been since the Berlin Wall fell in November 1989, marking the end of the Cold War. Gartner says political leaders should fix policies for young people after the damage from the coronavirus. He says this should include more spending on education and mental health. Quentin Gartner says the giver generation will have to contribute more to society than it could possibly ask back from it. Alamy Stock Photo We call ourselves a giver generation, he says. (The term is gebergeneration in German.) We are a generation that will have to contribute more to society than it could possibly ask back from society.

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We will get it done. We will have to solve all these issues the current government cant solve. Related Article Analysis

NATO Crosses our red lines: Trump demand divides NATO Germany ended conscription in 2011 but is ramping up military spending to confront threats from Russia. It forecasts it will need to increase military personnel from 183,000 today to more than 260,000 in the next decade. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has struggled for months to gain a deal within his ruling coalition to restore conscription, after the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) opposed the mandatory regime backed by many in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the conservative party Merz leads. The national parliament, the Bundestag, has 630 seats. The CDU and its sister party, the CSU, hold 208. Merz governs with a coalition including the SPD, which has 120 seats.

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Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, from the SPD, has warned about the need to build up the military, and said in June last year that this meant signing up more young people. We must be ready for war by 2029, he told the Bundestag. German chancellor Friedrich Merz has struggled for months to gain a deal within his ruling coalition to restore conscription. Bloomberg In an emergency, we need strong young women and men who can defend this country. The new policy will make it mandatory for young men to fill out a questionnaire when they turn 18, so the military will decide which of them will be called up for medical examinations. Young women will be sent a questionnaire, but will not be required to fill it in.

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The physical examination will be mandatory for men from July 2027, although they can opt out of serving. The hybrid model will go to a vote in the Bundestag next month and a new law would be needed if politicians wanted to restore conscription, but there is already talk that the voluntary scheme will fall short of the military goals. I suspect it will not remain voluntary. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz I suspect it will not remain voluntary, Merz said on October 5. The German armed forces, known as the Bundeswehr, have cabinet approval to expand to 260,000 active soldiers by the early 2030s, along with a doubling in the number of reservists to 200,000.

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Pistorius, who is a relatively popular figure and was the defence minister in the previous coalition government, is claiming the voluntary scheme will work by rewarding young people with good training and pay. Other European countries, especially Nordic ones, have shown that the principle of voluntary service combined with attractiveness works, and I expect it to be the same here, he said last Thursday when announcing the cross-party agreement. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, from the SPD, has warned about the need to build up the military. Getty Images The number of applicants is increasing, the recruitment figures are rising. The government is now trying to set up recruitment centres to replace the conscription offices that were shut down in 2011, while also building up training services so young people will exit their military service with useful skills.

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The training could run from six months to two years and could lead to qualifications from the army, air force, navy or cyber command. Editor's pick Blood Oil Blood oil: How this Australia-bound ship is helping pay for Putins war The government is offering a monthly payment of 2600 ($4600) before tax to the young people who serve. This is about 400 lower than the average gross monthly earnings for men younger than 25, according to government statistics. But the bigger challenge will be the governments need to convince young people that the state is looking after them while they are helping to protect the state. The bill is going to be passed, one way or the other, and we will see if conscription will follow, Gartner says.

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But this isnt just a situation where you can ask for something in a one-sided way. The government also has to look at how the country works for young people. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on whats making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
THE LOSS of Irelands nitrates derogation would have devastating consequences for young farmers and the long-term sustainability of Irish agriculture, according to MACRA president Josephine ONeill.

Speaking at the National Nitrates Derogation event held in Fermoy, Co Cork, Ms ONeill said that the nitrates derogation issue is a concern for all farmers and is potentially devastating for our young farmers, new entrants and the future of the sector.

For decades, weve spoken about the need for generational renewal in Irish agriculture, she said. Weve encouraged young people to study agriculture, to take the reins of their family farm, and to believe there is a future for them on the land. But now those very futures are being threatened.

The event, which was organised by the Irish Farmers Association, drew a crowd of up to 2,000, with many in attendance forced to watch proceedings on TV screens set up on the concourse, indicating the significance the issue holds among Irish farmers.

Minister for agriculture Martin Heydon took questions from the crowd and said that he is standing with farmers; however, he could not yet give any guarantees around the fate of the nitrates derogation in the future.

Ms ONeill also stressed in her remarks that the knock-on effects would extend far beyond individual farms, with co-ops, contractors, feed suppliers and marts potentially suffering if the derogation is lost.

In her final remarks, Ms ONeill directly addressed Mr Heydon and his fellow policymakers, saying: Minister, as you negotiate our derogation, remember our young farmers. They are the heartbeat of rural Ireland. Without them, farming will have no future.

Under the Nitrates Directive, European Union farmers must ensure that the total amount of nitrogen from organic manure applied to their land does not exceed 170kg per hectare per year. But due to Irelands model, where livestock are out on grass for large parts of the year, theres a derogation allowing some farmers to use up to 250kg per hectare.

The rules imposed on farmers through the EU Nitrates Directive is aimed at protecting watercourses from agricultural pollution caused by fertilisers and animal waste. Ireland is the only country in the EU seeking the derogation, with farmers and agriculture groups arguing that the extended grass growing season allows fields to absorb more fertilisers.

The current nitrates derogation expires at the end of the year, with the EU set to vote on new limits for 2026-2029.

There are about 7,000 farmers operating in derogation around the country.
A PROPHET has the ability to read the signs of the times, mingling the relevance of the Gospel, in a courageous and faith-filled manner.

I have no doubt that Irelands beloved Sr Stan fulfilled her prophetic ministry, fuelled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ. She was a fearless campaigner for those who found themselves on the outside; an inclusive voice that brought tolerance and compassion; a welcoming heart that always embraced the stranger.

Her prophetic ministry in an institution often dominated by patriarchy makes it even more inspirational. In her 27 published books, her spirituality of hope and gratitude shared a deep empathy that made the Gospel message deeply relevant to the times we live in.

For Sister Stanislaus Kennedy throughout her more than 60 years as a religious Sister of Charity, the needs of people living in poverty in Ireland was always her greatest concern. Her faith led her to see responding to the words of Jesus, Truly I tell you, as long as you did it to one of these the least of my brethren, you did it to me, (Mt 25:40), as her lifelong vocation.

Sister Stanislaus Kennedy was, according to former taoiseach Charlie Haughey, the most intransigent woman he had ever met. Then, in the late 1970s, Sr Stan was chair of an EU-funded national committee on pilot schemes to combat poverty in Ireland. It had taken a radical approach, setting up rural co-operatives while supporting projects for Travellers, the disabled and women. Some of its members had a meeting with Haughey, then minister for health. He was not impressed, and described what they were doing as rubbish, suggesting that they should concentrate on doing meals on wheels and things like that.

Sr Stan interrupted: With respect, I dont agree with you at all.

She said that he then lambasted us all. He insisted what we were doing would go nowhere and that it was Marxist, and he added as for you Sr Stanislaus, you are the most intransigent woman Ive ever met.

In 2003, on being presented with yet another honorary doctorate, she was described as a woman known for her directness, persistence and a cultivated inability to comprehend the answer no.

She tended to accept those views herself. In later life, she agreed she could be difficult and stubborn because working for the poor involves difficult and humiliating tasks, such as going from door to door, looking for funds.

Her first experience of real poverty was working in Dublins Ringsend during the late 1950s while still a novice. It left a deep impression. Soon, she also realised services werent enough; you had to have advocacy as well  thats what drove me.

She had a deep impulse to help people in distress or despair, whether through poverty or for spiritual reasons. Her advocacy also spurred her to write thousands of articles, give as many talks and to write or edit at least 27 books.

Treasa Kennedy was the fourth in a family of five who lived on a small farm at Lispole, near Dingle, in Co Kerry. Her mother came from the fior Gaeltacht, where Peig Sayers came from; her father came from the breac area. Both spoke beautiful Irish.

Locally, that meant being seen as kind of inferior, she said. There was little Irish spoken in Dingle then and none spoken in the shops.

Speaking Irish was proof that you were uneducated.

She was a wild young one, into the dances and that side of life. So, when people around Dingle heard that one of Tadhg Mhuilleans daughters was going into the convent, they never would have picked me out as the one.

One of her sisters told her about the Irish Sisters of Charity. Sr Stan said: A friend of hers was joining the order. They were the people who worked with the poor and the homeless. That was it. I joined the nuns.

In 1958 she entered the novitiate at Milltown in Dublin with 100 others and was given the name Stanislaus. In the mid-1960s, her work began in earnest in Kilkenny, where she was sent to assist the innovative Bishop of Ossory, Peter Birch, then setting up a pioneering community services project.

He became her mentor, shaping her views on the marginalised. She believed, as did Birch, that the Catholic Church needed to identify more with the poor. This proved controversial.

I wrote a paper saying the Church had resources and it wasnt using them for the poor. Well, all hell broke loose because it was picked up by the media. People were furious, bishops were furious, I got a letter from Rome. In the end of it, I was silenced. But then I rose up again and started speaking out again.

That she did. Later, it included challenging mandatory celibacy for priests, supporting equality for women in the Church and calling for a Yes vote in the 2015 referendum on same-sex marriage.

Im sure she embraced the radical witness of Pope Francis in his humility and desire to build a church for the poor.

She founded and directed Kilkenny Social Services and went on to co-found the School of Social Education in Kilkenny, providing the first professional courses for residential childcare workers in Ireland.

When Bishop Birch died suddenly in 1981, she moved to Dublin and studied for a degree in social science at UCD, then went on to take a masters at the University of Manchester.

In 1985, the European Commission appointed her co-ordinator of the European Rural Poverty Projects within the EU. In Dublin, also that year, she founded the body with which she is most publicly identified, Focus Ireland, the biggest voluntary housing organisation in the state.

In 1998, she founded the Sanctuary, a holistic spirituality centre in Dublin, and in 2001 established both the Immigrant Council of Ireland, to promote the rights of immigrants, and Social Innovations Ireland Ltd, to help young people respond to the needs of 21st century Ireland.

In 2017 she became ill, but it was 2020 before she could speak of the cancer, admitting she couldnt bring herself to say the word at first. She said: I never thought I was going to die; I didnt think about that at all. I drew on my faith ... that helped me.

As described in 2003, when being presented with an honorary doctorate at Maynooth University, one of at least 18 awards she was given, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy was described as a woman of immense reputation, a servant of the underprivileged people of modern Ireland.

Sr Stan had a deep awareness of Gods presence in her life. She was contemplative and nourished her soul in the silence of Gods presence. As we continue through the month of November and live in this winter darkness, we come to the Sabbath time of year, when nature rests.

A sense of Sabbath, a commitment to taking time and space out of our busy lives and giving it to the sacred, can restore our openness to grace and make us alive to the miracles around us.

May we all walk the pathway of kindness and compassion.
TEHRAN, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday accused the United States and several of its allies of trying to build a "force-based" international order.

Speaking at an international conference titled "International Law under Attack: Aggression and Defense" in Tehran, he said the current global environment reflects "anti-international law" policies advanced in recent years by Washington and its partners, a move in favor of a West-centered order promoted as a "rules-based" international order rather than a "law-based" one.

War and violence have become normalized in international affairs and some governments now rely on military force as a routine tool of foreign policy, he added.

The minister said the United States' "naked and reckless" use of force and its ongoing erosion of international law foundations amount to "the law of the jungle," adding that such an approach cannot endure. 
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Manchester Animation Festival (MAF), the UKs only Oscar and BAFTA-qualifying animation festival, revealed the winners of its 2025 international competition and Industry Excellence Awards on Thursday night at HOME Manchester.

Bolstering an already strong resume heading into awards season, Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Hans Little Amelie or the Character of Rain was picked as the best feature at this years MAF by the competition jury, which explained:

It was a unanimous decision by the jury who were all blown away by the originality and creativity of this film. We were transported by the tender and heartwarming story of family, seen from the point of view of the two year old girl. There was a real cohesion within the film from the art direction, animation, voice performances, music and sound design that came together beautifully in this unique and moving feature.

This years Oscar-qualifying best short award went to Vinnie Ann Boses mixed-format immigration story Sulaimani, of which the jury said:

This short film explores the cultural nuances, societal expectations and internal conflict of leaving India with real depth and care. Dancing seamlessly between stop motion & 2D, the mixed media format enhanced the storytelling and its evocative imagery. With strong characterisation and real emotions.

Thursdays ceremony opened with the Industry Excellence Awards, shining a spotlight on the often-invisible work of writers, storyboard artists, character designers, and animators. Awards in eight film categories followed, ranging from shorts and features to immersive works and childrens films.

The festival presented Irelands Cartoon Saloon with the MAF Fellowship Award, celebrating over 25 years of influential work from the studios founders Tomm Moore, Paul Young, and Nora Twomey.

Among other highlights of this years program were high-profile U.K. premieres, talks with directors including Alex Woo (In Your Dreams) and Baku Kinoshita (The Last Blossom), and an exclusive look at Zootropolis 2 from Disney Animation. The screening of Mamoru Oshiis Angels Egg on its 40th anniversary and the UK premiere of I Am Frankelda also drew significant attention from attendees.

In a year where the industry has faced turbulence, festival director and Skwigly editor Steve Henderson said that this years program pushed past the moments challenges:

There have been so many enriching conversations this week about the future of animation. At a tricky time for the animation industry, seeing such a range of wonderful, handcrafted, and intricate masterpieces celebrated  and awarded  here at the festival is genuinely heartwarming and brilliant, obliterating any doom and gloom!

2025 Manchester Animation Festival Winners

Industry Excellence Awards

Scriptwriting: Davey Moore  Maddie and Triggs (CBeebies/RTEjr)

Davey Moore  Maddie and Triggs (CBeebies/RTEjr) Storyboarding: Sasha Fusini  Supertato (BBC)

Sasha Fusini  Supertato (BBC) Character Animation: Dave McKenna  Maddie and Triggs (CBeebies/RTEjr)

Dave McKenna  Maddie and Triggs (CBeebies/RTEjr) Character Design: Saeed Rezvani  Mojo Swoptops (CBeebies)

Film Competition Awards

Feature Film

Winner: Little Amelie or the Character of Rain  Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han (France)

Short Film

Winner: Sulaimani  Vinnie Ann Bose (France)

Sulaimani  Vinnie Ann Bose (France) Special Mention: Dog Ear  Peter Vacz (Hungary)

British Short Film

Winner: Two Black Boys in Paradise  Baz Sells (U.K.)

Two Black Boys in Paradise  Baz Sells (U.K.) Special Mention: Brain Space  Laura Tofarides (U.K.)

Student Film

Winner: The Twelve Inch Pianist  Lucas Ansel (U.S.)

The Twelve Inch Pianist  Lucas Ansel (U.S.) Special Mention: Urban Duo  Hongyu Yue (China)

Immersive Film

Winner: Out of Nowhere  Kris Hoffman (Austria)

Out of Nowhere  Kris Hoffman (Austria) Special Mention: Less Than 5gr of Saffron  Negar Motevalymeidanshah (France)

Commissioned Film

Winner: Desi Oon  Suresh Eriyat (India)

Desi Oon  Suresh Eriyat (India) Special Mention: Naive New Beaters & Star Feminine Band  Ye Kou Si Kuo (France)

Audience Award

Winner: Ovary-Acting  Ida Melum (U.K.)

Short Film for Children
Welcome to Cartoon Brews series of spotlights focusing on the animated shorts that have qualified for the 2026 Oscars. The films in this series have qualified through one of multiple routes: by winning an Oscar-qualifying award at a film festival, by exhibiting theatrically, or by winning a Student Academy Award.

Todays short is Whale 52, directed by Daniel Neiden and produced and animated by Bill Plympton. The short has screened at several festivals and qualified for the Oscars through exhibition.

Based on a true story, Whale 52 follows an 80-year-old school volunteer and Enam, a selectively mute third-grader, whose bond deepens through a magical pen and journal that allows them to communicate when words fail. Enam eventually shares the story of Whale 52, sometimes called the loneliest whale in the world, which sings at a different frequency than the rest of its kind. Eventually, the viewer learns why Enam feels an affinity for the creature in a well-earned and breath-catching reveal that we wont spoil here; suffice to say, the short has an organization widely respected for protecting the mental health and well-being of young people attached. Plymptons scribbly hand is instantly recognizable in the films 2D animation, complemented by an uplifting string-led score that perfectly matches the animations hand-crafted style.

Cartoon Brew: What was it about this story or concept that connected with you and compelled you to direct the film?

Daniel Neiden: My business and writing partner, Edward Jordon, is the basis of the story. Edward was once a teacher in Florida and had a young, selectively mute student. Edward struggled to find a way to break through, ultimately happening upon the key to the whole thing via a blank book and pen, and carrying the wonder of that connection with him all these years later. Edward wrote the first version of the script, which won some very fine awards, but didnt get the film any closer to being made until Bill Plympton said he very much liked the story and would be honored to animate it.

What did you learn through the experience of making this film, either production-wise, filmmaking-wise, creatively, or about the subject matter?

As the director, I was gifted with an exquisite shoulder-to-shoulder collaboration with our editor, Owen Andrejco, right in Bills studio, with Bill conveniently located six to eight feet away, finishing the drawings to be scanned and colored by our intern if ever there were a how the sausage is made experience for an animation fan, this was certainly it. When Bill needed to know the emotional subtleties of, for example, the shudder that comes right after one has been sobbing, I would self-tape it on my phone and send him the video of me doing that. Getting the same emotions back, but in Bills incredible depths, always exceeded Edwards and my expectations. Always. When we began to see this unbelievable array of emotions take form and become our storythere were no weak links.

Can you describe how you developed your visual approach to the film? Why did you settle on this style/technique?

As for the visual approach and technique, Bill chose a minimalist style of decor with no background he had not used since Your Face.

What made Bill the right person to work with on this particular story?

So many of Bills characters in his almost 100 films live in isolation, yearning to connect. Over the almost forty years Ive known him, Bill has often characterized himself as being in the communication business. When you watch Whale 52, it is what I know as vintage Bill, channeling all of us as we search for a listening heart. We recently got a beautiful quote from Sir Ian McKellen saying, Whale 52 is a thrillingly original creation to watch, and to listen and respond to. Its final revelation took my breath away. Im proud to report that, judging by the sounds of the many catch-breaths during our week-long theatrical run at the IFC in New York, Edwards story has been placed in the best hands possible.
MANILA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Around 650,000 Filipinos launched a three-day anti-corruption rally at a major urban park here on Sunday, calling for "transparency for a better democracy" amid investigations into alleged multibillion-peso anomalies in flood-control projects.

The Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said about 650,000 people gathered at the park by Sunday afternoon.

The rally demanded a thorough and transparent probe into the alleged irregular flood-control projects and accountability for officials, legislators and contractors accused of pocketing billions of pesos from real or fictitious projects.

Protester Junmar Ybanez decried the alleged misuse of public money exposed during Senate and House hearings. "I am tired of working and paying proper taxes while these officials are stealing funds," he told local media.

Meanwhile, around 2,000 people held a separate anti-corruption rally along a major highway.

Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Dave Gomez said Sunday that Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos has been closely monitoring the situation.

Around 16,000 policemen have been deployed to maintain order.

Sunday's gathering was the latest in a wave of anti-corruption protests in recent months. 
12/11/2025

Here is the latest Hamilton County arrest report. (If your case is dismissed, just email us your name and date we ran it and we will promptly take off. Email to news@chattanoogan.com ) BEARD,CHRISTOPHER ... more
Home News Christians in Pakistan demand equality in new election law: 'Election not selection'

Christians in Punjab, Pakistans most populous province, are protesting a new local government election law that denies religious minorities the right to directly elect their own representatives and undermines democratic participation through non-party elections.

The Punjab Local Government Act 2025, which will govern long-delayed local polls expected in late December, requires residents in more than 4,000 union councils covering rural and urban areas to directly elect nine general members but fills four reserved seats  for minorities, women, laborers or farmers, and youth  through a party-driven selection process. Christians, who constitute the bulk of minority population in Punjab, argue that the change entrenches political marginalization for already vulnerable groups and violates constitutional guarantees of equality and local empowerment.

Our biggest concern is the undemocratic and unfair adoption of the selection system on the reserved seats. The right to elect ones own representatives is fundamental to meaningful participation, said Samson Salamat, chairman of Rwadari Tehreek (Movement for Equality).

"We fear that it will deepen the political marginalization of the weaker segments of society, especially religious minorities, women and labor," he added.

Addressing a peoples assembly organized at the Lahore Press Club on Nov. 7 in partnership with two other civil society organizations, Salamat said that holding the election on non-party basis would also undermine political representation.

The Punjab Local Government Act 2025 is against democratic principles and will lead to a lack of accountability and transparency. Without a party affiliation, voters wont know what policies or principles their local candidates stand for, he emphasized.

Katherine Sapna, executive director of the paralegal organization Christians True Spirit, said Article 140-A of Pakistans constitution guarantees administrative, financial and political authority to elected local government representatives. The new law, however, undermines those protections and runs counter to core democratic values and constitutional guarantees, she argued.

The representation of religious minorities in the form of proportional representation in the national and provincial assemblies since 2002 has already proved to be counterproductive for religious minorities. Instead of reforming the law, the Punjab government has repeated the injustice and deprived Christians and other minorities of electing their own representatives even at the local government level, she said.

She added that Rwadari Tehreek, Christians True Spirit and the Human Friends Organization jointly filed a constitutional petition in the Lahore High Court on Nov. 5, asking the court to amend the law so religious minorities can directly elect their own representatives.

Other speakers  including church leaders, lawyers and social activists  also condemned the new law and called for direct elections to the reserved minority seats. Local government polls, they said, must reflect justice, equality and genuine public participation if religious and social minorities are to feel empowered at the grassroots level.

Punjab last held local government elections in 2015.

The practice of filling reserved seats through party nominations stems from the joint electorate model introduced by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 2002. Under that system, minorities vote alongside Muslims to elect national and provincial representatives, while minority seats in parliament and the provincial assemblies are distributed to political parties in proportion to their vote share, provided they secure at least 5% of the seats.

Ejaz Alam Augustine, a former Punjab minister for human rights and minorities affairs and current member of the provincial assembly, said that repeated efforts to reform the system for election on minority seats had failed to yield results.

Power should be devolved to the grassroots level, particularly for minority communities, to effectively address the problems they face on a daily basis. However, successive governments over the years have avoided reforming the law, depriving minorities of their right to elect their own representatives, he told Christian Daily International.

Under Article 51(4) of the Constitution of Pakistan, 10 seats are reserved for non-Muslims in the National Assembly of Pakistan, which has a total of 336 seats. Under Article 106, the four provincial assemblies collectively reserve 24 seats for non-Muslims (out of a total of 749). In addition, minorities are allocated four seats in the Senate of Pakistan (one per province) in its 96-member chamber.

According to Azam Mairaj, the founder of minority-rights advocacy group Tehreek-e-Shinakht (Movement for Identity), the 34 reserved seats in the national and provincial legislatures meant little for minorities when they did not elect their own representatives.

The current electoral system, he argued, has produced factotums beholden to mainstream political parties rather than accountable to the minorities they are meant to represent.

Advocating for direct elections to reserved seats, Mairaj proposed a model in which every non-Muslim citizen would retain the right to vote and contest general seats at the national, provincial and local levels, while also electing their own representatives to minority-reserved positions.

The basic mechanism for dual voting should allow non-Muslim citizens to directly elect their representatives to the reserved seats, he explained. Through a constitutional amendment, minorities in each province ought to have representation at the federal level, with an increase in reserved seats consistent with the constitutions preamble, which calls for adequate provision to safeguard the interests of minorities and disadvantaged groups.

Mairaj added that constituencies for religious minorities could be delineated according to population size, and in areas with smaller minority communities, smaller electorates could be established to ensure fair representation.

This article was originally published at Christian Daily International
Home News Evangelicals offer praise for Armenia PM after he recites Bible at prayer breakfast amid church tensions

YEREVAN, Armenia  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, under criticism from rights groups over his government's treatment of senior clergy from Armenia's national church, received strong praise from American and British Evangelical leaders after highlighting his record at the country's first national prayer breakfast on Saturday.

Pashinyan, who rose to power in 2018 amid a wave of anti-government protests, told attendees at the inaugural Republic of Armenia Prayer Breakfast that this year was a significant one for Armenia's history, marking the establishment of peace for the first time since independence in 1991.

He said the Aug. 8 peace agreement and memorandum of understanding signed with Azerbaijan at the White House occurred between his participation at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington in February and Armenia's own inaugural gathering, calling the timing spiritually meaningful.

Pashinyan recited Psalm 32:1 and said the event was a moment to reflect on the relationship between God and the state.

Jim Garlow, the former senior pastor of Skyline Church in Southern California and author who was among the international guests, praised the prime minister for reciting the Bible passage from memory in Armenian.

"I have been with 13 Heads of State over the past few years, but this is the FIRST time I have ever heard a Head of State quote by memory an entire chapter of the Bible," Garlow, who has led prayer gatherings in Washington, wrote on Facebook, describing it as "powerful."

"Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan first saw a New Teatament when he was a 7th grader when the Soviet empire fell," Garlow wrote. "He has committed many of the Psalms to memory. He closed his speech quoting Psalm 29 by memory (in Armenian). Powerful."

Mervin Thomas, president of the United Kingdom-based persecution watchdog group Christian Solidarity Worldwide, also described Pashinyan as "an inspiration" for quoting scripture from memory.

Other speakers included World Evangelical Alliance General Secretary Rev. Botrus Mansour, a leader from the Anglican Church in Armenia and Catholic bishops from the country.

Also in attendance were Vicky Hartzler, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and its vice chair, Asif Mahmood.

The two-day event, held in the nation's capital on Friday and Saturday, drew more than 300 guests from Armenia and abroad, including faith leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Yezidi and Assyrian communities.

The gathering also featured remarks by Sudanese-born religious freedom advocate Mariam Ibraheem, according to a press release from the organizers.

Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan also attended on the first day.

Organizers said the event was conceived and executed by Armenian civil society groups to promote reconciliation, cooperation and dialogue rooted in the country's Christian identity.

Stepan Sargsyan, chair of the organizing committee, said it was not a government event but rather a spiritual initiative to "look forward in faith and prayer." The participation of various Christian denominations, the statement noted, signaled a collective moral vision.

In the lead-up, Pashinyan's confirmed presence at the prayer breakfast sparked criticism due to his ongoing dispute and his government's arrest of church leaders, which has garnered attention from Western media figures.

Tensions between Pashinyan and leaders of the Armenian Apostolic Church have escalated this year, as his government has arrested at least three archbishops on coup-related charges and other Pashinyan critics.

In September, Archbishop Mikael Ajapahyan was convicted of calling for the overthrow of the government and sentenced to two years in prison. His arrest followed the June arrest of Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who led an opposition movement called Sacred Struggle. Galstanyan, the bishop of a border region impacted by cessions to Azerbaijan, was arrested with 13 others and charged with orchestrating a plot to overthrow the government.

Last month, Bishop Mkrtich Proshyan of the Diocese of Aragatsotn and 12 clergymen were arrested. Armenia's Investigative Committee stated that Proshyan was charged with coercing citizens to participate in public gatherings, obstructing electoral rights, and misusing his office to commit large-scale theft.

In a press conference held after the event Saturday in Yerevan, the Switzerland-based group Christian Solidarity International accused Armenia's government of blocking its request to visit four imprisoned Armenian Apostolic Church leaders and more than two dozen detained church supporters.

CSI's Director of Public Advocacy Joel Veldkamp said CSI sought to evaluate their condition, review the charges and meet their families and lawyers.

The clergymen include Galstanyan, Ajapahyan, Proshyan and Father Garegin Arsenyan. CSI also named businessman Samvel Karapetyan and 22 other detained church supporters, saying it considers them political prisoners.

Veldkamp said the case against Galstanyan and 12 others appeared to rely on falsified evidence, and that Archbishop Ajapahyan had been sentenced to two years in prison for a speech that prosecutors had previously declined to pursue. "This is a clear sign of political interference," he said.

A report by the Armenian Center for Political Rights states that Catholicos Karekin II, the spiritual head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, hosted an international conference in Bern, Switzerland, from May 26 to 28, titled "Religious Freedom: Preserving the Armenian Spiritual, Cultural, and Historical Heritage in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh."

The conference concluded with a statement calling for the return of ethnic Armenians to Artsakh and the release of Armenian prisoners held in Baku following Azerbaijan's invasion in 2023 that displaced 120,000 people and essentially emptied the region of its Armenian population.

The day after the May event, Prime Minister Pashinyan said during a government meeting that Armenian churches had been "turned into junkrooms," a remark that drew criticism from Armenian Apostolic Church clergy, according to the report, which claims that in the days that followed, Pashinyan escalated verbal attacks on church leaders through daily comments that included insults and obscene language.

Accusing Pashinyan of abandoning Artsakh to a military takeover by Baku in 2023 and its 120,000 residents, who remain displaced, his opponents believe that the Aug. 8 peace agreement amounts to a surrender to the demands of Azerbaijan and Turkey, both backed by the United States for strategic advantage against Russia in the Caucasus.

Dr. John Eibner, president of CSI, said the absence of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the country's national church, at the prayer breakfast was significant.

Veldkamp pointed to Karapetyan's arrest in June, which came just hours after Pashinyan had criticised him publicly on Facebook for defending the church.

"It is transparent that Mr. Karapetyan is in jail because he exercised his free speech rights to defend the Armenian Apostolic Church," he said.

Veldkamp accused Pashinyan of trying to replace the Catholicos of All Armenians, the church's top cleric, calling it a violation of religious freedom.

He also rejected accusations made by government allies and Western groups that elements of the church act as agents of Russia, saying no evidence had been presented to support such claims. He called them "innuendo, slander and a false justification for an attack on religious freedom."

Dr. Asif Mahmood, a physician and human rights activist who serves as vice chair of USCIRF, was among the attendees at the prayer breakfast. As someone who has been an ally of Armenia for two decades, he told The Christian Post he finds the arrests of church leaders "concerning."

"When I heard that clergy had been arrested, the first thing that comes to anyone's mind, especially people like me who are working day-in-and-day-out on religious freedom, that this is an encroachment of the Church and their voice has been shut," Mahmood, who was speaking in his personal capacity, said.

"When I say the arrest of clergy is not right, this is against the freedom of religion and they should be released, I will also say at the same time that the Church has certain limitations," he added. "And I don't think the Church should be propagating or instigating people for political reasons. Everybody has the right to practice their citizenship right of protest. But they should come out of that particular position. If you walk out, take that robe off, and you can protest and you can speak. But raising a voice from the podium of the Church would not be acceptable."

Like many advocates who traveled from across the globe to attend the prayer breakfast, Mahmood said his reason for attending wasn't to please the government or church leaders.

"My goal is not to please government. My goal is not to please clergy. My goal is to help and assist the state of Armenia," he said. "I believe the religious freedom, strengthening and people's freedom of speech and expression is a much bigger weapon for Armenia to separate itself from its neighboring states [and show] that Armenia is a democracy. On top of that, Armenia is the oldest Christian nation. In the oldest Christian nation, the Church is being marginalized. That is kind of concerning."
Home News This week in Christian history: Mayflower Compact signed; Wright brothers father born; John Marrant arrives in Canada

Throughout the extensive history of the Church, numerous events of lasting significance have occurred.

Each week marks anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births and notable deaths.

Some events, spanning over 2,000 years of history, might be familiar, while others might be unknown to many.

The following pages highlight anniversaries of memorable events that occurred this week in Christian history, including the signing of the Mayflower Compact, John Marrant arriving in Nova Scotia and the birth of Bishop Milton Wright.
Home Opinion Is Jesus God or ... something else?

The task of defending what Christians believe about Jesus is complicated by the fact that this belief is opposed from a variety of directions, both religious and nonreligious.

We begin with skepticism, an outlook on knowledge that brings with it a worldview that rejects all religion. The term skepticism refers to a stance of sustained doubt about or disbelief in anything other than the material realm. In the view of skeptics, the world is all that exists  or at least it might as well be. Consequently, skeptics maintain either that God does not exist (atheism) or that Gods existence is both unknowable and irrelevant to us (commonly called agnosticism).

It follows, of course, that Jesus was not in any sense divine. From this point of view, Jesus did not do miracles or rise from the dead. While most skeptical scholars agree that Jesus existed, they view the New Testament as unreliable in what it says about Jesus.

Bart Ehrman, who identifies as an agnostic, is a well-known representative of this skeptical perspective. According to Ehrman, Jesus viewed himself as a teacher or prophet but certainly not as divine. After Jesus crucifixion, some of the earliest disciples thought Jesus had appeared to them, and they immediately came to believe that God had exalted Jesus in heaven. From there, Christians began pushing back the time when Jesus attained divine status, from his resurrection back to his baptism, to his conception, and eventually concluded that Jesus has always been divine, even God incarnate.[1]

Those who are unfamiliar with the evidence for Gods existence, which is a staple of Christian apologetics, may want to become equipped to share such evidence with skeptics.[2]

Three types of evidence support the belief that Jesus was the divine Son come in the flesh.



First, we have good evidence that Jesus viewed himself as divine. By this, I do not mean that Jesus explicitly claimed to be God. Jesus never called himself God because that would have been understood as a claim to be God the Father, the one who had sent him into the world. Rather, Jesus spoke and acted in ways that intimated his divine identity. All four Gospels report that people often wondered who he thought he was (e.g., Matt. 7:2829; 21:20, 23; Mark 4:41; Luke 9:9; John 8:25) and that the Jewish authorities accused Jesus of blasphemy (Matt. 9:3; 26:6566; Mark 2:7; 14:6364; Luke 5:21; John 10:33; 19:7).

The evidence that Jesus spoke as if he were divine is found throughout the Gospels (not just in John, as commonly alleged). In all four Gospels, Jesus prefaced his statements numerous times with the words Amen I say to you, an unprecedented speech form that expressed supreme confidence in what he said. Jesus claimed that at the end of the age He would rule from the throne of God, judging all human beings (Matt. 7:1327; 25:3146; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69; John 5:2230). It is simply not feasible to discount the historicity of all of these sayings, which are representative of the way Jesus talks throughout all four Gospels.

Second, Jesus implicitly divine claims were backed up by his miracles and confirmed by his own resurrection. The classic example is Jesus forgiving a paralyzed mans sins (a prerogative of God) and then demonstrating his authority to do so by immediately healing the man (Matt. 9:28; Mark 2:112; Luke 5:1726). Here Christ joined His words (which the scribes thought were blasphemous) with an action that backed up His implicitly divine claim. Moreover, the way in which Jesus healed the paralyzed man confirmed the divine implication of His words of forgiveness. Just as He told the man, Your sins are forgiven, with no ritual and no prayer, he simply told the man, Rise, pick up your bed, and go home. Such unmediated acts were the rule in Jesus miracles. And Jesus certainly performed miracles  or at least amazing cures and exorcisms that everyone at the time believed were miracles.

The central miracle of the Bible is the resurrection of Jesus Himself. The evidence for Christs resurrection is another standard topic in Christian apologetics. This evidence includes Jesus death on the cross, His burial in a rock tomb, the discovery of the empty tomb, the experiences of those who reported seeing Jesus alive afterward, and the testimony of Paul, whose experience of seeing the risen Christ transformed him from a Pharisaic enemy of the Christian faith to a zealous apostle for Christ to the Gentiles. Once skepticism about all miracles is dispelled, the evidence that Jesus rose from the dead is surprisingly compelling.[3] The point here is that Jesus resurrection confirms the validity of His implicit divine claims.

Third, the earliest Christians viewed Jesus as truly divine. Even Ehrman, who argues for a rapid development of divine Christology in the first century, admits that from the very beginning of the Christian movement, the man Jesus is showered with divine favors beyond anyones wildest dreams, honored by God to an unbelievable extent, elevated to a divine status with God himself, sitting at his right hand.[4] Rather than a linear development over time from a lesser Christology to a higher one, Ehrman ends up arguing that various views of Christ arose more or less simultaneously  even before the earliest of the New Testament writings. Different Christians in different churches in different regions had different views of Jesus, almost from the get-go.[5] He finds three such Christologies reflected in the New Testament in which Jesus is viewed 1. as a man whom God exalted (the exaltation Christology of the Synoptics and Acts), 2. as an angel who became a man (the angel Christology of Paul), and 3. as the divine Son who became a man (the incarnation Christology of Hebrews and John).

We may briefly dispense with the supposed angel Christology. Ehrmans argument for finding one in Paul depends entirely on a questionable interpretation of one verse that is not even about Christ (you ... received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus, Gal. 4:14). On the other hand, Paul frequently identifies Jesus as Lord in contexts that refer (sometimes via explicit quotations) to Old Testament passages about Yahweh, translated kyrios, Lord, in the Greek New Testament (e.g., Joel 2:32 in Rom. 10:913; 1 Cor. 1:2; Deut. 6:4 in 1 Cor. 8:6; Isa. 45:23 in Phil. 2:911).

The so-called exaltation Christology is fully compatible with incarnation Christology, since the latter affirms that the divine Son humbled himself to become human and die on the cross, after which he was raised from the dead and exalted. Thus, in reality the New Testament teaches one Christology in three parts or chapters: 1. the divine Son in Heaven 2. comes down from Heaven to become a man and die for our sins, and then 3. returns to the Fathers side in Heaven. This three-part story of Christ is presented in various ways by different New Testament authors, including Paul (Phil. 2:511; Col. 1:1220; cf. Gal. 4:46), Hebrews (1:14, expanded in 1:52:18), and John (1:118; also 13:3; 16:28).

The Christian belief that Jesus Christ is God the Son incarnate rests on solid historical evidence. Far from being a later, distorted view of Jesus, the belief derives from Jesus own words and deeds, was confirmed by his miracles and especially his resurrection, and was part of the earliest Christian teaching.

Notes

[1] Bart D. Ehrman, How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from Galilee (New York: HarperOne, 2014).

[2] E.g., William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, 3rd ed. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008); Stephen C. Meyer, Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries that Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe (New York: HarperOne, 2021).

[3] See (for example) Michael R. Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2010); and now Gary R. Habermas, On the Resurrection, 4 vols. (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 202425).

[4] Ehrman, How Jesus Became God, 231, 232.

[5] Ehrman, How Jesus Became God, 237.

Originally published at The Worldview Bulletin Newsletter.
BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's extremely erroneous and hostile remarks on China have raised global alarm that she is leading Japan on a course to reviving its notorious militarist past.

Recently, Takaichi said that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, implying the possibility of Japan's armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait. So far, she has refused to retract her baneful remarks despite China's solemn representations and strong protests lodged through diplomatic means, as well as criticism from her predecessors and other key Japanese figures.

Takaichi's remarks remind people of Japan's past imperialist aggressions and expose the country's military ambitions. Over its history, Japan has launched aggression against many countries under the pretext of tackling so-called national survival crises, including its invasion of China from 1931 to 1945. Japanese wars of aggression have resulted in survival crises in multiple Asian countries and inflicted untold suffering on people in the region and beyond.

Takaichi's fallacies regarding China are by no means an isolated incident but part of a broader agenda to accelerate renewed militarism. Behind these fallacies lie the paranoia and arrogance of Japanese right-wing forces seeking to break free from the country's peace constitution and pursue the status of a "military power."

In recent years, Japan has been drastically readjusting its security policy, increasing its defense spending, relaxing its restrictions on arms exports, seeking to develop offensive weapons, and going farther down the wrong path of military buildup.

Before taking office, Takaichi had repeatedly made anti-China statements, denied the Nanjing Massacre that Japanese troops had committed in China during their aggression, hyped up the "China threat" narrative, and made irresponsible remarks on the Taiwan question. She has made multiple visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, which is a spiritual tool and symbol of Japanese militarists responsible for the war of aggression, and honors 14 convicted Class-A war criminals with grave responsibilities for the war crimes committed during that war of aggression.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. It is also the 80th anniversary of Taiwan's restoration to China. China has firm determination, national unity, and strong capacity to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Japanese authorities should truly repent the country's past militarist invasions, heed the lessons of history, and adhere to a path of peaceful development, instead of finding incendiary and deceptive excuses for its military buildup.

As ancient wisdom teaches, hubris precedes ruin. Takaichi's recent remarks and actions related to China's Taiwan have gravely impacted China-Japan relations. The Japanese prime minister would do well to withdraw her erroneous statements immediately, and to cease challenging China's red-line core interests and the post-WWII international order. Dangerous political gambles in pursuit of militarism will only cause significant harm to Japan itself. 
The Trump administration directed states to resume full SNAP payments after the government shutdown, but millions of Americans are still waiting for benefits.(Jim Shannon/Connecticut Post via Getty Images) CT Post via Getty Images

Millions of Americans who rely on food assistance face delays in receiving their November benefits, even after the Trump administration directed states Thursday to resume full payments following a government shutdown.

The disruption has created uncertainty for households depending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which serves millions of Americans, including a large share of children, elderly, and disabled people. While many states were prepared to distribute funds once the government reopened, logistical hurdles could add several days to the process, Axios reports.

In Cuyahoga County, SNAP benefits regularly are distributed on a staggered schedule from the first of the month through the 20th.

USDA says funds are flowing, but delays persist

As soon as President Trump signed the bill to reopen the government, money was flowing to states, a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson told Axios on Friday. USDA stands ready to provide technical assistance if states are struggling to get benefits to families.

The department previously stated most states would receive funds within 24 hours of the shutdowns end, according to Politico. The USDA also announced Thursday that a reduction in maximum allotments for November was no longer in effect.

Ed Bolen, director of SNAP state strategies at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, told Axios it may take a day or two to actually process the transfer of funds to participants. He raised concerns about the capacity of the two companies that handle all benefit issuances nationwide, stating, we are concerned that they may not be able to handle all the remaining states all at once.

Some states have already paid out full benefits

Sixteen states and D.C. have already disbursed full November benefits, Axios noted, including California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Before the federal directive, New York, Delaware, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Maryland allocated their own state funding to continue benefits. Others acted on court orders that required the Trump administration to resume funding.

State timelines vary across the country

States have provided varying timelines for when recipients can expect payments, Axios said:

Alabama expected benefits by the end of Thursday, Nov. 13.

Arkansas anticipated payments late Thursday into Friday, Nov. 14, according to the anticipated payments late Thursday into Friday, Nov. 14, according to the Department of Human Services

Oregon , Vermont , Idaho, South Carolina and Iowa recipients were told to expect benefits by Nov. 14

Utah and Montana scheduled payments for Saturday, Nov. 15.

Delaware expects funds as early as Nov. 18 with Georgia , Maryland , and Virginia announcing the same timeline.

North Dakota recipients could see funds as soon as Monday, Nov. 17

Ohio is is working to complete distribution by mid-next week.

Illinois has a target of Thursday, Nov. 20.

Louisiana will distribute outstanding payments within a week

Nevadas governors office expects all SNAP benefits to be available within the next few days

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said benefits wwould be distributed by the end of the month

Montanas Department of Public Health and Human Services told Axios that full payments would be issued on Sunday

Oklahoma s DHS said the remainder of its November SNAP benefits would be available within 24 hours as of Thursday

Pennsylvanias governors office noted that all benefits would be paid out by the end of the week

South Dakota has sent out partial payments and are awaiting guidance from USDA before it makes full payments, according to Axios

Arizona, Indiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Wyoming have not provided specific timelines, but reported they are taking action or reviewing USDA guidance.
Nobody Wants This stars Adam Brody as Noah and Kristen Bell as Joanne. It's a rom-com about an interfaith relationship between a Rabbi and an Atheist talk-show podcaster. As someone who grew up with a Jewish father and vaguely-Christian mother, I went into watching the show open to the idea that I might find familiarity in the story. I was a by-product, after all, of a very similar plotline.

For the duration of my childhood, my mother wore a chain around her neck that bore two pendants: one of a crucified Christ splayed out the cross and the other a Star of David with an emerald in the middle. The long gold chain placed the religious symbols prominently on her sternum. Frequently, people would stop to ask my mother what wearing the star and the cross together meant. Was she Jewish? Christian? Something else? Id shrink beside her as she explained herself, usually never to the satisfaction of the person inquiring. Sometimes, it felt like my mother was being complicated for the sake of being complicated. That's how it felt to watch Season 2 of Nobody Wants This.

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Maybe it was naive to believe Id see a vein of my own cultural tug-of-war represented on screen. But then nothing else, across all 20 episodes, spoke to me, either. The second season of Nobody Wants This released in a batch on Netflix in September 2025designed to be quickly digested in the binge-watching era. In its goes-down-easy approach, it felt completely untethered from reality. The styling of Joanne and her sister, Morgan (Justine Lupe) often felt more like watching the women from Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Meanwhile, the sets of each characters home are reminiscent of Crate & Barrel catalogues and Architectural Digest videos. The whole atmosphere of the second season felt sterile from the jump. Set against that sterility was an ostensible love story that really stretched credulity.

In Season 2, Episode 1, a hopeful Joanne and Noah host a dinner party joining their two friend groups; thats a potential huge step in a relationship. For a rom-com, its also an opportunity to introduce some classic tropes of the genre. On this front, through both seasons, the show always succeeds. Theres miscommunication between Noah and Joanne that builds up the second seasons primary conflict. Then theres a tense love triangle-esque confrontation referencing drama from the first season between Noahs brother Sasha (an always funny Timothy Simons), his wife Esther (Jackie Tohn), and Morgan. There are the inevitable awkward interactions between two very different friend groups.

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Even as the show expertly navigates these hallmarks of the genre it occupies, it still feels stale. If Nobody Wants This was a movie, the tug of war between the two main characters' differenceswhich extend far beyond their religions and define every aspect of their livescould be reconciled into a happy ending but not here. The streaming train rolls on, even if it's obvious the main characters are incompatible.

Joanne and Morgan have a podcast where she speaks candidly about sex and dating with listeners. The sisters have a drunk lunch Valentines Day tradition and dont always celebrate family traditions. Joanne likes to open her gifts before she reads the card.

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Noah, meanwhile, doesnt seem too interested in who Joanne actually is. This is evidenced by his Valentines Day gift, which is nothing close to what she wants: he books a Valentines Day lunch that includes very little alcohol and convinces Joanna to both tandem bike and take a bubble bath. Later, when prepping for a big moment in his life, Noah needs to take a night off from Joanne.

These season two divides often resolve through the course of an episode. But their continual head-butting comes off as two people making a ton of concessions so they can stay together, not a love story. The first season, which aired in September 2024, was more enjoyableit certainly felt less detrimental that Noah and Joanne were so misaligned.

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But there was a major point of critical contention with Season One. As Esther Zuckerman wrote for Time Magazine at the time, The series seems to loathe Jewish women, who are portrayed as nags, harpies and the ultimate villains of this story. By the second season, this issue didnt resolve itself for me and Zuckerman's concern remains, even with the addition of Jewish Jenni Konner and Bruce Eric Kaplan as showrunners. The pair were added to balance out the viewpoint helmed by the shows creator and executive producer Erin Foster, who also served as showrunner for Season 1 and married into Judaism.

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The central tension of the showthat Noah is Jewish and Joanne is Atheistremains, but by the second season it no longer seems like the couples biggest concern. Even with the chemistry that Bell and Brody managed to share on screen, watching a season-long break-up felt tedious after the fourth episode.

Nobody Wants This season two had brief moments of humor, brief moments of romance, but it just didnt have a lot of heart for a rom-com. These two should have called it quits in 2024.
Eddie Murphy thinks people should have as many children as they can afford.

Eddie Murphy has 10 children

The Nutty Professor actor - who has a reported net worth of $200 million - is dad to 10 bundles of joy, which he has hailed as "the best thing ever".

Eddie, 64, told the new issue of People magazine: "It just happened.

"I never knew I would have 10 kids, but now its the best thing ever. If you can afford that many kids, you should have as many kids as you can afford. That is fun."

The star has Eric, 35, with Paulette McNeely, Bria, 35, Myles, 32, Shayne, 30, Zola, 25, and Bella, 23, with Nicole Murphy, 57, Christian, 34, with casting director Tamara Hood, 18-year-old Angel with Spice Girls member Mel B, 50, as well as Izzy, nine, and Max, six, with his 46-year-old wife, actress Paige Butcher.

Eddie has been compared to 45-year-old actor Nick Cannon - who has 12 children - for having a large brood, but one difference is that Eddie did not have lots of children at Nick's age.

He wondered: "I've never talked to Nick. Did I ever meet Nick Cannon?"

The Shrek actor then said: "I didn't give him any parenting advice. People always say, 'Nick Cannon, he got, like, 12 kids.' I didn't have that many when I was that young. God bless him."

Eddie feels joyful when he is with his family.

Asked what makes him happy, the Hollywood legend said: "Just being Eddie. I love having my family around, and I love that Ive been in this amazing business for so long.

"Coming from super humble beginnings and having this longevity, just to be around and see all the different changes and all that stuff. Theres just so much to be happy about."

The Beverly Hills Cop actor recently admitted that his 10 children are at the "centre of everything" in his life.

Speaking in his new Netflix documentary, Being Eddie, he said: "My kids are the centre of everything, before kids it's just about you, once you have kids it's all about them.

"I used to stay up two days sometimes before going to bed. When I met [second wife Paige Butcher], I got more on her schedule and now we watch two episodes of Seinfeld and go to bed."
In Tongnan -- one of the world's top lemon-producing regions -- drones monitor orchards and automated lines turn fresh fruit into a range of products. This tech-driven approach boosts yields and sends these zesty fruits to over 30 countries and regions
This weekend sees the release of The Running Man, the Edgar Wright-directed remake of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger flick. Both movies are about a dystopian future game show in which contestants are hunted for sport. Although, to be honest, the show within the movie may not seem quite as dystopian as it used to in todays post-MILF Manor world.

The Running Man is based on the 1982 novel by Richard Bachman, who as we now know, was the nom de plume used by Stephen King until fans and journalists spoiled his fun in 1985.

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Even though his secret was out, King still insisted that the fake Bachman get credit for the Schwarzenegger movie. The author famously wasnt a big fan of the project. In the introduction to his collection The Bachman Books, King wrote that The Running Mans scrawny, pre-tubercular protagonist was about as far from the Arnold Schwarzenegger character in the movie as you can get.

While the jacked Glen Powell doesnt exactly scream tuberculosis either, King has been a big supporter of this new movie, even allowing his name, not Bachmans, to appear in the credits. One reason why King is so enthusiastic about Wrights take is because he was a fan of the directors breakout movie, Shaun of the Dead.

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21 years ago, Stephen King gave us a press quote for Shaun of the Dead, and it was mind-blowing to me at the time that we got a rave from Stephen King on our poster, Wright recently told The Hollywood Reporter.

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In addition to film critics, one Shaun of the Dead poster featured quotes from horror masters including George A. Romero, Sam Raimi, Guillermo del Toro and King, who raved its a 10 on the fun meter and destined to be a cult classic!

Wright also revealed that, following Kings Shaun of the Dead support, the two stayed in touch. Ive then had this email correspondence with him over the years where hed always be generous about my movies, Wright said. But we would mostly email about music. Id sometimes send him vinyl on his birthday  bands like King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Sunflower Bean.

After becoming digital pen pals, Wright sent King his script for The Running Man, which, Wright told Seth Meyers, felt like sending your homework in for the worlds most famous English teacher to judge.

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After all, no one would want to risk offending the guy from the Maximum Overdrive trailer.
Will Fortes MacGruber is back once again, and he has only 45 seconds to save Chloe Fineman and Glen Powell from certain death. No problem  with the help of a few everyday household items, hell defuse that cluster bomb in just a few  Wait, is that an unredacted copy of the Epstein files?

From the beginning, Saturday Night Live always had to compete with The Tonight Show for jokes about topical subjects. But the show is really behind the eight ball these days. How could SNL joke about this weeks deluge of Epstein emails when they were already beaten to the punch by Fallon, Colbert, Meyers, The Daily Show, 100,000 podcasts and every wannabe comedian on social media?

SNL took the expected swings, goofing on a Trump press conference in its cold open and throwing haymakers on Weekend Update. But those jokes are on-the-nose laughs about Trumps latest nightmare. Bringing in MacGruber to wrangle with the ramifications of the emails was a masterstroke.

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The three-part bit set up the usual MacGruber dilemma: theres a plasma bomb ticking away, and it will take a pencil sharpener and a patch of tin foil to prevent a devastating explosion. Then Powells Colton reveals a secret  hes got a copy of the Epstein emails, free of those pesky blackmarks that name the names of the rich and powerful.

Unfortunately for MacGruber, hes also on the list.

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(Dont worry, MacGruber is no sex criminal. He merely worked on the ground crew servicing Epsteins plane. He did nothing wrong, other than selling low-grade cocaine, diluted with playground sand, to a lot of very important people .)

The explosive finales that end every MacGruber sketch are here, but theres sly satire at work behind the failed heroics. The Epstein files are a distraction, keeping MacGruber from saving the day. But is the sketch poking fun at Democrats for turning attention from their failed government shutdown? Or is it a shot at Trump, whos used any number of dopey diversions, from windmills to the sugar in Coca Cola to attacking late-night comedy hosts, to keep America from asking about those pesky files?

The sketches also spoofed the famous people on the list, willing to go to any length to prevent their secrets from being exposed. If a few people need to go kablooey to maintain the status quo, well, thats just the price of doing business.

SNL knows a little MacGruber goes a long way, and it smartly sticks to its formula of landing stinging punchlines, then blowing up the joint before the bit goes on too long. The satirical element added extra dynamite to the blasts  like they say about MacGruber in his catchy theme song, it was freaking genius.
TOKYO, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A decade ago, the Japanese government of Shinzo Abe rammed through the deeply divisive security legislation permitting limited collective self-defense.

Such move was met with widespread public resistance and criticism for overriding the government's own 1972 constitutional interpretation, which had drawn a clear red line under Article 9 of the country's constitution: Japan could not, under its pacifist Constitution, engage in collective self-defense.

Now, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a self-claimed political heir of Abe, attempts to take this already-dangerous reinterpretation and wrench it into even riskier territory for Japan and the region.

During a recent parliamentary hearing, Takaichi cited the so-called "survival-threatening situation" -- a trigger designed by the controversial 2015 law -- and linked it to the Taiwan question, suggesting Tokyo might treat the Taiwan question as grounds for military involvement under the legislation.

This is not merely reckless rhetoric. It is profoundly destabilizing. By dragging the Taiwan question into Japan's already-contested security framework, Takaichi is deliberately blurring the boundary between defensive policy and outright militaristic adventurism.

It is a reckless gambit that ignores Japan's constitutional limits, disregards public sentiment, and gambles with the security of the entire region.

The logical contortions in Takaichi's remarks are staggering. A so-called "survival-threatening situation" refers to a clear danger situation in which an armed attack on a foreign country with which Japan has close relations threatens Japan's survival. China's Taiwan is plainly not "a country" with close ties to Japan, nor does any conceivable Taiwan contingency amount to a clear threat to the survival of the Japanese state or the basic rights of its citizens.

To shoehorn Taiwan into the category of a "survival-threatening situation" is a deliberate distortion and a calculated political provocation.

As the Chinese side has emphasized, Takaichi's erroneous remarks constituted a gross interference in China's internal affairs, seriously violating the one-China principle, the spirit of the four political documents between China and Japan, and the basic norms of international relations.

Takaichi's outburst also runs counter to the political commitments Japan has repeatedly made, igniting a storm of controversy within the country.

Some voiced concern that by hyping up the notion of "a Taiwan contingency," the prime minister is blatantly provoking China, a move that brings Japan no benefit but considerable strategic risks.

Others noted that even the United States, on which Japan relies heavily for security issues, has been cautious to avoid unnecessary provocations toward China, while Japan is taking up the role of dragging the United States into confrontation. Even certain conservative figures known for their hardline stance on China lament that Takaichi's remarks severely narrow Japan's future policy options.

Takaichi's gambit comes amid an ambitious overhaul of Japan's defense posture.

Just over a month into office, she has floated proposals for dramatic defense expansion, including a substantial military budget hike, full relaxation of arms-export controls, enhanced pre-emptive strike capabilities, and accelerated revision of security documents, with the most controversial being signs of a backtrack on Japan's long-standing "three non-nuclear principles."

Taken together, the moves indicate the government's intention to shift from postwar restraint toward a more assertive, militarized posture. If that is the case, Takaichi has, in effect, ripped away the last vestiges of the veil obscuring the real trajectory of Japan's post-2015 "collective self-defense" framework.

As China has repeatedly stated, any force that dares to obstruct China's reunification is doomed to fail. 
Tomorrow, Labour Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will make out that she has found the holy grail of migration policy. She will announce a suite of initiatives, which she will claim will drastically reduce illegal migration without requiring Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The inspiration, as The Mail on Sunday reported last week, comes from Denmark, where a centre-Left coalition has succeeded in reducing asylum applications to their lowest level in 40 years.

The Danes, apparently, have held the secret all along. However, all is not as it seems with their admittedly impressive record on illegal immigration. And predictably Keir Starmer's ham-fisted Labour Government is set to try to replicate it in a way that is as flaky as the country's pastries.

Ten years ago, Denmark was a magnet for asylum seekers, as Britain is now. Yet from a peak of 37 asylum applications per 10,000 residents in 2015 it plummeted to four per 10,000 last year  just a fifth of the EU average.

How? From 2016, Denmark started to introduce temporary residence permits, which allowed refugees to stay in the country only as long as their home countries were deemed by the government to be dangerous.

A version of this will be announced by Mahmood tomorrow, but as the centrepiece of her grand plan it falls flat. Does she really think migrants won't be enticed by the UK's buffet of free accommodation, health care and a weekly allowance, if they can only enjoy it for the years their country remains at war?

What will not pass Mahmood's lips is any attempt to copy Denmark's draconian 'anti-ghetto' laws. To assimilate new arrivals, the Danish government can rehouse migrants away from estates where more than 50 per cent of the population is made up of non-Westerners.

They can also break up existing estates in which 'parallel communities'  as the Danes call them  have emerged, where migrants live only among their own kind.

Labour Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood (pictured) will make out that she has found the holy grail of migration policy

Migrants wade into the sea in an attempt to board a small boat on August 12, 2025 in Gravelines

Given that Labour backbenchers require smelling salts whenever the words 'welfare' and 'reform' are mentioned, it seems unlikely they would sanction a law that allows the Government to rip up council estates in the likes of Birmingham, Bradford or London's Tower Hamlets.

Nor would the party countenance the confiscation of assets from migrants to  horror  pay for their own food and accommodation. In Denmark, those who arrive with more than 1,200 worth of personal possessions do just that. Or at least they are supposed to  in six years there have been just 17 cases of people actually handing over their valuables.

Far more of an effective deterrent for the Danes has been the requirement for migrants and their dependants to learn Danish. Once settled in Denmark, if you want to bring a spouse to the country, you both must have passed a Danish language test.

Of course, Danish is not widely spoken while English has become the world's 'default' language, meaning that Britain would struggle to deter asylum seekers in this way.

Though, it has to be said, there are still more than a million people in the UK who cannot speak English well or at all, according to the last census.

Further obligations on spouses are that they should be aged over 24, and the original migrant must have been living in Denmark without claiming benefits for at least three years, nor can they have had a criminal conviction in the past ten years.

That is a high bar that I dare the Home Secretary to set, for the need for a drastic turnaround in UK immigration policy could not be clearer.

The cost of housing asylum seekers and illegal migrants in hotels, we recently found out, has risen to 15.3 billion over ten years.

The claim that migration is helping boost our economy has been fatally undermined by figures revealing that there are 1.2 million foreign-born claimants living on Universal Credit, at an annual cost to the taxpayer of 7.5 billion.

Some nationalities, such as migrants from Congo, Iraq and Afghanistan, are four times more likely to be claiming Universal Credit than UK nationals.

As we have seen on taxes and benefits, when Labour backbenchers threaten to rebel, Starmer rapidly beats a retreat

Iranian Amin Abedi Mofrad, who after arriving in Britain by small boat, was sentenced to nine years and six months for the rape of a 15-year-old girl in Oxford, where he was staying in an asylum hotel

And seemingly every week we learn of a new crime committed by those the country has offered free shelter to  the latest being 35-year-old Iranian Amin Abedi Mofrad, who after arriving in Britain by small boat, was sentenced to nine years and six months for the rape of a 15-year-old girl in Oxford, where he was staying in an asylum hotel.

But it would be foolish to think that Labour really has the stomach to carry out Denmark's harder-edged policies.

Its backbenchers have already damned Mahmood's change of direction. According to Nottingham East MP Nadia Whittome, Denmark's policies are 'undeniably racist' and 'are more at home on the far-Right than in any centre-Left government'.

As we have seen on taxes and benefits, when Labour backbenchers threaten to rebel, Starmer rapidly beats a retreat.

Even if our own government could discover the will to carry out Danish policies, it doesn't mean that they would be as successful here as they have apparently been in Denmark. Copenhagen has reduced the numbers applying for asylum mostly by deflecting them to other European countries.

And it is wrong to think that the Danish system does not fall foul of the ECHR. When illegal migrants challenge their ruling, they often win, just as they do in Britain.

In 2022, the Danish government decided that areas around the Syrian capital Damascus were safe enough for refugees to return to, and withdrew their permits to stay in Denmark.

Some went, in many cases to claim asylum in other European countries, but others remain stuck in limbo. They are no longer allowed to work, rent housing or send their children to school in Denmark, yet they remain, supported by Danish taxpayers in 'departure centres'.

The ECHR has also watered down Denmark's restrictions on asylum seekers bringing family members to join them, and has prevented the deportation of foreign criminals, just as in Britain. In one case, an Afghan who had come to Denmark as a child with his parents was given an expulsion order after being jailed for two years for violent offences.

However, the ECHR blocked his deportation, partly on the grounds that he had managed to get a woman pregnant during his pre-trial detention. The 'right to a family life' rules in Denmark apply just as in Britain.

Mahmood and Starmer might like to think that they can sort out Britain's acute illegal migration problem without withdrawing from the ECHR, a body which has almost sacred significance for the Prime Minister, given his background as a human rights lawyer. But they are fooling themselves.

This 'Danish lite' approach will be no more effective than the much mocked 'One In, One Out' deal with France. A gimmick that grabs headlines but does nothing to move the dial.

If it was serious about reducing illegal migration, Labour would withdraw from the ECHR, repeal the Human Rights Act and finally put Britons where they belong, which is first.
Seven areas in England have more smokers now than 14 years ago, according to Daily Mail analysis of official figures.

Nationally, just 9.1% adults in Britain admitted to smoking last year, down from 10.5% in 2023 and just a fraction of the nearly 50 per cent in the 1970s, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

But data shows that East Staffordshire has seen the greatest growth in tobacco-users, from 10.7% of the population in 2012 to 17.3% in 2024  a 6.6% leap.

South Holland (+3.7%) in Lincolnshire ranks second, with Exeter (+2.7%) and Babergh (+2.7%) in joint third.

At the other end of the scale, smoking numbers in the boroughs of Folkestone and Hythe and Stevenage both fell by 20.8% - the most in the country.

Close behind is Dover (-18.9%), where just 6.2% of the population smoke compared to 25.1% in 2012 and Stratford-upon-Avon (-16.4%).

Legal tobacco sales have fallen by 45% since 2021 but the number of smokers only fell less than 1%.

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Repeated tax hikes on tobacco products has priced many out of the legal market, driving people who still smoke to search for cheaper alternatives.

A record 5.4million adults in the UK now vape, overtaking cigarette smokers for the first time, new figures suggest.

The government has unveiled a raft of measures aimed at cutting smoking numbers back even further, as well new plans aimed at curtailing the rise in vaping.

The latest iteration of this  the Tobacco and Vapes Bill  is currently making its way through the House of Lords.

The bill would make it illegal for anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 to ever buy tobacco. It also includes powers to restrict the packaging, marketing and flavours of e-cigarettes.

It was signed by more than 1,200 health professionals including doctors, nurses and public health directors.

Daily e-cigarette use is in Great Britain highest among those aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 49, at 9.3% and 9.5% respectively.

But overall use has remained highest among 16- to 24-year-olds with 13% using vaping either daily or occasionally.

This is despite sales of vapes to under-18s being banned, with anyone caught flogging them to children threatened with fines and prosecution by Trading Standards.

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Campaigners have also long called for much tougher regulations on vapes  including an immediate ban on marketing to children, which are most popular among teens.

They have blamed predatory manufacturers for the ever-growing crisis, claiming they are intentionally luring kids in with colourful packaging, compared to highlighter pens, and child-friendly flavours such as bubblegum and cotton candy.

Despite NHS chiefs insisting it is safer than smoking, vaping is not risk-free. E-cigarettes contain harmful toxins and their long-term effects remain a mystery.

Experts are concerned the high nicotine content can lead to high blood pressure and other heart problems.

Additionally, the government is slated to tighten restrictions on the sale of pouches across the country, in a bid to prevent rife usage among children and teenagers.

Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive at Action on Smoking and Health, told the Daily Mail: 'The overall trend of fewer people smoking across the country is a positive one and will lead to reduced disease and early death from tobacco.

'However, smoking remains higher in certain groups, generally socially disadvantaged and those living with severe mental illness, and we need a big push over the next few years to support more people to quit.

'Data from HMRC shows a substantial reduction in the illicit tobacco trade. Between 2000/01 and 2023/24, the number of illicit cigarettes consumed in the UK declined by almost 90% thanks to strong enforcement efforts and reductions in smoking.

'The only way to eliminate the illicit tobacco trade entirely is to help the UK's 6million smokers quit. Increasing tobacco taxes is one of the most effective ways to achieve this.'

According to the figures, e-cigarette use remained highest among people aged 16 to 24 years, with 13 per cent using e-cigarettes either daily or occasionally

But Simon Clark, director of smokers' rights group Forest, said the ONS data shows government attempts to achieve a 'smoke-free Britain' will likely backfire.

'More recently, products such as vapes and nicotine pouches have provided reduced risk alternatives to cigarettes, encouraging millions of smokers to switch and quit voluntarily.

'In contrast, there is no evidence that anti-smoking measures such as smoking bans, plain packaging, or the ban on menthol cigarettes have been significant factors in reducing smoking rates.'

Mr Clark added: 'A generational ban on the sale of tobacco could stall or even reverse the long-term decline in smoking rates.

'Far from achieving the governments ambition of a smoke-free Britain, prohibiting the sale of tobacco to future generations of adults will fuel the black market and could encourage more people to smoke as a form of soft rebellion.

'People are fed up of government dictating how they live their lives, and further intervention could do more harm than good.'

British American Tobacco (BAT), one of the largest cigarette and nicotine product manufacturers in the world, said the stats were encouraging but there was more left to do.

Asli Ertonguc, Head of BAT UK & Western Europe told the Daily Mail: 'The latest ONS figures represent a significant milestone in the Governments ambitions to be smoke-free. However, the proposed ban on the advertising and communication of less harmful products like vapes runs the risk of jeopardising this progress.

'If we are to achieve a smoke-free UK, we must continue to educate smokers and give them the confidence to explore less harmful alternatives to smoking, rather than diminishing their visibility.'

The company, which carries a tagline of 'Building a better tomorrow through a smokeless world', only achieved 18% of its 12billion revenue through the first half of the year through smokeless products.
If you've been scrolling social media lately, you've probably noticed the word 'peptides' popping up everywhere.

They're being promoted as the secret to fat loss, faster recovery, anti-ageing and bigger muscles. It sounds impressive, but you should tread carefully.

In my practice, I'm seeing more patients asking about peptide injections from 'longevity' or 'wellness' clinics, often without realising what they're taking, whether it's legal, or what the long-term effects could be.

Here's what you need to know before you start believing the hype.

What are peptides?

In short, peptides are short chains of amino acids.

Some are made naturally by the body to regulate things like growth, repair and metabolism. Others are manufactured to copy or enhance those effects.

A few are proven, doctor-prescribed medicines. Many others are experimental products that have not been properly tested in humans.

Dr Brad McKay has a warning for anyone thinking about taking peptides

How are peptides different from steroids?

Peptides and steroids are both used to enhance performance or appearance, but they work in very different ways.

Steroids are synthetic versions of hormones like testosterone that act directly on the body's hormonal systems.

Peptides, on the other hand, are smaller chains of amino acids that signal the body to release or produce certain substances, such as growth hormone.

In theory, that makes peptides seem 'gentler' or more natural. In practice, both can disrupt the body's natural balance and cause serious side effects if used inappropriately.

The difference in mechanism doesn't mean peptides are automatically safer.

Why are people suddenly talking about peptides?

'Peptides' has become a softer term that makes people feel more comfortable than saying 'hormones'.

Many peptides are sold for 'anti-ageing' or 'recovery' - but do they actually make a difference? (stock image)

In some cases, clinics that describe themselves as peptide specialists are actually prescribing testosterone or other hormones under that label.

Influencers and self-described biohackers are also responsible for much of the buzz, claiming peptides can transform everything from energy to appearance.

When are peptides legally prescribed in Australia?

Only in very specific situations. A small number of peptide-based medicines are approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and can be prescribed by a qualified doctor for certain medical conditions.

Peptides that are not registered for use in Australia can be accessed through the Special Access Scheme (SAS). Doctors are required to apply to the TGA on behalf of individual patients, presenting a case to import and prescribe unapproved medication tailored to the patient's specific needs.

However, many of the products sold online or offered through 'anti-ageing' clinics are not approved, not regulated and not legal to sell for performance or image enhancement.

Peptides can be prescribed after having a medical consultation with a registered doctor. This process involves taking a medical history, conducting a physical examination, and receiving a diagnosis, a discussion of approved options, informed consent and follow-up monitoring such as blood tests.

If a clinic is promising 'quick access' or delivering injections by mail after an online form, that should be a warning sign.

Are some of these substances banned in sport?

Yes. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) bans a broad range of peptides and growth factors because they can enhance performance and provide athletes with an unfair advantage in professional sports. However, many of these substances are experimental, poorly studied, and potentially dangerous to your health. These are not harmless supplements.

Do peptides really build muscle, burn fat or slow ageing?

There is very little reliable evidence that they do.

Some may help increase lean muscle in certain studies, but that does not necessarily mean they improve strength or long-term health.

For the many peptides sold for 'anti-ageing' or 'recovery', there are no large human studies showing they work safely. People sharing before-and-after photos online are not scientific proof.

What are the downsides and risks to using peptides?

Unknown long-term safety: Many unapproved peptides have only been tested in animals or are still in the early stages of human research. We do not yet understand how these substances affect the human body in the long term.

Liver and organ damage: Peptides are often broken down by the liver or cleared by the kidneys, which can lead to inflammation of these organs and potentially cause long-term harm.

Cancer concerns: Peptides that promote cell growth might also stimulate tumor or cancer cell growth. While this risk is currently theoretical and can depend on individual factors like pre-existing conditions, lifestyle, and genetics, we need more research to fully understand the safety profile of many peptides, both in the short and long term.

Quality control: Peptides bought online may have incorrect dosages, contain unexpected substances, or may not even contain any of the expected ingredients at all.

Infection risk: If not properly prepared, stored, or transported, peptides can be contaminated with bacteria or viruses. Additionally, self-injection carries the risk of serious infections, either in the skin or bloodstream.

Hormonal changes: Peptides can disrupt normal hormone levels, and prolonged use may lead to mood swings, affect sexual function, alter libido, or even result in infertility.

Cardiovascular risks: Some peptides raise cholesterol levels, elevate blood pressure, and cause fluid retention. This can ultimately increase the risk of heart attacks, blood clots, and strokes.

Are 'peptide clinics' legal?

Many 'peptide clinics' operate in a legal gray area, importing peptides that have not been approved or authorized for use by the TGA, or compounding them locally in pharmacies.

Patients may be informed that the peptides prescribed are not approved for human use in Australia and could be asked to sign consent forms to protect the clinic or doctor from liability.

However, consenting to an unapproved product does not guarantee safety. If complications arise, patients bear the health consequences while doctors may still face regulatory actions.

Is buying peptides online safe?

Buying peptides online is not safe. There's no way to ensure you're buying a legitimate product, and if something goes wrong, you might find yourself chasing a nonexistent clinic or sending letters to an empty warehouse.

What do peptides cost and are they covered by Medicare?

Legitimate, medically approved peptides prescribed for specific conditions may be subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). However, peptides sold through wellness, anti-ageing, or longevity clinics typically do not qualify for a PBS subsidy.

Depending on the clinic and products offered, costs can range from $300 to $800 per month, in addition to consultation, procedural, administration, or injection fees. These expenses are generally not covered by Medicare or most private health insurance plans.

Are peptides really as life-changing as people say?

Some people will tell you that peptides changed their life, but everyone reacts differently. Treatment that makes one person feel fantastic could cause serious complications in another. Also, short-term gains may not result in longer-term health benefits.

If you are curious about peptides, speak with your doctor first. If theres a legitimate medical reason, approved treatments can be prescribed safely and carefully monitored. Be extremely cautious about anything not approved by the TGA. Dont assume that something banned in sport is going to be good for you. If you are offered a peptide treatment, make sure you understand exactly what it is, whether its approved or not, and who is responsible if something goes wrong.

The bottom line is that peptides are not a harmless shortcut to achieving bigger muscles, flawless skin, or a longer lifespan. While some have legitimate medical uses when prescribed appropriately, many products sold online or in "longevity" clinics are unregulated and potentially risky.

Until more is known, anyone using unapproved peptides is taking part in a live experiment.

Dr Brad McKay is a medical practitioner, author, TV host and media commentator. This article contains general information only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your doctor for guidance tailored to you.
It can boost your self-confidence, make you look years younger and give you the winning smile youve always craved. So its hardly surprising that millions of us fork out huge amounts of money every year in pursuit of perfect pearly-whites.

Surveys show about 40 per cent of those under 35 in the UK regularly have their teeth whitened, and the industry is currently worth some 40 million a year.

But with dentists charging up to 1,000 for a course of treatment  and many people waiting months to see an NHS dental hygienist  demand for DIY over-the-counter bleaching kits is soaring.

Dentists even warn that some people are suffering serious injuries from rogue whitening kits bought online, some of which have been found to have 500 times the legal amount of bleaching agent in them.

Ive had patients come into my surgery with chemical burns on their gums after using these kits, says Dr Ben Atkins, a dentist in Manchester and spokesperson for the Oral Health Foundation.

But how do you safely navigate the complex maze of whitening remedies that are available, to make sure you get the results you want without coming to any harm in the process?

Surveys show about 40 per cent of those under 35 in the UK regularly have their teeth whitened, and the industry is currently worth some 40 million a year

And what are the foods and drinks you really need to avoid to keep your teeth gleaming?

Here, The Mail on Sunday has teamed up with some of the UKs dental experts to create the ultimate guide to achieving the perfect smile.

YOU CAN STILL ENJOY COFFEE, IF YOU PICK THE RIGHT BEAN

Coffee  along with tea and red wine  is always near the top of the list of tooth-staining culprits. But new research shows it may depend which type of bean you choose.

A study last year in the American Journal of Dentistry, by scientists from South Korea, found consumers who opted for coffee made with robusta beans, grown mainly in Vietnam, Indonesia and parts of Africa, are less likely to get brown teeth than those drinking arabica coffee, which mainly comes from South and Central America.

Researchers believe the reason may be that robusta coffee beans are less acidic  higher acidity softens tooth enamel, making it easier for staining agents to bond to it.

Regardless of the bean though, experts advise that we should always rinse with water after drinking a coffee.

If it can stain your mug, it can stain your smile  so chase your coffee or wine with water, says Shiv Pabary, a dentist in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

There are also changes that can be made to reduce the risk of staining.

Research shows that iced coffee is less likely to lead to discolouration than hot coffee. And a 2022 study in the European Journal of Dentistry found that adding milk can help, as it gets in the way of the bonding process between the pigments and tooth surface.

Experts advise that you should always rinse with water after drinking a coffee

Adding milk will help to dilute the tea or coffee so will help a bit, says Cheshire-based dentist Dr Hannah Kinsella, creator of online whitening brand Icy Bear Dental. But, obviously, the more tea and coffee you drink, the bigger the risk of staining.

Interestingly, experts say there is a simple way to avoid red wine stains.

Finish with a small glass of white, says Toby Hancock, a dentist in Chichester, West Sussex.

The tannins in red will be dissolved by the mild acid in the white  its the same logic behind getting rid of red wine carpet stains.

EAT PLENTY OF PINEAPPLE... BUT AVOID SOY SAUCE

Eating pineapple regularly could help to whiten teeth, a recent study in the American Journal of Dentistry shows.

Researchers from Loma Linda University in California rubbed teeth in the lab with pineapple core for five minutes every day for ten days and found it was almost as good as the whitening products used in DIY bleaching kits.

Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, which is widely used in whitening toothpastes as it breaks down surface stains on teeth. But the fruit is also acidic  which is bad for tooth enamel  so experts say anyone trying it should rinse with water after eating.

Foods like pineapple and even strawberries can help to whiten teeth, says Dr Kinsella. But the acid in them makes the enamel softer and more susceptible to erosion and staining.

Dr Hannah Kinsella, creator of online whitening brand Icy Bear Dental, says foods like pineapple and even strawberries can help to whiten teeth, but the acid in them makes the enamel softer and more susceptible to erosion and staining

Meanwhile, research has also found that soy sauce is particularly bad for teeth. The condiment is much more likely to lead to unsightly brown teeth than other ingredients, reveals a study by Seoul National University in South Korea, published in the journal Odontology. This is because it contains chemicals called chromogens, which are known to stain teeth.

However, soy sauce is not the only condiment to cause this issue. Dr Kinsella adds: Even tomato sauce can lead to a build-up of stains over time.

SONIC TOOTHBRUSHESTHAT CAN BLAST AWAY THE STAINS

A high-tech electric toothbrush could be key in the fight against stained teeth.

Known as sonic toothbrushes, the devices generate sound waves to make the bristle vibrate and move hundreds of times faster than a manual brush.

Last week, the consumer website Good Housekeeping judged the Spotlight Oral Care Sonic Toothbrush, which costs about 72, as the best on the market for successfully removing plaque, reducing staining and freshening breath.

Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, which is widely used in whitening toothpastes as it breaks down surface stains on teeth. But the fruit is also acidic  which is bad for tooth enamel  so experts say anyone trying it should rinse with water after eating

Experts say other  more affordable  options are effective too. I use a Philips one which uses sonic vibration to remove staining, says Dr Atkins. I was quite sceptical at first, but people started to say how much whiter my teeth looked.

Much cheaper, but potentially less effective options, are manual toothbrushes infused with charcoal, which studies show can scrub some stubborn stains off teeth. Charcoal toothbrushes include the Colgate Max White Ultra Manual Toothbrush, 5, and the Wisdom Active Whitening Charcoal Toothbrush Medium, 2.99.

However, more research is needed to ascertain their effectiveness.

BEWARE  WHITENING CROWNS MAY MAKE THEM EVEN WORSE

Using whitening products on artificial teeth can have the opposite effect.

This is because crowns, fillings and veneers are all made from non-porous materials which the whitening agents cannot penetrate.

Instead, the bleaching materials run off into surrounding teeth  making them even whiter, while the artificial teeth remain the same colour, leaving a noticeable difference in colour.

Many people bleaching their teeth dont realise, or have simply forgotten, that they have crowns or veneers, says endodontist Shalini Kanagasingam, from the school of medicine and dentistry at the University of Lancashire.

When it doesnt work, they keep applying more and more whitener.

Experts say that patients should be wary of illegal or overly strong whitening kits bought online. In the UK, anything with more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide is not allowed to be sold over the counter, as it can burn the gums.

Mouthwashes such as Corsodyl are powerful weapons against oral diseases such as gum disease, or inflammation of the gums, but they can also stain teeth if used too frequently

They also advise patients to look closely at the ingredients on the packaging, as whitening kits should not contain chlorine dioxide or sodium chlorite  two bleaching agents that can permanently damage the teeth and gums.

Experts also warn that whitening kits should not be used more than once every six to 12 months.

Ive known patients who have ended up doing it every few weeks, says Ms Kanagasingam. This is not advised because overuse of the powerful chemical can damage the dental pulp  the soft tissue inside the tooth that houses the nerves and blood vessels needed to keep it healthy.

...AND GO EASY ON THE STRONG MOUTHWASH

Mouthwashes such as Corsodyl are powerful weapons against oral diseases such as gum disease, or inflammation of the gums. But they can also stain teeth if used too frequently.

Most antibacterial mouthwashes contain a potent antiseptic called chlorhexidine digluconate, which kills harmful bacteria in the mouth. In most cases, it takes about four weeks of use to get gums healthy.

But chlorhexidine digluconate can turn healthy-looking teeth an unsightly rust colour, especially if you drink a lot of tea, coffee or red wine while using it.

The chemical not only tints teeth but helps the pigments in these drinks to bond with the tooth enamel.

Ordinary breath-freshening mouthwashes are fine  such as Aquafresh Complete Care, 3.99  as they dont contain it.

Dr Atkins says: I always recommend to my patients that they only use mouthwashes that contain chlorhexidine for as short a time as possible.
Shedding an incredible six stone in three years while on weight loss drug Mounjaro, LeAnn Hawks was shocked to discover that her transformation came with an unexpected cost, her confidence.

The once outgoing and bubbly nurse, 45, barely recognised herself and was left feeling self-conscious and withdrawn after developing what she called a 'turkey neck' due to the skin on her face sagging as a result of her thinning.

She also developed perimenopause around the same time, explaining to The Daily Mail: 'I was really outgoing, go-all-the-time kind of girl, and I just didn't even want to go out anymore. I just hated the way I looked. It was really affecting my self-esteem.'

But while scrolling TikTok one evening, LeAnn stumbled across a woman who had undergone an incredible facelift transformation by Dr Espino in Tijuana, Mexico.

After doing some research about his work, she decided to take a 'leap of faith' and booked in with him for a deep plane neck and facelift, an upper and lower blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), brow lift and fat transfer to face and lips.

The surgery, which she underwent in July this year at a price of $15,500 (11,800), completely transformed her appearance, leaving her looking more like her 20-year-old self.

As well as the operation, the cost covered an overnight stay in the hospital as well as ten days in a Mexico hotel while monitored by nurses.

LeAnn Hawks, from Arizona, before, pictured left, and after, pictured right, her facelift

Now, LeAnn, from Arizona, feels more confident than ever - although admittedly, she wasn't quite as fond of her facelift when medical professionals finally removed her bandages (pictured)

Now, LeAnn, from Arizona, feels more confident than ever - although admittedly, she wasn't quite as fond of her facelift when medical professionals finally removed her bandages.

Looking in the mirror, she said 'it was the most horrific thing I have ever seen.'

She said the moment was 'truly shocking' and that she failed to mentally prepare herself for that first glimpse of her swollen and bruised face.

LeAnn's husband Tony Hawks, 51, said she looked like she had been in a 'bar brawl'- he didn't expect her recovery to look so drastic, saying he expected she would have a 'little incision' around her neck.

She recalled: 'He thought I was beautiful when I was 80 pounds heavier, when I had a turkey neck, he loves me either way but he was supportive because he knew it was bothering me.

'I was in a lot of pain for the first few days, I'm not going to lie, but the mental part was the hardest. I cried a lot, I was very emotional for the first week. It was emotional for sure because I was like "what have I done".'

Recalling how the first week was 'really scary' because she didn't look like herself at all, LeAnn explained that this was the reason she decided to document her facelift journey on her TikTok @leannhawks.

She wanted to give people a real, unfiltered look at the healing process instead of just the glossy before-and-after reveal.

One day after surgery, the fog began to lift and nurses carefully removed her bandages, but looking in the mirror, LeAnn (pictured days after surgery) said: 'it was the most horrific thing I have ever seen'

LeAnn pictured at university in her 20s

In one viral clip, which has amassed more than 18 million views, LeAnn showed what she looked like a day after going under the knife.

But LeAnn recalled she didn't take the procedure lightly and initially had her reservations, saying she considered the facelift for a full year before she committed fully.

'I mean, there was times I was about to back out, because it's your face, you know? Going to Tijuana on top of that was a big commitment.'

But praising her medical team, she said: 'They really took care of me. There were nurses who came twice a day, morning and night, to check my vitals and make sure everything was healing properly.

'They would ask about my pain levels and handle any medication I needed,' said LeAnn.

She urged others to 'trust the process' - but admitted complications do happen and revealed that her chin wound opened up after surgery.

Speaking to the Mail, she recalled: 'My chin wound opened up on day ten. Dr Espino had put some kind of tape around my chin and under my eyes the day I left hospital after my surgery, because my swelling was so bad.

'Well, it started draining. I could see it oozing, I was like, "oh my god". So then I was in panic mode, because I was like, I don't want a scar!

Since the facelift surgery, LeAnn's confidence has skyrocketed and she is feeling like herself again. Pictured recently

'You know, you do have openings, sometimes it happens. One side of my ear did not heal as quick as my other one.'

Being a nurse, LeAnn felt confident in buying wound care off of Amazon and dressing the wounds herself at home, saying eventually they did heal well.

While the emotional side of the recovery took its toll, LeAnn said the physical symptoms were equally challenging.

She explained: 'The physical things were the swelling, that really got me down. It was tight, I looked puffy, I hated that, and then, sleeping on your back. I had to do that for three or four weeks straight and I'm a side sleeper so that was tough.'

The nurse took five weeks off work to recover, a decision she later described as the best she could have made.

Now three months after the surgery, she said her wounds are healing well but she won't see the full results until nearly one year after.

LeAnn said: 'Three months into recovery I do feel red carpet ready, the swelling's gone down, you're not looking as puffy, I feel normal now. I feel like when I go out, people can't tell I had a facelift.'

The surgery significantly improved LeAnn's confidence, and she now takes a more considered approach to her appearance.

LeAnn pictured at just 17 years old looking fresh faced (left). Pictured right, LeAnn recently

She said: 'I do feel more confident. I was real bad before the surgery, if I was going to go out and run errands, I'd throw something on. Now, I'm trying to look better, and do my makeup a little more, fix my hair a little more, it's helped a lot.

'I feel much better now, I'm excited to go out again, and get together with friends, or go to the bar, go out to dinner, because I'm more confident now, so it's amazing.'

LeAnn, whose surgery was organised by Elias Ortiz & Company (EOC), Mexico's weight loss surgery specialists, admitted she has faced criticism for having a facelift at a relatively young age, with some people questioning why she doesn't 'age gracefully'.

While she claimed she sometimes worries about the opinions of others, it hasn't affected her too deeply. She believes everyone should do what feels right for them: whether it's fillers, facelifts or nothing at all.

'Life is short,' she said. 'If I want a facelift or my neck to be snatched, I'm going to do it. If you don't want to great, good, you're going to save money, that's good for you, but that's what I wanted to do, so I did it.'
After asking for a re-do of photo edits things got nasty

A Sydney mum has revealed her baby's lavish christening was 'ruined' by an 'unprofessional' photographer who failed to capture key moments from the special day.

Makeup artist Renay Harb, 30, posted a warning on social media after being left 'devastated' over photographs from her one-year-old daughter London's lavish celebration in September that fell drastically short of her expectations.

What should have been an unforgettable day quickly turned into a costly ordeal - one that, she warned, could happen to anyone.

Renay, who has spent over a decade working with luxury beauty brands like Lancome and YSL, admitted that she knows her way around a photo shoot.

In the lead-up to her daughter's special day, Renay found a second, back-up photographer on Instagram while searching for someone available at short notice and hired her for the event.

But after paying more than $2,500, Renay was left confused and disappointed by the results of the photo edits and was dismayed to discover there wasn't a single photo of her daughter alone in her gown.

To make matters worse, Renay claimed the photographer got defensive, stopped responding, locked the final album with a password, and demanded extra fees before allowing her access to the final selections.

Ahead of the event, Renay had already booked a photographer for the venue, but on her event planner's advice, she organised a second one for family photos to help keep things smooth and minimise stress.

Sydney mum Renay Harb, 30 (pictured), has revealed her baby's lavish christening was 'ruined' by an 'unprofessional' photographer who failed to capture key moments from the special day

She posted a warning to her social media followers after being left 'devastated' over the highly anticipated photographs from her one-year-old daughter London's lavish celebration in September when they came back either too dark or too bright

'I had searched Sydney photographers on the Instagram search bar and went through a few. She was the only one available and based on her profile, I thought she was legit,' she said.

Despite paying an upfront fee of $2,000 before the day for five hours of coverage, Renay said warning signs were already written on the wall.

'I had to email her three times just to get her contact number. Looking back now, that should have been a red flag. But at the time, I was scrambling.'

On the day, Renay claimed the photographer provided no direction, failed to use any of the beautifully prepared photo areas, and didn't provide additional lighting or camera equipment to shoot indoors.

'She just pretty much stood there snapping away. There was no 'move here', 'angle that way', and no 'let's fix the lighting'. Nothing,' she recalled.

And in one of the most heartbreaking details for Renay, not one photo was taken of London alone in her custom, bejewelled christening gown from Kids N Style.

Two days later, the photographer sent a small preview set of 45 images, to which Renay said she tried to offer polite feedback.

'I said, 'they are so beautiful, however, they're just a bit too bright or too dark.' I was very polite.'

On the day, Renay claimed the photographer provided no direction, failed to use any of the beautifully prepared photo areas, and didn't provide additional lighting or camera equipment to shoot indoors

However, the photographer's tone changed instantly when Renay requested that the images not be shared on social media until they were properly edited and returned in full

'Even London's dress, you cannot see any detail [because], it was fully laced with beads, but in the photos it was so blown out. While one side of my husband's face was practically black because of the shadows.'

However, the photographer's tone changed instantly when Renay requested that the photos not be shared on social media until they were properly edited and returned in full.

Instead of responding to her feedback, the photographer began demanding payment for additional costs, made excuses for her shortcomings, and threatened that if she wasn't paid, she would go to social media.

Renay paid the outstanding $560 in full - which included extra charges for an additional hour and parking fees incurred on the day - hoping this would finally secure her daughter's photos.

In a bid to salvage the memories while still waiting weeks for her final edits to arrive, Renay attempted to lightly adjust the brightness and colour of some of the preview photos herself

After being continually ignored, Renay was dismayed when the photo album did finally arrive in her inbox five weeks later, but it was password locked

In a bid to salvage the memories while still waiting weeks for her final edits to arrive, Renay attempted to lightly adjust the brightness and colour of some of the preview photos herself as other vendors were keen to post snaps on their own business accounts.

That, she said, sparked an explosive reaction of the photographer accusing her of 'playing games' before ceasing to reply completely.

'I followed up multiple times nothing. Completely ignored even though I'd paid in full,' Renay said.

When the photo album finally did arrive in her inbox five weeks later, Renay said it was password locked, but no password was ever provided.

After Renay shared her warning with followers, her inbox was flooded by more than 15 people who claimed they'd had similar experiences. But now she's determined to warn other families to be cautious and to do their research before booking vendors

In the end, her husband had to intervene and contact the photographer directly to finally access their long-awaited photos.

After Renay shared her warning with followers, her inbox was flooded by more than 15 people who claimed they'd had similar experiences.

'This is honestly so sad to read I sadly know of the photographer you're talking about,' one follower wrote.

Now, instead of happiness, Renay says looking at the photos only brings back memories of stress, arguments and frustration, and she's now determined to warn other families to be cautious.

'If you're planning a big event, ask for full galleries, not just highlights on Instagram. And don't pay in full upfront to someone you haven't worked with before.'

'I found out after the event that she wasn't even trained. Just someone with a camera and an Instagram page.'
My best male friend turned up to the bar for our monthly catch-up and exclaimed, 'Are you wearing fake eyelashes?'

I was. Did he need to let the whole bar know?

A month earlier, my adult brothers called me out at a family gathering for sporting an admittedly Trump-like orange tan.

And the outcry from guys after I dared wear a shirt and tie to a recording of my radio show was enough to make me consider setting fire to my entire wardrobe.

But after a man wrote for the Daily Mail 'The 11 things you're wearing that repulse men,' I'd finally had enough.

Pull up a chair, fellas. The girls have a few notes, too.

For decades we've politely smiled while you turned up to dates wearing outfits that looked like they were assembled in the dark. We've nodded along as you've declared your decade-old flip flops were 'going out' shoes. We've pretended not to notice when your jeans were so tight they seemed to have been painted on.

But now that the floodgates have now been flung open by Sir Quarter-Zip, allow me to return the favor.

After a man wrote for the Daily Mail 'The 11 things you're wearing that repulse men' I'd finally had enough

Here are the seven things men wear that repulse women:

Ill-fitting ties

Let's talk length. The rule is simple. The tip should meet the belt. It should not be flirting with the zipper. It should not be grazing the groin like it's attempting to infiltrate the crotch.

When a man's tie dangles like wet linguine, every woman in the room silently questions his life choices.

And why do men turn up to weddings looking like they're borrowed their friend's tie from senior prom?

I've seen it all  too long, too short; too hideous.

Lads, you don't actually have to invest much in your wardrobe. You can repeat outfits for years, while women are forced to online shop for every new Instagram pic.

At the very least, invest in a decent tie. Tom Ford, Prada, Dior, Saint Laurent are all brands that sell a tie for under $500 and they instantly make you look fancy.

We don't even care if you 'accidentally' put it on backwards and flash the label. Honest mistake. Cute even.

Women can't buy a single shoe (let alone a pair) from those brands for under $1,000. So, make the most of the sexist pricing system.

Starve skinny jeans

Somewhere around 2015, men decided circulation was optional.

When your jeans are so tight that we can map the contents of your pockets, it's not giving 'rock star' vibes. It's reads more 'midlife crisis in a changing room.'

Skintight denim also draws attention to a harsh truth - most of you don't have a bum. Sorry, but many of you go straight from back to legs.

When your jeans are so tight that we can map the contents of your pockets, it's not giving 'rock star' vibes. It's reads more 'midlife crisis in a changing room.' (Pictured: Billy Bob Thornton in New York City in November)

Even worse, if you do have a juicy one and it looks like it's trying to break free. One deep squat and we're seeing more crack than Baltimore. Not good.

If you can't sit without wincing, trust me, so are we.

Baggy gym shorts

Unless you are on your way to an actual game, please stop wearing your high school PE shorts to brunch.

Women don't find the 'I rolled out of bed and grabbed whatever was on the floor' aesthetic charming.

I always assume that they're sweaty, which doesn't exactly make me want to rip them off you.

Men get cranky at girls for wearing track suits in public, but you're not dealing with hormonal bloating. Leave the shorts at home or keep them on the court.

They are pajamas pretending to be fashion and the only thing they score is the ick.

Flip flops and worse: Crocs!

I'm from Australia where men's thongs (aka flip flops) are considered a personality trait. But then the horrific Crocs came into play. Both are made from rubber. Both horrific.

Women can forgive many sins, but not the sound of flip flops slapping pavement like a wet salmon being dragged to shore.

I'm from Australia where men's thongs (aka flip flops) are considered a personality trait. But then the horrific Crocs came into play. (Pictured: Justin Bieber in West Hollywood in October)

And the toes! The little piggies always tell a story that I don't want to hear. Men, for the love of everything that is holy, invest in a nail clipper and  dare I say it  get a pedicure.

If you haven't scrubbed your feet since last summer, hide them from public view.

Side note: If you embellish your Cros, it's a direct call to the fashion police and straight to jail. You're not ten years old.

Flashy Jewelry

Chunky gold chains. Giant rings. 'Spiritual' bracelets you bought on a boy's trip to Thailand.

This is jewelry with an ego and it does absolutely nothing for us.

Unless you are a rapper, a pirate or actively starring in Love Island, tone it down.

Subtle is sexy. A full Mr T starter pack is not.

Now, women's jewelry  wrapped and presented on a date or any other occasion  is acceptable and encouraged.

Cargo shorts and graphic tees

This is the uniform of a man who has given up.

You're not Jack Black nor Jeff Probst, but even if you were, it's not an excuse.

Every straight woman on Earth has been on a date with a man wearing cargo shorts which can legally be classified as camping equipment.

But pair that with a T-shirt screaming 'Legend!' or 'Beer Loading' and we're texting our friends for an escape plan.

Every straight woman on Earth has been on a date with a man wearing cargo shorts which can legally be classified as camping equipment. (Pictured: Leonardo DiCaprio in New York City)

Pictured: Jack Black in Los Angeles

Lack of imagination in the outfit department = lack of imagination in the bedroom. I'm yet to be proven wrong.

The too-small polo

I appreciate that your love for the gym knows no bounds, but a strong chest should not be packed into an itsy-bitsy shirt.

For some reason you all believe it makes you look jacked. If your sleeves are cutting off your biceps like a tourniquet and your top button looks ready to file a workers' compensation claim, size up.

I appreciate that your love for the gym knows no bounds, but a strong chest should not be packed into an itsy-bitsy shirt. (Pictured: Lauren Sanchez and Jeff Bezos attend the F1 Grand Prix Of Monaco on May 25, 2025)

And, please, stop showing cleavage. Your shirts should be buttoned to a respectable length. Leave the thirst trapping to us.

In conclusion, with love

Before any man starts typing a furious comment, breathe. We like you. Truly. Fashion is fun, but attraction is subjective.

If you take anything from this list, let it be this: women are not nearly as harsh on men as men think they are. But now that you've had your say on ballet flats and comfy coats, the girls get a turn too.

Consider this a gentle nudge. A stylish little clue, if you will. And if you ever want personalized fashion advice, my DMs are open. As long as you aren't wearing an embroidered pigeon shirt. Don't even get me started
Michelle Obama has claimed that Black women have to straighten their locks to 'follow white people's beauty standards' during a furious on-air rant.

The former First Lady, 61, spoke about the topic during a live sit-down with Tracee Ellis Ross to discuss her new book, The Look, earlier this week week.

Michelle's new tome, which came out November 4, documented her style evolution during her time in the White House.

During her chat with Tracee, she claimed that Black women are 'trapped' by the pressures to keep their hair straight and 'can't swim' or 'go to the gym' because of it.

'Let me explain something to white people. Our hair comes out of our head naturally in a curly pattern,' an exasperated Michelle began.

'When we straighten it to follow your beauty standards, we are trapped by the straightness.

'That's why so many of us can't swim, and we run away from the water. People won't go to the gym because [they're] trying to keep [their] hair straight for y'all! It's exhausting, expensive and takes up so much time.'

Michelle concluded the heated conversation by telling people to 'get out of their hair.'

Michelle Obama has gone on a furious rant about her hair, claiming Black women have to straighten their locks to 'follow white people's beauty standards'

Michelle, pictured with husband Barack Obama in 2016, claimed that Black women are 'trapped' by the pressures to keep their hair straight and 'can't swim' or 'go to the gym'

'Don't tell me how to wear my hair, don't wonder about it, don't touch it. Just don't,' she stated.

A video of the moment has been shared all over X and TikTok, and her comments did not go over well with some people.

'Why is she blaming white people for her styling choices?' one user asked.

'If shes so mad about it, why is she wearing her hair straight,' wondered another.

'Nobody asked Michelle to straighten [her] hair. I dont straighten mine - overly curly, zero apologies,' replied someone else.

'No wigs, no filters. 100 percent natural, trimmed on my schedule. Stop blaming "white supremacy" for your own choices. Own your crown, sis.'

'I don't think I've ever heard anyone tell someone else they need to have straight hair to conform to anything. My hair is naturally curly. I swim at least three times a week,' read a fourth tweet.

It comes after she opened up about the delicate balancing act of representing her Black culture and being the First Lady while speaking with Cosmopolitan's beauty editor Julee Wilson, actress Marsai Martin and hair expert Yene Damtew last week.

Michelle's new tome, The Look, which came out November 4, documented her style evolution during her time in the White House

The former First Lady, 61, discussed the topic during a live sit-down with Tracee Ellis Ross to discuss her new book earlier this week

'Let me explain something to white people. Our hair comes out of our head naturally in a curly pattern,' Michelle said. 'When we straighten it to follow your beauty standards, we are trapped'

Since leaving the White House, Michelle has embraced her natural hair and has been pictured rocking curlier locks on numerous occasions

She opened up about the consideration taken into account by both herself and her team when her husband Barack Obama, 64, was elected President in 2009.

'I knew the importance of making boarder statements about hair as the first Black First Lady,' she explained.

'But what I will tell you is that I consciously understood that - at least until people knew me, which took eight years - I needed to not make hair part of the conversation.'

She said that's why she has chosen to speak about her hair journey now, saying: 'It is always such an important part of a woman and a Black woman's journey.'

The podcast host admitted that her husband didn't always understand the immense pressure that came with her styling.

'Sometimes he wonders, "do you have to do all that?"' she shared.

'He is always like "you're beautiful no matter what you do, I don't notice the difference in anything,"' Michelle continued about her husband.

'So he has always been, is always, continues to be completely affirming.'

Since leaving the White House, Michelle has embraced her natural hair and has been pictured rocking curlier locks on numerous occasions.
AI photos have imagined what Anne Hathaway would look like if she had not had any suspected cosmetic enhancements.

Thanks to her ageless appearance and youthful complexion, many have wondered if the actress, who celebrated her 43rd birthday this week, has gotten plastic surgery or injections for years.

She has stayed tightlipped about whether or not she has ever gone under the knife or enhanced her appearance, but that hasn't stopped fans from speculating on her looks.

Now, dramatic new computer-generated images have only fueled the speculation.

Artificial intelligence was told to analyze photos of the brunette beauty when she was younger and predict what she should look like at age 43 had she kept everything natural.

The results were shockingly different to what she actually looks like at this age, hinting that she may have received some procedures to alter her appearance.

Back in 2008, Hathaway admitted that she wanted a nose job growing up because she felt like it didn't 'fit the mold.'

However, she said at the time that she had learned to embrace her differences and in fact, believed her nose was the reason she landed some of her biggest roles.

AI photos have imagined what Anne Hathaway would look like if she had not had any suspected cosmetic enhancements. She's seen left in 2001 and right in the AI-generated photo

Thanks to her ageless appearance and youthful complexion, many have wondered if the actress (seen last month), 43, has gotten plastic surgery or injections for years

'Growing up, theres a lot of pressure on young women, when you first become aware of your own looks in relation to other womens looks,' she told Express.

'You just want to be cookie-cutter beautiful. And sometimes you think, "Maybe I could change something about myself to fit that mold." Im no exception to that.

'When I was growing up I wanted a nose job because I didnt think my nose was good.

'And my nose is now, I think, what lets me change my face a lot and lets me be glamorous as [my Get Smart character] Agent 99.

'I just made a movie where I play a recovering drug addict and I look really rough.

'Your face needs to have character if youre going to be an actor or youre just kind of a face. Youre not really a person or a personality.'

She added: 'f theres anything in my power to change myself, Ill do it but in terms of radically changing myself for self-esteem or anything, no, I dont think Ill ever do that.'

Artificial intelligence was told to analyze photos of the brunette beauty when she was younger (l) and predict what she should look like at age 43 had she kept everything natural (r)

Dr. Gary Motykie, a Los-Angeles based plastic surgeon who did not treat the star, told the Daily Mail in 2023 that he believed she had a nose job as well as filler or Botox. She's seen last month

Hathaway has not spoken out about plastic surgery since, but Dr. Gary Motykie, a Los-Angeles based plastic surgeon who did not treat the star, told the Daily Mail in 2023 that he believed she did end up getting a nose job after analyzing photos of her.

'I have no doubt she had surgery on her nose,' he said.

'You see it go from a slightly more plunging bulbous tip with a wide bridge to having a much more defined contour and thinner bridge and thinner tip and more tip projection. That's the leading sign of having a rhinoplasty.'

He also theorized she had something like 'filler' or 'Botox' in her face to maintain her youthful glow.

'We also see that natural sign of thinning and baby fat going away on her face, but it does appear to be more maintained,' he continued.

'So I am suspicious of things like fillers, Botox, maintenance with micro-needling and skin tightening, things to just maintain the skin.

'I also noticed her jawline is a bit narrower, again that could be the normal loss of body fat or it could be some slight contouring to the jawline to bring in that lower face with things like Botox to narrow that lower part of the face.'

Back in April when she attended a Ralph Lauren fashion show, many fans felt like her complexion was suspiciously smoother than in the past

One month later, she fueled the speculation as she displayed her smooth visage on the red carpet at the Met Gala

The Daily Mail has reached out to Hathaway for comment but did not hear back.

The Princess Diaries alum has sparked immense plastic surgery rumors in recent month as she continues to showcase her ageless appearance.

Back in April when she attended a Ralph Lauren fashion show, many fans felt like her complexion was suspiciously smoother than in the past and flooded social media with theories that she had gotten cosmetic enhancements.

One month later, she fueled the speculation as she displayed her smooth visage on the red carpet at the Met Gala.
KIEV, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Rustem Umerov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said Saturday that Ukraine has agreed to resume the prisoner exchange process with Russia during recent consultations mediated by Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates.

"As a result of these negotiations, the parties agreed to activate the Istanbul arrangements. This concerns the release of 1,200 Ukrainians," Umerov wrote on Facebook.

Technical consultations will take place soon to finalize all procedural and organizational details, said Umerov, adding that Kiev aims to bring Ukrainians home from captivity by the winter holidays.

Ukraine and Russia held three rounds of negotiations in Turkiye in May, June and July, reaching the so-called Istanbul agreements on exchanging their captives and bodies of fallen soldiers. 
A young mom who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's has recalled how doctors brushed her off for months - and shared the early symptoms that she overlooked.

Staci Marklin, 47, from Tennessee, started noticing that she was suffering from subtle 'memory issues' when she was expecting her first child back in 2022.

But at the time, Marklin, who was working as a nurse, 'chalked it up' to simply being overtired from the pregnancy and working long hours.

However, in August 2024 she began 'switching words' and she knew deep down that something was wrong.

'I would say "curtain" instead of "carpet" for [example]. As I was a nurse that worked in geriatrics I knew that I should get checked,' she explained during a recent chat with the Daily Mail.

Despite her suspicions, it would take nearly a year for her to finally get her diagnosis.

Her primary care doctor, who she described as 'wonderful,' referred her to a neurology group specializing in memory disorders.

Marklin explained that because her grandmother battled Alzheimer's, she pushed her doctors to check for it.

A young mom who is suffering from early onset Alzheimer's has recalled doctors brushed her off for months - and shared the early symptoms that she overlooked

Staci Marklin (seen with her son), 47, from Tennessee, said it took nearly a year for her to finally get her diagnosis

However, she explained that 'all the providers she saw' dismissed her fears because they said 'early onset Alzheimer's was so rare at her age.'

But thankfully, 'as a nurse she knew how to advocate for herself.'

'I got a ton of testing. All the initial testing came back normal,' she recalled. 'All the providers I saw said early onset Alzheimers would be rare at my age.'

Finally, in March 2025, seven months after she first went to the doctor, she received a diagnosis.

'My husband and I were devastated. We were in the middle of building our dream home in Tennessee far from all our family and friends,' she recalled.

'We began to grieve the life we had planned and started planning our new future around this diagnosis.'

Since her diagnosis, Marklin - who is also the stepmother to her husband's 21-year-old daughter - admitted that her short term memory has gotten worse, which she said makes it extremely difficult to parent her now-three-year-old.

'I once changed a diaper then immediately after said to my husband, "Oh my God I forgot to change his diaper." He of course replied, "You just did that,"' she shared.

She explained that 'all the providers she saw' brushed off her fears because they said 'early onset Alzheimer's was so rare at her age'

'Being a full-time toddler mom while juggling Alzheimers symptoms can be challenging.'

She added that she 'struggles with regulating her emotions' and can become 'irritated and agitated easily.'

'I have good days and bad days with communication and word finding difficulty,' she explained.

She always has to have someone with her, as she added, 'I just feel like its a safety net. I can be alone with him but would rather take every precaution.'

While it took Marklin quite some time to come to terms with her diagnosis, she has now learned to accept it.

She recently started speaking about her health journey on TikTok, where her videos have racked up hundreds of thousands of views.

'When I was diagnosed I felt embarrassed. When people think of Alzheimer's they think of it as a disease affecting mainly the elderly population and that they are unable to do anything for themselves,' she said.

'It was hard for me to tell people. But I want to show that this isn't true.'

Marklin stressed that 'all Alzheimer's patients don't look the same' and reminded others who may be suffering from the disease

'With the new diagnostic testing, people are being diagnosed at much earlier stages in the disease process.

'This will lead to earlier interventions and hopefully in the future we will see Alzheimers as a treatable disease and not a death sentence.

'I started my TikTok page to document my journey and in doing so I have found many people like myself and a huge network of support. I no longer feel alone.'

Marklin stressed that 'all Alzheimer's patients don't look the same' and reminded others who may be suffering from the disease or have a family member suffering from the disease that they're 'not alone.'
On the most recent episode of Saturday Night Live, comedian Michael Che stunned the crowd with a sordid sex joke about Donald Trump, in an attempt to mock the BBC.

On last night's segment of The Weekend Update, co-host Che said: 'President Trump is threatening to sue the BBC for $5billion for a documentary that edited out the part of his January 6 speech where he called for protestors to be peaceful.

'And to set the record straight, here is the full, unedited, completely accurate clip of what Trump said on that day.'

The segment then cut to a clearly edited version of the speech that cut together individual phrases and words that the president said behind the podium.

The cut together sentence said: 'Everybody knows I went down on Bill Clinton.'

The two-part joke was in reference to an edited speech in a BBC documentary that the corporation's Board Chair, Samir Shah, acknowledged 'did give the impression of a direct call for violent action.'

It also referenced the 20,000 emails from Epstein's estate that were released on November 12 by Democrats in the House Oversight Committee, in which Trump's name appeared several times in damning contexts.

In particular, the joke referenced a 2018 email between brothers Mark and Jeffrey Epstein, in which Mark suggested Jeffrey ask former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon 'if Putin has the photos of Trump blowing Bubba.'

On the most recent segment of Saturday Night Live's The Weekend Update, co-host Michael Che made a joke that mocked the BBC's misleading edit of Trump's January 6 speech as well as the president himself

The joke included a clearly edited clip of the speech that cut together words and phrases Trump said into this sentence: 'Everybody knows I went down on Bill Clinton'

That email was heavily circulated on social media, and rumors about the identity of 'Bubba' abounded.

Many have suggested it was Bill Clinton, as 'Bubba' was a popular nickname for the former president, who had a social and business relationship with Epstein for many years. Clinton has denied being close to Epstein, and his office has previously stated that he 'knows nothing about the terrible crimes.'

The identity of Bubba has not been verified, and Mark Epstein told Newsweek that it was not Clinton, but he did not provide any additional information about the identity or the meaning of the emails.

Trump has called the emails a 'hoax,' and accused Democrats of releasing them 'because theyll do anything at all to deflect on how badly theyve done on the Shutdown.'

SNL's audience were stunned by the sex jokes, with one writing: 'Jeezus... this SNL cold open is bizarrely unreal in how it frames the release of the Epstein emails as condemning Trump more than, oh say Bill Clinton.'

Another said: 'Trump blowing Bill Clinton SNL cold open mention achieved. We are rapidly reaching mid-90s era mainstream comedy casual brutality and now it involves that same man from the mid-90s who got so much of it.'

While a third simply said: 'Whos gonna play Bill Clinton on SNL.'

The joke was in reference to a recently released email from Epstein's estate that said: 'Ask him if Putin has the photos of Trump blowing Bubba.' People on social media have speculated that 'Bubba' is Clinton, but that has not been verified

In the released emails, Trump's name appears several times in damning contexts

The president was outraged by the BBC documentary that left out key parts of his January 6 speech. His lawyers have threatened to sue for at least $1billion unless the corporation issues a retraction, apologizes and compensates him.

On Friday, Trump raised the stakes and told reporters on Air Force One: 'We'll sue them for anywhere between a billion and $5billion, probably sometime next week.'

'They actually changed the words coming out of my mouth... I think I have to do it. I mean, they've even admitted that they cheated,' the president said.

The BBC has issued a formal apology to Trump, and it has agreed to not rebroadcast the documentary, which first aired in Britain in October 2024. It did not, however, agree to compensate the president and publicly stated: 'We strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.'

Epstein had personal and professional relationships with Trump and Clinton, but both have denied any wrongdoing and assert that they had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes

Trump has threatened the BBC with a $5billion lawsuit in response to the corporation's misleadingly edited documentary

Trump has been using billion-dollar legal threats to fight his political adversaries for a long time.

In September, he hit the New York Times with a $15billion defamation lawsuit. The initial complaint was dismissed, but Trump's lawyers filed an amended version in October.

In 2018 during Trump's first term, he suggested that he might sue SNL after the show aired a segment imagining a world where he had never been elected.

That never went anywhere, and although Trump has consistently been critical of SNL, he has not taken legal action against the show.
Bereaved families will soon be lumbered with daunting new bureaucracy that will cause misery, extra costs and the risk of heavy fines, money experts are warning.

The avalanche of red tape is being caused by pensions being drawn into the inheritance tax net from spring 2027. Crucially, this will create admin headaches even for families with no bill to pay.

It means sorting out an estate is set to become far more onerous because families will have to chase up pension companies for vital information.

Stiff late payment charges could be levied if you fail to track down all pensions, and work out and settle the bill within six months.

Inheritance tax also has to be paid upfront before you can access or receive a penny from a loved ones estate  already a heavy burden for many relatives.

Even when no inheritance tax is due, a deceased persons finances still need to be examined and information must often be submitted anyway to prove that to the taxman.

Proposing to make bereaved relatives find all the pensions, identify who will inherit, then calculate and pay the inheritance due within six months is unworkable, says former Pensions Minister Ros Altmann.

There have not been enough warnings about this coming catastrophe.

The avalanche of red tape around Inheritance tax is unworkable says former Pensions Minister Ros Altmann: There have not been enough warnings about this coming catastrophe

Steve Webb, also a former Pensions Minister and now a partner at pension consultants LCP, says: Life is tough enough when you have just lost a loved one without having extra layers of bureaucracy on top.

Complications will no doubt arise where the family member cannot track down all of the deceased persons pensions, or where providers are slow to supply the information needed to work out the inheritance tax bill.

Heres what lies ahead  and what you can do to protect your loved ones now.

Baroness Altmann says: These pension burdens on ordinary bereaved relatives are wholly disproportionate.'

WHAT IS CHANGING?

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced at last years Budget that inheritance tax would start being levied on unspent pensions, as it is on other assets such as property, savings and investments, from April 2027.

You can pass on up to 325,000 tax-free if you are single, or 650,000 jointly if you are married. There is a further 175,000 allowance, which increases the threshold to 500,000  or a joint 1 million if you have a partner  if you own a property, and intend to leave money to your direct descendants.

Once an estate reaches 2 million, this own-home allowance starts being removed by 1 for every 2 above this threshold, and it vanishes completely by 2.3 million.

Everything above your threshold is charged at a drastically high 40 per cent  and from April 2027 that will include pensions as well.

There has been widespread criticism that families will face a double tax hit under the plans.

Those who die after the age of 75 will see their pots hit by both inheritance tax and the income tax already levied on beneficiaries, who have to pay their normal rates of 20 per cent, 40 per cent or 45 per cent on pension withdrawals.

The Government originally intended pension schemes rather than personal representatives  meaning executors or administrators of an estate, who are often family members  to be liable for the reporting and payment of any inheritance tax on pensions.

But instead, it has now been decided to make personal representatives, who are already responsible for administering the rest of the estate, liable for reporting any inheritance tax due on pensions and death benefits.

The personal representatives, alongside the beneficiaries inheriting the estate, are jointly responsible for paying the bill, either as a group or individually.

SIX-MONTH TIME LIMIT

You get just six months, kicking off from the last day of the month after a loved ones death, to add up their assets, calculate what is owed and hand over any money due to the taxman.

If you are late, the estate will be charged interest  it is currently 8 per cent a year. If no money is due, you get 12 months to simply fill in the forms to show nothing is owed.

But you will need to settle this issue one way or another with HMRC  if you need to get probate to gain control of the deceased persons funds, it wont be granted without the taxmans sign-off.

Baroness Altmann says it will be an impossible task for some families to find all past pensions, identify all beneficiaries, work out and then pay any inheritance tax due within six months.

Many personal representatives or executors of someones will are just family members, with no experience in pensions or tax, and they will be doing all this work unpaidc she says.

These pension burdens on ordinary bereaved relatives are wholly disproportionate.

Nobody would want to be an executor or personal representative once they realise what these new rules mean.

Pension schemes will have to verify their identity and authority, make reasonable enquiries about potential beneficiaries, and gather all necessary evidence before determining what will be paid to each person.

The representative will have to pay any inheritance tax inside six months, but potentially without any money from the pension funds available to them.

It is already common for beneficiaries not to have the ready cash to pay inheritance tax bills.

There are various ways to get round this, but they often arrange for cash in the deceased persons accounts to pay HMRC direct, or borrow to cover the bill.

Steve Webb says HMRC is going to have to give serious thought to the penalties around late payment

You can also pay in ten equal instalments spread over up to ten years, but the 8 per cent interest for late payments will then be applied.

Steve Webb says HMRC is going to have to give serious thought to the penalties around late payment of inheritance tax to ensure grieving families are not at risk if delays related to pensions are not under their control.

Charlotte Fox, senior associate at law firm Gardner Leader, also sounded the alarm. She says the six-month limit could prove challenging, particularly in cases of unexpected deaths, or complex finances.

She adds: Personal representatives are responsible for settling the estate, including any inheritance tax liability, but they do not control the pension fund unless they are also the nominated beneficiary or involved in the decision process.

Without additional legislative clarity and administrative reform, there is a risk of confusion, delays, and unintended tax consequences for estates and beneficiaries alike.

Heather Rogers, owner of Aston Accountancy, adds: Having the personal representatives liable for the inheritance tax on the inherited pension funds is unfair in its current form and a nightmare for any personal representatives handling such an estate.

The time limits are also very restrictive and add unnecessary pressure to all parties, and failure to get matters concluded in the timeframe could potentially give rise to claims against personal representatives.

EMPTYING PENSIONS

Mid-level earners who own their home and have some pension savings could be caught out by the new rules  and so, warns Baroness Altmann, will have a strong incentive to empty their pension fund as soon as they can and pay just basic rate income tax on it.

Someone with income of, say, 35,000 a year, can withdraw 15,000 from their pension and pay only 20 per cent tax, rather than risking losing 40 per cent of it if they die unexpectedly young, she says.

Most people are more worried about dying soon rather than living too long, and there will be a clear incentive to empty their pension fund, just in case the worst happens, rather than keeping it for later life.

There is evidence this has already started to happen, according to Craig Rickman, pensions expert at DIY platform Interactive Investor.

People are already altering their behaviour ahead of April 2027, in some cases making pension withdrawals sooner than previously intended in fear of loved ones being hit with exorbitant tax bills and facing an administrative maelstrom.

This could not only lead to poorer outcomes in retirement, but damage trust and confidence in a pension system that is already on shaky ground.

Rickman is concerned that savers are extracting and passing on money from their pensions that they will eventually need themselves in future, for example to meet care bills.

Heather Rogers: Having the personal representatives liable for the inheritance tax on the inherited pension funds is unfair

TIME TO THINK AGAIN?

Witnesses to recent hearings of a House of Lords committee on the issue recommended urgent changes, according to Baroness Altmann, which she says would improve the current proposals but not undo all the damage.

One proposal is to extend the current inheritance tax payment deadline from six months to two years, to avoid 8 per cent interest being imposed before families have enough time to sort out pensions on top of the rest of an estate.

Another is to simply have personal representatives and pension schemes send all relevant information to HMRC, and make it responsible instead for calculating any tax due and liaising with the beneficiaries.

Other suggestions include making beneficiaries liable for the tax, rather than personal representatives, and allowing pension funds to pay the inheritance tax before probate  which gives access to a deceased persons assets  is officially granted.

Baroness Altmann says a different plan entirely would be much less damaging  simply levying a flat-rate charge of 10 per cent, 15 per cent or 20 per cent on unused pensions when someone dies, paid direct by the pension firm regardless of the inheritance tax position of an estate.

No faffing about with inheritance tax forms. No 8 per cent interest on late payments. No incentive to take money out while still young, just in case, she says.

No headlines about widows or bereaved children bankrupted by the costs of trying to deal with pension tax consequences and beneficiary disputes involved in administering their loved ones estate. Revenue raised could eventually be earmarked to help fund social care.

No doubt her idea will divide opinion, as it would mean a new tax on the less well-off who otherwise would not face inheritance tax.

Meanwhile, Roddy Munro, pension specialist at financial services firm Quilter, warns that unless the current plans are simplified there is going to be a seismic shift in how people plan for retirement and inheritance.

How the policy is eventually enacted risks turning a targeted tax reform into an administrative minefield, he says. Whats more, while only a small fraction of estates will pay more tax, a far greater number will face needless complexity, delays and stress  often at the worst possible time.

The Government was asked for comment but did not respond before publication.

PROTECTING LOVED ONES

It is sensible to get your paperwork in order, with an up-to-date list of your assets and which financial and pension firms hold them, along with passwords, if necessary, and contact details.

Keep it with your will and lasting power of attorney in a secure place, such as a safe.

If you are already drawing on pensions you will have a good handle on the relevant information, but many younger savers lose track of funds held with old employers and have to hunt them down. Use the Governments free service at gov.uk/find-pension- contact-details.

Some people merge pensions as a tidy-up exercise, but this option may not be open to you, or there might be penalties, so research this carefully first.

If you pull out pension cash to give away to family members then survive seven years it typically falls outside of the inheritance tax net, although this might change in the Budget.

Experts say you should balance this decision carefully against harming your own retirement.
After months of febrile speculation, it's now clear that next week's Budget will batter Britain with more punishing tax rises.

But for self-confessed 'tax nerd' Dan Neidle, a former City lawyer who shot to fame after exposing the tax affairs of former Tory minister Nadhim Zahawi, how the Chancellor fills an estimated 30 billion black hole in the public finances is a source of endless fascination.

'Most tax rises hit growth,' he says, calling on Reeves to choose the option that has 'the least worst impact'.

He argues that if the Government opts for tax rises, rather than spending cuts or more borrowing, then it should ensure the pain does not fall solely on workers.

'If I were her, I would cut employee National Insurance by 4 per cent and increase income tax by 3 per cent,' a move he reckons would raise 8 billion.

'It would be a tax cut for employees and a tax increase for landlords and retired people,' he says.

'People should pay the same tax. It's not fair that someone who is working should pay more than someone retired or living off investments.'

Interested party: For self-confessed 'tax nerd' Dan Neidle, how the Chancellor fills an estimated 30 billion black hole in the public finances is a source of endless fascination

Neidle acknowledges that such a step would technically break Labour's pledge not to raise income tax, but points out that 'for an employee, it would actually be a tax cut'.

However, he doubts Reeves will make any bold moves, which he says will be 'ultimately damaging for the economy'.

He is right to be pessimistic. Just last week Reeves ditched widely telegraphed plans to increase income tax, with the Chancellor instead said to be aiming for a 'smorgasbord' approach of raising taxes drawn from narrower bases.

But Neidle warns it is precisely this piecemeal 'tinkering' that has left Britain's tax system 'dysfunctional and one of the least competitive' globally, stifling growth.

> How to fix the 60% tax trap that's harming productivity

The UK's complicated 23,000 page tax code

Britain has one of the world's most complex tax codes, stretching to more than 23,000 pages.

Neidle has called for scrapping stamp duty, cleaning up inheritance tax and a rethink of property levies to simplify things.

He says: 'Stamp duty on property stops people moving, adds to human misery and holds back the labour market. Stamp duty on shares is just as damaging. Why would we want to make it harder and more expensive to invest?'

He is also critical of changes to inheritance tax announced in last year's Budget, which he claims will leave loopholes for avoiders while penalising small businesses and family farms.

He says: 'You end up with small companies and farms broken up to pay the bill, while those with slick advisers get away unhurt. That cannot be right.'

How Dan Neidle hit the headlines

Neidle was thrust into the spotlight in 2023 when he uncovered that the then Conservative Party chairman and former Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi had underpaid millions of pounds of capital gains tax  a revelation that ultimately saw him sacked by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of the day.

At the time, Zahawi's legal team sent letters to Neidle to try to prevent him from publishing information about the Tory politician's tax affairs.

However, he released the correspondence publicly and stood by his analysis.

Last year, one of Zahawi's lawyers was ordered to pay 310,000 by the Solicitors Regulation Authority after a tribunal found he had broken its code of conduct by trying to stop Neidle publishing his allegations.

Since then, the tax crusader has turned his beady eye on Labour's former deputy Prime Minister and Housing Minister Angela Rayner, who resigned in September after being found to have underpaid stamp duty when buying a flat in Hove, East Sussex.

'What surprised me was how she gave a misleading impression of confidence and certainty when she hadn't done the work to back it up,' Neidle says.

His bluntness and willingness to take on the big beasts have made him an influential figure in the UK tax world. But he says he did not set out to become the country's unofficial tax watchdog.

Before his run-in with Zahawi, Neidle worked as head of tax in the London office of legal giant Clifford Chance.

He joined the firm in 1998 and in 2008 he was made partner  'terrible timing', he jokes as it coincided with the financial crisis.

Neidle left the firm in the pandemic to set up Tax Policy Associates, an independent think-tank that critiques policy and tries to expose those exploiting taxpayers.

Neidle says the complexity of the system has led to a flood of unregulated businesses selling questionable schemes under the guise of helping people organise their finances.

'In the old days, it was big corporations raiding the Exchequer. Now it's unregulated firms raiding their own clients. My role is as much about defending people from conmen as it is about policy.'

How to fix the mess

Turning back to the gaping hole in the public finances, Neidle is characteristically blunt.

'You can either fill it with spending cuts, or you can fill it with tax rises. But it's a fantasy to pretend there's some magic third option,' he says.

He also blasts repeated leaks from the Government over potential tax and spending policies.

'They scare people off from investing or moving house. People tell themselves they'll 'wait until after the Budget', and that can't be good for growth.'

For Neidle, Britain's ultimate failure is not that it taxes too much  the Nordic countries have higher rates  but that it taxes badly.

'They manage to raise more money in a stable, rational, competitive way,' he says of Scandinavia. 'We do the reverse; our system is irrational and anti-growth.'

Neidle also warns that the tax system has become 'a ratchet that only ever gets worse' and radical change is needed.

He says: 'We either pay more tax or accept fewer public services. Unless we face up to that, our economy is going nowhere.'
Britain's leading energy boss has warned he may be reluctant to bail out failed providers in the future and accused sector regulator Ofgem of letting down customers.

Chris O'Shea, chief executive of British Gas's parent company Centrica, last week stepped in to rescue customers of collapsed supplier Tomato Energy.

But he said he may not do the same for more firms if  because they are unable to raise enough capital to meet Ofgem's targets  they go under.

'If they can't raise the capital, if the market is not investible, why would I want to do that? I want to help customers. But if the same thing keeps happening then I don't want any part of it,' he said.

O'Shea's comments come at a time of intense speculation that a big provider is on the verge of going under.

He called on the regulator to come clean over exactly how bad the situation is at firms that have fallen short of its yardsticks.

Looking for transparency: Chris O'Shea has warned he may be reluctant to bail out failed providers in the future and accused sector regulator Ofgem of letting down customers

Ofgem has given two big suppliers, Ovo and Octopus, a grace period to meet the new financial resilience targets.

These were introduced in the wake of market mayhem that saw a wave of firms go bust in 2021 and 2022 after Putin's invasion of Ukraine pushed up energy prices.

The requirements are meant to ensure firms have a good buffer to withstand market turbulence.

Under Ofgem's regime, suppliers that do not meet the capital targets but have a plan in place to put it right are not considered to be in breach of the rules. The regulator claims it is holding suppliers to account and that it closely monitors their plans to boost their capital within a reasonable time.

However, it has not made public any details over the extent of the shortfalls or how long it will take to rectify them, so consumers and other players remain in the dark.

'We are calling for transparency,' O'Shea said. 'We need to know what is the shortfall, what is the recovery plan.'

Ofgem has not officially disclosed which providers did not meet its targets. But auditors at Ovo, a big provider with 4 million customers, recently raised a red flag over its ability to continue as a going concern. The firm recently parted ways with its chief executive and chief financial officer.

Ovo has also been given extra time to try to raise capital from potential investors, according to reports in the Financial Times. But O'Shea, pictured, demanded an end to the secrecy surrounding the process and called for better protection for consumers.

An Ofgem spokesperson said: 'Claims we have relaxed our financial controls are simply inaccurate. Our regulation means the sector now holds around 7.5 billion in assets, a significant reverse from minus 1.7 billion during the crisis, meaning they are now better protected against failure, and the impact this has on customers' bills.'
More than 5 million company directors have yet to sign up for new anti-fraud checks despite a looming deadline tomorrow.

New identity verification rules are designed to end Britain's unwanted reputation as a haven for corporate fraud.

But Companies House, which runs the public register of UK firms, said despite the imminent deadline the number of directors that have signed up was only 'approaching 1.5 million' out of the 7 million on its books.

After the deadline passes, any director who has not passed the checks will not be allowed to access Companies House to submit annual accounts or change executives' details.

Leading business organisations say there is widespread support for the checks, which aim to crack down on money being laundered through shell companies using fake directors, some of which even use joke names such as Donald Duck and Osama bin Laden.

But there are concerns that the 'confusing, clunky, and occasionally unreliable' computer program used to carry out the process  called One Login  is still making the process impossible three months after problems with the system were highlighted by The Mail on Sunday.

Crackdown: New identity verification rules are designed to end Britain's unwanted reputation as a haven for corporate fraud

Companies House was today urged to 'do everything in its power to ensure that its systems are up to the task'. New rules have been brought in under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023  the biggest reform of Companies House since its inception in 1844.

Last month a BBC investigation revealed how a Kurdish crime network was enabling migrants to work illegally via a string of dodgy businesses.

Under the scam, fake directors were paid to have dozens of firms registered in their names on official paperwork  but were not involved in running them.

While the crackdown has broad support, the Institute of Directors (IoD) said the complex and unreliable verification process risked hitting legitimate firms.

'Many members highlighted difficulties with One Login, calling it confusing, clunky and occasionally unreliable,' an IoD spokesman said. 'It's clear smoother navigation and clearer guidance will be key to ensuring the system works effectively for businesses of all sizes.'

Tina McKenzie at the Federation of Small Businesses said asking directors to submit photo ID to register was 'an important step in the fight against fraud' but added Companies House needed to ensure the system was 'up to the task of processing all the verifications submitted before it becomes mandatory'.

The number of directors who have undergone verification checks has risen rapidly since August, when it was only 300,000.

But many have found the process, which means linking existing '.gov.uk' accounts with One Login, fraught with difficulties. Users reported Kafkaesque problems ranging from digital codes failing to appear, an 'infinite loop' of login screens, and the system failing to recognise documents as evidence. Officials admitted 'essential security features' could affect the process and conceded One Login did not meet all standards.

Those with experience of the lax controls also remain sceptical. Kevin Brewer, 73, a Warwickshire businessman took drastic measures to highlight director fraud in 2013. He created a bogus firm with then Business Secretary Vince Cable as a director  and was prosecuted.

He told The Mail on Sunday there were 'still massive holes' in the registration system, adding: 'I don't see any improvements. There is still the formation of companies in other people's names.'

He said 'proper verification' was still 'very hit and miss' and Companies House needed 'many more staff' to do it properly.

Companies House noted 'deadlines for existing directors and persons of significant control will be spread across a 12-month transition period'.

A spokesman added: 'We have undertaken extensive work to ensure businesses are aware of upcoming changes. The introduction of identity verification will provide more assurance about who is setting up, running, owning and controlling companies in the UK, playing a key role in improving the quality and reliability of our data, and helping to tackle misuse of the register.'
Plans by Rachel Reeves to raise up to 2 billion by limiting a tax break on pension contributions could lead to a hiring freeze, experts warned this weekend.

The Chancellor is said to be considering a 2,000-a-year cap on how much salary can be sacrificed into a workplace pension without incurring National Insurance costs.

There is currently no limit on the sum an employee can put into a pension under such a scheme before it becomes liable for National Insurance.

The perk is meant to encourage workers to save for retirement. Companies also gain when staff use these schemes as they avoid paying 15 per cent National Insurance on pay that is given up.

But a raid on such schemes in next week's Budget would be 'another hefty blow to employers' reeling from last year's 25 billion hike in their payroll contributions, said Gary Smith at wealth management firm Evelyn Partners.

Concern: Rachel Reeves is said to be considering a 2,000-a-year cap on how much salary can be sacrificed into a workplace pension without incurring National Insurance costs

The move 'could well drive down pay rises, bonus pools and hiring at larger firms', he added.

Reeves' National Insurance raid last year is widely blamed for a sharp rise in unemployment, now at its highest level since late 2020.

A salary sacrifice cap would be smaller in scale than the National Insurance levy, experts said. And firms might first reduce their pension contributions to recoup the extra costs, they added.

But some employers are already sounding the alarm. The Universities and Colleges Employers' Association has already written to Treasury Minister James Murray urging a rethink.

In a letter seen by The Mail on Sunday, chief executive Raj Jethwa said many of his members 'are now very concerned' about the prospect of a salary sacrifice ceiling, which could cost the higher education sector at least 50 million a year, or about 800 academic staff.

His figures are based on the Universities Superannuation Scheme, the UK's largest non-Government pension fund, and do not include pension pot top-ups called additional voluntary contributions.

Salary sacrifice schemes are most widely used in the private sector, where about 30 per cent of workers use the perk.

About one in ten public sector employees also benefit from salary sacrifice tax breaks.

Fears of a raid on pension contributions have risen since the Government ruled out lowering the 268,275 limit for taking tax-free cash from retirement pots.

'It's going to add to the damage to the labour market and as a further tax increase on business will damage investment incentives,' said Anna Leach, chief economist at the Institute of Directors.

A Treasury spokesperson said: 'We do not comment on speculation around changes to tax outside of fiscal events.'
Tonja Johnson was the kind of mother who could do it all.

At 5ft 10in, she was tall, fit and fiercely independent - the kind of woman who could remodel a bathroom from start to finish without breaking a sweat.

'She could put a toilet in, she could put a sink in, she could put a counter in,' her husband, Michael Johnson, recalled, saying she loved tackling renovation projects at their Las Vegas, Nevada, home.

But everything changed, Michael claimed, on November 1, 2021, when Tonja rolled up her sleeve for the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine - a shot she only got because she needed to be vaccinated to keep her state job.

Within 24 hours, she began suffering dizzy spells so severe that she was falling over. Then came crushing chest pains, stomach agony and aches that spread through her bones.

She was in so much pain she couldn't eat, withering away to just 70lbs in a matter of months and becoming reliant on a wheelchair.

'[Since] I've gotten the COVID vaccine, I've had nothing but absolute horrific trouble,' Tonja said in a tear-jerking testimony from her hospital bed before she died.

After a harrowing two years of extended hospital stays and grueling procedures, Tonja died in her husband's arms on October 31, 2023, aged 57.

Tonja Johnson said her health rapidly declined after she got the Johnson & Johnson shot

Tonja, pictured with her son Masyn about 15 years ago, loved do-it-yourself projects before she became sick

Not only was Michael left to mourn the love of his life and the mother of his only child, he said he has also been burdened by immense medical debt and unanswered questions.

'I think if she wouldn't have gotten the shot, she would still be here,' Michael said while sobbing. 'We'd still have her.'

Tonja's rapid deterioration left her doctors baffled, Michael said.

Doctors never conclusively linked her condition to the vaccine, but Michael remains convinced the timing was not a coincidence.

Her autopsy shows she died from lung failure, but the cause of death simply says 'unknown.'

Dr Stuart Fischer, a physician based in New York City who did not treat Tonja, told the Daily Mail it was possible the vaccine played a role.

On the timing of her demise, he said: 'It's definitely suspicious. But there would be no way of knowing without proper tests, even then it would be difficult to tell.'

'The vaccine was very controversial and had many side effects,' he added, noting that the vaccine can result in 'systemic problems' within one's body, starting just a day or two after the injection.

But not everyone in Tonja's family is on the same page about her death.

Tonja underwent four grueling procedures while she was hospitalized

Shane Tilstra, Tonja's estranged 37-year-old son from her previous marriage, believes alcohol played a role.

'She had a drinking problem that I am sure did not help her health,' Tilstra alleged, adding that he and Tonja had not spoken for about seven years before she passed.

He claimed his mother continued to drink after gastric bypass surgery over 20 years ago despite doctors warning her not to.

The surgery involves shrinking the stomach and connecting it further down the intestines, so food skips part of the gut and causes people to feel fuller quicker.

For gastric bypass patients, heavy drinking is especially dangerous.

The smaller stomach means alcohol hits the system faster, the rerouted intestines are more fragile and the liver is under extra strain.

This can trigger ruptures, ulcers and even deadly blood clots - complications Tonja suffered during her health battle.

Adding to the mystery is the fact that Michael claimed that Tonja had quit drinking several years before getting the vaccine - and she was actually healthier than ever.

In the months before her death, she was traveling to and from California to visit her parents and always playing with her precious dog, Jacks.

Tonja got the vaccine in order to keep her job with the state of Nevada, which she held for 15 years

Tonja kept a smile on her face even in her darkest moments

During the height of the pandemic, however, Nevada required all state workers to be vaccinated.

Tonja, who worked as an administrative employee at the state-run Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas, fell into that category.

She was hesitant, worried the shot had been rolled out too quickly, but feared losing her job of 15 years if she didn't get it.

'She waited until the last second to get the vaccine,' said Michael, who never got the shot himself.

Her symptoms began the day after she received the Johnson & Johnson shot - and much of what she endured aligned with some of its rare side effects, according to case studies.

Months of suffering and confusion followed before she was finally admitted to the hospital, where her condition spiraled out of control.

Her spleen had to be removed because it was bleeding - though doctors could not determine the cause.

A feeding tube was inserted to counteract her rapid weight loss, but the tube kinked and ruptured her intestine, causing sepsis.

Her stomach eventually shut down and had to be removed, and surgeons then discovered her esophagus was torn, explaining why she had struggled to eat.

Michael, left, said that Tonja, right, was hesitant about receiving the shot

When doctors investigated the pain in her chest and legs, they found blood clots had formed in her legs and traveled to her lungs.

After about six months in the ICU and another three at a long-term acute care facility, Tonja was finally able to return home. 'She was starting to get better,' Michael said.

But she required round-the-clock care, which Michael and their then-16-year-old son, Masyn, provided themselves.

Masyn switched to an online high school to take care of his mother and deal with his studies while his father worked.

Michael, who manages a grocery store, juggled work with taking Tonja to appointments. The ordeal drained their savings.

For Masyn, watching his mother suffer while he missed out on teenage life was devastating.

After eight months bedridden at home, Tonja's condition worsened again. She was re-admitted to the hospital, where she passed away soon after. 'I held her as she died,' Michael said through tears.

Michael said Tonja had racked up $7.5 million in medical expenses, 80 percent of which was covered by insurance. He still owes about $40,000.

Ultimately, Michael feels the government never should have mandated the vaccine and it was simply rolled out 'too fast.'

'They were trying to do a good thing, but I think they've done more bad than they could ever do good,' he said.

'I miss her more and more every day.'

In rare cases, the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has been linked to the development of dangerous blood clots.

Pictured: Tonja

The single-dose shot was once hailed as a convenient alternative to Pfizer and Moderna's two-dose regimens, but it quickly became one of the most controversial vaccines on the market.

Within months of its rollout in 2021, US health officials temporarily paused its use after a small number of women developed a rare but serious clotting disorder known as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS)  a condition involving blood clots and low platelet counts.

Although the suspension was lifted after further review, confidence in the vaccine never recovered.

By December 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) formally recommended Americans choose Pfizer or Moderna instead, citing a higher risk of severe side effects with the J&J shot.

Eighteen months later, in May 2023, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quietly withdrew authorization for Johnson & Johnson's vaccine, effectively removing it from the US market.

Out of roughly 18 million Johnson & Johnson doses administered, the CDC confirmed nine deaths linked to blood clots.

There have been a handful of reports of gastrointestinal issues after vaccination, but most involved the Moderna shot and patients with pre-existing conditions.

Researchers believe that, in rare cases, vaccines can spark an extreme immune or inflammatory response in which the body's own immune system damages blood vessels supplying the esophagus.

The loss of blood flow can cause tissue death and lead to a rare condition known as acute esophageal necrosis, or 'black esophagus,' so called because the lining of the esophagus literally begins to die and darken.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, a spokesman for Johnson & Johnson wrote: 'We sympathize with the family of Tonja Johnson for their loss.

'The safety and well-being of every person who receives a Johnson & Johnson product is our top priority.

'As a matter of policy, we do not comment on individual patient health information.'

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, the agency that runs the Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital.

The hospital where Tonja was treated declined to comment due to patient privacy laws.
A California dementia specialist has issued a stark warning that George Clooney's new film could romanticize assisted suicide and send a dangerous message to millions of vulnerable people living with Alzheimer's.

Patty Mouton, a veteran gerontologist and palliative care expert from Orange County, told the Daily Mail that Clooney's forthcoming movie In Love risks 'glamorizing' death and distorting the painful realities of illness, care, and family duty.

'We have a very, very serious responsibility not to glamorize the notion of going out standing tall instead of on my knees,' Mouton said. 'That's not life. Life is cyclic  it includes vulnerability. To avoid that is to limit our human experience.'

Clooney, 64, will star in In Love, based on Amy Bloom's bestselling 2022 memoir In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss.

The story follows Bloom and her husband, architect Brian Ameche, who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's and chose to end his life at the Swiss assisted dying clinic Dignitas.

In the film, Clooney plays Ameche, with Annette Bening as Bloom. Filming begins in New England in November.

To many, it's a tender love story about autonomy and dignity. Bloom herself called the memoir a reflection on 'truth-telling and the right to face death without shame.'

Director Paul Weitz has called the story a 'contemporary fable of love, wit, and existential stakes.'

Actors George Clooney and Annette Bening will star as the husband and wife couple grappling with an Alzheimer's diagnose

California gerontologist Patty Mouton says Clooney's forthcoming movie In Love risks 'glamorizing' death

But Mouton isn't convinced. She fears the film's Hollywood gloss and star power will mask the grim emotional and moral costs of assisted suicide  and make it seem like a graceful, noble exit rather than a desperate decision.

'My hope is that the production team will be very, very careful not to emotionally incentivize people to think about assisted suicide in a more positive way,' she said.

'It's not this convenient way to wrap up a life. It has far, far-reaching ramifications.'

The longtime dementia care specialist worries that Clooney's portrayal could make those struggling with Alzheimer's  and their exhausted loved ones  believe that choosing death is an act of courage or love.

'What does it say about people who are not 100 percent strong  physically, emotionally, or cognitively?' she asked.

'Is it telling them that their lives are no longer worthwhile, and that it's better to just end it before you become inconvenient or expensive?'

Drawing from decades at the bedsides of dying patients, Mouton said decisions like these are never made in isolation.

They're shaped by fear, exhaustion, family tension, and medical bills that average around $70,000 per year for dementia sufferers, straining even premier health insurance plans.

'I've had families say, 'Can't we end this sooner? It's so expensive,'' she revealed.

'Sometimes the evidence suggests they don't want their inheritance to be diminished by a long, drawn-out caregiving experience.'

She added that society must 'reaffirm its duty' to care for the sick with compassion, not convenience.

'We have a duty to help people understand they're going to be taken care of with love, respect, and dignity,' she said.

'We must disabuse people of the notion that the only way to live is with complete strength and cognitive ability.'

Clooney, pictured here with wife Amal, is one of Hollywood's most recognizable stars

The movie depicts the real-life story of Amy Bloom and her husband Brian Ameche

They travelled to Switzerland's notorious end of life clinic Dignitas, where Brian ended his life

Her comments come as Alzheimer's cases rise across the US.

More than 7.2 million Americans currently live with the disease  a figure expected to double by 2050 as the baby boomer generation ages, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

The degenerative brain disorder robs people of memory, reasoning, and independence. It remains incurable.

And while 12 US states and Washington, DC allow physician-assisted dying, it is reserved for terminally ill, mentally competent adults expected to die within six months.

None permit it for dementia patients.

Connecticut  where Bloom and her husband lived  bans it altogether.

That's why the couple traveled to Switzerland, where Dignitas offers assisted death to foreigners who are acting voluntarily and have decision-making capacity.

Dementia is problematic, as sufferers have to make end-of-life decisions before their capacity to consent to an assisted suicide is lost.

Mouton said the growing normalization of procedures, from Europe to Hollywood, risks warping the public's moral compass.

'If we are going to be a civilized society,' she said, 'aren't we judged by the way we treat those who are most vulnerable?'

Mouton said she has never known anyone personally who went to Dignitas, but she has counseled countless families wracked with fear and guilt.

Many, she said, underestimate the emotional toll  or the potential for healing  in caring for loved ones through decline.

Celebrated American writer Amy Bloom co-wrote the screenplay for the upcoming movie

Her 2022 book describes how Brian, in his own words, wanted to die 'standing tall, not on his knees'

She also warned that those who choose to die early may miss out on medical breakthroughs or moments of grace.

'What if I'm the person who gets into a clinical trial and gets the magic bullet?' she asked. 'What if the next discovery comes six months later, and I've ended my life too soon?'

'When somebody has a diagnosis like dementia, we might miss the opportunity to help the medical community learn more  or even get to a cure,' she added.

For Mouton, end-of-life care isn't just about dying  it's about living meaningfully, right to the end.

'I've seen siblings come together after not speaking for years,' she said.

'I've seen divorced couples reunite, so one can care for the other because it's the right thing to do. These are extraordinary expressions of love and healing  and we miss them if we just end it.'

She's witnessed patients who, even in their final days, still show small signs of wanting to live  accepting water, or a small bite of food.

'Death is inconvenient,' she said. 'We have to accept that.'

Mouton doesn't mince words about her opposition to assisted dying.

'Suicide has detrimental effects on people,' she said.

'You can call it empowering, considerate, or intellectually superior. It's still suicide  and it still has really strong, difficult, often negative impacts on the loved ones of the person who's taken their life.'

She believes In Love  with its A-list cast and emotive storytelling  could unintentionally sell suicide as a moral act.

Mouton said she misses the days when films celebrated courage and endurance rather than convenience.

The nondescript room on the outskirts of Zurich, Switzerland, where Dignitas visitors end their lives

Doctor-assisted deaths are widely available in Canada, though heavily restricted in the US

'I think it was better when we had more movies about courage  doing the right thing under terrible circumstances,' she said.

'There's life after a diagnosis of dementia. Sometimes people live 12 or 15 years, and they're not debilitated until the very end.'

'The danger,' she added, 'is that people won't understand that life isn't over just because you have a serious diagnosis. There's still love. There's still learning. There's still life.'

Her warnings echo those of disability rights advocates, who have also sounded alarms about Hollywood's growing fascination with 'beautiful' deaths.

Ian McIntosh, executive director of the advocacy group Not Dead Yet, called In Love 'a disability snuff film by any other name.'

'Hollywood keeps depicting the everyday experiences of disabled people as a fate worse than death,' he said.

'Million Dollar Baby and Me Before You were panned for glorifying suicide as rational, even noble. In Love will be no different.'

Still, end-of-life choice advocates, such as Compassion & Choices, argue that controlled assisted dying offers autonomy and peace, not pressure, and that laws can include strict safeguards to prevent abuse.

Advocates say films like In Love help open long-overdue conversations about dignity, autonomy, and patient rights at the end of life.

In Love is being made by Smokehouse Pictures, the production company co-founded by longtime friends Grant Heslov (left) and George Clooney (right)

Whether to allow assisted dying stirs strong feelings, including in the UK (pictured), where a law change is being debated

Mouton said she doesn't question Clooney's intentions  only the potential consequences.

She hopes he and his team remember that behind every Alzheimer's story is not just pain, but resilience.

'It's easy to make a movie about despair,' she said. 'It's harder  and braver  to make one about endurance.'

'My message to anyone with dementia is simple,' she concluded. 'You are not a burden. You are loved. You still matter.'
The chilling truth for the West is this - if Vladimir Putin presses a button, cities from London to New York could be horrifically turned to wasteland in minutes.

Deep inside Russia's military machine, the tyrant is quietly assembling an arsenal designed not to win a war in Europe, but to decimate whole nations at the push of a button.

His scientists are racing ahead with a terrifying array of nuclear systems that sound closer to doomsday fiction than modern military reality.

They are building a suite of super weapons designed to frighten the world into caution - but these are not just bombs and missiles.

They are nuclear-powered underwater drones, reactor-driven cruise missiles, hypersonic attack vehicles and even suspected space-based capabilities that American officials warn could, in the most extreme scenario, blind satellites and plunge modern societies into darkness in seconds.

If Kremlin commanders are to be believed about their 'Poseidon' doomsday torpedo, a detonation would hurl a gigantic wall of irradiated seawater across coastal cities and naval bases in the West.

When unveiling a fresh test recently, Putin calmly declared there are no existing interception methods and 'there is nothing like this', as if announcing a new naval ship rather than a device capable of poisoning continents.

For decades, Washington and Moscow relied on mutual deterrence and painstaking arms control treaties to ensure nobody crossed the line. Many treaties have been pushed aside or are totally dead, and military communication channels are strained.

Russia is at war in Europe and has repeatedly rattled the nuclear sabre.

And each time the Kremlin announces progress on one of its so-called invincible weapons, military officials and diplomats in the West exchange looks that say it plainly: the world is closer to nuclear peril than at any point since 1962.

And the most chilling truth of all is that the machines Moscow says it has built are not stored away. They are being touted, tested and certified.

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The Sarmat, being tested in Russia. It is among Putin's terrifying weapons designed to frighten the West into caution

Vladimir Putin has been assembling a terrifying mix of weapons in an attempt to win a potential war with the West and wipe out cities

Perhaps the most alarming of all is a weapon Russia calls Poseidon. Western officials usually refer to it cautiously, stressing that hard performance data is not public.

But the broad contours are accepted because Putin himself has described them. Poseidon is a nuclear-powered, nuclear-capable underwater drone the size of a small submarine.

Russian state media and officials have claimed it can travel thousands of miles underwater, guided by artificial intelligence, before detonating near enemy coastlines.

In theory, analysts say, such a blast could drive a massive radioactive surge inland, sending huge tsunami waves that could devastate cities.

When Putin confirmed a Poseidon test late last month, he said Russia had launched it from a submarine and then activated the reactor that powers it.

'There is nothing like this,' he told a group of military officials. 'There is no way to intercept it.' Some critics have said that Putin's claim that it is impossible to be intercepted cannot be verified.

But in nuclear strategy, perception is reality, and whether or not the system performs exactly as billed, its purpose is undeniable. It was developed as a response to the US's withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev declared that Poseidon can be considered a true 'doomsday weapon.'

Russian media commentators have suggested it could 'drown Britain.' Western analysts say such scenarios are likely exaggerated, but agree the concept itself is designed to terrify. It is said to be 20-24 metres long and about 2 metres in diameter.

Some experts point out that generating a continent-sweeping radioactive tsunami is scientifically uncertain. But others note that uncertainty is the point.

If even a fraction of the horror described in Russian propaganda came to pass, coastal cities would be devastated, harbours contaminated, and land rendered toxic for years.

As if that was not enough, last Saturday, Putin unveiled his new terrifying nuclear submarine, which is built to carry Poseidon.

The Poseidon being test-launched in Russia. Putin has consistently bragged about the weapon with the Kremlin propaganda machine, saying it could 'drown Britain'

The Khabarovsk is a hulking submarine which is built to carry Poseidon - it is said to have cost 1billion

The Khabarovsk is said to have cost 1billion and has a 10,000-ton displacement.

The country's defence minister, Andrei Belousov, who oversaw the unveiling, said: 'The heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Khabarovsk is being launched from the renowned Sevmash shipyard.

'Carrying underwater weapons and robotic systems, it will enable us to successfully secure Russia's maritime borders and protect its national interests in various parts of the world's oceans.'

Russian sources now say the Khabarovsk has been sent off for sea trials.

Above the waves, a second horror - where the United States once abandoned nuclear-powered cruise missile research as too dangerous, Russia pressed forward.

The Burevestnik, known as the 'Flying Chernobyl,' a weapon of 'unlimited range' as Putin puts it, is designed to fly using a miniature nuclear reactor, according to Russian officials.

In October, Putin said Russia had achieved 'key objectives' in a fresh test. General Valery Gerasimov added that the missile flew for several hours, covering a distance of nearly 87,000 miles, adding that 'this is not the limit.'

Western governments have not verified those performance claims. What is confirmed is the risk: in 2019, a suspected Burevestnik-related accident killed multiple Russian nuclear specialists and caused a detectable radiation spike.

Critics say the very concept of a nuclear-propelled missile is reckless. 'Nuclear-powered cruise missiles are not a new idea,' said Patrycja Bazylczyk, a research associate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. 'They are just a bad idea.'

She added the world risks 'radioactive wreckage or some other unintended consequence.'

Even if Russia never fields Burevestnik operationally, the fact that Moscow pursued and tested such a system at all underscores the Kremlin's mindset of deterrence through dread.

On Russian television, the missile is nicknamed the Flying Chernobyl because of the radioactive exhaust its propulsion allegedly leaves in its wake, a feature the Kremlin uses to underline the device's terror value as much as its strike capability.

Putin has bragged that it is a 'unique system' and 'one that no other country in the world possesses'.

Then comes the frontier that was supposed to be protected by treaty: space.

In February 2022, Russia launched a satellite called Cosmos-2553 into an orbit so high and radiation-filled that analysts noted its unusual profile immediately.

A photograph showing Russia testing the nuclear-capable cruise missile, Burevestnik in 2019. Known as the 'Flying Chernobyl,' is designed to fly using a miniature nuclear reactor, according to Russian officials

Russia's Defence Ministry said it was testing equipment, but American officials later briefed that the satellite might be linked to experiments for a future nuclear anti-satellite device.

US intelligence has said publicly it believes Russia is exploring a space-based nuclear capability, a claim the Kremlin denies.

But when the United States brought a resolution to the United Nations reaffirming the decades-old ban on nuclear weapons in orbit, Russia vetoed it, while China abstained. The US and its allies voted in favour.

'Why, if you are following the rules, would you not support a resolution that reaffirms them?' asked US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

In orbit, Russian sources and domestic commentary describe a programme that would give Moscow the power to blind and paralyse modern society from above.

Kremlin-aligned analysts talk of an orbital capability that would detonate over enemy lines and fry satellites, shut down GPS and military networks and plunge entire regions into darkness without a single ground strike.

This would effectively turn space into a theatre where modern civilisation can be switched off in seconds.

The last time a nuclear device detonated at high altitude, during the 1962 Starfish Prime test, streetlights failed in Hawaii hundreds of miles away.

The launch of the secretive Cosmos-2553 in 2022. The US has shared concerns that Russia is exploring a space-based nuclear capability - a claim the Kremlin has denied

While those exotic systems draw headlines, the Kremlin's strategic backbone remains traditional but upgraded nuclear forces.

Putin's next point of pride is the RS-28 Sarmat, his super-heavy intercontinental ballistic missile. Known to NATO as Satan II, Russian media claim it weighs more than 200 tonnes and can carry a vast load of multiple warheads and decoys, each capable of striking a different city.

In state animations, Sarmat arcs across oceans at unusual angles, even over the South Pole, where no early warning radars watch. It is described as the missile that ends maps, a rocket that could erase a nation and leave only ruin behind.

Western analysts acknowledge that even with test failures and delays, Sarmat will be one of the most powerful strategic systems ever built.

Estimates from defence economists suggest the programme's development cost runs into tens of billions of pounds. Russia presents that price as a bargain, claiming the missile ensures no adversary can ever hope to survive a nuclear exchange.

Then comes Avangard - Moscow claims its hypersonic glide vehicle can plunge through the atmosphere at speeds above 15,350 mph, changing course mid-descent to dodge interception.

Russian television says it rides a plasma envelope as it tears toward its target, arriving with almost no warning and striking before defensive radars can lock on. It is estimated that it has a mass on the order of 1,500-2,000kg.

The system is mounted on modified Soviet era missiles today, and Russia says it will soon deploy Avangard on Sarmat as well, turning every launch into an existential riddle for Western defence planners.

The Kremlin has hinted that Avangard was developed for a fraction of what America spent on missile defence. Analysts cannot verify that figure, but agree that even limited deployment dramatically complicates any attempt to shield cities from a Russian strike.

The Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, known to NATO as Satan II, Russian media claim it can carry a vast load of multiple warheads and decoys, each capable of striking a different city

The nuclear-capable Avangard hypersonic weapon in a photograph released by the Russian Defence Ministry. Moscow says it can change course mid-descent to avoid interception

The Kinzhal missile adds terror at the theatre level. Air-launched from MiG-31K interceptors and long-range bombers, the missile is advertised in Moscow as a hypersonic dagger capable of reaching speeds Western systems cannot follow.

Typical estimates list a range of around 932-1,243 miles when air-launched.

Russian media claims it can smash hardened bunkers, pierce reinforced naval hulls and strike capital cities within minutes of launch.

Ukraine has shot down several Kinzhals using Western-supplied Patriot batteries, a fact the Kremlin disputes, yet even in failure, the missile is treated inside Russia as a symbol of speed and inevitability.

Ukrainian defence officials estimate each missile costs around ten million dollars, a figure that speaks to both the weapon's sophistication and the Kremlin's willingness to pour resources into tools meant to frighten as much as destroy.

Zircon completes the picture. Russian state broadcasters describe it as a sea-skimming hypersonic cruise missile that erupts from warships or submarines and races toward its prey at reported speeds up to 7,000mph.

Footage released by the Russian Navy shows sleek launches from the White Sea and triumphant commentary about carriers sinking before they can scramble aircraft. Ukraine claims to have intercepted at least one Zircon. Moscow denies it, insisting Western fleets would never react in time.

No official cost has ever been confirmed, but defence analysts believe each missile likely costs several million pounds, a price Russia portrays as modest when set against the ability to send a carrier strike group to the ocean floor in seconds.

Its length has been estimated at roughly 8.9-9m, with a diameter of about 0.6m.

Then there is Peresvet, the laser system Putin unveiled alongside these superweapons.

Russian briefings claim it can blind satellites, protect mobile missile convoys and burn through optical sensors to leave Western reconnaissance powerless. Military researchers point out that Russia has never shown laser firing in open footage, and its true ability remains hidden behind secrecy.

Yet the Kremlin emphasises Peresvet's presence as proof that its command posts and nuclear units can disappear from foreign eyes when conflict begins.

Little is known about its procurement cost, but directed energy programmes in other nations have run into the billions. Russia boasts that its lasers will darken the skies before the first missile rises.

Finally comes what Moscow presents as the shield for its sword.

The powerful Russian MiG-31K jet carrying the high-precision hypersonic aero-ballistic missile known as Kinzhal in 2018. Ukrainian defence officials estimate each missile costs around ten million dollars

Zircon launched during drills in the Mediterranean Sea. It has speeds of up to 7,000mph. Each missile is said to cost several millions of pounds

The S-500 Prometheus air and missile defence network is marketed in official channels as capable of shooting down stealth aircraft, ballistic missiles and even some objects in low Earth orbit.

Footage of large mobile launch vehicles rolling across military parade grounds accompanies announcers describing a system that can protect Russia's nuclear infrastructure and intercept any retaliatory strike.

Independent defence experts argue that the S-500 remains unproven and in limited deployment - yet, to the Kremlin, it represents a final reassurance.

Even if the unthinkable happens, they say, Russia will still stand and its capacity to strike back will survive.

In the past fortnight, the alarm has grown louder. On November 6, 2025, Vladimir Putin told his Security Council that if the United States resumed nuclear testing, 'Russia would be under obligation to take reciprocal measures.'

Russia's latest advancements have been said to have spooked US President Donald Trump into ordering his military officials to restart their own nuclear tests for the first time in over three decades.

Putin responded by signalling that he will order ministries to prepare proposals for restarting Russia's own tests - a signal, Western officials warned, that Moscow now sees no barrier left to full-scale confrontation.

Just days earlier, on October 29, the Kremlin announced it had 'successfully tested' its Poseidon nuclear-powered torpedo, the underwater drone long described by Russian media as unstoppable and capable of unleashing radioactive tidal waves on enemy coasts.

Then on November 4, during an awards ceremony in Moscow, Putin publicly praised the scientists behind the Poseidon and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, calling them 'faster and more effective' and declaring that they would guarantee Russia's strategic parity with the West.

The underwater drone Poseidon. Putin recently praised the scientists behind the terrifying weapon

Meanwhile, U.S. defence officials confirmed they are closely monitoring Russian test sites in the Arctic and the Novaya Zemlya archipelago after Putin's instruction to consider reciprocal nuclear trials.

Analysts told The War Zone on November 5 that Russia could resume underground detonations within months if ordered to do so.

The meaning for the West is stark. A nation already fighting a war in Europe is openly boasting of weapons that can cross oceans underwater, fly for days, strike from orbit and blind satellites and is preparing, if provoked, to restart nuclear explosions.

Most of the messaging from the Kremlin has gone beyond deterrence - it is now escalation.

The main US-Russia nuclear weapons agreement in place is the New START treaty, which places a limit on the number of strategic warheads and launchers developed by the two countries.

In February 2026, the treaty is set to expire. Putin has already hinted that there may not be a renewal - he has backed out of its verification mechanisms.

The tyrant has also been accused of ordering several incursions into European countries' airspace with drones and fighter jets, with experts saying he is looking for a confrontation and to test Western defences.

Some nations, including Britain, France, and Germany, have warned that they would shoot down any foreign objects in their skies.

Others have also urged NATO to do more to respond to the incursions that have caused disruptions at airports and forced the organisation to scramble fighter jets.

A Russian MiG-31 fighter jet flying over Estonia on September 19. Putin has been accused of ordering incursions into European airspace

A NATO general in September said it could soon be easier for member countries to shoot down Russian aircraft.

Russia has responded that this would mean war. For Kremlin officials, this could be the perfect opportunity to test any of Moscow's harrowing weapons.

If Russia believes the line has been crossed, these machines, the drones, the reactor-powered missiles, the hypersonic gliders and the orbiting warheads will not simply answer.

They will erase the difference between war and apocalypse. One thing is for sure - the nightmare vision haunting Western defence chiefs is no longer hypothetical.
FUZHOU, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The 17th Cross-Strait Tea Expo opened on Sunday in the city of Wuyishan, east China's Fujian Province. Featuring the theme of integrated development of tea culture, industry, and science and technology, this year's expo has drawn over 850 enterprises, including 173 from Taiwan.

With 2,300 booths spanning 48,000 square meters, the event includes four main themed exhibition halls.

Notably, the Taiwan section features 200 booths, a 14.3 percent increase from the previous year, highlighting strengthened tea industry exchanges across the Strait.

Li Huang-yi, a tea farmer from New Taipei City, attended the expo for the first time.

"I brought three types of oolong tea that I produced myself," Li said. "I hope to connect with more tea enthusiasts through the expo and further expand my market."

The event continues to emphasize cross-Strait exchanges, especially among youth, with over 10 related activities scheduled. Jointly organized by industrial associations from both sides, the expo will run until Thursday. 
Ben Craven drank two bottles of vodka a day at the height of his alcohol addiction which saw him lose his home and family.

The 43-year-old, from Melbourne, said alcohol was just a part of Australian culture, and he didn't think too much about it when he first started drinking as a teenager.

His addiction to booze destroyed his life to the point where his partner at the time took away his six-week-old daughter.

He said he pleaded for help, but struggled to get it.

'I was in and out of hospital and I lost everything, my home, wife and daughter and my dad passed away,' he said.

When Mr Craven finally got accepted at a rehab centre he had liver damage and septicaemia.

'I couldn't even walk to the shower. I could only remember snippets from back then,' he said.

'I went to hospital so many times to detox but after I did they'd say "we need the bed" and they'd kick you out.

Ben Craven was at rock bottom and said rehab saved him from alcohol addiction

Craven is now training to do a 700km run to raise awareness for substance addiction

'Alcohol addiction gets its hooks into you. I was screaming for help and couldn't get it.

'If I didn't get into rehab I'd be dead.'

Mr Craven, who couldn't run at all when he went into rehab, is now preparing to jog 700km from Adelaide to Melbourne to raise funds, and help others struggling with addiction.

'It was an absolute battle to get a place at rehab, and I just feel it's too hard so I'm doing this run. I want to make it easier for people,' he said.

'I know so many people are struggling with addiction, and anyone who wants help can't get it unless they have money.'

Mr Craven said by the end of rehab, he could run 10km thanks to a running track at the facility.

'I feel like I've been reborn, and I've got another crack and I want to do it right,' he said.

'When I was in rehab I got fit and healthy and it saved my life. All I wanted to do was stop (drinking).

'I've since started a business, I have a good relationship with my ex, I see my daughter now, and I owe it all to rehab.'

Mr Craven has dropped more than 40kg since quitting alcohol.

'I can't even explain the difference in my life after quitting alcohol. There have been no negatives at all,' he said.

'My life revolved around drinking. Now I've shifted focus to exercise and health, and I want to help other people.'

Mr Craven will start his long run on May 30 and is hoping to arrive in Williamstown, Victoria, a fortnight later. That's 50km a day for two weeks.

'I'll do it, it just depends how fast I do it. I think it will be a mental challenge, but I am 43 so it will be a physical challenge as well,' he said.

He said he would likely help out Windana but also, as a qualified builder, would like to start his own rehab facility.

Donations to his GoFundMe page can be made here.
The parts of the UK fighting back against the practice of jailing people for social media posts have been mapped today.

Almost 200,000 across the country have signed a petition against imprisoning people for 'offensive' online posts as the public's concern over the threat to free speech grows.

The petition started by ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe is due to be debated in Parliament on Monday, November 17.

Lowe warned in the petition of 'serious public concern' about the proportionality of sentencing in cases involving online opinions.

The 68-year-old businessman turned politician, who has become friendly with X owner Elon Musk, wrote 'we believe imprisoning individuals for posts on social media sets a dangerous precedent'.

He added that the issue raises wider questions about freedom of expression, proportionality in sentencing, and the misuse of limited prison resources.

Instead, the petition states that alternative sanctions, such as fines or community service, would be more appropriate.

Mr Lowe's constituency, Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, had the highest rate of signatories with 1,074 out of a population of 100,529 backing it - a rate of 1.07%.

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Ruper Lowe's constituency, Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, had the highest rate of signatories for the petition

The debate over the policing of social media arrests was brought to the forefront of the public's mind when Lucy Connolly, the wife of a Conservative councillor, was jailed for stirring up racial hatred in the aftermath of the Southport attack.

She received a 31-month custodial sentence, believed to be the longest for a single social media post, in what critics have argued is evidence of two-tier policing.

In a tweet, which she removed after three hours after it had been viewed by 310,000 people, she called for 'mass deportation now', adding: 'Set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care if that makes me racist so be it.'

She was subsequently arrested, charged, and despite being a first-time offender who posed little flight risk, refused bail.

The subsequent prosecution would eventually see her serve a total of 377 nights behind bars, or more than a week for each of the 51 words she'd originally uploaded.

In May, she had an appeal against her sentence refused by three Court of Appeal judges at the Royal Courts of Justice.

Supporters viewed Connolly, whose husband Ray is a Conservative councillor in their hometown of Northampton, as a political prisoner who received a grotesquely excessive sentence for committing an isolated and relatively minor offence in which no-one was physically harmed.

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, at one point told Parliament he would 'always support' the courts in such cases.

The debate over the policing of social media arrests was brought to the forefront of the public's mind when Lucy Connolly (pictured) was jailed for stirring up racial hatred in the aftermath of the Southport attack

Ray Connolly (centre) with supporters outside the Court of Appeal at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London

But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch weighed in, arguing that Connolly's 'punishment was harsher than the sentences handed down for bricks thrown at police or actual rioting'.

Ms Badenoch contrasted her fate with that of former Labour councillor Ricky Jones, who was charged with encouraging violent disorder after being filmed calling for anti-migrant protesters to have their throats slit, but 'pleaded not guilty and was acquitted by a jury who saw his words as a disgusting remark made in the heat of the moment, not a call to action.'

Connolly's case later became international news, with US officials saying earlier this year they are keeping tabs on developments over their 'concerns' about free speech.

A State Department spokesman said in May: 'We can confirm that we are monitoring this matter. The United States supports freedom of expression at home and abroad, and remains concerned about infringements on freedom of expression.'

It came after political commentator and Trump ally Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated in September, was made aware of Connolly's ordeal after a visit to the UK and vowed to get the US State Department involved in the process.

Since her release in August, Connolly has become a political figure, being loudly cheered by the Reform UK crowd as she made her way onto the main stage of the party's conference in Birmingham in September.

She told the conference she would have 'loved the opportunity' to plead not guilty but believed the 'quickest way back to my family' was pleading guilty.

Charlie Kirk (pictured) was made aware of Connolly's ordeal after a visit to the UK and vowed to get the US State Department involved in the process

Mrs Connolly's case was raised with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (pictured)

Connolly also claimed that photographs of her daughter, sent by her husband when she was locked up, were censored by prison authorities.

Reform leader Nigel Farage, whose party have long campaigned for Connolly's release, said he was 'delighted that she is free at last', and said that 'her unfair punishment makes her an important figure as we fight to get free speech back'.

The outcry that the police are wasting their time prosecuting social media crimes has increased because official figures show that 90% of all crime went unsolved in 2023, up from 75% in 2015.

Brits have been left angered, as they usually receive only a crime reference number if their phone is stolen, making it seem as if Britain's criminal justice system is investigating online messages more vigorously than other crimes.

Indeed, the vast majority of thefts, robberies and burglaries dealt with by the police in 2024 had their case closed without a single suspect even being identified.

Only 7% of adults say online hate crimes should be a 'top priority' for police to investigate, instead saying they would much rather they dealt with violence, burglary, robbery and drug-dealing, according to polling by the Policy Exchange think tank.

But sending mean posts online, particularly from a named account, is very easy for the police to identify suspects, so unsurprisingly, around two-thirds of these crimes have a named suspect.

The Met was the first force to have a team dedicated to monitoring social media posts, although today every force in the country has one.

Jemimah Steinfeld, the chief executive of the Index on Censorship pressure group, told the Daily Mail: 'Lines like when offensive expression becomes genuine incitement can be difficult to draw.

Jailed tweeter Lucy Connolly was warmly greeted by Nigel Farage with a hug at the Reform party conference in September

'In our digitised world, where so much of our speech is now recorded and where it's impact is still not fully grasped, we've been left exposed to the whims of individual police forces.

'But do we want a system where someone can be questioned by one officer for speech that another officer might not see as problematic?

'If we want to protect a pluralistic speech environment, the threshold for criminal speech must remain very high, and that must be something universally acknowledged.'

In response to the petition, the government has released a lengthy statement praising freedom of expression as a 'cornerstone of our democratic society'.

A spokesman said: 'The sentencing framework provides courts with a range of sentencing powers alongside imprisonment, including fines, community sentences, and suspended sentences.

'The law also makes clear that imprisonment should only be imposed where no other sentence would be appropriate.

'We do not consider it necessary or appropriate to revisit the sentencing framework and we currently have no plans to review the penalties for these types of offences.'
'Have you been in here before?' the president asked me as I settled into the Oval.

'It's been a few years, sir. Two thousand eight,' I said.

'Well, I've done some redecorating. Look at these paintings. George Washington over the fireplace. And Reagan here over the desk. The conservatives love that. Place of honor over the fireplacewho would you put there, Reagan or Washington?' Trump asked.

I paused to consider a decorating question that only presidents usually ponder. And I've marveled at his constant redecorating of the most important office in the world. The paintings. His own mugshot. The Declaration of Independence. He's restyling the Oval visually as fast as he's reshaping all of American politics.

Trump's redecorating is a metaphor for the way he has governed in his second termadding new elements at such a rapid pace that hardly anyone can keep up. It's clear that he has a vision for what he wants, and it is up to the rest of us to figure it out and embrace it.

'Sir, you're asking a Kentuckian, so I am biased. But I would've chosen Lincoln,' I said.

'Well, we have Honest Abe over here,' Trump retorted, pointing to the wall opposite Reagan where a picture of Lincoln indeed hangs.

Another that caught Trump's attention was a portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt, perhaps the most powerful president of the twentieth century. Not since FDR has anyone busted Washington's norms, challenged the judiciary, expanded executive power, reshaped the government, and acted on the will of the people like Trump. The historical parallel is unmistakable.

He's restyling the Oval visually as fast as he's reshaping all of American politics

Trump's redecorating is a metaphor for the way he has governed in his second termadding new elements at such a rapid pace that hardly anyone can keep up. (Pictured: Rubble is cleared away after demolition of the White House's East Wing on October 23)

It's clear that he has a vision for what he wants, and it is up to the rest of us to figure it out and embrace it. (Pictured: Trump holding a mock-up of the White House ballroom on October 22)

'Some of the Republicans don't like that,' Trump said, briefly nodding toward the thirty-second president.

'I'm thinking of putting a chandelier in here,' Trump then said, still seated behind his desk. 'Right through the shield there on the ceiling.

'If there's any room that needs a chandelier, it's this one. What do you think, Scott?'

'I think it will come in handy at night, Mr. President,' I said. The Oval was awash in sunlight that day, brighter than I remembered it from frequent visits during the Bush 43 years, where I served as special assistant to the president. I wasn't quite sure that it needed any more lighting fixtures, but I thought to myself if anyone knows where to put a chandelier, it is this man. (I learned several weeks later that the White House staff investigated the possibility but concluded the ceiling couldn't hold the weight.)

These days, there is another portrait hanging in the OvalJames Monroe, he of Monroe Doctrine fame. It was a gift from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who shipped it over from the Washington, DC neighborhood of Foggy Bottom. As Secretary Rubio told me during an interview, he presented President Trump with a book of art from the State Department's collectionart that, in Rubio's words, was 'hanging somewhere that no one sees.' The president flipped through the book and immediately chose Monroe. 'Obviously a lot of people point to its link to the Monroe Doctrine,' Rubio said, 'but for the president, and for me, it's a reminder that foreign policy works best when it's anchored in the national interest.'

Now down to business. But not mine, his. I was about to be knitted into 'the weave,' Trump's description for his communication style, for the first time in my life. 'What do you think of the Panama Canal?' he asked me.

I've marveled at his constant redecorating of the most important office in the world

Trump delivers remarks before signing the continuing resolution to re-open the Federal Government on November 12, 2025

A Revolution of Common Sense by Scott Jennings

'They are violating their treaty obligations, sir. Well within your rights to push back on Chinese influence,' I said.

'Greenland?'

'Don't forget about this one. Strategically located, rare earth minerals, and I think an inspired idea.'

'Canada, fifty-first state?'

'Intriguing, but I am worried about two additional Democratic senators stalling out your agenda.'

A laugh from the president, but then another note from him: 'The conservatives are doing well, they will win the next election. The people of Canada are unhappy.' Ever the optimist, I thought.

In the weeks that followed, Trump's running commentary roiled Canadian politics. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre distanced himself from Trump at one point, which caused Trump to immediately attack back. On April 28, the Canadians elected liberal leader Mark Carney, who'd run against Poilievre (and against Donald Trump).

Although the conservatives, it should be noted, had their best showing since 2011 and the liberals fell a few seats short of an outright majority. I realized in his line of questioning that I had stumbled into what was essentially the president conducting two meetings at the same timeone on foreign policy, and the other on steel and aluminum tariffs, which he planned to sign later that day.

But both meetings were really about the same thingwhat is in the best interest of the United States of America? What choices can we make that put America First?

After a few final instructions for his advisors, they began to collect their binders and notes. Trump then beckoned for me to approach the Resolute Desk.

Excerpted from the book A REVOLUTION OF COMMON SENSE by Scott Jennings. Copyright  2025 by Scott Jennings. From William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.
The father of Seattle's newly-elected socialist mayor has opened up about his daughter's privileged life while revealing just how much she benefitted from her parents' piggybank in the run-up to victory.

David Wilson, dad of Mayor-elect Katie Wilson, is a distinguished former professor who has 'forked over a couple thousand here, a couple thousand there' to help his daughter and her family.

David, 76, exclusively told the Daily Mail he and his ex-professor wife spent about $5,000 to help their daughter - but hopes she'll no longer need the cash when she starts earning a $250,000 City Hall salary.

The 43-year-old, who shares a two-year-old daughter with her unemployed husband, recently admitted her parents helped pay for childcare costs that amounted to about $2,200 a month.

After admitting to sending his daughter about four or five checks, David pushed back on discussing the details of his parental largesse.

'Oh please, don't get that specific,' he exclaimed. 'I mean, what's the point?'

Regardless, he doesn't think he will be pulling out his checkbook again anytime soon.

'The mayor's salary is in, I think, the $250,000 range, so they've increased their salary by a factor of four or five or, or whatever,' he said.

David Wilson, the father of newly elected Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson (shown here together),said he 'forked over a couple thousand here, a couple thousand there' to help his daughter and her family

Katie Wilson has pledged to make her city more affordable, in the vein of newly minted New York City Mayor-elect and fellow democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani

Incumbent Mayor Bruce Harrell, who Katie defeated on November 4, earned $230,360 last year, according to government payroll data.

'Now they can afford to live in... more than a one-bedroom apartment, and so they're fine,' David said.

'But does that mean we're gonna stop being grandparents? What would you say to that? I mean, s***, come on, I mean let's get back to the real world here.'

David said he thinks it's 'stupid' that critics are shaming his daughter's privileged background - and the fact she dropped out of Britain's prestigious Oxford University just six weeks shy of graduation.

On her parents' dime, Katie studied physics and philosophy at the world-renowned college before abruptly quitting to drift across America on a bus.

Outgoing Mayor Harrell's reelection website highlighted a quote from Carolyn Riley-Payne, former Seattle King County NAACP President, who said: 'It's hard to trust a candidate running on their challenges with affordability when her family's wealth shields her from actual consequences and financial stress.

'Wilson chose to not graduate from college, and now chooses to rely on parental subsidy to avoid financial hardship.'

David described the criticism as 'lame and tone-deaf.'

Katie (right) studied physics and philosophy at Oxford University before abruptly dropping out to drift across America on a bus

David described the criticism as 'lame and tone-deaf'

After dropping out of college, Katie worked several odd jobs and continued her education by frequenting the library, her father said

Still, he was shocked to discovered that Katie abandoned college at the 11th hour.

'Of course it's a big thing for your daughter to go all the way through college and then decide to walk away from a degree,' he told the Daily Mail.

'At the time, it seemed really ill-advised,' he added. 'Why walk away from something like that? Why choose to start from nothing?'

Katie and her husband, Scott, eventually landed in Seattle after traversing America.

'They toured the country by bus to decide where they wanted to settle, and the reason they chose Seattle, they had a number of reasons, but one of them was that they had an open university library system.'

David said his daughter worked several odd jobs and continued her education by frequenting the library.

Katie had no backup plan while pursuing a life of activism, but she was self-sufficient, her father explained.

He didn't give her any handouts at the time, and it would have been 'inappropriate for her to ask,' he noted.

In August, Katie won the mayoral primary by 9.5 points

Another core part of her platform is addressing Seattle's homelessness crisis, which is one of the worst in the country

While Katie's husband is currently unemployed, David said it doesn't bother him 'in the least.'

'He's very ambitious about opening a bakery. He's actually a genius at making bagels and pizza, and what he really wants is to run a small bakery and be a small business owner,' he shared.

'Until then, he's being a great father and a strong supporter.'

David continued that 'this whole idea that your worth is judged by your job is part of a broader worldview  and that's just not who they are.'

He's not ashamed of having written his daughter checks, even as her political star began to rise.

'If you're lucky enough to have parents who can pitch in a little bit,' he said, 'that's not something to be embarrassed about.'
A shop owner has been left around 10,000 out of pocket following a spate of shoplifting incidents at her luxury clothing business.

London-based fashion label, Jovonna London, has faced repeated shoplifting attempts from brazen thieves across its four stores, which have left the business reeling and staff fearing for their safety.

One incident captured on CCTV just last month showed a gang of thieves make off with more than 1,700 of merchandise in a brazen theft in broad daylight.

Shocking footage shows two women wearing caps and carrying several large shopping bags entering the shop and appearing to browse through some of the items on sale at around 3.30pm.

The pair soon rouse the suspicions of two female staff members, who suddenly attempt to close the shop door and prevent the thieves from leaving.

However, as soon as they approach the entrance, a third person - a man -steps in front of the door before telling the staff: 'Don't you dare.'

The thieves then proceed to stuff items into their bags and even rip off two 750 fur coats from the shop's mannequins, before making a swift exit.

Business owner Jojo, told the Daily Mail that while the business has seen a spate of theft in recent years, this is the 'most severe' and felt like a 'targeted' attack as the thieves knew which items to target and where they were.

The owner of Jovanna London has been left around 10,000 out of pocket following a spate of shoplifting incidents

The luxury clothing store has faced repeated shoplifting attempts from brazen thieves across its four stores, which have left the business reeling and staff fearing for their safety

'My staff noticed the two ladies were stealing things they wanted to close the door but as you can see the third man was at the door.

'They began approaching the door and the man said to them "don't you dare". They got intimidated and very scared so they literally went back to the till to let them do their robbery.

'They took their time to select the size of clothes, pick up the most expensive pieces on the top floor take them off and then they quickly exit the shop and my staff followed them to the door but they didn't chase them.'

The gang made off with around 1,775 of stock, including the two 750 jackets and a 100 handbag.

But for Jojo and her staff, incidents like this are no longer exceptional and instead have become almost commonplace across her four stores.

She said: 'Incidents like this happen across all of our shops I would say once every six weeks. People have stolen probably 10,000 from us in total. That's a conservative estimate.

'But this one is the most severe that's why I brought to social media. I think we were very angry because it's like a robbery, it is not shoplifting.

'We got threatened and it felt targeted. They knew what they were picking and that's made us feel like we were under surveillance, like they were watching us.'

One incident captured on CCTV just last month showed a gang of thieves make off with more than 1,700 of merchandise in a brazen theft in broad daylight

Jojo has begun telling her staff to not get involved when they see thieves stealing items from the store, as she is mindful of their safety.

'In a previous incident when we got our shoplifted one of my staff actually ran two blocks and caught the shoplifter.

'But I told them to never ever do that again and to just let them take the stock. People's safety and awareness welfare is the most important.'

Such incidents leave Jojo feeling 'helpless' and 'disappointed' that she cannot do more to stop brazen thieves targeting the high street.

'The financial loss is one thing, but I really don't want to see my staff feel threatened, to feel they have to face a robbery, face the shoplifting every day they come to work,' the owner said.

'That's not their job. The worst case scenario is one of my staff getting hurt. That's what keeps me awake at night.'

She is also frustrated over a perceived lack of support from local police officers and feels low levels crimes such as shoplifting are not taken seriously.

'It looks like that when thieves target a small business there's no consequences.

'I don't expect police to appear every time a robbery happens. I understand that you have limited resources and I understand this is not their priority and I also understand it's a low-value crime.

'But I just wondered when is it our turn to be the focus? I can't tell them and I can't run a police department. But I want to hear someone tell me and say this is what they gonna do.'

Such incidents leave Jojo feeling 'helpless' and 'disappointed' that she cannot do more to stop brazen thieves targeting the high street

'The financial loss is one thing, but I really don't want to see my staff feel threatened,' she said

Jojo has had to take matters into her own hands in preventing the store from becoming a prime target for thieves.

She no longer stocks high-value merchandise in the Marylebone shop and have trained staff in how best to deal with shoplifting incidents.

'Now I just, I can't be bothered to have expensive items, I just feel like it makes you targeted. It's not worth it.

'So if they know we only selling tops for 16 and coats for a hundred pounds they might not think it's worth it to do the crime.

'As a business owner, we just have to cut losses. It's not worth it and insurance doesn't pay out.'

'It's a high footfall area but the taking we make isn't worth it to tag everything. Higher security doesn't make it make a sense financially.

'Even hiring security outside the door is not an option, the cost is too high.

'We already have CCTV and we keep the evidence as a warning.

'We took as much measures as we could to prevent that happening but everything else just doesn't make financial sense.'

Treasures of Brazil owner Daiane Brambila Ferry, 40, stands in front of her shop in Marylebone, where several shops are being targeted by thieves

The incident in October has been reported to the Metropolitan Police, who said they would send officers over to speak with staff following the incident. However, they are yet receive such a visit.

Jojo is not the only small business being targeted in the area - just down the road from the Jovonna store is the Treasures of Brazil boutique on Thayer Street, which in the last few months alone has been targeted by pickpockets and burglars alike.

'We see people getting robbed every day in the area. The shop has been open for a year and a half and it has become almost a daily occurrence,' the mother-of-two told the Daily Mail.

'It is already hard with business rates in central London. Having the problem with security is a burden and shouldn't be something we have to deal with.'

Recalling a recent break-in in June, when a brazen thief was caught on CCTV breaking into the jewellery shop before making off with an entire safe.

The man, wearing a bright orange jacket and equipped with a leather bag, is later seen rifling through the register and stealing around 100 in cash before casually touring the rest of the store in a desperate attempt to find more loot.

He eventually stumbles onto the shop's safe - which luckily held nothing of value -and puts it into his bag, before making a swift exit.

The break-in came almost a year after another attempt that saw a man try to steal a bag by sliding a pole through the letterbox and trying to hook it off a shelf. Luckily he was unsuccessful and eventually gave up.

Daiane says she rarely see police patrolling the street and businesses in the area often have to rely on private security firms to respond to any incidents.

She added that staff at the store are 'constantly on edge' as they are aware that thieves could strike at any moment. Other businesses on the street are also frequently on guard for any potential troublemakers.

A brazen thief who broke into the luxury boutique can be seen rifling through the cash register during a daring early morning robbery

After touring the rest of the store in a desperate attempt to find more loot eventually stumbles onto the shop's safe and puts it into his bag

The break in came almost a year after another attempt that saw a man try to steal a bag by sliding a pole through the letterbox and trying to hook it off a shelf

And just last month, a woman entered the shop and stole two iPhones from the pay counter while distracting the shop assistant at the same time.

CCTV footage of the brazen theft shows the woman entering the shop and approaching the staff member, Ana.

She appears to be pretending to look for earrings and begins pointing at her ear, while saying something to the staff member in another language.

The woman then takes a small piece of paper from her pocket and places it on the counter. She points at it saying 'Portuguese, please' as if trying to use it to communicate with the manager.

'Our shop assistant, Ana, tried to use an online translator to understand her better, thinking she was genuinely struggling to explain what she wanted,' Daiane explained.

'However, while Anas attention was on the translation, the woman used the paper to partially cover the phones on the counter and took both.'

The woman successfully made off with Ana's personal phone - an iPhone 13 - as well as the company's phone - an iPhone 16 Pro - which is used to take pictures and film videos for social media.

After grabbing the phones from the counter, the thief told Ana she would come back in five minutes and left the shop, with no intention of returning.

Ana followed the woman out to the street, believing she was acting strangely. It was at that point she decided to call security, but when she went to the counter to grab her phone, she realised they were gone.

And just last month a female thief was caught on CCTV stealing two iPhones from the store's pay counter

The woman takes a small piece of paper from her pocket and places it on the counter which she then uses to hide her movements as she steals the two phones

The latest Office for National Statistics figures showed almost 81,000 robberies were recorded in England and Wales in the 12 months until June.

And in London, 33,752 cases were reported. The startling figure is slightly down on 35,169 last year, figures show.

The Met Police said in a statement last month that it is prioritising neighbourhood policing, by putting more officers in local teams to tackle issues that matter most to Londoners, like shoplifting.

'Officers are working closely with local business owners across the capital to crack down on the most prolific shoplifters who cause fear to retail workers and have negative impacts on local communities,' the force added.

The Met has solved 92 per cent more shoplifting cases so far this year, with its most recent crackdown in the capital resulting in 32 arrests and the recovery of thousands of stolen items.
Hossam al-Astal is holding up the flag of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, to a camera in the southern Gazan city of Khan Younis.

Someone out of frame pours flammable liquid over it and al-Astal flicks a lighter, setting the green canvas ablaze.

Hamas is finished, he says defiantly to a livestream, broadcast on social media.

Its a message he is eager to spread to the world as the Sunni Islamist group attempts to cling on to power in the enclave with lethal tactics - a month after U.S.-brokered ceasefire was signed ending the war with Israel.

He is the leader of an anti-Hamas militia called Strike Force Against Terror, one of at least five groups collectively named the Popular Forces attempting to fight the militant group and establish a new Gaza.

His militia is supported by Israel, but al-Astal insists that he doesnt work for the Jewish state, telling the Daily Mail: Everything we do is for the Palestinian child to live, and to learn, and to prosper.

The clan leader has suffered at the hands of both sides of the conflict over the years: he was tortured and imprisoned several times by Hamas when the group took over the Strip in 2007, and has had his home bombed amid the war with Israel - whose airstrikes killed his pregnant daughter in April.

From his headquarters in the village of Kizan al-Najjar, he distributes food and aid to Gazans and says he provides military defense when Hamas operatives threaten the civilian population.

Collecting the people and gathering them to fight with us is actually very simple, he says.

Thousands of people in Gaza have felt the injustice of Hamas People are fighting, if not for themselves, but for their children, and trying to save them.

Hossam al-Astal sets fire to a Hamas flag in a livestream on social media

Hossam al-Astal is the leader of the anti-Hamas militia Strike Force Against Terror, one of at least five groups collectively named the Popular Forces attempting to fight the terrorist group and establish a new Gaza'

Hossam al-Astal receives food and aid from Israel to distribute to Gazans in the Strip

Palestinians watch as members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, retrieve the body of an Israeli hostage from a tunnel in the Hamad City area of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, 28 October 2025

The bloody tactics Hamas is prepared to wield against anyone who questions their authority are well known.

Ever since the ceasefire, violent clashes have broken out between the militants and perceived rivals like the Doghmush family - a powerful clan based in al Sabra, who said at least 28 of its members were killed by Hamas operatives in recent months.

'Hamas is known for shooting activists and journalists in the legs to instill fear,' says Hadeel Oueis, a researcher at the Washington Institute and director of Arabic Communications at the Centre for Peace Communications.

'By targetting the legs, the group often leaves its victims permanently disabled and unable to walk again.'

Hamas also resorts to 'severe beatings and physical torture with sticks, and in some cases, public executions - as witnessed in recent weeks,' she told the Daily Mail.

Horrifying footage has emerged on social media which showed kneeling Palestinians being executed by gunshot by militants in public squares, after they were accused of 'collaborating' with Israel.

In one video, there were chants of 'Allah Akbar,' or 'God is Great,' in the background as a cheering crowd watched on.

Few people are more aware of the threat Hamas poses to the civilian population than Abed Mohammed, a 43-year-old political activist from Gaza City opposed to the group.

Since Hamas seized power of the enclave, Mohammed has been kidnapped, assaulted and arrested multiple times, and has been 'increasingly targeted and pursued' in the wake of the ceasefire.

'Since the ceasefire, Hamas has become more violent, killing without investigation, breaking limbs, and firing bullets at feet,' he told the Daily Mail.

Once prisoners are detained, they are subjected to 'torture, shackling and prolonged sleep deprivation'.

But despite the horrific tactics Hamas wields against opponents being well-known, clan leader al-Astal isn't afraid of standing up to the militant group.

They try to attack us, but we resist, and every time they attack us, they lose. We are not under Hamas control, so they cannot disarm us, they have no authority over us.

Hamas has in recent weeks been resorting to public executions as part of a bloody crackdown on rivals or those thought to be collaborating with Israel

In June, the terrorist group was reported to have killed 50 fighters from the Popular Forces

Al-Astal, born in Khan Younis, is a former member of the Palestinian Authority which lost control of Gaza when Hamas seized power in 2007.

We reject the term militia: We are a popular force led by the people, to protect the people of Gaza, he says.

Between 2007-2010, he says he was imprisoned and tortured by Hamas on multiple occasions, accused of financial corruption.

After 2010, he fled and spent the next 11 years abroad, working for the PA's security services in Egypt and Malaysia.

When he returned, he was accused of being tied to the 2018 assassination in Malaysia of Hamas operative Fadi al-Batsh, and sentenced to death.

At his encampment in Kizan al-Najjar, he is inviting displaced Gazans to live under his protection, where he says he provides them with food, water, shelter, and freedom from Hamas.

He says he has enlisted hundreds of Gazans to join his anti-Hamas movement - including women and children.

He admits that his militia receives 'assistance' from Israel, particularly in terms of food.

But his weapons, mainly Kalashnikov rifles, are purchased from former Hamas fighters on the black market, he says.

Meanwhile, ammunition and vehicles are reportedly delivered through the Kerem Shalom border crossing after coordination with the Israeli army.

As well as al-Astals, reports suggest Israel is backing four other anti-Hamas militia leaders in the Strip.

Theres clan leader Yasser Abu Shabab - a Bedouin commander in eastern Rafah near the border with Egypt, Rami Halas in a-Shujaiyeh, Gaza City, Ashraf al Mansi in the north, and a new fledgling group in central Gaza.

The groups are engaging in combat with Hamas when they attempt to threaten the civilian population as part of a bloody crackdown on dissenters, rivals or those thought to be collaborating with the Jewish state.

In June, the terrorist group was reported to have killed 50 fighters from the Popular Forces.

The clan leader is operating a kilometre and a half from the al-Mawasi area, where Israel has sought to direct most displaced Gazans.

His region is still under Israeli control, behind what's been called the yellow line - the boundary for Israel Defence Forces (IDF) troop deployments established by the ceasefire plan.

Approximately 50 per cent of the Strip is still under Israeli control, but Donald Trumps 20-point peace plan indicates further withdrawals of Israeli troops, to around 40 per cent and then 15 per cent, with a final stage concluding in a 'security perimeter' that would 'remain until Gaza is properly secure from any resurgent terror threat'.

Al-Astal is clear that eventually, it should be Palestinian leadership ruling the enclave.

We do not have any problem with any Palestinian who is capable of helping us against the oppression of Hamas, he says.

After 18 years of rule, he would accept anyone from Ramallah, from the Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas - it does not matter.

The important thing is we want a new Gaza without war, a new Gaza without terrorism, he says.

Hamas militants carry a white bag containing a body after retrieving it from a tunnel in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, October 28 2025

Al-Astal is eager to work with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has been touted as a member of a new international Board of Peace chaired by Trump, which would oversee a transitional technocratic committee made up of Palestinians and international experts governing the Strip.

In September, Trump announced a multinational, 200-strong task force of troops that would be stationed in Israel to support stabilisation efforts in Gaza, composed of personnel from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

But al-Astal says he wont work with Turkey or Qatar, because they support and fund Hamas, he says, including its leadership abroad where they have enjoyed immunity.

Meanwhile, a U.S. proposal to provide a United Nations mandate for an international stabilisation force in Gaza is facing opposition from Russia, China and some Arab countries, which have expressed unease about a yet-to-be established board that would temporarily govern the territory and the lack of any transitional role for the Palestinian Authority.

Al-Astal's nieces and nephews have died by Israeli airstrikes, multiple family members have been blinded, but throughout our conversation he consistently blames Hamas for such incidents, accusing the group of using civilians as human shields.

The death of every woman and child inside Gaza is because Hamas does not care at all about the people, he insists.

His words echo the sentiment of Moumen al-Natour, a Gazan lawyer and the anti-Hamas activist behind the 2019 We Want to Live movement, who has been imprisoned and tortured by the terrorist group over 20 times because of his protests.

Everyone is suffering. People have lost their homes, their money, everything. Were seeing civilians leaving Gaza City without a place to stay, without money: from nothing to nothing, he told the Daily Mail.

'Most of the population of the Gaza Strip hate Hamas and want rid of them,' he said.

Hossam al-Astal pictured with Gazan children at his encampment in Kizan al-Najjar

Hossam al-Astal pictured playing a ball game with Gazan children at his encampment in Kizan al-Najjar

The extent to which the majority of Gazans desire new leadership is debated.

According to a recent poll carried out by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, in Ramallah and the Strip, the majority (70 per cent) of people are opposed to any steps to disarm Hamas.

According to the poll, which surveyed 1,200 people between October 22-25, more than half (53 per cent) said they still support Hamass decision to launch the October 7 attacks.

About 60 percent of Gazans support Trump's plan to end the war, while the same percentage of West Bankers oppose it.

After two years of war with Israel, the terrorist group has no-doubt weakened, with key commanders assassinated and thousands of soldiers killed.

Despite this, they show no sign of agreeing to disarm and decommission their weapons - as is stipulated in Trumps peace plan.

In a letter to the U.S. president accepting the first phase of the deal, the terror group said it was committed to being part of a 'comprehensive Palestinian national framework' - indicating a future in the enclave.

Meanwhile, officials have previously refused to disarm until an independent Palestinian state is established first.

For some experts, Israel-backed militias such as al-Astal's risk fuelling division and instability in the enclave, posing a threat to the fragile ceasefire.

Israels military campaign has degraded the groups conventional capabilities and turned it into an underground guerrilla force, but no clear alternative has emerged to replace its governance functions, wrote Neomi Neumann, an adjunct fellow at the Washington Institute.

In this vacuum, Israel has been engaging with local tribal actors as part of an improvised effort aimed primarily at undermining Hamas, with the additional objectives of stabilising the area and enabling humanitarian aid distribution.

However, without strict oversight, the groups could morph into rogue actors who fuel instability rather than mitigate it, she warned.

Tribal militias in Gaza can offer limited tactical help if they are carefully monitored and managed, she wrote, but relying on them is just another way of deferring the formulation of a legitimate day after political plan in the enclave.

Mohammed agrees. 'I support the establishment of civilised rule with international training and the formation of a government,' he says.

'This does not mean opposition to the militias, but it is not enough to change the reality.'

The ceasefire recently reached a crisis point when Israel accused Hamas of delaying the recovery of the dead hostages' bodies - and even faking the recovery of remains by burying and digging up a corpse.

The IDF then launched a series of deadly strikes across the Strip, killing 104, after two soldiers were killed in the southern city of Rafah in an attack it blamed on Hamas.

Only time will tell whether both sides can move on to next stage of the ceasefire and begin planning the political future of Gaza, or whether fighting will erupt once again - making peace a distant dream.

The IDF did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment about its involvement in the Gaza militias.
Optical illusions can test our brain function and eyesight, keeping us sharp and ready for the day ahead.

Take the autumn scenery pictured below. It may seem like just a mess of leaves that have recently fallen from trees, but a cat is hiding somewhere in the photo.

A social media user shared the photo on Reddit to the page 'Find The Sniper,' with the challenge: 'Find my cousin's cat.'

The page features original photos of objects, animals, or people camouflaged in plain sight.

The fall scenery challenge was marked as medium in difficulty level, but many still struggled to find the furry feline.

Are you one of the few people who can spot the cat in under 30 seconds?

Get your timer ready and study the photo below before scrolling to reveal where the cat is hiding.

Ready. Set. Go!

Can you spot the feline hiding in this scenic fall photo?

Did you spot the furry feline hiding in the leaves?

If you need a hint, the cat's fur blends in with the orange and yellow tones of the fallen leaves.

The camouflaged creature is hiding among the branches in the center of the photo.

You may need to zoom in to see the cat's white underbelly and furry face hiding in the autumn scenery.

Some Reddit users gave hints on the cat's location in the comments, with one writing: 'Dead center. Yellow tub. His face is facing left down.'

'Slightly right of dead center, orange tabby right of tree,' another shared.

'Dead center of the picture, blended in with the foliage. Orangish colored kitty,' a third wrote.

Other commenters couldn't help but share how cute the kitty was, with one writing: 'Just above dead center... cute orange fuzz ball.'

'Dead center what a cutie he is,' another added.

If you're still struggling to find the cat, take a look at the photo below for the reveal.

The orange tabby cat is camouflaged in the orange and brown leaves that have fallen on the ground

If you couldn't spot the orange tabby cat hiding among the leaves, see if you can find the furry feline lounging in the stack of wood in the photo below.

The cat once again camouflaged perfectly with the light brown stacks of wood. When you're ready for another try, take a look at the photo below and see if you can spot the feline asleep with the wood.

Can you spot the second furry feline hiding in the stack of woods?

If you still can't spot the cat, direct your attention to the top half of the photo near the top of the stacks of wood.

The cat is sprawled on top of the wood peacefully asleep. Did you find it?

If you're still struggling to find where the cat is hiding, take a look at the reveal photo below.

The cat is lying on top of the stack of wood and is peacefully asleep. The feline's fur blends in perfectly with the wood, making it almost impossible to catch

Ready for more optical illusions? See if you can find where the puppy is hiding in this hallway in under 30 seconds.

If you're looking for something a little more mind-boggling, take a look at this optical illusion that makes black and white images appear in vivid color.
Four days after Irina Cisics first birthday in 1993, her mother and father took her outside for a walk in the war-torn city of Sarajevo.

It was a beautiful day by all accounts, apart from the near-constant threat of shells and bullets raining down from the surrounding hills that made the very air lethal.

Curled up in her mothers arms outside their family home, a sniper bullet struck Irina that day. She died in hospital hours later, her small body too fragile to recover from the trauma of the strike.

Irina was one of 11,541 victims, 1,601 of them children, who were killed between 1992 and 1996 during the Bosnian Serb siege of the majority-Muslim city, where forces committed war crimes by purposefully sniping civilian targets.

However, the indiscriminate bloodshed may not have been perpetrated solely by the Bosnian Serb militias, but also by ordinary civilians eager for a thrill.

Wealthy foreigners wanted in on the action - and paid handsomely to live-out their fantasies by travelling to Sarajevo on the weekends to partake in a human safari, according to claims being investigated by Italian authorities.

In chilling detail, the case alleges that war tourists from Italy, Canada, Russia and the U.S. spent between 70,000 - 88,000 to take part in the 'manhunt', even paying extra to kill minors.

While the Italian investigation is new, the rumour of foreigners engaging in bloody murder in Sarajevo has been festering for more than a decade - and now the truth may finally be uncovered.

A French soldier stands alongside a group of Sarajevans seeking shelter behind a UN armoured personnel carrier from sniper-fire, 1995

A young boy looks up at his crying mother as they leave Sarajevo's Kosevo hospital after her husband was wounded by a shell, 1995

Paraplegics roll past the taxi rank near Tito Street in Downtown Sarajevo, 1994, a grim reminder of the brutality of war

In 2007, John Jordan, a former U.S. Marine, found himself at The Hague testifying before the United Nations-led ad hoc international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

There, the veteran made astonishing claims about his time volunteering as a UN firefighter in Sarajevo - the war-torn capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina - between 1992 and 1995.

The crisis began when the Bosnian Serb forces - agitated by Bosnia-Herzegovina's decision to break from federal Yugoslavia - besieged the city for 44 months, cutting off food, electricity and setting whole neighbourhoods ablaze by cannon fire and shelling.

Jordan stationed himself in Sarajevo during the longest siege in the history of modern warfare to help civilians, and gave evidence years later about the horrors he witnessed.

The landmark trial led to the sentencing of Bosnian Serb general Dragomir Milosevic to 33 years in jail for murder, inhumane treatment and overseeing a campaign of terror that killed thousands, mainly Muslims.

'There was no safe place in Sarajevo,' concluded the presiding judge, Patrick Robinson. 'One could be killed and injured anywhere and any time.'

At the trial, Jordan testified about a number of atrocities, including the Serb's indiscriminate targetting of unarmed residents. He himself was shot in the chest while responding to a fire at the citys frontline, just north of the Bosnian Serb-held area of Grbavica.

He also testified about how Serb shooters seemed to deliberately aim for the youngest in a family, as a way to 'cause the most pain to survivors'.

'If an adult and child were walking together, the child would be shot. If a family was walking, it would be the youngest. In a crowd of girls, it is seemed that the most attractive would be shot,' he said in his statement.

But then he made another sinister allegation, yet to be proven in a court of law: that Sarajevo was crawling with 'shooter tourists' armed with hunting weapons, who had travelled overseas and paid handsomely to snipe for the Serb side as a bit of weekend fun.

Two-year old Aldijana Mujezinovic is carried by a female UN soldier after being evacuated by helicopter from the Eastern Bosnian town of Gorazde to Sarajevo, 1994

Seeking shelter behind a United Nations APC, a Sarajevan man pinned down by sniper fire, peers from behind the wheel in Sarajevo, 1995

'I had witnessed on more than one occasion personnel who did not appear to me to be locals by their dress, by the weapons they carried, by the way they were being handled, i.e., guided around by the locals,' Jordan testified in court.

When asked to elaborate by the judge, he specified how these 'tourist shooters' wore a 'civilian-military' combination-style dress that made them distinct from the Serb fighters, and carried weapons that were more suited to 'hunting boar in the Black Forest than urban combat in the Balkans'.

The foreigners also appeared 'completely unfamiliar' with the city, Jordan said, and were seen 'being led, literally almost by the hand, around an area by people who are familiar it'.

The veteran's testimony ultimately lacked weight, however. He admitted he 'never actually saw one take a shot', but insisted seeing the armed foreigners around Grbavica and other neighbourhoods.

But Jordan's allegations didn't disappear, and continued to accrue interest and speculation over time.

Though the concept of a 'human safari' is almost beyond-belief, it is not incongruent with the level of depravity that was proven to have taken place in Sarajevo, where the main street - Mesa Selimovic Boulevard - was nicknamed 'Sniper Alley' because of the inherent risk of death in traversing it.

And killing for sport has been captured on camera before. Russian nationalist Eduard Limonov was filmed in 1992 firing a machine gun down on the besieged city by Bafta award-winning director Pawel Pawlikowski, for his documentary 'Serbian Epics'.

Limonov was in the company of Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, who was sentenced to 40 years in jail for genocide at a 2016 trial in The Hague where the documentary clip was shown.

A year later, Ratko Mladic, known as the 'Butcher of Bosnia' for leading forces during the massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica, was jailed for life.

Doctors at Sarajevo's State Hospital carry Mujo Causevic, a Bosnian Army soldier wounded by sniper fire on one of Sarajevo's front lines, to be treated, 1995

A Sarajevo inhabitant runs for cover crossing a street to avoid snipers who are posted in evacuated houses in the Bosnian Capital, 1992

The disturbing allegations about tourists partaking in the killing spree in Sarajevo resurfaced dramatically in 2022.

That year, Slovenian director Miran Zupanic released a documentary entitled 'Sarajevo Safari', gathering testimony from witnesses who said they saw such activity firsthand.

One of the interviewees was an anonymous Slovenian man, who worked as an intelligence officer for the U.S. during the Balkan Wars and claimed to have visited Bosnia around 35 times between 1992 and 1994.

Describing the types of foreigners who took part in the 'safari' - of which he witnessed seven - the former agent said they were from the 'upper echelons'.

'These people were certainly not ordinary people. They were people in high positions, protected... people who, after having everything, seek another thrill, saying to themselves: 'Why shouldnt I now shoot a child or an adult in Sarajevo and gain another pleasure? I wont only kill animals,' he said.

'I never heard the prices. I only know it was terribly expensive, and that the price was higher for a child,' he added.

In a lengthy description, the witness recounted how he was invited on one of the safaris and escorted into a military jeep, after being given a bulletproof vest, a helmet and a green uniform as preparation.

'They told me they would show me the close positions of their soldiers,' the witness said, but then the jeep stopped in front of a building and he noticed something peculiar about the so-called troops.

'There I saw three gentlemen whose faces immediately told me they were not from Bosnia, not Serbs, not Montenegrins, they had to be from the West.

'One of them even looked Russian. I can tell by the face. They were prepared: you could see something was about to happen. I thought they were foreign journalists... Then I connected the dots. These men couldnt wait to come and do something,' he said.

He described how from the jeeps, the group was taken into two 'camouflaged' rooms where participants - aided by spotters - shot at civilians from rotating positions, including women and children.

'I was horrified by the safari. Its the peak of depravity. Such violent, inhumane killing,' the former intelligence officer said.

He was even asked if he wanted to take part. 'Are you interested in something adrenaline-filled?' an official said, an offer he claimed he declined.

'I had my own binoculars so I could see. After the man fired, the person fell. Most were hit in the chest, because the head is harder. But I also saw a hit to the head. From that I saw they were very good hunters,' the former agent said, recounting one of the shootings.

Left: Former Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic, who was jailed for life after leading forces during the massacre of Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks) in Srebrenica. Right: Radovan Karadzic, the wartime leader of Bosnian Serbs, was sentenced to 40 years in jail for genocide at a 2016 trial in The Hague

Sarajevo residents run along 'Sniper Alley' under the protection of French United Nations soldiers, 1994

Ukrainian UN anti-sniping team takes aim against Serb snipers who were shooting as a resident runs for cover, 1994

Romanian freelance photographer Vadim Ghirda (C) and locals carry a dead Bosnian Muslim, 1996

The anonymous witness said he was told by the Serbs to 'never repeat' the things he saw - incidents he described as the 'dark side' of the war.

But the wealthy tourists themselves seemed unfazed and detached from the alleged horror. 'You fired your trophy shot and went home,' the former agent said, struck at their nonchalance.

The witness described the foreigners supposed route: they flew from Trieste in northeastern Italy to Belgrade, where helicopters transported them to Pale, a Bosnian Serbcontrolled town. From there, they were driven to positions near Sarajevo.

Another witness in the documentary was an intelligence officer for the Bosnian army called Edin Subasic, who gathered information about the alleged weekend snipers from a captured Serbian soldier.

'I analysed the information to the extent possible and wrote a summary, a conclusion that this was a new phenomenon on the Sarajevo battlefield,' he said.

'This was about a specific type of enemy, about foreigners who are not real enemies in the war [...] but they are a real danger.'

Subasic claimed he discovered the so-called safaris in late 1993 and then passed on the information to Italy's Sismi military intelligence in early 1994.

A few months later, Sismi responded, confirming reports that 'safari' tourists would fly from Trieste and then travel to the hills above Sarajevo to partake in sniping.

'We've put a stop to it and there won't be any more safaris,' the officer was told, according to Ansa news agency, and the trips soon stopped.

A man carries his son, injured in the back by mortar shrapnel, in front of a woman on a stretcher, 1993, after a shell landed near a water point in the Bosnian capital

In 1992, a Bosnian soldier returns fire in Sarajevo as he and civilians come under fire from Serbian snipers

The documentary immediately stirred controversy, with the director receiving furious backlash.

'I suffered human and professional disqualifications, which I have never experienced in my life.

'But I accept them as part of the process. If you reveal such a story, you can also expect negative reactions,' Zupanic told DW.

But others were horrified by the allegations and demanded action, like the then-mayor of Sarajevo, Benjamina Karic, who filed criminal charges against 'persons unknown' who spread death in Sarajevo.

'It is my duty to react in this way to the facts stated in the documentary film "Sarajevo Safari",' she wrote on X, before the investigation apparently stalled.

But an Italian writer and journalist has recently reignited the case, demanding the authorities properly scrutinise exactly want went on when tourists travelled to the war-ravaged Sarajevo in the 1990s.

'We're talking about wealthy people, with a reputation, entrepreneurs, who during the siege of Sarajevo paid to be able to kill defenseless civilians,' Ezio Gavazzeni, who has filed a new legal complaint with Italian magistrates, told La Repubblica.

'They left Trieste for the manhunt. And then they returned and continued their normal lives, respectable in everyone's eyes.

'People with a passion for weapons, to vent, who prefer to go to bed with a rifle, with money at their disposal and the right contacts of facilitators between Italy and Serbia. It's the indifference of evil: becoming God and remaining unpunished.'

Sarajevo residents keep close to a wall trying to avoid snipers and mortars in 1993 in the besieged capital as fighting intensified

A damaged French UN light tank returns to its base in Northern Sarajevo after being hit by a rocket propelled grenade fired from Bosnian Serb Army positions on Sedrenik, on the Sarajevo perimeter, 1994

French UN soldiers make road repairs in 1995 in front of the television station in Sarajevo

Gavazzeni said he grew up reading press articles suggesting that tourist snipers were stationed in the hills above Sarajevo, where the Serbian army was deployed.

'It struck me, and I kept it there,' then Zupanic's documentary reignited his interest. 'I've pissed off half the world, both Bosnian and Italian sources,' he said, adding that the Serbs 'don't accept' the allegations.

Prosecutor Alessandro Gobbis has been instructed to track down the Italians who, between 1993 and 1995, allegedly killed unarmed civilians 'for fun'. The charge is murder, aggravated by cruelty.

Gavazzeni is working with lawyer Nicola Brigida and former judge Guido Salvini, and says he has gathered a number of witnesses who will testify, including former Bosnian agent Subasic, and the Italian officials who were made aware of the allegations back in 1994.

The writer claims he was contacted by an Italian who overheard his then-boss, at work, talking about the manhunt, and he assumes there are at least a hundred more likeminded foreigners who made the same weekend trips.

The writer said the war tourists fit a specific profile: they were wealthy, hailed from a hard-right background, and tended to have a passion for weapons and hunting.

'Everything was organised,' he told Ansa. 'The Bosnian intelligence services believed that the Serbian State Security Service was behind it all.'

Jovica Stanisic, a Serbian official who was convicted for war crimes for his role in plans to ethnically cleanse parts of Bosnia and Croatia from non-Serbs, 'played a key role in the service,' he added.

While the investigation is just confined to Italy, Gavazzeni's bold legal action has galvanised a movement, and more countries will inevitably follow suit in the mission to find out the truth about the alleged 'human safaris'.

In the wake of the writer's legal complaint, U.S. congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna said she had opened an investigation into the alleged 'murder tourism', writing on X that she is in touch with the Bosnian consulate and the Italian embassy.

'Paying money to shoot civilians - and even worse to shoot children - is a level of evil our country cannot and will not tolerate,' she wrote.

'Both the Italian and Bosnian governments will be sharing any and all information regarding any AMERICANS that may be implicated. If there are any Americans who have engaged in this, they deserve to be charged and prosecuted.'

Ever since Zupanic's documentary, Serbian war veterans have vehemently rejected the allegations as lies.
When most people prepare to say goodbye to an old car, they often decide to trade it in for a newer model, pass it on to a relative, or dismantle it for parts.

However, a bizarre trend has taken hold in Massachusetts, as old cars are being abandoned at Boston's Logan International Airport.

And vehicles left in the airport's lot for over a year have been turned over to JJ Kane Auctions for interested buyers to bid on.

According to the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), 71 cars were put up for sale at auction this week.

A representative with JJ Kane Auctions told the Daily Mail that all of the vehicles were sold by Thursday.

The cars were cleared off Massachusetts Port Authority property to make way for parking spaces and transported to a lot in Shrewsbury, a town outside of Worcester, owned by JJ Kane.

There were no starting bids, and the selling price was determined by those participating in the auction.

The vehicles were sold as is and without titles with owners needing to fix any issues the motors had.

An auction was held last week for cars that had been abandoned at Boston Logan International Airport (pictured) over the last year

The auction included 71 cars. A 2020 Kia Telluride SUV featured in the auction

Auctioneers are still dumbfounded as to why and how so many vehicles were left at the airport.

Jarret Charpentier, an account manager for JJ Kane, told local news outlet the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, that the team often 'hypothesizes' the backstory of the vehicles they auction.

'Everyone wants to know the story. Who left a nice 2020 Kia with slashed tires at the airport?' he said, adding that it was 'fun' to speculate.

'There are some that should have gone to the scrapyard and there's some very nice vehicles,' Charpentier said.

Some of the vehicles appear to have been abandoned out of laziness, but others mysteriously still have objects belonging to their owners.

A 2014 Toyota Corolla was left with a photo inside of a child in front of a birthday cake and a gift bag in the backseat.

A 2000 Buick LeSabre included an eerie note inside that read: 'This vehicle was stolen from the parking lot of the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter in Bangor, Maine, in March 2023.'

The auction has taken place for years. In 2017, 65 vehicles were sold, 63 were sold in 2021, and 95 were sold in 2022, according to a representative at Massport.

It's unclear why so many people have ditched their cars, but one note in a 2000 Buick LeSabre confessed that the vehicle had been stolen

The cars are sold without a title, so bidders must be prepared to register the vehicle

Buyers received a Bill of Sale, which they can take to the Registry of Motor Vehicles to obtain a title.

Massachusetts law requires all motor vehicles to be titled within 10 days of purchase.

Although some cars are sold for parts, there were vehicles as new as a 2020 Kia Telluride SUV that received a bid of $15,500.
Nigeria's Christians are being pushed to the brink of extinction - and could be wiped off the map within two generations without urgent international intervention.

That's the chilling warning from Emeka Umeagbalasi, the outspoken founder of Nigeria's International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety). And he's not mincing his words.

The veteran activist says a silent, systematic genocide has swept Africa's most populous nation for nearly two decades - a 'long-running, coordinated campaign' of killings, kidnappings and church burnings carried out mostly by Islamist militants and enabled by the Nigerian state itself.

'If you look at the clear-cut definition of genocide, it fits the present reality on the ground in Nigeria,' he said in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail.

'Fulani jihadists have infiltrated or laid siege on 35 of the 36 states. Nigeria is now under siege.'

Umeagbalasi's message is stark: millions of Nigerian Christians live each day in fear of slaughter.

Many of the country's 109 million Christians - nearly half the nation's population - endure harassment, intimidation, and the constant threat of sudden attack. And, he says, it's getting worse.

His warning comes as armed men, believed to be militant Fulani herders, stormed farming villages on the PlateauKaduna border in late October.

Coffins of 17 worshippers and two priests, who were allegedly killed by Fulani herdsmen in north-central Nigeria in 2018

The Islamist rebels Boko Haram are among those behind a wave of killings of Christians and others in Nigeria

They shot indiscriminately at villagers, torched homes and left bodies scattered across fields and courtyards. Dozens were reported killed and wounded, according to International Christian Concern.

It's the latest massacre in a grim roll call of killings that has turned Plateau State - once known for its green hills and quiet hamlets - into one of the world's most dangerous hotspots for rural Christians.

Emeka Umeagbalasi says Nigeria's Christians could be wiped out by 2075

President Donald Trump pounced on the reports, accusing Nigeria of allowing 'mass killings of Christians' and threatening to cut off aid  or even send in the US military - unless Abuja acts fast.

Umeagbalasi claims the violence fits the legal definition of genocide - and he brings numbers.

He says roughly 150,000 Christians have been killed in 16 years, mostly by Fulani militants, but also by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

Another 30,000 Muslims, he notes, have also been murdered in the carnage.

Other tallies are far lower. The respected Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) records about 53,000 civilian deaths from political violence since 2009 - Christians and Muslims alike.

But Umeagbalasi says his figures are accurate, gathered by teams on the ground who travel from village to village, counting bodies, speaking to survivors, and documenting what he calls a 'staggering, relentless campaign.'

For him, the numbers tell only part of the story.

He says attackers follow a chilling pattern: Strike at night. Shoot everyone in sight. Burn churches. Destroy farms. Force survivors to flee. Rinse and repeat.

Nigeria once had some 100,000 churches. Umeagbalasi says 20,000 have been destroyed in about a decade.

Olawale Saudat, a woman caught up in the deadly ethnic clashes between northern Fulani and southern Yoruba traders

A Nigerian Police Officer patrols an area of destroyed and burned houses after a Fulani attack on a farmers' village in Kaduna State, Nigeria, in 2019

Large Christian areas, he warns, are being erased - emptied village by village, leaving behind ghost towns and charred sanctuaries.

'By 2075 Christians will have been uprooted from Nigeria,' he warns.

He claims captivity camps holding kidnapped Christians operate in Benue, Taraba and Kaduna  some allegedly close to military bases.

Perhaps his most explosive allegation is this: Nigeria's security forces are not just failing to protect Christian communities. Some, he says, are perpetrators.

'In every place we investigate, people tell us the same thing: the problem we have here is the military,' he says.

'They will not go after our attackers. They will turn around and come after us.'

He accuses security forces of arriving hours after attacks  when the killers have vanished  then arresting victims, raiding traumatized communities, or accusing them of retaliation.

'It is undeniable. The complicity of the Nigerian security forces is glaring,' he says.

He believes powerful actors in Abuja want to reshape Nigeria into an 'Islamic homogeneous state,' undermining the country's constitutional protections for freedom of worship.

Officials in the capital Abuja say all of this is nonsense.

Nigeria's government flatly denies any religious persecution. It insists violence is driven by banditry, ethnic disputes, climate pressures, and weak policing - not a campaign against Christians.

Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar said state-backed religious persecution was 'impossible' under Nigerian law.

Presidential spokesman Daniel Bwala dismissed Trump's threats as 'coercive,' 'misleading,' and based on 'outdated claims,' warning that any US military intervention would require Nigeria's consent.

Women walk past the remains of their burnt houses after weeks of ethnic violence in Plateau State in February 2024

Afire service station set ablaze by members of the shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria in Abuja in July 2019

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) records about 53,000 civilian deaths from political violence since 2009  Christians and Muslims alike

And yes  Nigeria is battling a sprawling security crisis.

Insurgents in the northeast. Bandits in the northwest. Communal clashes in the middle belt. Farmer-herder conflicts stretching from Benue to Kaduna. Victims include Christians and Muslims.

Experts warn blaming everything on 'Christian genocide' oversimplifies a complex mix of land disputes, ethnic rivalries, climate pressures and desperate poverty.

But Umeagbalasi is unmoved. Trump's threats, he says, are long overdue.

He praises the US president for shining a spotlight on Nigeria's Christians, saying Washington must finally act  not with empty statements, but real penalties.

He wants targeted sanctions. Asset freezes. Visa bans. He says Nigeria's political elites live for their American bank accounts, European jaunts and British healthcare.

'Stopping them from touching American soil would hit them where it hurts,' he says.

He also supports US military strikes - but only 'surgical hits' on Boko Haram, ISWAP and Fulani militant camps, guided by intelligence and drones.

He insists this would not violate Nigeria's sovereignty  but prevent a Rwanda-style catastrophe that could engulf West Africa.

'If Nigeria explodes, the humanitarian consequences will be too much for America, Europe, or anyone to handle,' he warns.

Amid this tense debate, Umeagbalasi's group has been accused of presenting unverified data, and of having ties to Biafran separatists, which it denies.

But he's not alone. Open Doors International and other Christian groups describe widespread religious bloodshed.

Genocide Watch says the country's Christians are being 'exterminated' and that the government is in 'denial.'

Women stand next to a burnt car at a mosque in Mangu in February, 2024, following weeks of intercommunal violence in Plateau State

Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau holds a weapon in an unknown location in Nigeria

Boko Haram's violent campaign to establish a Salafi-Islamist state in Nigeria has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis

Nigeria's deep religious divide stretches back decades.

Since returning to civilian rule in 1999, the country has endured waves of extremist violence, economic turmoil and political instability.

Boko Haram's 2009 uprising launched a brutal insurgency that killed 20,000 and drove more than two million from their homes.

The group's 2014 kidnapping of 276 Chibok schoolgirls shocked the world. Its later alliance with Islamic State only hardened its savagery.

Today, Nigeria - a nation of 250 ethnic groups and two major religions - is buckling under the weight of overlapping crises.

And in the eye of the storm stand its Christians - terrified, traumatized, and, according to Umeagbalasi, teetering on the edge of extinction.

His message is grim. His warning is blunt. Unless the world wakes up, he says, Nigeria's Christians could vanish within decades.

Behind the political threats, furious denials and soaring casualty claims, one truth remains: Nigeria is a nation wrestling with immense and tangled security crises.

Christians and Muslims alike are caught in the crossfire, and the world is still struggling to understand where advocacy ends and hard evidence begins.
Anti-base and anti-war groups from across Japan's Okinawa Prefecture held a seminar in Tokyo on Friday, expressing concerns and doubts about the government's military expansion in Okinawa and the southwestern islands.
Billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein urged a business associate to meet up with the former Duke of York while in Switzerland because 'he's great fun', newly-released emails have revealed.

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was officially at Davos, where the annual gathering of global leaders was taking place at the World Economic Forum, to promote British interests when the email exchange between Epstein and Boris Nikolic took place in January 2010.

The email was sent to Nikolic, a former adviser to Bill Gates, just six months after Epstein was released from jail in Florida, having been convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution.

In the email, Epstein asks Nikolic if he's had 'any fun' at Davos so far, to which he replies: 'Different kind of fun... Met your friend Bill Clinton yesterday, followed up with [Nicholas] Sarkozy. Later in the day meeting your other friend Prince Andrew as he has some questions re Microsoft.'

The former Duke of York was in Davos in his capacity as UK special representative for international trade and investment at the time. He stepped down in 2011.

Epstein writes back: 'You can tell Andrew we are friends.'

When he is told by Nikolic that he does not 'need anything from him', Epstein responds: 'Yes you do. You need to laugh and have fun. He is good at that... He's great fun.'

Billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein urged a business associate to meet up with the former Duke of York (pictured) while in Switzerland

Pictured: Jes Staley, Larry Summers, Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates and Boris Nikolic

Nikolic, who was name an an executor of Epstein's will after he died in 2019, replied and said he had heard that Andrew 'is not that fun, but I trust your judgement.'

He added that 'it would be blast that you are here. I was just flirting with 22 years old hot blond blue eyes mexican chick.

'It turns out she is with her husband. Did not have chance to check him out. But as we concluded, anything good is rented.'

He added a winking face emoji to the end of his email.

And after meeting with Andrew, Nikolic reported back to Epstein, writing: 'He is great... I think I would trade Davos for a good fashion week. Much more fun.'

Nikolic has previously said he was 'shocked' to be named a back-up executor on Epstein's will and has said he would not fulfil his duties if he was called upon to do so.

The email chain, which was released by the US Congress last week, was amid more than 20,000 documents obtained by the House oversight committee from the Epstein estate.

The documents also shed light on Epstein's connections, with one email to Jes Stalety, former bank boss at Barclays, suggesting that the former financier helped to arrange a meeting in Davos in 2010 between Staley, Lord Mandelson and Alistair Darling, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time.

The email, written by Epstein, reads: 'I've set up you and Peter to meet in Davos with Darling.'

American financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in prison in 2019

The correspondence also shows that Lord Mandelson (pictured) took relationship advice from the paedophile and urged him to steer clear of Andrew

Andrew faced further pressure to appear in front of US politicians after Epstein was revealed to have confirmed the infamous photo of him with a teenage Virginia Giuffre is real

Lord Mandelson resigned as the UK ambassador to Washington earlier this year after he was found to have previously referred to Epstein as 'my best pal'.

He has said felt 'utterly awful about my association with Epstein 20 years ago'.

But messages showed he was still in contact with Epstein as late as 2016 - years after his conviction.

The correspondence shows that Mandelson took relationship advice from the Epstein and urged him to steer clear of Andrew.

In one email from Epstein to Mandelson on 6 November 2016, he writes '63 years old. You made it' not long after his birthday.

Mandelson replies within hours saying: 'Just. I have decided to extend my life by spending more of it in the US' before Epstein replies 'in the Donald White House' referring to the US presidential election due later that week.

Epstein goes on to say 'you were right about staying away from Andrew. I was right in your staying with Rinaldo [sic]', seemingly a reference to Mandelson's partner Reinaldo Avilda da Silva.

Another email shows the 72-year-old advising Epstein not to speak to Radio 4's Today programme after he was approach about an 'interview' over his relationship with Andrew.

When Epstein forwarded him the BBC's letter, Lord Mandelson replies 'No!!'

The publication of the emails comes amid a congressional inquiry into why Epstein, who died in a New York prison while awaiting trial for multiple sex trafficking offences, was not brought to justice at federal level.

Congress is expected to vote on a motion which would demand the release of all the Epstein files held by the US Department of Justice in the coming weeks.

Andrew and Charles at Westminster Cathedral in September after the Duchess of Kent's funeral

Andrew's links to Epstein have led to the King to strip him of his titles - ending his public life

It comes as Andrew faced further pressure to appear in front of US politicians after Epstein was revealed to have confirmed the infamous photo of him with a teenage Virginia Giuffre is real amid other messages released this week.

The messages, in a bombshell cache of emails dating back to 2011, showed Epstein urged a journalist to investigate Ms Giuffre while admitting: 'Yes she was on my plane, and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have.'

The picture was unearthed by The Mail on Sunday that same year as Ms Giuffre claimed she slept with Andrew during a stay in London, claims the disgraced ex-prince has vehemently denied.

Epstein took the photo on a disposable camera before the group, along with socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, headed out for dinner and then to a nightclub, Ms Giuffre said.

Andrew's links to Epstein have led to the King to strip him of his titles - putting an end to his public life. He will also soon be evicted from his 30-room mansion, Royal Lodge, in Windsor.

He and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, have occupied the property on the Windsor estate for over two decades.

Andrew is now under pressure to explain the full nature of his relationship with Epstein with members of the US Congress demanded he appear before them to 'come clean and provide justice for the survivors'.

Suhas Subramanyam, Democratic member of the House Oversight Committee, told the BBC's Newsnight programme earlier this week that Andrew had not yet responded to its invitation to testify in the US.

He added that the former prince 'doesn't have to get on a plane to testify, he can do it remotely'.

Other messages released this week document an exchange between Andrew, Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Maxwell - months after the former duke said he broke off all contact with the convicted paedophile.

As the MoS sought comment for its world exclusive story, Andrew emailed Epstein and Maxwell begging them to clear his name, saying: 'I can't take any more of this.'

Epstein died in a New York prison while awaiting trial for multiple sex trafficking offences

Andrew has previously claimed that the image might have been doctored

Pictured: Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park where Andrew and Fergie have lived for decades

In the email chain from March 2011, Maxwell initially forwarded the Daily Mail's press inquiry to Epstein who in turn sent it to someone listed as 'the Duke'.

The Duke, believed to be Andrew, appears to respond: 'What? I don't know any of this. How are you responding?'

Epstein told him: 'Just got it two minutes ago. I've asked g (sic) lawyers to send a letter.

'Not sure... it's so salcisous (sic) and ridiculous, im (sic) not sure how to respond, the only person she didn't have sex with was Elvis.'

An exasperated Andrew then appears to reply to Epstein, saying: 'Please make sure that every statement or legal letter states clearly that I am NOT involved and that I knew and know NOTHING about any of these allegations. I can't take any more of this my end.'

Just months later in July 2011, Epstein appears to actively lobby journalists to turn the tables on Ms Giuffre, who sued Andrew in a civil sex assault case in 2021, with the pair settling for a reported 12million out-of-court but no admission of wrong-doing on the royal's behalf.

In one email, Epstein tells a reporter that Buckingham Palace would 'love it' if Andrew's accuser was 'proven to be a liar'.

The email reads: '...Andrew's accuser, criminal record, total liar.

'I think Buckingham Palace would love it. You should task someone to investigate the girl Virginia Roberts, that has caused the Queen's son all this agro (sic).

'I promise you she is a fraud. You and I will be able to go to ascot (sic) for the rest of our lives.'

Pictured: Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor at Royal Ascot in 2019

Sarah Ferguson (pictured in July 28) has been delivered another devastating blow after her children's book is axed amid Prince Andrew's controversy over his links with Jeffrey Epstein

When the journalist expressed some interest in the story, a further email from Epstein on the same day claimed that her story has 'no credibility' and it was 'total horses****'.

It continues: '...she was never 15 years old working for me, her story made it seem like she first worked for trump (sic) at that age and was met by ghislaine maxwell (sic).'

He concludes: 'I will ask if they will cooperate - Prince people.'

Andrew and his allies have long questioned the authenticity of the damning picture taken by Epstein of the then prince and Ms Giuffre at Maxwell's London home in 2001.

The image has become the enduring symbol of Ms Giuffre's shocking allegations before she took her own life in April this year.

Andrew, in his disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview, denied ever meeting Ms Giuffre in London and claimed the image might have been doctored.

Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for facilitating the crimes of Epstein, also dismissed the image as fake in a recent interview from prison, while Andew's allies insisted his fingers were 'chubbier' and he was taller than depicted.

The scandal has also impacted Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, whose children's book has been axed amid the controversy.

Andrew, in his disastrous 2019 Newsnight interview, denied ever meeting Ms Giuffre in London and claimed the image might have been doctored

The former Duchess of York was due to release her book, Flora and Fern: Kindness Along The Way on October 9

The former Duchess of York was due to release her book, Flora and Fern: Kindness Along The Way on October 9, a press release in Bookseller stated.

And at the beginning of last week, the children's book was listed as being available for purchase from November 20. Now, it is no longer available on the website at all.

The book has since been marked as 'withdrawn from sale' at the request of the publisher, NielsonIQ Book Data confirmed to the BBC.

Waterstones 'moved' the release of the book last month, but had no new concrete date for publication.

At the time, a spokesperson for the bookseller said it had received no further communication with the publisher since.

No reason has been given for the book withdrawal, however an industry source has told the BBC it 'makes total sense commercially.'

It comes as 66-year-old Fergie has been mired in controversy after emails emerged showing she and her ex-husband had been in touch with Epstein, despite publicly denouncing him.

Meanwhile Mr Trump's links to Epstein were brought back into the spotlight after Democrats released emails in which Epstein referred to Mr Trump in correspondence with Ghislaine Maxwell and author Michael Wolff.

President Trump said the documents were a way to 'deflect' from the US government shutdown, where thousands of workers have been furloughed in a dispute over federal funding'

Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997

Mr Trump's Republican party later published more than 20,000 pages of documents from Epstein's estate.

The Democrats had redacted the victim's name, including in a 2011 email Epstein sent to Maxwell which claimed '[Virginia] spent hours at my house with him' while another sent by Epstein in August 2018 said: 'I know how dirty Donald is.'

Ms Leavitt confirmed the victim referred to in the emails is Ms Giuffre.

She called the email release a politically motivated 'smear' campaign and repeated earlier comments from Ms Giuffre, who took her own life in April, about Mr Trump in which she absolved him of wrongdoing.

'The Democrats selectively leaked emails to the liberal media to create a fake narrative to smear President Trump,' Ms Leavitt said.

'The 'unnamed victim' referenced in these emails is the late Virginia Giuffre, who repeatedly said President Trump was not involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever and 'couldn't have been friendlier' to her in their limited interactions.'

In a post on his Truth Social platform, President Trump said the documents were a way to 'deflect' from the US government shutdown, where thousands of workers have been furloughed in a dispute over federal funding.

'The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein hoax again because they'll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they've done on the shutdown,' he said.

'There should be no deflections to Epstein or anything else, and any Republicans involved should be focused only on opening up our country, and fixing the massive damage caused by the Democrats.'

Mr Trump did not send or receive any of the emails released and has not been charged with any crime relating to Epstein or Maxwell.
Road lanes across the country are to become narrower to stop cars overtaking cyclists as part of a new war on motorists, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Official guidance quietly published last week on the Government's website states that the standard width of a road lane in Britain  which for almost 150 years has been 12ft  is no longer appropriate because of the safety risk posed to cyclists.

Instead, lanes on local roads should either shrink no more than 10ft 8in wide or expand to at least 12ft 10in. Critics say space constraints in towns and cities mean they are far more likely to shrink.

Narrower roads, the guidance says, would make it clearer to motorists 'there is not enough space to safely overtake cyclists', while also showing cyclists 'that they need to ride more centrally'.

The guidance, which was drawn up by Active Travel England (ATE), a Government agency, will be applied to billions of pounds of future road building schemes, the MoS has learnt. Local authorities which defy the recommendations could see reduced transport funding.

The move has angered motoring campaigners, who predict that it will dramatically worsen traffic jams on already clogged roads and provoke more conflict between drivers and cyclists.

Brian Gregory, policy director at the Alliance of British Drivers, said: 'If you slow everybody down to the speed of cycles on narrow roads that is a huge economic cost to the country in wasted time.

'The whole idea is just to make driving unpleasant instead of trying to get everybody to co-operate and work together to use roads safely. It's all about penalising motorists. It's completely stupid.'

Official guidance quietly published last week states that the standard width of a road lane in Britain is no longer appropriate because of the safety risk posed to cyclists

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Howard Cox, founder of FairFuelUK, said: 'Narrowing our increasingly congested roads for the benefit of a small economic minority of road users makes no commercial or social sense.

'It will lead to even more congestion, frustration and anger and be a detriment to small businesses and the high street. Active Travel England and the DfT should focus on ensuring cyclists use roads more sensibly, and stop hitting motorists at every opportunity.'

Edmund King, AA president and a cyclist, said: 'It is impossible and impractical to change the widths of all our roads, which have evolved since Roman times.

'This is not America where wider modern highways and more space means it would be possible to radically change road layouts. UK roads will always require a degree of give and take which can't just be ironed out by regulations.'

ATE's guidance follows a change to the Highway Code in 2022, which instructed drivers to leave space of at least 5ft when overtaking cyclists.

ATE, which is led by former Olympic cyclist Chris Boardman, says motorists using a standard 12ft-wide traffic lane 'may try to overtake cyclists when there is not enough space', increasing the risk of collisions.

Lanes wider than 12ft 10in reduce the risk but 'may still not be wide enough for motor vehicles to safely overtake cyclists', the guidance states. In contrast, lanes that are narrower than 10ft 8in make it obvious to drivers that they must be patient and not overtake.

The guidance states: '...it is recommended that lanes between 3.25m (10ft 8in) and 3.9m (12ft 10in) are avoided.'

Although the ATE guidance is not legally binding, it is regarded as good practice and councils are expected to follow it.

The Department for Transport said claims that ATE is waging a war on motorists 'are false and misrepresent the guidance'.

A spokesman added: 'There has never been legally binding standards for road widths and that remains the case.

'The Government is absolutely on the side of drivers. Over the past year alone, we invested an extra 500 million to help local authorities maintain their road networks, committed 1 billion to repair bridges, flyovers and tunnels, and gave the green light to over 30 road schemes to improve journeys across the country.'
Netflix bosses are said to 'have noted' that the Duchess of Sussex appears to be professionally wooing billionaire Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.

Sources across Hollywood say there has been 'much chatter' at the streaming giant and beyond about the decision Meghan has made to return to the screen in the upcoming Amazon MGM Studio film Close Personal Friends, where she will take on a cameo role as herself.

Some have claimed Meghan, 44, who recently salvaged a 'first look' deal with Netflix after her $100million (76million) five-year deal came to an end, is simply being a 'canny businesswoman' in siding with Bezos  rather than Netflix  to take on the acting job eight years after leaving the cast of legal drama Suits when she became engaged to Prince Harry.

But another source has pointed out that Bezos is one of the few people with enough money to bankroll any future projects both on and off-screen that Meghan and Harry might like to work on.

The source, from rival studio Disney, told The Mail on Sunday: 'The Sussexes have been the subject of much chatter this week.

'People find it curious that Meghan seems to be professionally wooing Jeff Bezos but, to be brutally frank, who can blame her?

'He has all the money in the world and is one of the few people who can afford to bankroll any future projects of hers.'

Intriguingly, Harry and Meghan were also guests at Kris Jenner's 70th birthday party last weekend  which was held at the $165million (123.5million) mansion owned by Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, in Beverly Hills.

Netflix bosses are said to 'have noted' that the Duchess of Sussex appears to be professionally wooing billionaire Amazon boss Jeff Bezos

Some have claimed Meghan, 44, is simply being a 'canny businesswoman' in siding with Bezos  rather than Netflix  to take on an acting job eight years after leaving legal drama Suits. Pictured: Jeff Bezos and wife Lauren Sanchez

Pictured: Prince Harry alongside Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos and John Travolta

Bezos, a huge James Bond fan, has already recently taken Euphoria actress Sydney Sweeney under his wing, reportedly investing millions in 'seed money' to help her launch a lingerie line.

In addition, Sydney is reportedly being lined up to be a Bond girl in the next 007 movie, which Amazon is set to produce after the franchise was sold to Bezos for $1billion.

A source at William Morris Endeavor (WME), Hollywood's biggest talent agency - which represents Meghan - told the MoS: 'The duchess is a smart businesswoman and very much in control of her career and where she sees it going.

'Of course, people are talking about her connection to Jeff Bezos and the fact she's chosen to star in an Amazon film, but there are very few big players in town and she has two of them - Netflix and Amazon.

'She's a canny businesswoman. Underestimate her at your peril.'

The film role will see Meghan return to acting for the first time since 2017. The film also stars Emily in Paris actress Lily Collins, Captain Marvel's Brie Larson and Jack Quaid, the actor son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.

According to the New York Post's Page Six column, Meghan had been 'swamped with offers' since retiring from acting.

But this project, a comedy about a couple who befriend another celebrity couple during a trip to Santa Barbara, is said to have 'felt right' for Meghan.

Meghan, 44, recently salvaged a 'first look' deal with Netflix after her $100million (76million) five-year deal came to an end

Meghan's lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, was widely ridiculed but ran over two seasons

Meghan Markle opens up about her family a number of times in the lifestyle show, which features cooking, crafting and hosting tips

Last night a source close to Netflix said: 'Everyone in Hollywood is talking about Meghan making her return to acting in an Amazon film rather than a Netflix project.

'It's a bit like when Meghan and Harry sat down with Oprah Winfrey to give their first big interview post Megxit.

'People all over town are wondering why they didn't come to Netflix? Of course, Netflix will never say anything remotely critical about them publicly.

'But let's just say - this has been noted.'

Meghan and Harry's Netflix deal, which ended in September, is widely considered a bust in Tinseltown, although Netflix boss Ted Sarandos is said to 'adore' Meghan.

The Sussex's first project for the streaming giant, the six-part docuseries 'Harry & Meghan' in 2022 - which showed intimate behind-the-scenes footage of the couple as they exited the royal family - remains Netflix's most-watched documentary ever.

But other projects, including Harry's docuseries Polo and a show about the Invictus Games, both failed to take off.

Meghan's lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, was widely ridiculed but ran over two seasons and a one-off 'holiday special' is set to screen before Christmas.

The Sussex's first project for the streaming giant, the six-part docuseries 'Harry & Meghan' in 2022 remains Netflix's most-watched documentary ever

The streaming service also remains a partner in Meghan's As Ever lifestyle brand, which has just released its first holiday-themed collection, including scented candles, champagne, and a mulling spice kit.

The source added: 'People have been critical of the five-year deal but Netflix was happy with the documentary series which was a huge hit.

'That's why they signed a first-look deal with the Sussexes once the original deal came to an end.

'Both of them are perfectly entitled to do other projects with other studios.

'Ted (Sarandos) doesn't care - he adores her - but others have remarked on it.

'Everyone is talking about why Meghan has chosen Jeff Bezos. He's a billionaire, dummy.'

Netflix and the Duchess of Sussex were approached for comment.

Meghan Markle has revealed that her holiday special will be airing on Netflix on December 3

Blow by blow: The Sussexes and the projects that failed to land

Claims that Meghan has been 'professionally wooing' Bezos come hot on the heels of projects that still haven't come off the starting blocks and a lifestyle series that received less than flattering reviews.

The Duchess of Sussex revealed earlier this week that the holiday special of her show, With Love, Meghan, will be airing on December 3.

She made the announcement on Instagram, sharing a glossy promotional shot of herself putting on a festive spread.

Wearing an emerald green gown, the mother-of-two was photographed placing ornate Christmas decorations for a Yuletide feast.

'Embrace traditions and make new ones this holiday season,' the caption read. 'With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration arrives December 3rd on Netflix.'

The streaming giant has already aired two seasons of the show, touting a selection of cooking and hosting 'tips' from the ex-working royal - but critics have been less than flattering in their reviews.

Previous A-lister guests have included the likes of Chrissy Teigen and Mindy Kaling, as well as members of the Sussexes' 'Montecito Crew', such as Abigail Spencer.

Model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen has appeared in Markle's series

Season two of With Love, Meghan was panned as 'marginally less mad but more needy' than its predecessor - despite pulling in millions of viewers in its debut run.

The Mail's Liz Jones branded the new season 'staged, fake and dull' - but unlike other critics, commended Meghan for being 'genuinely earnest'.

The Guardian dismissed the show as 'so boring' and 'so contrived', while The Telegraph described the Duchess as a 'Montecito Marie Antoinette'.

The Times was equally cutting, calling the eight-part show 'a series in search of a meaning, fronted by a woman in need of some cash'.

Even with celebrity guests including Chrissy Teigen, John Legend and Tan France, critics argue the show lacks substance - and claim Meghan failed to be authentic.

According to an insider at the streamer, the Duchess of Sussex has 'had everything going for her' but viewing figures for With Love, Meghan have still been 'dismal' in the eyes of Netflix bosses.

Meghan's lifestyle show failed to break into Netflix's top 300 programmes for the first half of 2025 and was even thrashed by multiple seasons of Suits.

A second season of With Love, Meghan, was announced by the Duchess as the first season came out in March this year as part of the couple's $100million deal with the streaming giant, which expires this year.

But a Netflix source claimed: 'This deal is dead.

'She had everything going for hername, platform, pressand the numbers were dismal.

'They're just waiting for the credits to roll. They're letting it expire without drama. There's no appetite for anything new.'

Meanwhile Harry's passion project documentary Polo ranked at a disastrous 3,436 out of 7,000 shows and was only watched by 500,000 people in six months.

She and Harry endured another blow after they signed a new 'multi-year, first look deal for film and television projects' with Netflix - a downgrade on their previous $100million mega-deal.

The new arrangement is a first-look deal, meaning Netflix can agree - or disagree - to new film or TV projects before anyone else.

Putting a positive spin on the renewed deal, the Sussexes - who made the announcement with Netflix - said it was 'extending their creative partnership' through Archewell Productions.

But the new terms are understood to be worth less than their previous contract, according to a person familiar with the deal, and represent Netflix loosening its ties with the couple.

Earlier this year, it was reported their adaptation of romantic novel Meet Me At The Lake is understood to be hanging in the balance and 'may never happen', according to sources in PageSix.

The Sussexes announced in August 2023 that they would be producing the film for the streaming giant - but two years on and Archewell productions is reportedly yet to hire a director or pick a cast.

A source in Hollywood told the outlet in July: 'By this point, you would have thought they would have got a director on board and a cast. So what is the delay?'

'And when you make something for Netflix, it takes a long time for it to actually hit the streamer - there is so much to do in post production, to make sure it's ready for every country. If the deal is up this year, then when is this film going to be made?'

Five months after Megxit in February 2020, the Sussexes bought their house in Montecito for $14.65million (10,890,000).

In their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey the following year, which took place while Meghan was pregnant with daughter Lilibet, Prince Harry reflected on their money-making activities to date.

He said their deals with Netflix and Spotify had both been driven by financial necessity.

The prince said he was cut off by his family in the first quarter of 2020, shortly after he and Meghan announced they would step back as senior members of the royals.

He added that he still had the money left to him by his late mother, Princess Diana.

'Without that, we wouldn't have been able to do this,' he said, referring to the family's move to California.
The Trump administration plans to 'surge' North Carolina and Louisiana with Border Patrol agents and armored vehicles in its latest escalation against illegal immigration.

Internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents obtained by CBS News revealed that Border Patrol agents will be deployed to Charlotte before shifting to New Orleans to take a leading role in ICE operations across both cities.

The operations are reportedly referred to as Charlotte Web and Catahoula Crunch - titles officials chose to reference the childrens novel and Louisianas official state dog, according to the documents.

Armored vehicles - including BearCats - and special-operations agents were requested for both cities.

Several Border Patrol agents who were earlier sent to Chicago, among them outspoken commander Gregory Bovino, are now expected to join the operation, two US officials told CBS.

Bovino has took charge of operations in both Chicago and Los Angeles in recent months, where high-visibility and controversial federal arrests have fueled protests across the country.

'The use of force that I've seen has been exemplary - the least amount of force necessary to accomplish the mission' the commander told the outlet last month.

Two sources familiar with the plans told CBS that green-uniformed Border Patrol agents are expected in Charlotte in the coming days, where an operations hub is being established.

Internal DHS documents revealed that Border Patrol agents (pictured: commander Gregory Bovino) will be deployed to Charlotte before shifting to New Orleans to take a leading role in ICE operations across both cities

Armored vehicles - including BearCats - and special-operations agents were requested for both cities. DHS confirmed the Charlotte operation is underway, but didn't comment on New Orleans (pictured: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem)

Border Patrol agents are reportedly expected in Charlotte (pictured) in the coming days, where an operations hub is being established

High-visibility and controversial federal arrests in cities like LA (pictured) and Chicago have fueled protests across the country

Sheriff Garry McFadden of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, said he had been contacted 'by two separate federal ocials confirming US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel will be arriving in the Charlotte area as early as this Saturday or the beginning of next week.'

On Saturday, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin confirmed to CBS that the Charlotte operation is underway, but she did not comment on potential plans for New Orleans.

'We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed,' McLaughlin said.

When asked about New Orleans, the assistant secretary for public affairs told the outlet that the department does 'not discuss future or potential operations.'

'Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country,' McLaughlin added.

However, internal documents and sources suggest that up to 200 CBP agents could be deployed to New Orleans soon as part of the next phase of Trumps nationwide crackdown.

In a joint statement with other local officials on Saturday, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles condemned the operation, saying it is only 'causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty' in the community.

She pointed to Chicago, where she said the operations have 'resulted in people without criminal records being detained and violent protests being the result of unwarranted actions.'

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles (pictured) condemned the operation, saying it is only 'causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty' in the community

Sources suggested that up to 200 CBP agents could be deployed to New Orleans (pictured) soon as part of the next phase of Trumps crackdown

Just yesterday, a peaceful protest outside an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, turned chaotic, resulting in 21 arrests (pictured)

Nearly 50 protesters broke through a concrete barrier separating their area from the processing center (pictured), prompting Illinois State Troopers to respond in riot gear

Just yesterday, a peaceful protest outside an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, turned chaotic, resulting in 21 arrests - the highest number in a state protest since the start of 'Operation Midway Blitz' in the Chicago area, according to News Nation Now.

During the weekly demonstration, nearly 50 protesters broke through a concrete barrier separating their area from the processing center, prompting Illinois State Troopers to respond in riot gear.

Four police officers were injured during the protest, with three taken to the hospital for treatment. Among those arrested were members of the faith community, all of whom now face charges of obstruction and disturbing the peace.

On Friday afternoon, DHS responded to the arrests with a post on X, referring to the protesters as 'imbecilic morons.'

'Womp womp, cry all you want. These criminal illegal aliens aren't getting released,' the department wrote on their official social media account.

'Like clockwork, violent rioters have arrived at the Broadview ICE facility to demand the release of some of the worst human beings on planet earth,' the statement added.

'Get a job you imbecilic morons.'

Democratic North Carolina Governor Josh Stein urged residents 'to remember our values,' abide by the law and remain peaceful in a statement following news of the upcoming Charlotte operation.

Four police officers were injured during the protest (pictured), with three taken to the hospital for treatment

On Friday afternoon, DHS responded to the arrests with a post on X , referring to the protesters as 'imbecilic morons'

'Public safety is the top priority for all of us in government. That means fighting crime, not stoking fear or causing division,' Stein said, according to CBS.

'We should all focus on arresting violent criminals and drug traffickers. Unfortunately, that's not always what we have seen with ICE and Border Patrol Agents in Chicago and elsewhere around the country,' he added.

Like Mayor Lyles, Stein emphasized that most of those being detained nationwide have no criminal convictions.

'If you see any inappropriate behavior, use your phones to record and notify local law enforcement,' he added.
A victim of 'Tinder Swindler' Shimon Hayut has described his release from prison last week as 'a shock' and 'disappointing'.

Swedish businesswoman Pernilla Sjoholm's comments came after it emerged on Friday that Hayut, 35  accused of swindling women across Europe of millions after connecting with them on the dating app posing as a member of a wealthy diamond merchant family  had been dramatically released from prison in Georgia.

Hayut had faced up to ten years behind bars after being arrested there in September for an alleged 38,000 fraud committed in Germany against a Berlin-based woman.

He had been held in the country's notorious Kutaisi Penitentiary for two months awaiting extradition, but in a dramatic development walked free after German authorities cancelled their arrest warrant.

It followed what Hayut's Georgian lawyer Mariam Kublashvila called a 'fair and appropriate' plea agreement, in which Hayut was instead given a one-year suspended sentence.

Told about his release by The Mail on Sunday on Friday evening, Ms Sjoholm, 38, who claims she was swindled out of 39,000, said that she had been completely unaware he was set to walk free.

'I wasn't told because my case was not part of the German case, so of course this is a bit of a shock,' she said.

'I'm disappointed that he's not going to spend more years in prison  but he has done two months, and it's a plea deal, so he is convicted and that means he has admitted to his crimes.

'It's not what the attorneys made it sound like at first  that he has been let free because the evidence was so weak. That is not really the case. He had a plea deal, so I still see it as a win.'

Swedish businesswoman Pernilla Sjoholm and 'Tinder Swindler' Shimon Hayut, 35, who has been dramatically released from prison in Georgia

Hayut (pictured) had faced up to ten years behind bars after being arrested there in September for an alleged 38,000 fraud committed in Germany against a Berlin-based woman

That sentiment is not shared by Hayut, who just hours prior to his release boasted to the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview behind bars that he was 'unstoppable' and would 'change nothing'.

Yet Ms Sjoholm, who today lives in Stockholm with her partner and young twins, pointed out that there are still cases against him in his native Israel, including a lawsuit by the wealthy Leviev family, who are suing him for claiming to be a member of the family.

'This is now his third conviction. And he still has an ongoing case in Israel that I have been providing testimony for,' Ms Sjoholm said.

'I hope more legal action will come his way, and I hope those countries where others have been filing reports will move forward.

'This case was just centred on the German file, but from what I know there are still open cases from the UK as well, so I would hope the Met police would step forward and act a little bit faster.'

She added: 'What a lot of people don't know is that he also stands accused of committing not just romance fraud but crimes against companies and men.

'This is what he's been living on since he was a teenager, this is his nature, he's not going to change. Only the law can change that.'
For those visiting Riyadh at the height of Saudi Season, the lavish five-star Ritz-Carlton is the only place to be seen.

It was here, in the hotels splendiferously gilded lobby, that Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice of York was snapped last week, hosting an exclusive and very regal tea party for some of the richest men on the planet.

Her latest business trip to the Saudi capital  the second in a fortnight  came hot on the heels of an appearance in late October at the governments Future Investment Initiative, otherwise known as Davos in the Desert.

It is also, as we shall see, just one of multiple Middle East jaunts undertaken by both Beatrice and her younger sister Eugenie in recent years as they follow in their disgraced fathers choppy wake.

The murky links between Air Miles Andy and the Gulf States mega-wealthy autocrats are well known.

Now there are growing concerns that the princesses, who are not working royals, risk compromising their own reputations by pursuing lucrative business interests in Arab states with dubious human rights records.

Prince William is said to be urging his cousins to allow an ethics check on their finances, while the King, determined to protect his nieces from being tarnished by their fathers misdemeanours, has offered the services of one of his senior advisers.

Yet formal offers of help  and scrutiny  are said to have been politely declined by the sisters.

Princess Beatrice and her younger sister Eugenie have gone on multiple Middle East jaunts in recent years as they follow in their disgraced fathers choppy wake

According to one royal insider: William is pushing for them to let some sort of ethics check be run on their finances to ensure nothing can be linked back to any of their fathers less salubrious contacts and thus avoid future scandal. It might lead to them having to return some interests.

Whether they will agree, or even if its possible to sort out the tangled web without access to Andrews accounts  which he wont allow  isnt known.

The source added: The King is also trying to give them more structure by offering the services of one of his senior officials on secondment for a year or so. They seem to be resisting the urges of uncle and cousin and are trying to go it alone.

What is clear is that business is booming for the princesses, who have clung on to their royal titles while watching their parents being denuded of theirs.

While Beatrice was being feted in Riyadh last month, a beleaguered Sarah Ferguson was holed up at Royal Lodge in Windsor, deleting the word Duchess from paperwork relating to the eight limited companies of which she is still a director and reportedly drowning her sorrows with staff in a purpose-built bar at the back of the mansion called The Doghouse.

Also lying low at Royal Lodge, and according to one report ranting and muttering about his plight, is their father  now plain old Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

He has applied to shut down the commercial arm of his Pitch@Palace networking initiative, which he once planned to hand down to his daughters, after the removal  to where is not clear  of almost all its remaining 220,000.

The princesses burgeoning careers  Beatrice, 37, in business, Eugenie, 35, in the art world  could, of course, be regarded as in keeping with the blunt advice the King is said to have given his nieces; that they must now pay their own way within his slimmed-down monarchy.

Last week, Beatrice was snapped at the five-star Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh where she hosted an exclusive and very regal tea party for some of the richest men on the planet

But with the unenviable task of pursuing half-in, half-out roles in the Royal Family, questions about how Their Royal Highnesses earn money, and who they associate with, will simply not go away.

Beatrices Riyadh tea party, for example, was in the same hotel where eight years ago a violent purge of the Saudi old guard saw royals, tycoons and ministers beaten and tortured in its opulent rooms.

And another reminder of the ongoing threat of reputational risk came this week with news that Hauser & Wirth, the art gallery of which Eugenie is a director, has been charged with breaching Russian sanctions after allegedly making available an item to a person connected with Russia.

This charge, made after a HM Revenue and Customs investigation, seems to be the first under the law banning the supply of luxury goods to Russia.

While Eugenie is not a member of the companys London board  and there is no suggestion that she was involved in the alleged supply  her link to a firm caught up in a potential scandal is not ideal.

But it is the sisters frequent visits to the Middle East that are causing most concern, with suggestions that Beatrice is unofficially resuming her fathers role as UK trade envoy  a position he ultimately exploited to enrich himself.

It is a region, as Buckingham Palace admitted in 2011 while defending Andrews numerous trips, where carrying a royal title is hugely influential. Middle East potentates like meeting princes, said a spokesperson.

The sisters frequent visits to the Middle East are causing concern, with suggestions that Beatrice (pictured with her father in Abu Dhabi in 2008) is unofficially resuming her fathers role as UK trade envoy  a position he ultimately exploited to enrich himself

He comes in as the son of the Queen and that opens doors.

The Princesses, no doubt, are able to wield similar influence thanks to their HRH titles. But for whose benefit?

As The Daily Mail reported last month, the sisters have made several visits. In April last year they travelled to Riyadh for an event to discuss global challenges and opportunities.

That same month, Beatrice, the chief executive of BY-EQ (the tech advisory firm she founded in 2022) travelled to Dubai for a conference to advance the entrepreneurial corridor between the UAE and the UK. Six months later, in October, she was back in Riyadh for that years Future Investment Initiative.

Then she was in Abu Dhabi at a conference to discuss AI and meet with crown prince Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is so close to her father that he has offered Andrew the use of a palace once he is booted out of Royal Lodge.

That month, Eugenie was in Qatar, on a museums trip during which she attended a luxury jewellery exhibition by high-end brand Chaumet and met with the sister of the countrys ruler.

And theyve kept up their jet-setting to the Middle East this year.

In January, Eugenie flew to Saudi for the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah. In April, the sisters took their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and Jack Brooksbank, to the Bahrain Grand Prix.

In April, the sisters took their husbands, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (pictured) and Jack Brooksbank, to the Bahrain Grand Prix

As non-working royals, both are, of course, free to earn their own living. Even if they cash in on their prestigious family connections and even if their titles open doors that might otherwise remain firmly closed.

Princess Annes son Peter Phillips, for example, has traded on his status as a member of the Royal Family. His company landed the 750,000 contract to organise a street party on The Mall for Queen Elizabeths 90th birthday party in 2016. In 2020 he was paid to take part in a Chinese advert for milk.

The problem for Beatrice and Eugenie is that, unlike Annes children, they carry HRH titles and are following in the footsteps of parents who will seemingly go down in history as a pair of grifters.

As the royal insider told The Mail on Sunday: No one knows what influence their fathers contacts had in their formative years. For most of their gilded lives he was their financial adviser.

Nor can their feckless debt-ridden mother be said to have set an example when it comes to earning an honest living.

Amid revelations about Fergies friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, it emerged last week that she is grappling with a legacy of business misadventures as she comes to terms with the loss of her Duchess status and her home.

One project haunting her is Gate Ventures, a failed theatre and media investment company for which she was a director from 2017 to 2019 alongside former BBC and ITV boss Lord Grade.

She was brought in as a brand ambassador, using her glitzy Duchess title to woo small-time investors in the Far East. But many of its investments and loans were made to companies linked to the directors  including 290,000 to Ms Ferguson personally, as well as 232,000 to her fledgling tea company Ginger & Moss.

Beatrice and her husband at the wedding banquet of Crown Prince Al Hussein and Rajwa Alseif at the Al Husseinya Palace in Jordan two years ago

The company was placed into administration by the High Court in 2022 and is still facing legal action from liquidators seeking to recoup the 19 million lost by the company. The MoS understands that Fergie has instructed lawyers to help her fight any forthcoming claim.

Gate Ventures also loaned 32,000 to another company linked to the former Duchess  London tech start-up vVoosh, for which she acted as brand ambassador.

The man behind it  former British soldier Manuel Fernandez, 57  was once rumoured to be Ms Fergusons boyfriend and a regular visitor to the Swiss chalet she had co-owned with Andrew, though she always maintained they were just friends.

VVoosh went into administration last month after failing to launch a long-promised lifestyle app, and a linked charity  set up to help mankind and previously mentioned as evidence of Ms Fergusons philanthropy  has not spent a penny. The Charity Commission told The Daily Mail this week that it intends to shut it down.

With her reputation in tatters, Ms Fergusons hopes of making money seem slim. Her latest childrens book, Flora & Fern: Kindness Along The Way, has already been withdrawn from sale.

Last week, The Daily Mail revealed that Ms Fergusons plight is so desperate, the King is planning to pay for her to be rehomed out of his own purse. The royal insider says: There is some concern that Sarah may end up, or may technically be already, bankrupt.

She has an amazing capacity to burn through earnings and money she is loaned by friends and businesses she is associated with. Now she cant flash her coronet or claim royal credentials, the bulk of her earning capacity  and her trustworthiness for loans  has ended.

Sarah is encouraging Beatrice and Eugenie to get on with life as normal and discouraging them from meeting with her, says the royal insider. Shes concerned that being associated publicly with their parents could damage their own chances of remaining part of the royal fold

Markedly, there have been no Royal Lodge visits from Andrew and Fergies daughters, who are in touch with their mother (but not their father) by phone.

Sarah is encouraging Beatrice and Eugenie to get on with life as normal and discouraging them from meeting with her, says the royal insider. Shes concerned that being associated publicly with their parents could damage their own chances of remaining part of the royal fold.

While Mountbatten-Windsor and Ferguson, 66, find themselves cast out from polite society, their daughters have suffered no such fate so far. On Monday, after her Saudi trip, Beatrice popped up in London at a charity visit to the Borne premature birth research laboratories at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

Last week she was made deputy patron of The Outward Bound Trust, working alongside her uncle, the Duke of Edinburgh, who is royal patron.

The announcement is likely to have been particularly bruising for Andrew, who spent years at the Outward Bounds helm before being forced to step down as patron in 2019 after his disastrous Newsnight interview.

But while he and Fergie have been cast off by charities they once supported, Beatrice and Eugenie continue to be in demand.

The princesses are clearly, while attempting to emerge from the very long shadow of their scandalous parents, treading a perilously thin line.
A BBC journalist is under investigation by the secret security services over China spying allegations, sources have claimed to The Mail on Sunday.

The journalist is said to have cultivated potential targets for the hostile state, while working as a reporter in Brussels for a different media outlet. The person remains employed by the BBC, which has refused a request for comment.

Last night, Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel called for an urgent resolution to the investigation to establish whether the BBC was 'actively undermining the security of country'.

She said: 'China is a threat to Britain and anyone attempting to undermine the security of our country and the security organisations which keep us and our allies safe must be fully investigated.'

Sources say the reporter used his position as a journalist before he worked at the BBC to target senior individuals in Brussels-based international organisations.

He is alleged to have targeted those with knowledge of sensitive military intelligence. It is claimed his tactics included attempting to 'honeytrap' senior officials in these institutions.

While the investigation is at an early stage, three agencies are understood to be examining 'sexual overtures' made by him to high-level individuals.

They are still trying to work out what secrets he may have been able to feed back to China about Western security services.

A BBC journalist is under investigation by the secret security services over China spying allegations (stock image)

The investigation, which is known to the 'Five Eyes' international intelligence sharing partnership that includes MI5, is now piecing together the extent of any impact on national security.

According to insiders, there is a dawning realisation that he may have been able to penetrate the security apparatus much deeper than first thought.

After leaving Brussels, the journalist was hired by the BBC.

'This raises serious questions about the way the BBC checks the background of their staff, which yet again questions its governance and poor standards,' Dame Priti said.

It comes amid growing alarm over how Labour is handling the threat posed by an advanced Chinese spying machine.

Ministers sparked fury after collapsing the trial of two men accused of spying for Beijing, and the chaos over a previously denied Chinese mega embassy in the heart of London further shows Labour's inability to grasp the threat posed by China.

And last month The Mail on Sunday exposed national security adviser Jonathan Powell as a senior member of shadowy lobby club China allegedly 'uses to groom UK elite'.

A Cabinet Office source said Mr Powell is not now nor has he ever been a member of the 48 Group, despite his name being listed as a fellow on its website.

The BBC individual under investigation did not respond to requests for comment.
Sir Keir Starmer tonight faced calls to 'stand up for Britain' and persuade Donald Trump not to sue the BBC for billions of pounds.

On Friday night, the US President said he would seek up to $5billion (3.8billion) in damages over the broadcaster's misleading editing of one of his speeches.

The BBC has apologised but declined to pay him damages, setting the scene for a high-profile legal showdown.

Mr Trump's comments have sent shockwaves through the corporation, which now faces the prospect of spending huge amounts of licence-fee payers' money to either fight or settle the lawsuit.

The President said he planned to call Sir Keir this weekend and talk to him about the issue, adding that the Prime Minister was 'very embarrassed' by the incident.

Amid fears that the BBC's survival is under threat, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey urged the Prime Minister to use his warm relationship with the President to urge him to abandon the case.

'This is Keir Starmer's moment to stand up for Britain and call on Trump to drop his ludicrous lawsuit,' he said. 'The Prime Minister has spent months cosying up to Trump. If he can't stop him from attacking one of our most precious institutions, what was it all for?'

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said it is now time for the scandal-hit BBC to appoint an internal watchdog.

President Trump said he planned to call Sir Keir (pictured) this weekend and talk to him about the issue, adding that the Prime Minister was 'very embarrassed' by the incident

Mr Trump is expected to launch his lawsuit in Florida. The Panorama film which contained the edit appearing to show him inciting Capitol Hill protesters to violence on January 6, 2021, was not available in the US, but experts believe the case could still come before a jury, which is likely to be sympathetic to the President.

BBC chairman Samir Shah last week sent a personal letter to the White House to apologise for the editing, which has not been enough to satisfy the President.

Speaking on Air Force One on Friday, Mr Trump said of his legal action: 'I think I have to do it. They've even admitted that they cheated They changed the words coming out of my mouth.'

'The people of the UK are very angry about what happened as you can imagine because it shows the BBC is fake news.'

In a separate interview on GB News on Friday night, Mr Trump claimed he had an 'obligation' to sue the BBC, which he branded 'corrupt' and 'beyond fake'. 'This was so egregious. If you don't do it, you don't stop it from happening again with other people. I'd like to find out why they did it.'

Sam Nunberg, a former Trump campaign official, today said he believed the President had 'a pretty solid case' and that the BBC's lawyers would probably be unable to persuade a judge to throw the claim out of court and could face a settlement of millions.

'I think the BBC should be taking this extremely seriously. I think [a settlement] would be high seven figures. It's a large amount of money.'

In July, US media giant Paramount agreed to pay Mr Trump $16 million (13.5 million) to settle a lawsuit over an interview on CBS with former Vice-President Kamala Harris, which he said was edited too sympathetically.

But speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Lord Patten, a former chairman of the BBC, said: 'The BBC board should tell Donald Trump they will see him in court. The BBC is part of our democracy, and an important part.

'I am not in favour of kowtowing to Trump about this absurd charge.'

The BBC has apologised but declined to pay him damages, setting the scene for a high-profile legal showdown

Sir Craig Oliver, a former BBC executive and director of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron, said the corporation faced a 'nightmare situation... It does clearly believe that it's got a strong case but really the problem is that public money could be spent  or is going to be spent  fighting this or settling this.'

Former Tory Culture Secretary Sir John Whittingdale added: 'It would be highly undesirable to have the BBC having to defend what was clearly a very serious failing of editorial judgment in an American court. It is not exactly going to help improve our relations with our closest ally.'

Writing in today's Sunday Times, Mr Sunak said: 'The BBC has too often misjudged the nation's mood, mishandled its people and mismanaged its own processes.

'One of the actions that the BBC should take now is to appoint an internal watchdog responsible for spotting problems and addressing them before they have turned into a scandal.

'It cannot continue to sit back and wait for others to highlight its mistakes, and then ponder whether to react before comforting itself that any criticism must be driven by base political motives.'

A BBC spokesman said: 'While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim.'
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will tomorrow unveil radical plans to end what officials called Britains golden ticket for asylum seekers by quadrupling the current five-year period before refugees can apply for permanent settlement.

She is also set to outline plans to scrap automatic state handouts to many asylum seekers and restrict their access to other benefits.

The Home Secretary will unveil the proposals as part of wider plans, based on hardline Danish laws, to curb immigration and reduce the pull-factor bringing migrants to the UK.

Mahmood boasted last night that she will set out the most sweeping changes to our asylum system in a generation.

In an interview, she also warned that illegal migration is tearing our country apart.

The new 20-year qualifying period will apply to those who arrive illegally, such as in small boats or in lorries, and claim asylum, or those who overstay their visas and then claim.

Home Office sources said last night that it will be the longest route to settlement in Europe  tougher even than Denmarks eight-year pathway, the second longest in Europe.

However, the plans have already sparked fury among Labours Left-wing MPs.

Shabana Mahmood (pictured) boasted last that she will set out the most sweeping changes to our asylum system in a generation

Last night, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch warned that Labour was incapable of getting any real change past their Left-wing backbenchers and offered to work with the Government to deliver meaningful reform of the asylum system.

According to Labour insiders, Ms Mahmood has told colleagues that she would do the unthinkable for a Labour Home Secretary.

And it emerged last weekend that it would include copying parts of the hardline immigration reforms introduced by the Danish centre-Left government to combat Right-wing populism.

The reforms, introduced in 2016, have led to a 40-year low in asylum claims there. Ms Mahmoods officials revealed she will propose revoking the statutory legal duty to provide asylum-seeker support, including housing and weekly allowances of 49.

The presumption is that asylum seekers who have the right to work and support themselves but choose not to would be denied the benefits.

There are currently 8,500 people in asylum accommodation on visas with the right to work.

It emerged last week that the plans will also include no longer granting permanent asylum to refugees. Instead, they would have their asylum status in the UK reviewed every two to three years.

Last night, Home Office sources said that Denmark had reduced the number of asylum applications to its lowest level in 40 years and removed 95 per cent of rejected asylum seekers.

They said the UK offered a package of benefits and support that far exceeded our international obligations.

Last week, Labour MP Nadia Whittome called some of the Danish reforms undeniably racist.
A child traveling to school with his family was shot and killed during a roadrage incident Friday morning, police said.

The boy, 11, was fatally shot at around 7.30am while riding with his stepfather in an SUV on the outskirts of Las Vegas - in Henderson, Nevada.

Tyler Matthew Johns, 22, was accused of firing one fatal shot after becoming embroiled in what Henderson police called a 'road-rage incident.'

The altercation began after both vehicles started 'jockeying for positions, trying to pass each other on the congested freeway,' according to Henderson police chief Reggie Rader.

He said: 'I just want to remind everybody. that we lost a life today that we didn't have to lose. An 11yearold was on his way to school and this senseless act took his life.'

Police said both cars got into a verbal exchange and rolled their respective windows down.

At that point, Johns allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired into the back seat of the other vehicle, killing the sitting boy.

Tyler Matthew Johns, 22, charged with open murder, discharging a gun at or into a vehicle and discharging a gun within a vehicle in a prohibited area

Henderson police accused Johns of shooting and and killing an 11-year-old boy Friday morning in what was described as a 'roadrage incident'

Henderson police chief Reggie Rader said the 'senseless act' was avoidable and urged locals to 'do better' because 'we can't allow this to continue to happen'

Rader said: 'I would rather you be stuck in traffic and late for your destination than have to go to a funeral for a loved one, or potentially spend the rest of your life in prison.

'We have to do better as a city, we have to do better as a community. We have to do better as human beings, because we can't allow this to continue to happen.'

The stepfather then 'rammed' John's fourdoor sedan, bringing both of their cars to a halt in the middle of the road and prompting another 'heated exchange.'

This second dispute was spotted by a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer who was driving on the freeway, police said.

The police officer arrested Johns at the scene of the crime. His gun was also recovered.

Johns was charged with open murder, discharging a gun at or into a vehicle and discharging a gun within a vehicle in a prohibited area, police records showed.

The child was treated by the Henderson Fire Department and then rushed to the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, where he died.

The fatal shooting happened around 7.30am in the westbound lanes of the 215 Beltway near Gibson Road in Henderson, Nevada

The Henderson Police Department said Johns was the only person in his car at the time of the incident on Friday morning

Police said the dispute stated when both drivers started 'jockeying for positions' on a 'congested' beltway

Rader said: 'Our roadways can get congested and we're doing improvement projects to try to ease that burden, but what I need is everybody to have an appreciation for the sanctity of life.'

He added: 'My ask, my plea of the community  especially as we enter these holiday seasons  is to slow down.

'You will eventually get there and let's get there safely.'

Police said Johns was the only person in his car and that there was no information that 'any impairment played a factor' in the fatal shooting.

Johns was booked into jail Friday, records showed.

He appeared virtually in court on Saturday morning and was denied bail, according to KLAS.

The Daily Mail reached out to the Henderson Police Department for further comment.
People visit the 17th Cross-Strait Tea Expo in Wuyishan, southeast China's Fujian Province, Nov. 16, 2025. The 17th Cross-Strait Tea Expo opened on Sunday in Wuyishan City of Fujian Province. Featuring the theme of integrated development of tea culture, industry, and science and technology, this year's expo has drawn over 850 enterprises, including 173 from Taiwan.

With 2,300 booths spanning 48,000 square meters, the event includes four main themed exhibition halls. (Photo by Huang Jiemin/Xinhua)

A live streamer works at the 17th Cross-Strait Tea Expo in Wuyishan, southeast China's Fujian Province, Nov. 16, 2025. The 17th Cross-Strait Tea Expo opened on Sunday in Wuyishan City of Fujian Province. Featuring the theme of integrated development of tea culture, industry, and science and technology, this year's expo has drawn over 850 enterprises, including 173 from Taiwan.

With 2,300 booths spanning 48,000 square meters, the event includes four main themed exhibition halls. (Photo by Huang Jiemin/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Nov. 16, 2025 shows the 17th Cross-Strait Tea Expo held in Wuyishan, southeast China's Fujian Province. The 17th Cross-Strait Tea Expo opened on Sunday in Wuyishan City of Fujian Province. Featuring the theme of integrated development of tea culture, industry, and science and technology, this year's expo has drawn over 850 enterprises, including 173 from Taiwan.

With 2,300 booths spanning 48,000 square meters, the event includes four main themed exhibition halls. (Photo by Chen Ying/Xinhua)
Around 200 nurses and health professionals gathered to show their support for Lucy Letby yesterday amid growing calls for an independent review into her conviction.

The medical staff, from hospitals across the UK, met in Sheffield at a conference held by campaign group Nineteen Nurses to discuss mounting fears that Letby, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in August 2023 for the murder of seven newborn babies and the attempted murder of six more, is a victim of a grave miscarriage of justice.

Support for the neonatal nurses innocence has been boosted by the Mail on Sundays Peter Hitchens and recent television documentary series which questioned her guilt, including ITVs Beyond Reasonable Doubt.

Further evidence presented by a panel of 14 scientists and medical experts argues many of the deaths can be explained by natural causes.

Letbys legal team has passed new evidence to the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

If it believes there may have been a miscarriage of justice, it can refer her case to the Court of Appeal - a move also supported by the Nineteen Nurses group.

Yesterday, Viv Blondek, a retired nurse and founder member of Nineteen Nurses, told the conference: We are a profession in fear. Patients are the priority, but we have seen an erosion of our duty of candour because of a fear of being scapegoated.

This scapegoating culture creates a defensive, fearful work environment which seeks out individuals to blame rather than systemic failure, always looking for someone to punish.

Medical staff from hospitals across the UK met in Sheffield at a conference held by campaign group Nineteen Nurses to discuss mounting fears that Lucy Letby (pictured) is a victim of a grave miscarriage of justice

Letby pictured being arrested at her home in Chester on July 3, 2018

'If you look at how air accidents are investigated - specialist teams are brought in with technical knowledge to look for a reason for the accident, not someone to blame.

'But we allow police to investigate our incidents, without any of the relevant expertise.

Another founder member, who declined to be identified for fear of reprisals from those who remain convinced of Letbys guilt, told those gathered: There are at least two other nurses in prison whose convictions are unsafe.

'We very much hope that the CCRC will be quick to refer Lucys case back to the Court of Appeal.

Letbys team has asked for the Thirlwall Inquiry into the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester hospital to be paused pending the outcome of the CCRC review.

Prosecutors are also said to be considering additional charges against Letby relating to other infant deaths and non-fatal collapses.

Jim Thornton, former professor of obstetrics at Nottingham University and a key supporter of Lucy Letbys case as a miscarriage of justice, also expressed concerns that the notes about the mothers of the babies who either died or who Letby was accused of trying to kill werent made available to the court. 'This is something that should have happened.

'When Lucy Letbys case returns to the court of appeal, the CCRC must obtain all copies of all maternal notes.

Some of the mothers had chronic health and birth problems, added Prof Thornton, but the jury never knew any of these details.

Letby was sentenced to life imprisonment in August 2023 for the murder of seven newborn babies and the attempted murder of six more

Meanwhile, also backing the nurses campaign is Amanda Jenkinson, who was herself wrongfully convicted of attempting to murder a patient and spent five years in prison.

Jenkinson, now 66, was alleged to have tried to kill 67-year-old Kathleen Temple in 1993 at Bassetlaw District General Hospital in Nottinghamshire by tampering with a ventilator, and of attempting to kill other patients, leading to her being christened the Angel of Death II after killer nurse Beverly Allitt.

But she was released from prison in 1999 and had her conviction quashed in 2004 over flawed trial evidence.

Speaking exclusively to the Mail on Sunday, Ms Jenkinson, who remains so scarred by her experience that she is scared to go out in public, said: No-one from the NHS or the criminal justice system has ever expressed any regret for what I went through. Being wrongly accused has devastated my whole being. I will never, ever recover.

People think theres no smoke without fire, even after youre cleared.

'I dont know if Lucy Letby is innocent or not, but I fear she is being treated exactly as I was, and that she was regarded as guilty before she had any chance to defend herself.

'All these years later, and its still happening.

Jean Gray was the editor of Nursing Standard magazine when Ms Jenkinson was convicted and supported her throughout her bid for freedom, said: If this kind of thing happens in any other profession, it can be serious, but in nursing it can mean life or death.

'Lives like Amandas, someone who became a nurse to care for others, are wrecked.

Yesterday, a spokeswoman for the campaign told the MoS: There is a culture of fear in the NHS now, and its toxic.

The duty of candour we had, which once allowed nurses to report problems and issues has been eroded.

Nurses are too frightened of being the next Lucy Letby if they speak out. Lucy was an absolute stickler for doing things by the book.

'If there was an issue with something, she didnt hold back. Lucy would be the first to knock on a managers door. Now, nurses are too worried.
In yesterday's Daily Mail, we revealed the depths to which Jack Kennedy fell for the beautiful and spirited Joan Lundberg, a flight attendant who lived in a trailer park. Her pregnancy nearly sunk his marriage to Jackie but America's golden couple endured, and even blossomed, before tragedy struck...

On the morning of Sunday, October 20, 1963, a month before he was assassinated, President John F. Kennedy paid a visit to his father Joe at his home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.

He and Joe, who remained incapacitated following a stroke, went out on the family yacht after having breakfast together. Then Jack  as he was widely known  went for a stroll on the beach with his wife Jackie.

As their neighbours Larry Newman and his wife Sancy watched, Jack set up a bowl of water, a can of shaving cream, and a razor next to a folding chair and began shaving his face under the hot sun.

As he did so, Jackie knelt behind him and ran her fingers through his hair.

'They appeared to be such a loving couple with not a care in the world,' said Sancy Newman. 'It was so lovely and so intimate, I was actually a little mesmerised by it.' It was an image all the more striking because of the long-standing problems in the Kennedy marriage.

In 1956, only three years after their wedding, a fellow guest at a dinner party held in one of Washington's most exclusive social clubs had asked Jackie how she liked being married to a senator.

President John F. Kennedy and Jackie at Dallas airport on November 22, 1963, ahead of the fateful drive through the city that would end with his assassination

This was days after she had discovered that Jack had been sleeping with a flight attendant named Joan Lundberg  and she was in no mood for pretence.

'It was the biggest goddamn mistake of my life,' she snapped.

The man she was speaking to was taken aback but she didn't care and it was left to her stepfather Hugh to apologise and explain they were dealing with 'a rather delicate' family matter.

'We don't always make the right choices in marriage,' he said. 'Jackie will make a better choice next time.'

As I described in yesterday's Daily Mail, that had seemed a serious possibility at one point.

The affair with Joan Lundberg so angered Jackie that she had hired divorce lawyers, backing down only when her father-in-law bribed her with today's equivalent of 1.4million to stay in the marriage.

The deal she made with her husband was that, while she knew she had to come to terms with the notion of his infidelity, he should do nothing to embarrass her.

'Don't you dare rub it in my face,' she had warned him, but he had come perilously close to doing just that  subsequently getting Joan pregnant and paying for her to have an abortion shortly before she ended the affair.

Fortunate that Joan had agreed to terminate the pregnancy, he'd had a close call and he'd never forget it, vowing never to get into a similar situation again. Thereafter, he rethought his version of infidelity, as he explained to the actor Peter Lawford, his sister Pat's husband.

JFK's affair with Joan Lundberg so angered Jackie that she had hired divorce lawyers, backing down only when her father-in-law bribed her with today's equivalent of 1.4million to stay in the marriage

'One night here with a girl, and one night there, that's OK, I guess, but an actual relationship? No. That can only be with Jackie. I will never take a chance with my marriage again.' Some of those nights 'here' and 'there' were spent with Judy Campbell, a raven-haired divorcee with full lips and dark eyes.

Intelligent, charismatic and a great conversationalist, she had briefly dated Frank Sinatra and he introduced her to Jack following a 'Rat Pack' show in Las Vegas in February 1960.

To Jack, she looked just like Joan Lundberg but although there are enough entries in White House visitor logs to suggest that their liaisons continued after he was elected president in November that year, he seems to have successfully avoided getting into a relationship with her.

Those liaisons came to an end in December 1962 when his brother Bobby, aware that Judy was a friend of leading Chicago mobster Sam Giancana, pointed out the potential for blackmail and told him he should finish it.

Jack agreed. She'd just been a lark anyway. It wasn't that difficult for him to let her go, even if Judy appears to have had more trouble breaking things off, continuing to call him until Jackie threatened to have the Secret Service track her down. She never called again.

'Very little got by the First Lady,' recalled Secret Service agent Anthony Sherman. 'She was not naive to any of it, trust me.'

To that end, Jackie had installed a spy in the office of Jack's PA to keep her abreast of any suspicious calls. A woman she knew through family connections, she was hired as a secretary at Jackie's suggestion.

'Just keep me posted of anything that perks your ears,' Jackie told her  and so she became fully aware of regular visits to the White House made by Mary Meyer, a pretty blonde divorcee who was the sister-in-law of one of their good friends.

Although Jackie had specifically demanded discretion from her husband years earlier, she tolerated Mary's presence because Jack had sworn to her that she only offered him oral sex and, like many women of the time, Jackie believed that this didn't constitute 'real' sex.

'Jackie took a dim view of Mary because of the way she knew she serviced Jack,' said one of her family members. 'She had no respect for her: 'If that's the kind of reputation she wants around here,' she said, meaning the White House, 'that's her problem'.

Jackie became aware of regular visits to the White House made by Mary Meyer, who was the sister-in-law of one of their good friends. She tolerated her presence because Jack had sworn to her that she only offered him oral sex and, like many women of the time, Jackie believed that this didn't constitute 'real' sex

'She also felt Mary was jealous of her. 'She wants all of this,' she told me, motioning her surroundings, 'but she'll never have it. Maybe someone should tell her that easy women don't find husbands'.'

Mary Meyer's visits came to an end when Phil Graham, publisher and co-owner of the Washington Post, got drunk at a newspaper convention and gave a mostly incoherent speech in which he referred obliquely to Jack's affair with her, joking that she was 'the president's new favourite'.

The next day, fearing Graham's remarks would be reported since they were delivered to a room full of Press people, Jack felt he had no choice but to tell Jackie about the potentially humiliating revelations.

'Mary Meyer is finished,' she told him. 'It's either her or me. You choose.' She was now drawing a line in the sand, adding that if their marriage was to survive the next year in the White House, or the next four after that, things would have to change.

After she spoke to Jack, she called Mary. We don't know the details of that conversation, only that Jackie said she told her: 'I want you to stay the hell away from my husband.'

It seemed that this warning was unnecessary because, by the beginning of 1963, Jack was beginning to feel remorseful about not only Mary Meyer but any woman he'd ever had in his bed who wasn't his wife.

'I remember him telling me, 'I love Jackie. She's my whole life',' said his friend, Democrat Senator George Smathers. 'I thought to myself, 'Oh yeah? Since when? Since when has Jackie ever been your whole life?'

The affair with Judy Campbell came to an end when JFK's brother Bobby, aware that Judy (pictured with her then husband, actor William Campbell) was a friend of leading Chicago mobster Sam Giancana, pointed out the potential for blackmail and told him he should finish it

'But he was changing. Things were different. We could all see it. He told me, 'Every bad decision I've ever made has been my own fault. I'm sick of being a chip off the old block'. I sure knew what that meant.'

It seems that Jack Kennedy might finally have come face-to-face with a hard truth, that the worst parts of himself reminded him of the worst parts of his father Joe  a rampant philanderer whose infidelity had left his mother Rose feeling unheard, unvalued and unloved for so many years.

Like all the Kennedys, Jack was known to be a stoic person but that August in 1963 he surprised friends and family with the depth of his feeling when his and

Jackie's son Patrick  who would have been a younger brother to Caroline, then five, and John Junior, two  was born prematurely and died shortly afterwards.

He choked back tears as he told his brother Teddy's wife Joan that he felt he was being punished, that he'd made some big mistakes along the way and now God was taking retribution on him.

'I haven't been the best husband and it's very painful,' he told her. 'And by painful, I mean shameful.'

Perhaps, with the passage of more time, he would've figured out certain things about himself and worked to square things with those he loved. But tragically, the clock was beginning to run out.

With his first term well under way, it now made sense to look towards the second and he really needed to make a trip to Texas where his liberal civil rights policies had seen his popularity sinking.

With that in the offing, Jackie had to think long and hard about Texas governor John Connally's suggestion that she should accompany Jack.

'The women want to see her,' Connally told him. 'They want to see what her hairdo and clothes look like. It's important to them.'

While Jackie had made about a dozen trips with Jack abroad, she hadn't accompanied him on any official domestic trips since he had become president and her trepidation had to do with a feeling she'd once had at his side in the days of his campaign for the Senate.

Back then, she'd felt invisible and unnecessary. Now she realised the public had really grown to know and admire her, and that she was an integral part of a powerful political team. She liked it and felt she could really contribute to it, and so she agreed to go to Texas with her husband.

Before that trip, Jackie took Caroline and John Jr to the Kennedys' new summer home, which they'd just finished building in Atoka, Virginia, and, while she was away, Jack summoned Mary Meyer to the White House. She arrived an hour later but, based on conversations they later had with others, he did not take her to his bed, instead sending her home.

'He told me two weeks later that he had a woman at the White House but that he'd had a change of heart,' recalled George Smathers. 'He said he looked at her and had, I guess, a crisis of conscience, which he resolved by saying to himself, 'Hell, no. I'm not doing this. I'm done with this'.

'When he told me the story, I said, 'But, Jack, that's huge'.'

Jack might not have changed overnight but he was definitely trying. That night, he flew to Atoka to be with Jackie.

Later, as the sun went down, they snuggled on a hammock, their feet intertwined, whispering to each other as they watched the sky fill with colours. As he stroked her hair, there were long stretches of contented silence between them. It was as if he finally realised that all he ever needed was right there, with him, in that moment.

For her part, Jackie would recall feeling as if she were 'maybe for the first time, loved, wanted and cared for'.

Or, as she told her mother: 'Maybe Jack and I don't have a perfect marriage but, somehow, we're perfect for each other.'

The three weeks of that final, fateful November in Jack's life passed quickly. Before leaving for Texas, Jackie shared a surprising secret with her mother. Two months earlier, following a family celebration of their tenth wedding anniversary, she and Jack had privately given each other gifts.

She presented him with a new St Christopher's medal because she knew he'd placed his own in Patrick's coffin.

In turn, he gave her a gold-and-emerald ring which, he explained, represented the same fighting spirit of the Irish he'd seen in their son's fight for survival. He slipped it onto Jackie's finger next to her wedding band.

Jackie and JFK with their daughter Caroline at their summer house in Atoka, Virginia

Before he did so, however, he'd dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him, a gesture which meant the world to her because he'd never actually asked for her hand in marriage. Not officially, anyway.

They planned to renew their vows on their 11th wedding anniversary in September 1964 and those around them noticed Jack being much more loving. Journalist Ben Bradlee, a good friend of the Kennedys, recalled him greeting her with 'by far the most affectionate embrace we had ever seen them give each other.

'We wondered about it, figured it was because of Patrick but, looking back, I think maybe it was more than that'.

Although the renewal of their vows was still a year away, Jackie had already started to think about what dress she might wear  pale yellow or light blue, something in silk, knee-length.

But in the meantime there were more pressing concerns, like their visit to Dallas.

Jackie would later recall that as their Lincoln convertible passed through the city's Dealey Plaza in the blazing heat of Friday, November 22, Jack turned to her and smiled, looking, as she would later remember, more handsome than ever.

He then turned back to the happy faces of the admiring crowd.

That's when she heard the sound. The pop of a firecracker? The backfire of a motorcycle?

Jack flinched. He grabbed his throat. He lurched to the left and looked at Jackie with a puzzled expression.

There was another pop. Then, another. Three in six seconds. Then... just red. Blood red.

Then... black.

After a mad race to Parkland Hospital, Jackie, her pink outfit splattered with blood, stood next to Jack's body.

It was laid out on a stretcher and covered by a white sheet.

She bent down, took his foot in her hand and kissed it. She pulled back the sheet. His eyes were wide and staring. She gazed down at his face, which somehow seemed so young to her.

'His mouth was so beautiful,' she recalled. She kissed his lips.

A week after the assassination, in a conversation with her mother and stepbrother Yusha, Jackie would remember her last night with Jack. It was in Fort Worth's Hotel Texas, suite 850, after an exhausting day of campaigning.

On that day, as she recalled it, she really felt as if she'd found her momentum and had grown into the role of a true political partner for her husband.

By the time they got to their hotel room, they were both exhausted.

They rarely slept in the same bed though. In Fort Worth, they'd be in adjoining bedrooms in the same suite. However, before retiring, Jackie recalled Jack wanting to spend a few moments with her.

'You were great today,' he told her. 'How do you feel?'

'Oh, gosh, I'm exhausted,' she answered as he held her close.

Realising how tired she was, he told her she didn't have to appear for a speech the next morning at 8:30. If she could be ready by 9:15 for breakfast in the hotel's grand ballroom, that would be fine.

'It's almost over,' he told her, reassuringly. 'Dallas. Then, Austin.'

Jackie said she returned to her own room and laid out her clothes for the next day  the pink suit with navy collar and matching pink pillbox hat.

After brushing her hair to get ready for bed, Jackie retired for the evening but at about three in the morning she woke with a start.

'She knew she needed to be with Jack,' her mother explained. 'She just knew. She didn't know how else to explain it.'

Jackie went to Jack's door, tapped lightly, let herself into his room and crawled into his bed. They then made love. Afterwards, she said, she returned to her own room. Then she fell asleep, unaware that, to borrow her own delicate phrasing, she and Jack had been 'together as husband and wife' for what would be the very last time.

How his dad's ex turned him down After JFK's father Joe and his long-term mistress Janet Des Rosiers (pictured) went their separate ways, Joe offered her a job as hostess aboard the Caroline, his private jet. 'My job was to keep things operational  the food, laundry, anything to do with the comfort of his guests,' she told me. 'It was hard work; we'd sometimes hit six or seven cities in a day, but I loved it.' Before he became president, Jack often used his father's jet and on one flight, instead of preparing a meal for him in the galley as she usually did, Janet surprised him with a gourmet offering she'd ordered from La Caravelle, a French restaurant in New York: chicken in champagne sauce with pureed mushrooms. 'I'm so happy you're back with us,' he told her as he wolfed it down. 'It's like I never left,' she said. As he ate, the senator took a napkin, scribbled something on it and handed it to her. It said: 'Don't you think maybe it's time you were attracted to me?' Janet wrote on the paper and, with a smile, handed it back to him: 'No!' Advertisement
President Trump has vowed to 'bring down' Bill and Hillary Clinton and may use legal action against them as an excuse not to release The Epstein Files.

Mr Trump ordered US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday to launch an official investigation into prominent Democrats linked to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

They include former president Mr Clinton, Larry Summers, the ex-president of Harvard, and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, a major Democrat donor.

Tonight, a White House source told The Mail on Sunday: 'The President is determined to bring down Bill and Hillary Clinton and other Democrats who were connected to Epstein.

His argument is, if there was so much to see in The Epstein Files, why didn't the Democrats release them under President Biden?'

Mr Trump has faced the biggest crisis of his second term because of the Epstein scandal.

He claimed he cut off all contact with the billionaire before Epstein was convicted of child sex offences in 2008, but in an email released this week as part of a 20,000 document dump, Epstein wrote: 'Of course, he [Trump] knew about the girls as he asked Ghislaine to stop.'

Donald Trump has ordered US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday to launch an official investigation into prominent Democrats linked to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein

They include former president Bill Clinton (pictured with his wife Hilary), Larry Summers, the ex-president of Harvard, and LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, a major Democrat donor.

Mr Trump has denied knowing about Epstein's crimes and has called the campaign against him 'a political witch-hunt'.

Launching a legal investigation into the Clintons may delay the release of more Epstein documents.

Congress is set to vote this week on whether to publish all five million documents to the public.

The Clintons have denied any wrongdoing. The former president travelled on Epstein's plane, dubbed the Lolita Express, but has denied visiting his private island.
Michelle Obama has said that Americans, particularly men, are still not ready to elect a woman a president.

She also doesn't believe she would be able to overcome this so-called bias among voters if she were to mount a White House run.

'Thats why Im like, "Don't even look at me about running, because cause you all are lying,"' she said. 'You're not ready for a woman. You are not. So don't waste my time.'

During a live sit-down on November 5 to discuss her new book, 'The Look', with actress Tracee Ellis Ross, the former first lady said 'as we saw in this past election, sadly we ain't ready'.

She was referring to Donald Trump defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris last November in quite resounding fashion.

Unlike his win over Hillary Clinton in 2016  when he lost the popular vote but won the electoral college  Trump got nearly 2.3 million more votes than Harris in the 2024 election.

Michelle, 61, addressed the audience at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with disappointment over what she believes is the prevailing attitude among some in the country.

'We got a lot of growing up to do, and there are still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it.'

Michelle Obama has said that Americans are not ready to elect a woman president, implying there is still widespread sexism among men

The former first lady, 61, has been repeatedly asked to run for president for well over a decade but she has resisted those calls, citing her then teenage daughters as an excuse in March 2016

Michelle has been talked about as a worthy presidential contender among liberals as far back as 2012, when her husband was in the middle of his eight years as the commander in chief.

Despite her fans in the Democratic party trying to recruit her to run every time primary season rolls around, she has consistently made it clear that she won't heed the call.

She appeared on the TODAY Show in October 2018 and told anchor Savannah Guthrie that has never wanted to be a politician.

'Nothing has changed in me. I want to serve.  There are so many ways to make an impact. Politics is not my thing. Its as simple as that,' she said.

Less than a year before Obama left office, in March 2016, she said during South by Southwest that she 'will not run for president' because of her then teenage daughters, who are now in their twenties.

Obama himself said in an October 2016 radio interview that his wife 'will never run for office'.

'She is as talented and brilliant a person as there is, and I could not be prouder of her, but Michelle does not have the patience or the inclination to actually be a candidate herself,' he said. 'Thats one thing yall can take to the bank.'

Michelle's followers hoped she had changed her mind after delivering several highly-rated speeches attacking Trump while campaigning for Harris last year.

Michelle's comments come after Donald Trump has now racked up two wins against prominent Democratic women, the first being Hillary Clinton in 2016

He then defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. And unlike his win over Clinton in 2016  when he lost the popular vote but won the electoral college  Trump got nearly 2.3 million more votes than Harris

It appears she is just as steadfast now in her detestation of politics as she was several years ago.

Public polling does indicate that there does remain a significant barrier to women winning the highest office in the land.

Ahead of the 2024 election, American University released a poll that found that four in 10 Americans know someone who would not vote for a woman to become president.

'A notable "youth paradox" exists, where younger voters, while generally supportive of women in office, are actually the least open to electing a female president,' the poll's authors wrote.
An explosion like a bomb shook the windows. All the lights went out. Along the street, despite the torrential rain, neighbours were peering out of their windows and doors to see the twisted TV aerial where the bolt of lightning had struck.

But the real damage went much deeper. A single electrical surge during a thunderstorm fried internet modems and routers in more than a dozen houses around my Bristol home.

It was four days before my familys service was restored  four days that had me struggling to do my work over the wi-fi in coffee shops, or sending emails via the mobile phone network.

The heating and the music system, both tethered to the internet, refused to work. And a few days after the storm, once we were back online, a global outage took down Amazons cloud provider, a vast facility that enables countless features on the worldwide web, from banking services at Lloyds and Halifax to social media platforms such as Snapchat and Reddit.

Even Amazons own brands were disabled, including Alexa smart speakers and Ring doorbells. We live in a society where, if the internet goes down, the doorbell doesnt work.

Temporary though these interruptions were, both incidents  my personal experience and the international tremor  highlight the fragility of a 21st century world entirely reliant on invisible, electronic data transfers.

That fragility is now understood very well by two major British businesses, Marks & Spencer and Jaguar Land Rover.

Last April, a ransomware attack on M&S enabled hackers to encrypt all the companys online operations. Internet sales were blocked for weeks, and broken supply chains meant shelves were sometimes empty.

On day two of the blackout, police and the Armed Forces are ordered on to the streets in London, Manchester, Glasgow and other major cities in an attempt to control looting, which is rampant

The incident will cost Marks & Sparks around 300 million. But it was dwarfed by the cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover last August which shut down the car manufacturers production lines for five weeks and cost the British economy an estimated 1.9 billion.

On Friday the company reported that a 398 million profit last year had turned into a 485 million loss this year, plus another 196 million in cyber-related costs.

Practically no one stops to think how we could fix the internet in the event of a total shutdown, given that most of the information needed to repair it exists only within the internet itself. Think of it as a gigantic bank vault, containing all the worlds riches of information. What happens if it slams shut... with the combination locked inside?

Here, based on predictions by cyber security experts as well as the evidence of recent system meltdowns and hacker attacks, is a timeline of how the worst-case scenario could unfold.

And the most terrifying part is this: just like the lightning strike that took out the internet on a single Bristol street, the obliteration of the global internet is most likely to start with a single natural event... one that can be neither predicted nor prevented.

What we do know is that the first shockwaves may already have hit us. Readers across Britain who enjoyed last months spectacular aurora borealis  or Northern Lights  displays might not have been aware of the damage this phenomenon was causing.

On Tuesday, a massive solar flare burst out from the Sun triggering a coronal mass ejection (CME), a huge cloud of solar material and magnetic fields, that races towards the Earth at about 3,000 miles per second

On Tuesday, a massive solar flare burst out from the Sun triggering a coronal mass ejection (CME), a huge cloud of solar material and magnetic fields, that races towards the Earth at about 3,000 miles per second.

Solar flares are graded in five categories: A, B, C, M and X, with X being the largest.

Within those levels, the flares are numbered, doubling in strength with every whole number  A2, for example, is twice as powerful as A1.

Last weeks CME was classified as X5.1, the biggest in more than a year. Flares of this magnitude are capable of disrupting satellites, high-altitude flights and high-frequency radio.

Sure enough, radio blackouts were reported in Europe and Africa  the side of the planet facing the Sun when the waves from Sunspot AR4274 hit.

In most events, these particles are absorbed by the atmosphere and dont reach the ground, said Dr Ryan French, a solar physicist at the Laboratory for Atmospheric & Space Physics in Boulder, Colorado. But in this flare, we measured what is called a ground-level enhancement, where these particles did make it to the ground.

Particles from such powerful solar flares have hit the Earth fewer than 100 times since records began in 1942. But there is evidence of a much bigger geo-magnetic storm almost a century earlier. The Carrington Event of 1859, named after astronomer Richard Carrington, filled the atmosphere with such intense electrical activity that telegraph wires across Europe and North America burned out.

Sparks flew from pylons, and Morse code operators on the network suffered electric shocks. In places where the lines remained usable, operators reported that they could send signals without battery power  the electricity in the air was enough to convey them.

No storm that powerful has hit the Earth since. But that could be about to change. Here we imagine what could happen to todays technologies if the sun expelled an even bigger solar flare.

DAY ONE 15:00 GMT

As Sunspot AR4274 explodes again, the first blast of magnetic energy from the biggest coronal mass ejection ever known bombards the Earth. It is eventually graded at X11.6  making it roughly 100 times more powerful than the November 11 event.

It reaches our planet travelling four times faster than its predecessor, because the previous blast has cleared clouds of plasma out of its path, like an Olympic curler brushing debris off the ice in order to speed up the progress of a team-mates stone.

In the split seconds before the first pulse hits Earth, thousands of satellites are knocked out of action  crippling the mobile phone and GPS networks, as well as military eyes in the sky spy networks.

As Sunspot AR4274 explodes, on board the International Space Station, every circuit fails, shutting down the oxygen supplies and sparking multiple fires. The seven crew members are dead within minutes

On board the International Space Station, every circuit fails, shutting down the oxygen supplies and sparking multiple fires. The seven crew members are dead within minutes.

Across Western Europe, the United States and Canada, the effects are cataclysmic. Massive electrical surges fry the components in every device plugged into the mains. Computers, televisions, fridges and all manner of household gadgets burst into flames.

Tens of thousands of people suffer serious electric shocks. Hundreds of cardiac pacemakers stop working, despite their robust shielding.

The National Grid fails, as overhead power lines fuse. Traffic lights conk out, as do street lamps, with the result that there is an epidemic of car crashes in every city.

The emergency services would be massively overwhelmed if anyone could get through to them. As it is, all their phone systems have failed.

Not only are the satellites out of action but thousands of miles of copper wires in vital cables burn out. Fibre-optic cables are not susceptible to solar-storm damage, but relay stations that boost their signals over long distances are.

Within minutes, fires are blazing everywhere and, with the fire brigade forced to rely on spotters with binoculars to direct operations, many burn out of control. In the absence of radio and TV transmissions and with all communication systems disabled, chaos and confusion reigns.

Without air traffic control, and with many onboard instruments non-responsive, every aircraft landing is perilous. Mid-air collisions occur between private jets and airliners over two US airports, in both cases with the loss of all lives.

Without air traffic control, and with many onboard instruments non-responsive, every aircraft landing is perilous. Mid-air collisions occur between private jets and airliners over two US airports, in both cases with the loss of all lives

17:00 GMT

Its 8pm in Moscow and president Vladimir Putins security service, the FSB, is piecing together what they know of the catastrophe in the West. The worst of the coronal mass ejection has missed Asia, which was in darkness, facing away from the Sun at the crucial moment.

Because of the loss of its satellites, Russia has lost access to the global internet but it has its own intranet, an internal communications network created to insulate the country from punitive US shutdowns.

By switching to this back-up system, known as RusNet, the Kremlin is able to keep essential services running, including phone networks and social media. Russian glee at the Wests meltdown is unbounded, and TV commentators immediately predict the breakdown of American and European society.

In Beijing, it is past midnight. Chinese foresight means the chaos on the other side of the world barely touches them. They too have their own self-contained national intranet.

DAY TWO 06:00 GMT

Downing Street ordered the Army to set up a government comms system 12 hours ago. This is now operational, using field telephones and military radios.

With only the most rudimentary connections, Morse code proves the surest way of transmitting messages.

Most of the major roads are impassable, due to abandoned electric cars. The Army requisitions bulldozers to clear Britains motorways

Police and the Armed Forces are ordered on to the streets in London, Manchester, Glasgow and other major cities in an attempt to control looting, which is rampant. Most of the major roads are impassable, due to abandoned electric cars. The Army requisitions bulldozers to clear Britains motorways.

Back-up generators are keeping the lights on in hospitals, but much of the equipment  from heart monitors to MRI scanners  is useless.

All scheduled operations are cancelled, and A&E departments are completely overwhelmed. The most common injuries are due to burns and smoke inhalation from the countless fires still raging.

09:00 GMT

Prime Minister Keir Starmer summons cyber-experts to tell him how Britains essential power, comms and electronic systems can be restored.

Limited electricity supplies and phone signals are already being reinstated, but all online links remain wiped out.

Professor Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey explains: The internet is a remarkably fragile thing  a critical piece of our economic infrastructure, built on very shaky foundations.

As a priority, he recommends restoring power to the London Internet Exchange in Telehouse, in the Docklands, a hub for much of Britains cyber traffic.

But it is impossible to know whether any of Americas main cloud data centres have survived irradiation. Without them, huge computing arrays will have to be replaced and programmed. The internet will essentially have to be rebuilt from scratch.

Older people are coping best, the ones who grew up in an era without the internet. Gen Z and younger Millennials are worst affected. They have lost the only means they know of connecting with the world

15:00 GMT

Just 24 hours after the disaster, Britain is reverting to a social order that seems almost medieval. All resources  food, power, water, fuel  are being shared, either voluntarily or by force.

Those with portable generators, such as builders, are using them to light and heat community halls.

Drinking water is especially valuable, and the Army is attempting to organise distribution of bottled water, while water companies struggle to get the taps flowing again.

A pattern is already emerging. Older people are coping best, the ones who grew up in an era without the internet, when TV, household appliances and even cars were a luxury.

Middle-aged adults are rigid with panic, stripped of all the electronic aids theyve come to take for granted.

But it is the teenagers and young adults, Gen Z and younger Millennials, who are worst affected. They have lost the only means they know of connecting with the world. To be without social media and streaming video is like becoming suddenly deaf, dumb and blind.

Supermarket employees, realising that their shelves will quickly be stripped bare by looters, are throwing open the doors and inviting the public to take what they need for free. This encourages people to behave with more restraint than if they felt they were stealing. The tills are out of action in any case.

So is the entire banking network. Payment cards are just rectangles of plastic... and every Bitcoin millionaire is instantly penniless.

Cash is in short supply, though criminal gangs in some cities are targeting cashpoints  no CCTV cameras are working, after all.

Britains supply chains are not operating, ports are closed, theres no haulage lorries and no way of restocking supplies, from petrol to food

Speed cameras are also not functioning, and with all police ordered on to city streets to maintain order, the roads are becoming race tracks for drivers in stolen cars.

This wont last long  every petrol pump is out of order. Even if the pumps were working, there are no fresh fuel deliveries, because all the logistics systems are down.

The same is true of all Britains supply chains: no ports, no haulage lorries, no way of restocking.

TWO MONTHS ON

As the West struggles to get back online, the hackers emerge  both the organised crime gangs and the enemy saboteurs.

Every makeshift computer system, cobbled together from cannibalised kit and running on hastily written code, is wide open to attacks.

The Government is repeatedly held to ransom by cyber-criminals, many with covert help from Beijing. Russian interference is more blatant. Putin orders infiltrators to target surviving electronic infrastructure, often by means as crude as arson.

As Britain attempts to re-establish robust links with the US, his trawlers target the undersea cables.

Our food deliveries are not getting through. Thousands are dying every week from cold. Cholera and other diseases spread through unfiltered water supplies.

Britain, which survived two world wars and decades of social upheaval, is on the brink of obliteration  all because of a single natural disaster and our total reliance on an electronic network no stronger than a cobweb.
Labour leadership contenders are offering colleagues jobs in a future Government  in return for their backing in a contest against Sir Keir Starmer, a senior MP said today.

The claim by former Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who sits as an independent after resigning from Sir Keir's party last year, has helped to fan increasingly febrile speculation at Westminster about an imminent challenge to the PM.

Ms Duffield wrote on X: 'Very senior Labour MPs, some v recently ousted, are offering positions to other Labour MPs who'll back them'.

She also claimed that potential candidates whose seats were vulnerable at the next election were house-hunting in safer constituencies 'they've never even set foot in before'.

The Canterbury MP did not name the alleged plotters. However, her comments come in the wake of Angela Rayner forced resignation from the Government two months ago over her stamp duty bill, while Lucy Powell  now Deputy Labour leader  was sacked from the Cabinet by Sir Keir in his autumn reshuffle.

Both have been named as potential candidates for the PM's job alongside Health Secretary Wes Streeting, now seen as the current favourite to succeed Sir Keir in the wake of last week's botched briefing that he was already preparing a challenge.

And amid mounting turmoil within Labour, Left-wing MP Clive Lewis has openly called for Sir Keir to be replaced by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, declaring the PM's position as 'not tenable'.

He told C4 News that 'Labour grandees.need now to really, seriously think how do we get Andy Burnham back into this parliamentary Labour party and let him step up and become the next PM'.

Today, former Labour Home Secretary David Blunkett warned Sir Keir that he needs 'to get a grip' within three months or he could face 'serious consequences'.

Angela Rayner, is said to be mounting a comeback as she recovers from her resignation as Deputy Prime Minister for underpaying stamp duty

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is now seen as the current favourite to succeed Sir Keir in the wake of last week's botched briefing that he was already preparing a challenge

He also urged the PM to move chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, who was widely blamed for last week's botched briefing against Mr Streeting, to a new job and bring in someone better suit to overseeing Sir Keir's office.

Speaking in the wake of the briefing row and Chancellor Rachel Reeves's humiliating U-turn over income tax rises last week, Lord Blunkett said: 'If you don't display in the next three months that you have got a grip, that you understand how people feel and that you are reacting to the things that matter to them and that you are managing and you are competent then of course people will react  that's a democracy.'

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'If that doesn't happen in three months, then something quite serious will erupt, I think, from both the parliamentary party and beyond.

'In the past, people have said 'Who is in the public eye? Who is getting the attention' and sometimes they have said that if that isn't the person it should be  and it should be Keir Starmer and his Cabinet  then they have to go.'

The Labour peer said the PM needed someone more experienced to run his operation such as Tony Blair's former Chief of Staff Jonathan Powell  now Sir Keir's National Security Adviser. He added: 'For goodness' sake, get a grip.

This can't carry on. It has implications obviously much wider than just the popularity of this Government.' Labour MPs are saying the removal of Mr McSweeney has now become necessary if Sir Keir is to head off a direct leadership challenge.

Lord Blunkett said: 'I'm not suggesting thatMorgan McSweeney should simply be ousted. I am saying: find something that he's really good at and allow someone to come in who has the kind of skills that Jonathan Powell displayed for Tony Blair as chief of staff and is incidentally displaying in helping on the international front where the PM is doing extremely well on defence and security, on trade.'

Tonight, Labour MPs privately reckoned that Mr Streeting's best chance of moving to the top job would be shortly after this month's Budget as Ms Rayner was still 'licking her wounds' over her exit from the Government.

However, Mr Streeting has denied plotting against Sir Keir.
YouTuber Jack Doherty was whining about his luxury watch as Miami police arrested him on drug charges this weekend.

The bizarre scene caught on camera shows the influencer pleading with officers to protect his jewelry even as they pulled suspected narcotics from his pockets.

The 22-year-old creator was detained early on Saturday morning after officers searched him on a busy street, finding what police say was amphetamine and marijuana.

But instead of focusing on the cuffs closing around his wrists or the charges stacking up against him, Doherty seemed only to be able to focus on his expensive watch as he continued to beg officers not to 'damage' it.

Footage shows Doherty whining, and begging police to remove his handcuffs so he could carefully slide off the watch and hand it over to a friend.

But officers decided that was not an option - even warning his entourage to back off or face being arrested themselves.

As officers then tried to remove the watch during his arrest, Doherty tells cops they can't unclasp it and that it must be slid off gently so it wouldn't get scratched.

He begs them to take his cuffs off so he can remove the watch himself to avoid damaging the piece of bling.

YouTuber Jack Doherty was whining about his luxury watch as Miami police arrested him on drug charges this weekend

The influencer could be heard pleading with officers to protect his $250,000 watch even as they pulled suspected narcotics from his pockets

Jack Doherty, 22, was arrested in Miami on Saturday. He was caught with amphetamine, which is an ADHD medication, and marijuana on him

Moments later, police had heard enough and shut the cruiser door with the watch still strapped to his wrist, silencing the influencer's pleas.

The watch is believed to be a Richard Mille, which makes the most expensive watches in the world, with an average sales price of around $185,000.

The watch Doherty was wearing is believed to have cost $250,000.

According to Miami-Dade arrest records show Doherty was booked for possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana (under 20 grams) and resisting an officer without violence.

Police say he was carrying amphetamine - a prescription medication for ADHD and narcolepsy - and less than 20 grams of cannabis, which remains illegal for recreational use in Florida.

Instead of focusing on the cuffs closing around his wrists or the charges stacking up against him, Doherty seemed only to be able to focus on his expensive watch

As officers move to remove the watch during his arrest, Doherty tells officers they can't unclasp it and that it must be slid off gently so it wouldn't get scratched

Eventually officers had heard enough and simply slammed the door of the patrol car shut

Jack Doherty shows off his Richard Mille watch in an Instagram post from October 2023

The limited edition watch by Richard Mille is worth $2,835,000. Only 30 were made

Just after 9pm on Saturday night, Doherty was back online and back to his usual antics

He was transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $3,500 bond and released late on Saturday evening just after 9pm.

Authorities have not released details on what led up to the arrest, but just hours earlier, Doherty had been livestreaming on the Parti platform and posting footage from a yacht appearing to be completely carefree.

The YouTuber first found fame in 2017 through prank and stunt videos but it was a catastrophic, viral supercar crash in 2024 that cemented his reputation for reckless behavior.

During a Kick livestream, the then-21-year-old sped through torrential rain in a $300,000 McLaren 570S, steering with one hand while looking down at his phone.

His bond was set at $3,500. Doherty is pictured in October 2024 after crashing his McClaren

In 2024, Doherty hit headlines after crashing a $300,000 McLaren. He was live-streaming at the time

The car hydroplaned, slammed into a barrier, and tore apart leaving the front of the car almost completely obliterated.

Doherty walked away uninjured. His passenger, friend Michael David, was not so lucky as blood streamed down his face as he waited for paramedics.

Doherty again faced backlash last year over videos in which he provoked strangers for engagement, only to retreat behind massive security guards when confrontations escalated.

Footage shows him taunting people with lines like 'What are you gonna do?' while hiding behind his bodyguard.
A man has been charged over vile voicemails he allegedly sent to Bruce Lehrmann's lawyer Zali Burrows, calling her an 'evil twisted f*****g bitch' and a 'rape-loving c**t'.

ACT Police confirmed to Daily Mail that a 43-year-old man from Bonython in southern Canberra was arrested on Saturday night.

Christopher James Richards, also known as Chris Morrd Richards, was charged with one count of the Commonwealth offence of using a carriage service to menace or harass.

He is expected to face the ACT Magistrates Court on Monday.

The arrest came just two weeks after Richards appeared in court and was granted bail on a separate and unrelated matter, accused of threatening a federal senator from Victoria.

Police will allege Richards made three aggressive voicemail calls to a terrified Ms Burrows in August while she was representing Lehrmann in the Federal Court.

Ms Burrows received the chilling messages from an unidentified male caller - suggesting she 'suck it up' if she ever became the victim of sexual assault - just as she was launching Lehrmann's appeal against his loss in the Brittany Higgins defamation case.

The first of the recordings, which the Daily Mail is publishing with Ms Burrows' consent, was left on her voicemail on the second day of her appeal submissions on Lehrmann's behalf to the full bench of the Federal Court.

When she checked the voicemail left from a private number on the morning of August 21, Ms Burrows heard a male voice unleash a torrent of abuse which appeared to refer to Lehrmann as well, saying: 'I'm just non-threateningly abusing you just like people get non-violently raped.

'If any of that is a problem, maybe you shouldn't be a bunch of evil pieces of s**t. See you in hell, you mother*****s.'

Police have arrested a 43-year-old man who allegedly left vile voicemail messages on the phone of lawyer Zali Burrows (left) over her appeal for Bruce Lehrmann (right) in the Brittany Higgins defamation case

Zali Burrows found three abusive messages on her phone left during her appeal for Bruce Lehrmann in the Federal Court, left by an unidentified caller ACT Police now allege is Christopher James Richards

Christopher James Richards will face court on Monday charged with a Commonwealth offence of using a carriage service to menace or harass

The references to 'non-threatening' abuse and 'non-violent rape' were arguments Ms Burrows had made on the previous day of the appeal, when she told the court a judge found Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins in a way that was not violent.

The three appeal judges questioned the lawyer over her use of the terms 'softer rape' and 'non-violent rape', with Justice Craig Colvin saying the latter was a concept he did not 'understand'.

In the message left on Ms Burrows' phone, the caller said: 'Now it's a soft rape? You have any idea what your words do to victims of violent rape? Because all rape is violent.'

A second voicemail was left shortly after the first, and referred to Bruce Lehrmann as Ms Burrows' 'boss'.

It said: 'Next time a man makes you feel uncomfortable, don't worry  worst case in life, you might get non-violently raped every now and again, but hey, that's no big deal according to your boss so why worry?

'I mean, what's a bit of non-violent rape after all? You know? Just suck it up, what's the problem? You're evil f*****g people and you know it.'

Ms Burrows felt shaken and terrified by the messages, but later said she had tried to forget about it as she powered through the day.

But by the evening of August 21, she had a third message. The caller appeared furious about her use of the term 'softer rape' in court that day.

Bruce Lehrmann and Zali Burrows in a Hobart wine bar earlier this year when she was representing him in a matter unrelated to his Federal Court appeal

'You're a disgusting person,' the message began. 'Someone should sock punch you in the f*****g face. You're a f****g f****d up, evil, twisted f*****g bitch, you stupid blonde f*****g rape-loving c**t.'

Lehrmann has since spoken about the calls, and their effect on his legal counsel as Ms Burrows did her job of defending him, 'regardless of any allegations or convictions against' him.

'This is devastating, deeply concerning as it is ignorant of the role of a legal advocate,' he said.

'No lawyer, whoever they act for, should be subject to intimidation and threats. They act on the instruction of clients.

'Zali has courageously defended me when many others refused. She has taken on my cases with a deep sense of duty and commitment to the rule of law.'

He described Ms Burrows as someone with 'guts' and 'fight' to run an appeal as a sole practitioner before the Federal Court, and said Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinsons barristers Matthew Collins and Sue Chrysanthou should also be respected for the 'challenging and often thankless job they undertake'.

Lehrmann accompanied Ms Burrows to a police station to report the messages.

Richards describes himself online as a freelance journalist and activist who represents 'the oppressed, the marginalised, the mistreated, the misunderstood'.

The Federal Court justices have reserved their decision on Lehrmann's appeal to be delivered at a later date.
John Fetterman posted a smiling selfie with a severely stitched-up face just two days after he took a tumble and was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart problem.

The Pennsylvania Senator was on a walk early Thursday when he 'sustained a fall near his home in Braddock,' the Democrat's spokesperson stated.

After being transported to hospital in Pittsburgh, doctors determined he suffered a ventricular flare-up - an abnormal heart rhythm, that can lead to sudden cardiac arrest which can cause the heart to stop pumping blood effectively.

But on Saturday, aside from a scarred and bloody face, Fetterman appeared to be in good spirits.

'20 stitches later and a full recovery, Im back home with @giselefetterman and the kids. Im overwhelmed + profoundly grateful for all the well-wishes. Truly,' Fetterman wrote.

'Grateful for @UPMC for the incredible medical care that put me back together. Thank you so much. See you back in DC.'

The medical episode caused the 56-year-old lawmaker to feel light-headed and fall to the ground, 'hitting his face with minor injuries,' a spokesperson said.

Following the incident, Fetterman issued a cheeky statement and appeared to be in good spirits.

John Fetterman has posted a smiling selfie with him holding a cup of iced coffee just two days after he took a tumble and was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart problem

On Saturday, aside from a scarred and bloody face, Fetterman appeared back to his old self

John Fetterman was rushed to hospital after suffering from a fall on Thursday morning

Fetterman (pictured with his wife Gisele in 2023) was transported to a hospital in Pittsburgh after the accident where doctor's determined he suffered a ventricular flare-up

If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!' he said.

His latest medical scare comes after he opened up about thinking about quitting politics following a terrifying stroke in 2022.

In his memoir Unfettered, Fetterman gave the public a glimpse into his personal life and health struggles.

He recounted the health crisis that nearly derailed his 2022 campaign as well as his battle with depression for the first time, an exclusive excerpt published by The Free Press revealed.

Fetterman suffered a stroke just days before the Democratic primary election.

His wife Gisele recognized the warning signs and rushed him to the hospital, where doctors removed a life-threatening blood clot and later implanted a pacemaker.

Though he survived and won the primary, the stroke left him with auditory processing difficulties.

The senator pressed forward with his general election campaign against Republican Mehmet Oz despite his condition.

But more than three years later in his memoir he reflected: 'In hindsight, I should have quit.'

Fetterman has faced intense media scrutiny and personal attacks about his health, which he says contributed to severe depression.

In his memoir Unfettered, released on Tuesday, Fetterman gave the public a glimpse into his personal life and health struggles

Fetterman is pictured with his wife Gisele and their children outside the White House

In Unfettered, he traces these struggles to deeper psychological wounds stemming from being born to teenage parents, which he says left him with persistent feelings of shame and inadequacy throughout his life.

Fetterman wrote: 'Once, as I lay in bed, I asked myself, what would you do if there were a pill on the nightstand you could take and not wake up? I would have taken it.'

During the campaign, his mental health worsened, especially after a disastrous debate that drew public mockery.

He became consumed by self-loathing and suicidal thoughts, the memoir details.

His struggled continued even as he won the general election by five points and outperformed President Biden in most counties.

His victory brought no relief. He spent months bedridden, emotionally detached, and unable to function.

By early 2023, he was isolated, barely eating or sleeping, and finally entered Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. There, he was diagnosed with severe depression that further affected his physical health.

At Walter Reed, through therapy and reading, he slowly began to heal. A young therapist's reminder, delivered with a simple phrase - 'Children need their daddy' - became a turning point, rekindling his will to live and reconnect with his family.

The love and encouragement delivered by his three children ultimately brought him home after 44 days.

This year Fetterman reflected candidly on surviving both a stroke and suicidal depression while serving as a US senator.

He acknowledged that stigma and political criticism persist, especially regarding his independent positions; however, he has found strength in his family and self-acceptance.

His message to others struggling with depression is clear: recovery is slow, love is essential, and survival - however fragile - is possible.
Women could abort babies because of their sex under 'dystopian' and 'morally repugnant' plans being considered by Scottish ministers.

A review commissioned by former first minister Humza Yousaf proposes a complete overhaul of abortion laws in Scotland and says there should be an automatic right to termination.

So-called Sex-Selective Abortions (SSAs) are currently illegal under UK law, but SNP government advisers have insisted that women should be allowed to abort their babies for any reason  even if they are terminating a pregnancy because they do not want a daughter or son.

The review group, led by Scottish women's health champion Professor Anna Glasier, admitted the practice is most common in ethnic communities and argued a ban could lead to 'racial profiling'.

Critics last night branded the plans 'totally disgusting' and said the changes were being made to 'appease certain minority groups that prefer boys over girls'.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'This is a totally disgusting idea from a party that has run out of ideas. The sooner Scotland is rid of the SNP, the better off Scotland will be.'

Tory equalities spokesman Claire Coutinho added: 'Killing babies because they are the 'wrong' sex is a dystopian nightmare that would be more suited to Communist China than Britain.

'Sex-selective abortion has no place in Britain, and adopting it would be the very opposite of progress.

'Time and again, this version of equality seems to leave women at the bottom of the pile to protect other cultural sensitivities.'

Women could abort babies because of their sex under 'dystopian' and 'morally repugnant' plans being considered by Scottish ministers (stock image)

A review commissioned by former first minister Humza Yousaf (pictured) proposes a complete overhaul of abortion laws in Scotland

The extraordinary review, which SNP ministers have said they are considering, recommends allowing abortions at any time up to birth if two medical professionals  doctors, nurses or midwives  agree it is appropriate, and also proposes to fully decriminalise termination.

The 165-page review report was published on Friday and claimed there was no need to explicitly ban terminations based on the desirability of the sex of a child because it was 'unnecessary and potentially harmful'.

While claiming there was a 'lack of robust evidence that SSA takes place in Scotland', the report's author, Professor Glasier, then went on to admit it does happen in ethnic communities.

She said: '[The review group] believed that any prohibition would be unworkable in practice, requiring either intrusive and inappropriate questioning of all women regarding their motivation for seeking abortion, or racial profiling and additional questioning of a smaller proportion of women from ethnic communities where sex selective abortion is believed to be practised.'

Appearing to accept that communities may practise aborting one sex over another, she said denying a woman an SSA would be wrong, as it would be 'compelling a woman to continue a pregnancy she wanted to  or was being pressured to  end'.

Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: 'The idea that this barbaric practice could be put into place to appease certain minority groups that prefer boys over girls is morally repugnant. Scotland slides further into the moral abyss under the SNP.'

Andrea Williams, the chief executive of Christian Concern, said: 'We see this in Islamic nations, in Hindu nations and in China. We have seen it in communist secular countries. How can this be progress? How can this be called a women's right? It is a right turned on its head. It is where selfishness prevails over selflessness and good law.'

Serious concerns have also been raised about the possibility of so-called 'abortion tourism', which could see English and Welsh NHS patients cross the border in order to secure an abortion more easily.

Shadow Scottish Secretary, Andrew Bowie, called the idea 'extremely sinister'

The alarming changes are part of a broader review into Scottish abortion laws which is expected to conclude next May.

They could come into law as early as next year.

Shadow Scottish Secretary, Andrew Bowie, said: 'This is an extremely sinister move by a government that is in hock to the radical elements driving social change in our country.

'This cannot be allowed to take place. The SNP must come out and deny they are considering this move right now.'

However, Jenni Minto, the SNP minister for women's health, said: 'We will take time to carefully consider all the findings and respond in due course.'

I dont care what a persons religion teaches them... this red line must not be crossed

By Sarah Vine

We all know why selective abortion based on the babys sex is not allowed in Britain, but were not supposed to say it.

I shall probably be condemned as a bigot, but I shall say it anyway because, quite frankly, Ive just about had enough of politicians  and the SNP especially  treating women and girls like trash and acting like our rights are secondary to everyone elses.

Selective abortion based on gender is not allowed because certain religions or cultures believe that a female child is less desirable than a male child  and because those who subscribe to those beliefs will, if they can get away with it, terminate a pregnancy if the baby is a girl.

So-called Sex-Selective Abortions (SSAs) are currently illegal under UK law (stock image)

Sometimes those people will do so by consensus; sometimes they will do so because they are coerced, either by a family member or their partner.

Women may even find themselves ostracised for carrying a girl, made to feel that they have brought shame on their family. That is terrible, and traumatic.

But the solution is not to make it easier for misogynists to kill baby girls, which is effectively what this proposal would allow. The solution is to challenge these antediluvian beliefs, make it clear that they are not acceptable in British society  and provide help and support for the victims of them.

It should be a criminal offence to terminate a baby purely on the grounds of its gender. No ifs, no buts  jail time. Any other course of action effectively gives the green light to a state-approved system of sex-based eugenics.

Quite apart from being morally wrong, it can be disastrous for society. Look at China, where the one-child policy led to parents getting rid of female babies for precisely this reason, leading to a gender imbalance.

I dont care what a persons religion or culture teaches them; there are red lines that cannot and must not be crossed. This is one of them, alongside female genital mutilation, child marriage, forced marriage and first-cousin marriage, which can and frequently does lead to severe developmental issues and lifelong disabilities.

These things have no place in a civilised society. They may be allowed in other parts of the world where women are so oppressed or so indoctrinated they have no voice or agency.

But here, in the UK? Absolutely not. Shame on the SNP for even vaguely contemplating this.
JERUSALEM, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed on Sunday in a statement that it has opened fire at two UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, citing misclassification "due to poor weather conditions."

After identifying "two suspects" in the Al-Hamames area, Israeli troops fired warning shots and forced them to withdraw, but after a later review of the incident, the two were found out to be UN peacekeepers patrolling in the area, it said.

"The IDF emphasizes that no deliberate fire was directed toward UNIFIL soldiers, and the matter is being handled through official liaison channels," it said, adding that it will continue operations to "remove any threat" to Israel.

Earlier in the day, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Israeli troops fired from a Merkava tank positioned near an Israeli post in southern Lebanon, with heavy machine gun rounds landing about five meters from peacekeepers on foot.

The peacekeepers took cover and immediately contacted the Israeli forces through UNIFIL liaison channels to halt the firing, UNIFIL said. They were able to withdraw safely about 30 minutes later after the tank retreated. No injuries were reported.

UNIFIL called the incident a "serious violation" of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, and urged the IDF to "cease any aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers," emphasizing that UN personnel are working to help restore stability in the region.

UNIFIL positions have been targeted several times since cross-border clashes erupted after the Gaza war began in October 2023. Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has continued periodic strikes in Lebanon, citing Hezbollah threats, and has maintained border positions past a Feb. 18 withdrawal deadline. 
British diplomats were stunned when Indonesia demanded the return of the UK's biggest serial rapist in exchange for a granny who spent 13 years on Death Row.

Drugs mule Lindsay Sandiford, 69, was days from release in Bali before Indonesia suddenly tried to link her return to the UK repatriating Reynhard Sinaga, who raped 136 young men in Manchester.

Sandiford's freedom was then delayed by eight months before she flew to Britain last weekend.

Britain insisted her release was unconditional and rejected the deal which would have seen Sinaga fly home and potentially walk free five years after being convicted.

Sinaga, 42, whose father is a wealthy property tycoon and former banker, was jailed for a minimum 40 years for 159 sex offences including 136 rapes of young men between 2015 and '17.

A PhD student bankrolled by his parents, he preyed on young men leaving clubs, luring them to his Manchester city centre flat before drugging and raping them, videoing the attacks on his phone.

He was caught when an 18-year-old rugby player he drugged regained consciousness and fought him off. Police found videos of scores of assaults on mostly heterosexual men who only realised they were victims when officers contacted them.

The demand for Sinaga's release was made in March as British officials in Indonesia prepared to repatriate Sandiford  sentenced to death in 2012 for smuggling 1.6million of cocaine  in an amnesty for vulnerable foreign prisoners.

Drugs mule Lindsay Sandiford (pictured) , 69, before being repatriated under an agreement between Indonesia and the UK, at Kerobokan Prison

Lindsay Sandiford arriving back into Heathrow airport on Friday November 7

Reynhard Sinaga, 42, whose father is a wealthy property tycoon and former banker, was jailed for a minimum 40 years for 159 sex offences including 136 rapes of young men between 2015 and '17

Sandiford had been told she was days from leaving notorious Kerobokan jail when the talks were derailed by the demand, which she said left diplomats 'gobsmacked'.

She said: 'I'd given all my things away to fellow prisoners and they even told me the flight I'd be on.

'Then, when they went to sign the documents for me to come home, the Indonesians said, "No, no, we don't want to just let her go home. We want a prisoner swap".'

Britain refused the demand outright. Sandiford, who was visited by consular officials and informed of the negotiations, described the delay to her release as a 'torture' but says she understood a prisoner exchange was impossible.

She said: 'Sinaga is never going to get out. People in Britain would be horrified if they let him go.'

His parents have lobbied government officials for their son to be returned to Indonesia to supposedly complete his sentence.

Senior Indonesian minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said in February that he wanted Sinaga back but has never publicly linked the case to Sandiford.

Sandiford cooperated with police after her arrest and took part in a sting operation that led to the arrest of three Britons suspected to be higher up in the drugs syndicate.

The three other Britons  Julian Ponder, Paul Beales and Rachel Dougall  were jailed for between one and six years while Sandiford was given the death penalty, despite the prosecutor only requesting a 15-year term.

Sandiford, who has diabetes and high blood pressure and has difficulty walking after years in a cramped cell, flew back to be reunited with a son and grandchildren at a London hotel room paid for by a prisoner charity.
Four police officers were shot in rural Kansas as they responded to a domestic violence incident, officials said.

The shooting happened at 10.24am Saturday at 11222 S Topeka Ave in Osage County, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Three Osage County deputies and one Kansas Highway Patrol trooper were shot when gunfire suddenly erupted after being on scene for less than 10 minutes.

The police officers were rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police confirmed that a man had been killed in the shooting, but his identity was not being disclosed for now.

Another man at the residence was injured and taken to the hospital but appeared to be in stable condition.

'Multiple, multiple law enforcement agencies responded immediately when the call went out,' Tony Mattivi, the KBI director, said. 'We want to thank all of those departments for their assistance this morning.'

The shooting happened after law enforcement responded a domestic violence incident north of Carbondale inside Osage County, Kansas

Three Osage County deputies and one Kansas Highway Patrol trooper were shot around 10.30am Saturday

The KBI and the Kansas Highway Patrol said the law enforcement officers had been injured in the shooting

Erik Smith, the superintendent of the Kansas Highway Patrol, said the three Osage County deputies had been taken to the Stormont Vail hospital in Topeka.

The trooper was initially also at Stormont Vail before being transferred to the University of Kansas Medical Center for further treatment for some of his injuries.

Smith said he was speaking at Saturdays press conference because the Osage County Sheriff, Chris Wells, was with his deputies.

The KBI said there was no active threat to the public and added that an investigation into the officer-involved shooting was ongoing.

The Daily Mail reached out to the Osage County Sheriff's Office and the KBI for further comment.
Up-and-coming actress Dasha Nekrasova has been fired from her talent agency after conducting an interview with far-right commentator Nick Fuentes.

The 34-year-old who played Comfrey Pellits, a member of Kendall Roy's PR team, on the hit show Succession, was also ousted from her role in the upcoming film Ironclast for the same reason, Deadline reports.

Nekrasova, who also has 140,000 followers on Instagram, had recently announced she would star in the psychological thriller, but had her contract pulled before it was even signed as her interview with Fuentes started making waves in Hollywood.

The New York City it-girl interviewed Fuentes, a controversial figure on the right, on her podcast Red Scare with co-host Anna Khachiyan back in October.

The video, entitled 'Fuentanyl OD - Nick Fuentes x Red Scare (Dasha Nekrasova and Anna Khachiyan)' is over two and a half hours long, featuring photos of the trio over audio due to what they described as 'technical problems.'

In the podcast episode, the trio discusses 'international Jewery' on multiple occasions, perpetuating stereotypes about Jews, as well as Italians and Asians.

They also made comments about the Holocaust and immigrants from developing countries.

But this was not the first time Nekrasova - who also starred in A24's Materialists, and has credits in Mr. Robot, Dickinson, The Serpent and The Scary of Sixty-First - made controversial statements.

Dasha Nekrasova has been fired from her talent agency after conducting an interview with far-right commentator Nick Fuentes

The 34 year old (left) starred on Succession, and had previous credits in A24's Materialists, Mr. Robot, Dickinson, The Serpent and The Scary of Sixty-First

Back in 2023, she was quoted in a New Yorker story claiming: 'Francis is not the real Pope, we all know it...

'You're not gonna get rid of the Freemasons, you're not gonna get rid of the Jews. They infiltrated the Church a long time ago.'

Fuentes, too, is infamous for his views on race and gender.

The 27-year-old political commentator is widely considered the founder of the 'Groypers' - a movement of young right-wing activists with an America First ideology who take issue with mainstream conservatism and advocate more extreme actions.

He routinely promotes anti-Israel rhetoric and has made anti-Semitic statements in the past  including comparing the Holocaust to baking cookies.

Most recently, Fuentes made waves when he was interviewed by former Fox News star Tucker Carlson.

Carlson, throughout the interview, disagreed with Fuentes on a variety of issues, ranging from identity politics to intrapersonal relationships between men and women.

The pair, however, did agree on their hatred for conservatives they considered to be 'Christian Zionists,' such as Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz.

In October, Nekrasova had Nick Fuentes - a controversial figure on the right - on her podcast Red Scare. He also appeared recently on Tucker Carlson's show

Earlier in the interview, Fuentes shared his backstory with Carlson and explained how he became radicalized as a young college student supporting Trump in 2016.

Fuentes claimed that conservative radio host Mark Levin, a self-described Zionist, influenced his early views on race. He recalls that during high school, Levin was the first conservative commentator who made him think differently about the topic.

'I listened to him every day in high school. I was a fan. I loved his show. And I actually liked how he was kind of obnoxious and mean to his callers,' Fuentes told Carlson.

'I'll never forget one show. He goes live and he says, 'America's becoming a majority non-white country. Does anybody think that's a good idea?' And I was thinking to myself, yeah, that actually doesn't sound so good.'

Many conservatives hit out at Carlson for the interview, noting that the late Charlie Kirk was a self-described Christian Zionist.

'Tucker is literally calling Charlie a Heretic whom he despised who also had a mind virus,' wrote Brandon Tatum on X.

'Charlie Kirk was a Christian Zionist. This is disgusting. Not to mention he is saying this while interviewing Nick Fuentes, a clear Trump hater and antisemite.'

A close personal friend to Kirk, Josh Hammer, also jumped in the online conversation to bash Carlson for sitting down with Fuentes.

'The great Charlie Kirk is rolling in his grave right now,' Hammer told his followers. 'Simply despicable.'

But Carlson dismissed the outcry by shifting the focus to a Republican lawmaker who celebrated bombing Palestinian babies.

Tucker Carlson dismissed the outcry of interviewing Fuentes by shifting the focus to Florida Representative Randy Fine in an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show

The former Fox News host was speaking as a guest on conservative media star Megyn Kelly's national tour in White Plains, New York on Wednesday when he pointed to comments made by Florida Representative Randy Fine.

After Hamas committed a terrorist attack in Jerusalem in November 2023, Fine wrote: 'Guess the ceasefire is over and Hamas wants more Palestinian babes to die! #bombsaway.'

In February, Fine also wrote on X that 'Palestinian' is just another word for demon' and in May, he told his followers, 'So much for 'innocent Palestinian civilians' #bombsaway.'

Carlson pointed to these comments as evidence that Fine has said 'much worse' things than Fuentes.

'We have a member, a sitting member of Congress. I spoke to the Speaker of the House about this today,' he told Kelly.

'We have a sitting member of Congress from Florida, Randy Fine, who was literally texted or put on Twitter: 'We should kill them [Palestinians] all, every single one.' Someone texted a picture of, literally... a dead baby, and he laughs at it.

'And it's like this guy's a lawmaker is appropriating money to a military committing genocide, and that's cool? It's not cool,' Carlson continued. 'Let's just be honest, that is much worse than anything Nick Fuentes has said, period.'

Daily Mail has reached out to Gersh and an attorney for Nekrasova for comment.
A father died as he tried to rescue his daughter, who remained missing, when she was pulled out to sea by sweeping waves in northern California.

Yuji Hu, 39, died Friday while attempting to save his five-year-old child after she was swept off the shoreline at Garrapata State Beach by waves up to 20 feet high.

The tragedy happened along Highway 1 north of the Rocky Point Restaurant in Monterey, California, around 1pm local time, police said.

Hu was pulled into the ocean as he reached for his daughter, whose identity was being withheld, according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.

As father and daughter were sucked in deeper by the current, Hu's wife tried to rescue her loved ones but was also swept into the water.

Police said she made it back to shore and that another child, two, was 'unharmed.'

Hu was rescued from the water by an off-duty California State Parks officer, as well as someone described by law enforcement as a 'beach visitor.'

A 39-year-old father died and his five-year-old daughter remains missing after they were pulled out to sea by massive waves in Monterey, California, police said

A large-scale search, including a US Coast Guard helicopter, had started for the girl following Friday's tragedy

California State Parks officers were set to stay at Garrapata State Beach to continue looking for the missing girl on foot through Sunday

He and his wife were rushed to a local hospital, where Hu was declared dead.

His wife was in stable condition but with mild hypothermia after the terrifying experience, police said.

His five-year-old child remained missing. Authorities said she was last seen wearing a white shirt.

A large-scale search had ensued for the girl, featuring several government agencies and the use of a US Coast Guard helicopter.

The Monterey County Sheriffs Office was aided by California State Parks, CAL FIRE and the county's Search and Rescue team.

The search continued through sunset Saturday, although it was temporarily suspended overnight due to inclement weather and lighting.

Officials said California State Parks would remain at Garrapata State Beach to continue looking for the missing girl on foot.

The Monterey County Sheriffs Office was helped by California State Parks, CAL FIRE and Monterey County Search and Rescue in searching for the missing five-year-old

According to the California State Parks website, Garrapata State Park has two miles of beaches

Police said Hu was of Calgary, Alberta, Canada- but it was not immediately clear what he was doing in northern California with his family

Police said Hu lived in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

It was not immediately known why he was in northern California.

Garrapata State Park has two miles of beaches, per the California State Parks website.

His family did not wish to issue any public statement, according to police.

The southern part of California is currently being battered by an 'unusually strong storm system,' which threatened to bring potentially dangerous flooding to the Los Angeles area.

The rainfall threatened to cause flash flooding, debris flows and mudslides in regions like Malibu or the Pacific Palisades.

Locals were urged to 'pay close attention to the latest warnings' and evacuate if needed, as inclement weather swept the west coast state.
King Charles has donated more than 50,000 to help repair the roof of his late mother's favourite churches.

After a fundraising campaign was launched to raise funds for St Peter and St Paul Parish Church in West Newton, Norfolk, the monarch dipped into his own pockets.

He gifted the sum of 50,900 via the privy purse last year to the West Newton Roof Fund, according to the church's latest annual financial report, the Mirror reports.

The Grade Two listed church is on the Royal Sandringham Estate, and the late Queen would often attend Sunday services at the chapel before her death in September 2022.

She would make it the final visit of her Christmas holiday during her winter break in Norfolk.

The Queen would also hold an annual prize-giving ceremony for choristers and local primary school children at West Newton village hall on the first Sunday of each February.

The church has previous regal ties as the royal family have previously helped fund its restoration in the 19th Century when it fell into disrepair.

It was almost completely rebuilt in 1881 by architect Arthur Blomfield, but it still retains its 14th-century tower and 15th-century font.

St Peter and St Paul Parish Church is on the Royal Sandringham Estate, and the late Queen would often attend Sunday services at the chapel before her death in September 2022

Queen Elizabeth II meets members of the public after attending Sunday service at the church of St Peter and St Paul in West Newton on February 2, 2014

King Charles gifted the sum of 50,900 via the privy purse last year to the West Newton Roof Fund, according to the church's latest annual financial report. Pictured: Charles on Sandringham Estate

Edward VII, who was then the Prince of Wales, is believed to be the 'driving force' its restoration, while his mother Queen Victoria donated the church's organ and the then Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh supplied the choir stalls.

Now, the church needs 200,000 to be fully repaired, and its understood that around 78,000 has so far been raised.

The church is also looking at grants that can help fund the most urgent repairs, so they can be started before any further deterioration.

As well as fixing the church roof, there are cracks in the walls that need to be fixed and a programme of planned maintenance to prevent further damage to the stonework.

A notice issued in 2023 by the church said: 'Dear Friends, after a recent inspection of the church we have been informed that our church is in urgent need of repair, especially to the roof.

'It is expected the works will cost in the region of 200,000, a daunting amount, but we are confident with fundraising events and the help of our local and wider communities we will be able to successfully raise these much needed funds.

'If you would like to save our much loved church please donate to the Help Save Our Church Roof Appeal.'
A former Russian spy and his daughter targeted by Vladimir Putin in a chemical attack on the streets of Britain have revealed the terrifying details of their ordeal for the first time.

Sergei Skripal, a double agent who had passed intelligence to MI6, and his then 33-year-old daughter Yulia nearly lost their lives in the attack by Russian assassins in Salisbury on March 4, 2018.

The Skripals, who were poisoned after the deadly nerve agent Novichok was sprayed on the doorknob of Mr Skripal's home, spent three weeks in comas and endured a long and painful recovery. They have been in hiding ever since.

Now, their account of the Salisbury Poisoning, as it became known, has been revealed in statements issued to the official inquiry into the poisonings.

They reveal their symptoms began as they were eating lunch at the Italian restaurant chain Zizzi in Salisbury.

Ms Skripal, who had flown into Britain from Russia the previous day, recounts how the pair initially found it 'funny' when their eyes began to twitch.

But their symptoms rapidly worsened and led to increasing breathlessness, vivid hallucinations and vomiting.

Ms Skripal says that, as the deadly poison took hold after leaving the restaurant, 'everything in the street was swinging around, really, really bad' and that she had to 'hold hands with my dad'.

Sergei Skripal with his daughter Yulia's symptoms began as they were eating lunch at the Italian restaurant chain Zizzi in Salisbury

Yulia Skripal speaks to a journalist on May 23, 2018 in London

After walking for a few minutes towards the Sainsbury's car park where Mr Skripal had parked his red BMW, they had to take a break.

Ms Skripal says: 'We sat on the bench to catch some breath. When I sat down it was a very strange and scary feeling almost everything was blurred and colours were changing.you see it's pink, red, blue, so it's like being on LSD or amphetamines.'

She says she fell unconscious within seconds. She believes she could have choked on her own vomit had she not been helped by members of the public, who dialled 999.

In his statement, Mr Skripal said: 'I remember hallucinating and seeing Arabic men and women. I tried to punch one of them. I knew it was a hallucination because there are not a lot of Arabic people in Salisbury.'

CCTV cameras showed Ms Skripal leaning on her father's shoulder. She did not appear to be moving 'other than making circle motions with her left hand'.

Mr Skripal, 74, recalls the moment he woke from his coma: 'When I stopped dreaming I thought it had been one day, but really it had been 21 days.'

The incident sparked a huge investigation by counter-terror police, which involved 180 military experts in chemical warfare defence and decontamination.

The Dawn Sturgess inquiry, which is being led by Justice Lord Hughes of Ombersley, is named after the 44-year-old who was the only person who died as a result of the poisonings.

The mother-of-three inadvertently sprayed herself with Novichok after her boyfriend found the discarded nerve agent in a perfume bottle. She died three weeks later.

Suspicion focused on Russia when testing on what appeared to be a 'military grade nerve agent' revealed it had been developed by the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

Police believe the poison was administered by two men who flew into Britain a day before Ms Skripal under the fake names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov (pictured)

Lord Hughes ordered that the Skripals should not give evidence in person or remotely in case it gave away their location. The inquiry will deliver its verdict next month.

Mr Skripal a former colonel in Russian spy agency GRU, was arrested in Russia in 2004 and was serving a 15-year jail term for passing information to MI6 during the 1990s and 2000s when he was released in 2010 during a spy swap. But the Kremlin's position is that double agents will ultimately 'meet their fate'.

Police believe the poison was administered by two men who flew into Britain a day before Ms Skripal under the fake names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. That July, the spies were identified by the Foreign Office as Ivan Yermakov and Aleksey Lukashev.

They sparked ridicule after claiming they were in Salisbury to see the 'famous 123m spire' of the city's cathedral.

The British Government also accuses the pair of hacking Ms Skripal's emails since 2013, using a malware called X-Agent. The men are also on the FBI's most-wanted list for their alleged role in interfering in the US presidential elections in 2016.
A Mosque which refused to allow women and girls over the age of 12 to take part in a charity fun run has been forced to scrap its 'regressive' and 'sexist' ban following an investigation by The Mail on Sunday.

The 5km event held in East London last month was billed as 'inclusive' and 'family-friendly' but organisers insisted that female teenagers and women were forbidden from joining in.

This newspaper exposed the rules imposed by organisers of the Muslim Charity Run which prompted an 'assessment' by the UK's equalities watchdog.

Last night, a spokeswoman for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said organisers, the East London Mosque, had U-turned and promised to allow women of all ages to participate next year.

Campaigners said banning females over 12 was 'plainly unlawful' and 'regressively sexist'.

Shadow Women and Equalities minister Claire Coutinho said: 'It was appalling that women and girls over the age of 12 were ever banned from taking part in a Muslim fun run simply because they are women.

'Well done to The Mail on Sunday for exposing this unfairness and I am glad that common sense has prevailed and the organisers have changed course.'

However, some questioned why the EHRC had not taken greater sanctions against the mosque in charge.

The 5km event held in East London last month was billed as 'inclusive' and 'family-friendly' but organisers insisted that female teenagers and women were forbidden from joining in

Human rights campaigner Aisha Ali-Khan said: 'There has to be some kind of sanction against this charity. They have spent 12 years sidelining women. They have been banning them from participating.

'Our community leaders should be made accountable.

'This saga has exposed community leaders living in their little ivory towers feeling untouchable. It is damaging to our religion.'

The annual event, originally named Run 4 Your Mosque, has been held since 2012.

It takes place in Tower Hamlets, the local authority run by the Aspire Party, set up by Bangladesh-born politician Lutfur Rahman, a former Labour councillor who was removed from office for electoral fraud in 2015, but re-elected in 2022.

On the day of the run, October 12, he defended the event, saying there should be 'no room for criticism'.

The EHRC last night confirmed its investigation had now been halted.

A spokeswoman said: 'If we are made aware of any further complaints about the event, we stand ready to re-examine the concerns and take action where appropriate.'
Rioters stormed the barricades outside the presidential palace in Mexico City as an anti-cartel protest descended into chaos.

Mobs of frustrated, mostly Gen Z Mexican protestors traded blows with cops and screamed slogans about how corruption and cartel killings have spiraled out of control in their country.

Thousands of people filled the streets of the nation's capital and marched to the palace, which is the official residence of President Claudia Sheinbaum, the progressive politician who took office last October.

The demonstration, largely organized by young activists and supported by older supporters of opposition movements, was the culmination of citizens' frustration with the government's inability to stop violence and provide economic opportunity.

Protestors, many of whom were calling for Sheinbaum's resignation, were seen trying to breach police barricades around the palace.

Authorities responded by shooting tear gas out into the crowd, causing people to run in all different directions.

Clashes between citizens and police lasted for hours, but eventually order was returned to the area around the palace.

Pablo Vazquez, Mexico City's chief of police, said 20 people were arrested and are set to be charged with battery, assault and robbery, Bloomberg reported.

Vazquez added that 60 of his officers were injured, 40 of whom had to be sent to the hospital for treatment.

Mexico City police are seen fighting with protestors outside the National Palace on Saturday after thousands of people flocked to the official residence of the president to demand her resignation

The thousands of demonstrators, many of them in Generation Z, are unsatisfied with President Claudia Sheinbaum's leadership and say she has failed to contain cartel violence and corruption

Police responded to the sudden surge of protestors by shooting tear gas at them

Outrage over the November 1 assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of a crime-ridden town in western Mexico, was on the mind of most people who joined the protest.

Many could be seen wearing straw hats that symbolize his political movement, which is vigorously focused on having a zero-tolerance policy for organized crime.

'The state is dying,' said Rosa Maria Avila, a 65-year-old real estate agent who traveled from the town of Patzcuaro in Michoacan state.

'He was killed because he was a man who was sending officers into the mountains to fight delinquents. He had the guts to confront them,' she said of Manzo.

Saturday was the biggest protest against Sheinbaum to date. She has responded to demonstrations throughout the week by accusing right-wing groups of being behind the escalating shows of discontent.

The protest against Sheinbaum and her Morena party, which Manzo splintered off from in 2024, resembled other Gen Z-led movements like the ones in Nepal and Madagascar, countries where the governments were toppled.

Pictured: Young and old people took to the streets to voice their frustration over the November 1 assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of a crime-ridden town in western Mexico. He was known for standing up to the cartels

Pictured: A line of riot police protect the National Palace as protestors gradually move closer

Clashes with police officers lasted hours and led to injuries on both sides. Over a dozen people were arrested and will face criminal charges

Sheinbaum was not at the National Palace at the time of the protests. Instead, she was nearly 600 miles away in Campeche, a state in southeast Mexico. She has condemned the violence

Sheinbaum still enjoys a high approval rating, but there is a sizable portion of the electorate that is beginning to feel like she's more of the same.

Giovanna Agundez, a 32-year-old woman who was at the protest, told Bloomberg that 'this is exactly what happened with previous governments'.

'Dont they always claim to be different? Doesnt Sheinbaum keep saying that all women, not only her, achieved power? Right now, I feel powerless,' she added.

Sheinbaum was not at the National Palace at the time of the protests. Instead, she was nearly 600 miles away in Campeche, a state in southeast Mexico.

'Thank you for your love, beautiful people of Palizada, Campeche. When theres a government at the peoples service, there is nothing that can stop our nation,' she wrote on X alongside pictures of her hugging supporters.

Sheinbaum has since condemned the violence in the capital.
The teenager who was driving a car involved in a crash that killed a woman and her unborn child told a magistrate 'I just really want to see my family' as he was denied bail during his first court appearance.

Samanvidha Dhareshwar, 33, who was eight months pregnant, was walking with her husband and three-year-old son along George Street at Hornsby, on Sydney's north shore, when she was struck about 8pm on Friday.

Police allege the driver of a Kia Carnival slowed at the entrance of a train station carpark to let the family cross when it was hit from behind by a white BMW driven by P-plater Aaron Papazoglu, 19, causing the Kia to surge forward and hit the woman.

Ms Dhareshwar was treated at the scene for catastrophic injuries before she was rushed to Westmead Hospital, where she and her unborn child could not be saved.

Papazoglu was later arrested at a home in nearby Wahroonga and charged with three offences, including dangerous driving occasioning death and causing the loss of a foetus.

He appeared in Parramatta Local Court on Sunday as shattered residents laid tributes at the crash scene.

Papazoglu, who has no previous criminal or driving offences, accelerated through an intersection when the traffic light changed to orange, his lawyer Patrick Schmidt told the court.

Applying for bail, Mr Schmidt said the Kia station wagon had stopped to let the pedestrians cross the road and Papazoglu would have been expecting the car to have completed its turn before he collided with it.

Several tributes were left at the scene of the catastrophic crash where an eight months pregnant woman and her unborn baby died after being struck while out on a walk with her husband and young son

Eight months pregnant Samanvitha Dhareshwar, her husband and their three-year-old son were just a few minutes from their apartment in Hornsby where the horror unfolded

The teenager had not been using any drugs or alcohol, was not street racing and had not run a red light, he said.

'This wasn't a prolonged, intentional act. This is  a tragic outcome to a series of unfortunate events,' Mr Schmidt said.

Police allege Papazoglu was speeding, although prosecutors were unsure what evidence supported that claim.

Papazoglu, who is studying a business degree at university, appeared in court via video link from a police holding cell, wearing a hooded jumper.

He sat silently with his head down as Magistrate Ray Plibersek read the facts about the case.

His lawyer presented character references to the court, including from his mother, aunt, uncle and his employer at an after-school care centre.

Mr Plibersek noted Papazoglu's 'excellent' driving record and said he seemed to be a 'young man of good standing', but knocked back his bail application due to the seriousness of the charges.

'It's an absolutely tragic case,' he said.

'It's a terrible outcome for two families  the community's heart goes out to (the victim's) family for the tragic loss.'

Police had opposed bail due to the seriousness of the matter and said a prison sentence was likely if Papazoglu was convicted.

A vehicle believed to be the BMW driven by 19-year-old Aaron Papazoglu who has been charged over the fatal crash and was reportedly asking about the state of his care while in police custody

Police and emergency services on George Street, Hornsby where the 33-year-old mother was walking with her husband and their three-year-old son on Friday night

Papazoglu's matter will return to court on Tuesday for a mention, with a brief of evidence due by January 18.

The magistrate asked Papazoglu if he understood what had happened in court.

'I just really want to see my family,' Papazoglu replied.

He had reportedly asked police for updates about the state of his BMW while in custody, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Meanwhile, tributes continue to build at the crash scene, including a heartbreaking letter from a woman who rushed to Ms Dhareshwar's aid in her final moments.

The woman was out walking near Hornsby train station on Friday night when she witnessed the crash.

On a card she later left at the scene addressed to 'Dear Mum + Bub + family', she explained that 'I arrived here on my nightly walk just after the accident occurred'.

'While we don't know each other, it was a great privilege to be present with you for those moments,' the woman, who signed off as 'Laura', wrote.

'I pray for you and your little one that you are held with love as you leave this world.

'Those moments present with you have imprinted a greater depth of love, care and compassion with me.

'I will carry this into the world with yours and your baby's names. Words can't describe how sorry I am that this has happened to you.'

Ms Dhareshwar had been walking out with her husband and their young son on what tragically would be their last outing as a family.

Following the horrific crash, her devastated family were seen crying and covering their mouths in shock.

'I have children and grandchildren. I cant even imagine how that family is feeling,' one woman told the Daily Telegraph.

Inquiries into the crash continue.

Police urge anyone with information to contact Hornsby Police or Crime Stoppers.

Zoe's Law, introduced in NSW in 2022, created specific offences for causing the loss of an unborn child through criminal acts.

Previously, such loss was treated as an injury to the mother.

Under the law, if a foetus of at least 20 weeks or 400 grams dies due to dangerous driving or grievous bodily harm, offenders face harsher penalties, with up to three years added to the maximum sentence for the underlying offence.
The British army is using Chinese-made 3D printers to build weapons but security experts have warned of the dangers of relying on Beijing's technology.

British troops used portable printers, which were manufactured by Shenzhen-based Bambu Labs, during a military exercise earlier this year in Kenya, according to The Telegraph.

The technology was used to make so-called 'suicide drones' for attack missions.

Army officers are also reportedly looking to train troops to use the 3D printers with the aim of arming themselves with a 'virtually endless supply' of weapons.

Speaking to Soldier, the Army's official magazine, Maj Stephen Watts, Officer Commanding F Company, 3rd Battalion, The Rifles Regiment, said the weapons 'proved their worth', adding that he would like to have 'tens, if not hundreds, of self-built FPVs flying, which will make the formation extremely lethal'.

'Imagine if we had whole platoons trained to use these weapons on operations, armed with a virtually endless supply of them. That would increase the Army's fighting power many times over.

'We only used our self-made platforms sparingly  but they are potent, flying at 190mph for three-and-a-half minutes, which means they can cover 15 miles and are very hard to intercept.'

But on Saturday, security experts raised concerns over the use of Chinese manufactured 3D printers.

The British army is using Chinese-made 3D printers to build weapons

But security experts have warned of the dangers of relying on Beijing 's technology

This is because China's National Intelligence Law, companies can be compelled to share data with the government.

Speaking to The Telegraph, defence expert Robert Clark said the decision to use a Chinese company for the army's 3D printing was 'outrageous' and 'shameful'.

'The Ministry of Defence are just not learning their lessons on this,' he said.

'We may as well be handing them the keys to the back door of our security systems.

Clark also accused ministers of using Chinese-made technology to save money despite security concerns.

'The big picture is that the MoD is currently facing a 2.5 million black hole for the next financial year, and they are clearly doing things now on the cheap', he said.

It comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer was criticised for overlooking the threat to national security by trying to improve Britain's ties with China.

Prosecutors last month said they had to abandon the trial of two British men charged with spying in parliament for China because the British government had refused to say Beijing was a threat to its national security.

A British Army Bambu Labs 3D-printer creating an FPV 'suicide drone'

Prime Minister Keir Starmer was criticised for overlooking the threat to national security by trying to improve Britain's ties with China

Starmer's government denies ministers interfered in the case to appease Beijing.

But political opponents say it was the sixth occasion it has prioritised improving relations with China over security or human rights concerns.

Those opponents also point to the government's refusal to publish a long-awaited audit into relations with Beijing and the omission of China from a list of countries subject to stricter rules under a foreign influence registration scheme.

Starmer's Labour government has made improved relations with Beijing a key priority as it seeks foreign investment to make good on its election pledge to upgrade infrastructure and grow the economy.

But former senior security experts and trade advisers warned that is a dangerous path to tread during a global tariff war, and when China has in the past been accused by rivals of deploying economic coercion when threatened.

China is Britain's fifth-largest trading partner, accounting for 5.5 percent of trade.

But British exports to China fell 12 percent in the year to end March, the second sharpest fall among Britain's 20 biggest trading partners since Labour won power in July last year, and China accounted for just 0.2 percent of total inward foreign investment.
JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- South Africa is under multiple severe weather alerts as a powerful cut-off low-pressure system brings heavy rain, thunderstorms, and flooding risk across key regions, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) said on Saturday.

According to the SAWS, heavy rainfall of 100 to 150 mm, intense thunderstorms, and strong winds are expected from Sunday into the early hours of Monday.

The SAWS has issued an orange level 9 warning for Gauteng and the western parts of Mpumalanga, warning of "disruptive rainfall" that could lead to widespread flooding of roads and settlements, as well as life-threatening conditions from fast-flowing streams.

In Limpopo and some other parts of Mpumalanga, an orange level 6 alert warns of severe thunderstorms, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal has been placed under a yellow level 4 warning.

In the North West, Northern Cape, and Free State provinces, the SAWS has issued an orange level 5 warning, which could cause flooding of low-lying roads and bridges and damage to infrastructure.

The storm system is expected to persist through Monday, the agency said, adding that possible impacts include flooding of settlements and other properties, dangerous driving conditions, damage to infrastructure, and disruption to essential services.

The public is strongly advised to monitor SAWS's official website and social media updates and follow local authority instructions to reduce risks during this prolonged weather event.

The SAWS issues impact-based warnings using a colour-and-number matrix that communicates both the severity and likelihood of hazardous weather. Yellow indicates a potential minor to moderate impact, orange signals a significant threat, and red denotes extreme danger. Each warning is also assigned a number from one to 10 to reflect the probability of the event occurring. 
A 28-year-old Kentucky teacher has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after she sexually abused a male student in juvenile detention.

Elena Bardin, a mother to a five-year-old girl, was also charged with trying to get the 17-year-old boy locked up in the Adair County Juvenile Detention Center to murder her husband, though she was acquitted on that count.

The jury convicted her of first-degree sexual abuse, unlawful transaction with a minor and distribution of obscene material to a minor, CourtTV reported.

They also recommended the double-digit sentence, and the judge agreed, expressing disgust over the 193 sexually explicit letters found in the teen's cell that Bardin allegedly sent him, according to Kentucky State Police.

'The letters you sent, which they were juicy, they were things youd see in a triple-x movie, and completely inappropriate, obviously, and I think you know that for a young man that age,' Circuit Judge Samuel Spalding said at the sentencing hearing on Thursday.

'And for an educator, it was incumbent upon you to set a better example. I will say though, the 193 pages of letters, pictures, everything else, it depicts a very intelligent and articulate young woman who was clearly articulating her thoughts and desires to this kid' he added.

Spalding also reminded the court of the testimony from Bardin's supervisor, who said Bardin had been told to stop what she was doing with the teen.

The teen, who was moved to another section of the facility at one point, appeared decidedly unbothered by the abuse he endured, testifying that his contact with Bardin was a 'way to kill time while he was locked up'.

Elena Bardin, a 28-year-old teacher, was sentenced to 14 years behind bars this week after a Kentucky jury convicted her of sexually abusing a 17-year-old boy in juvenile detention

Bardin was found not guilty of soliciting the boy to kill her husband, Michael Bardin, with whom she shares a five-year-old daughter

The boy also testified that he never planned to follow through with the alleged murder-for-hire plot against Michael Bardin, her husband.

The boy faces an unrelated murder charge in Jefferson County, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.

In one of the letters Bardin wrote to the boy, she said, 'I know you say youll take care of him, but shouldnt someone else do it to take the suspicion away from you?'

Bardin was arrested shortly after Bardin's letters were found in the boy's cell in April 2025.

Just over a month later, her husband filed for divorce from her and pursued sole custody of their daughter.

Bardin, who did not testify in her own defense, will now have to register as a sex offender for 20 years.
Nearly 16,000 violent crimes took place on trains or at railway stations last year, damning figures reveal today.

The revelation comes just two weeks after the Huntingdon train mass stabbing in which ten passengers were attacked on a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service from Doncaster to London King's Cross.

Just three days prior, a 13-year-old boy was stabbed in 'broad daylight in front of horrified onlookers' on the platform at Manchester Piccadilly Station.

Meanwhile, on Friday night a 20-year-old man was stabbed at Belvedere Station in south-east London - with witnesses claiming they saw two groups armed with a zombie knife and an iron bar.

There were 15,528 violent crimes recorded on trains or at stations in the year to April - a seven per cent rise from the year before which equates to 40 attacks every day.

Some 10,940 offences were carried out on passengers, 3,625 on rail staff and 963 on British Transport Police officers.

There were also 2,658 sexual offences and 843 crimes involving weapons such as knives and guns, figures obtained by The Sun reveal.

London Euston was the train station where the most attacks took place - with 227 assaults recorded.

The damning figures come just two weeks after ten train passengers were attacked in a terrifying knife frenzy in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. Pictured: A forensic officer inspects the LNER train after the attack

Police officers and dogs at London King's Cross in the days after the Huntingdon attack

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The damning figures mounts further pressure on the Government and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to get a grip on crime in the UK.

Earlier this month, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander ruled out installing airport-style security scanners in stations following a stabbing attack in Huntingdon.

She said the Government did not want to make 'life impossible for everyone' amid calls for increased security.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp had called for 'tough and radical action' to crackdown on knife crime, including rolling out live facial recognition technology in train stations and towns.

Anthony Williams, 32, of Peterborough, has been charged with ten attempted murders over the Huntingdon attack.

He was also charged with an 11th count of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a passenger in the face on a platform at Pontoon Dock DLR Station in east London, hours before the Huntingdon attack.

Last night, it was revealed that an LNER rail staff member credited with 'acting as a shield' during the knife rampage to save 'multiple lives' has been discharged from hospital.

Samir Zitouni, known as Sam, had been in a critical condition since November 1, having suffered multiple injuries during the attack, which took place close to Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

Anthony Williams, 32, from Peterborough, has been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder, possessing a bladed article and assault occasioning actual bodily harm

LNER staff member Samir Zitouni 'acted as a shield' to save passengers during the Huntingdon attack. He has been discharged from hospital now

He had been working onboard the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) 6.25pm train from Doncaster to London King's Cross when a crazed knifeman launched a terrifying rampage.

Mr Zitouni is said to have used a frying pan from the buffet carriage kitchen to stop the attacker from reaching other passengers while armed police and medics were deployed to Huntingdon station, where the train made an unscheduled stop.

He was repeatedly stabbed and rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but is now well enough to have been discharged from hospital and continue his recovery at home.

Williams has been remanded in custody until a hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on December 1.
Wounded Keir Starmer is facing more evidence of leadership jostling today with Angela Rayner breaking cover.

The humiliating failure of No10's pre-emptive strike on rivals last week has effectively fired the starting gun on a race to succeed the PM.

And his former deputy has moved to keep herself in the frame by giving her first major interview since quitting for underpaying stamp duty.

Ms Rayner resurfaced with an attack on 'arrogance' in Labour's ranks and Westminster 'tittle-tattle' - painting herself as the unity candidate in the developing shadow contest.

She suggested Wes Streeting had 'set out his stall', in an apparent swipe at the Health Secretary's ambitions.

There are claims that Ms Rayner is already lining up MPs for senior jobs in return for support - although allies dismissed the idea as 'total rubbish'.

Angela Rayner has moved to keep herself in the frame by giving her first major interview since quitting for underpaying stamp duty

Wounded Keir Starmer (pictured with Rachel Reeves) is facing more evidence of leadership jostling today

Even fans of Ms Rayner believe it is 'too soon' for her to make a comeback after quitting under a cloud.

Fielding questions as she toured broadcast studios this morning, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood admitted the past week had been 'unedifying and deeply embarrassing for everyone concerned'.

But she risked further fuelling the febrile mood by refusing to be drawn on her own alleged leadership hopes, saying: 'I don't indulge in future hypotheticals and all this ridiculous chitter chatter.'

Mr Streeting was seen as the biggest winner from Downing Street's extraordinary self-inflicted disaster last week.

After he was singled out in panicky briefings designed to shore up the PM's position, the Cabinet minister hit out at No10's 'toxic culture' and 'self-destruction' - saying those responsible should be sacked.

Sir Keir was left desperately trying to save his long-time ally and chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.

It then emerged that the premier and Chancellor Rachel Reeves had performed a shambolic U-turn on plans to increase income tax at the Budget, despite weeks of blatant hints.

Labour MPs had been gearing up a bid to kill off the policy, with fears such a blatant breach of the election manifesto would be catastrophic.

Mr Streeting again capitalised on the chaos by declaring that he had never supported the move.

However, while the Health Secretary's stock has soared, he is still widely seen as too far to the right of Labour to win support from members if there is a contest. He also has a wafer-thin majority to defend in his Commons seat.

In contrast Ms Rayner could rally support from unions and is viewed as the darling of activists.

Although she was forced to apologise and quit over her tax affairs, supporters would point to the conclusions of the PM's sleaze adviser Sir Laurie Magnus that she had 'acted with integrity' despite making a mistake.

The looming Budget and local elections in May appear to be huge moments of danger for Sir Keir.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror during a constituency visit to a care centre, Ms Rayner was asked if a return to frontline politics was on the cards.

She responded that she had not 'gone away'.

Ms Rayner said: 'I'm really humbled and I always have been, the people of Ashton-under-Lyne have always supported me.

'The 10 years that I've been in government I've had quite a number of front bench positions, and I've always brought it back to the people that I was there to represent and having this opportunity now, to be more in the constituency and to champion those views is something that I'm humbled to do and I'm looking forward to the challenge.

'I've got a lot of interests like child poverty, the fair pay agreement, and making sure the Employment Rights Bill is carried out in full.'

Addressing the turmoil in government, Ms Rayner said: 'I think Wes has clearly set out his stall after what was clearly a very turbulent couple of days and I think being around here for the last hour just shows you actually that that tittle tattle in Westminster it almost looks arrogant when you've got real challenges that real people are facing and that's what we really need to be focusing on.'

Sir Keir said he had been assured the briefings targeting Mr Streeting 'didn't come from Downing Street', but added: 'I will absolutely deal with anybody responsible for briefing against ministers, Cabinet ministers or any other ministers.'

'I think the party should always be together,' Ms Rayner said.

'I've always been of that nature and the way in which I've worked within our movement is, our movement has many different views and we should always look to bind ourselves within that.'

Rosie Duffield, who sits as an independent MP after resigning from Sir Keir's party last year, wrote on X: 'Very senior Labour MPs, some v recently ousted, are offering positions to other Labour MPs who'll back them'.

She also claimed that potential candidates whose seats were vulnerable at the next election were house-hunting in safer constituencies 'they've never even set foot in before'.

The Canterbury MP did not name the alleged plotters.

A source close to Ms Rayner said: 'This is total rubbish and obviously false.

'Amidst all the stirring and silly games, Angela is focused on representing her local community and ensuring that the priorities she championed in Government are delivered in full.'

Ms Mahmood dismissed the idea that Sir Keir needed to consider his position.

'No. Keir Starmer is our Prime Minister. We won an election just under a year-and-a-half or so ago, when people thought that we would not win an election for maybe a generation or more,' she said.

'I have no time for these things that people say or brief off the record, or any of this, frankly, Westminster bubble tittle-tattle.'

Ms Mahmood added: 'If people have things to say, they should have the courage of their convictions and say so publicly, and that is not what is happening.

'I think what happened at the beginning of this week was  with all of those anonymous briefings  unedifying and deeply embarrassing for everyone concerned.'

Left-wing MP Clive Lewis has openly called for Sir Keir to be replaced by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, declaring the PM's position as 'not tenable'.

He told C4 News that 'Labour grandees.need now to really, seriously think how do we get Andy Burnham back into this parliamentary Labour party and let him step up and become the next PM'.

Dire polls showing Reform surging have caused panic in Labour's ranks, just 16 months after Sir Keir's triumphant election landslide.

Mr Streeting was seen the biggest winner from Downing Street's extraordinary self-inflicted disaster last week

Fielding questions in broadcast studios this morning, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood admitted the past week had been 'unedifying and deeply embarrassing for everyone concerned'

Despite jettisoning the idea of an income tax hike, the Chancellor is still expected to heap more burden on ordinary Britons in her Budget on November 26.

Other often-cited contenders for Labour's top job include Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham - although would need to find a Commons seat to throw his hat in the ring.

Lucy Powell was recently elected the party's deputy leader after being seen as the 'anti-Keir' candidate during the campaign. She had previously been sacked from the Cabinet.

Ms Mahmood has been burnishing her credentials as tough on immigration, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan is also widely regarded as harbouring ambitions.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Sky News: 'They are fighting like rats in a sack.

'You've got Keir Starmer briefing against Wes Streeting. You've got Angela Rayner sharpening the knives in the background.

'Goodness knows what Bridget Phillipson and Lucy Powell are both up to.

'Instead of serving the national interest, the Labour Government are fighting each other just weeks away from a Budget that will unleash enormous tax rises on this country that will drive up unemployment even further.'
Gas supply will be key to the Coalition's energy policy after the federal opposition walked away from a net-zero emissions target.

Speaking after senior Liberals and Nationals met to endorse the plans, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said the Coalition sought to reduce carbon emissions but not at the expense of family or business budgets.

'Our plan secures Australia's energy future by putting affordability first,' she told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.

'The plan that I released today is all about affordable energy and responsible emissions reduction.'

Under the Coalition, interim emissions reduction targets and other various Labor policies to bring down emissions would opposed.

These include a safeguard mechanism capping big polluters' emissions and a scheme designed to encourage uptake of electric vehicles.

The Coalition would establish an east coast gas reserve, put constraints on renewable projects in regional areas and remove a ban on nuclear power.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said the Coalition settled on a 'cheaper, better, fairer way' to reduce emissions and curb climate change.

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley (pictured) will prioritise affordability over bringing down emissions

The Coalition will establish an east coast gas reserve to power the electricity grid (one of the LNG drilling rigs at Woodside Petroleum's Pluto gas field off the WA coast)

The Coalition plans to use taxpayer funds to underwrite power generation, including coal and gas-fired stations (pictured is the Loy Yang coal power station in Victoria)

Littleproud argued the Coalition's new policy was not opposed to reducing emissions but offered a different route to getting there.

'This debate is not one predicated on science. It is one predicated on economics.'

Opposition energy spokesman Dan Tehan said he looked forward to selling their affordable plan 'because there is now a very, very clear contrast when it comes to this debate'.

Opening new gas fields forms part of the Coalition's policy.

Taxpayer funds would be used to underwrite power generation, including coal and gas-fired stations.

'Consumers can be absolutely confident that once we have charge of energy policy in this country, we will start to change the rules as soon as possible,' Ms Ley said.

That meant changing the rules around the supply of gas and the operating rules of the energy system.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong, a veteran of Canberra's so-called climate wars, earlier said the Coalition's decision to abandon net zero would do little to shift public opinion.

Nationals leader David Littleproud (pictured) said the Coalition is focused on creating a 'cheaper, better, fairer way' to reduce emissions

Watered-down climate targets would drive up power prices for Australians and show disrespect towards Pacific nations, Senator Wong said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese echoed her comments, saying the Coalition's 'uncertainty' on energy and climate policy would put increased pressure on power prices.

'If anyone thinks that there is certainty in the Coalition going forward, then they're not paying any attention to the rabble and clown show that the Coalition have become when it comes to energy policy and climate policy,' he told reporters in Melbourne.

Climate policy has been a contentious issue within the Coalition for decades.

At the last two federal elections, the Liberal Party lost inner-city seats to independent candidates focused on climate action.
If Andrew Hastie decides to challenge for the leadership of the Liberal Party in the final parliamentary sittings before the end of the year, he will do so with the backing of key moderates.

If he can also secure the support of the right, Sussan Ley will be rolled as leader, replaced by Hastie. That is the emerging reality inside the Liberal party room, whether anyone is prepared to admit it publicly yet or not.

What has crystallised over the weekend is a view among moderates - one of the two key factions of the party - that Ley's leadership is finished.

The moderates have reached the point where they are prepared, in principle, to support a socially conservative former SAS officer as leader.

They are ready to bypass conservative leader-in-waiting Angus Taylor, and end what they see as a period of drift and mismanagement under Ley.

The Daily Mail has spoken to key moderates who have confirmed that if Hastie challenged Ley for the leadership, he would have their support.

'He just needs to bring his own conservative colleagues with him,' one moderate said.

Another added: 'Ley didn't dance with those who brought her so we are moving on.

A key Liberal moderate told the Daily Mail: 'We have reached the point where radical change is necessary'

'Even if it's Hastie, that's better than a leader that stands for nothing.'

A third said: 'We have reached a point where radical change is necessary.

'Hastie isn't my cup of tea, but he can have his go and if he's right our polls will improve.

'But if he's wrong we need to reassess the decisions already made.'

How the moderates reached breaking point

The breaking point for the moderates has been the handling of net zero and the re-emergence of coal as the Coalition's preferred energy source.

Dumping the formal 2050 net zero target was always going to be contentious. Doing it in a way that leaves the party in a position where it has to claim it still believes in the spirit of the Paris agreement on climate change, while marching visibly in the opposite direction, has compounded the problem.

The party's internal process was chaotic, the messaging confused, and the political logic incoherent.

Ley did not demonstrate that she shaped the party's decision, leaving moderates dissatisfied.

The leakers are essentially telling Andrew Hastie that it's time to put up or shut up - and that this may be his only shot

It has come to a point where they want a clean break and are prepared to give Hastie his time as leader now, to prove he can win the support of voters, or fail and be found out.

Moderates have spent years warning about the electoral cost of inaction on climate. They watched colleagues lose once safe Liberal seats in the inner suburbs, watching their numbers diminish.

They have seen the partys primary vote stagnate or decline in areas where professional voters, younger families and women now see climate and integrity as threshold issues.

The renewed talk of coal has added insult to injury. However artfully couched in the language of keeping the lights on, the signal to voters in metropolitan seats is unmistakeable: the party is once again prioritising the comfort of its climate sceptics over the market realities of the energy transition.

Meanwhile, the conclusion of key moderates is that Ley has failed the most basic test of leadership: choosing a direction and persuading the party to follow it.

In their eyes, she tried so hard to avoid offending the right that she effectively left the field to them, then found herself bound to a compromise she did not shape and cannot credibly defend.

That is why some moderates no longer talk about whether she should stay, only about how and when she will go.

The decision to leak their intention to support a shift to Hastie is designed to send a message as much as it is designed to usher him into the role of opposition leader.

Andrew Hastie reposted this digitally edited image of himself celebrating the death of the Liberals' net zero policy at the weekend. Hastie said: 'So let the net zero zealots cry foul. My only regret is that we can't collect their tears for desalination'

Crucially, the conversation about succession has shifted. For a long time Angus Taylor was treated as the obvious next option: a senior figure from the right, an economic conservative, supposedly capable of straddling the internal divides.

He narrowly lost the vote to Ley after the election defeat earlier this year. Only because moderates backed Ley.

But moderates now want to rule a line under the leadership fights of generations past.

That is why Hasties name matters. Moderates dont believe hell succeed with his anti net zero quest, but they are prepared to give him his chance now, if he is prepared to put his money where his mouth is, as one moderate MP put it.

A calculated choice

The moderates swinging behind Hastie is not a natural ideological choice, but it is a calculated political one.

They are prepared to live with their differences on social issues and the environment if they believe he can at least impose discipline, provide clarity of purpose, and end the endless muddle on climate and energy.

If he cant, they expect he will fall over before the next election, due in two-and-a-half years' time.

Tonight's leaks are not idle chatter. They are a deliberate test.

By making clear that Hastie would have significant moderate backing if he runs, they are effectively challenging him to live up to his own rhetoric.

A conviction politician, in their framing, cannot forever hover at the edge of the ring, talking about values while someone else throws the punches. At some point he has to decide whether he is content to be the partys conscience or prepared to try to lead it.

Hasties public line so far has been loyalty to Ley and an insistence that he is not counting numbers. That buys him time, but only up to a point.

Once it is widely understood that he could win a ballot in the current climate, him being passive starts to look less like principle and more like reluctance to take a risk.

Colleagues will not say it publicly, but privately some are already framing the moment like this: if you truly believe the party has lost its way, and you are being invited to do something about it, what does it say about you if you refuse?

The arithmetic, as it is quietly described by those involved, is straightforward. With moderate support locked in at a critical mass, the only remaining question would be whether the right coalesces behind Hastie rather than Taylor or another figure.

If they do, Ley is finished in a single ballot. If they do not, the instability simply festers and her position erodes more slowly. Either way, the party room mood has shifted from uncertainty to inevitability about her eventual departure.

This is what makes the timing of the final sitting period so combustible. The last week of parliament provides a natural focal point. It is the moment when private doubts are usually translated into leadership action, or at least into firm positions about what should happen early in the new year.

Even if Hastie ultimately decides not to put his hand up before the summer recess, the deeper truth exposed by these conversations does not change. Once a significant chunk of moderates have mentally moved on from a leader, that leader is living on borrowed time if they dont have the rights backing, which Ley does not. She will not lead the Liberals to the next election. Inside the party, that is now the dominant view, even if it is not yet the public line.

What is playing out, in other words, is less a conventional leadership contest and more a test of character. The moderates have decided Ley has failed. They are now inviting Andrew Hastie to take over.
Families and businesses have begun a mammoth clean-up after Storm Claudia left much of their town underwater.

A major incident remains in place in Monmouth, south-east Wales, after the River Monnow broke its banks, unleashing unprecedented flooding on homes and businesses.

Residents were dramatically rescued or evacuated from their homes after overnight floods on Saturday left much of the town under water.

A major clean-up operation is underway, with business owners in wellies seen desperately trying to clear out the huge volumes of floodwater.

Monmouthshire MP Catherine Fookes has revealed how the community is rallying together but admitted it was a 'really worrying time for residents and businesses'.

She said while the 'big clear up' continued, the town's existing flood defences would need to be reconsidered.

Four severe flood warnings are still in place for south-east Wales, meaning there is a 'danger to life', after the River Monnow reached record levels, exceeding those from Storm Dennis in 2020 and Storm Bert in 2024.

Flooding has been left severe in England, but the UK is bracing for a cold snap with a chance of snow this week.

In Portugal, an 85-year-old British woman died after extreme winds from Storm Claudia hit a holiday campsite.

The storm has already unleashed strong wings and heavy rain on Spain and Portugal.

Emergency services help people stricken on a flooded street on November 15 in Monmouth, Wales

Residents and business owners begin the clean up after yesterday's floods

Flood damage in Monmouth in south-east Wales, after dozens of people were rescued from their homes or evacuated in the town

Monmouthshire, South Wales: Streets were left submerged in water after the heavy rain

In Monmouth, residents have rallied together to help homeowners and businesses hit by unprecedented flooding.

A church is acting as a drop-off point for donations, local businesses have been providing hot food and the town's leisure centre has been open to people who were evacuated.

Susie Martinez, 42, and her two sons, Louis, nine, and Joey, five, had to be rescued from the Monmouth flat at 3.30am on Saturday.

'We had to climb out of the window and into a boat,' she said. 'It was terrifying.'

Ms Fookes warned that the town must reconsider its flood defences following the major incident.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement, she said: 'The flood defences did hold in a similar situation in 2020 but this flood, this amount of water, coming very fast in a short space of hours, was most definitely unprecedented.'

'I do think now with climate change and, with the amount of big weather events that we're getting, that we do have to relook at flood defences.'

She added: 'One of the most amazing things when I went to Monmouth leisure centre yesterday was the incredible staff and the volunteers just coming in off the street and saying, 'I'll look after this family, I can take that family' and friends of people in there rallying round and taking people with cats and dogs and so on that couldn't go to hotels into their houses.'

It comes as the UK has recorded its coldest night since March as a cold snap is set to follow the floods.

Temperatures dropped to minus 7C in Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands on Saturday night, the lowest since March 20, the Met Office said.

A 5C drop in temperatures will see top figures plunge to around 11C on Sunday and get colder for the start of the week.

Aerial image captures the aftermath of severe flooding on Monnow Street and the surrounding area in Monmouth

Staff rally together to clean up their store in Monmouth after Storm Claudia brought floods

Three cars stranded following flooding on Monnow Street on November 15

Residents and business owners begin the clean up after yesterday's devastating floods

A man carries a shovel as a clean-up operation gets underway in Monmouth

There were dramatic scenes over the weekend as the River Monnow broke its banks

Monmouth's MP Ms Fookes warned that the town must reconsider its flood defences following the major incident

A man cleans inside his shop, following severe flooding caused by Storm Claudia, in Monmouth, Wales

Snow and ice are possible after what has been a spell of above-average temperatures, the forecaster said.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: 'As Storm Claudia retreats to the south, high pressure to the north-west will drive a cold northerly flow from the Arctic across the UK.

'This will bring much colder conditions than of late and, whilst generally drier than recent days, there will also be a risk of wintry hazards, such as snow and ice.

'This will be a notable change in our weather after a prolonged spell of above-average temperatures.'

A major incident was declared in Monmouth, south-east Wales, over the weekend where people were rescued or evacuated from homes that were flooded in Friday's torrential rain.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) had imposed four severe flood warnings amid fears there may be danger to life while there were 45 flood warnings in England.

Some 119.6mm of rainfall was recorded at an NRW rain gauge at Tafalog in Gwent, south-east Wales, in the 12 hours to 6am on Saturday while 80.6mm was recorded over the same period at Suckley, Worcestershire.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued a cold weather warning for parts of the Midlands and northern England from Monday, and the Environment Agency has warned flooding will continue throughout the weekend.

The cold weather alert is in place from 8am on Monday until 8am next Friday and covers the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.
Ukraine took just 20 minutes to wreak revenge on Russia with a drone attack after their prisoners of war were shot dead.

The attack came after Russia was again accused of breaking the rules of war as Vladimir Putin's soldiers shot dead surrendering Ukrainian troops.

Graphic drone footage caught the moment the two prisoners of war were gunned down on the frontline.

Ukrainian sources said they rapidly avenged the atrocity after commanders saw the cold-blooded killing on video.

'The Russians did not live long,' said Ukrainian channel Deep State.

'They were killed by an FPV drone within 20 minutes, so the revenge was swift.'

The incident in Zaporizhzhia took place after Russian troops penetrated several miles behind Ukrainian lines.

They ambushed the pair 'from behind'.

Graphic drone footage caught the moment the two prisoners of war were gunned down on the frontline

Kyiv human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets alleged: 'The enemy killed two Ukrainian servicemen on the outskirts of Zatyshshia.

'This is another deliberate action by Russia aimed at intimidation and a blatant disregard for international humanitarian law.'

He has appealed to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross over the shooting of the POWs, describing it as a grave violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

'The international community must immediately respond to such systematic gross violations by Russia,' he said.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have foiled a Ukrainian plot to kill one of Putin's highest-ranking officials by using booby-trapped flowers at his parents' grave.

While the target was not named, there is speculation that it was former defence minister Sergei Shoigu, 70, now Russia's top security official.

The country's Federal Security Service (FSB) also added that a husband and wife assassin has been arrested in connection with the attempt.

Shoigu was in charge of the Russian army when it originally invaded Ukraine and committed horrific rape, torture and illegal execution 'war crimes' aside from repeated bombing of civilians.

The FSB claimed the elaborate scheme was to assassinate the official as he visited his parents' graves in Moscow on the anniversaries of their deaths.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed to have foiled a Ukrainian plot to kill one of Putin's highest-ranking officials by using booby-trapped flowers at his parents' grave

On Saturday, Putin launched a barbaric strike on Kyiv which killed the widow of the first man to die in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

The sickening overnight attack by Russian forces tore through an apartment block long known as a home for Chernobyl survivors, leaving 62-year-old Natalia Khodemchuk fatally wounded.

She had been pulled from the rubble with burns covering almost half her body after last night's strike and rushed to hospital, but medics confirmed she could not be saved.

Her husband, Soviet engineer Valery Khodemchuk, was the very first victim of the 1986 catastrophe and 'vaporised' when Reactor 4 blew apart.

Aged just 35, his remains were never recovered. He had placed his final phone call at 1.23am moments before the double explosion ripped through the pump halls of Unit four.

His wife survived the nuclear explosion and almost 40 years later she was brutally killed by the Kremlin.
Prosecutors in the case of 19-year-old soldier Jaysley Beck are considering charges against more people after the sergeant who sexually assaulted her before she took her own life was jailed.

Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley was found hanging in her room at Larkhill Camp, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, on December 15, 2021.

Her death came following a complaint she made against Battery Sergeant Major Michael Webber, now 43, after he pinned her down and tried to kiss her, an inquest heard in February this year.

Last month, Webber was ordered to serve a six-month jail sentence in a civilian prison for his part in the teenager's death. His sentence came four years after the assault took place.

Jaysley had made a complaint of sexual assault against Webber the day after it happened, but it was not investigated by military or civilian police and instead given a 'minor disciplinary'.

The sergeant was ordered to write a letter of apology to the teen, before being promoted months later to warrant officer class 1, a respected role which involves responsibility for soldier welfare.

Eventually, after Jaysley's inquest in February this year, the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA), the military equivalent of the CPS, decided to bring charges against Webber.

Now the attorney-general's office is reviewing a series of complaints about the alleged leniency of Webber's sentence.

Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, 19, was found hanging in her room at Larkhill Camp, near Salisbury in Wiltshire, on December 15, 2021

Leighann McCready (right) has fought tirelessly for justice for her daughter Jaysley (left)

The SPA is reviewing evidence in relation to possible new charges against other soldiers and individuals involved in Jaysley's case, The Times first reported.

The teen's family, including Jaysley's mother Leighann McCready - who has fought tirelessly for justice for her daughter - believes she was failed by a list of people in the army when she reported the assault, and while the process was being handled.

Ms McCready said last month that she felt upset her daughter was not there to see Webber being sentenced.

'I felt like I should be hearing this with my daughter beside me, still alive,' she said. 'Throughout this process it has been clear to me that Jaysley's life didn't matter to the British Army as much as protecting Michael Webber and the army's own reputation.'

An MoD spokesman said: 'Our thoughts remain with Jaysley-Louise Beck's loved ones. Her death was a tragedy which continues to be felt across the Army and wider Defence community.

'Unacceptable and criminal behaviour has absolutely no place within the military. All those who choose to serve our country must be able to do so free from abuse, and with the dignity and respect they deserve.

'The Army has accepted the failings identified by the Service Inquiry and responded to the recommendations to improve Service life across its culture, policies, and practices.'

Michael Webber, now 43, was sentenced to six months in prison after he pinned Jaysley down and tried to kiss her during a training exercise, an inquest heard in February this year

Ms McCready claimed the Armed Forces has not done enough to protect recruits after her daughter was found dead.

She said 'real changes' are needed now, not continued 'empty promises and glorified words', adding: 'Evidence has shown, through our own daughter, the protection is not there.

'Until policies are properly changed, I wouldn't recommend anybody join the Army because they protect themselves and not the soldiers. That's what happened to Jaysley.'

Ms McCready said recruits are 'such a vulnerable age when they first join up as females surrounded by lots of men'.

Asked on BBC Radio 4's Today show whether measures by the MoD to improve safeguards were working, she said this month: 'Absolutely not. I'm still contacted by other soldiers, parents... this is still happening.

'Only this week I've been inundated by people saying, 'Leighann, please keep fighting...because I too am going through this right now in the military'.'

Her comments followed the sentencing of senior officer Webber to six months in prison after he admitted sexual assault.
A mother who admitted to letting her six-year-old daughter starve to death called her a 'd***head' for being unable to walk shortly before she died.

Charlie Nowland, six, was found unresponsive at her family's housing commission home in Munno Para, in Adelaide's northern suburbs, on July 15, 2022.

Her death was confirmed at Lyell McEwin Hospital, with the cause ruled as malnutrition which led to heart failure.

Police conducted an extensive investigation, but no criminal charges were laid until April 2023 when Charlie's mother, Crystal Leanne Hanley, was accused of neglect and manslaughter.

Hanley spent the following two years vehemently denying she neglected her daughter, saying 'I'm not a perfect mum but I feed my kids'.

She added that fighting the charges would be 'what Charlie would have wanted'.

However, Hanley, 49, broke down in the South Australian Supreme Court in May as she pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal neglect, just one week before the case was due to go to trial.

As she sobbed, prosecutors accepted her guilty pleas and withdrew the manslaughter charge against her.

Charlie Nowland (pictured) was found unresponsive at her family's home on July 15, 2022 aged six-years-old

Charlie's mother, Crystal Leanne Hanley (pictured), pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal neglect in May

Court documents, released to The Advertiser on Sunday, showed the depth of the mother's callousness through a series of phone calls in the two months before her death, between Hanley and Charlie's father, John Nowland, who was in prison.

On May 16, 2022, Hanley told Nowland that Charlie was sick and she needed to buy nappies for her because 'she was being a baby'.

In another call on May 31, 2022, Charlie was heard crying in the background and said that 'my legs are killing me'.

Hanley told her daughter, 'Oh shut up' before telling Nowland, 'Charlie is in that mood today'.

On July 4, 2022, Hanley told Nowland that little Charlie hadn't been walking for a week and a half.

'She's a d***head and she won't walk. She's got cankles and everything,' Hanley said.

When Nowland asked if Hanley had taken Charlie to the doctor, the mother claimed she had - which was a lie.

The court previously heard Hanley had fatally neglected Charlie between April 1, 2022 and July 17, 2022.

Charlie and her siblings were found to be of poor hygiene and living in filth on the day of her death (pictured, the family's home)

Charlie (pictured) weighed just 18kgs at the time of her death and was 'so severely malnourished to the point where her body essentially collapsed, and her heart gave way'

Hanley was initially released on bail after police charged her in 2023, but was taken back into custody following several breaches involving drug use.

In earlier hearings, the prosecution alleged Hanley had raised Charlie in a 'squalid' home which was 'uninhabitable for humans'.

Hanley previously claimed she'd asked Family Services for more support after her partner Nowland was jailed for stabbing her three times in the back of the neck, in front of Charlie.

Hanley had to learn how to walk again, suffered seizures and struggled to remember how to perform basic tasks like cook rice or drive a car.

During sentencing submissions last week, prosecutor Kos Lesses said Charlie had died from cardiac failure as she was 'so severely malnourished to the point where her body essentially collapsed, and her heart gave way'.

'The defendant repeatedly lied  about getting medical attention for Charlie,' he said.

Charlie weighed just 18kg at the time of her death.

'Medical staff observed the deceased to be extremely pale, dishevelled, with lice infested hair, dirty skin and wearing a soiled nappy,' court documents stated.

The court heard Hanley (left) had raised Charlie in a 'squalid' home which was 'uninhabitable for humans'

All of Hanley's children were in poor health and living in a squalid home (pictured) at the point of Charlie's death

The six-year-old was never enrolled in school and her siblings had missed more than 80 per cent of school days during the year of her death.

In a victim impact statement to the Supreme Court last week, one of Charlie's sisters described their mother as selfish.

'All you cared about was drugs, when you should have cared about us,' she said.

On the same day Charlie died, Hanley's other children were also found to be of poor hygiene, underweight and covered in lice.

Charlie's funeral in August 2022 was funded by the South Australian government.

Her white coffin was decorated with the handprints of her siblings, paper red hearts and adorned with colourful flowers and a stuffed monkey.

Charlie's father was denied day release for the service and watched via livestream from prison.

Charlie's ashes were scattered at her favourite camping spot along the Murray River.

Hanley has not yet been sentenced and Justice Sandi McDonald adjourned the case for further submissions at a later date.
Keir Starmer is facing more damaging claims about tensions at the heart of government today.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is said to have had a 'very shouty' row with the PM's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney over brutal briefings.

The Cabinet minister demanded to know whether No10 was the source of an apparent pre-emptive strike accusing him of leadership plotting, according to the Sunday Times.

The bruising exchanges happened on Tuesday afternoon after Mr Streeting learned that stories were about to break including senior sources attacking his ambitions. A No10 source denied that the telephone conversation was 'shouty'.

The Ilford North MP took to broadcast studios the next morning complaining of the 'toxic' culture in No10 and demanding those responsible were sacked.

The episode plunged Sir Keir deeper into chaos, as he was forced to defend Mr McSweeney publicy.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting is said to have had a 'very shouty' row with the PM's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney over brutal briefings

A No10 source denied that the telephone conversation on Tuesday was 'shouty'

The PM said he had been assured no-one in Downing Street had briefed against Mr Streeting - whose standing is seen as having been boosted by the extraordinary spat.

Speculation has been mounting about Sir Keir's future with Labour plumbing new depths in the polls.

The looming Budget and local elections in May are increasingly seen as pivotal to whether he survives.

Relations between the Health Secretary and Mr McSweeney were once warm, but insiders say they are now increasingly distant.

One source told the Sunday Times that before this week they last spoke 'two months ago'.

'They have spoken less and less. It's fair to say they are not on good terms,' they added.

A No10 source said today: 'This is not an accurate characterisation of either the conversation or their relationship.'

A source close to Mr Streeting refused to be drawn on the conversation.

'Wes has been trying to laugh it all off and draw a line under it so we can all get on with the job at hand,' they added.
BEIRUT, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said on Sunday that Israeli forces opened fire near its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, calling the incident a "serious violation" of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

UNIFIL said Israeli troops fired from a Merkava tank positioned near an Israeli post inside Lebanese territory, with heavy machine gun rounds landing about five meters from peacekeepers on foot.

The peacekeepers took cover and immediately contacted the Israeli forces through UNIFIL liaison channels to halt the firing, the statement said. They were able to withdraw safely about 30 minutes later after the tank retreated. No injuries were reported.

UNIFIL called on the Israel Defense Forces to "cease any aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers," emphasizing that UN personnel are working to help restore stability in the region.

There is no immediate response from the Israeli side.

UNIFIL positions have been targeted several times since cross-border clashes erupted after the Gaza war began in October 2023. Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has continued periodic strikes in Lebanon, citing Hezbollah threats, and has maintained border positions past a Feb. 18 withdrawal deadline. 
A 12-year-old girl has died in India after her teacher allegedly forced her to perform 100 sit-ups as a punishment for being late.

The death has sparked outrage among parents and community members with several other students reportedly subjected to the same punishment for arriving late to school.

Kajal Gond, a sixth-grader at Shree Hanumant Vidya Mandir High School in Vasai, in the western state of Maharashtra, reportedly began suffering severe back pain after completing the corporal punishment while carrying her schoolbag.



Her condition worsened at home, leading to hospitalisation in Nalasopara.

She was later transfered to Mumbai's JJ Hospital, where she died during treatment.

Family members say the punishment directly caused her health to deteriorate.

'She was crying in pain and kept saying she could not move her back,' said her father, Sunil Gond.

'No child should be treated this way for being late.'

A 12-year-old girl has died in India after her teacher allegedly forced her to perform 100 sit-ups as a punishment for being late

The death has reignited debate in India over physical punishment in schools, which remains officially banned but continues in practice

Local residents and parents have demanded strict action against the teacher and the school administration.

'This is not discipline, it is cruelty,' said community activist Meena Patil.

'We send our children to school to learn, not to suffer.'

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a regional political party, warned the school will remain closed until criminal charges are filed.

'Justice must be served, and those responsible must face the law,' said MNS spokesperson Rajesh Kadam.

The death has reignited debate in India over physical punishment in schools, which remains officially banned but continues in practice.

In July, around 40 students at a primary school in Usilampatti boycotted classes delivered by a teacher who used corporal punishment against students who were late.

Education advocates are calling for stronger enforcement of child protection laws and better training for teachers.
Residents chanted 'Starmer out' as thousands attended a protest against plans to house 600 lone male asylum seekers at an army camp on the edge of their town.

Crowborough army training camp in East Sussex has been lined up to house the refugees as part of Labour's bid to reduce the use of asylum hotels.

Locals said they have already installed panic alarms in their homes amid safety fears, while raising concerns about the 600 migrants registering with GPs in the county, with some already struggling to book appointments.

Today's march, which around 2,000 people attended, followed an angry public meeting where local politicians were shouted at and chased out of the community centre hall on Thursday night.

Residents walked through the town with their children to demand the government drops its plan to use the army camp for male migrants.

Refugee status will become temporary and subject to regular review, with refugees removed as soon as their home countries are deemed safe.

There will be a 20-year wait to apply for permanent settlement and the right to support, including housing and weekly allowances, will be revoked.

But Kim Bailey, Chair of Crowborough Shield - a grassroots organisation which has challenged the Home Office - said proposed changes to asylum laws will not change anything in her town.

'20 years sounds reasonable, but it won't make any difference to our current situation,' she said.

Protesters in Crowborough, East Sussex, hold placards and march through the town centre this morning over plans to house 600 male asylum seekers at Crowborough Training Camp

The protest in Crowborough forms a huge line alongside traffic in the town

Around 2,000 people are understood to have joined the march earlier today

A sign held up at the protest reads '600 unnamed individuals, single men, free to roam'

An aerial view of the military training base in East Sussex, where male asylum seekers are set to be housed

A sign at today's demonstration reads 'protect the elderly' as some fear for their safety amid the plans

'It won't make any difference to what happens here.'

Crowborough Shield has so far raised more than 12,000 to fund legal action.

'I'm in constant contact with out legal team and I'm confident we can get it stopped,' Ms Bailey said.

'The strength of feeling is just incredible. Their whole plan is wrong.'

The Home Office proposal would see the army camp on the edge of the East Sussex town become a holding area for 600 single men.

The barracks were previously used to accommodate Afghan families evacuated during the withdrawal from Kabul in 2021 before they were resettled elsewhere.

The camp itself has a proud history going back to the war, when it was used by Canadian forces preparing for D-Day.

Locals said they are installing panic alarms in their homes over safety fears.

'It's absurd what they are doing,' Ms Bailey said. 'Vulnerable men from war torn countries, to Crowborough?

'You have the police firearms training centre and a public shooting range right there.

'People with PTSD who will be hearing gunshots all the time will be triggered by it and they are going to try to escape that environment.

'These are unvetted men, we don't know who they are.'

Crowborough has a population of just over 20,000. It borders Ashdown Forest, home of Winnie the Pooh.

'This is a very rural area, surrounded by tree and forest,' Ms Bailey said.

Locals walk through the town with their children to demand the Labour government drops its plan to use the army camp for male asylum seekers

Kim Bailey, Chair of Crowborough Shield - a grassroots organisation which has challenged the Home Office - said proposed changes to asylum laws will not change anything in her town

Hundreds of protesters take to the streets today against plans to house asylum seekers on the edge of their town

Another sign at the protest reads 'Our children's freedom gone - so they can have theirs'

Union Jack flags were held up by furious locals at today's protest, attended by more than 2,000 people

Work has been underway to prepare the site for its new residents

A photo inside one of the rooms at Crowborough that is set to be occupied by asylum seekers

Protesters in Crowborough hold placards and march through the town centre this morning over plans to house 600 male asylum seekers at a nearby training camp

Around 2,000 people are understood to have joined the march earlier today

'If crimes were to happen, they are going to go unheard.

'The camp itself is not safe, locals believe. They are patching up and painting over the asbestos in the camp.

'These men are going to become a burden on the NHS and if they are deported, they are going to die a long, slow, horrible death from the asbestos.

'The key point is the Home Office has not done its due diligence on the site. The water system is a health hazard.

'This is all the stuff they do not want anyone to see.'

The Home Office has earmarked Crowborough as a site to house 600 men for 12 months.

'We do not believe them, we know full well it is not going to be for only 12 months,' Ms Bailey said.

'Why are they spending millions on it if it's only going to be there for 12 months?

'How can they justify spending all that money if it's only going to be used for 12 months.

'You can't get planning permission to build a house because of the environmental impact and they are going to move 600 men in? It's hypocrisy.'

Speakers at the rally, which followed the march, called for the community to stand together.

Ms Bailey told the crowd: 'This is our town. We are real people, we are just residents who have never done anything like this before.

'We need to stand together.

'Crowborough is setting the stage for what is to come.'

Kerrie Knight, a Pink Lady organiser from Kent, said: 'This is not about race or religion, this is about love.

'This is about risk and safety, this is about common sense.

'Something our leadership does not have.'

Another protest is planned for next weekend.

Local independent councillor Andrew Wilson said: 'We all need to come out every weekend until we can turn this thing around.'

NHS Sussex previously said it was working to meet the immediate health needs of the community. It is understood migrants would be registered with local GPs for specialist care but primary care would be provided on site or virtually, according to the BBC.

A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are furious at the level of illegal migrants and asylum hotels in this country.

'It is why work is underway to move asylum seekers into more suitable accommodation such as military bases, to ease pressure on communities across the country.

'Public safety remains our first priority. We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and the local community as we transition away from using hotels.'
Christians have been left infuriated after President Donald Trump discussed getting into heaven at a Mar-a-Lago wedding, only for the topic to be quickly dismissed.

The outrage arose from a seconds-long clip shared by Eric Metaxas, a conservative Christian author and speaker, showing a brief exchange he had with Trump at a wedding he crashed at the exclusive resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

'Last night, at my friend Mike Wilkersons wedding at Mar-a-Lago, the President showed up,' Metaxas, 62, wrote on X on Saturday.

Wilkerson, 48, is the founder of the Redemption Group Network, which assists churches in developing their ministries.

According to footage from Trump and Metaxas' exchange, the president greeted the bride and groom.

Keeping his gaze on the groom, Trump pointed to the Christian radio host and said: 'This is the guy who's going to get you to heaven.'

'I want to talk to him about getting to heaven,' Metaxas confidently replied while shaking the president's hand and pointing back at him.

While the rest of the conversation cannot be heard clearly in the video, Metaxas described what transpired in his divisive post.

Metaxas turned his attention to Trump, noting: 'Id really like to talk to you about that but another time.'

Trump greeted Eric Metaxas at the Friday wedding. During the exchange, Trump said that Metaxas would get him into heaven

President Donald Trump, pictured on Air Force One on his way to Mar-a-Lago on Friday, has been accused of dodging a discussion about the gospel

'Then I reminded him, Dont forget - youre Americas Supercentennial President,"' he continued.

The term Super Centennial refers to the fact that Trump will be president for the 250th anniversary of the US, which will be celebrated on July 4, 2026.

'Truthfully, I would love to have that conversation with [Trump] one day,' Metaxas went on, 'But this wasnt the place.'

While Metaxas noted that someone's wedding was not the appropriate place for an in-depth discussion about Christianity's message, devout critics begged to differ.

'I think any place is the appropriate place to share the gospel,' one X user reacted in disappointment.

The term 'the gospel' refers to the religion's overarching sentiment, while there are four religious holy texts in the New Testament called The Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

'Im sorry - did you just say you wanted to share the gospel with the president of the United States, but this wasnt the place? Are you for real, right now?' another asked.

'Imagine when you stand in front of Christ at the judgement and say this to Him.'

Another user sarcastically wrote: 'Yeah, a wedding reception is MUCH more important than his salvation. It'll keep.'

'Hes actually heard the gospel 100 times. I fear he has chosen to reject the truth!' someone wrote of Trump.

Metaxas, left, has been a vocal supporter of Trump, right, and now serves on the Religious Liberty Commission

The exchange caused outrage among Christians online

Other users reacted to Trump saying that Metaxas is going to get him into heaven. One wrote: 'Jesus is the only one who can get you to heaven.'

Trump, who was raised in the Presbyterian faith but declared in 2020 that he considers himself a nondenominational Christian, told reporters last month that he may never walk through the gates of heaven.

On board Air Force One in October, Trump addressed comments he had made in August about his efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

He said he was motivated to arrange such a deal so he could end up in heaven in his afterlife.

'I'm being a little cute,' Trump said, referencing his previous comments. 'I don't think there's anything going to get me in heaven.

'I really don't. I think I'm not maybe heaven-bound. I may be in heaven right now as we fly on Air Force One.'

Metaxas has been a vocal proponent of Trump and the MAGA movement in recent years.

In May, Trump announced the creation of a new Religious Liberty Commission, and Metaxas serves as one of its members.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Metaxas and the White House for comment.
Chelsee Healey is seen with boyfriend Eddie Rainford for the first time since he was released from prison after being sent down for two years


MAGA loyalists want Marjorie Taylor Greene's boyfriend stripped of his White House press pass as the Republican renegade goes to war with Donald Trump.

Brian Glenn, chief WH correspondent for pro-Trump outlet Real America's Voice, was dragged into the MAGA meltdown for declaring his love for his girlfriend online.

'I love this woman. I love this country. God bless America,' he wrote on Saturday night with four loved-up photos of the couple together.

That was enough for self-appointed loyalty enforcer Laura Loomer to declare: 'Nobody cares, simp! Trump should revoke your White House press pass!'

Greene frequently criticized the president on everything from Jeffrey Epstein to tariffs and foreign policy in recent months until it came to a head on Friday.

Trump blasted her as a 'traitor', 'wacky', 'ranting lunatic', 'Lightweight Congresswoman,' and a 'disgrace' to the Republican Party.

'I am withdrawing my support and endorsement of "Congresswoman" Marjorie Taylor Greene, of the great state of Georgia,' he wrote in an extraordinary social media rant.

Greene responded by going scorched earth on Trump for 20 minutes in a CNN interview on Sunday morning.

Brian Glenn, chief WH correspondent for pro-Trump outfit Real America's Voice, was dragged into the MAGA meltdown for declaring his love for his girlfriend online

Donald Trump posing with Greene and Glenn at a fundraiser

Trump diehards like Loomer appear to be going after anyone even vaguely supporting Greene after Trump excommunicated her.

Glenn returned fire on Loomer by replying 'Shut up b***h' with a laughing emoji, an apparent reference to her telling Greene to do the same thing.

Loomer continued their budding feud with: 'Oh no MTG's boyfriend who cheated on his wife to be with an ape is calling me a b***h. How will I ever recover?'

Who the 'ape' Loomer was referring to was not specified, but the Daily Mail caught Greene and Glenn together in 2022 while they were still married.

Glenn left his then-wife Kerry just three days after Greene's then-husband Perry filed for divorce in September 2022.

He insisted at the time they were not an item and the two divorce filings were not connected, but by early 2023 they were openly dating.

Glenn has been a huge Trump fan since the beginning and was one of numerous far-right niche outlets, bloggers, and social media provocateurs added to the White House press pool after Trump was sworn in.

'Were witnessing the greatest political movement in US history. All in,' he wrote last year next to a photo of himself with Greene, Trump, and JD Vance.

Trump's self-appointed loyalty enforcer Laura Loomer (pictured) told Glenn: 'Nobody cares, simp! Trump should revoke your White House press pass!'

'I love this woman. I love this country. God bless America,' he wrote on Saturday night with four photos of the couple together

Another of the four loved-up photos Glenn posted on Saturday in support of Greene

Trump diehards like Loomer appear to be going after anyone even vaguely supporting Greene after Trump excommunicated her, including Glenn

Other than being Greene's boyfriend, Glenn is best known for asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky why he wasn't wearing a suit during the notorious Oval Office meeting in February.

The question kicked off a furious exchange that contributed to Zelensky storming out of the White House complaining he was ambushed by Trump.

Glenn alluded to the clothing debacle when Zelensky returned to the White House in August.

'President Zelensky, you look fabulous in that suit,' he said, prompting Trump to laugh.

Then in March, Glenn asked Trump about his 'perfect health' with a softball question that continues to be mocked to this day.

'How do you stay so healthy? How do you stay so energized?' he asked.

Trump poked fun at Glenn at a press event in July about how outspoken his girlfriend was.

Greene responded to Trump's denunciation by going scorched earth on Trump for 20 minutes in a CNN interview on Sunday morning

Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene's cataclysmic break-up has ignited a powder keg inside MAGA

In February, when Zelensky traveled to the White House, he did not wear a suit, something Glenn asked the leader about at the time

Walking with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the president introduced the pair to Glenn.

'Hi Brian,' Trump greets the reporter. 'This is the boyfriend, very lucky, of Marjorie Taylor Greene,' the president told Noem and DeSantis.

'Do you think its easy being with Marjorie?' Trump asked DeSantis with a smile.

Noem responded by noting a video of MTG doing a crossfit workout with her daughter. 'She was working out pretty hard this weekend,' she told Glenn before following the president into another room.

'Im not going to answer that kidding!!' Glenn later wrote in response to Trump's question.
Marjorie Taylor Greene launched a fierce tirade against President Donald Trump and accused him of betraying the American people on Sunday morning.

The Georgia congresswoman and former MAGA loyalist joined CNN's State of the Union with host Dana Bash for the first time since Trump branded her a traitor over a series of public disagreements - including the release of the Epstein files.

As the chasm in the Republican Party grows deeper, Greene took the opportunity to scorn the president for welcoming Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa to the White House this week.

Trump laughed and joked with Al-Sharaa in the Oval Office - despite the fact the Muslim leader has long been sanctioned as a specially-designated global terrorist.

The Saudi-born leader joined al-Qaeda in Iraq just before the US invasion in 2003. He was captured by American forces and imprisoned for five years until 2011 - and there has been a $10 million bounty on his head since.

Greene referenced this on Sunday, saying that the President's actions were a disgrace and slap in the face to the thousands of veterans who have fought in the Middle East.

She attacked Trump for welcoming him into the White House on the 250-year anniversary of the Marines.

The Georgia congresswoman joined CNN's State of the Union for the first time since Trump brandished her a traitor over a series of public disagreements

Greene welcomes Trump to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in March 2025

In her latest attempt to call balls and strikes on Trump, Greene doubled down on the fact that she has disagreed with Trump, and that she is allowed to do that as someone who is not subservient to party leaders and big-dollar donors, but to her own constituents.

Speaking about Trump's meeting with Al-Sharaa specifically, she noted that it was 'very hurtful' that he 'honored the Syrian President, who is an al-Qaeda terrorist and was wanted by our government with a $10 million bounty up until March of this year.'

'I think that was very hurtful to the great men and women who served over in the Middle East and were sent there, and many of them that were killed and injured and live with PTSD to this day, from fighting al Qaeda,' Greene added.

Greene stopped short of calling herself more 'America First' than Trump when prompted to do so by Bash, but she did note that 'promoting H1B visas to replace American jobs, bringing in 600,000 Chinese students to replace American students... are not America first positions.'

The Georgia Congresswoman also added that she would 'love to see Air Force One be parked and stay home, and there be nothing but a constant focus in the White House on a domestic agenda that helps the American people once and for all.'

In the wide-ranging interview, which lasted about 20 minutes, Greene also doubled down on her push to release the Department of Justice's files relating to financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who was a known associate of top government, media, and business leaders both in the United States and the United Kingdom.

However, she maintained that nothing in the files would be damaging to Trump, per the female victims that she has spoken to and given a platform to share their stories.

'I stand with these women. I stand with rape victims, I stand with children who are in terrible sex abuse situations, and I stand with survivors of trafficking and those that are trapped in sex trafficking', Greene told Bash, adding that she would not apologize, and would also keep playing her 'small part' for the files to be released because 'rich and powerful people' should not be protected if they have done anything wrong.

Bash also questioned Greene's calls for politicians to tone down their rhetoric after the Congresswoman revealed that she has seen a significant uptick in threats after Trump branded her a 'traitor.'

Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) and Donald Trump at a campaign event in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024

US President Donald Trump (left) receives Syrian President Ahmad al Sharaa at the White House, in Washington, DC, United States of America, on November 10, 2025

US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks during a press conference and rally in support of the victims of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on September 3, 2025. US President Donald Trump said on November 14, 2025 that he was pulling his endorsement for key ally Marjorie Taylor Greene after a string of disagreements, calling the hard-right lawmaker a "ranting lunatic"

Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene during the 3rd round of the LIV Golf Invitational Series Bedminster on July 31, 2022 at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey

When asked specifically about her past associations with 'White Nationalist' Nick Fuentes - whose conference she spoke at in 2022 - Greene noted that she stands by everyone's free speech rights and thinks it is vital for journalists like Bash and Tucker Carlson to keep asking questions and move the public discourse along.

Greene also called the assassination of conservative activist, top Trump ally, and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk a wake-up call for the real-world impact that vile online rhetoric can have.

'I would like to say humbly, I'm sorry for taking part in the toxic politics it's, it's very bad for our country, and I've, it's been something I've thought about a lot, especially since Charlie Kirk was assassinated,' Greene told Bash.

'I'm only responsible for myself and my own words and actions,' she continued, adding that she has been working to 'put down the knives in politics' and focus on delivering solutions to problems plaguing Americans of all stripes.

'No matter what side of the aisle we're on, we have far more in common than we have differences, and we need to be able to respect each other with our disagreements,' Greene added.
A top BBC chief urged her staff to 'check in' with colleagues who work in news following the 'attacks' over the Donald Trump Panorama scandal.

Kate Phillips, a frontrunner to succeed Tim Davie as Director General, sent a gushing internal email to rally her 'incredible' troops last Friday.

The chief content officer sought to raise morale as Mr Trump threatened to sue the broadcaster for up to $5billion after it admitted doctoring footage of his speech.

In an email seen by the Mail, following the resignations of Mr Davie and CEO of News Deborah Turness, Ms Phillips wrote: 'Well, we got through the week.

'Thank you so much to everyone who's been in touch.

'Ive really appreciated your candour, and what has come through loud and clear is how passionately you care about the BBC and the work you do, but also the understandable upset and frustration at what has happened. I feel the same.'

BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips sought to boost morale praising 'incredible' staff after Tim Davie resignation

Donald Trump has threatened to sue for $5billion after BBC Panorama broadcast doctored footage of his speech

She picked up on Lisa Nandy's address to Parliament where the Culture Secretary 'highlighted the danger of sustained attacks against the BBC'.

'Of course were always utterly accountable, and concerns over editorial failings should always be raised,' Ms Phillips wrote.

'But that should be in the spirit of making the best public service broadcaster in the world even better.

'As Tim said on the all-staff call earlier this week, these times are difficult for all of us, but if we make the case for the BBC and focus on delivering for audiences we will get through them - and we will thrive.'

Ms Phillips praised the BBC as providing 'the best journalism in the world', adding: 'Our friends and colleagues in News are doing an extraordinary job - please take a moment to check in with those you know there.

'And if you still have questions, Id encourage you to keep talking to the senior leaders in your areas.'

Earlier in the week, Phillips had fired off an effusive email praising Mr Davie for his 'extraordinary service' saying: 'Ive not known anyone who has worked harder, under more pressure, and remained so resilient.'

Director General Tim Davie resigned over the scandal last week

In it, she also heaped endless praise on staff across the corporation - something she acknowledged in her latest missive on Friday.

'Finally, Im conscious I used the word incredible a lot in my last email (fired off fast because I wanted to reach out to you all asap),' she wrote.

'But thats because as a department I do think were bloody incredible, and Im incredibly proud to work alongside you all.'

Ms Phillips has been responsible for commissioning hit shows including The Traitors and Strictly Come Dancing and was promoted from director of unscripted to chief content officer last year.

Announcing the move, Mr Davie praised her for 'a fantastic record of delivering creative hits which embody the best of the BBC.'

The BBC's culture and media editor last week described Ms Phillips as 'the likely internal frontrunner' to take over as Director General.

Sir Keir Starmer is facing calls 'to stand up for Britain' and persuade Donald Trump not to sue the corporation for billions of pounds.

Sir Keir Starmer is scheduled to call Donald Trump and is under pressure to persuade the US President not to sue the BBC

On Friday night, the US President said he would seek up to $5billion (3.8billion) in damages over the broadcaster's misleading editing of one of his speeches.

The BBC has apologised but declined to pay him damages, setting the scene for a high-profile legal showdown.

Figures including Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, former BBC chairman Lord Patten, and former Tory Culture Secretary Sir John Whittingdale called on Sir Keir to prevent the affair going to court.

Mr Trump is expected to launch his lawsuit in Florida. The Panorama film which contained the edit appearing to show him inciting Capitol Hill protesters to violence on January 6, 2021, was not available in the US, but experts believe the case could still come before a jury, which is likely to be sympathetic to the President.

BBC chairman Samir Shah last week sent a personal letter to the White House to apologise for the editing, but this has not been enough to satisfy the President.

The BBC declined to comment.
Keir Starmer is braced for a crucial call with Donald Trump amid the president's $1billion standoff with the BBC.

The PM is having to walk a diplomatic tightrope after Mr Trump insisted he will make good on his threats to sue the corporation over the way Panorama edited a key speech.

He is expected to tell the president when they speak that the corporation needs to 'get its house in order', but voice backing for the institution.

It comes as former BBC Director General Lord Hall and shadow home secretary Chris Philp weighed in to say they did not want to see taxpayers' money handed to Mr Trump.

The row escalated further overnight after it was revealed the broadcaster commissioned a fierce critic of the US President to deliver its flagship annual lectures.

Dutch author Rutger Bregman used the high-profile events to draw parallels between Trump's America and the rise of fascism in the 1930s.

In one talk, entitled A Time Of Monsters and due to air next week, he likened Mr Trump, Nigel Farage and tech billionaires such as Elon Musk to fascists, according to one audience member. He is said to have used the term 'a bit fashy' to describe them.

The BBC's decision to invite Mr Bregman  who has previously described opposition to Mr Trump in the US as a fight between 'good and evil'  to deliver the showpiece Reith lectures will fuel ongoing accusations that the corporation has an institutional left-wing bias.

The White House last night branded Mr Bregman 'a rabid anti-Trump individual'.

The news comes after the President told reporters on board Air Force One that he was intending to sue the corporation for 'anywhere between $1billion (760million) and $5billion (3.8billion) probably sometime next week' over a Panorama episode that misleadingly edited one of his speeches.

By splicing together words he said as angry protesters descended on Capitol Hill, Washington, on January 6, 2021, the BBC gave the impression that he had made a direct call for violent action. It later emerged that Newsnight had made a similar edit in an episode from 2022.

The corporation has apologised to Mr Trump, but refused to pay him damages.

After The Mail on Sunday told the White House about Mr Bregman's lectures, communications director Steven Cheung said: 'The BBC has been caught red-handed doctoring President Trump's remarks on multiple occasions so it's no surprise that they have commissioned a rabid anti-Trump individual to deliver a lecture.'

Donald Trump (pictured) was supposedly likened to a fascist by a fierce critic of the US President during a flagship BBC lecture

And Mr Farage said: 'The BBC is diseased and needs radical surgery at every level, including the removal of the licence fee.'

Tory culture spokesman Nigel Huddleston added: 'This is yet more evidence of the left-wing bias of the BBC. They just can't help themselves'.

Mr Philp told Times Radio today that the BBC 'got this totally wrong'.

'It's obviously up to Donald Trump whether he wants to take legal action or not, but even though the BBC made terrible mistakes I do not want to see our licence payers' hard-earned money being sent across the Atlantic.

'So, I think the BBC got this wrong but I don't want to see us coughing up licensed payers' money on the back of it.'

Lord Hall told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: 'I don't think we should agree to any money being paid to Donald Trump.

'You're talking about licence fee payers' money, you're talking about public money. It would not be appropriate.'

The crisis has already led to the resignation of BBC director-general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness. Sir Keir Starmer is due to discuss the issue with the President in a call this weekend.

Mr Bregman's series of talks, collectively titled Moral Revolution, were recorded in London, Liverpool, Edinburgh and the US last month and are due to air on Radio 4 from November 25.

The tone of his anti-populist diatribe has led some senior BBC figures to discuss whether the Trump references should be edited out before it is broadcast to avoid renewed fury from the White House.

A member of the 500-strong audience at the Time Of Monsters lecture in London told The Mail on Sunday that 'it was made very clear that Trump was one of the monsters of the title'.

In that first lecture, Mr Bregman was cheered when he said that the world was on the cusp of neo-fascism and likened Trumpian politics to the anti-democratic forces at play in the 1930s.

The audience member said: 'He basically lumped together Trump with Farage and the tech billionaires as a bit 'fashy'. He said that to combat this we needed a moral campaign on a par with that which abolished slavery.'

During the lectures, Mr Bregman thanked the team behind the event for helping him with the text. Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya has called the talks 'a provocation', saying Mr Bregman tells how 'we are in an age of crisis, but offering hope about where we could go'.

Dutch author Rutger Bregman (pictured) used the high-profile events to draw parallels between Trump's America and the rise of fascism in the 1930s

Privileged place on the world stage When the BBC's Reith Lectures were first delivered in 1948, they represented one of the most prestigious intellectual platforms in British public life. Named after the BBC's founding director-general Lord John Reith, right, the talks were intended to 'stimulate thought and contribute to knowledge'  and uphold Lord Reith's belief that broadcasting should enrich the nation. Every year, in this spirit, a leading figure is invited to deliver a series of lectures on contemporary  and lofty  issues which are broadcast on Radio 4 and the World Service. It is considered a huge honour to be invited. Previous lecturers include philosopher Bertrand Russell, who gave the first lectures, and physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer who spoke on quantum theory. More recently, Wolf Hall author Dame Hilary Mantel spoke in 2017 about history. The speakers propose their own themes in consultation with the BBC. Some lectures have been controversial, with accusations of 'dumbing down', lacking intellectual rigour or being 'superficial'. But this year's talks look set to be the most controversial yet. Advertisement

Mr Bregman follows in the footsteps of philosopher Bertrand Russell, physicist Stephen Hawking and Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the nuclear bomb, in delivering the lectures, which began in 1948 in honour of Lord Reith, the BBC's first director-general.

Mr Bregman expanded on his themes over a post-lecture dinner for guests personally invited by Mr Davie in the council chamber in Broadcasting House.

Under the gaze of a portrait of Lord Reith, the guests, including Radio 4 executive Eleanor Garland and David Olusoga, the BBC historian and Celebrity Traitor, dined on venison carpaccio and herb-crusted lamb rump as Mr Bregman talked about the need to organise a 'resistance movement against populism'.

In a Channel 4 interview earlier this year, Mr Bregman said: 'We have seen democracies break down before and we need people to take a stand against that...

'Europeans don't realise how bad the situation is [in the US].

'We are talking about the real chance of an authoritarian breakthrough in the next couple of years.

'This is not normal politics any more. This is not Left versus Right, this is good versus evil.'

Mr Bregman did not respond to a request for comment tonight, while the BBC would not comment beyond confirming the Radio 4 broadcast date.

However a BBC source said: 'The Reith Lectures have a long tradition of showcasing leading thinkers from across the political spectrum.

'The views expressed are always those of the speaker, not the BBC, and they are discussed and challenged after the lecture.'

The Guardian posterboy who doesn't believe in borders

By Glen Owen

Rutger Bregman is a 37-year-old Dutch vegan whose books include Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World.

Beloved by The Guardian  which described him as the 'Dutch wunderkind of new ideas'  he was educated at the universities of Utrecht and California and now lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, the photographer Maartje ter Horst, and their two children.

In an interview with the Montreal newspaper Le Devoir, Mr Bregman argued that 'to move forward, a society needs dreams, not nightmares. Yet people are caught in the logic of fear.

'Whether it is Trump, Brexit or...elections in Germany, they vote against the future and instead for solutions to replace it, believing the past was better based on a thoroughly mistaken view of the world...'

He also believes in the 'three core ideas' of a universal basic income paid to everybody whether they work or not, a short working week of 15 hours, and 'open borders worldwide with the free exchange of citizens between all nations'.

In his book Moral Ambition, published earlier this year, he challenged 'conventional career success metrics' such as high salaries and prestigious titles in favour of addressing pressing global issues like climate change and inequality'.

He set out his political philosophy in an interview with Channel 4's Matt Frei six months ago, in which he was described as a 'progressive historian famous for taking on the Davos billionaires' and 'wonderfully dangerous'.

When asked by Mr Frei why voters regarded Donald Trump as the answer to their problems, Mr Bregman  the founder of a 'school for moral ambition'  framed it as a mindset in which 'people who come in to your country are coming to take things away from you'.

He said: 'I live in New York. Europeans don't realise how bad the situation is.'

During an interview with Fox News's Tucker Carlson, Mr Bregman told the anchorman that he and other presenters on the Rupert Murdoch-owned channel were 'millionaires paid by billionaires' who wanted him to 'scapegoat immigrants instead of talking about tax avoidance'.

Mr Carlson responded by calling him a 'moron' and telling him to 'go f*** [himself]'.
The search for a missing UK Navy crew member off the north-west coast of Ireland has ended and they have not been found, the Ministry of Defence has said.

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Tidesurge crew member was last seen at about 10.30pm on Friday.

A large-scale multi-agency search has been taking place in the sea off the north-west coast between Tory Island, Co Donegal, and Eagle Island, Co Mayo.

No further details have been released about the crew member and their family has requested privacy.

On Sunday Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'After an extensive search, it is with deep sadness that we confirm the missing crew member of RFA Tidesurge has not been found.

'My thoughts are with their family during this tragic time, as well as their fellow crew members.

'I am hugely grateful to the Irish authorities, the RNLI, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy who have responded rapidly to this incident and have worked tirelessly on the search.'

The Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Tidesurge crew member was last seen at about 10.30pm on Friday. Pictured the RFA Tidesurge A138 the Third of Class of the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) Tankers in Plymouth

On Sunday Defence Secretary John Healey said: 'After an extensive search, it is with deep sadness that we confirm the missing crew member of RFA Tidesurge has not been found'

The Irish Coast Guard received a distress call from a UK naval support vessel before 9am on Saturday.

A search and rescue operation was launched immediately after the serviceperson was declared missing.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'After an extensive search for a missing crew member of a Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) ship's company, the individual has not been found, and the search has now ended.

'The individual's family have been informed, and an investigation is now under way into the incident. No other individuals have been harmed or reported missing.'

The Irish Coast Guard, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, RNLI and Irish authorities were involved in the search, which was co-ordinated by the the Irish Coast Guard maritime rescue sub centre at Malin.

The search from the air was carried out by the Coast Guard's fixed-wing plane Rescue 120F, based in Shannon airport; Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118, based in Sligo; and the Irish Air Corps plane, CASA 284, Ireland's Department of Transport previously said.

There was also a search co-ordinated at sea by the UK naval support vessel and three RNLI all weather lifeboats based at Ballyglass, Arranmore Island and Lough Swilly, it added.
A Russian woman has gone viral after an extraordinary fightback against two thieves who tried to swipe her phone before attempting to speed off on a motorbike.

The 33-year-old female tourist, Alexandra Doketova, bravely pulled one of the yobs off the vehicle in Buenos Aires before onlookers stopped to assist her.

Police arrested the man and his accomplice was detained hours later in the Argentine capital, local media reported. Ten mobile phones were found in the suspects homes.

Click the video above to watch the incident in full.
SYDNEY, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Nine people have been hospitalized after they were injured when a vehicle crashed through a fence during a race event north of Sydney on Saturday night.

Police in the state of New South Wales (NSW) said in a statement that the vehicle was competing in a race when it crashed through a fence and hit a grandstand in the small town of Walcha, 320 km north of Sydney, at around 6:15 p.m. on Saturday.

Spectators rendered assistance until ambulance paramedics arrived and transported seven men and two women, all aged between 20 and 75, to a nearby hospital.

Of those nine people, a 54-year-old man was critically injured and three others were seriously injured and were transferred to major hospitals overnight.

NSW Police said that officers attending the scene were told that the 27-year-old male driver of the vehicle was involved in an on-track collision immediately before crashing through the fence.

Specialist officers from the crash investigation unit were deployed to Walcha to examine the scene. 
New Jersey police are urgently searching for a suspect after two people - including a child - were killed in a shooting that left three others injured.

A 21-year-old woman and a 10-year-old boy were fatally shot in Newark around 7 pm on Saturday, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office.

An 11-year-old boy and two men, aged 19 and 60, were injured amid the chaos but are in stable condition.

Investigators have offered a $10,000 reward to community members for information leading to the arrest of the culprit, according to NJ.com.

Police roped off the dreadful scene after the devastation unfolded in the primarily residential area of the city.

The gun violence occurred in the vicinity of Chancellor Avenue and Leslie Street, near a liquor store, a nail salon, a laundromat and a storefront mosque.

There were at least 17 evidence markers spotted as investigators probed the area, ABC 7 reported.

In the aftermath, witnesses recalled the horrors that transpired just moments before.

Police roped off the dreadful scene after the devastation unfolded in the primarily residential area of the city

Police were seen in the area blocked off in the city after the shooting unfolded

'It was a lot of screaming,' one woman told NJ.com. When asked about how many bullets rang, she said: 'It was a lot. More than six.'

Bystanders dove for cover and ran in fear for their lives as the active shooter attacked.

Governor Phil Murphy addressed the harrowing incident on social media last night: 'Please pray for the victims and their families.'

'We will not rest until there is justice for the parents and families left behind in unspeakable pain and grief,' Newark Mayor Raw Baraka wrote in a statement.

'Newark will work tirelessly with the prosecutors office, state law enforcement and federal agencies to ensure justice is served. We urge the killer to turn himself in, as there is no safe place to hide.'

Investigators have not yet unveiled what led up to the fatal event.

There have been 33 reports of shooting incidents in the area, which falls under the jurisdiction of Precinct 5, this year, according to Newark Police data. The number of shootings has decreased each year since 2022.

The shooting occurred near storefronts of a mainly residential area in Newark

Baraka noted that Saturday was 'a dark and devastating day' not only due to the shooting, but because of a toddler plunging to his death from an apartment window that morning.

The small child fell from a high-rise apartment building's 20th floor at around 7 am. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office for comment.
A congressman photographed looking at scantily clad women on a plane claims Elon Musk's social media site X served up the images as he scrolled his feed.

Brad Sherman, 71, was snapped ogling the photos on his tablet while bored on a flight between DC and his home state of California last week.

'Why did California Congressman Brad Sherman feel it was appropriate to look at porn on his iPad during a flight today?' an X user who posted the photos wrote.

'His district deserves better representation than this!!'

X is one of very few social media platforms that allows users to post pornography, but none of the photos depicted any nudity.

Sherman blamed the X algorithm - and by extension its owner Musk - for shoving the lingerie models in his face as he browsed.

'This was nothing more than scrolling through X - and unfortunately Elon Musk has ruined the Twitter algorithm to give people content that they don't ask for or subscribe to,' he said in a statement.

'Ninety-nine percent of the things I see on Twitter involve absolutely no risque content; I often see offensive antisemitic and conspiracy-theory posts.'

Pictures on social media revealed that congressman Brad Sherman had been caught looking 'at porn' mid-flight

The 71-year-old California Democrat blamed his mid-flight gaffe on social media algorithms

Sherman said he had not been viewing pornographic content and insisted he was on the 'For you' page on X

Sherman claimed the suggestive photos were on his 'for you' page, which shows content delivered by algorithm instead of accounts you subscribe to.

He is correct that this feature now shows 'content [users] didn't ask for' but, the algorithm is tuned to give you what it thinks you want. The more you interact with particular kinds of content, the more of that it puts on your feed.

Sherman in another interview elaborated on his statement to insist he was merely scrolling on his tablet and not purposefully viewing the content.

'If I see a picture of a woman, might I look at it longer than a sunset? Yeah,' he told Punchbowl News.

'I must've looked at more than 1000 posts.

'Is it pornography? I don't think Elon Musk thinks so.'

However, Sherman also recognized he should not have been looking at the risque photos.

'Is it appropriate? No,' he added.

Sherman, pictured alongside former US president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris, has been in Congress since 1997

Sherman, pictured next to California governor Gavin Newsom, represents the west coast state's 32nd congressional district

The California congressman's behavior even caught the attention of Donald Trump's inner circle, and were reposted by his son Donald Jr.

Republican congresswoman Nancy Mace compared the photos of Sherman to how she was accused of berating law enforcement at a South Carolina Airport as they escorted her to her gate last month.

She posted on X: 'I don't want to hear a single peep from anyone in/around Congress, or the media, [about] how I stroll through an airport ever again...'

In response to being called out for his inappropriate behavior, Sherman called for the Trump administration to 'release the Epstein Files.'

'Simply put - Donald Trump Jr, the White House and MAGA are trying to divert from releasing the Epstein files,' he said.

'Don Jr and the White House press office are pushing this story when there is no story. Shame on Don Jr, shame on the White House, shame on MAGA. They ought to join the bipartisan demands to release the Epstein files - now.'
Marines guarding the US Embassy in Haiti exchanged fire with gang members who have overrun the war-torn island's capital.

The Marine Corps revealed the brief gun battle began on Thursday when the criminals shot at the soldiers, who immediately returned fire.

No embassy personnel were injured and there were no reports of any of the attackers being killed or seriously wounded before they retreated.

Such a brazen attack on the fortified compound in Port-au-Prince highlighted the tense security situation in the Caribbean nation.

Marines at the embassy have been shot at on other occasions this year, but the Corps said this was the fiercest exchange of fire.

Gangs control 90 percent of Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, where they extort businesses and fight for territory, using heavy weaponry.

Marines guarding the US Embassy in Haiti (pictured) exchanged fire with gang members who have overrun the war-torn island's capital

Jimmy 'Barbecue' Cherizier is a former cop who now runs the country's most powerful gang

The streets of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince are littered with bodies after gangs took over

The US continues to operate an embassy in Haiti, but in recent years the State Department issued numerous warnings telling Americans not to travel there,

'Crimes involving firearms are common in Haiti. They include robbery, carjackings, sexual assault, and kidnappings for ransom,' the do not travel warning reads.

The United Nations estimates gang violence displaced more than 1.3 million Haitians from their homes in recent years.

Security in the nation of nearly 12 million people deteriorated rapidly since 2021, when President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home by mercenaries.

The president's murder created a power vacuum that politicians in the nation struggled to fill, and no elections have been held to replace Moise.

The United Nations Security Council voted in late September, to create a gang suppression force of about 5,500 troops that will be deployed to Haiti to fight the nation's heavily armed criminal groups.

A smaller force of police officers from Kenya has struggled to contain gangs, which killed 5,600 people last year.

Paramedics carry the body of a man who was killed by gang members in scenes witnesses say was reminiscent of a violent Hollywood movie
Sacramento's ambitious plan to address its severe homelessness crisis has long-faced bureaucratic roadblocks and pushback from locals, and a recent rebuke from the federal government could throw an even bigger wrench in the city's plans.

Since 2018, subsequent mayoral administrations have made big promises to implement a variety of temporary housing measures meant to help the city's 6,615 homeless individuals.

Around 60 percent of the city's homeless population was unsheltered as of 2024, according to the most recent Homelessness Point-In-Time Count by Sacramento Steps Forward.

Measures ranging from building 1,000 'tiny homes,' to building 20 new shelters across the city, to 'safe parking lots' for homeless people living out of their cars have been proposed.

All of those plans have only been partially implemented and have collectively cost the city millions of dollars.

Disagreements between local departments and agencies, as well as NIMBYism from residents and dangerous behavior from some of the homeless people, have forced delays, cancellations and early closures of sites that opened for just a few months.

One of the city's proposed plans for a safe parking lot at the Franklin Light Rail Station in south Sacramento is now on the chopping block as well after the federal government called it 'reprehensible' and 'dystopian.'

The plan outlined reserving about 20 percent of the station's parking lot for 60 to 80 registered vehicles that homeless people live out of. The site would also offer 24-hour security, portable restrooms and showers.

Since 2018, subsequent mayoral administrations have made big promises to implement a variety of temporary housing measures meant to help the city's homeless population

One of the city's proposed plans for a safe parking lot at the Franklin Light Rail Station in south Sacramento (pictured) is now on the chopping block after the federal government rebuked it

The plan outlined reserving about 20 percent of the station's parking lot for 60 to 80 registered vehicles that homeless people live out of. This aerial view shows the size of the rail station's parking lot

Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty has backed plans to address the city's homelessness crisis

The proposal was announced over the Summer, and it was always dependent on approval from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).

A spokesperson from the US Department of Transportation, which oversees the FTA, told the Sacramento Bee that it would not approve the request, calling it 'ridiculous' and slamming California Governor Gavin Newsom for designating 'commuter parking as a homeless encampment,' rather than addressing the cost of living.

The federal response to the plan sent a clear message to local officials that they had to pivot. Councilmember Caity Maple said the city must change its strategy and called it 'unfortunate' that the project was politicized.

Patrick Kennedy, a Sacramento County Board supervisor, said: 'I dont know that its going to be possible to change their mind based upon the outlandish language that was in their response.' Although he still said the site should be pursued through a formal application.

Locals have also been up in arms at the growing homelessness issue. One person wrote on social media: 'Oh joy, I was just driving around south sac today wondering why there is so few homeless sites.'

Another said of the new homeless camps: 'They should build these around the capital and more next to King Newsoms mansion in Napa.'

While a third added sarcastically: 'Just what we need. Lets attract more homeless.'

And another said: 'Oh good more ground going to be filled with p**s, s**t, and bio waste and drug paraphernalia. What a beautiful city we live in.'

Since 2019, there have been at least 20 safe parking sites proposed in Sacramento, but only three ever opened, and none remain operational.

The first site opened in 2021 at a city-owned garage. Less than two months later, the entire structure had to be shuttered after a homeless man started a fire that caused around $500,000 in damages.

One of Sacramento's failed homeless sites was this safe parking site that the city spent $617,000 fencing off and paving before the plan fell apart due to a disagreement between local officials and a local agency

The site eventually became Camp Resolution (pictured), which was a self-governing homeless encampment largely composed of disabled seniors. It was closed by the city in August 2024

Sacramento has a homeless population of 6,615 people, and around 60 percent of the city's homeless population was unsheltered as of 2024

City officials then spent about a year proposing new homeless sites. One of the more spectacular failures occurred when the city spent $617,000 to pave and fence off a site in North Sacramento before local officials and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board disagreed over how many cars would be allowed.

That site eventually became Camp Resolution, which was a self-governing homeless encampment largely composed of disabled seniors. Camp Resolution was closed in August 2024.

Other plans have only been partially implemented. In 2018, former Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg announced that he wanted to build 1,000 tiny homes.

Now, seven years later, the city offers 111 tiny homes in two shelters. City leaders, including current-mayor Kevin McCarty, continue to push for additional tiny homes at sites throughout the city.

Pushback against tiny home plans from nearby residents is a consistent struggle for officials. Local sentiments are made clear at community meetings between the two groups.

At one of those meetings this year, a resident said: 'When this community faces its challenges, how is it going to be addressed? Because often with people experiencing homelessness, if they don't have the right services, it bleeds out into the neighboring communities. So what is the plan to address any of this?'

NIMBYism and pushback from locals creates consistent struggles for Sacramento officials in a city where the homeless issue is even visible on the grounds of the State Capitol building

Although Sacramento's plans to address homelessness have faced myriad issues, the city's active efforts do seem to be having a positive impact. The total homeless population in 2024 was down 29 percent from a record high in 2022

Her statements were met with widespread applause from other concerned locals in the room.

Although the city's many plans to address homelessness have faced delays, cancellations and limited implementation, its active efforts do seem to be having a positive impact.

The total homeless population in 2024 was down 29 percent from 2022, when it was at a record high of 9,278 people. The total number of unsheltered homeless people was down 41 percent over the same period, dropping from 6,664 to 3,944.

In 2022, Sacramento's number of unsheltered homeless people was slightly higher than the total number of homeless people in the city today.
The nine-year-old boy whose mother slit his throat in their home in Italy with a large kitchen knife has been named and pictured for the first time.

Olena Stasiuk, a 55-year-old Ukrainian woman, cut the throat of her son, Giovanni, in their home in Muggia, Trieste province, earlier this week.

Cops stormed the home after being contacted by Giovanni's father, Paolo Trame, after he had lost contact with them.

Police officers found the boy's body on the bathroom floor, and took the woman into custody.

He is said to have been dead for several hours before police arrived.

Local media reported that she was being tracked by local courts and mental health services.

It was said to be one of the first times she and her son were left alone together following an eight-year battle over custody between Olena and Paolo. The couple separated in 2017.

Since little Giovanni's passing, it has emerged that he told a psychologist that he was wary of being in his mother's presence on his own.

Olena Stasiuk, a 55-year-old Ukrainian woman, cut the throat of her son, Giovanni (pictured), in their home in Muggia

Cops in Muggia, Trieste province, discovered the boy's body after they were contacted by his father (image of the Gulf of Trieste)

Though he reportedly told the psychologist, who was writing a report for a court amid the custody battle, that it was his dream for his mother and father to get back together, when asked about the possibility of being left alone with his mother, he said: 'I don't know if that's a good idea.'

'It was also revealed by local media that Paolo gave his son a smartwatch as a gift, to help him communicate in case of emergencies.'

The device was not used on the night of the young boy's death.

At a memorial service in Muggia, a tearful Paolo reportedly told the gathered mourners: 'That child was my whole life.'

One of Giovanni's friends, Pietro, is said to have left a note with a drawing of a sailboat 'because I knew you liked it so much'.

Another note, which was left by the father of one of Giovanni's friends, read: 'Thank you for being my son's friend. Forgive us for not saving you. Forgive us.'

Stasiuk is under investigation for aggravated voluntary manslaughter.

A local court is set to examine her mental health in depth with an expert to understand whether pre-trial detention is appropriate, due to the risk of her absconding.

For now, the Ukrainian mother is said to remain under guard at a local hospital.
Every now and then a Green MSP is allowed out unsupervised and, unaware of just how batty their partys policies are, happily blabs about one of them in all their lunatic detail.

This time it was Ariane Burgess, a list MSP for Highlands and Islands, who was attending a conference on land reform when she volunteered her views. Turns out shes not for reforming the land so much as the folk who live on it.

The Highlands and Islands, she says, needs mass immigration and multiculturalism to fight climate change. If this sounds bizarre, believe me, it gets worse.

Burgess told the event in Perth: If there arent any people in the straths and the glens, were not going to be tackling climate change  we absolutely need people in our rural communities.'

Where to begin?

There ARE people in rural and island Scotland, and public policy should be geared towards helping them to thrive there.

Attracting more means building infrastructure  houses, roads, energy and digital networks  developments to which Greens arent always well disposed.

As for remedial action on climate change, Burgess has got this the wrong way around. Policy is meant to be designed with practicality in mind. If the only way a policy will work is through massive population upheaval, its the policy that must change, not the population.

Green MSP Ariane Burgess claimed the Highlands and Islands needs mass immigration and multiculturalism to fight climate change

Whats more, telling the public that tackling climate change requires their communities to be altered beyond recognition is the surest way to collapse support for climate mitigation measures.

Who needs a fossil fuels lobby when youve got Greens like Ariane Burgess?

She went on to say: I go round my region and I think, Are people in the Highlands and Islands ready for a multicultural Highlands and Islands?  because thats absolutely what we need.

Im not a political consultant but I suspect they advise against musing publicly that you know whats best for your region and that the voters, though likely to disagree, will just have to live with it.

More curious, still, is Burgesss assertion that Highlands and Islands absolutely must become multicultural. Why?

Lets imagine for a moment that her solution were to become policy. It would certainly mean people from a panoply of cultures coming to live in the region, but it doesnt follow that their cultures must come with them and be accepted as part of Highland and Island life.

Consider other migration-dependent countries. Singapore, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have some of the highest levels of immigration in the world, with migrants making up anything from 43 per cent of the population (Singapore) to 88 per cent (the UAE).

These countries are among the wealthiest around and in large part because of foreign-born workers. They are incontrovertible immigration success stories.

So why are they never cited by pro-immigrationists in the West?

Because they are not multicultural in the sense that we would understand that term. Migrants are welcome in Kuwait but they are welcome on Kuwaiti terms, expected (compelled) to abide not only by the nations laws but by its culture and customs.

There are discreet accommodations, areas of greater latitude here and there, but the state does not celebrate migrants origin cultures, it does not place them on an equal footing with the national culture, and there is no doubt about its preference for Kuwaiti people and a clearly defined culture to which migrants must assimilate and which it is all but impossible for them to influence or change.

One reason is that obtaining Kuwaiti citizenship via migration is a daunting feat that requires, among other things, converting to Islam and renouncing your native citizenship.

Im not suggesting that we adopt Kuwaits policies on immigration or anything else. Im merely pointing out that multiculturalism is a choice and one made by progressive politicians who consider a single, unifying culture terribly gauche and problematic and prefer diversity not for reasons of efficacy but because it is a high-status opinion.

Burgess continued: Theyre going to come because they can no longer live where they grew up because of climate change, because of wars.

Scotland needs some level of immigration but when people come here, it must be primarily in Scotlands interests. This is a country, not a soup kitchen. Maximising our prosperity must take priority over giving refuge to the world.

At this point, she just came out with it: So we need to be welcoming and embrace people and actually many of those people possibly have more of the earth and the skills in their bodies and their bones and possibly know how to work the land better than we do  maybe not specifically to our climate, but they could have a lot to bring and enrich Scottish culture.

I had to read that sentence a half-dozen times to be sure I wasnt hallucinating. Here is an MSP appearing to suggest that certain demographics have a physiological predisposition to land work. That, as a result, we should effectively import a labouring class to do our sweating and toiling for us.

Burgess is not the first person Ive heard make this argument, but she is the first not to own a tobacco plantation in Virginia. Theres no reactionary like a progressive.

Just imagine it. Youve flown across a hemisphere in search of a better life, hoping to put your advanced degree in genomic medicine to good use, only to be greeted off the plane by Ariane Burgess holding out a hoe and a sun hat.

No less offensive is the implication that foreigners are superior to the natives at working the land. The rural north of Scotland is a region famously devoid of any agricultural history. Ariane Burgess probably thinks the Highland Clearances were a Black Friday sale.

Scotland faces a demographic crisis. Last year, births, at under 46,000, were at their lowest since records began in the mid-19th century. The collapse in fertility after the post-war baby boom has doomed this country to an impossible quandary: somehow encourage Scots to return to having larger families or accept unprecedented levels of immigration.

Burgess puts a figure of one million on this and its the only remark in her Perth speech that I wouldnt rush to quibble with.

But this calls for considered policies and careful engagement with the public, not for MSPs to exploit the problem as a chance to advance their ideological project to radically re-shape Scottish society and culture.

In speaking about this in the manner she has, as though mass immigration and the cultural change that would accompany it are a fait accompli, Burgess feeds the sort of frustration and anger that we have already seen spill out onto the streets down south.

These are incendiary subjects and should be addressed with calm and caution.

Thats too much to ask for from the Greens. They are preening ideologues who believe in breaking things for the sake of it. They can stick that green saltire in their party logo all they like.

The truth is they dont much like this country and want to smash it to bits, every tradition and custom left in pieces, whether through mass immigration, multiculturalism, land reform, or gender ideology.

Ariane Burgess wont be the only Green who thinks like this. Shes just the one foolish enough to admit it.
The BBC has insisted Donald Trump can't sue for $5billion as its misleading Panorama edit did not air in the US.

Director-General Tim Davie dramatically resigned last week alongside CEO of News Deborah Turness following criticism of a 12-second doctored version of one of the President's speeches.

Lawyers for the broadcaster have now submitted a response to Mr Trump's legal threat, claiming he has no case.

The BBC said it was ready to apologise to the President after admitting an 'error of judgment'.

But the corporation has since stated the documentary, Trump, a Second Chance?, which aired in the run-up to the Presidential election, did not show in the US because the BBC had no rights to broadcast it, The Times reports.

US audiences were also unable to watch via iPlayer because the programme was 'geo-blocked' by the broadcaster.

The documentary suggested Mr Trump had made a 'direct call for violent action' as two separate sections of his speech in the run-up to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, were spliced together in a 12-second clip.

BBC lawyers have argued Mr Trump could not have suffered 'overwhelming... reputation harm' - as he ended up winning the presidential election.

Donald Trump has threatened to sue for $5billion after BBC Panorama doctored footage of his speech

Director General Tim Davie resigned over the scandal last week

They added that the edit had not been done in malice and the clip was at odds with the rest of the hour-long programme, which sought to show the reasons the President's supporters had voted for him.

Mr Trump has said he will bring his claim in the state of Florida.

He doubled down this week on his threat to sue for 'corrupt' editing, after his lawyer initially wrote to the BBC with a $1billion claim.

A spokesman for the corporation said since the first threat, there had been 'no further contact from President Trump's lawyers at this point'.

They added: 'Our position remains the same.'

The BBC also said it had no plans to settle with Mr Trump - despite him having previously reached out of court agreements with US media outlets including Disney's ABC, Paramount's CBS, and Meta, the owner of Facebook.

On Saturday, Mr Trump promised in an interview with GB News to raise the issue with Keir Starmer.

He said: 'I think I have an obligation to do it - this was so egregious.'

On Saturday Mr Trump promised in an interview with GB News to raise the issue with Keir Starmer (file image)

Yesterday, it was revealed a top BBC chief had urged her staff to 'check in' with colleagues who work in news following the 'attacks' over the Panorama scandal.

Kate Phillips, a frontrunner to succeed Tim Davie as Director General, sent a gushing internal email to rally her 'incredible' troops last Friday.

The chief content officer sought to raise morale as Mr Trump threatened to sue the broadcaster for up to $5billion after it admitted doctoring footage of his speech.

In an email seen by the Mail, following the resignations of Mr Davie and Ms Turness, Ms Phillips wrote: 'Well, we got through the week.

'Thank you so much to everyone who's been in touch.

'Ive really appreciated your candour, and what has come through loud and clear is how passionately you care about the BBC and the work you do, but also the understandable upset and frustration at what has happened. I feel the same.'

She picked up on Lisa Nandy's address to Parliament where the Culture Secretary 'highlighted the danger of sustained attacks against the BBC'.

'Of course were always utterly accountable, and concerns over editorial failings should always be raised,' Ms Phillips wrote.

BBC chief content officer Kate Phillips sought to boost morale praising 'incredible' staff after Tim Davie's resignation

'But that should be in the spirit of making the best public service broadcaster in the world even better.

'As Tim said on the all-staff call earlier this week, these times are difficult for all of us, but if we make the case for the BBC and focus on delivering for audiences we will get through them - and we will thrive.'

Ms Phillips praised the BBC as providing 'the best journalism in the world', adding: 'Our friends and colleagues in News are doing an extraordinary job - please take a moment to check in with those you know there.

'And if you still have questions, Id encourage you to keep talking to the senior leaders in your areas.'
A father contacted the police when a school in London stopped letting students bring in mobile phones.

The state school, which has asked to remain anonymous, introduced the ban on smartphones in September last year, and said it hopes there will one day be a nationwide ban.

They say enforcing the ban independently is difficult, and have called for government-led restrictions.

One parent was so angered by the policy they contacted the authorities, and officers were subsequently sent to the school. The parent also reported the school to Ofsted.

Around 40 phones were confiscated in the first few weeks after the ban was introduced. Four were removed this year.

Speaking to The Times, the headteacher said: 'It would be so much easier if there were no phones in education. We need a government ban on smartphones.

'It's been really freeing not to have phones in schools.'

He added that pupils had arrived from primary school addicted to porn, or being subjected to bullying online.

As a result of the ban, the school has seen a 90 per cent reduction in child sexual exploitation safeguarding incidents.

The state school in London, which has asked to remain anonymous, introduced the ban on smartphones in September last year (stock image)

The school says enforcing the ban independently is difficult, and has called for government-led restrictions (stock image)

It comes after a teenager and a mother-of-three joined as claimants in legal action against the Government's refusal to ban smartphones in schools.

Flossie McShea, 17, and Katie Moore, 43, added their support to a claim for judicial review set up by two fathers in July of this year.

The legal challenge was launched by Will Orr-Ewing, 40, and Pete Montgomery, 45, who both have primary-aged children and are running local campaigns.

Earlier this week, Miss McShea, from Devon, said the Department for Education (DfE) failed to protect her and other children from online harms during the school day.

She said smartphones 'completely changed my life from Year 7 onwards', adding: 'I was exposed to pornography and violent videos, like beheading videos. I was sent a video of two young children who had found a gun and one of them accidentally shot the other one.

'I had to go home.

'If we didn't have phones in school, I wouldn't have been exposed to things that I would not want to be exposed to.'

Northampton mother Mrs Moore is also joining the claim after her daughter, now 18, told her she had been shown sexually explicit images in school changing rooms on phones.

She believes a complete statutory ban on phones at school is the only solution and said 'out of sight' policies for phone use in schools do not go far enough.

Ministers have claimed it is 'unnecessary' to impose a statutory ban because most schools already have restrictions in place voluntarily.

However, a survey by the Children's Commissioner found eight in ten secondaries allow pupils to bring phones in and one in ten allow unfettered use.

A teenager and a mother-of-three have joined as claimants in legal action against the Government's refusal to ban smartphones in schools (pictured: Flossie McShea)

Flossie McShea, 17, and Katie Moore (pictured), 43, have added their support to a claim for judicial review set up by two fathers earlier this year

More than 60,000 students in Barnet, north London, were affected by a new rule, which prohibited them from bringing their devices into the classroom from September (stock image)

It comes after Esther Ghey, mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, said locking mobile phones away in pouches at the start of the school day would create 'safer and more focused classrooms'.

She has campaigned against phones after discovering her transgender daughter's 15-year-old murderers had accessed violent content online.

She believes phone pouches in schools would have given Brianna 'a better chance in life'.

Such cases prompted a London council to become the first in the country to ban smartphones from all of its schools earlier this year.

More than 60,000 students in Barnet, north London, were affected by the rule, which prohibited them from bringing their devices into the classroom from September onwards.

In total, there are 103 primary schools and 23 secondary schools in the borough that have banned smartphones.

All the schools in the borough also sent letters to parents, recommending that they do not give their children smartphones until they are at least 14, and that social media use should be restricted until 16.

Barnet was the first council to include secondary schools in a phone ban. Meanwhile, Ealing, St Albans, Cambridgeshire, Petersfield and Hampshire all have prohibited phone use in primary schools.
Four plaques on the Falkland Islands that were unveiled by the disgraced ex-prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor have been removed following his fall from grace.

Andrew, who last month had all of his titles, styles, and honours removed by his brother King Charles over his connections with dead billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, had fought in the 1982 conflict with Argentina and returned to the archipelago to open the 300million RAF Mount Pleasant airbase three years later.

He unveiled a plaque in front of a cheering crowd of thousands, many of whom waved signs reading: 'British forever.'

But, according to the Mirror, officials have since removed the plaque. The UK's Ministry of Defence, which runs RAF Mount Pleasant, told the newspaper: 'Defence continues to act in line with His Majestys intent regarding the process to remove the style, titles and honours of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor'.

Other plaques on the British territory Andrew unveiled over the years have also been removed.

He was invited to the Infant Junior School in the capital, Stanley, where he opened several buildings in 2002.

But a representative this week said: 'The plaque has been taken down and the Duke of York is no longer connected to our school.'

Andrew also travelled to New Island to unveil a plaque for the Islands Falklands Conservation trust. But this has since been taken down, with a member of staff telling the Mirror: 'He was removed as patron and the plaque at the field centre has gone'.

Four plaques on the Falkland Islands that were unveiled by the disgraced ex-prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (pictured) have been removed following his fall from grace

And a tablet with his name on it at the King Edward Memorial Hospital, in Stanley, was taken down in 2022 after he reached an out-of-court settlement with accuser Virginia Giuffre.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Epstein had urged a business associate to meet up with the former Duke of York while in Davos as 'he's great fun'.

Mountbatten-Windsor was officially at Davos, where the annual gathering of global leaders was taking place at the World Economic Forum, to promote British interests when the email exchange between Epstein and Boris Nikolic took place in January 2010.

The email was sent to Nikolic, a former adviser to Bill Gates, just six months after Epstein was released from jail in Florida, having been convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution.

In the email, Epstein asks Nikolic if he's had 'any fun' at Davos so far, to which he replies: 'Different kind of fun... Met your friend Bill Clinton yesterday, followed up with [Nicholas] Sarkozy. Later in the day meeting your other friend Prince Andrew as he has some questions re Microsoft.'

The former Duke of York was in Davos in his capacity as UK special representative for international trade and investment at the time. He stepped down in 2011.

Epstein writes back: 'You can tell Andrew we are friends.'

When he is told by Nikolic that he does not 'need anything from him', Epstein responds: 'Yes you do. You need to laugh and have fun. He is good at that... He's great fun.'

Andrew had fought in the 1982 conflict with Argentina and returned to the archipelago to open the 300million RAF Mount Pleasant airbase three years later (file image of RAF Mount Pleasant's entrance sign)

Nikolic, who was named an executor of Epstein's will after he died in 2019, replied and said he had heard that Andrew 'is not that fun, but I trust your judgement'.

He added that 'it would be blast that you are here. I was just flirting with 22 years old hot blond blue eyes mexican chick.

'It turns out she is with her husband. Did not have chance to check him out. But as we concluded, anything good is rented.'

He added a winking face emoji to the end of his email.

And after meeting with Andrew, Nikolic reported back to Epstein, writing: 'He is great... I think I would trade Davos for a good fashion week. Much more fun.'
Nat Barr has confronted Sussan Ley over reports that a growing number of moderate Liberal MPs are withdrawing their support for her and instead backing conservative Andrew Hastie as the next leader.

'The sharks are circling,' Barr told Ley on Monday morning, while holding up the front page of The Australian newspaper.

'We've got a front page where Andrew Hastie is basically doing the numbers for his leadership tilt on the front page.

'We have Angus Taylor, doing a soft interview with News Corp over the weekend talking about what he learnt since he lost the leadership spill to you.

'Are you worried? Is your leadership terminal?'

Ley said she wasn't worried and was staying focused on her policies.

'I know you have to ask the questions. I'm not going to lose focus on the things that matter.

'I won't lose focus on the plan that I'm talking about right now which is about people. It's about Australians.

'It's about affordable energy as a priority. It's about looking after the next generation who right now are going to have a lower standard of living than their parents.

Nat Barr has confronted Sussan Ley over reports that a growing number of moderate Liberal MPs are withdrawing their support for her and instead backing Andrew Hastie as the next leader

Andrew Hastie is emerging as the man many inside the party now believe has the numbers to take over

'You know what when energy is unaffordable everything is unaffordable. We can see that in the economy.

'I'm not going to lose focus on the really important things that I'm going to be talking about every day.'

On Sunday, Daily Mail political editor Peter Van Onselen revealed a view among moderates - one of the two key factions of the party - that Ley's leadership is finished.

'The moderates have reached the point where they are prepared, in principle, to support a socially conservative former Andrew Hastie leader,' he said.

'They are ready to bypass conservative leader-in-waiting Angus Taylor, and end what they see as a period of drift and mismanagement under Ley.'

Key moderates have confirmed that if Hastie challenged Ley for the leadership, he would have their support if a spill were held.

'He just needs to bring his own conservative colleagues with him,' one moderate said.

Another added: 'Ley didn't dance with those who brought her so we are moving on.

'Even if it's Hastie, that's better than a leader that stands for nothing.'

A third said: 'We have reached a point where radical change is necessary.

'Hastie isn't my cup of tea, but he can have his go and if he's right our polls will improve.

Moderates say they're now more inclined to back Andrew Hastie over Angus Taylor (pictured) if it comes to a showdown

'But if he's wrong we need to reassess the decisions already made.'

The breaking point for the moderates has been the handling of net zero and the re-emergence of coal as the Coalition's preferred energy source.

Moderates are now seething that the joint Coalition plan contains no meaningful emissions cuts, arguing the Nationals' proposal from just two weeks ago was far more credible than Ley's.

Moderate Senator Anne Ruston claimed she never agreed to taxpayer underwriting for new coal plants.

This was slapped down by energy spokesman Dan Tehan, who insisted it was the position Liberal ministers had already signed off on last week.

Along with ditching net zero, the energy policy calls for keeping ageing coal-fired power stations running for as long as possible, lifting the ban on nuclear power, and scrapping a suite of Labor measures that Liberal MPs describe as 'sneaky carbon taxes'.

Despite internal feuding, former prime minister Tony Abbott, who signed Australia up to the Paris climate agreement in 2015 but urged later governments to leave the accord, said he was encouraged by the Liberals' approach.

'You should never put cutting emissions ahead of saving jobs, keeping industries and trying to make people's cost of living affordable,' he told Sky News.
Kaya Scodelario has found "real peace" since turning 30.

Kaya Scodelario enjoys the responsibilities of adulthood

The Skins actress explained that she has embraced adulthood since her milestone birthday in 2022 and is now comfortable in her own skin after finding fame as a teenager.

Speaking to Stylist magazine, Kaya said: "Since turning 30, I've really enjoyed being an adult.

"It's such a cliche but I've become OK with saying no to things, not needing to go out all the time, but prioritising what I want to do, feeling confident in my choices, in what I'm wearing or how I like my hair.

"I've found real peace, which I never felt before, because I was on show from the age of 14. I don't feel the need to compare myself to anyone else."

Kaya  who has two children with her ex-husband Benjamin Walker  explained that financial security for her family is one of her top priorities amid the uncertainty of the acting industry.

The 33-year-old star said: "Growing up with an immigrant parent (her mother is Brazilian), I always thought of success as making sure that, financially, everything's all right and we can get by to the next week. So I've always had that work ethic of making sure that I'm safe so that I can make my family safe and make my kids safe.

"To be successful creatively is difficult in an industry where we're not in charge of what projects we do and still need to pay the mortgage so I feel very grateful that in the last few years all the work I've put in means I can find success in little moments."

The Gentlemen star added: "I recently did a play for the first time, and I'd always had a big insecurity around not being formally trained and feeling as though that part of the industry wasn't open to me. Hardly anyone saw it and that's OK; it felt like a huge success to me."

Kaya shot to stardom with her role as Effy Stonem in the British TV series Skins and is amazed that the show is still so popular, almost two decades on from when it first aired.

She said: "That blows my mind. I can't believe people are still watching it 20 years later. It must feel so dated; we didn't have phones or social media  but maybe that's what people are relating to!

"I haven't watched it since then but the outfits must be a little bit cringe now..."
Rescuers search for victims in the rubble after a factory blast on the outskirts of Hyderabad in southern Pakistan's Sindh province, on Nov. 15, 2025. At least seven people were killed and seven others injured in a powerful explosion at a firecracker factory in southern Sindh province, officials said on Sunday. Authorities said the cause of the explosion was still under investigation. (Str/Xinhua)

ISLAMABAD, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and seven others injured in a powerful explosion at a firecracker factory in southern Sindh province, officials said on Sunday.

The blast occurred in Laghari Goth in Hyderabad district on Saturday evening, Hassan Ul Haseeb, spokesperson for Rescue 1122 Sindh, told Xinhua.

"The explosion triggered a massive fire that quickly engulfed the factory," Haseeb said.

Rescue teams recovered the bodies from the debris and shifted the injured to a local hospital. Three of the wounded were in critical condition.

Authorities said the cause of the explosion was still under investigation. 

Rescuers search for victims in the rubble after a factory blast on the outskirts of Hyderabad in southern Pakistan's Sindh province, on Nov. 15, 2025. At least seven people were killed and seven others injured in a powerful explosion at a firecracker factory in southern Sindh province, officials said on Sunday. Authorities said the cause of the explosion was still under investigation. (Str/Xinhua)

Rescuers search for victims in the rubble after a factory blast on the outskirts of Hyderabad in southern Pakistan's Sindh province, on Nov. 15, 2025. At least seven people were killed and seven others injured in a powerful explosion at a firecracker factory in southern Sindh province, officials said on Sunday. Authorities said the cause of the explosion was still under investigation. (Str/Xinhua)

Rescuers search for victims in the rubble after a factory blast on the outskirts of Hyderabad in southern Pakistan's Sindh province, on Nov. 15, 2025. At least seven people were killed and seven others injured in a powerful explosion at a firecracker factory in southern Sindh province, officials said on Sunday. Authorities said the cause of the explosion was still under investigation. (Str/Xinhua)

Rescuers search for victims in the rubble after a factory blast on the outskirts of Hyderabad in southern Pakistan's Sindh province, on Nov. 15, 2025. At least seven people were killed and seven others injured in a powerful explosion at a firecracker factory in southern Sindh province, officials said on Sunday. Authorities said the cause of the explosion was still under investigation. (Str/Xinhua)

Rescuers search for victims in the rubble after a factory blast on the outskirts of Hyderabad in southern Pakistan's Sindh province, on Nov. 15, 2025. At least seven people were killed and seven others injured in a powerful explosion at a firecracker factory in southern Sindh province, officials said on Sunday. Authorities said the cause of the explosion was still under investigation. (Str/Xinhua)
Indonesia has officially rolled out a new digital payment system designed to make life easier for foreign tourists.

Bank Indonesia has launched the Indonesia Tourist Travel Pack, a one-stop setup available on arrival at Bali's Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.

The pack gives visitors an Indonesian SIM card and instant access to a chip-based e-money wallet that connects directly to the country's QRIS cashless payment network.

The move is part of Indonesia's broader push toward a cashless economy, aiming to make everything from paying for hotel rooms and cafe bills to entering tourist attractions faster, simpler and more secure.

Officials say the overhaul will strengthen Indonesia's reputation as a tourist-friendly destination, while still recognising that cash continues to play an important role in daily life for locals and visitors.

More than 1.5 million Australians travelled to Bali last year, meaning the new system will affect a huge number of holidaymakers heading to the island.

'Ease of transactions is an important part of the tourist experience in Bali,' Bank Indonesia deputy governor Fillianingsh Hendarta said.

'These initiatives are aimed at strengthening Indonesia's position as a tourist-friendly country, and increasingly preparing for a cashless and digital tourism system.'

A new digital payment system has been rolled out for foreign tourists heading to Bali and other Indonesian hotspots

The initiative aims to strengthen Indonesia's position as a tourist-friendly country as it moves one step closer to becoming a cashless society. Pictured are tourists in Kuta

While cash remains an essential element of day-to-day life in Bali for locals and visitors, officials hope the initiative will open up opportunities for businesses to contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

A new digital payment system has now been rolled out for foreign tourists heading to Bali and other Indonesian hotspots.

'As a world-class tourist destination, ease of transactions is a crucial part of the tourist experience in Bali,' the national bank added in a statement.

'With the support of various parties, the experience of international tourists in Bali will be more convenient and practical.

'The hope is that they can easily conduct transactions, from paying for hotels, shopping, relaxing with coffee, to entering tourist destinations.'

A new information centre has been set up at Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport to help foreign arrivals make a smooth transition to cashless payments.

The move comes after Indonesia's finance ministry recently unveiled plans to redenominate the rupiah to improve economic efficiency and strengthen the currency's credibility.

The proposal to slash three zeros from the rupiah is expected to be finalised in 2027.

More than 1.5 million Aussies visited Bali in 2024.
A passenger has been arrested after a United Airlines flight from Dallas to Chicago was forced to make an emergency landing over an alleged bomb threat.

The plane was diverted to St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Missouri, at around 8.40am Sunday.

The man who was arrested reportedly 'said there was a bomb in his wife's luggage,' sources told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Bomb and arson teams were dispatched to the aircraft after it landed, and were still searching the plane more than two hours later, an official told the newspaper.

Passengers were evacuated and waited on the concourse, the airport's director Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge reportedly said.

A spokesperson from United Airlines told the Daily Mail that 'flight 380 from Dallas to Chicago landed safely in St. Louis to address a potential security concern.'

The airline noted that law enforcement searched and cleared the Boeing 737-700, which had been carrying 119 passengers and five crew members.

The flight took off again from St. Louis earlier this afternoon and has since landed in Chicago, the airline said.

The plane was diverted to Lambert St. Louis International Airport, Missouri , at around 8.40am Sunday morning

The plane was diverted to Lambert St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Missouri , at around 8.40am Sunday

The incident comes shortly after the recent bomb threat that occurred on a United flight from Houston to Washington DC on November 4.

All flights in and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) were halted, causing delays to ripple across the US.

The ground stop was lifted after 1pm ET and replaced with a ground delay, causing average waits of 51 minutes and delays of up to 151 minutes for some flights.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated online that the flight landed safely and a search was conducted of the aircraft.

Duffy mentioned that the Federal Aviation Administration was clear to resume operations and thanked the first responders on the scene.

Flight radar around DCA showed several planes circling the airport during the ground stop on November 4

Hours later, hundreds of passengers were rushed off a Delta flight in New York after a crew member reported a bomb threat on board - just hours after a similar scare in DC.

The plane bound from LaGuardia Airport to MinneapolisSaint Paul International on Tuesday evening was promptly evacuated due to a 'safety concern', the airline said at the time.

The incidents happened on the same day as Duffy issued a stark warning about the impact of the 44-day government shutdown on the airline industry.

Air traffic control staff did not receive their paychecks due to the shutdown, prompting absences and sparking safety fears at airports across the country.
A top budget airline has cut the number of flights to a major UK airport in an attempt to slash costs.

Wizz Air, the Budapest-based low-cost carrier, said that it was losing money on flights going from Gatwick Airport.

The airline's chief executive, Jozsef Varadi, said this was due to high operating fees and badly timed departure slots.

Instead, he said Wizz would be moving more of its flights to Luton, where there are lower business costs, according to the Telegraph.

He said: 'Gatwick is expensive and we have been operating an inferior set of slots there. We think that we can enhance financial performance by operating that capacity from Luton.'

Varadi added: 'Circumstances change and you have to take action. Whichever bases give you the most profitability, you should be biased toward them. That includes moving aircraft over from Gatwick to Luton.'

He said that Wizz would begin by moving a single aircraft to Luton, meaning 13 will operate from the north of London airport, while the Gatwick fleet would be reduced to seven.

With Gatwick operating at near-full capacity for a number of years, increased demand to travel from the airport has led to higher fees for airlines.

Wizz Air, the Budapest-based low-cost carrier, said that it was losing money on flights going from Gatwick Airport (file image of Gatwick Airport)

Wizz AIr CEO Jozsef Varadi (pictured) said more flights would be operated from Luton instead

Though a new 2.2billion runway is being worked on, made from an emergency landing strip, and will double passenger capacity, this won't be fully operational until the 2030s.

Despite this, Varadi said the airline had no plans to outright abandon Gatwick, instead saying: 'You have to churn your network for profit. We are simply more efficient financially in Luton.'

Last month, Wizz said it would soon be offering 'business class'-style tickets for passengers, selling premium features for an additional fee.

'Wizz Class' perks include the ability to block off the middle seat for more elbow space and leg room, priority boarding, a carry-on bag and space in the overhead bins.

The trial will be carried out in December on routes from London, Rome, Warsaw, Bucharest and Budapest, airline executive Michael Delehant said.

'In terms of fares, it's never going to be more than buying the cost of another seat,' he said at a press conference. 'It's not meant to be a money-grab.'

The ticket does not include any additional in-flight perks, such as exclusive or complimentary food and drink.

Silvia Mosquera, the commercial officer at Wizz Air, said they have launched this trial in response to the 'demand of Wizz travellers seeking more space, comfort and a quicker exit from the aircraft.'

'The roll-out of Wizz Class follows feedback from our growing number of business travellers who value low-cost travel options and prefer additional space during the flight,' she said.

She added that more benefits would be announced when the product is launched.
Throughout Prince William and Kate Middleton's fairytale courtship from 2001 to 2010, the pair often deliberately sought to keep a low profile.

While the couple had previously attended ten of their friends' weddings, they carefully snuck through the back door in a desperate bid to evade any public attention.

But in October 2010, this routine of privacy suddenly shifted - the young prince, then aged 28, was no longer hiding his university sweetheart from the world.

When the pair attended the wedding of close friends Harry Meade and Rosie Bradford in Gloucestershire, they walked arm-in-arm through the church's main door and wore beaming smiles in front of a sea of photographers.

Unbeknown to their fellow guests, just a few days earlier William had got down on one knee and asked Kate to marry him against a picturesque Kenyan backdrop.

A royal wedding was on the horizon, but it remained top-secret. Kate's dazzling ring, the late Princess Diana's 12-carat oval Ceylon blue sapphire, was being stored in a safe and even the couple's closest family members were unaware of their joyous news.

Yet for body language expert Judi James, signs of the couple's nuptial plans were abundantly clear - as William was seen 'performing a volley of truncated, camouflaging and barrier rituals to avoid advertising the fact that he's soppily in love'.

Meanwhile, for Kate, appearing at the event with her partner after a litany of secrecy was a great 'relief' - perhaps best illustrated by her 'dimpled smile of authentic delight'.

In October 2010, at the wedding of close friends Harry Meade and Rosie Bradford, Prince William and Kate Middleton wore beaming smiles and gazed into each other's eyes

Ms James explains: 'Her body language behaviours here suggest high levels of authentic happiness and enjoyment at finally being able to attend a wedding in the normal way, at the side of the man she loves, rather than being smuggled through the back door.'

And while the future Princess's body language may at times have been shielded as she spoke to fellow guests, the sound of her 'happy giggles and the reflected smiles from people around her' clearly indicated a 'sense of relief and joy'.

As royal biographer Katie Nicholls reveals in her book The Making Of A Royal Romance, the event marked the first time Kate had been seen in 104 days. And while her arrival with William was 'unusual', she exuded an impeccably 'new confidence'.

'Tanned from their recent holiday and walking side by side they looked content and it didn't seem to bother Kate that several of William's ex-girlfriends were in the congregation,' Ms Nicholl writes.

These former lovers included Rose Farquhar, with whom William had formed romantic relations during the summer after he left Eton, alongside his former lovers Jecca Craig and Olivia Hunt.

But in contrast to his confident partner, an incredibly loved-up William appeared to be visibly struggling not to let the news of their secret engagement slip.

Despite being born into a family that often maintains a visual stance detached from emotion, William's 'non-verbal instinct suppression techniques suggest that he is a very bad body language liar,' according to Ms James.

Describing the couple's decision to arrive at the event as a public pair as synonymous with a 'soft launch' of their upcoming nuptials, Ms James adds that while the prince may have hoped he could be 'nonchalant', this ultimately failed.

Kate appeared 'relieved' to be alongside William - illustrated by her 'dimpled smile of authentic delight', according to body language expert Judi James

When Kate and William first arrived at the venue, a spatial distance was apparent between the pair - with Ms James acknowledging that this may have been deliberately agreed beforehand to throw any onlookers off the scent

She explains: 'There are some clumsy attempts to literally hide his smile of excitement and delight with his hand or there are moments when he is just gazing into Kate's eyes and allowing everyone a glimpse of his facial feature-softening display that is known as the look of love.'

The significance of Kate and William's joint arrival was also acknowledged by the fellow guests, as Ms Nicholl notes, with one spectator describing it as 'very unusual and very significant'.

Meanwhile, the future Princess of Wales's outfit also turned heads as she donned a tailor-made blue dress designed by Daniella Helayel.

While Kate had often worn her jersey wrap dresses, this marked the first time Ms Helayel had designed a 'one-off couture frock' for the princess-to-be at a cost upwards of 1,000.

'It was a tell-tale sign that Kate was preparing herself for more future public engagements, and it just so happened that Issa had recently started designing bridalwear,' Ms Nicholl writes.

When Kate and William first arrived at the venue, a spatial distance was apparent between the pair - with Ms James acknowledging that this may have been deliberately agreed beforehand to throw any onlookers off the scent.

Despite being a Home Counties girl thrust into the limelight, Kate appeared to be the leading figure here.

The soon-to-be princess was seen donning a 'loving grin of excitement and reassurance' that is quickly mirrored by William, who holds his right hand to his mouth to conceal a smile.

The soon-to-be Princess was seen donning a 'loving grin of excitement and reassurance' that is quickly mirrored by William, who often tried to conceal a smile

Explaining how Kate sought to reassure a prince who was 'riddled with anxiety', Ms James adds: 'Kate's signals as they walk past the cameras seem to be aimed at offering some reassurance at her ability to cope as her direct, dimpled smile as they finally make direct eye contact and chat would show.'

But William, who Ms James describes as 'rather awkward-looking', had good reason to be nervous - asking Kate to marry him was asking for more than just a life-long commitment to him, but also a commitment of public duty for the Royal Family.

Yet amid a sense of great uncertainty and anxiety, there were also glimpses of a couple who were perhaps rather smug that they were the only keepers of such a groundbreaking secret.

Ms James notes that William frequently attempts to stop himself from grinning, at one point deliberately 'placing his finger to his nose in an attempt to mask the gleeful grin from the cameras'.

Meanwhile, Kate also has a 'radiant, almost bridal smile' and deliberately uses 'a series of large cut-offs' - pulling down her large hat while also flicking her hair in order to help detract attention away from her inner feelings of elation.

While the newly engaged couple made a bold statement by arriving at the event together, the pair evidently remain committed to avoid broadcasting their undeniable love and adoration for one another.

It is perhaps unsurprising that a wedding would be a challenging venue to suppress such loving feelings, with Ms James describing the event as synonymous with a 'petri dish for their emotions' given their intention to soon marry.

Yet, both William and Kate were giving it their best attempt - with William at one point seen 'stuffing his hand in his trouser pocket while his facial muscles fight to hide the look of love'.

Following Harry and Rosie's wedding ceremony, love was no doubt in the air for Kate and William who emerged from the church in deep conversation

'As they walk together their eyes finally meet and we can see William's expression melt into the look of love. Kate hides her response smile behind her brim but we can see that she makes him laugh.'

Remaining committed to the cause of appearing physically separate, Ms James describes the couple's attempts to avoid touching as 'heroic'.

She adds: 'Kate performs a finger-touch, light clasping gesture in front of her torso while William fiddles with a finger before stuffing his hand back into his pocket.'

But eventually, the pair appear to break - with Kate and William seen 'allowing their inner arms to hang close and touching' or 'brushing in a truncated gesture that suggests they would normally hold hands or link arms'.

Following Harry and Rosie's wedding ceremony, love was no doubt in the air for Kate and William, who emerged from the church in deep conversation.

As the couple walk alongside a close friend who was chatting happily to Kate, William made one final attempt to focus himself on the task at hand - 'touching the knot of his tie in a '"steeling himself" ritual,' Ms James explains.

Perhaps inspired by the loving nuptials they had just witnessed, when the pair finally get a moment alone, they are seen engaging in 'some longed-for eye contact and shared smiles'.

Against the backdrop of church bells, the two walked happily side by side and shared a moment of great laughter, appearing relaxed and content in each other's company.

The couple would announce their engagement just a few weeks later at St James's Palace

For Kate, who had long waited for her Prince Charming to pop the question, it marked a transformational moment as she was finally able to enjoy a 'look of loving and amused affection' with her beloved William in the public domain.

That night, as the couple enjoyed the celebrations at the wedding reception, several of their friends made humorous comments that it soon could be them walking down the aisle.

Kate was said to have 'smiled' and provided a clear diplomatic response: 'Maybe he'll get round to it someday', while William laughed the comments off.

At that moment, Kate and William were the only two in the world who knew the truth - they were already engaged to be married, with it now just a matter of time before the world heard the news.

What followed was a series of procedural arrangements and royal protocols - ensuring the permission of Kate's father, Michael, alongside the blessing of the late Queen, before their engagement could be confirmed.

The couple would announce their plans to marry just a few weeks later in front of the press at St James's Palace. It marked the start of the royal couple solidifying themselves as stable figures in the Firm and vital players in its evolution.

Following a fairytale wedding in April 2011, and now more than 15 years on, the royal power couple appear to be more loved-up than ever before, with their romance showing little signs of cooling.

But their public displays of affection (PDA) are no doubt traced back to the 2010 wedding held at that quaint Gloucestershire church - with Kate and William's secret engagement the final go-ahead for them to finally showcase their love for all to see.
The sisters were spotted having an emotionally charged chat on November 7

It was a remarkable sight, watching Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie's first joint appearance on the same day that their disgraced father Andrew Mountbatten Windsor officially became a commoner.

On November 7, the sisters, 37 and 35 respectively, appeared oblivious to onlookers as they gave each other a hug before exchanging what appeared to be words of consolation in the middle of a bustling street in London.

Not only would it have been considered an extraordinarily public interaction for a royal under normal circumstances, the timing of Beatrice and Eugenie's meeting in Mayfair left some fans questioning whether the photographs had been 'staged'.

However, forensic lip reader Nicola Hickling told the Daily Mail that 'it's rare something moves me quite so much' as she claimed the sisters made a promise to each other during their conversation.

Ms Hickling claimed Beatrice told her younger sister 'we're in this together, don't forget that' when they met near Green Park and Buckingham Palace.

The lip reader also claimed that Beatrice told her sister 'it's going to get harder' and 'we can't do anything' before Eugenie seemed to say 'everything is changing'.

Formerly Prince, Andrew, 65, has been cut from the royal fold and ousted from the Royal Lodge amid renewed scrutiny into his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Beatrice and Eugenie, who looked sombre during their meeting in London last week, have since returned to work in the wake of the scandal surrounding Andrew.

On November 7, the sisters, 37 and 35 respectively, appeared oblivious to onlookers as they wrapped each other up in a warm hug before exchanging what appeared to be words of consolation in the middle of a bustling Mayfair street in London

Forensic lip reader Nicola Hickling, who analysing the emotionally-charged moment, told the Daily Mail that 'it's rare something moves me quite so much' as she claimed the sisters made a promise to each other during their conversation

Beatrice and Eugenie allegedly said they were 'anxious', Ms Hickling claimed, with the former reportedly adding 'it's a really anxious time'.

They met around the same time that Charles issued a rare Letters Patent to remove Andrew's HRH status and 'prince' title.

After the Daily Mail published the photographs of Beatrice and Eugenie, who are rarely spotted out together, some fans began speculating whether their interaction had been orchestrated.

Writing on Reddit, one person said: 'They 100 per cent showed up here after calling the paps to take pictures of them hugging.'

Another added: 'They got the assignment right: No makeup, observed to have "intense chatting" in public, more casual attire worn in public. Public's response would be mostly sympathy and pity for these two women and it helps distance themselves from their father.

'I don't blame them for doing this though. They're adults with their own families. They need to ensure theyre on polite society's good graces and that they're "good" while Andrew continues (deservedly) to have his life absolutely ruined.'

A third said: 'PR trick to get public sympathy...This is staged..'

Another suggested that 'they obviously set this photo shoot up with the paps' - claims that Splash News, which owns the photos - has denied in a statement to the Daily Mail.

Beatrice and Eugenie will both keep their HRH titles and membership of the 'House of York' because the King is keen to ensure his nieces are not tainted by the 'sins of their father', royal sources have said.

The former Duke of York was ejected from the royal fold last month as the fallout from Virginia Giuffre's tell-all memoir - amid heightened scrutiny over Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson's relationship with Epstein.

And it appears Andrew's troubles are far from over.

On Wednesday night, it was revealed Epstein - who died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges - seemingly confirmed the infamous photo of Andrew and a teenage Virginia was real.

'We're in this together,' Beatrice told her younger sister, according to lip reader Nicola Hickling

Beatrice (centre) and Eugenie (right) with their mother, former Duchess of York

Allies of the former royal have, several times, suggested the picture was a fake.

But 2011 messages in a bombshell cache of emails released earlier this week showed Epstein urged a journalist to investigate Ms Giuffre - who died by suicide this year - while admitting: 'Yes she was on my plane, and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have.'

The picture was unearthed by The Mail on Sunday that same year as Ms Giuffre claimed she slept with Andrew during a stay in London.

The ex-prince has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. However, in 2022, he paid her millions in settlement after Ms Guiffre filed a civil lawsuit against Andrew.

Epstein took the photo on a disposable camera before the group, along with socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, headed out for dinner and then to a nightclub, Ms Giuffre said.

So his account will come as a devastating blow to embattled Andrew, who for years has sought to cast doubt over the authenticity of an image showing him holding Ms Giuffre, then 17 and known as Virginia Roberts.

It comes after Andrew was ordered to appear in front of Congress to explain his links to Epstein.

Days after their emotional reunion in Mayfair, Beatrice - who lives in the Cotswolds - made her first public charity appearance at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

She was visiting the Borne research laboratories that researches how to prevent premature births - a cause close to Beatrice's heart since her daughter Athena was born several weeks prematurely in January, weighing 4b 5oz.

The following day, Beatrice - who remains ninth in line to the throne - was seen smiling alongside Holly Branson in a photo shared on their charity Big Change's official Instagram account.

Days after their emotional reunion in Mayfair, Beatrice - who lives in the Cotswolds - made her first public charity appearance at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Pictured: the York sisters with their beleaguered father

Princess Beatrice was recently pictured accepting her role as deputy patron of The Outward Bound Trust with her uncle Prince Edward at a reception and dinner at St James's Palace

Beatrice is a co-founder of the Big Change Charitable Trust, set up to support children with skills outside the traditional national curriculum, as well as being an advisor for artificial intelligence software firm Afiniti.

Sir Richard Branson's daughter, who co-founded the organisation with Beatrice, shared the image to mark a 'fantastic' win for Big Change.

The not-for-profit has been advocating for education reform, and welcomed the Labour government's 'new national curriculum reform' in the photo caption.

Beatrice was seen in a blue shirt, tan skirt and white trainers, while linking arms with others in the team photo.

It comes after it was revealed that Beatrice has taken on another charity role as deputy patron of the Outward Bound Trust - an organisation that encourages young people to spend time outdoors.

She joins her uncle Prince Edward, who was announced as the royal patron of the charity at a special event at St James's Palace last Thursday.

Beatrice had already been a trustee of the Outward Bound Trust since 2019 - the same year the charity accepted Andrew's resignation as patron following his disastrous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis, having supported the then Duke for decades.

Andrew himself took on the role from his father Prince Philip, who was patron for 65 years - with many believing it was the charity closest to his heart.

Eugenie and her husband Jack were seen in west London this week

While Beatrice ramps up her charity work, Eugenie - who is 12th in line to the throne - first stepped out in public on November 6, when she joined her husband Jack Booksbank for a stroll through Notting Hill.

Despite the scandal that has engulfed her parents Andrew and Sarah, a relaxed Eugenie and Jack seemed keen to continue their lives as normally as possible.

Meanwhile, Fergie is believed to be 'more on edge' than Andrew and is hunkering down in Royal Lodge - the 30-room mansion she shared with her ex-husband but will now also be forced to leave - 'surrounded by Amazon deliveries'.

A source told the Daily Mail: 'Sarah is going around blaming herself. She keeps repeating "what if I hadn't done this, or hadn't done that".'

Meanwhile, another source said that Fergie is now considering leaving the country.

They said: 'She's always rather lived on the hoof and aside from her children and grandchildren, there's not a lot to keep her here.

'Put it this way, the invitations have dried up overnight.'

In the wake of the scandal, Sarah has said she will move out of Royal Lodge and find her own place - as Andrew is set to begin his new chapter as a commoner living on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
The King has revealed how he stays fighting fit with a surprisingly rigorous exercise regimen as he turns 77.

Charles, who celebrated his birthday at Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr Tydfil on Friday, took part in a series of engagements in Wales alongside his wife, Queen Camilla.

During the visit, the couple were greeted by a slew of Welsh stars, including Gavin & Stacey writer Ruth Jones and Love Islander Liam Reardon, who got chatting to the King about his fitness routine.

At the event, he shared that he was due to open a gym the following week, joking that the monarch should join him for a workout.

'If you ever fancy a little session, let me know, we'll have a session together,' he cheekily quipped, to which Charles laughed.

'I try to do my exercise twice a day,' he replied.

Charles's admirable efforts did not go unnoticed by the former bricklayer; he praised the royal, who is still understood to be receiving treatment for cancer, saying, 'I can tell.'

Camilla has previously spoken about her husband's dedication to staying active- once affectionately calling him a mountain goat for his love of walking.

King Charles has revealed how he stays fighting fit with a surprisingly rigorous exercise regimen as he turns 77. Pictured with Queen Camilla in September

The monarch is thought to follow a rigorous 11-minute Royal Canadian Air Force exercise plan, known as 5BX, according to reports in 2023.

Designed by the RCAF, the routine consists of two minutes of light stretching, a minute of sit-ups, a minute of press-ups, a minute of back lifts, and, finally, six minutes of running on the spot.

He is also a conscious eater and reportedly only eats two meals a day, usually skipping lunch, as per a list of trivia released for his 70th birthday by Clarence House.

Though he pays close attention to his health, Charles still understands the meaning of balance and is not opposed to enjoying a treat or two, particularly on his birthday.

The King looked delighted on Friday as he celebrated his 77th birthday in style by cutting a giant cake at Cyfartha Castle, during the 'royal-away' day to South Wales.

A renowned workaholic, the monarch was determined that things would be 'business as usual' even amid the festivities.

He took great pride is slicing through the Victoria sponge and buttercream creation, fashioned in the shape of Cyfartha Castle.

Their Majesties were also joined by local celebrities, including actors Steve Speirs and Richard Harrington, TikTok creator Lewis Leigh, who all hail from Merthyr.

The monarch (pictured) was also presented with a coin to mark the Trust's 50th anniversary next year, which was designed by King's Trust alumna Jessica Gregorio and produced at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant

The King and Queen wave as they depart from a visit to Cyfarthfa Castle on Friday

Their Majesties were also joined at the castle by local celebrities, including actors Steve Speirs and Richard Harrington, TikTok creator Lewis Leigh and Love Island star Liam Reardon, who all hail from Merthyr

The King and Queen then spoke to people working with their patronages, including The King's Trust and the Royal Osteoporosis Society (ROS), as well as local businesses Cocos Coffee and Candles and Enaid Wellness and the domestic violence charity, Safer Merthyr Tydfil.

The monarch was also presented with a coin to mark the Trust's 50th anniversary next year, which was designed by King's Trust alumna Jessica Gregorio and produced at the Royal Mint in Llantrisant.

Designer Julien, who is an ambassador for the ROS, showed the King and Queen a dress he designed for Dame Shirley Bassey and which he had brought back specially from Monte Carlo to exhibit at the castle for their visit.

Despite running over their scheduled time at the castle, they both spent time shaking hands with wellwishers who had waited up to three hours to see the royal couple.

Charles was also greeted by Huw Irranca-Davies, deputy first minister of Wales, and had a tour of the South Wales Metro Depot, a few miles north-west of Cardiff, on Friday morning.

His visit marked a 'major milestone' for the transport project nicknamed the 'Welsh tube', which is electrifying and upgrading the rail network across South Wales.

The King appeared in high spirits despite heavy rain, waving at schoolchildren as he drove the tram-train and joking that the depot staff 'deserved a whisky' after the official opening.
Duchess of Sussex, 44, has released a promotional clip for As Ever

Meghan Markle has been accused of releasing a 'beige' and 'depressing' promotion for her lifestyle brand, despite previously claiming that she had to 'tone down' her bright style to fit in with the Royal Family.

The Duchess of Sussex, 44, took to Instagram on Saturday to share a brief clip of herself assembling gifts as she continues to tout her As Ever Christmas range, which includes a $64 (48) candle, champagne and a mulled spice kit.

In the short video, Prince Harry's wife, dressed in a sleek silk brown dress, was seen popping a present into a grey stocking which hung from her mantlepiece, before clasping her hands together and smiling.

It was marked by similarly neutral earthy tones throughout all the interiors in the room, appearing matching the understated light green hues of the fir decor around - although carefully placed fairy lights sparkled throughout.

'Oh, we see you!' the caption read. 'Not even Thanksgiving yet and youve already got this in the bag.'

Some fans however were disappointed by the glossy promotion, claiming it lacked festivity and featured only 'bland, boring browns', rather than the typically bright holiday period fanfare.

Writing on X, one questioned: 'Where are the Christmas colors? Where is the festiveness? Wheres the Merry and bright?

'There is not one thing that says holiday cheer in this clip. Its depressing, unseasoned manila envelope drabness.'

Meghan Markle has been accused of releasing a 'beige' and 'depressing' promotion for her lifestyle brand, despite previously complaining that she had to 'tone down' her bright style to fit in with the Royal Family

Commenting beneath the post, several agreed with one remarking, 'She loves those bland earthy colours of beige, browns... Nothing ever looks festive, warm, or inviting.'

'Nothing says Christmas like olive green and beige!' a third sarcastically remarked.

Elsewhere, others pointed out that the Duchess had previously complained that she had to mute her wardrobe's colour palette to avoid clashing with more senior members of the Royal Family.

The claims were made in the third episode of her 88million Netflix series, Meghan & Harry, released in 2022.

'Most of the time I was in the UK, I rarely wore colour,' she said. 'To my understanding, you cant ever wear the same colour as Her Majesty if theres a group event, but then you also shouldnt be wearing the same colour as one of the other more senior members of the family.'

To respect this rumoured royal protocol, Meghan said she started dressing almost exclusively in shades of camel, beige and white.

She continued: 'I wore a lot of muted tones but it was also so I could just blend in. Im not trying to stand out here.

'There was no version of me [that was] joining this family and trying not to do everything I could to fit in. I dont want to embarrass the family.'

In the short video, Prince Harry's wife was seen popping a present into the brown stocking hung from her mantlepiece, then clasping her hands together and smiling

The Duchess of Sussex said she wore 'beige, camel and white' while around other women to avoid clashing with their outfits. Pictured: Meghan with The Queen in June 2018

Social media users pointed out that the former Suits actress, dressed in a brown silk gown, now appeared to be mimicking said style, consisting of 'muted tones'.

Alongside promoting her latest festive line, Meghan is currently filming the upcoming movie, Close Personal Friends for Amazon MGM Studios - the Duchess's return to acting for the first time since 2017.

The flick also stars Emily In Paris actress Lily Collins, Captain Marvel's Brie Larson, and Jack Quaid, the actor son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.

According to recent reports, Netflix bosses have 'noted' the decision to try to professionally woo Amazon's Jeff Bezos.

Meghan and Harry's Netflix deal, which ended in September, is widely considered a bust in Tinseltown, although Netflix boss Ted Sarandos is said to 'adore' Meghan.

There is also said to have been 'much chatter' at the streaming giant and beyond about Meghan's decision to return to the screen, according to multiple sources across Hollywood.

Harry and Meghan were also guests at Kris Jenner's 70th birthday party last weekend  which was held at the $165million (123.5million) mansion owned by Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, in Beverly Hills.
Skepticism about climate change has resurfaced, as some experts claim the exact causes of global warming remain unclear and that the policies addressing it are motivated more by money than by science.

Richard Lindzen, Professor Emeritus of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has spent decades studying atmospheric science. He told the Daily Mail that the public hysteria surrounding global warming isn't actually based on realistic data.

Climate change is the term used to describe Earth's warming, mainly as a result of human activity, such as burning coal, oil and gas.

Scientists and climate activists have warned that this extra warmth could cause more extreme storms, rising seas that flood cities, and hotter summers that make it harder to grow food worldwide - all within the next 25 years.

However, Lindzen said the financial implications of controlling the multi-trillion-dollar energy industry have been the true motivation for politicians to support flawed research that argues small temperature increases will lead to immediate disasters.

'The fact that you have a multi-trillion dollar industry and you have an opportunity to completely overturn it had a great appeal to a lot of politicians,' he explained. 'They go wild on it. Another half degree and we're doomed, and so on. The public knows this is nonsense.'

Lindzen explained the basic math behind what he called 'climate alarm.' He said the emphasis on lowering specific emissions like carbon dioxide (CO) simply doesn't produce the worldwide temperature changes advocates say it will.

The scientist noted that the planet's temperature has fluctuated significantly throughout recorded history and science still can't definitively prove what the exact cause of both extreme warming and cooling events has been.

'We don't understand the glaciation that occurred in the 15th century. You know, so what was going on then? Inadequate CO?' Lindzen said of the event in the Northern Hemisphere known as the Little Ice Age.

Lindzen claimed that the chief motivating factor for lawmakers supporting climate change initiatives is the control it gives politicians over the energy industry (Stock Image)

According to the International Energy Agency (IAE), the global energy industry is currently worth between $6trillion and $7trillion, with over 80 percent of the energy being consumed worldwide still relying on fossil fuels.

Despite clean energy alternatives making up only a small portion of the industry, IAE noted that governments and private companies invested a record $2.2trillion into solar, wind and electric initiatives this year - double the amount going into fossil fuels.

In the US, policymakers have pushed billions into funding climate change projects, including the Biden Administration setting aside $27billion in a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to finance clean energy projects and climate-related causes.

Lindzen claimed that CO has been painted by lawmakers as one of the biggest climate villains that energy companies produce, but it's actually a minor greenhouse gas that is beneficial for plant growth.

The researcher contended that the worldwide trend of demonizing certain greenhouse gases gave many scientists a 'free pass' to study and support climate change theories, resulting in large financial grants being awarded to their universities.

In recent years, federal agencies in the US have been spending up to $5billion annually on climate research, with the White House's 2024 budget sending $1.6billion to universities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for climate change studies focusing on the imminent natural disasters global warming could cause.

Additionally, Lindzen has repeatedly claimed, including on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, that scientists who challenged the inconsistent data on climate change have often had their research rejected by academic papers, or the editors that published their findings were later fired.

Climate protesters demonstrate outside London's Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, however, Lindzen said net zero policies will only prevent a tiny amount of warming

Professor Richard Lindzen (Pictured) spent decades studying atmospheric science and said the math supporting extreme climate change warnings doesn't add up

'I think it's hopeful that people are beginning to at least question this. It's an anomaly, historically, and it'll be an embarrassment to our era,' Lindzen said of climate change's legacy.

Judith Curry, former chair of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech, was another scientist who claimed that studies finding flaws in climate change models were 'filtered' and rejected by academic papers.

In 2011, she alleged to the Daily Mail that one of her own study co-authors had cherry-picked results to emphasize a tiny rise in global temperatures decades ago, while hiding data that warming had stopped for at least 13 years starting in the late 1990s.

Published studies have warned that if governments worldwide fail to keep global average temperatures from rising by 2.7F above pre-industrial levels by 2050, it could trigger unstoppable melting of ice sheets, crop failures and deadly heat waves.

Despite the fear, Lindzen calculated that doubling CO in the air would only raise the world's temperature by about half a degree on its own.

However, many of the studies predicting a climate apocalypse also assume that every bit of warming automatically adds more water vapor to the atmosphere, which is a much stronger heat-trapper than CO.

Lindzen called this assumption wrong, noting that nature typically fights major planetary climate swings, instead of making them worse.

His theory, called the Iris effect, suggests that when the tropics get too warm, powerful thunderstorms punch holes in the clouds, opening an 'iris' that lets extra heat escape into space.

This directly counters water vapor's heat-trapping power by reducing the blanket of moisture-rich clouds that would otherwise trap more warmth.

Lindzen added that even if every country hit international agreements for 'net zero' emissions by 2050, meaning no more CO from fuel, it would only prevent a tiny fraction of a degree of warming.

The global financial cost of complying with strict environmental regulations, however, could run into the hundreds of trillions of dollars, Lindzen warned, calling it a terrible trade-off for almost no gain.

Climate advocates have targeted carbon emissions as a leading cause of global warming, but Lindzen said carbon dioxide actually helps plant life (Stock Image)

Meanwhile, today's CO levels help plants grow and need less water, making more food possible for billions of people.

'I think we're low in CO. In the geological sense, it's much too low. Even the increase in CO we've seen so far has probably increased arable land by 30 to 40 percent,' Lindzen argued.

'We are not causing the imminent crisis that we think that we are,' he claimed.

Other experts, including Bill Gates and environmental think tank leaders, have also questioned some climate alarm assumptions.

Despite having reportedly spent roughly $2billion on climate change initiatives over the last decade, the Microsoft founder has reversed course and said world leaders should focus on other global threats, such as nuclear war.

Another former climate activist, Ted Nordhaus, also spoke out against what he called the shifting bar for climate alarmism.

The writer and co-founder of the Breakthrough Institute, a nonprofit environmental think tank, revealed that old models predicting global warming disasters this century were often based on the planet warming by roughly 9F by 2100.

When those estimates no longer seemed realistic, largely because of countries adopting cleaner energy policies over time, climate scientists began to warn that only 5F of warming would cause the same catastrophes.

'The amount of warming that is conceivable even in plausible worst-case scenarios, is not remotely consistent with the sorts of catastrophic outcomes that I once believed in,' Nordhaus wrote in The Free Press in October.
Whether it's flying through the sky or turning up to an exam without your trousers, your dreams can conjure up the wildest fantasies imaginable.

But no matter how wild your dreams might be, you may have noticed that there are some things which never make an appearance.

Despite the average Briton spending more than three hours a day on their phones, people simply never dream about their devices.

In fact, scientists say there are five things that you will never see in a dream.

Besides smartphones, dream researchers say that our sleeping minds either can't or won't recreate common details of the waking world.

That means words, numbers, smells and tastes, and even our own reflections, almost never show up in dreams.

Dr Kelly Bulkeley, dream researcher and director of the Sleep and Dream Database, told Daily Mail: 'In dreaming, our minds operate in a more fluid, emotional and associative manner.

'The flip side is that we tend to have less capacity in dreaming for the shortterm focus and concentration required for reading, counting, and operating a computer.'

Although we spend three hours a day on our phones, scientists say that they are one of the five things that never appear in our dreams (stock image)

Phones

It's a wellknown fact that the content of our dreams tends to reflect the details of our waking lives.

Yet despite how long we tend to spend using phones and other electronic devices, studies show that they almost never appear in dreams.

Analysis of 16,000 reported dreams shows that phones only appear in about 3.55 per cent of women's dreams and 2.69 per cent of men's dreams.

This is tiny compared to other pieces of tech, such as cars, which appear in about nine per cent of dreams  especially considering how often we use phones.

According to scientists, this is because phones don't fit in with the function that dreams have evolved to play.

The 'threat simulation hypothesis' suggests that dreams are an evolved defence mechanism that helps us process dangers we might face in the real world.

Dr Deirdre Barrett, a psychologist from Harvard University and author of The Committee of Sleep, told Daily Mail: 'Content that is relevant only to modernday life tends to be underrepresented in dreams.

Researches suggest that dreams evolved as a defence mechanism to prepare us to face threats. This is why we dream of running away from threats and falling more than our smartphones

The five things that never appear in dreams Smartphones Writing Numbers Tastes and smells Yourself Advertisement

'Content that would have been of the most relevance to humans over 95 per cent of their evolution when they were living a tribal life on the savannas is overrepresented in modern humans' dreams.'

Humans tend to dream far more of storms, running from wild animals, and snakes because these were things that evolution has hardwired us to pay attention to for survival.

Mobile phones, on the other hand, don't play a role in our dreams because they've only been with us for a tiny fraction of our evolutionary history.

Writing

One of the strangest features of dreams is that people generally report that it is almost impossible to read written text.

When written documents do appear in dreams, people often report that the text is reduced to nonsense or abstract symbols.

Even though some people remember being able to understand what this text said, cases of reading actual text in dreams are extremely rare.

Scientists believe this is connected to the underlying physiological processes that accompany dreaming.

Very few people are able to read text in dreams. When written words do appear in dreams, they either appear as nonsense symbols or change in front of our eyes

Dr Barrett says: 'Brain areas that have anything to do with language, even generally, are less active during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the stage in which most dreams occur, and ones associated specifically with text and reading are even less active.'

This means that our brains don't process the fine details of written text, leading to the distorted symbols or shifting pages of text that dreamers sometimes see.

Interestingly, some writers, especially poets, sometimes report being able to read small amounts of text in dreams.

Researchers think this may be because the parts of their brains that deal with language are more active even in sleep.

Numbers

If you've ever had a nightmare about taking a maths exam only to find the paper is full of incomprehensible squiggles, you are not alone.

Just like the written word, numbers like mathematical equations or the digits on a clock rarely appear in dreams.

When they do, dreamers often report that they are distorted, illegible, or shift and change when they look away.

Scientists have found that the areas of the brain associated with language (red and blue) are less active while we dream, which might explain why we cannot dream about written words

According to dream experts, this is actually a necessary consequence of the way dreams are structured.

Dreams, unlike our experience of waking life, aren't grounded in the actual details of the world around us.

Dr Benjamin Baird, a cognitive neuroscientist from the University of Texas, told Daily Mail: 'A useful way to think about it is that waking perception is stabilised by continuous, detailed bottomup input from the external world.

'In dreams, by contrast, the brain generates the scene largely from the top down with little or no external input.

'So finegrained details, like written text, numbers, or device interfaces, tend to be unstable or morph when you look back.'

It's not necessarily that our dreams can't contain numbers, but rather that our dreams lack the stability that's needed to show numbers coherently.

Smells and tastes

If you've ever dreamt about having a delicious meal, think carefully about what you really experienced.

One study found that only one per cent of people report having dreams in which they can smell and taste (stock image)

The 13 most common dreams in the UK Falling  53% Unable to run  42% Partner cheating  22% Someone dying  21% Teeth falling out  21% Snogging a celebrity  20% Exam you haven't revised for  19% Flying  18% Friends/family being mean  16% Being late  15% Finding money  14% Unable to find the toilet  12% Naked in public  12% Advertisement

You might have dreamed about seeing the food on the table or watching others eat, but you almost certainly didn't dream about what it tasted like.

One study of dream experience found that just one per cent of men and slightly over one per cent of women reported an 'olfactory' experience in their dreams.

Some researchers have suggested this might be because the brain circuits that control smell evolved in our very distant past.

That could mean smell information doesn't overlap with signals from vision and auditory networks and gets included in dreams less often.

However, it could also be the fact that most people simply don't pay attention to smells and tastes the way we do with sight and sound.

Dr Bulkeley says: 'We have sensations of smell and taste every day, yet almost never dream about them.

'Why? In this line of reasoning, because they don't usually have much to add to the dramatic unconscious stories we tell ourselves when we sleep.'

Yourself

Although people can look in a mirror while dreaming, they will almost never see an accurate image themselves. Your reflection may be distorted, injured, the wrong age, or you may even see an entirely different person (stock image)

It's a popular misconception, but it isn't actually true that you can't look in a mirror in your dreams.

However, the science of seeing your reflection in dreams is actually even stranger.

When people do see themselves in mirrors, they almost never see their reflection as it really would be in waking life.

Instead, Dr Barrett explains, most people see themselves as bizarrely distorted or disfigured.

They might see themselves at any age, with some plausible injury, or with a completely fantastic transformation.

Dr Barrett adds: 'They can see a completely other person in the mirror. They may be shocked at this; in other cases, not even questioning it.'

Scientists aren't quite sure why this is the case, but it may be connected to the lack of stability inherent in dreams.

Just like we cannot dream up the words on a page without any input from the real world, rendering all the features of our own face might be too complicated for our dreaming brains to handle.
Some of the world's most popular and historic tourist sites are in danger of losing their appeal - with as tourists left disappointed by run-down streets, overcrowding, and 'unsafe' conditions.

Despite their global fame, many bucket-list destinations - including Chinas Great Wall and Hollywoods Walk of Fame, have developed specific problems in recent years that have left visitors feeling underwhelmed, overcharged, and sometimes even fearful of their surroundings.

Recent research by luggage storage network Stasher analysed 101 of the world's most iconic landmarks and narrowed them down to the ten worst-rated attractions based on the responses of travellers who'd visited them.

To calculate an overall score out of 10 for each site, the team used a comprehensive system combining Google Reviews ratings, average TikTok likes, distance from major airports, country safety rankings, and local accommodation quality.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles was named the world's worst major tourist attraction, scoring just 2.67 out of 10, in the research - proving that celebrity nostalgia doesnt necessarily guarantee a quality experience.

The Dead Sea (3.51) ranks as the second-worst, located 66 km from the nearest airport and burdened by a concerning safety rating of 3.108, while Istanbul's Grand Bazaar (3.86) struggles in third place, despite its cultural significance.

Jacob Wedderburn-Day, founder of Stasher, said: 'Famous doesn't always mean worthwhile. Poor transport links, overcrowding, or locations that require significant effort to reach all impact whether a destination lives up to expectations built by decades of photos and films.'

Read on to discover which tourist attractions are no longer living up to the hype...

The Hollywood Walk of Fame has been named the world's worst major tourist attraction, scoring just 2.67 out of 10

1. The Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles

The Hollywood Walk of Fame has been named the world's worst major tourist attraction, scoring just 2.67 out of 10.

Located 38.1km from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), this A-list landmark - made up of sidewalks of five-pointed pink stars - honours the accomplishments of the world's most legendary actors, musicians, directors and producers.

Not only did it receive the lowest overall rating in the top ten, it also received the lowest Google rating and safety score of all landmarks analysed.

Once a symbol of glamour, it apparently now leaves many visitors underwhelmed by its heavy foot traffic, a lack of genuine attractions beyond the stars on the ground, and the surrounding area's grittiness.

On Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame celebrates the world's most legendary actors, musicians, directors and producers (Pictured: Gwen Stefani in 2023)

Down-at-heel? A broken and dirty LAPD Hollywood star at the Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea intersection of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles

2. The Dead Sea, Jordan

The Dead Sea ranks second-worst with a score of 3.51 out of 10.

The world's deepest salt lake, which is bordered by Jordan, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Israel carrys a safety rating of 3.10 due to regional instability.

This natural wonder offers a unique floating experience - but concerns over accessibility and safety continue to grow.

Visitors often cite disappointing infrastructure, high prices, and environmental concerns as reasons that diminish what should be a bucket-list experience.

3. Istanbul's Grand Bazaar, Turkey

Istanbul's Grand Bazaar follows closely behind in third place, scoring 3.86 out of 10.

Despite its historical and cultural importance, this centuries-old covered market receives mixed reviews on Google, with complaints about overcrowding, pushy vendors, and inflated prices.

According to visitors, what should be a vibrant glimpse into Turkish tradition can quickly turn into a stressful and overwhelming shopping experience.

4. The Great Wall of China, China

The Great Wall of China ranks surprisingly low on the list, with an overall score of 4.43 and a safety rating of just 2.09.

Despite being regularly touted as one of the world's most breathtaking historic experiences, its distance of 61.7 km from the nearest airport and reports of overcrowding and over-commercialisation have contributed to visitor frustration.

Interestingly, the remote location boasts the highest accommodation rating on the list at 9.3.

But while local stays impress, the overall experience still falls short of expectations.

The Great Wall of China ranks surprisingly low on the list, with an overall score of 4.43 and a safety rating of just 2.09

Despite amassing nearly 24,000 TikTok likes, and offering one of the world's most breathtaking historic experiences, its distance of 61.7 km from the nearest airport and reports of overcrowding and commercialisation have contributed to visitor frustration

Pictured: The Great Wall in Badaling with lots of visitors on a sunny day in autumn

5. Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

Victoria Harbour scores a modest 4.68 out of 10, influenced by a low safety rating of 2.09 and being 38.9 km from the airport.

Despite its world-famous skyline and nightly light shows, visitors often complain about pollution, high prices and lacklustre amenities, according to the Stasher research.

Accommodation quality in the area is rated the lowest on the list at just 6.7, which further lessens the appeal of this waterfront attraction.

6. MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), Tasmania, Australia

Tasmania's Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) comes next, scoring 4.80 out of 10.

With a safety rating of 1.51, it's one of the least-safe destinations on the list - though it happens to be the closest to an airport, situated just 25.1 km away.

Despite its reputation for provocative exhibits and architectural brilliance, a Google rating of 4.3 and mixed visitor feedback gives the impression its steep prices, along with its appeal to niche audiences, limits its potential to thrive as a top tourist spot.

7. Stonehenge, England

Stonehenge ranks seventh with a score of 4.85 out of 10 and a safety rating of 1.63.

While the prehistoric monument is one of the most recognisable landmarks in the world, it draws criticism for its restricted access and high admission fees.

With an average of just 3,440 likes on TikTok, it appears that the ancient site struggles to capture modern visitors' imaginations as much as its mystique might suggest.

Stonehenge ranks seventh with a score of 4.85 out of 10 and a safety rating of 1.63

With an average of just 3,440 likes on TikTok, it appears that the ancient site struggles to capture modern visitors' imaginations as much as its mystique might suggest

8. Disneyland Paris, France

Disneyland Paris earns a score of 4.90, with a safety rating of 1.97 and a distance of 43.8 km from the airport.

Although it maintains a solid 4.5 Google rating, visitors frequently report overcrowding, long queues, and steep prices that dampen their experience at the 'happiest place on Earth.'

Once a dream destination for families, many now describe the bucket-list attraction as more exhausting than enchanting.

9. Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, ranks ninth with a score of 4.98.

Despite its 4.5 Google rating and status as one of the world's leading natural wonders, it faces accessibility challenges due to its remote location, 43 km from the airport.

A safety rating of 1.97 also reflects the physical risks of climbing and the limited infrastructure supporting the area, making it a destination best suited for seasoned adventurers rather than casual tourists.

Rounding out the list is Machu Picchu with a score of 5.00 - the highest among the ten worst-rated attractions

Overcrowding, strict entry limits, and the toll of mass tourism have all contributed to its declining visitor satisfaction, despite its undeniable historical and cultural allure

10. Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu Cusco Region, Peru

Rounding out the list is Machu Picchu with a score of 5.00 - the highest among the ten worst-rated attractions.

It holds an impressive 4.8 Google rating and remains a bucket-list dream for many.

However, its remote location, 109 km from the nearest airport, and a safety rating of 2.07 make it a demanding journey.

Overcrowding, strict entry limits, and the toll of mass tourism have all contributed to its declining visitor satisfaction, despite its undeniable historical and cultural allure.
BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A direct air passenger route connecting Beijing and Muscat, Oman, will be launched on Nov. 30, according to Beijing Daxing International Airport (BDIA).

China Eastern Airlines will operate the MU2051/MU2052 flights with an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.

The outbound flight will depart from BDIA at 2 p.m. Beijing Time and arrive at Muscat International Airport at 7:55 p.m. local time. The return trip will depart Muscat at 9:55 p.m. local time and arrive at BDIA at 10 a.m. the next day, Beijing Time.

China and Oman have a deep traditional friendship, and in recent years, the two sides have seen closer economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges.

In May this year, China introduced a trial visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain. From June 9, 2025, to June 8, 2026, they can enter China without a visa for stays of up to 30 days, provided that the purpose is business, tourism, family visits, exchanges or transit.

The launch of this direct flight route will further promote exchanges between the two countries and provide a strong impetus to practical cooperation and the further development of bilateral relations, according to the airport. 
Telly fanatics have praised 'the perfect period drama' that has recently landed on Channel 5.

Viewers tuning into The Forsytes may be newcomers to its much-loved predecessor, The Forsyte Saga.

It's been two decades since it aired, with fans of the genre continuing to praise the epic generational love story of a very affluent family.

The shiny new series serves as a prequel and 'reimagining' of the Nobel-prize winning books written by John Galsworthy.

Meanwhile, The Forsyte Saga was an ITV miniseries, which saw the scandal of three generations of an upwardly mobile family from the 1870s to the roaring 20s.

The saga unfolds with Soames - who is a wealthy solicitor obsessed with property and wealth - fixated on marrying Irene Heron (Gina McKee).

Telly fanatics have praised 'the perfect period drama' that has recently landed on Channel 5 (Eleanor Tomlinson as Louisa Byrne)

The shiny new series serves as a prequel and 'reimagining' of the Nobel-prize winning books written by John Galsworthy (Joshua Orpin as Soames Forsyte and Millie Gibson as Irene Forsyte)

Irene - who is a beautiful woman living in poverty - initially rejects his advances despite his fortune.

The couple eventually end up marrying, although it's clear money can't buy love.

Their unravelling love story forms the foundation of this generational tale of a family obsessed with wealth and status.

Despite it being 23 years after its release, one fan claimed: 'Its still one of my favorites. Its such a perfect period drama for me. It made me love so many of these actors as its where I first saw them.'

Another penned: 'It is testimony to Lewis' extraordinary skill that his is the character we loathe at the outset of The Forsyte Saga and in whom we become most interested by the end.'

Dubbing the show 'a family treasure', People Magazine wrote: 'Lewiss performance, though, is a constant marvel. The actor makes Soamess emotional repression so palpable that its hard to hate him even at his most heartless. When his humanity finally breaks through, youll feel a surge of hope.'

Ahead of the release of the new adaptation, one wrote: 'The 2002/3 series was phenomenal. It has a lot to live up to. A good binge watch for you!'

A couple of months ago, somewhere shared: 'I've just binged the Forsyte Saga for the first time. How had I never come across this before? Absolutely heartwrenching throughout.

Jolyon (Danny Griffin) and Isaac (Owen Igiehon) star in The Forsytes together

Their unravelling love story forms the foundation of this generational tale of a family obsessed with wealth and status

Meanwhile, The Forsyte Saga was an ITV miniseries, which saw the scandal of three generations of an upwardly mobile family from the 1870s to the roaring 20s

'It would be odd to say I loved it, when the story is so tragic in parts. But I think it was a profound series, I was hooked from the very first episode.'

A synopsis for the drama reads: 'The Forsytes chronicles the lives, loves, trials and triumphs of a wealthy Victorian era stockbroking family, whose generations find themselves torn between tradition and self-sacrifice versus personal happiness and the pursuit of love.

'Inspired by John Galsworthys celebrated Forsyte Saga novels, The Forsytes portrays events that take place before those covered in Galsworthys books.'

The first episode of The Forsytes debuted on Channel 5 on October 20. The ensemble cast features Eleanor Tomlinson as Louisa Byrne, created for the show whose reappearance rocks the family.

Another period drama that fanatics have been loving is BBC's Life After Life.

It has been hailed a 'masterpiece' with a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score.

The miniseries - which first aired in 2022 - is currently streaming on BBC iPlayer.

Despite it being 23 years after its release, one fan claimed: 'Its still one of my favorites. Its such a perfect period drama for me. It made me love so many of these actors as its where I first saw them.'

The first episode of The Forsytes debuted on Channel 5 on October 20. The ensemble cast features Eleanor Tomlinson as Louisa Byrne, created for the show whose reappearance rocks the family

The Forsytes follows the lives of the wealthy Forsyte family in 1880s London and their tale of love, loyalty, ambition and betrayal

Jolyon Snr (Stephen Moyer), Jolyon (Danny Griffin), Soames (Joshua Orpin), and James (Jack Davenport) in the period drama which has been hailed a 'masterpiece'

Fans are so happy the series has returned after it debuted on ITV

It is an adaption of the 2013 novel Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, directed by John Crowley, with Bash Doran as the show's writer.

The synopsis reads: 'It follows the story of Ursula Todd, a woman in the first half of the 20th century who experiences an endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

'The protagonist, Ursula Todd, dies one night in 1910 before she can draw her first breath. On that same night, she is reborn and survives. Living and dying in different circumstances, time and again, Ursula is reborn into new and alternative lives.

'The story follows Ursula as she navigates each life through a critical era that spans two world wars.'

The Forsyte Saga is available to watch on ITVX. The Forsytes continues on Channel 5 with new episodes on Mondays at 9pm.
Glen Powell revealed the cruel words he once received from Lorne Michaels as the Hollywood actor made his SNL hosting debut.

The 37-year-old star - who recently took on a leading role in the dystopian action thriller The Running Man - reflected on how he once had the chance to host SNL, but the offer was rescinded four years earlier.

During his opening monologue, Powell expressed how it was a 'dream come true' to finally be on the SNL stage.

'And true story, I was actually supposed to host four years ago for Top Gun: Maverick and when I got the call I was on a porch with my family and we just all lost our minds. We were jumping up and down celebrating.'

However, the Anyone But You actor added that his 'dream got taken away' due to Top Gun being 'delayed' during the Covid-19 pandemic.

'So, SNL had to take their offer back. Lorne Michaels literally called me and said without Top Gun - and these were his words, "No one will know who the f- you are,"' he recalled with a smirk.

Glen Powell revealed the cruel words he once received from Lorne Michaels as the Hollywood actor made his SNL hosting debut

The actor reflected on how he once had the chance to host SNL, but the offer was rescinded four years earlier; Lorne Michaels seen in 2024 in NYC

Powell also told the story about the moment he had been offered to host SNL four years earlier.

When he got the call while with his family, a UPS driver had been dropping off a package 'at that exact same moment.'

The star continued, 'And he was like, "What is going on?" And I was like, "I'm hosting SNL!" And he was like, "Are you serious?" And I'm like, "Yep, Christmas episode. Tune in."'

Powell shared that both he and his family took a selfie with the UPS driver 'to mark the occasion.'

But since the star ended up not hosting at the time, it meant that the driver 'was just going around saying Glen Powell is a liar.'

He explained that some of his family was able to track down the UPS worker and found his phone number.

'I flew him all the way to New York,' Powell revealed, causing the audience to let out cheers of excitement. 'But I flew him here. He thought it was a scam but he still came. And he is sitting in the audience tonight.'

The camera jumped over to show the UPS driver sitting amongst the crowd and the actor called him up onto the SNL stage.

'And true story, I was actually supposed to host four years ago for Top Gun: Maverick and when I got the call I was on a porch with my family and we just all lost our minds. We were jumping up and down celebrating'

'So, SNL had to take their offer back. Lorne Michaels literally called me and said without Top Gun - and these were his words, "No one will know who the f- you are,"' Powell added

Powell shared that both he and his family took a selfie with the UPS driver 'to mark the occasion'

But since the star ended up not hosting at the time, it meant that the driver 'was just going around saying Glen Powell is a liar'

'I flew him all the way to New York,' Powell revealed, causing the audience to let out cheers of excitement. 'But I flew him here. He thought it was a scam but he still came. And he is sitting in the audience tonight'

The pair then had a sweet moment as they took another selfie together live on television for a 'full circle' moment

The pair then had a sweet moment as they took another selfie together live on television for a 'full circle' moment.

'Look, I had to wait my entire life plus four years to be here. But if I have learned anything, it is that the best things in life don't happen overnight. And no one knows that better than UPS,' Powell joked, concluding the monologue.

Powell had the chance to show off his comedic skills as he took part in a number of sketches during the latest SNL episode - with Olivia Dean the musical guest.

Shortly before taking on hosting duties, the Twisters actor told People that it all felt very 'surreal.'

He expressed, 'It's a really wonderful moment when your childhood dreams get to come true. I've been waiting to be on that stage for as long as I can remember.'

While it was his first time hosting, the star made a brief cameo appearance on SNL last year when Sydney Sweeney hosted.

Powell's new movie The Running Man recently hit theaters on November 14 - and is based on the 1982 Stephen King novel.

The book was previously adapted for the big screen in 1987 and had starred Arnold Schwarzenegger.

'Look, I had to wait my entire life plus four years to be here. But if I have learned anything, it is that the best things in life don't happen overnight. And no one knows that better than UPS,' Powell joked, concluding the monologue

He expressed, 'It's a really wonderful moment when your childhood dreams get to come true. I've been waiting to be on that stage for as long as I can remember'; seen during SNL promos on Tuesday

Other cast members alongside Powell include Lee Pace, William H. Macy, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, Josh Brolin and Colman Domingo.

The premise is: 'A man joins a game show in which contestants, allowed to go anywhere in the world, are pursued by "hunters" hired to kill them,' per IMDB.

During a recent interview with IndieWire, Powell reflected on working on the movie and immersing himself in the sci-fi genre.

'It's what makes sci-fi one of my favorite genres. It allows you to separate yourself and just kind of be on the ride watching the movie.'

He added, 'People are on the edge of their seat watching this movie, taking it all in because it's relentless. And then I'm getting these calls a day or two later, "We are living in The Running Man." And I'm like, yeah.'

'It's what makes sci-fi one of my favorite genres. It allows you to separate yourself and just kind of be on the ride watching the movie,' Powell said; seen above in The Running Man

The star also shared, 'Talking to Stephen King after he saw the movie, he just lost his mind over it: "This is just a wall to wall, fun, adrenaline-filled action movie, but it's also a movie of our time"'; seen earlier this month in NYC

The actor also shared what Stephen King thought about the film.

'Talking to Stephen King after he saw the movie, he just lost his mind over it: "This is just a wall to wall, fun, adrenaline-filled action movie, but it's also a movie of our time."'

Powell continued, 'It causes you to reckon with a lot. Where we are and how we ended up here.'

Schwarzenegger also 'loved' the film, with the star telling the outlet, 'We talked to Arnold before the movie started and we talked to him about our way into the story, which is much more loyal to the Stephen King book.'
Saturday Night Live mocked the White House response to the release of 20,000 Jeffrey Epstein emails in its cold open this weekend.

Ashley Padilla played White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt desperately trying to deflect questions about the billionaire sex trafficker's ties to Donald Trump.

The mock press briefing even used some direct quotes from the administration over the past week after Trump was referred to numerous times in the emails.

Despite being the second or third-most recognizable figure in the Trump Administration, Leavitt had not been parodied on SNL before.

Padilla was a dead-ringer for the 28-year-old with a blonde wig, prominent gold crucifix necklace, and an outfit that could have come out of Leavitt's closet.

'I am just so excited to be here and answer your friendly questions. As you all know, there was no news this week,' she began.

'Nothing happening with the president. No weird information was revealed. No one had any accusations that rhyme with 'edophile'.

'So I'll open the floor to questions starting with Kaitlan Collins from CNN who I openly hate, go ahead.'

Ashley Padilla played White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt desperately trying to deflect questions about the billionaire sex trafficker's ties to Donald Trump

The real Leavitt on Wednesday trying to answer questions about Trump appearing in the Epstein emails

Leavitt frequently spars with Collins in press briefings and both she and Trump have openly insulted her when they don't like her questions.

As she did in real life this week, Collins - played by Chloe Fineman - immediately asked about Trump appearing in Epstein's emails.

'We definitely need to start with the 20,000 Epstein emails. Why does President Trump's name appear in so many of them?' she said.

Padilla replied: 'You know you suck, right?' which was a tamer version of some of the real-life attacks Leavitt made on Collins in the past.

'Look, the only thing these emails prove is that President Trump did nothing wrong. If anything, his crime was loving too much. And possibly too young,' she said.

This line was almost a carbon copy of Leavitt's actual response to the email release, including one where Epstein claimed Trump 'knew about the girls'.

'These emails prove absolutely nothing other than President Trump did nothing wrong,' the real Leavitt said last week.

'These stories are nothing more than bad-faith efforts to distract from President Trump's historic accomplishments, and any American with common sense see right through this hoax and clear distraction from the government opening back up again.'

Kaitlan Collins, played by Chloe Fineman, asking about the Epstein emails and being insulted by Leavitt - just as happens in real life

Collins is seen here wearing a similar outfit to the one SNL spoofed

Trump and Jeffrey Epstein's close ties were referenced many times in the billionaire sex trafficker's emails

Next up was a self-described 'unnamed black guy' from Fox News, played by Kam Patterson, who threw Padilla a softball about Trump's health.

'Is President Trump too healthy?' he asked, referencing another storyline from last week where Trump several times appeared to be having health issues.

'Thank you. And yes, he got his 30th physical last week and it went great,' Padilla replied, just as Leavitt and others always do when Trump's health is questioned.

'He took a cognitive test and did so well, they said, 'We'd like to see you again as soon as possible'.'

Bowen Yang, playing an MSNBC reporter, shifted back to Epstein, asking about reports his sidekick Ghislaine Maxwell may have her sentence commuted by Trump.

'Are you not worried about the optics of Trump giving Epstein's partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell, a sweetheart deal?' he asked.

Padilla replied: 'Ghislaine Maxwell said in a sworn deposition she gave to Trump's friend that Trump always acted like a gentleman. And a little thing about me? I believe women.'

Maxwell's deposition, conducted with the FBI earlier this year, denied Trump did anything wrong was widely viewed as an attempt to convince him to reduce or commute her own sex-trafficking sentence.

A self-described 'unnamed black guy' from Fox News, played by Kam Patterson, who threw Padilla a softball about Trump's health

James Austin Johnson, playing Trump as he does most weeks, took over and insisted he 'barely knew' Epstein

Padilla begged the press pool to move on to another topic, and a reporter played by Andrew Dismukes obliged - but not in a way she liked.

He asked about Trump sending $20 billion of US taxpayer money to bail out Argentina, which is led by his buddy President Javier Milei.

'We shall return to Epstein!' Padilla responded, prompting James Austin Johnson, playing Trump as he does most weeks, to take over.

'Jeffrey Epstein, I barely knew the guy, as evidenced by the thousands of pictures of us together, dancing and grinding our teeth at various parties,' he insisted.

'Always leering and pointing at something just off camera. Probably a book we're excited to read.

'Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to release all of the Epstein files. This is great. Each file will be on sale for the low, low price of $800.'
Alan Carr has addressed speculation he will take over as the next Strictly Come Dancing host.

Last month, Tess Daly, 56, and Claudia Winkleman, 53, shocked fans when they made the surprise announcement they will step down from their presenting roles after the Christmas special.

Alan became a frontrunner as their replacement, following his success on Celebrity Traitors.

Millions tuned in to watch the comedian, 49, bag the 87,500 prize pot.

Giving an update, Alan told The Mirror: 'My name is in the hat. What an honour. Its a bit like when my name got bandied about for Britains Got Talent and Great British Bake Off - Im always on the periphery.'

Alan was reportedly 'devastated' at losing out on becoming a judge of Britain's Got Talent after David Walliams stepped down from the show on 2022.

Alan Carr has addressed speculation he will take over as the next Strictly Come Dancing host after being inundated with job offers following his Celebrity Traitors victory

Last month, Tess Daly, 56, and Claudia Winkleman, 53, shocked fans when they made the surprise announcement they will step down from their roles after the Christmas special

The role ended up going to Bruno Tonioli after Simon Cowell overruled ITV bosses.

After 12 million tuned in to watch Alan win Celebrity Traitors, the comedian was touted as the obvious choice to step in as host of Strictly Come Dancing next year.

However, Alan has said he hasn't been approached about the role but he has received an influx of job offers following his huge success.

'No one has approached me. People are so passionate about it and you saw me sweating in the castle when I was a Traitor, imagine me doing live telly with how many million people watching.

'So many things have come from The Celebrity Traitors - so many job offers coming in - Id be flattered, but I dont know if I could do it [Strictly] justice. I just dont want to ruin it for people.'

Tess and Claudia made history as the BBC's first female presenting duo, but revealed the current series will be their last, after making a pact to walk away together.

Their last appearance together will be on the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, which airs on December 25.

Claudia said in the announcement: 'There have been some rumblings and we want you to hear this from us.'

Alan became a frontrunner as their replacement, following his success on Celebrity Traitors, which saw the comedian bag the 87,500 prize pot

In a joint statement shared on Instagram, the co-hosts said they would be leaving the show together, with their last appearance together on the Strictly Christmas Special

But names to replace the hosting duo are already being suggested, with Zoe Ball and Holly Willoughby among the front runners

Other names include Stacey Dooley and her partner Kevin Clifton, who met on the show in 2018, were partnered together and went on to win the dance competition

Tess chimed in: 'We have news, after 21 wonderfully joyful years on Strictly, we have decided that the time is right to step aside and pass over the baton.'

Names to replace the hosting duo are already being suggested, with Zoe Ball, Holly Willoughby, Stacey Dooley and Kevin Clifton among the front runners.

Other names who have been mentioned so far include Roman Kemp, former Strictly pro Janette Manara and former contestant Alex Scott.

TV and radio veteran Zoe one of the biggest names to be tipped as the new host of the BBC dancing competition.

The presenter would make a natural fit for the gig as she is well acquainted with the show thanks to her old presenting role on its spin-off, It Takes Two.

She is currently the 2-1 favourite to take on the role after Tess and Claudia leave the show, according to Coral Bookmakers.

The show, which launched in June 2023 and stars child actor Oliver Savell as a young Alan, has gone on to air two series

Meanwhile, fans will be able to get another opportunity to see Alan in the third series of his semi-autobiographical series, Changing Ends.

The show, which launched in June 2023 and stars child actor Oliver Savell as a young Alan, has gone on to air two series.

IMDB's synopsis of the show reads: 'An autobiographical scripted comedy based on stand-up and presenter Alan Carr's life.'

The third series will premiere on Sunday 23 November, straight after I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here on ITV1, STV and ITVX.
A former Strictly star fears she may be left homeless after a Home Office blunder erased her right to live in Britain from official records.

Professional dancer Anya Garnis, 43, a US citizen, was rejected when she tried to rent a property in Totnes, Devon, with her British husband and two young children.

The Home Office's landlord checking system suggested she did not have permission to live in the country, despite being here since 2013.

When she called to complain, the Home Office said her application for leave to remain may have been lost - rendering her 'illegal'.

'I was absolutely shocked and devastated,' said Anya, who has also worked as a choreographer on Strictly.

'We have to leave the place we're living now in a couple of weeks, but have been told we can't rent or buy anywhere else.

'In effect, this will leave us homeless in Britain. If we leave the country, my visa application will be dismissed entirely, but we may have no choice.'

Her husband Sunna Van Kampen, a successful nutrition influencer who owns a vitamin brand, added: 'She would have been treated better if she had washed up on the beach at Dover. It's disgusting.'

Former Strictly star Anya Garnis, 43, a US citizen, fears she may be left homeless after a Home Office blunder erased her right to live in Britain from official records

Anya was rejected when she tried to rent a property in Totnes, Devon, with her British husband Sunna Van Kampen (left), and their two young children

Anya, who was born in Latvia but moved to the US when she was 17, came to the UK in 2013 to work for Strictly

Anya, who was born in Latvia but moved to the US when she was 17, came to the UK in 2013 to work for Strictly - first as an on-screen professional and later behind the scenes. She obtained a temporary UK visa.

She married Mr Van Kampen in 2017 and they later had two children, now aged three and one.

Foreign nationals can apply for an indefinite leave to remain after living in the UK for 10 consecutive years, however, Anya and Sunna spent a brief period living in Austin, Texas, so she has always lived here on rolling temporary visas.

Anya applied to renew her permission last September, when the system switched from physical cards to online visas, but heard nothing for months.

A message on the Home Office website suggested her application was being processed. When she tried to call, they told her they couldn't discuss individual cases on the phone.

Home Office guidelines state that applicants have automatic leave to remain while their applications are being processed, so she thought nothing of it.

However, when she and her husband tried to rent a house last month, the estate agent ran their names through the Landlord Checking Service (LCS) - which checks Home Office records to ensure prospective tenants can legally rent property.

Anya was shocked to discover that she was rejected. When she called the Home Office, they said they couldn't find any record of her - and suggested her details may have been lost.

Anya appeared on Strictly Come Dancing first as an on-screen professional (pictured here with Casualty actor Patrick Robinson in 2013) and later behind the scenes

Anya during a dress rehearsal for the popular BBC show with Patrick Robinson

Even after applying again, as instructed, she was still turned down by the LCS.

'It shouldn't be this complicated,' she said. 'I wouldn't even call it a service - it's more like a chase.

'You can talk to human beings on the phone, but they can't tell you anything. It's incredibly frustrating.

'I can't buy or rent a property, but I also can't leave the country while I'm waiting for a decision.

'I know highly skilled Americans who have been forced to give up on a life in Britain and move back home because of this catch.'

The Home Office said it would not comment on an individual case.
Former Coronation Street star Charlotte Jordan has quit rival soap The Archers after receiving a better job offer.

The actress, 31, announced she was leaving the cobbles in January after four years playing barmaid Daisy Midgeley.

After departing the soap in May, it was announced a month later that Charlotte would play Amber Gordon in the BBC Radio 4 show.

But bosses had to recast at the last minute after the actress accepted a role in the new BBC period drama The Hairdresser Mysteries.

The actress was replaced by Olivia Bernstone in October.

Of her abrupt departure, a source told The Sun: 'Charlotte was very excited to join The Archers but when she landed a new TV role she couldnt do both.

Former Coronation Street star Charlotte Jordan has quit rival soap The Archers after receiving a better job offer

The actress, 31, announced she was leaving the cobbles in January after four years playing barmaid Daisy Midgeley

'Sadly she had to bow out forcing bosses to recast at the last minute.

'Shes looking forward to return to screens in the new year and has been busy filming the new show.'

Daily Mail has contacted Charlotte's representatives for comment.

Charlotte will star alongside Sally Phillips, who plays the lead in the six-part show, and Charlotte Hope.

The programme has been described as a 'nostalgic nod to the 70s'.

The BBC synopsis for the show reads: 'Everyone tells their hairdresser everything and soon she is at the hub of her new villages secrets and revelations, and with her own brand of uncannily highly developed, hairdressing intuitive empathy and understanding, solves the village mysteries'.

During her time on Coronation Street, Charlotte was part of a number of hard-hitting storylines, including being stalked and facing a horrific acid attack on her wedding day, for which she won a British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance in 2023.

After departing the soap in May, it was announced a month later that Charlotte would play Amber Gordon in the BBC Radio 4 show - but she left months later

The actress was replaced by Olivia Bernstone in October

Charlotte will star alongside Sally Phillips (pictured), who plays the lead in the six-part show The Hairdresser Mysteries, and Charlotte Hope

She said at the time of her departure: 'My time at Coronation Street is something Ill always cherish. After a brilliant four years for Daisy, its time for me to start a new chapter and explore other opportunities.

'Its been a privilege to be part of a wonderful institution with even more wonderful colleagues who have taught me so much.'

Recalling filming her final scenes, Charlotte joked she cried so much on her last day she was 'medically dehydrated' and gushed that the crew of Corrie 'made it so special for me'.

She confessed: 'I'm not a big crier. But let me tell you, I cried on and off for about four hours straight.

'My last scene was with the beautiful Rob Mallard, and we were meant to cry in the scene  but we were both dry as a bone. As soon as they yelled our final "cut," we both burst into tears. Typical.

'The Corrie gang made it so special for me. The canteen made me my favourite lunch  which made me cry. The art department drew me a beautiful card  which made me cry.

'I would look over to Channique or Julia or Sal during our last lunch break and see them crying  which made me cry. I think I was medically dehydrated by the end of the day.'

She went on: 'It's a very special building, and I have loved it. And it's just goodbye for now, not goodbye forever.'
Looking back on the case of the honeymooner who was murdered in South Africa in 2010

Year: 2025

Certificate: 12

Watch now on Prime Video

On 13 November 2010, Anni Dewani, a tourist honeymooning with her businessman husband Shrien Dewani in Cape Town in South Africa, was murdered after the couple's taxi was hijacked. Shrien escaped injury, and the whole sad case initially seemed to be the result of being in the wrong place at the wrong time - but was there more to it?

The taxi driver, Zola Tongo, claimed that Shrien had, in fact, organised the entire thing, but why would he do that to the woman he had just married? This steadily told, chronologically straightforward two-parter digs into the story, giving us Shrien's original statement to the police, interviews with those close to the case and reactions to each stage of it from Anni's family - including her sister Ami Denborg and uncle Ashok Hindocha.

There is also an archive clip of celebrity PR guru Max Clifford, who Shrien hired to defend his image from accusations of murder. Shrien was eventually extradited to South Africa to be tried for the crime, and was acquitted in 2014. (Two episodes)
Rapper Aitch has officially touched down in Australia as one of the stars taking part in the brand-new series of Im A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

The Manchester-born hitmaker, whose real name is Harrison James Armstrong, is gearing up to face weeks of gruelling Bushtucker Trials alongside hosts Ant and Dec and a fresh lineup of famous faces.

He will join the likes of Kelly Brook, Shona McGarty, Lisa Riley, AngryGinge and Martin Kemp in the Jungle for the show's 25th series.

With 20 Top 10 hits, a BRIT Award for Best Hip Hop/Grime/Rap Act (2023), and over six million followers across social media, Aitch is one of the UKs biggest rap stars.

But while hes made waves in music, the 25-year-olds love life has been just as vibrant.

Now, as he swaps sold-out shows for the jungle, Daily Mail takes a look back at Aitchs dating history - from his flirty Chicken Shop Date with Amelia Dimoldenberg to his explosive split with influencer Lola Thompson.

Inside rapper's Aitch's dating history as he touches down in Australia for I'm A Celebrity 2025

The star's first public romance was with Chicken Shop Date's Amelia Dimoldenberg

Amelia Dimoldenberg

Aitch became a viral sensation after he struck up a romance with YouTube creator and journalist Amelia Dimoldenberg.

They first met each other in a 2019 episode of her series Chicken Shop Date, where she questioned him about his love life.

Amelia has interviewed celebrities such as Louis Theroux, Ed Sheeran and Dave on her YouTube channel, which now has over 3.3million subscribers.

She was eager to find out if Aitch was a player and was surprised to find out that he was 'texting zero girls'.

When Amelia asked if he believes in love at first sight, Aitch replied: 'I believe in it, but it's never happened so I don't know.

'But I would like to think that one day I'll look at someone and fall in love.'

Fast forward to 2022, Aitch teased fans for weeks with several TikTok's of a mystery woman, which turned out to be Amelia.

The couple's first date saw Aitch take Amelia to get a milkshake - although he kept her identity hidden.

Amelia and Aitch first met each other in a 2019 episode of her series Chicken Shop Date, where she questioned him about his love life

Love was clearly in the air for the social media stars as Aitch shared a second compilation video of him and Amelia looking extremely close and cute during a bowling date in 2022

Love was clearly in the air as he went on to share a second compilation video of him and Amelia looking extremely close and cute during their bowling date.

He captioned the video: 'Yeah, you guessed it. F*** off now,' and went on to share a loved-up selfie of them.

Not long after, Amelia addressed their relationship in a Kiss FM interview, confirming they were spending time together.

'I like him a lot, I love that he loves me so much,' she said.

Aitch then shared a picture of them on Instagram, calling her 'Amelia Armstrong'.

Also around this time, the journalist made a brief appearance in his and Ashanti's music video, Baby.

However, their relationship was not meant to be and the couple announced their split, when they gave each other 'best friend bracelets' in a video.

This left fans believing the relationship was a PR stunt to promote his new song.

Though fans have long speculated their relationship was an elaborate PR stunt. The parties have never confirmed, nor denied.

Lola Thompson

Following his split from Amelia, Aitch started dating influencer Lola Thompson. The former couple dated for 10 months between 2022 and 2023 before calling it quits

Following his split from Amelia, Aitch started dating influencer Lola Thompson.

During their relationship, Lola grew very close to Aitch's sister Gracie, who has Down Syndrome.

He previously shared a video of his sister and Lola holding hands and wrote: 'Gracie and Lola forget about me when they are together.'

The former couple dated for 10 months between 2022 and 2023 before calling it quits.

At the time, insiders claimed they were both 'gutted it didn't work out' due to conflicting schedules.

PrettyLittleThing model Lola confirmed the split when she shared a video of herself with her best friend and wrote: 'When you and your bestie are finally single at the same time.'

A pal told The Sun: 'Aitch and Lola had such a good time together and things were pretty serious between them, but in the end they struggled to spend enough time together.

'Lola is embracing the single life while Aitch has thrown himself into work. They are both pretty gutted.'

While the couple were said to have split amicably, it didn't stop Aitch sharing a stomach-churning story during an episode of the 90s Baby Show podcast in September

While the couple were said to have split amicably, it didn't stop Aitch sharing a stomach-churning story during an episode of the 90s Baby Show podcast in September.

Choosing not to name Lola, Aitch recalled the moment he had tried to perform an intimate act on a former girlfriend inside a Bali hotel room.

Things turned grim when he realised she had soiled the bed overnight due to a bout of Bali Belly - a colloquial term referring to digestive upset caused by ingesting contaminated food or water.

'I was with a girl, right, and we went to sleep and woke up the next morning... tried to get it cracking,' he said in a TikTok clip from the episode.

He went on to express his horror at noticing the state of affairs beneath the sheets.

Aitch joked his ex had experienced flatulence and believed she had 'got away with murder'.

'I've gone, 'I think something's happened there!'' he said, as the podcast hosts roared with laughter.

Aitch said he was so horrified by the discovery that he had to leave the room as soon as possible.

In a twist, Lola decided to out herself as the ex in question.

Days after the podcast episode was published, the model uploaded a scathing response video to TikTok in which she accused Aitch of being 'disrespectful' by speaking about her in such a 'vulgar' way.

She also insisted that his claims were 'incorrect', explaining that she did soil herself in Bali, but 'definitely not in the way he's describing it.'

'I did this in my sleep... it was a little bit in my pants. It didn't go on the bed. It didn't go on him. It didn't go "f**king everywhere" like he said it did.'

'And he wasn't being like, "Oh, get away from me!" He was literally hugging me, telling me he loved me.'

Choosing not to name Lola, Aitch recalled the moment he had tried to perform an intimate act on a former girlfriend inside a Bali hotel room

Lois Cottam

Earlier this year, it was reported that the rapper had struck up a romance with a stunning psychology student called Lois Cottam.

It's unclear where the couple met, but sources told The Sun that they've known each other for a while.

On his single Luv? with Anne-Marie, he rapped about chatting up a girl, but he's quietly been with his girlfriend since earlier this year.

A source told the publication: 'Aitch has been dating Lois for a couple of months, but they've recently been getting more serious.

'But Aitch has never posted her on his social media, they've been keeping things very low-key and private.

'Her Instagram is private and she's even removed her profile picture from her account, although you can see he follows her.'

It is not known if the pair are still 'together'.

Daily Mail has contacted Aitch's representative for comment.
Adult content creator Skylar Mae has revealed the moment her father discovered his co-worker pays to watch her raunchy sex videos on OnlyFans.

The US-based model, 22, tells Daily Mail her dad was left horrified when he was confronted by his elderly colleague in the middle of a business meeting.

She says the white collar worker recognised her from a photo her father has set as his screensaver on his mobile.

'My dad's co-worker, in a business meeting sitting next to him, [my dad] had his phone screen up and the wallpaper popped up,' she says.

'It was me, my dad and my sister. His co-worker, who is in his 60s, goes: "How do you know Skylar Mae?" My dad is like: "That's my daughter."'

Skylar says the co-worker didn't believe her father at first, telling him he was 'full of crap', until her dad pulled up her baby photos and more family pictures.

Adult content creator Skylar Mae, 22, has revealed the moment her father discovered his co-worker pays to watch her raunchy sex videos on OnlyFans

The sex worker, who currently lives in Arizona, laughs as she recalls the moment the co-worker said: 'That's insane. I'm a huge fan.'

While her father was shocked at first, Skylar says he finds the moment funny now, and she is grateful he already knew about her OnlyFans career beforehand.

'Thank god my dad already knew about it, or else that would have been very embarrassing,' she says.

'He called me [after he was confronted] and he was like: "You're never going to believe what just happened."

'It's funny. My dad in his last meeting, as a joke, called me on FaceTime and was like: "Hey [co-worker name] look, it's Skylar." He [the co-worker] just went red.'

While some may balk at the idea of telling their parents about their raunchy career, Skylar admits she has always been very open with her mother and father.

'My parents are super cool with it. They just don't want any details. I'm very open with them. Too open. I'll literally tell them anything,' she says.

'They're very supportive. As long as I'm not doing anything too crazy. As long as it's in the comfort of my own home.'

The US-based model tells Daily Mail her dad was left horrified when he was confronted by his elderly colleague in the middle of a business meeting

She adds that it's a 'very nice' feeling to be able to call them up and not hide what she is doing for a living.

'Being able to pick up the phone and call my parents and even get business advice... It's very nice to have them on my side for sure,' she says.

In fact, the adult content creator goes on to confess she opened an OnlyFans account because she wanted to financially help her parents.

Signing up to the subscription platform while she was in college, Skylar says she now sends her parents thousands of dollars every month.

'Depending on how well of a month I have, it ranges. Top month, I've sent my parents $30,000. That's just to help them,' she says.

'My parents have really bad health issues. Especially my mum... I definitely financially support my parents.

'It's a big reason I did start doing OnlyFans was to help take the load off of them so they could really fix their health and slow down.

'I've helped with other things too. I re-did their bathroom recently,' she adds, before joking that her parents are 'spoiled'.

She says the white collar worker recognised her from a photo her father has set as his screensaver on his mobile

'That honestly is my biggest motivation is the fact I get to help my parents because they did give me a really good childhood,' she says.

'It's nice to give back to them for sure. I try every month to do something really cool for them.'

Skylar currently says she earns up to six figures a month from her OnlyFans account, and spends much of her free time studying stocks and daytrading.

Based in the US, the brunette beauty signed up to the website while she was in college studying to be a dental nurse, which she has since stopped pursuing.
Glamorous OnlyFans star Paris Ow-Yang has ignited one of the Sydney eastern suburbs most controversial new trends.

Talent agents are reporting a surge of private school girls from elite Sydney colleges signing up to OnlyFans upon turning 18, in the hopes of earning the big bucks.

The 20-year-old is a graduate of the prestigious Frensham School in Mittagong and has become something of a blueprint for other young women who believe the adult content site is a pathway to fame and fortune.

The popular model has already amassed a staggering $15 million property portfolio, including a block of six Randwick units, after joining OF at 18.

'Paris has definitely been part of the system and has raised awareness about OF,' XX MGMT agent Rhys Nosworthy told The Daily Telegraph.

'She is up there as one of the people these girls want to be like. I am not saying every private school girl is interested in this space, but we have noticed a trend.'

Glamorous OnlyFans star Paris Ow-Yang has ignited one of the Sydney eastern suburbs most controversial new trends

He added that a key part of her appeal and influence is that she became an OF star at such a young age, immediately developing a huge following, and that others are now contacting his agency, which specialises in OF management, for representation.

'Girls that age want to join OF and it is one of the most sought-after age brackets by users,' he said.

'The girls who are this age tend to be the ones who make the most amount of money.'

Paris is the daughter of renowned Sydney neurosurgeon Dr Michael Ow-Yang and attended Frensham, an elite ladies' boarding school that costs $33,000 a year.

The social media star - who has over 500,000 Instagram followers - has been quick to cash in on her fame and in April reportedly purchased a block of units in the Sydney eastern suburb of Randwick for $7.5 million.

According to Confidential, The adult content creator is said to have snapped up six renovated apartments which are all currently leased for $810 - $1,275 per week for a total of $6,195 in rental income per week.

In total, the building contains 14 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and six car spaces, with the upper apartments boasting ocean and district views across Coogee and surrounds.

There are four three-bedroom apartments featuring en suites and lock-up garages, and two one-bedroom apartments which also provide onsite car spaces.

Talent agents are reporting a surge of private school girls from elite Sydney colleges signing up to OnlyFans upon turning 18, in the hopes of earning the big bucks

The 20-year-old is a graduate of the prestigious Frensham School in Mittagong and has become something of a blueprint for other young women who believe the adult content site is a pathway to fame and fortune

'I have an over 15 million dollar property portfolio. While you're busy writing about me, I'm buying 7.5 million properties. 7.5 million baby,' she told Confidential.

Other properties listed under the ownership of Ow-Yang Property Pty Ltd include a block of units in Randwick, which she purchased for $4.3 million.

Paris also owns a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Bondi Beach and a four-bedroom estate in Bowral, both of which she bought with the millions she raked in through the adult subscription website.

She shot to fame after launching a racy OF account the day after her 18th birthday.
JERUSALEM, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Israeli security forces said on Sunday they have arrested an Israeli man accused of gathering intelligence for Iran, including by exploiting information from his partner, a reservist at an air force base.

The Shin Bet internal security agency and Israeli police said in a joint statement that the suspect, 27-year-old Shimon Azarzar from Kiryat Yam near Haifa, "maintained direct contact with Iranian intelligence handlers" for more than a year and carried out tasks at their request.

Investigators said Azarzar sent photographs and coordinates of sensitive security sites inside Israel and offered additional information from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bases. He reportedly drew on details from his partner's military service, including air force operations and base locations. The statement said he was paid for his activities via digital payment methods.

An indictment was filed against Azarzar on Sunday following the conclusion of the investigation, the Shin Bet said. Since the start of the Gaza war in 2023, the Shin Bet has uncovered more than 20 such espionage cases. 
An Aussie star who has been catapulted to Hollywood mega-stardom has been spotted in a resurfaced school photograph.

Jacob Elordi's former school in Brisbane paid tribute to the Saltburn actor, sharing a heart-warming message honouring his success on the screen.

The St Joseph's Nudgee College Old Boys' Association posted a picture showing the former pupil looking very different in his final year of school in 2015.

The much-younger Jacob posed for the picture with his hands in his pockets, looking slightly awkward while wearing a striped blue and white blazer and a giant smile on his face.

Jacob's alma mater gushed about how 'proud' they were of everything the 28-year-old had achieved amid the glowing reviews of his performance in Guillermo del Toro's new Frankenstein film.

'Jacob Elordi's (NCOB 2015) transformation for the role of Frankenstein is being hailed as one of the most striking reinventions of the character in years,' the caption began.

Jacob Elordi 's former school in Brisbane paid tribute to the Saltburn actor, sharing a heart-warming message honouring his success on the screen. Pictured: Jacob Elordi in 2015

Jacob's alma mater gushed about how 'proud' they were of everything the 28-year-old had achieved amid the glowing reviews of his performance in Guillermo del Toro 's new Frankenstein film

'The Nudgee Old Boy and wider St Joseph's Nudgee College community are proud of all he has achieved and how he has stepped so convincingly into a role of this scale and cultural weight,' they shared.

St Joseph's Nudgee College is a Catholic boarding school for boys, located in Boondall, Brisbane.

After growing up a theatre kid, the Australian star moved to Hollywood when he was just a teenager to pursue his acting career.

Born in 1997 in Brisbane, Jacob comes from a close-knit family as the youngest of four children with three elder sisters.

Jacob caught the acting bug early, and by 2017, not yet 20, he garnered his first taste of the spotlight when he played an extra in Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, taking the uncredited role of a Saint Martin's Marine.

His breakthrough role came when he starred as teen heartthrob in the 2018 franchise The Kissing Booth, yet Jacob has gone on to challenge himself in a range of contrasting roles.

From the high school toxic love interest in HBO's Euphoria, to stepping into the shoes of the legendary musician Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola's biographical drama Priscilla.

Meanwhile, his role as posh English student Felix Catton in Emerald Fennell's Saltburn earned him a BAFTA nomination and propelled him into a whole new audience.

Jacob has previously spoken on his role in the adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (pictured), revealing that the creature is 'the purest form of myself'

Jacob is also set to star alongside fellow Aussie Margot Robbie in the Emerald Fennell adaptation of Wuthering Heights. Pictured: Elordi and Robbie in Wuthering Heights

Most recently he has taken on the role of the Creature in Guillermo del Toro's adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 gothic novel.

Jacob has previously spoken on his role in the adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, revealing that the creature is 'the purest form of myself'.

'I was drawn to this role because it's a vessel that I could put every part of myself into. Everything from the moment I was born to being with you here today, that's all in it in many ways.

'The creature on screen is the purest form of myself. He is more me than I am as a performer. If you can find yourself in a character that's a really beautiful thing that can happen. And I am only realising it now in hindsight.'

Jacob is also set to star alongside fellow Aussie Margot Robbie in the Emerald Fennell adaptation of Wuthering Heights.

The film, which is scheduled for release on Valentine's Day next year, follows the love story as it moves from romance to intoxication, love and madness.
Married At First Sight groom Adrian Araouzou is set to face a Sydney court later this month after being charged with driving while his licence was suspended.

The 31-year-old is due to appear in Burwood Local Court to answer the charge, which comes on the heels of a string of past allegations and public controversies.

A Daily Telegraph report revealed the matter this week, noting Araouzou has not yet entered a plea.

Araouzou has consistently denied the allegations he declined to comment when approached by Daily Mail.

The publication also detailed previous domestic violence-related charges dating back to 2020, which were dismissed in 2021.

The former groom, who appeared on the latest season of the Nine series, has made headlines repeatedly since filming wrapped.

Married At First Sight groom Adrian Araouzou is set to face a Sydney court later this month after being charged with driving while his licence was suspended

His new court date also comes months after he was abruptly dropped by Roxy Jacenko's Ministry of Talent, despite being announced as a new signing only days earlier.

Araouzou sparked rumours he had parted ways with the public relations titan when he removed Ministry of Talent from his TikTok bio.

The reality star also no longer appears on Ministry Of Talent's website.

'There are no hard feelings. I understand what it is,' he told Yahoo Lifestyle in May.

He earlier told the publication that he wanted to move on from the show that made him famous.

'I plan on dissociating anything to do with MAFS,' he said.

'I enjoy creating content, so I'll continue to keep on doing that just like I was doing before the show.

'I have other business ventures that I would like to explore and see where life takes me. I am an open book right now.'

He is due to appear in Burwood Local Court to answer the charge, which comes on the heels of a string of past allegations and public controversies

Adrian was paired with beloved mother-of-one Awhina Rutene on the show

He also denied claims he cheated on his TV bride, Awhina Rutene, while filming the Channel Nine dating show.

Araouzou told Daily Mail that he didn't have sex with another woman while on the show after Awhina accused him of leaving their apartment to spend time with another female.

'Absolutely not. As if I would need to go have sex with someone in that space of filming,' he said.

'I was out for a mate's birthday and went past mine to grab a few things then went back to the apartment,' he explained.

He claimed Awhina had also been invited to join him but decided to spend time with fellow bride Beth Kelly instead.
Callum Hole has lifted the lid on the brutal routine behind his chiselled physique.

The genetically blessed reality TV star, 27, revealed how he manages to stay shredded all year while still living up to his reputation as a party-loving podcaster.

Callum, who shot to fame on Love Island Australia in 2022, told Daily Mail he trains five days a week and treats fitness as a non-negotiable part of his lifestyle.

'I'm up early most days. I like to get moving before the world wakes up. I train five days a week, usually following a push, pull, legs split with a bit of conditioning thrown in. I'm big on tracking my sessions. If I'm not improving, I'm not interested,' he said.

He added that staying active outside the gym is just as important.

'Outside the gym I stay active. I walk, swim, move as much as I can. Fitness isn't just something I do; it's a non-negotiable part of my day.'

Callum Hole has lifted the lid on the brutal routine behind his chiselled physique

Callum, who shot to fame on Love Island Australia, told Daily Mail he trains five days a week and treats fitness as a non-negotiable part of his lifestyle

The reality star is preparing to launch his new fitness program, Mental Motion X, which he says is nothing like the recycled influencer workouts flooding social media.

'Mental Motion X isn't just a cookie-cutter workout plan, it's the system I actually use,' he explained.

'Every program is designed so you don't have to overthink it; you just follow it and stay consistent. It's inclusive and built for everyone, no matter your starting point.'

Callum said affordability was a key part of the project.

'I've also made it super affordable... I don't want money to be the reason someone can't start. Cut down on three coffees a month and that'll cover a full monthly subscription - there's really no excuse not to invest in yourself.'

As for how he maintains his lean frame year-round, Callum insists it all comes down to discipline.

'I track my food, keep my protein high, and stay active even when I'm not training,' he said. 'I don't do extreme cuts; I'd rather stay in shape all year through small, sustainable habits.'

He also admitted he stays photo-ready because he never knows when the next modelling job or TV appearance will pop up.

'I'm up pretty early most days. I like to get moving before the world wakes up. I train five days a week, usually following a push, pull, legs split with a bit of conditioning thrown in,' he said

'It's part of the job now, and looking after myself is as much professional as it is personal.'

When asked how he keeps motivated, Callum was quick to shut down the myth of constant inspiration.

'Motivation comes and goes, but discipline keeps you going,' he said. 'My rule is simple: do something. Even if it's just a walk or a light session, you'll never regret moving.'

Nutrition is another key element, and Callum keeps it simple.

'Breakfast is usually eggs, oats or something high-protein. Lunch and dinner are simple - lean meats, rice or potatoes, plenty of greens.

'I'm big on easy, repeatable meals,' he said. His biggest weakness? 'Burgers or a big feed after a long shoot.'

But the gym has been more than just a place to sculpt his muscles.

'Training has always been therapy for me. It's where I clear my head and reset. Fitness gave me structure when life felt chaotic, and it's where I've built a lot of my confidence,' he revealed.

Callum will return to Channel Nine, starring alongside co-star Mitchell Hibberd (right) on the upcoming season of Travel Guides

And despite his reputation as one of the show's biggest party boys, Callum insists he's worked out a system that lets him enjoy life without derailing his progress.

'Balance. I enjoy my nights out, that's part of who I am, but I know when to switch on. I'll train the next morning, track my food, and get back on routine straight away,' he said.

'I think that's what people relate to. I'm not pretending to be perfect, I just stay consistent no matter what.'

Callum will return to Channel Nine, starring alongside co-star Mitchell Hibberd on the upcoming season of Travel Guides.
Lisa Vanderpump has taken a swipe at Prince Harry following his well-publicised move to the US with his wife Meghan Markle.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 65, who herself hails from Britain, delivered the curt response when discussing the Duke of Sussex during an appearance at Bravocon in Las Vegas.

It comes after Harry and Meghan found themselves at risk of sparking a rift with the famous Kardashian family, after pictures of them inside Kris Jenner's 70th birthday party were mysteriously deleted from Kim's Instagram account.

Lisa discussed the royal couple after Bravo fan Jerry O'Connell kicked off the panel by noting his wife Rebecca Romijn recently flew on a plane with Harry.

He quipped: 'My wife said, ''Yeah, it was exciting, [but] not as exciting [as] when Lisa Vanderpump sat two rows back.''

Lisa, 65, had a quick response, chiming in, 'Well, I'm a loyal Brit. He isn't, right? Come on, you know, I'm telling the truth.'

Lisa Vanderpump has taken a swipe at Prince Harry following his well-publicised move to the US with his wife Meghan Markle

It comes after Harry and Meghan found themselves at risk of a rift with the Kardashian family, after pictures of them inside Kris Jenner 's 70th birthday party were mysteriously deleted

The reality TV star grew up in the UK before moving to the US to open a string of successful restaurants with her husband Ken Todd.

Harry and Meghan moved to Calfornia after making the decision to step back from being working royals in 2020, and since then the son of King Charles has been involved in lengthy legal battles over maintaining security when they visit the UK.

Lisa said: 'I think Beverly Hills is really my home, but I work here [in Las Vegas] so much, so it's much easier for me to have my little Villa and Rosa [restaurants] here.

'I love Vegas. I think it's the playground of the world, and growing up in London, in a suburb, when you'd come to Vegas, you'd never see anything like it. I still think it's like that. It's innovative, it's moving forward, I feel safe here [and] it's got this incredible energy.'

Lisa was a star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for its first nine seasons, but has since move on to front her own spin-off Vanderpump Rules.

It comes after sources revealed Harry and Meghan have risked upsetting the Kardashian family after pictures of them from Kris' birthday bash were mysteriously deleted from Kim's Instagram.

People Magazine, the Sussexes' preferred publication in the US, claimed that Meghan and Harry asked that no photographs of them inside the James Bond-themed party were published.

The publication also claimed that it understood the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ticked a 'no' box on a photo consent form, leading to the party images of them on Instagram being removed.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, who herself hails from Britain, delivered the curt response when discussing the Duke of Sussex during an appearance at Bravocon in Las Vegas

'Kim was like 'you've already been papped outside and you were at the Baby2Baby event the same night being photographed like Meghan Trainor and Paris Hilton so what's the problem?',' the source said, adding: 'Kim is pi**ed off'.

A source close to Kim has denied this.

Claims guests had to sign consent forms have also since been refuted, with a source telling the Daily Mail 'there were no consent forms' - leading to renewed speculation as to why the photos vanished.

Kris' Instagram post-party round-up showed a series of pictures of her with Meghan and Harry. Her daughter Kim shared a picture of herself posing with the Duchess. But these were later deleted, reportedly due to the Sussexes' consent form.

Despite the images being deleted, the pictures of Harry and Meghan are being shared on social media and were published by several websites in the United States.

The Daily Mail previously contacted representatives for the Sussexes, Ms Kardashian and Ms Jenner about the so-called photo-gate.

Page Six spoke to a royal source that said Harry and Meghan's decision to attend was 'so tacky'.

A palace insider who works with the royal family said: 'It truly shows that Harry is so far removed from the rest of the family.

'These people may be stars in America, but the pure ostentatiousness is at odds with what Prince William is trying to do with his life and the monarchy.'
Father Ted star Ardal O'Hanlon has admitted he 'feels sorry' for the show's creator Graham Linehan after he was arrested over a string of anti-trans tweets.

Graham was met by armed police when he touched down at Heathrow Airport in September and was detained on suspicion of inciting violence, but has since said on social media he'll face 'no further police action.'

Ardal, who starred as Father Dougal McGuire in the Channel 4 comedy, admitted he hasn't seen Graham much since he starred on the show, and is 'baffled' why he's become so involved in 'culture wars.'

The gender critical campaigner, who also co-wrote sitcoms such as Black Books, The IT Crowd and Count Arthur Strong, was originally detained in relation to tweets which police deemed to warrant an arrest on suspicion of inciting violence.

Graham has also separately appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court, having been accused of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks.

Ardal, who said he still 'gets on great' with the rest of the Father Ted cast, added that feels Graham has made his opinions about the transgender community 'confrontational.'

Father Ted star Ardal O'Hanlon has admitted he 'feels sorry' for the show's creator Graham Linehan after he was arrested over a string of anti-trans tweets

Graham was met by armed police when he touched down at Heathrow and was detained on suspicion of inciting violence, but has since said he'll face 'no further police action'

He told The Sunday Times: 'I still get on great with everyone, though I haven't seen much of the show's creator Graham Linehan and am baffled as to why he got involved in the culture wars.

'I feel sorry for him; he's entitled to his opinions but the way he presented them made it confrontational.'

Last month, Graham said he faces no further police action over anti-trans tweets that saw him arrested at an airport.

The Irish comedy writer was met by armed police when he touched down at Heathrow Airport last month from Arizona in the US and detained on suspicion of inciting violence.

He has now posted on X, formerly Twitter: 'The police have informed my lawyers that I face no further action in respect of the arrest at Heathrow in September.

'After a successful hearing to get my bail conditions lifted (one which the police officer in charge of the case didn't even bother to attend) the Crown Prosecution Service has dropped the case.

'With the aid of the Free Speech Union, I still aim to hold the police accountable for what is only the latest attempt to silence and suppress gender critical voices on behalf of dangerous and disturbed men.'

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: 'Following careful review of a file submitted by the Metropolitan Police, we have decided that no further action should be taken in relation to a man in his 50s who was arrested on 1 September 2025.'

Ardal, who played Father Dougal McGuire in the Channel 4 comedy, admitted he hasn't seen Graham much since being on the show, and is 'baffled' why he's so involved in 'culture wars'

Linehan, currently living across the Atlantic, later declared he would no longer want to return to Britain after his arrest that was met with fury from high-profile figures such as Harry Potter author JK Rowling who came to his support by branding the detention 'utterly deplorable'.

He was detained in relation to three tweets which police deemed to warrant an arrest.

The first, from April 20, read: 'If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.'

A second tweet, on April 19, was a picture of a trans rally with the caption: 'A photo you can smell.' The third was a follow-up to this tweet which said: 'I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F*** em.'

The writer was heard audibly fuming in disbelief when he was stopped by armed officers at the west London airport.

He told them: 'I'm a f****** comedy writer, I wrote Father Ted. Are you a f****** idiot?... It's just disgraceful.'

When told he was under arrest, Linehan shouted: 'Holy s***, I don't f****** believe it, do you know what this country looks like to America?,' before telling them 'I'm going to sue you into the ground'.

He called the officers 'f****** bastards' and shouted 'how dare you' before they urged him to calm down.

Shortly afterwards, Linehan can be heard saying: 'I'm f****** infuriated. You scumbags are working for f****** arseholes who go into women's toilets.'

After his arrest, the writer claimed he was escorted to A&E 'because the stress nearly killed me' - adding that his blood pressure was recorded at over 200mm Hg by a nurse.

He subsquently told the Times that the Metropolitan Police's move to arrest him at Heathrow was the 'greatest mistake they could have made'.

Linehan said he was stopped by five armed police officers, although it is understood this is because they were from the Met's Aviation unit and routinely carry firearms.

The writer has separately appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court last month, having been accused of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks.

Linehan has denied one count of harassing Brooks on social media between October 11 and October 27 last year, and a further charge of criminal damage of their mobile phone on October 19 last year. The trial is ongoing.

Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk described Britain as a 'police state' in response to Linehan's arrest at Heathrow, while Rowling fumed: 'What the f*** has the UK become? This is totalitarianism. Utterly deplorable.'

The Conservatives' Shadow Justice Secretary Mr Jenrick was also among those responding, posting about the arrest: 'This is ridiculous and a complete waste of police time.

'The police only respond to 1 in 5 reported shoplifting offences, but deployed 5 armed officers to arrest a comedian over three tweets. We desperately need to end this nonsense and go after actual criminals.'

Linehan was arrested in relation to three tweets (above) which police deemed to warrant an arrest on suspicion of inciting violence - but he says he is now in the clear over them

The writer (above) has separately appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court last month having been accused of harassing transgender activist Sophia Brooks

Gender critical activist Rowling leapt to Linehan's defence weeks after he accused her of failing to back him when saying he was 'cancelled' for similar views.

He had told the Spiked podcast she failed to defend his right to free speech when he received backlash over his comments regarding trans people, saying Rowling's 'silence' made him feel 'toxic' and isolated.

Prolific tweeter Linehan recalled how, when Rowling became embroiled in the row over SNP's self identification reforms, he said he felt as though he could 'finally relax' and 'fight back' as someone was on his side.

He added in the September 2025 interview: 'And now her silence about me is just added to the feeling that, that I've done something wrong - that I'm toxic and I know I am toxic, but it's not because I've done anything wrong.

'It's because people, people like JK Rowling won't stand up in defence of me. So it wasn't just the [trans rights activist] side pushing me out.

'It was a feeling of lack of solidarity and the kind of an embarrassment at my presence in the fight.'
Adam Peaty's mother Caroline has shared a tribute to her sister Louise for being her 'protector' after a bitter feud erupted with her son.

On Monday, it was revealed Caroline, 59, has been uninvited from attending the Olympic swimmer's Christmas wedding to Holly Ramsay, 25, as a result of a fallout and he was branded a 'narcissist' by his own family over his actions.

When the row came to light, Adam's aunt Louise blasted her nephew and his fiancee Holly in a series of Instagram comments, where she also detailed the reason why her sister was not invited to the bride's hen party.

Over the weekend, Caroline also broke her silence on the rift in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail, breaking down in tears as she claimed Holly's family are 'pulling him away from her'. You can read the full interview here.

In a post on Instagram, Caroline shared the quote: 'The moment you realise: The little sister who once drove you crazy is now the one who keeps you sane - your loudest supporter and forever best friend.

'She eventually becomes the comfort zone which every elder sister secretly needed all alone.'

Adam Peaty 's mother Caroline has shared a tribute to her sister Louise for being her 'protector' after a bitter feud erupted with her son (pictured in 2024)

Caroline shared the post thanking her sister Louise for supporting her during the 'difficult' time, after she broke her silence on the rift in an interview with Daily Mail

Caroline added the caption: 'Louise I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being my protector through this difficult time x

'To the people who are being so cruel to my sister, please stop!

'Sadly you obviously don't understand the bond of sisters.'

Adam hunkered down at his father-in-law Gordon's home after the feud intensified when his brother James was arrested over claims he sent Peaty a barrage of verbal threats while the swimmer was celebrating his stag weekend in Budapest.

It's understood that Peaty's brother James, who works as a builder, was questioned for two days before being released on conditional bail.

A family source told the Daily Mail: 'The boys have always been close, and Jamie, who is a builder, even helped Adam renovate his house.

'They've always got on, but Adam has changed with his new celebrity lifestyle and family.

'Now James has a potential charge hanging over his head and his parents have the headache of being disinvited and banned from their son's wedding.

On Monday, it was revealed Caroline, 59, has been uninvited from attending the Olympic swimmer's Christmas wedding to Holly Ramsay (pictured) as a result of a fallout

'This is so hurtful and distressing for our family.'

Peaty was reportedly granted a huge police escort at Manchester airport on Sunday night after flying back home from his stag do.

A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police told the Daily Mail: 'We arrested a 34-year-old man, from the Uttoxeter area, on 11 November 2025, on suspicion of harassment.

'The man was released on conditional bail while our enquiries continue.'

While James has not been charged, the family source said it was a 'desperately worrying time, amid the high profile public dispute'.

Holly was pictured breaking cover on Thursday clutching a 'Bride' phone case when she was seen for the first time since her feud with her fiance's family came to light.

The sighting came after the Peatys took to social media in force to claim they have been overlooked from the couple's wedding plans because they are 'simple people on benefits', who do not fit in with the Ramsays' polished look.

Sources close to the situation told the Daily Mail's Katie Hind that the accusations from team Ramsay have not reflected favourably upon them.

The insider told the Daily Mail: 'It all seems rather unedifying for Team Ramsay to come out and throw around accusations about a normal, ordinary family like the Peatys.' The full exclusive report is available to read here.

Adam and Holly's wedding is due to be held at Bath Abbey at Christmas with guests set to include the newly knighted Sir David Beckham and his fashion designer wife who have been friends with the Ramsays for many years.

The family source said it was believed that the only member of Adam's family now due to attend the wedding was his sister Bethany, with nobody else being able to afford the hotel costs.

Bethany was the only member of his family at Holly's hen celebration at Soho Farmhouse, set in 100 acres of the Oxfordshire countryside.

The claims of threats come after Adam's family accused his camp of 'body-shaming' his mother Caroline.

They also insisted he isn't following his Christian beliefs by shunning his family from their wedding celebrations and accused Adam of sending his mother outfit options because they 'didn't approve of her choices'.

Adam hunkered down at his father-in-law Gordon's home after the feud intensified when his brother James was arrested over claims he sent Peaty a barrage of verbal threats

The tirade of comments from Adam's side of the family come after a source close to the situation explained why they were no longer invited to the nuptials.

Speaking to the Daily Mail's Katie Hind, they said: 'You only have to look at the picture to see that there is a certain "type",' says one person familiar with the party.

'They all look the same and you wonder if Caroline might have stuck out a bit. She's a normal woman, not a celebrity. You look at Holly's Instagram and it's all so planned, so super-glam and very, very showy. That's not Caroline.'

More about the jaw-dropping reason Holly and Adam banned his mum from wedding and hen do can be read in Katie Hind's exclusive Mail+ article here.

In the hours after the comments were revealed, Adam's family reacted to the reports on social media as they accused the person who made them of body shaming.

The day before, Adam's aunt Louise had weighed into the feud, and said of her sister: 'She's not ok at all. Holly and Adam have broken my darling sister.'

She claimed Adam is 'ashamed' of his brothers and then bizarrely shared pictures of Holly at the hen do on her Threads account.

Adam's family branded him a 'narcissist' and claimed he has been 'changed' by money and 'forgotten where he came from'.

Another source told the publication while his family were originally supportive of his engagement to Holly, they feel 'they have been pushed further and further from Adam over the past year'.

They said: 'It seems to some of the family that Adam is more at home with Holly and her folks, while his family has been left behind.

'Caroline is devoted to her grandson George and will move heaven and earth to care for him.

'As tensions have risen, there have been rows and Caroline has always toed the line because she wants to be a part of her grandson's life.'

Shocked family members have spoken out against Adam, with Caroline's sister saying: 'he's said the most vile things a son can say to his mother.'

Adam is said to have had his head turned by Holly's fame and money - and now feels ashamed of his own working-class family who made huge sacrifices and shelled out hundreds for his swimming lessons growing up.

On Monday, Adam's aunt accused Holly Ramsay of leaving her mother-in-law Caroline 'broken' by failing to invite her to her hen do.

The daughter of Gordon Ramsay welcomed her mother Tana, Victoria Beckham, Adam's sister Bethany and many more to her pre-nuptial celebrations at celebrity hotspot Soho Farmhouse - yet has reportedly left Caroline 'broken' with the snub.

Social media has erupted with anger from Adam's family, after Caroline shared posts voicing her heartache, leading to her sister Louise Williams, who uses the Instagram handle @Loobylou, and their Aunty Jan weighing in on the 's**t show'.

When Holly failed to invite Caroline, who helped steer Adam to Olympic glory, to the party, she was left languishing at home in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, looking after her five-year-old grandson George - Adam's child with ex-girlfriend Eirianedd Munro.

Caroline took to Instagram on Monday to share a cryptic image reading: 'When you love someone, you protect them from the pain, you don't become the cause of it.'

She captioned the post with: 'The ones I love are the people who hurt me the most.'

The Peatys have taken to social media in force to claim they have been overlooked from the couple's wedding plans because they are 'simple people on benefits', who do not fit in with the Ramsays' polished look (pictured Adam with his mother Caroline)

Louise threw herself wholeheartedly into the conversation about the feud

She insisted Adam was 'embarrassed' by his family and his brothers' mental health problems

The post was soon flooded with comments and likes from the Peaty family, including Aunty Louise detailing the apparent reasons why there was a hen do snub as well as comments about Adam's brothers and their mental health problems.

She wrote: 'They banned her because she would not apologise re the cancellation of the Bath trip because of the train cancellation and Caroline's refusal to turn her back on her son's, his brothers who both suffer from adhd and mental health problems and whom Adam considers to be an embarrassment...

'However it was ok for Adam to make money off his brothers problems in his book. Can I ask I don't know if you are a mum but would you turn your back on two sons who needed you to remain in favour with a celebrity?'

Her reference to a trip to Bath comes after it was revealed that his parents were invited to the wedding, along with other family members, and Caroline excitedly bought a dress.

But, according to the source, the star and his fiancee didn't like the ensemble so offered to buy her a different one of their choice. The Peatys had been gifted train travel and accommodation to visit Bath to go shopping, which they accepted.

The planned trip never happened because services going south were either delayed or cancelled due to multiple stabbings on a train in Huntingdon two weeks ago.

The source said: 'Caroline and Mark couldn't make the journey and instead of rearranging it, Adam went mad they had missed it and moaned they had wasted his money and he wouldn't be able to get a refund...

'For goodness sake, he's a multi-millionaire. It's all so sad, not one really knows what goes on behind closed doors. Adam doesn't really want or need his family anymore. It is heartbreaking to see this once normal, close-knit family fall apart.'

Louise's tirade did not stop there, as she launched into another defence of her sister, who she insisted had 'a heart bigger than China'.

The previous day, Louise blasted Holly over the snub to her future mother-in-law who had 'opened her home and heart to you', saying it had inflicted 'a hurt on my sister that will take a very long time to heal if ever'.

Her post stated: '@hollyramsayy I'm so glad that you had a great hen do. As a bride, you deserve that. However, as a person you were divisive and hurtful towards a woman, who I have loved and continue to love deeply.

'A woman who opened her home and heart to you. You decided, for whatever reason, not to invite her, your prospective mother-in-law to your hen night yet Adam invited his father-in-law, your dad, to his stag night.

'You invited your mum (quite rightly) and even your mum's assistant, your sisters, your friends, my niece, but not my sister, your future mother-in-law.

'I have also seen messages passing between her and Adam about this and other matters and, quite frankly, I expected better of you and definitely of Adam. You have inflicted a hurt on my sister that will take a very long time to heal if ever.'

The post is said to have deeply upset Holly and world champion swimmer Adam who have been dating for more than two years.

A source close to the Peaty family revealed that the swimmer had left his mother 'heartbroken' after her sister's post by contacting her to ban her from the wedding and to tell her she would not see his son George or any future grandchildren again.

In another message to his mother, seen by the Daily Mail, Adam stated his intention to disown his family, despite them having supported him throughout his career.

Caroline waded into the incredible row by expressing her distress in an Instagram post which stated: 'Crying is a way your eyes speak when your mouth can't explain how broken your heart is.'

Her post attracted messages of support and concern from friends including one who commented: 'Don't let them drag you down Caroline.'
Jonathan Bailey has revealed he felt 'really scared' and 'alone' while growing up gay in school.

The Wicked actor, 37, who was voted People's Sexiest Man Alive, candidly spoke about his childhood during an interview to promote the new movie.

He admitted: 'I felt scared and I felt alone and I felt entirely limited at various points in my life.'

Jonathan said he was bullied in school and experienced anxiety as well as depression.

Speaking to Sky News, he said: 'It became clear quite early on that something that was very specific and clear to me about who I was, it wasn't safe and it wasn't celebrated.'

Jonathan plays Prince Fiyero in Wicked, the love-interest to both Ariana Grande's character Glinda and Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba.

Jonathan Bailey has revealed he felt 'really scared' and 'alone' while growing up gay in school (pictured in September)

The Wicked actor, 37 candidly spoke about his childhood during while promoting the new movie: 'I felt scared and I felt alone and I felt entirely limited at various points in my life'

Jonathan was voted People's Sexiest Man Alive, and found out he received the title on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with the actor admitting it was 'the honour of a lifetime'

However, he added that he did not think he would be able to play such parts due to his sexuality.

He said: 'I thought not only was I not going to be able to play these sorts of parts because of my sexuality, but that I wouldn't be able to do Shakespeare because I didn't go to drama school.

'They're the sort of stories that we need to be reminded of is that actually standing up and being safe enough to be able to say who you really are, and to be vulnerable at that age... these formative years, is inspiring to everyone in the classroom.'

Earlier this month Jonathan was voted People's Sexiest Man Alive, and found out he received the title on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with the actor admitting it was 'the honour of a lifetime'.

He quipped: 'In 2025, I'm sort of thrilled that People magazine have invited someone in, to bestow this honour on someone who can really cherish the value of a sexy man.'

It comes off the heels of a massive year for the British star, after starring alongside Scarlett Johansson in Jurassic World Rebirth.

He is also known for starring as Anthony, also known as Lord Bridgerton, in popular Netflix romance series Bridgerton, which brought him to global fame.

But his career in television and film began long before his work on the streaming series, first appearing on screen in 1997 at just nine years old when he starred in the British television series, Bramwell.

Jonathan plays Prince Fiyero in Wicked, the love-interest to both Ariana Grande 's character Glinda and Cynthia Erivo 's Elphaba

He is also known for starring as Anthony, also known as Lord Bridgerton, in popular Netflix romance series Bridgerton, which brought him to global fame

After brief parts in various procedurals, including The Bill and Lewis, Jonathan starred alongside David Tennant and Olivia Colman in the British crime drama Broadchurch, which ran on ITV for three series between 2013 and 2017.

He also had featured heavily in the mockumentary sitcom W1A between 2014 and 2017, as well as the comedy, Crashing, created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

On the big screen, Jonathan appeared in the 2007 comedy film St Trinian's, followed by Permanent Vacation and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, that same year.

And his performances have won him both fans and high critical praise, winning a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical in 2019 for his performance in the musical Company.

While last year, he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries for Fellow Travelers.
Justin and Will are the 2025 winners of My Kitchen Rules.

The dining dads took out the top gong and were crowned kings of the kitchen on Sunday night, taking home $100,000 in what is being dubbed the closest grand final in the show's history.

The chefs scored 73 out of 80 in the final cook-off, with just a one point difference between them and the runners-up Maria and Bailey.

'I can't believe we've won the title,' Will said, overcome with emotion after winning the much-loved cooking show.

Justin confessed in a raw moment: 'I can't stop shaking.'

In a sweet message to his loved ones, Will said while tearing up: 'I'm lost for words. To have our families with us, we hope we did them proud.'

Justin and Will (both pictured) are the 2025 winners of My Kitchen Rules

The dining dads took out the top gong and were crowned kings of the kitchen on Sunday night, taking home $100,000 after what is being dubbed the closest grand final in the show's history

Justin added: 'We've accomplished what we've set out to do. We made our kids proud; we made ourselves proud. That's amazing.'

It was an emotional episode before the teams even entered the kitchen, with Justin getting teary-eyed over the time spent away from his wife and children to be on the show.

'It's a long time we've been away from our kids, so having them here is going to give me that extra drive to get through. We've sacrificed our family life to be here in this competition,' he said.

Both teams left everything on the kitchen bench, cooking up four different courses  a canape, seafood, meat and dessert dish  making 100 plates of grub as they raced against time in the final stretch.

Judges Manu Feildel and Colin Fassnidge gushed over both teams as Colin noted that it was 'one of the most exciting cooks I've seen in a grand final in a long time'.

Just before revealing who had emerged victorious, Manu shared: 'This is the closest grand final I can remember.'

Justin and Will's menu featured striking flavours and techniques, mixing heritage, fine dining and flaunting trendy ingredients in their final sweet dish.

While Maria and Bailey's array of courses were both elegant and sophisticated, 'with a little splash of Maria and Bailey'.

After coming in second, Bailey could only gush about his partner Maria, saying: 'We knew we were coming up against tough competition, so to be able to do what we did today is truly incredible' (Pictured: Justin, Will, Maria and Bailey)

After coming in second, Bailey could only gush about his partner Maria, saying: 'We knew we were coming up against tough competition, so to be able to do what we did today is truly incredible.'

Justin and Will's canape of Smoked Ham Hock and Gruyere Croquette with Sauce Gribiche was praised for its 'perfect flavour' even though the sauce slightly split.

'It puts a smile on your face,' Colin praised the chefs, as both judges awarded the dish a nine.

Their seafood course  a South African Pickled Kingfish with Brioche and Green Papaya Chutney  was a homage to Justin's father, who was in attendance at the grand final.

'As a dad, you want your kids to always look up to you, as I look up to my dad. If I can be half the man that that man is up there, my job's done,' Justin emotionally shared.

Manu gushed over the 'explosion of flavour', adding: 'I've never had anything like that before.'

Unfortunately, the brioche bun did not rise, a major factor that saw both judges award the dish an eight.

Both teams were pushed to the edge in the meat course, but their hard work paid off with almost perfect scores all around.

Both teams were pushed to the edge, but their hard work paid off

Justin and Will cooked up a Red Wine and Rosemary Braised Beef Short Rib with Parsnip Puree and Beets.

'What a dish,' exclaimed Manu, with both judges praising the meat falling straight off the bone.

Colin was pleased with the 'earthy and beautiful' plate, scoring it a ten, while Manu scored it a nine.

Justin and Will's 'incredible' Dubai Chocolate Eclair dessert was an outstanding highlight of the evening, with Colin saying: 'It looked like something I would get in a degustation menu in a restaurant.'

Manu chimed in: 'You guys really push yourselves to the limits and thought about all the little details to finish your four-course meal.'
The Golden Bachelor's inaugural season has come to a close and Channel 9 certainly splashed out on the show's grand final.

Flying Barry 'Bear' Myrden and his two final ladies Janette and Sunny - as well as host Samantha Armytage - to South Africa's windy city Cape Town, Nine pulled out all the stops for the final rose in Sunday night's episode.

In the end, the 61-year-old engineer gave his heart to 58-year-old CEO Sunny in front of a breathtaking backdrop of the Twelve Apostles mountain range.

But before he made his final decision, The Golden Bachelor wasn't afraid of dropping some cash on the ladies vying for Bear's heart.

First off, economy flights from Sydney to Cape Town would've cost production between AU$1,700 and AU$2,200 per person, which would certainly rack up the air miles between the cast and crew.

Once in the Mother City, Janette and Sunny were treated to a variety of luxe experiences by the Bachelor.

The Golden Bachelor's inaugural season has come to a close and Channel 9 certainly splashed out on the show's final episode. Pictured: Barry 'Bear' Myrden

For Bear and Janette's final date, the leading man took the Pilates studio owner, 61, on a safari around Aquila Private Game Reserve.

The day trip, which included a game drive and lunch by the fire, came in at R5,790 (AU$520) for the couple.

As for Sunny's date, Bear took her for a drive in a vintage AC Cobra along Chapman's Peak, an experience that cost nearly R3,000 (AU$270) for the day.

What's more, a five-star hotel made many appearances throughout the episode.

Perched in the penthouse of The Silo Hotel, the women discussed what was in their hearts while looking out across the Atlantic Ocean alongside host Samantha.

They were also spotted getting ready in front of the iconic silo-inspired windows before the moment Bear picked his girl.

The hotel's penthouse B&B comes in at a whopping R170,500 (AU$15,350) daily rate.

The Golden Bachelor chose his final lady in a wild final episode.

But before he made his final decision, The Golden Bachelor certainly dropped some cash on the ladies vying for Bear's heart. Pictured: Janette and Bear

Once in the Mother City, Janette and Sunny were treated to a variety of luxe experiences by the Bachelor. Pictured: Barry 'Bear' Myrden and Sunny

For Bear and Janette's final date, the leading man took the Pilates studio owner, 61, (left) on a safari around Aquila Private Game Reserve

The hotel's penthouse B&B comes in at a whopping R170,500 (AU$15,350) daily rate

Bear made his ultimate choice during the romantic South Africa trip - and it was Sunny who walked away victorious.

However, rejected contestant Janette was not humble in defeat, storming off while Bear tried to comfort her.

In heartbreaking scenes, Bear let down Janette, telling her that while he had strong feelings for her, he had not fallen in love.

'I was so nervous about doing this, because you made me feel like I haven't felt in a long time,' Bear admitted.

'I feel like I could tell you anything, Janette. You deserve a love worth fighting for. And I'm so sorry... It's not with me.'

A stoic Janette replied curtly, 'I'm fine. I read your eyes the minute I walked up here.'

'I do really care for you,' Bear insisted.

'Don't disrespect Sunny by saying anything like that,' Janette snapped.

Bear made his ultimate choice during the romantic South Africa trip - and it was Sunny who walked away victorious

In heartbreaking scenes, Bear let down Janette, telling her that while he had strong feelings for her, he had not fallen in love

'I hope you're very happy, both of you,' she added bitterly.

Clearly enraged, Janette cut the discussion short, storming off and leaving Bear standing there, speechless.

When she was back in the car, Janette broke down in tears.

'I thought he was going to choose me. I truly meant I was falling for him. I feel like a fool,' she said.

Janette said her instinct was to 'shut down again' - but she hoped that she would one day find love.

'My turn will come. There's still someone out there for me,' she said.
Gemma Collins has asked fans to pray for her beloved mum Joan who she revealed was 'really unwell' in hospital with pneumonia on Sunday.

The former TOWIE star, 44, shared a heartbreaking snap as cuddled her mother, 70, at her bedside in what has been the 'toughest week of her life'.

Gemma accompanied the photo with a heartbreaking post which read: 'This week has been the toughest week of my life I didnt know if I was coming or going and still dont my mum is really unwell and I just want to thank the NHS doctors and nurses at BROOMFIELD HOSPITAL CHELMSFORD HOSPITAL FOR looking after mum so well'

'Mum has phenomena [sic] and is really struggling please if you believe in prayer like me please say a prayer for mum to get well asap. Thank you to all my closest for being there for me and for everyone who has reached out to higher powers to help mum you know who you are'.

Gemma continued: 'Also all the friends and family who have visited and keep bringing the love for mum, mum and me always have loved Madonna and her music so its getting me through atm giving me a lift'.

Pneumonia is a type of chest infection that affects the tiny air sacs in the lungs. The condition causes these sacs to be become inflammed and fill with fluid, making it harder to breathe.

Gemma Collins has asked fans to pray for her beloved mum Joan who she revealed was 'really unwell' in hospital with pneumonia on Sunday

The former TOWIE star, 44, shared a heartbreaking snap as cuddled her mother at her bedside in what has been the 'toughest week of her life'.

Last year Gemma was told how her mother could die after she was rushed to hospital after she stopped breathing.

Speaking to The Sun, she said: 'I've had a lot of stress the last couple of weeks.

'My mum was suddenly taken into hospital and I was told she could die. They would not resuscitate her if she went into cardiac arrest.

'So imagine that, you know, I'm in the hospital having been out for dinner the day before, and then the next day I'm like, 'wow', so that was a massive shock.'

Gemma revealed that Joan had been rushed to hospital and was in intensive care.

The reality TV personality shared sweet snaps with her mum to social media, telling fans Joan is 'really ill at the minute'.

In a video shared to Instagram, Gemma - who has openly spoken about her mother's health struggles in the past - explained: 'My mum is really ill at the minute, she's in intensive care.

'It's been a hell of a time and you know, I'm really happy, and well not that happy, because my mum's in intensive care, but she is on the mend, thank god.'

Gemma accompanied the photo with a heartbreaking post which read: ' This week has been the toughest week of my life I didnt know if I was coming or going' (pictured 2024)

Last year Gemma was told how her mother could die after she was rushed to hospital after she stopped breathing

Gemma later wrote: 'Last week I had the shock of my life when my mum stopped breathing. I called an ambulance and was told to prepare for the worst and would I like to resuscitate her.

She then reassured worried fans that Joan is now 'stable' and will 'hopefully' be much better soon.

In August last year, Gemma shared a snap of her mother with a breathing tube in her nose after being admitted to Queens Hospital in Essex.

She penned: 'Such a scary moment when Mum comes to hospital. Thank you Queens Hospital Romford for all you're doing.'

Sharing another snap of her mother on her grid, she added: 'Love your parents as hard as you can. Thank you to everyone looking after mum @joancollins1 at QUEENS HOSPITAL ROMFORD.'

Meanwhile the TV star is reportedly raking in a seven-figure sum ahead of her rumoured I'm A Celebrity All Stars comeback.

Gemma is set to give the show another go, after famously quitting the show just 72 hours in the first time round.

She headed Down Under back in 2014, but only lasted in the jungle for three days before jetting back to the UK.

Speaking about her potential return to I'm A Celebrity for the All Stars season, a source told the publication: 'She hated it first time round but knows it would be TV gold for her fans if she gave it another go.

'The discussions could go either way, but signing her would be a huge win for execs.'
TAIPEI, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Across Taiwan, political figures, opinion leaders and media have condemned Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's provocative remarks on Taiwan as unwise and harmful to the interests of people on the island seeking peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Takaichi recently said that the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan and implied the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait. Despite multiple representations from China, the Japanese side has refused to retract the remarks.

Former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang party, Ma Ying-jeou, said that Takaichi's attitude towards the Taiwan question will inevitably arouse associations with the revival of Japanese right-wing militarism.

Cross-Strait issues should not be subject to foreign intervention, Ma said, emphasizing that they must be resolved by the people on both sides of the Strait. "Chinese people across the Taiwan Strait have the wisdom and ability to settle differences peacefully."

Hung Hsiu-chu, another former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang party, accused Takaichi of making remarks that push Taiwan to the brink of danger and reveal the lingering shadow of Japanese militarism.

"Anyone attempting to drag Taiwan toward the edge of war must be firmly told: stop," she said.

Chi Hsing, publisher of The Observer magazine, said that during the Japanese occupation, the people of Taiwan never ceased resisting in various forms. "Today, anyone in Taiwan with a sense of justice would reject Takaichi's remarks," Chi added.

Lai Yueh-chien, a local political commentator, said that Takaichi's remarks suggest treating the mainland as a potential target of war, reflecting a clear militaristic stance.

Another political commentator, Hsieh Chih-chuan, pointed out that Takaichi's rhetoric disregards history and international law. He warned that "Taiwan independence" separatists should not harbor illusions simply because of Takaichi's words. "China will be unified eventually and inevitably," he said.

An editorial in the China Times, a Taiwan-based Chinese-language daily, warned that the Democratic Progressive Party authorities must not wishfully pin their hopes on Takaichi's claim of "a contingency in Taiwan," noting that supporting Japan's radical course with the mindset of "opposing the mainland" will only push Taiwan into a precarious situation. 
Yungblud has revealed he's cancelled his remaining 2025 tour dates, after doctors noticed 'concerns' during routine voice and blood tests.

The rock star, 28, had been due to take his Idols World Tour to the US this month, but has now said he is taking a break from performing until the end of the year.

In a lengthy post on Instagram Stories, Yungblud, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, said he was taking the break on doctors orders before he 'runs himself into the ground.'

The star offered his apologies to his fans who had tickets to shows in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Washington, Mexico City and Latin America, and said their tickets would be refunded, with hopes he can schedule new shows for next year.

Yungblud had been on a world tour to promote his latest album Idols, which dropped in June, and earlier this month received a Grammy nomination for the record in the Best Rock Album category.

He wrote: 'This year has been truly unbelievable and I feel so lucky and honoured from everything that has happened.

Yungblud has revealed he's cancelled his remaining 2025 tour dates, after doctors noticed 'concerns' during routine voice and blood tests

The rock star had been due to take his Idols World Tour to the US this month, but has now said he is taking a break from performing until the end of the year

'This week when I got home off the road, and went to have some tests done (like I usually do) and my voice and blood tests have raised some concerns. I have been ordered by my doctor to take a break from touring until the end of the year.

'It is my nature to run and run until I run myself to the ground without giving a f**k about anything apart from the music and you guys but this time I've been told I have to take it seriously and I can't f**k around.

'I'm so sorry to do this. But reluctantly I have to cancel the shows through the end of the year.

'These include Philadelphia, Cleveland, Washington, Mexico City and Latin America - my heart is broken.

'I don't want to do any lasting damage to myself, we are on a journey that I want to last forever.

'I understand that some of you will be frustrated. I just want you to know that this is so hard for me to do but I promise I will make it up to you.

'All US tickets will be refunded. If you sign up with an address at the link I will send you a gift. I never take anyone's love, support or energy for granted. But you know you are everything to me. But I need this time.

'USA I will see you next year. Mexico and Latama we are already looking into my own shows down there that will be more affordable for next year too. It's gonna be unbelievable. I can't wait.'

In a lengthy post on Instagram Stories, Yungblud, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, said he was taking the break on doctors orders before he 'runs himself into the ground'

Yungblud's first show will now be in Sydney in January, before travelling to the UK for the British leg of shows in April.

Earlier this month, Yungblud was hailed the 'most rock and roll' act in years after being seen smoking before kissing a fan and handing her his cigarette while shirtless.

He sparked concern at the AMAs when he flashed his armpits and pulled faces while joining Steven Tyler and Joe Perry for snaps.

In a continuation of his wild displays, a clip of Yungblud went viral this week in which he was seen approaching a fan in the front row at his show.

While shirtless, the star was seen taking a drag of his cigarette before leaning in to kiss a fan on the cheek and handing it to her.

The moment caused a stir online, with people saying he was 'so cool' and could easily be one of the biggest rockstars in the world.

However they all said they had the same issue with Yungblud, that they didn't like his music.

They wrote: 'Everything I see about this guy is like. He's the greatest studier of what actually makes rockstars. its unfortunate about the .. you know music part.'

Earlier this month, Yungblud was hailed the 'most rock and roll' act in years after being seen smoking before kissing a fan and handing her his cigarette while shirtless

'I don't know who this is but it's the most rock n roll thing I've seen in 30 years.'

'Love this guy so much, he could easily be the biggest rockstar in the world if his music wasn't borderline unlistenable.'

'I love everything he has going on except his dreadful music. he needs to fix this.'

'He is so cool I wish his music was good.'

Yungblud and Jack Osbourne recently hit back at 'bitter and jealous' critics over the rock star's tribute performance for Ozzy.

He had a very strong relationship with Ozzy after meeting him in 2022, and it appeared that their relationship grew into an almost father-son type bond.

Ozzy tragically passed away aged 76 on July 22, and Yungblud reportedly gave a moving reading at his funeral.

He also performed at the metal icon's farewell concert at Birmingham's Villa Park in June amid his declining health.
Tom Cruise put on a brave face as he posed for snaps with pals including Jennifer Hudson following his split from Ana De Armas.

The Mission Impossible actor, 63, was snapped on Sunday with American actress and dancer Debbie Allen at her studio in Los Angeles.

He looked dapper in a black suit and shirt as they had a small party before the Oscar's Governor's awards which take place tomorrow.

Friends and family of Tom, Jennifer, 44, and Debbie also attended the studio.

Tom's outing comes weeks after the end of his nine-month romance to ex-girlfriend Ana De Armas.

They were last seen publicly together in July looking besotted with each other as they went official with their romance.

Tom Cruise put on a brave face as he posed for snaps with pals including Jennifer Hudson following his split from Ana De Armas

Left to right: Jennifer Hudson, Debbie Allen and Tom Cruise as they pose for pictures at the Debbie Allen studio in Los Angeles

Tom looked dapper in a black suit and shirt as they had a small party before the Oscar's Governor's awards which take place tomorrow

At the time, the two were snapped hand-in-hand as they whisked themselves off on a romantic weekend to Woodstock, Vermont.

News of their split broke last month.

A source close to the pair told The Sun: 'Tom and Ana had a good time together but their time as a couple has run its course.

'They are going to remain good friends but they aren't dating anymore. They just realized they weren't going to go the distance and that they are better off as mates.

'The spark had gone between them but they still love each other's company and they've both been really adult about it. She's already been cast in his next film, so they will continue to work together.'

Close to the same time as their split, Tom's ex-wife Nicole Kidman split from her husband Keith Urban.

Earlier this month Tom was spotted for the first time since their breakup, which is believed to have been instigated by Ana.

He was snapped in London as he greeted staff at a helipad in the capital with smiles and waves.

The pals were joined by family and friends at the studio as they had a small party

Tom's outing comes weeks after the the end of his nine-month romance to ex-girlfriend Ana De Armas (pictured)

Tom was later spotted as he managed to chopper in to Scientology's UK headquarters for the controversial church's annual fundraiser.

He arrived into Saint Hill Manor, the church's British Base in East Grinstead in Sussex, to take part in the three day-event amid protests over the sect's contentious practices.

In exclusive pictures obtained by the Daily Mail, Cruise is spotted wearing an aviation headset as he lands.

He avoided crowds of protesters who were taking part in a demonstration against the event, which drew 7,000 Scientologists from across the globe, as it was held for the third consecutive year.

In a bid to disrupt the protesters, the church played loud bagpipe music on a large speaker.
Christina Ricci unleashed a blistering public warning about Megyn Kelly as she accused the host of downplaying Jeffrey Epstein's crimes.

The Yellowjackets actress, 45, took to Instagram on November 14 to condemn Kelly's recent commentary about Epstein's victims.

In screenshots, captured by BuzzFeed, Ricci reposted two slides from betches_news that highlighted Kelly's controversial podcast remarks, including a discussion in which the former Fox News star drew distinctions between the ages of Epstein's victims.

One post read: 'There's definitely a difference between a 5-year-old and a 15-year-old. But that difference is not 'whether or not sleeping with them makes you a pedophile.'

On the next slide, featuring screenshots from Kelly's interview with conservative journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon, Kelly is quoted discussing the House Oversight Committee's release of Epstein emails.

'I know somebody very close to this case Jeffrey Epstein, in this person's view, was not a pedophile,' Kelly said on her show. 'He wasn't into 8-year-olds, but he liked the very young teen types There's a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?'

Christina Ricci unleashed a blistering public warning about Megyn Kelly, accusing the conservative host of downplaying Jeffrey Epstein's crime (seen in February 2025)

Ricci's reaction was swift and furious as she took to her Instagram Story to write: 'This woman is a danger to children.'

Kelly did briefly refer to the topic as 'disgusting' and insisted she wasn't 'trying to make an excuse,' but maintained she was sharing what she viewed as factual distinctions.

'I'm just giving you facts, that he wasn't into, like, 8-year-olds,' she said. 'But he liked the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passerby.'

Kelly explained that she had been 'reliably told' this about Epstein for years, until Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the FBI was reviewing 'tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn' earlier this year.

The political podcaster said that was the first time she thought: 'Oh, no, he was an actual pedophile.'

Kelly added that Bondi had 'never clarified' her comments about the videos.

'I don't know whether it's true,' she said.

'I have to be honest, I don't really trust Pam Bondi's word on the Epstein matters anymore.'

Ricci reposted two slides from betches_news that highlighted Kelly's controversial podcast remarks, including a discussion in which Kelly drew distinctions between the ages of Epstein's victims

'This woman is a danger to children,' Ricci wrote over the post on her Instagram Story

Kelly said she did not know what was true about the dead sex offender, but said 'we have yet to see anybody come forward and say, 'I was under 10, I was under 14, when I first came within his purview'.'

Epstein's victims were allegedly as young as 14 years old, according to the indictment used when he was charged with sex trafficking of minors in July 2019.

Federal prosecutors claimed Epstein knew many of his victims were under 18, because some had explicitly told him so.

Epstein was found hanging in his New York prison cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.

'He wasn't into 8-year-olds, but he liked the very young teen types There's a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?' Kelly said on her show

Kelly's comments triggered immediate backlash across X, where users accused her of attempting to minimize sexual abuse.

'I want Megyn Kelly to say this to a 15-year-old victim's face. I want her to look that child in the eye and say it's less bad,' one wrote.

Another commented: 'This is an absolutely disgusting take @megynkelly - you should be ashamed of yourself.'

'A 15-year-old is still a child. Period. There are no exceptions. This is horrifying,' a third added.

Ricci's sharp response comes months after she publicly shared her own unsettling experience with an adult man when she was a child.

Epstein's victims were allegedly as young as 14 years old, according to the indictment used when he was charged with sex trafficking of minors in July 2019 (seen in 2005)

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this year, the actress revealed that when she was 11, she and her friends frequently prank-called the 1-800-Mattress hotline in 1991.

'We prank-called them so much we ended up having a regular guy we'd talk to named Jared,' she recalled.

But the prank spiraled in a chilling direction after one of her friends gave the man her home address.

'And he sent a picture of his penis in the mail,' Ricci said, noting the photo was 'printed out from CVS or something.'

No one alerted the police or their parents, she added, the girls simply stopped calling.

Kimmel even joked that the man had 'invented the d**k pic,' prompting Ricci to deadpan that it was indeed the first she had ever seen.

Kimmel added: 'He gets an "A" for effort, and he also gets a "P" for pervert.'
Demi Moore revealed her remarkably fuller features as she continued the Landman press tour at the London season two premiere.

The Academy Award nominee, 63, was among the stars who arrived at Cineworld Leicester Square in London on Sunday.

Taking to the red carpet, Demi showed off her sculpted face in a series of close up snaps.

She also posed for snaps in a glamorous lace bejewelled gown - the ERDEM SS26 Look 42.

Her strapless gown featured multicoloured embroidered flowers over a corseted bodice and structured skirt.

She paired the dress with nude open-toed heels and diamond drop earrings, which were displayed with her black tresses swept into a half-up-half-down look.

Demi Moore revealed her remarkably fuller features as she continued the Landman press tour at the London season two premiere in London on Sunday

Taking to the red carpet, Demi showed off her sculpted face in a series of close up snaps (Seen left on Sunday and right in January)

Also in attendance on Sunday was actress and model Ali Larter, 49, who put on a racy display in a two-piece.

Ali wore a burgundy bra with a pair of matching high-waisted wide-leg trousers, as well as a sheer burgundy poncho layered over top.

Meanwhile designer and former Made In Chelsea star Kimberley Garner, 34, opted for burgundy also.

She wore a high-neck figure-hugging gown, which was fully backless and featured a racy silver pendant at the bottom.

Kimberley accessorised with a pair of hold leaf drop earrings and matching cuff bangles on both wrists.

TV personality Juliet Mayhew opted for a dark blue metallic one-shoulder gown for the event.

Juliet's gown was complete with a cut-out feature at the waist and balloon puff sleeve.

Elsewhere Vanessa Feltz turns heads in a striking bright bejewelled dress, which featured a sequin waistband and floral detailing as well as a sheer shawl.

The Academy Award nominee, 63, was among the stars who arrived at Cineworld Leicester Square in London on Sunday

Demi also posed for snaps in a glamorous lace bejewelled gown - the ERDEM SS26 Look 42

Her strapless gown featured multicoloured embroidered flowers over a corseted bodice and structured skirt

Also in attendance on Sunday was actress and model Ali Larter, 49, who put on a racy display in a two-piece

Ali wore a burgundy bra with a pair of matching high-waisted wide-leg trousers, as well as a sheer burgundy poncho layered over top

Meanwhile designer and former Made In Chelsea star Kimberley Garner, 34, opted for burgundy also

She wore a high-neck figure-hugging gown, which was fully backless and featured a racy silver pendant at the bottom

Kimberley accessorised with a pair of hold leaf drop earrings and matching cuff bangles on both wrists

Demi and Ali, who star in the series as Cami Miller and Angela Norris, are seen together at the premiere

Ali Larter, Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore and David Glasser attend the UK Premiere for Landman Season 2

TV presenter Alex Zane also made an appearance, wearing an all-black suit and tie look with a polka dot handkerchief.

American actor and filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton, 70, who also stars in Landman, was also at the premiere.

He wore a black longline blazer with slim trousers and boot heels, as well as a bright red Fedora.

Demi's appearance comes after she showcased her ageless complexion as she hit the red carpet at the Landman season two premiere in Berlin on Friday evening.

The iconic actress looked nothing short of sensational as she slipped into a figure-hugging black dress.

Demi layered the look over a sheer white shirt and black tie, looking effortlessly stylish.

The film star, who plays Cami Miller in the hit Paramount+ show, wore her long raven tresses loose as she let them tumble down her shoulders.

Demi celebrated her 63rd birthday on Tuesday by flashing the flesh in a black lacy look for the show's US premiere on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

American actor and filmmaker Billy Bob Thornton, 70, who also stars in Landman, was also at the premiere

TV personality Juliet Mayhew opted for a dark blue metallic one-shoulder gown for the event

Juliet's gown was complete with a cut-out feature at the waist and balloon puff sleeve

Elsewhere Vanessa Feltz turns heads in a striking bright bejewelled dress, which featured a sequin waistband and floral detailing as well as a sheer shawl

TV presenter Alex Zane also made an appearance, wearing an all-black suit and tie look with a polka dot handkerchief

Hollyoaks star Owen Warner cut a suave figure as he hit the red carpet

Hollyoaks' Billy Price was also in attendance

TV presenter Olivia Cox looked glam in a gorgeous dress

Internet personalities Temps and Abi Luffman put on a loved-up display

Sarah Mulindwa flaunted her jaw-dropping figure in a racy cut-out gown from Maloa

Stefan-Pierre Tomlin was also dressed to impress

Hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos gave Demi's signature raven mane some wave while make-up artist Rokael Lizama got her ready for her close-up at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall.

Hours later, The Substance star appeared genuinely shocked when Not Just Pretty Pictures podcaster Eric Rutherford surprised her with a platter of 13 red-velvet cupcakes topped with lit candles.

Practically everyone inside the Midtown steakhouse Quality Italian sang Demi (born Guynes) happy birthday as she made a wish during the Landman afterparty.

The Brat Packer was most touched by her eldest daughter Rumer Willis arranging a FaceTime call with her two-year-old daughter Louetta Willis, who sang and cutely bantered with her famous grandmother.

Demi - who boasts 15.5 million social media followers - captioned her candid car video: 'The sweetest birthday present from my little Lou! Thank you for all of the birthday wishes.'

The New Mexico-born brunette's daughter Scout Willis shared an Instagram slideshow and declared: 'Everyone say happy birthday to D. Thank god I'm not normal, I wouldn't trade you for anything on Earth.'
Noel Gallagher's daughter Anais went braless for a racy new snap posted to her Instagram on Sunday.

The model, 25, left little to the imagination in a skimpy light blue dress as she posed up a storm on social media.

She looked great in the off-shoulder design with silver belt detailing from Amelia Dimoldenberg's new collection with Peachy Den.

Anais accessorised her look with a statement swirl necklace and bracelets and enjoyed a glass of rose in the snap.

She is currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina ahead of the next Oasis shows in the city - after following their reunion tour around the world.

The blonde beauty shared a video modelling the sexy blue dress as she got ready in her hotel room before one stadium show.

Noel Gallagher's daughter Anais went braless for a racy new snap posted to her Instagram on Sunday

The model, 25, left little to the imagination in a skimpy light blue dress as she posed up a storm on social media

It comes after just last month Anais came under fire after saying she feels 'grateful' to get paid 'to do basically nothing' and doesn't have to work a 9-5 job.

The British model, who has been dubbed as a 'nepo baby', is the only child of the Oasis legend, 58, and his ex-wife Meg Mathews, 59.

The photographer made the blunt confession during a recent interview while appearing on an episode of Ally & G's YouTube series Backseat Driver.

The clip sees Anais opening up about the reality of life on the Oasis tour, how she works with brands, and why she agrees with her dad Noel's attitude towards celebrity life.

But not long after its release, viewers flocked in the comments section slamming her being out of touch after she described her privileged life.

'I feel an incredible amount of gratitude that I get to be paid to do basically nothing but have a great time with my friends and experience things,' she told hosts Ally & G.

'I feel like I'm sometimes held to a standard of these influencers that claim relatability or to be the girl next door.'

'I can understand if you follow someone when they're doing Primark hauls and then suddenly they're in a big house showing expensive clothes and you feel disconnected.

She looked great in the off-shoulder design with silver belt detailing from Amelia Dimoldenberg's new collection with Peachy Den

Anais accessorised her look with a statement swirl necklace and bracelets and enjoyed a glass of rose in the snap

It comes after just last month Anais came under fire after saying she feels 'grateful' to get paid 'to do basically nothing' and doesn't have to work a 9-5 job (pictured with Noel in 2019)

She went on saying: 'But I've never been that. So sometimes when people say, 'This is not very relatable,' or 'your privilege is showing,' it's just me existing. There's not really much I can do.'

The social media star eventually suffered a strong backlash from fans, with some writing:

'Not sure why she feels so invested in something she is just a bystander for'

'How trivial their lives are..do they actually consider this worthy content? As for Anais, typical nepo syndrome... cheers!';

'NEPOCHILD'.

However, others were positively impressed by her comments and praised her honest attitude penning: 'Anais is so real tho. I love how genuine she is and the don't give a f*** attitude is actually crucial.'

Later on in the candid interview, Anais added that she never set out to become an influencer - and avoids working with brands that expect her to play a part.

'I don't try to curate myself in any way, because I think that I was in a unique position.

'I never wanted to be an influencer. I never decided to do anything with social media.

'I genuinely created my Instagram account when I was like a teenager, just like anybody else, and I remember noticing that loads of people were following me purely just because of my dad. But I never stopped posting.'

'I would never do content with a brand in which I couldn't by accident swear in it, or I couldn't drink or smoke because it wouldn't be authentic to me.

She added bluntly: 'I'm obviously constantly aware of my privilege and the situation I was born into - it basically means a lot of no complaining.'

The fashion model also hit back at criticism surrounding her famous surname, saying she's constantly judged for both talking about her dad 'too much and not enough' - while also addressing nepo baby criticism.

'People just always find an issue with everything, especially the nepo baby thing.

'You can't f***ing win. I'll get so many comments being like, 'All you do is talk about your dad,' and I'm like, well, my dad is a massive part of my life because he's my dad.

'I remember people at school would say, 'You're always talking about your dad!' And I'd be like, I talk about my dad the exact same amount as you do.

'People just listen when I talk about my dad. I zone out when you talk about your dad because you'll just be like, 'My dad's picking me up later,' and I just hear your parents picking you up.

'It's not my fault that when I say, 'My dad's picking me up later,' people are like, 'What time?'

'But then I also get people that are like, 'You never post about your dad! Why don't you have any photos or videos of your dad? Clearly you don't spend that much time with him.'
Kim Kardashian broke down in tears two weeks before taking the State Bar of California exam last July as captured in a candid eight-minute vlog she uploaded Sunday.

'F***, I'm going to film this. Oh my god, I'm just so tired,' the 45-year-old aspiring attorney - who boasts 498.7M social media followers - lamented.

'But it's like every single time I feel like I'm a step ahead, something happens to try to stop me from doing this.'

Kim cried: 'I just wanna... like a part of me just wants to stop. I just feel like my brain's going to explode and I have so much more to go!'

Hours earlier, Kardashian was all confidence as she declared to haters criticizing her for doing 'an online program' instead of attending law school, she challenged: 'Try it. Try it.'

'I don't really care about stuff like that, you know?' the criminal justice reform advocate claimed.

Kim Kardashian broke down in tears two weeks before taking the State Bar of California exam last July as captured in a candid eight-minute vlog she uploaded Sunday

'I think that it's like, they just don't know. And they aren't on my journey and I don't even care for them to be.'

Kim said she studied for four months straight and 'obsessively' devoted the two weeks before the test to tackling 'one subject per day' with her professors: 'My kids are on a great vacation so I can focus.'

'I really, really want it,' Kardashian said.

The mounting stress was affecting the thrice-divorced mother-of-four's sleep and caused her to injure her back, so she discovered she had 'a few disc issues' after getting an MRI.

'I was crying the other day, not trying to feel sorry for myself because everyone has something, you know?' Kim said.

'But my back went out and it was just the worst timing in the whole wide world.'

Kardashian's back was still 'spasming' three days before test, and she began wearing a brace.

'I feel really good about everything,' The Kardashians producer-star said the day before the exam.

'My body feels good. It feels way better than it has in the previous days. I feel good, like, I feel prepared.'

On November 7 - the same day her Hulu legal drama All's Fair premiered - Kim discovered she did not score the minimal 1,390 out of 2,000 points in order to pass the bar.

'It was disappointing, but it wasn't the end,' Kardashian captioned her Instagram post.

'F***, I'm going to film this. Oh my god, I'm just so tired,' the 45-year-old aspiring attorney lamented. 'But it's like every single time I feel like I'm a step ahead, something happens to try to stop me from doing this'

Kim cried: 'I just wanna... like a part of me just wants to stop. I just feel like my brain's going to explode and I have so much more to go!'

Hours earlier, Kardashian was all confidence as she declared to haters criticizing her for doing 'an online program' instead of attending law school, she challenged: 'Try it. Try it'

The criminal justice reform advocate said she studied for four months straight and 'obsessively' devoted the two weeks before the test to tackling 'one subject per day' with her professors: 'My kids are on a great vacation so I can focus'

The mounting stress was affecting Kim's sleep and caused her to injure her back, so she discovered she had 'a few disc issues' after getting an MRI

Kardashian's back was still 'spasming' three days before test, and she began wearing a brace: 'It was just the worst timing in the whole wide world'

'This dream means too much to me to walk away from, so I'm going to keep studying, keep learning and keep showing up for myself until I get there.'

Kardashian - who believes the 1969 Moon landing was fake - is scheduled to take the rigorous two-day test in person yet again on February 24-25.

On May 21, the Calabasas socialite completed California's Law Office Study Program four years after passing the 'baby bar' exam in 2021, which she had previously failed three times.

Kim always dreamed of following the footsteps of her late father Robert Kardashian, who was part of the late OJ Simpson's 'dream team' of attorneys at his 1995 murder trial.

Kardashian's vlog received supportive comments from her celeb circle including sister Khloe Kardashian, who wrote: 'I am so so so proud of you! I saw how hard you studied and how badly you want this! Keep going! We don't give up! You got this baby!'

On the plus side, the half-Armenian beauty reported $1.7B fortune just got a big boost as her shapewear company Skims is now valued at $5B after successfully accruing a $225M capital raise.

'Today's announcement validates the hard work of our incredible team and partners who have helped us reach this exciting new chapter, becoming a global omnichannel retail brand,' the CCO/founding partner said in a statement last Wednesday.

The thrice-divorced mother-of-four said the day before the exam: 'I feel really good about everything. My body feels good. It feels way better than it has in the previous days. I feel good, like, I feel prepared'

On November 7 - the same day her Hulu legal drama All's Fair premiered - Kim discovered she did not score the minimal 1,390 out of 2,000 points in order to pass the bar

'It was disappointing, but it wasn't the end,' Kardashian captioned her Instagram post. 'This dream means too much to me to walk away from, so I'm going to keep studying, keep learning and keep showing up for myself until I get there'

The Kardashians producer-star - who believes the 1969 Moon landing was fake - is scheduled to take the rigorous two-day test in person yet again on February 24-25 (pictured May 21)

Kim always dreamed of following the footsteps of her late father Robert Kardashian (M, pictured in 1995), who was part of the late OJ Simpson's (R) 'dream team' of attorneys at his murder trial

Kardashian's vlog received supportive comments from her celeb circle including sister Khloe Kardashian, who wrote: 'I am so so so proud of you! I saw how hard you studied and how badly you want this! Keep going! We don't give up! You got this baby!'

'We can't wait to take Skims to the next level as we continue to innovate and set the standard for our industry.'

Kim executive produced and stars as divorce attorney Allura Grant leading an all-female law firm in Ryan Murphy's dismally-reviewed, 10-episode legal drama All's Fair airing Tuesdays on Hulu/Disney+.

Kardashian also executive produced and stars in the 10-episode seventh season of her famous family's reality show The Kardashians, which airs Thursdays on Hulu.

Her other upcoming projects include producing and starring in Amazon's live-action Bratz film for Amazon MGM Studios, producing Hulu pilot Group Chat starring La La Anthony, starring in Eva Longoria's Netflix comedy The Fifth Wheel, and starring in an Amazon thriller penned by Natalie Krinsky.
The Detroit-built GMC Hummer EV is thronged with Star Spangled Banner-singing, eagle-flying Americana.

But nothing in this world is more flag-waving in America than working for NASA. And that is exactly what GM is doing with the Hummer.

GM's engineers are sending Hummer-adjacent battery tech to the lunar surface as part of NASA's new Lunar Terrain Vehicle program.

It's a great story, and an impressive flex, especially for a truck already obsessed with being larger-than-life.

But back on planet earth, the Hummer EV is so massive, so theatrical, and so proudly impractical that it turns most everyday tasks into exercises in accommodation.

We tested the 9,063-pound electric monument to excess with a price of $122,370.

Like other auto reviewers, GM covered the first charge and highway tolls. The vehicle was driven from New York City to Washington, D.C., and through daily urban traffic to assess comfort, efficiency, and general usability.

Let's start with the wild part.

GM says it is working with NASA to build the next rover vehicle for the moon - it receives inspiration from the crab-walking Hummer

Daily Mail tested the gargantuan EV for a week - our tester carried a sticker price over $122,000

GM  the same company that built the motors and suspension for the Apollo program's original lunar rover  is back in the space business, and the space-bound vehicle shares DNA with this tester.

The automaker is supplying battery, chassis, and autonomy tech for a next-generation Lunar Terrain Vehicle that will roam the Moon for up to a decade.

But space has low gravity and no traffic. Our test would have benefited from that kind of environment.

In reality, the Hummer EV is more collectible sculpture than commuter car  and the numbers back it up.

According to iSeeCars, it's America's second least-driven vehicle, averaging just 5,205 miles a year, less than half the national average.

Behind the wheel, we understood why.

The Hummer is 93.7 inches wide and 216.8 inches long, and it never lets you forget it. Pulling it through Manhattan traffic felt like trying to steer a refrigerator through a Whole Foods aisle.

Parking garages narrowed around the truck. Lane lines suddenly felt decorative. A simple drive to Starbucks felt like operating heavy machinery.

Our tester had a handsome red leather interior with a roof made of plexiglass - it was fun and airy, but quite loud on the highway

And yet, the Hummer is shockingly great on a highway run. We drove it 200 miles from New York to Washington, D.C., and the experience was far more pleasant than expected.

The seats sit sky-high, visibility is commanding, and GM's SuperCruise  already one of the best hands-free highway systems on sale  was outstanding.

It smoothly adjusted its speed in construction zones, gracefully executed lane changes, and held its pace with uncanny confidence.

When parked, the vibe swings back toward theatrical.

American flags are etched into the pillars, HUMMER lights blaze across a front fascia shaped like a Lego brick, and the interior mixes red leather with topographic maps imprinted onto surfaces.

The removable roof panels were a delight on a crisp fall day, transforming the truck into a sort of EV-beach-buggy-convertible-SUV-pickup thing.

But because the roof panels are made from thin plexiglass, this might be the loudest EV we've ever driven, especially on the highway.

The battery is where the car feels less moonshot and more misfire.

GMC's Hummer is chock-full of personality - but that may not make up for the truck's questionable city road manners

The Hummer's battery is absurdly large at 212.7 kWh. That's nearly four times the size of the Tesla Model 3's 57.5 kWh pack.

GM's EVs get their range numbers here mostly by brute force  the massive trucks have enormous batteries that pack a gigantic amount of energy.

That formula works really well for the automaker's other cars like the Cadillac Escalade IQ or the GMC Sierra EV. But for the Hummer, real-world efficiency is not its strong suit.

The now five-year-old design only has juice for 314 miles.

And filling that battery from 10 to 80 percent isn't cheap  a fast charge cost us $72, more than some gas tanks.

Rivian, Ford, Cadillac, Lucid, and even GM's own Silverado EV will all get you farther for less.

And then there's the bed.

The Hummer's standard bed length is five feet, stretching to nearly 6'10" with the MultiPro tailgate's load stop.

That sounds fine, until you try to carry actual truck-like stuff.

During a trip to IKEA to pick up a bookshelf, the bed couldn't fit the Swedish brand's most popular furniture piece.

The irony of a vehicle this physically enormous failing at the most basic truck chore was almost poetic.

The IKEA trip proved the perfect encapsulation of a week with the Hummer EV: fun, ridiculous, charming, and absolutely not something you want to commute in.

NASA may be using Hummer DNA to drive on the Moon again. Down here, though, GM's biggest EV still feels like it was built for a different planet.
The United States Mint struck its final batch of circulating pennies this week with the tiny copper-colored coins now expected to ignite a frenzy of collectors, speculators and investors chasing pieces that experts say could sell for as much as $5 million.

The historic moment unfolded on Wednesday inside the Philadelphia Mint, where Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pressed the last five pennies ever made for circulation, each stamped with a small omega symbol.

The mark designates them as the final coins of their kind after 232 uninterrupted years of penny production.

The Mint's ceremonial presses came to a stop shortly afterward, ending an era that began under the Coinage Act of 1792.

Government officials confirmed the final coins will head straight to auction where the rarest pieces, the first and last struck, and a selection of ceremonial editions could command astonishing sums.

According to USA Today, early estimates place their likely sale value between $2 million and $5 million per coin, although within hours of the announcement, expert numismatists began pouring cold water on the sky-high predictions.

Philadelphia-area coin expert Richard Weaver, owner of Delaware Valley Rare Coin Company, said collectors would scrutinize every physical detail of the newly minted pieces - including how they were handled by government officials.

Weaver criticized an official photo showing US Treasurer Brandon Beach holding one of the final pennies directly between his fingertips.

Treasurer of the United States Brandon Beach holds the last penny stamped at the US Mint on Wednesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Beach pressed the final pennies at an event held at the facility

'If you look at that photo, he is holding the penny with his fingers on the coin,' Weaver said.

'You just don't do that. Copper is very reactive to sweat and the oils of the skin, and any serious collector is going to take this photo into consideration.'

Weaver also questioned the long-term value of coins designed from the outset to be rare.

'They were made for this purpose,' he said. 'When you see people paying in the millions for coins, they are paying for coins that are 100 or 200 years old, of which only a handful are known to exist and that have survived for so many years without anyone making them for that purpose in 1933 or 1794.'

Still, government officials insist the coins' significance - the literal end of the American penny, will drive intense demand.

Mint Acting Director Kristie McNally said the 'first and last' coins to be auctioned could bring in around $100,000, with proceeds funding Mint operations.

She added that the full details of the December auction will be released soon.

A Mint official also confirmed that gold versions of the penny - long a subject of collector rumor - are indeed real.

'Today the Mint celebrates 232 years of penny manufacturing,' said McNally, acting mint director as the presses came to a halt.

'While general production concludes today, the penny's legacy lives on. As its usage in commerce continues to evolve, its significance in America's story will endure.'

The dramatic wind-down began in February, when President Donald Trump announced the administration would halt the minting of new pennies.

The pennies pressed bear a special 'Omega' and will not be put in circulation, but will be auctioned off

Blank coins wait to be the last pennies pressed at the US Mint in Philadelphia on Wednesday

'For far too long, the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful! I have instructed my Secretary of the US Treasury to stop producing new pennies,' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

According to Treasury estimates, each penny now costs 3.69 cents to produce up from 1.42 cents just ten years ago. The Mint expects to save $56 million per year by discontinuing circulating pennies.

Treasury officials added that changing consumer habits, especially the shift toward card and mobile payments, made low-value coins 'financially untenable.'

The United States now joins Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland in eliminating its smallest-denomination coin.

The penny was costing more than four times its value to make and the Treasury lost $85 million minting the coins last year alone.

The phasing out of the penny may save the Treasury some immediate cash, but it raises the next currency problem, that of the nickel.

'If you get rid of the penny, it will increase the amount of nickels,' Rhett Jeppson, a former chief executive of the US Mint said.

'You lose more on a nickel than you do on a penny,' Jeppson told the New York Times.

Donald Trump tweeted in February how he see the end of penny production in the US

The production of nickels is also a loss-maker for the Treasury

Nickels, worth five cents, are also a loss-maker for the treasury, leaving an $18 million hole from their production last year.

The problem could be exacerbated by the end of the penny because demand for nickels is likely to shoot up in their place.

The US penny was first introduced in 1973, beginning as a large copper coin and eventually shrinking in size to its modern, smaller form.

Early designs featured a 'flowing hair' Liberty, which was quickly updated, and the coin itself has changed composition and appearance, notably featuring Abraham Lincoln since 1909.

Supporters of the penny have argued that it helps keep consumer prices lower and is a source of income to charities.

For many Americans, however, the coin has become a nuisance that ends up being discarded in drawers, jars and piggy banks.

The American Bankers Association said last month a slowdown in penny circulation this year had created localized supply issues, especially in areas where terminals used by banks to deposit excess coins have been shut down.

It said the banking industry was encouraging consumers to check their home, car and coin jars for pennies and bring them to banks, retailers or coin kiosks to help ease the slowdown.
The Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force concurrently conducted three massive and high-tech exercises in October-November 2025, across the full span of the country. Codenamed Astra Shakti (weapon power), Trishul (trident), and Poorvi Prachanda Prahar (eastern fierce attack), these exercises covered the northern Himalayan, western, and northeastern theatres respectively.

Ex Astra Shakti was conducted in the high-altitude areas of Ladakh, showcasing long-range precision artillery firepower, the use of swarm drones and counter-unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and commando operations in the icy expanse of the region. The exercise was witnessed by the GOC-in-C, Northern Command, Lieutenant General Pratik Sharma, and emphasised multi-domain dominance and synergy with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP). It was described as a thunderous validation of Indias readiness and technological prowess in one of the worlds most challenging battle environments.

The Indian Army redefined high-altitude warfare and added a new chapter to world military history in the first India-Pakistan War in 1947-48, by fighting at an altitude of 11,575 feet above sea level and even transporting battle tanks there. For the entire Western/European world, high altitude meant the Alps at 8,000 feet. Alpine was their ultimate qualification, and Himalayan was not known to them.

Ex Trishul (Western India) was conducted along the western frontier, specifically in the Sir Creek, the British corruption of the Baan Ganga (Baan means arrow and Ganga is the sacred river) area, the Rann of Kutch, the Saurashtra coast, and the desert regions of Rajasthan and Gujarat, as well as the northern part of the Arabian Sea. Land operations were primarily concentrated in the desert zones of Rajasthan and the Kutch region of Gujarat; amphibious operations were conducted along the Saurashtra coast, and maritime operations extended into the northern Arabian Sea, coordinated by the Western Naval Command.

The primary goal was to validate joint operational capabilities and synergy across the Army, Navy, and Air Force in a large and complex operational environment, testing multi-domain operations (land, air, sea, cyber, and space). It involved a large-scale deployment of assets, including over 20 warships, 40 fighter aircraft (including Rafales and Sukhoi-30MKIs), tanks, and amphibious platforms, with over 50,000 personnel participating.

Sir Creek, one of Asias largest fishing grounds, is believed to contain untapped oil and gas reserves and is an ecologically sensitive zone. Its location also has major implications for defining each countrys Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Arabian Sea, impacting maritime security and resource rights. Intelligence reports indicated that Pakistan was increasing its military presence near the Sir Creek region, including constructing new bunkers, observation posts, and logistics facilities.

On October 2, 2025, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, while celebrating Vijayadashami with troops in Bhuj, Gujarat, issued a strong warning to Pakistan, stating that any misadventure in the Sir Creek area would invite a decisive response that will change both history and geography. He also remarked that a route to Karachi passes through the Creek, signalling Indias readiness to act decisively. Mr Singh virtually inaugurated a Tidal Independent Berthing Facility and a Joint Control Centre in the strategic Sir Creek sector, enhancing Indias coastal security coordination and rapid response capabilities.

The operations were conducted along the entire western border with Pakistan and the adjoining maritime areas, displaying Indias joint operational capabilities and strategic readiness to Pakistans forces, with the aim of sending a message to Pakistans delusional military leadership that it should avoid any misadventures.

Ex Poorvi Prachand Prahar was a major tri-service drill held in the eastern theatre, including areas in and around the Siliguri Corridor and Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh, near the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China. The aim was to enhance joint operational capabilities and strengthen military preparedness along the northeastern frontier, focusing on integrated and technology-driven warfare in the strategic region. This involved integrated battle drills and multi-domain operations to counter emerging threats and reinforce the Eastern Commands readiness.

Recent intelligence reports and analyses, particularly in November 2025, suggest an increased presence and convergence of Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Pakistan-backed terrorist groups in Bangladesh, with Chinese backing, to establish terror camps for training operatives for anti-India activities. While the Muhammad Yunus government, reportedly strongly backed by Jamaat-e-Islami, is facilitating radical Islamic groups and Pakistans narco-terror networks to operate for anti-India activities, it has created an unchecked corridor that facilitates the entry of Pakistani smugglers, terrorists, and intelligence operatives. Reports also suggest collaboration or shared interest between China and Pakistan, and their proxies like Jamaat-e-Islami, in fostering a regime in Bangladesh that is friendly to Pakistan and China and hospitable to anti-India terror groups. Indias intelligence apparatus has reportedly pointed to the ISI and China for allegedly fuelling the unrest that led to the ousting of the previous Awami League government.

For the past few months, Bangladesh is reportedly developing military infrastructure near the 22 km-wide Siliguri Corridor, also known as Chickens Neck, including the revival of an airbase in Lalmonirhat with reported Chinese assistance. The Indian Army has responded by deploying multi-layered weapon systems in the Siliguri Corridor, including many of those used in Operation Sindoor. Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan (Retd), former DG Assam Rifles, stated that if Bangladesh tampered with the Siliguri Corridor, the Indian Army could extend its control from 22 km to up to 70 km within 72 hours.

The Indian Air Force celebrated its 93rd anniversary with a spectacular flying display over the Brahmaputra river at Guwahati, involving a wide array of aircraft, including helicopters, transport, and fighter jets, which greatly impressed spectators, particularly the youth of the Northeast. Operation Sindoor, these three exercises, and certain other moves have projected a new avatar of India and her Armed Forces as a no-nonsense, assertive military power and geopolitically astute, transforming to a new normal.

The author, Col Anil Bhat, VSM (Retd), a strategic affairs analyst and former Defence Ministry and Indian Army spokesperson; views are personal
Police in Haiti clashed with gangs on Thursday night in an operation that killed seven gang members and led police to destroy a helicopter after a forced landing, authorities said. In an operation in the Croix des Bouquets area on the outskirts of capital Port-au-Prince, a helicopter had a suspected malfunction and had to make an emergency landing, according to a statement from Haitian National Police (PNH) published on Facebook. The officers are safe but torched the helicopter so gangs could not recover it for their use, the police said.

Earlier Friday, social media videos showed gang members celebrating next to the wreckage of the helicopter. Seven gang members were killed, according to PNH Spokesman Garry Desrosiers. Police also recovered a Barrett semi-automatic anti-materiel rifle that was used in the shoot out, which is a high capacity weapon that is often used to terrorize the civilian population, police said. The Croix des Bouquets area is controlled by the Viv Ansanm, which means Living Together, a powerful gang coalition that has been designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organisation.

Criminal groups have expanded their control in Haiti in recent years and now control 90 per cent of the capital. Gang violence has also displaced a record 1.4 million people, according to the UN International Organization for Migration. The UN Has backed a mission led by Kenyan police to combat gangs in Haiti, but the mission has been mired with criticism, including that it has been understaffed and underfunded.
BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have made a major breakthrough in lunar science by analyzing lunar samples brought back by the Chang'e-6 mission, providing a crucial scientific basis for lunar research, according to the China National Space Administration.

Researchers from Shandong University, the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Yunnan University have, for the first time, discovered micron-sized hematite (-Fe2O3) and maghemite (-Fe2O3) crystals formed by large impact events.

This discovery reveals a previously unknown oxidation reaction mechanism on the moon. It provides direct sample evidence supporting the origin of magnetic anomalies around the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin.

Researchers identified hematite and maghemite in the lunar samples and confirmed the lattice structures and unique characteristics of primary lunar hematite grains using multiple techniques. These findings were published in the journal Science Advances.

Since the beginning of human lunar exploration, the moon has been considered a generally reduced body, with critical evidence of oxidation processes, particularly high-valence iron oxides like hematite, extremely scarce or absent.

The study proposes that hematite formation may be closely related to significant impact events in lunar history. The intermediate products of the reaction during impact events include magnetic magnetite and maghemite, which could be the mineral carriers responsible for the magnetic anomalies observed at the northern rim of the SPA Basin by previous remote sensing missions.

The research provides the first ground truth on strongly oxidized materials, such as hematite, on the lunar surface within an overall reduced context, shedding new light on the moon's redox conditions and the origin of its magnetic anomalies.

In 2024, Chang'e-6 made history by bringing 1,935.3 grams of lunar far-side samples back to Earth. These samples were collected from the SPA Basin, the largest, deepest and oldest basin on the moon. 
Judicial crisis in Pakistan deepened on Saturday with a senior judge of Lahore High Court following the suit of two Supreme Court judges who resigned protesting the assault on the constitution and judiciary through a new constitutional amendment. Under the amended legislation, a Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) was set up to deal with matters related to the Constitution, while the existing Supreme Court would deal only with traditional civil and criminal cases. The 27th Constitutional Amendment will also allow Army Chief General Asim Munir to stay in office till 2030 as Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).

Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza tendered his resignation becoming the first judge to resign from any high court after the contentious amendment was enacted into law. Justice Mirza was due to superannuate on March 6, 2028. He is the brother-in-law of former Prime Minister Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Secretary General Advocate Salman Akram Raja. On Thursday, Supreme Court senior judges - Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Athar Minallah - hung up their robes hours after President Asif Ali Zarddari approved the 27th Amendment, describing the step as an affront to the judiciary and the 1973 Constitution.

Justice Mansoor Ali Shah described the amendment as a grave assault on the Constitution and said the 27th Amendment dismantled the Supreme Court of Pakistan, subjugated the judiciary to executive control and struck at the very heart of our constitutional democracy. Under the 27th amendment, the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has been established. The resigning judges are of the view that the FCC has dethroned the Supreme Court as the countrys highest judicial forum.

The FCC will now deal with crucial constitutional matters and its decisions will be binding on all courts, including the Supreme Court itself. Under the new Article 189, the Supreme Court would be downgraded to the apex court for civil. The 27th Amendment, besides bringing changes in other domains, alters the judiciarys functioning in two areas - constitutional matters and the transfer of judges. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has termed the passage of the 27th Amendment as a flagrant attack on judicial independence. Pakistan interior minister visits Wana Cadet College after suicide bombing

Peshawar. Pakistans Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday visited Wana Cadet College, which was hit by a suicide bombing earlier this week that injured six people. The minister received a detailed briefing from tribal elders about the attack, which took place on Monday in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces South Waziristan district, bordering Afghanistan. Naqvi said that terrorism in Pakistan is being orchestrated from abroad, and no one will be allowed to disturb the countrys peace. He had earlier said that the attackers were from Afghanistan.

The minister said that the terrorists who targeted the Cadet College had no religion, and attacking children is against every principle of humanity. Six people were injured after the suicide bomber detonated explosives at the main gate of the college. According to security officials, the attack was reportedly carried out by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The minister said that there will be no negotiations of any kind with terrorists, and the college will be fully renovated and restored to its best condition.
Over 1,000 people have been arrested for drugs related offenses during a special ongoing police operation in Sri Lanka, police said on Saturday. Sri Lankan police also seized contraband during the operation under the mission, A Nation United, on Friday. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on October 30 had launched the A Nation United mission describing it as the biggest public movement against harmful drugs. The police operation conducted yesterday saw the arrest of 1,056 people aimed at curbing the drugs supply network, reducing demand, expanding the anti-narcotics operations, and rehabilitating the drug addicts, a release said. At least 39 of the suspects were placed under detention orders and 53 others were sent for rehabilitation, police said. Also arrested were 14 criminal suspects and 288 others who had evaded arrest warrants. During raids conducted yesterday, police seized 311 grams of heroin and 1 kg and 173 gms of Crystal Methamphetamine (ICE), a report in NewsFirst news portal said.
A parliamentary select committee will be appointed to review the legal position on holding elections for nine provincial councils, the Sri Lankan Government announced on Saturday. The provincial elections have not been held since 2018 due to the want of resolving legal snags since the attempt to reform the electoral system. Leader of the House and senior minister Bimal Ratnayake told parliament that the committee would look at ways to hold the election sooner. The parliament did not appoint the delimitation committee needed for reforms - to switch from the existing system of proportional representation to a mixed system. A decision has to be taken and parliament must vote to stay with the existing system as desired by most parties.

An elected provincial council for each of the nine provinces was introduced as a result of direct intervention by the then Indian Government under Rajiv Gandhi to broker a settlement to the Tamil minority demand for political autonomy. The 1987 Indo-Lanka Accord prescribed the system of political power to the provinces with a merged council for the north and east provinces - the areas of Tamil inhabitation. India, in recent months, has publicly called for an early conduct of the election. The last elections for the provinces were conducted in 2013 and 2014.
ASOS Plc (LON:ASC  Get Free Report)s stock price was up 14.3% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as GBX 276 and last traded at GBX 263. Approximately 867,461 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 147% from the average daily volume of 350,990 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 230.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ASC shares. Shore Capital restated a buy rating and issued a GBX 400 price objective on shares of ASOS in a report on Wednesday, October 1st. Peel Hunt reissued an add rating and issued a GBX 335 target price on shares of ASOS in a report on Thursday. Finally, Berenberg Bank restated a buy rating and issued a GBX 600 price target on shares of ASOS in a research note on Thursday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to MarketBeat.com, ASOS currently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 445.

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ASOS Price Performance

ASOS Company Profile

The stock has a market capitalization of 320.61 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -1.26 and a beta of 2.86. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 187.55. The companys 50 day moving average is GBX 260.78 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 292.86.

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ASOS Plc operates as an online fashion retailer in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, and internationally. It offers womenswear and menswear products. The company sells its products under the ASOS Design, ASOS Edition, ASOS Luxe, ASOS 4505, Collusion, Reclaimed Vintage, Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, HIIT, AsYou, Dark Future, UNRVLLD/SPPLY, Crooked Tongues, Daysocial, Actual, and Weekend Collective brands, as well as through third-party brands.

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Vitesse Energy, Inc. (NYSE:VTS  Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of Hold from the seven research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $24.50.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VTS shares. Zacks Research lowered Vitesse Energy from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Vitesse Energy in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Vitesse Energy from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Vitesse Energy from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an in-line rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 6th.

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Institutional Trading of Vitesse Energy

Vitesse Energy Stock Performance

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VTS. SouthState Corp bought a new position in Vitesse Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Vitesse Energy by 74.7% during the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,303 shares of the companys stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 557 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue acquired a new position in shares of Vitesse Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Vitesse Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Vitesse Energy by 203.6% in the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,770 shares of the companys stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 51.63% of the companys stock.

VTS stock opened at $21.16 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $818.30 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.32 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $22.78 and a two-hundred day moving average of $23.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18. Vitesse Energy has a 12 month low of $18.90 and a 12 month high of $28.41.

Vitesse Energy (NYSE:VTS  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($0.13). Vitesse Energy had a return on equity of 5.71% and a net margin of 7.70%.The company had revenue of $67.44 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.70 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Vitesse Energy will post 1.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Vitesse Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.5625 per share. This represents a $2.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 10.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. Vitesse Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 450.00%.

Vitesse Energy Company Profile

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Vitesse Energy, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, development, and production of non-operated oil and natural gas properties in the United States. It owns and acquires non-operated working interest and royalty interest ownership in the Williston Basin properties located in North Dakota and Montana.

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Deutsche Telekom (OTCMKTS:DTEGY  Get Free Report) posted its earnings results on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.06, reports. Deutsche Telekom had a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 10.14%. The firm had revenue of $33.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.65 billion.

Deutsche Telekom Trading Up 0.2%

DTEGY traded up $0.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $31.72. The stock had a trading volume of 339,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 662,268. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $33.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $35.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $155.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 0.54. Deutsche Telekom has a 1-year low of $29.30 and a 1-year high of $39.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.06.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Deutsche Telekom from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Sunday, August 10th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Deutsche Telekom from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Buy.

About Deutsche Telekom

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Deutsche Telekom AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides integrated telecommunication services. The company operates through Germany, United States, Europe, Systems Solutions, Group Development, and Group Headquarters and Group Services segments. It offers fixed-network services, including voice and data communication services based on fixed-network and broadband technology; and sells terminal equipment and other hardware products, as well as services to resellers.

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Banco Comercial Portugues (OTCMKTS:BPCGY  Get Free Report) is one of 86 publicly-traded companies in the BANKS  FOREIGN industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its competitors? We will compare Banco Comercial Portugues to similar companies based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, valuation and profitability.

Dividends

Banco Comercial Portugues pays an annual dividend of $0.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.8%. Banco Comercial Portugues pays out 17.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BANKS  FOREIGN companies pay a dividend yield of 3.2% and pay out 36.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

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Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Banco Comercial Portugues and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Banco Comercial Portugues $5.82 billion $980.79 million 9.64 Banco Comercial Portugues Competitors $1,329.55 billion $6.67 billion 12.01

Volatility & Risk

Banco Comercial Portugues competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Banco Comercial Portugues. Banco Comercial Portugues is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Banco Comercial Portugues has a beta of 0.22, meaning that its stock price is 78% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Banco Comercial Portugues competitors have a beta of 0.78, meaning that their average stock price is 22% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current recommendations for Banco Comercial Portugues and its competitors, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Banco Comercial Portugues 0 1 0 1 3.00 Banco Comercial Portugues Competitors 1302 4268 4566 259 2.36

As a group, BANKS  FOREIGN companies have a potential upside of 11.47%. Given Banco Comercial Portugues competitors higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Banco Comercial Portugues has less favorable growth aspects than its competitors.

Profitability

This table compares Banco Comercial Portugues and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Banco Comercial Portugues 15.89% 9.44% 0.76% Banco Comercial Portugues Competitors 17.41% 12.86% 1.09%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

25.4% of shares of all BANKS  FOREIGN companies are held by institutional investors. 4.9% of shares of all BANKS  FOREIGN companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Banco Comercial Portugues competitors beat Banco Comercial Portugues on 12 of the 15 factors compared.

Banco Comercial Portugues Company Profile

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Banco Comercial Portugues, S.A., a private sector bank, engages in the provision of various banking and financial products and services in Portugal and internationally. It operates through Retail Banking; Companies, Corporate & Investment Banking; Private Banking; Foreign Business; and Other segments. It offers a range of financial products and services, including current accounts, payment systems, savings and investment products, private banking, asset management, and investment banking services, such as mortgage loans, personal loans, commercial banking, leasing, factoring and insurance, and others. The company is also involved in the provision of investment fund and real estate management, e-commerce, web portal, real estate investment fund, trade finance, trust, consulting, brokerage, marketing, and real estate services, as well as internet, telephone, and mobile banking services. Banco Comercial Portugues, S.A. was incorporated in 1985 and is based in Porto, Portugal.

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Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (NYSE:MUFG  Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings results on Friday. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.10, Zacks reports. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group had a return on equity of 9.35% and a net margin of 13.95%.The business had revenue of $23.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.19 billion.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Price Performance

MUFG stock traded up $0.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $15.80. The stock had a trading volume of 2,479,916 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,171,778. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $190.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has a 52 week low of $10.46 and a 52 week high of $16.24.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUFG. Raymond James Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 3.3% during the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 2,870,737 shares of the companys stock worth $39,386,000 after purchasing an additional 92,220 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 80.2% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,578,547 shares of the companys stock worth $25,162,000 after buying an additional 702,456 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its holdings in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 21.7% during the 2nd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 1,323,481 shares of the companys stock worth $18,158,000 after buying an additional 236,395 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,131,299 shares of the companys stock worth $18,033,000 after buying an additional 276,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning boosted its stake in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group by 19.7% in the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,066,793 shares of the companys stock valued at $17,005,000 after buying an additional 175,575 shares in the last quarter. 13.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MUFG. Zacks Research raised Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has a consensus rating of Buy.

View Our Latest Analysis on Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Company Profile

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Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc operates as the bank holding company, that engages in a range of financial businesses in Japan, the United States, Europe, Asia/Oceania, and internationally. It operates through seven segments: Digital Service, Retail & Commercial Banking, Japanese Corporate & Investment Banking, Global Commercial Banking, Asset Management & Investor Services, Global Corporate & Investment Banking, and Global Markets.

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Mizuho Financial Group (NYSE:MFG  Get Free Report) released its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The bank reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.03, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $5.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.74 billion. Mizuho Financial Group had a return on equity of 8.48% and a net margin of 10.16%.

Mizuho Financial Group Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MFG traded up $0.26 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $7.05. The company had a trading volume of 2,559,067 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,702,188. Mizuho Financial Group has a 12-month low of $4.04 and a 12-month high of $7.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $6.59 and a two-hundred day moving average of $6.03. The company has a market cap of $88.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.68, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

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Institutional Trading of Mizuho Financial Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MFG. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Mizuho Financial Group by 22.1% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 72,925 shares of the banks stock valued at $405,000 after purchasing an additional 13,210 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Mizuho Financial Group by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,343 shares of the banks stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 1,998 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Mizuho Financial Group by 252.6% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 22,871 shares of the banks stock valued at $127,000 after acquiring an additional 16,384 shares during the period. Keel Point LLC raised its holdings in Mizuho Financial Group by 11.9% during the second quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 32,596 shares of the banks stock valued at $181,000 after acquiring an additional 3,477 shares during the period. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Mizuho Financial Group in the second quarter valued at about $236,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.26% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b+) rating on shares of Mizuho Financial Group in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Mizuho Financial Group from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Sunday, August 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered Mizuho Financial Group from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Mizuho Financial Group currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

View Our Latest Stock Analysis on MFG

Mizuho Financial Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in banking, trust, securities, and other businesses related to financial services in Japan, the Americas, Europe, Asia/Oceania, and internationally. It operates through Retail & Business Banking Company, Corporate & Institutional Company, Global Corporate Company, Global Markets Company, Asset Management Company, and Others segments.

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TUI AG (OTCMKTS:TUIFF  Get Free Report) shot up 10.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $9.14 and last traded at $9.14. 142 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 1,177 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.25.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Morgan Stanley restated an overweight rating on shares of TUI in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Buy.

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TUI Stock Performance

TUI Company Profile

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $8.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.82.

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TUI AG, together with its subsidiaries, provides tourism services worldwide. It operates hotels and resorts under the Royalton, Mora, RIU Hotels & Resorts, Robinson, TUI Blue, TUI Magic Life, Atlantica Hotels & Resorts, Grupotel, Iberotel, Akra Hotels, TUI Suneo, and AQI brands. The company is also involved in the tour operation and airlines businesses.

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MOSCOW, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday held a telephone conversation to discuss the situation in the Middle East.

According to a statement released on the Kremlin's website Saturday evening, the two sides discussed progress on implementing a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, the current status of Iran's nuclear program, and further efforts to promote stability in Syria.

The previous telephone conversation between the Russian and Israeli leaders took place on Oct. 6, during which they discussed the situation in the Middle East as the United States proposed a "20-point plan." Putin reiterated Russia's consistent position in support of resolving the Palestinian issue in accordance with international law.

During a meeting in Moscow with Syrian interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa on Oct. 15, Putin said that Russia has always maintained friendly relations with Syria. 
Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 408,841 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after purchasing an additional 24,027 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $55,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the first quarter worth $1,658,180,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 29.2% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 15,985,797 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $2,120,516,000 after purchasing an additional 3,616,471 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 12.8% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 29,763,415 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $3,948,117,000 after purchasing an additional 3,371,113 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 98.6% during the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 3,467,896 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $471,669,000 after buying an additional 1,721,523 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 3.8% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 38,293,067 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $5,184,589,000 after buying an additional 1,390,554 shares in the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of ABT stock opened at $130.59 on Friday. Abbott Laboratories has a fifty-two week low of $110.86 and a fifty-two week high of $141.23. The firms 50 day moving average price is $130.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $131.35. The stock has a market cap of $227.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE:ABT Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.30. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 31.88% and a return on equity of 17.78%. The business had revenue of $11.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.40 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.21 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.180 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Abbott Laboratoriess payout ratio is 29.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ABT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $144.00 to $142.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $141.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $147.00.

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Abbott Laboratories Profile

(Free Report)

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The company provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Menieres disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon.

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Big Yellow Group Plc (OTCMKTS:BYLOF  Get Free Report)s share price traded up 0.7% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $14.57 and last traded at $14.57. 118 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 95% from the average session volume of 2,522 shares. The stock had previously closed at $14.47.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on BYLOF shares. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Big Yellow Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Big Yellow Group in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Big Yellow Group has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

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Big Yellow Group Trading Up 0.7%

Big Yellow Group Company Profile

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.28.

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Big Yellow is the UK's brand leader in self storage. Big Yellow now operates from a platform of 109 stores, including 24 stores branded as Armadillo Self Storage. We have a pipeline of 0.9 million sq ft comprising 13 proposed Big Yellow self storage facilities. The current maximum lettable area of the existing platform (including Armadillo) is 6.4 million sq ft.

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Blankinship & Foster LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF (NYSEARCA:IGM  Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 1,847 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF by 581.0% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 286 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF during the second quarter worth $28,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF during the second quarter worth $37,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF in the 1st quarter valued at $87,000. Finally, Capital Analysts LLC lifted its position in iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF by 33.9% in the 1st quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 1,277 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 323 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF Trading Up 0.2%

IGM stock opened at $127.81 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $127.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $116.16. The stock has a market cap of $9.59 billion, a PE ratio of 34.08 and a beta of 1.27. iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF has a 1 year low of $76.26 and a 1 year high of $135.81.

About iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF

iShares North American Tech ETF, formerly iShares S&P North American Technology Sector Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, of the United States-traded technology companies, as represented by the S&P North American Technology Sector Index (the Index).

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Blankinship & Foster LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF (NYSEARCA:IJJ  Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,123 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $262,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF by 52.2% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 5,797 shares of the companys stock worth $724,000 after acquiring an additional 1,988 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF by 2.5% during the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 7,928 shares of the companys stock valued at $949,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its stake in iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF by 2.8% during the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 40,993 shares of the companys stock worth $4,908,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares during the period. AMG National Trust Bank increased its holdings in iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF by 1.3% in the first quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 11,509 shares of the companys stock worth $1,378,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Csenge Advisory Group lifted its stake in iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF by 0.9% in the first quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 36,050 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,001,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.95% of the companys stock.

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iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF Stock Performance

iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF stock opened at $127.51 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.13 and a beta of 1.05. iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF has a 52-week low of $102.24 and a 52-week high of $136.42. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $129.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $125.92.

iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF Profile

iShares S&P Mid-Cap 400 Value ETF, formerly iShares S&P MidCap 400 Value Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Value Index (the Index). The Value Index measures the performance of the mid-capitalization value sector of the United States equity market and consists of those stocks in the S&P MidCap 400 Index exhibiting the strongest value characteristics.

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Wall Street Zen cut shares of Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM  Free Report) (TSE:BAM.A) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report released on Saturday morning.

BAM has been the topic of several other reports. National Bank Financial assumed coverage on shares of Brookfield Asset Management in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. They issued an outperform rating and a $71.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Brookfield Asset Management from $55.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Brookfield Asset Management from $74.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Brookfield Asset Management from $67.25 to $65.75 and set a sector outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $62.00 target price on Brookfield Asset Management in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Brookfield Asset Management presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $64.23.

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Brookfield Asset Management Stock Performance

Shares of BAM stock opened at $51.50 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 1.25. The companys fifty day moving average price is $56.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.38. Brookfield Asset Management has a 12 month low of $41.78 and a 12 month high of $64.10.

Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE:BAM  Get Free Report) (TSE:BAM.A) last announced its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.02. Brookfield Asset Management had a return on equity of 41.12% and a net margin of 55.92%.The business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. On average, research analysts anticipate that Brookfield Asset Management will post 1.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Brookfield Asset Management Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be given a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Brookfield Asset Managements dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 109.38%.

Institutional Trading of Brookfield Asset Management

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 1,270.6% in the second quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 466 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brookfield Asset Management by 559.5% during the second quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 521 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the period. Sagard Holdings Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Brookfield Asset Management in the second quarter worth about $39,000. Truvestments Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Brookfield Asset Management by 85.5% in the first quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 937 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the period. Finally, Assetmark Inc. grew its position in Brookfield Asset Management by 95.9% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 807 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. 68.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Brookfield Asset Management Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Brookfield Asset Management Ltd. is a real estate investment firm specializing in alternative asset management services. Its renewable power and transition business includes the operates in the hydroelectric, wind, solar, distributed generation, and sustainable solution sector. The company's infrastructure business engages in the utilities, transport, midstream, and data infrastructure sectors.

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Cementos Argos S.A. Sponsored ADR (OTC:CMTOY  Get Free Report) shares were up 5.2% on Friday . The company traded as high as $14.20 and last traded at $14.20. Approximately 10,000 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 231% from the average daily volume of 3,023 shares. The stock had previously closed at $13.50.

Cementos Argos Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $13.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.56.

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Cementos Argos Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 14th. Investors of record on Monday, September 29th were given a $0.0988 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1,854.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 26th.

About Cementos Argos

Cementos Argos SA offers cement, concrete, aggregates, ready-mix concrete, and hydrated lime products in Colombia, the Caribbean, Central America, and the United States. The company also engages in the reinsurance; property management; transport; and seaports operation businesses. In addition, it exports its products.

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Profitability

This table compares Tosoh and TOR Minerals Internationals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Tosoh 4.54% 5.29% 3.55% TOR Minerals International -6.28% -8.48% -6.90%

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Tosoh and TOR Minerals Internationals gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Tosoh $6.98 billion 0.73 $382.82 million $0.85 18.82 TOR Minerals International $22.41 million 0.17 -$2.61 million ($0.40) -2.70

Volatility & Risk

Tosoh has higher revenue and earnings than TOR Minerals International. TOR Minerals International is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Tosoh, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Tosoh has a beta of 0.15, meaning that its share price is 85% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, TOR Minerals International has a beta of -0.11, meaning that its share price is 111% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Summary

Tosoh beats TOR Minerals International on 9 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Tosoh

(Get Free Report)

Tosoh Corporation manufactures and sells basic chemicals, petrochemicals, specialty products, and fine chemicals worldwide. It operates through four segments: Petrochemical, Chlor-Alkali, Specialty, and Engineering. The company provides advance materials, including battery, fabricated quartzware, silica glass, thin film depositions, zeolites for catalysts and molecular sieves, zirconia injection mold components and compounds, zirconia grinding and dispersion media, and zirconia fine beads and powders. It also offers chromatographic columns, and media and diagnostic systems; clinical diagnostic systems; Portland cement and blast-furnace slag cement; and caustic soda, vinyl chloride monomer, calcium hypochlorite, and sodium bicarbonate. In addition, the company provides ethylene, propylene, C4 fraction, tertiary butyl alcohol, cumene, and aromatic compounds; and ethyleneamines, bromine, hydrobromic acids, flame retardants, non-aqueous solvents, chelating agents, ethylene dichloride, and sodium styrenesulfonate. Further, it offers polymers, such as ethylene vinyl-acetate copolymers, adhesive polymers, low and high-density polyethylene products, synthetic rubbers, functional polymers, and polyvinyl chloride pastes; and polyurethanes (PU), including methylene diphenyl diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, adhesives, coating resins, elastomers, polyisocyanates for PU paints, and polyols. The company manufactures and sells water treatment systems; and engages in the construction and repair businesses. It serves chemical and petrochemical, construction, automotive, consumer electronics, information technology, bioscience, and environmental markets. The company was incorporated in 1935 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

About TOR Minerals International

(Get Free Report)

TOR Minerals International, Inc. produces and sells specialty mineral products in the United States, Europe, and Asia. The company offers alumina trihydrate and boehmite halogen-free flame retardant and smoke suppressant fillers for plastics, rubber, and specialty applications; and beige and gray colored titanium dioxide (TiO2) pigments for use in paints, coatings, plastics, paper, and various other products. It also provides white TiO2, a pigment to add whiteness and opacity to paints and coatings, plastics, and other materials; and engineered fillers for use in plastics, paints, coatings, catalysts, and industrial products. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Corpus Christi, Texas.

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Profitability

This table compares Teijin and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Teijin N/A N/A N/A Teijin Competitors 4.27% -37.61% 5.18%

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Teijin and its rivals top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Teijin $6.60 billion $187.09 million 207.50 Teijin Competitors $6.40 billion $605.04 million -4.71

Teijin has higher revenue, but lower earnings than its rivals. Teijin is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Dividends

Risk & Volatility

Teijin pays an annual dividend of $0.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Teijin pays out 600.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. As a group, TEXTILE  APPAREL companies pay a dividend yield of 1.9% and pay out 35.2% of their earnings in the form of a dividend.

Teijin has a beta of 0.18, indicating that its share price is 82% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Teijins rivals have a beta of 3.35, indicating that their average share price is 235% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

65.8% of shares of all TEXTILE  APPAREL companies are owned by institutional investors. 19.2% of shares of all TEXTILE  APPAREL companies are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Teijin rivals beat Teijin on 7 of the 11 factors compared.

About Teijin

(Get Free Report)

Teijin Limited engages in the fibers, films and sheets, composites, healthcare, and IT businesses worldwide. It offers aramid fibers and polyethylene materials; carbon fibers, composite materials, and oxidized PAN fibers; polycarbonate sheets and films; high-density polyethylene porous films and materials; and microporous films. The company also provides PC resins, polyphenylene sulfide resins, molded parts, and additives; lightweight glass and carbon fiber reinforced composites for automotive applications; and polytrimethylene telephthalate products, artificial leather materials, polyester nanofibers, and recycled polyester fibers. In addition, it offers pharmaceuticals for bone and joint, respiratory, cardiovascular and metabolic, and other diseases; home oxygen therapy, non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, rehabilitation, and sleep disordered breathing related devices, as well as sonic accelerated fracture healing system and community-based integrated care system; and orthopedic implantable devices, and functional food ingredients. Further, the company provides Recopic, a radio-frequency identification technology for inventory management. Additionally, it develops and implements engineering solutions for various issues, such as environmental pollution, energy supply stability, and aging-related workforce population decline. Teijin Limited was incorporated in 1918 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

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Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Dingdong (Cayman) (NYSE:DDL  Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c) rating on shares of Dingdong (Cayman) in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold.

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Dingdong (Cayman) Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE:DDL opened at $1.73 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $1.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $2.10. Dingdong has a 12 month low of $1.65 and a 12 month high of $4.79. The firm has a market cap of $407.49 million, a P/E ratio of 10.15 and a beta of 0.46.

Dingdong (Cayman) (NYSE:DDL  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 21st. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share for the quarter. The business had revenue of $834.20 million for the quarter. Dingdong (Cayman) had a return on equity of 32.92% and a net margin of 1.17%. On average, research analysts forecast that Dingdong will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Dingdong (Cayman)

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Dingdong (Cayman) by 30.7% in the 1st quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 2,641,834 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,133,000 after buying an additional 621,018 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Dingdong (Cayman) by 66.5% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 968,405 shares of the companys stock worth $1,956,000 after acquiring an additional 386,795 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd boosted its position in shares of Dingdong (Cayman) by 283.3% during the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 491,115 shares of the companys stock valued at $992,000 after acquiring an additional 362,974 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Dingdong (Cayman) in the second quarter valued at about $593,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP increased its position in Dingdong (Cayman) by 188.4% during the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 304,692 shares of the companys stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 199,033 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 24.66% of the companys stock.

Dingdong (Cayman) Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Dingdong (Cayman) Limited operates an e-commerce company in China. The company offers fresh groceries, including vegetables, meat and eggs, fruits, and seafood; prepared food, and other food products, such as baked goods, dairy, seasonings, beverages, instant food, oil, and snacks. It offers its products through traditional offline, as well as online channels through Dingdong Fresh app, mini-programs, and third-party platforms.

Further Reading

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Firestone Capital Management bought a new stake in GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 982 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $253,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Terril Brothers Inc. boosted its stake in shares of GE Aerospace by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Terril Brothers Inc. now owns 1,406 shares of the companys stock worth $362,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of GE Aerospace by 5.0% during the second quarter. New England Capital Financial Advisors LLC now owns 772 shares of the companys stock worth $199,000 after buying an additional 37 shares during the period. Old North State Wealth Management LLC raised its position in GE Aerospace by 1.9% in the second quarter. Old North State Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,101 shares of the companys stock worth $542,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC boosted its position in shares of GE Aerospace by 18.0% in the 2nd quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 256 shares of the companys stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Francis Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of GE Aerospace by 3.3% in the second quarter. Francis Financial Inc. now owns 1,215 shares of the companys stock worth $313,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.77% of the companys stock.

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GE Aerospace Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of GE stock opened at $304.50 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $299.92 and a 200-day moving average of $268.40. GE Aerospace has a 12-month low of $159.36 and a 12-month high of $316.67. The company has a market capitalization of $321.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.56. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99.

GE Aerospace Dividend Announcement

GE Aerospace ( NYSE:GE Get Free Report ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The company reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.20. GE Aerospace had a return on equity of 34.01% and a net margin of 18.34%.The business had revenue of $11.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.15 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 26.4% on a year-over-year basis. GE Aerospace has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.000-6.200 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that GE Aerospace will post 5.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 29th were issued a $0.36 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 29th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. GE Aerospaces dividend payout ratio is 19.23%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on GE. Bank of America lifted their target price on GE Aerospace from $310.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Sanford C. Bernstein reissued an outperform rating on shares of GE Aerospace in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on GE Aerospace from $320.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a buy rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of GE Aerospace in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, UBS Group set a $366.00 price objective on shares of GE Aerospace and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, GE Aerospace presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $301.27.

View Our Latest Analysis on GE

About GE Aerospace

(Free Report)

GE Aerospace (also known as General Electric) is a company that specializes in providing aerospace products and services. It operates through two reportable segments: Commercial Engines and Services and Defense and Propulsion Technologies. It offers jet and turboprop engines, as well as integrated systems for commercial, military, business, and general aviation aircraft.

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TEHRAN, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Western governments have renewed calls to resume talks on Tehran's nuclear program after "failing" to achieve their objectives through recent military action, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.

Araghchi said the appeals for dialogue were "natural" after Western powers "did not achieve what they were after regarding Iran's nuclear program through military attacks," adding that there is no military solution to the dispute.

He said Iran would not accept negotiations conducted through pressure, saying talks must be based on "reasonable and logical" principles rather than "dictating and bullying."

Araghchi said the United States and Israel had failed to meet any of their goals through the latest conflict, adding that while airstrikes could damage nuclear facilities, they could not destroy Iran's technological capabilities or the resolve of its people. "Our facilities were destroyed, but our technology remains, and our will is even stronger," he said.

He said Iran has always been ready for serious negotiations under the right conditions, and reiterated that diplomacy remains "the ultimate solution" for resolving disputes in the region.

Iran and the United States had held five rounds of indirect, Oman-mediated talks on the nuclear issue and U.S. sanctions relief, and were preparing for a sixth round when Israel launched major airstrikes on June 13 on nuclear and military sites in Iran, killing senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians. On June 22, U.S. forces struck the Iranian nuclear facilities at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. 
Intech Investment Management LLC lowered its position in First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP  Free Report) by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 681,674 shares of the banks stock after selling 61,804 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC owned about 0.42% of First BanCorp. worth $14,199,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in First BanCorp. by 3.0% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,925,748 shares of the banks stock worth $132,767,000 after buying an additional 201,674 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in First BanCorp. by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 6,508,647 shares of the banks stock worth $124,771,000 after acquiring an additional 48,301 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of First BanCorp. by 3.2% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,770,605 shares of the banks stock worth $53,113,000 after purchasing an additional 85,017 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of First BanCorp. by 0.3% during the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,845,708 shares of the banks stock valued at $38,446,000 after purchasing an additional 6,006 shares during the period. Finally, Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its holdings in shares of First BanCorp. by 1.4% during the first quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 1,761,893 shares of the banks stock valued at $33,775,000 after purchasing an additional 24,925 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.91% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

FBP has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed a market perform rating and issued a $24.00 price objective (down previously from $26.00) on shares of First BanCorp. in a report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (b) rating on shares of First BanCorp. in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of First BanCorp. from $25.00 to $23.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 27th. Truist Financial dropped their target price on First BanCorp. from $25.00 to $24.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, UBS Group set a $25.00 target price on First BanCorp. in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $24.00.

Insider Activity at First BanCorp.

In related news, CEO Aurelio Aleman sold 50,000 shares of First BanCorp. stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.30, for a total value of $1,115,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,059,547 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $23,627,898.10. This trade represents a 4.51% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

First BanCorp. Stock Down 0.6%

FBP stock opened at $20.19 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 9.80, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.01. First BanCorp. has a 12 month low of $16.40 and a 12 month high of $22.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.98.

First BanCorp. (NYSE:FBP  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The bank reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.03. First BanCorp. had a return on equity of 17.45% and a net margin of 26.73%.The company had revenue of $30.79 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $256.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.45 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that First BanCorp. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First BanCorp. Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 12th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be given a dividend of $0.18 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. This represents a $0.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. First BanCorp.s payout ratio is 34.95%.

First BanCorp. Company Profile

(Free Report)

First BanCorp. operates as a bank holding company for FirstBank Puerto Rico that provides a range of financial products and services to consumers and commercial customers. The company operates through six segments: Commercial and Corporate Banking, Mortgage Banking, Consumer (Retail) Banking, Treasury and Investments, United States Operations, and Virgin Islands Operations.

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First Farmers and Merchants Co. (OTCMKTS:FFMH  Get Free Report) shares crossed above its fifty day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of $44.96 and traded as high as $47.00. First Farmers and Merchants shares last traded at $46.50, with a volume of 200 shares traded.

First Farmers and Merchants Stock Performance

The companys 50-day simple moving average is $44.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.09.

First Farmers and Merchants Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

First Farmers and Merchants Corporation operates as the bank holding company for First Farmers and Merchants Bank that provides various banking and financial services in Middle Tennessee and Northern Alabama. The company's deposit products include personal and business checking and savings, and individual retirement and investment accounts, as well as certificates of deposit.

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Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Flex LNG (NYSE:FLNG  Free Report) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Saturday morning.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a hold rating and issued a $23.00 price target on shares of Flex LNG in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a hold (c) rating on shares of Flex LNG in a report on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $23.00.

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View Our Latest Research Report on Flex LNG

Flex LNG Price Performance

FLNG opened at $26.40 on Friday. Flex LNG has a 1 year low of $19.46 and a 1 year high of $27.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.42 billion, a PE ratio of 14.35 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.84 and a quick ratio of 2.81. The businesss 50-day moving average is $25.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.69.

Flex LNG (NYSE:FLNG  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 12th. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $85.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $83.52 million. Flex LNG had a return on equity of 14.41% and a net margin of 27.84%. Research analysts anticipate that Flex LNG will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Flex LNG Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 28th will be issued a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 28th. Flex LNGs payout ratio is 163.93%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in Flex LNG by 145.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 1,030,250 shares of the companys stock worth $23,686,000 after purchasing an additional 610,236 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Flex LNG in the 3rd quarter valued at $9,764,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Flex LNG during the third quarter worth $9,497,000. Two Sigma Investments LP grew its position in Flex LNG by 834.5% during the third quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 271,681 shares of the companys stock valued at $6,846,000 after buying an additional 242,608 shares during the period. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Flex LNG during the second quarter valued at $2,936,000.

About Flex LNG

(Get Free Report)

FLEX LNG Ltd. engages in the seaborne transportation of liquefied natural gas (LPG) through the ownership and operation of LNG carriers. The company was founded by Philip Eystein Fjeld, Trym Tveitnes and Jostein Ueland in September 2006 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

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Generali Investments Management Co LLC reduced its position in shares of Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX  Free Report) by 16.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,089 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after selling 589 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLCs holdings in Phillips 66 were worth $368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Elliott Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in Phillips 66 by 1,929.0% during the 1st quarter. Elliott Investment Management L.P. now owns 15,725,000 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,941,723,000 after buying an additional 14,950,000 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Phillips 66 by 17.4% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 10,327,304 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,226,815,000 after acquiring an additional 1,532,967 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Phillips 66 by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 9,394,750 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $1,120,794,000 after acquiring an additional 537,245 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in Phillips 66 by 11.3% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,709,108 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $828,442,000 after purchasing an additional 682,459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in Phillips 66 by 15.9% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,765,866 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $588,489,000 after purchasing an additional 653,248 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.93% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on PSX. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Phillips 66 from $133.00 to $137.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. Argus upgraded shares of Phillips 66 to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Phillips 66 from $130.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Phillips 66 from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Bank of America cut Phillips 66 from a buy rating to a neutral rating and upped their target price for the company from $144.00 to $147.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and thirteen have assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $144.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Vanessa Allen Sutherland sold 4,393 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total value of $615,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 34,587 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,842,180. This trade represents a 11.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Kevin J. Mitchell sold 30,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.00, for a total value of $4,140,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 89,771 shares in the company, valued at $12,388,398. This represents a 25.05% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 38,786 shares of company stock worth $5,348,075 in the last ninety days. 0.22% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Phillips 66 Price Performance

Phillips 66 stock opened at $142.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $133.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $126.04. Phillips 66 has a 12 month low of $91.01 and a 12 month high of $143.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.33 billion, a PE ratio of 38.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08.

Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The oil and gas company reported $2.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $33.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $32.29 billion. Phillips 66 had a net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 5.51%. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.04 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Phillips 66 will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Phillips 66 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 1st. Investors of record on Monday, November 17th will be given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 17th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. Phillips 66s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 131.15%.

About Phillips 66

(Free Report)

Phillips 66 operates as an energy manufacturing and logistics company in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties (M&S). The Midstream segment transports crude oil and other feedstocks; delivers refined petroleum products to market; provides terminaling and storage services for crude oil and refined petroleum products; transports, stores, fractionates, exports, and markets natural gas liquids; provides other fee-based processing services; and gathers, processes, transports, and markets natural gas.

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Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU  Free Report) (TSE:SU) by 18.5% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,147,653 shares of the oil and gas producers stock after buying an additional 1,586,520 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLCs holdings in Suncor Energy were worth $387,538,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Ascent Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Suncor Energy by 4.7% in the second quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 5,769 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $216,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Suncor Energy by 27.6% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,428 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Winthrop Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Suncor Energy by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Winthrop Capital Management LLC now owns 13,654 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $529,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in Suncor Energy by 29.0% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,021 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 454 shares during the period. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. grew its position in shares of Suncor Energy by 67.0% during the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,169 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 469 shares in the last quarter. 67.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Suncor Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SU opened at $44.32 on Friday. The stocks 50-day moving average is $41.13 and its 200 day moving average is $39.24. The stock has a market cap of $53.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.75. Suncor Energy Inc. has a 1-year low of $30.79 and a 1-year high of $44.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19.

Suncor Energy Increases Dividend

Suncor Energy ( NYSE:SU Get Free Report ) (TSE:SU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $9.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.82 billion. Suncor Energy had a net margin of 11.35% and a return on equity of 13.21%. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.48 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Suncor Energy Inc. will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 3rd will be given a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 3rd. This is a boost from Suncor Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Suncor Energys dividend payout ratio is 55.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on SU. Zacks Research downgraded Suncor Energy from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Suncor Energy in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Suncor Energy in a report on Friday, October 17th. They set an equal weight rating for the company. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a buy (b) rating on shares of Suncor Energy in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Suncor Energy from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $65.00.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on SU

Suncor Energy Profile

(Free Report)

Suncor Energy Inc operates as an integrated energy company in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment explores, develops, and produces bitumen, synthetic crude oil, and related products.

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Bankinter (OTCMKTS:BKNIY  Get Free Report) and ICICI Bank (NYSE:IBN  Get Free Report) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, risk, valuation, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and earnings.

Dividends

Bankinter pays an annual dividend of $0.43 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. ICICI Bank pays an annual dividend of $0.21 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Bankinter pays out 34.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. ICICI Bank pays out 13.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

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Risk & Volatility

Bankinter has a beta of 0.04, suggesting that its stock price is 96% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ICICI Bank has a beta of 0.55, suggesting that its stock price is 45% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

Profitability

18.2% of ICICI Bank shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

This table compares Bankinter and ICICI Banks net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Bankinter 21.53% 16.76% 0.81% ICICI Bank 24.91% 14.91% 1.89%

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for Bankinter and ICICI Bank, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Bankinter 0 6 0 0 2.00 ICICI Bank 0 1 0 0 2.00

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Bankinter and ICICI Banks gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Bankinter $5.44 billion N/A $1.03 billion $1.26 12.54 ICICI Bank $2,134.65 billion 0.05 $6.02 billion $1.62 19.22

ICICI Bank has higher revenue and earnings than Bankinter. Bankinter is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ICICI Bank, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

ICICI Bank beats Bankinter on 9 of the 11 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Bankinter

(Get Free Report)

Bankinter, S.A. provides various banking products and services to individuals and corporate customers, and small- and medium-sized enterprises in Spain. It offers payroll, pension, business, salary, non-salary, youth salary, current, currency, professional, basic, and management accounts; deposit products; and mortgages and loan products, as well as financing services. The company also provides saving and investment products, including profiled funds, sustainable investment funds, other managers funds, pension funds, and themed funds, as well as funds for beginners; regular investment plans; and advisory, customized investment, wealth management, and alternative investment products and services. In addition, it offers accident, home, life, funeral, health, mortgage payment protection, property, personal, and motor insurance products, as well as business insurance products. Further, the company provides various services, such as estate administration, switch, asset management, accounts management, and transfer services, as well as real estate and brokerage services. Additionally, it offers retail, personal, private, commercial, and corporate banking products, as well as remote banking services. The company was formerly known as Banco Intercontinental Espanol, S.A. and changed its name to Bankinter, S.A. in July 1990. Bankinter, S.A. was incorporated in 1965 and is based in Madrid, Spain.

About ICICI Bank

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ICICI Bank Limited provides various banking products and services in India and internationally. It operates through Retail Banking, Wholesale Banking, Treasury, Other Banking, Life Insurance, and Others segments. The company offers savings, salary, pension, current, and other accounts; and time, fixed, recurring, and security deposits services. It also provides home, car, two-wheeler, personal, gold, and commercial business loans, as well as loans against securities and other loans; business loans, including working capital finance, term loans, collateral free loans, loans without financials, finance for importers and exporters, and overdraft facilities, as well as loans for new entities and card swipes; and credit, debit, prepaid, travel, forex, and corporate cards. In addition, the company offers pockets wallet; fixed income products; investment products, such as mutual funds, gold monetization schemes, initial public offerings, and other online investment services; and agri and rural business, farmer finance, tractor loans, and micro banking services, as well as other services to agri corporates. Further, it provides portfolio management, trade, foreign exchange, locker, private and NRI banking, and cash management services; family wealth and demat accounts; commercial and investment banking, capital market, custodial, and institutional banking services; health, personal accident, fire, and motor insurance, as well as distributes general and life insurance products; and Internet, mobile, and phone banking services. Additionally, the company offers securities investment, broking, trading, and underwriting services; and merchant banking, trusteeship, housing finance, pension fund management, asset management, investment advisory, points of presence, and private equity/venture capital fund management services. ICICI Bank Limited was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India.

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Profitability

This table compares Madison County Financial and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Madison County Financial N/A N/A N/A Madison County Financial Competitors 16.58% 9.98% 1.05%

Risk & Volatility

Madison County Financial has a beta of 0.08, indicating that its stock price is 92% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Madison County Financials competitors have a beta of 0.64, indicating that their average stock price is 36% less volatile than the S&P 500.

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Insider and Institutional Ownership

50.4% of shares of all BANKS  SOUTHEAST companies are owned by institutional investors. 16.9% of Madison County Financial shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 12.5% of shares of all BANKS  SOUTHEAST companies are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Valuation & Earnings

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Madison County Financial $29.54 million $3.82 million 25.73 Madison County Financial Competitors $602.73 million $154.64 million 14.00

This table compares Madison County Financial and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Madison County Financials competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Madison County Financial. Madison County Financial is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Dividends

Madison County Financial pays an annual dividend of $0.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. Madison County Financial pays out 35.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. As a group, BANKS  SOUTHEAST companies pay a dividend yield of 2.1% and pay out 24.1% of their earnings in the form of a dividend. Madison County Financial lags its competitors as a dividend stock, given its lower dividend yield and higher payout ratio.

Summary

Madison County Financial competitors beat Madison County Financial on 9 of the 11 factors compared.

Madison County Financial Company Profile

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Madison County Financial, Inc. operates as the holding company for Madison County Bank that provides banking and financial services to individual and corporate customers in Nebraska, the United States. It offers checking, money market savings, savings, and individual retirement accounts; certificates of deposit; credit and debit cards; home loans; and consumer loans, including home equity lines of credit, second mortgage, home improvement, recreational vehicle, personal, and overdraft protection loans, as well as loans for automobiles, trucks, and vans. The company also provides agricultural real estate, machinery and equipment, livestock and crop, and operating loans; and commercial real estate, construction, investment property, and working capital loans, as well as equipment financing services. In addition, it offers online and mobile banking, and merchant services. The company was formerly known as Madison County Holding Company and changed its name to Madison County Financial, Inc. in October 2012. Madison County Financial, Inc. was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Madison, Nebraska.

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Integrated Quantitative Investments LLC lifted its stake in Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN  Free Report) by 8.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 532,304 shares of the banks stock after purchasing an additional 42,304 shares during the period. Banco Santander accounts for approximately 1.3% of Integrated Quantitative Investments LLCs holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Integrated Quantitative Investments LLCs holdings in Banco Santander were worth $4,418,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Banco Santander by 9.0% during the second quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 122,364 shares of the banks stock worth $1,016,000 after buying an additional 10,052 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in shares of Banco Santander by 178.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 312,463 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,593,000 after acquiring an additional 200,137 shares during the period. Creative Planning boosted its stake in Banco Santander by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 1,728,439 shares of the banks stock worth $14,346,000 after acquiring an additional 75,186 shares during the last quarter. Wrapmanager Inc. bought a new stake in Banco Santander in the second quarter valued at approximately $90,000. Finally, D Orazio & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in Banco Santander by 11.7% in the second quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 25,652 shares of the banks stock worth $213,000 after purchasing an additional 2,687 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 9.19% of the companys stock.

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Banco Santander Price Performance

Shares of Banco Santander stock opened at $10.74 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $159.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 1.05. Banco Santander, S.A. has a one year low of $4.43 and a one year high of $11.13. The stocks 50-day moving average is $10.14 and its 200-day moving average is $9.04.

Banco Santander Dividend Announcement

Banco Santander ( NYSE:SAN Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The bank reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.02). Banco Santander had a net margin of 17.90% and a return on equity of 11.92%. The firm had revenue of $17.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.32 billion. Banco Santander has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Banco Santander, S.A. will post 0.83 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 6th. Investors of record on Friday, October 31st were issued a dividend of $0.0956 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 31st. This represents a yield of 263.0%. Banco Santanders dividend payout ratio is presently 19.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SAN has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Kepler Capital Markets cut shares of Banco Santander from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, August 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Banco Santander from a strong-buy rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Zacks Research raised Banco Santander from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a buy (b+) rating on shares of Banco Santander in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have assigned a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on SAN

Banco Santander Company Profile

(Free Report)

Banco Santander, SA provides various financial services worldwide. The company operates through Retail Banking, Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, Wealth Management & Insurance, and PagoNxt segments. It offers demand and time deposits, mutual funds, and current and savings accounts; mortgages, consumer finance, loans, and various financing solutions; and project finance, debt capital markets, global transaction banking, and corporate finance services.

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Intrua Financial LLC decreased its position in The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA  Free Report) by 57.2% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,394 shares of the aircraft producers stock after selling 1,864 shares during the period. Intrua Financial LLCs holdings in Boeing were worth $292,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BA. Harbor Asset Planning Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Boeing in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Piscataqua Savings Bank increased its holdings in Boeing by 1,712.5% in the 2nd quarter. Piscataqua Savings Bank now owns 145 shares of the aircraft producers stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. purchased a new stake in Boeing in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in Boeing by 159.4% in the 2nd quarter. IMG Wealth Management Inc. now owns 179 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Boeing during the second quarter valued at about $39,000. 64.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Boeing Price Performance

BA opened at $194.45 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $147.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.21 and a beta of 1.44. The Boeing Company has a one year low of $128.88 and a one year high of $242.69. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $212.85 and a 200-day moving average price of $214.68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Boeing ( NYSE:BA Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The aircraft producer reported ($7.47) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.51) by ($6.96). The company had revenue of $23.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.61 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned ($10.44) earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 30.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that The Boeing Company will post -2.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on BA shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Boeing from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Loop Capital set a $223.00 price objective on shares of Boeing in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Barclays increased their target price on Boeing from $210.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $255.00 price target on Boeing in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $250.00 price objective on shares of Boeing in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Boeing has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $240.30.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on BA

Insider Transactions at Boeing

In other Boeing news, Director Mortimer J. Buckley acquired 2,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 19th. The stock was bought at an average price of $226.10 per share, with a total value of $497,420.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 2,200 shares of the companys stock, valued at $497,420. This trade represents a  increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Uma M. Amuluru sold 1,366 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.66, for a total transaction of $270,003.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,656 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,896,904.96. This trade represents a 8.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock.

Boeing Profile

(Free Report)

The Boeing Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, services, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight and launch systems, and services worldwide. The company operates through Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; and Global Services segments.

Further Reading

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Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE:IRM  Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of Moderate Buy from the eight brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $118.8333.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on IRM. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Iron Mountain in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. They issued a buy rating and a $120.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Iron Mountain from $100.00 to $111.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Iron Mountain in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research raised shares of Iron Mountain from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on Iron Mountain from $122.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday.

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Read Our Latest Stock Report on Iron Mountain

Iron Mountain Stock Up 0.1%

Iron Mountain stock opened at $91.48 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $27.04 billion, a PE ratio of 653.48 and a beta of 1.06. Iron Mountain has a 12-month low of $72.33 and a 12-month high of $125.38. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $101.78 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $98.79.

Iron Mountain (NYSE:IRM  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The financial services provider reported $1.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.75 billion. Iron Mountain had a net margin of 0.66% and a negative return on equity of 146.80%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.13 EPS. Iron Mountain has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.040-5.130 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Iron Mountain will post 4.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Iron Mountain Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 6th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.864 per share. This represents a $3.46 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 15th. This is a boost from Iron Mountains previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. Iron Mountains payout ratio is presently 650.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO William L. Meaney sold 69,125 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.75, for a total transaction of $7,102,593.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mark Kidd sold 6,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $102.51, for a total transaction of $615,060.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 67,081 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,876,473.31. This trade represents a 8.21% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 226,681 shares of company stock worth $22,265,632. Company insiders own 1.90% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Iron Mountain

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Iron Mountain by 2.0% during the third quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,108 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $521,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its position in shares of Iron Mountain by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 2,929 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $310,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Iron Mountain by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 2,077 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $212,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. Natural Investments LLC grew its position in Iron Mountain by 3.1% in the third quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 3,581 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in Iron Mountain by 3.4% in the first quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 3,265 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $281,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.13% of the companys stock.

Iron Mountain Company Profile

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Iron Mountain Incorporated (NYSE: IRM) is a global leader in information management services. Founded in 1951 and trusted by more than 240,000 customers worldwide, Iron Mountain serves to protect and elevate the power of our customers work. Through a range of offerings including digital transformation, data centers, secure records storage, information management, asset lifecycle management, secure destruction and art storage and logistics, Iron Mountain helps businesses bring light to their dark data, enabling customers to unlock value and intelligence from their stored digital and physical assets at speed and with security, while helping them meet their environmental goals.

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CARACAS, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday called for a permanent vigil and mobilization in the country's eastern region in response to the announcement of joint military exercises by the United States and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.

"I once again call on all the people of the eastern states -- from southern Bolivar, Delta Amacuro, Monagas, Sucre, Anzoategui and Nueva Esparta -- to maintain perfect unity among citizens, military forces and police, to stand vigil and march in the streets with the Venezuelan flag held high," Maduro said during a public event in Petare, in the northern state of Miranda.

He stressed that the call serves as a directive to all social and political sectors to remain alert and not fall for provocations.

Maduro made the remarks after Trinidad and Tobago announced a new deployment of military exercises with the United States, "using its waters off the coast of Sucre state."

He criticized the move as an attempt to threaten the regional peace, and reiterated his call for mobilization "with patriotic fervor" to reject what he described as aggression.

Trinidad and Tobago announced on Friday that it would resume military exercises with the United States, which maintains a deployment in the Caribbean. This marks the second joint drill in less than a month.

Maduro also addressed the American public, urging them to halt "the frenzied hand of those who order a war to be waged in South America and the Caribbean." 
Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Pampa Energia S.A. (NYSE:PAM  Free Report) by 42.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 304,174 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 90,500 shares during the quarter. Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. owned about 0.56% of Pampa Energia worth $21,104,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of PAM. Millennium Management LLC increased its stake in Pampa Energia by 85.4% in the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 162,521 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $12,547,000 after buying an additional 74,841 shares during the period. Helikon Investments Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Pampa Energia by 11.2% in the first quarter. Helikon Investments Ltd now owns 492,578 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $38,027,000 after acquiring an additional 49,709 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Pampa Energia by 9.7% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 557,474 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $43,037,000 after acquiring an additional 49,099 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Pampa Energia during the first quarter worth about $3,460,000. Finally, Ping Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Pampa Energia by 74.9% during the second quarter. Ping Capital Management Inc. now owns 76,200 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $5,287,000 after purchasing an additional 32,633 shares in the last quarter. 12.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Pampa Energia Stock Performance

NYSE PAM opened at $89.78 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $68.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.03. The company has a market capitalization of $4.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.07, a PEG ratio of 7.57 and a beta of 1.18. Pampa Energia S.A. has a 1-year low of $54.95 and a 1-year high of $97.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 2.70 and a quick ratio of 2.33.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Pampa Energia ( NYSE:PAM Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The utilities provider reported $0.42 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.97). The firm had revenue of $591.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $864.09 billion. Pampa Energia had a net margin of 23.73% and a return on equity of 13.01%. Sell-side analysts expect that Pampa Energia S.A. will post 9.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on PAM shares. Wall Street Zen raised Pampa Energia from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup raised Pampa Energia from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $113.00 price target for the company in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Pampa Energia in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Pampa Energia from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $103.25.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Pampa Energia

Pampa Energia Profile

(Free Report)

Pampa Energia SA operates as an integrated power company in Argentina. The company operates through Electricity Generation, Oil and Gas, Petrochemicals, and Holding and Other Business segments. It generates electricity through thermal plants, hydroelectric plants, and wind farms with a 5,332 megawatt (MW) installed capacity.

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KM Capital Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of iShares Europe ETF (NYSEARCA:IEV  Free Report) by 2.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 91,309 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,244 shares during the quarter. iShares Europe ETF comprises approximately 2.8% of KM Capital Management Ltd.s holdings, making the stock its 10th largest position. KM Capital Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.25% of iShares Europe ETF worth $5,775,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of IEV. Barings LLC lifted its holdings in iShares Europe ETF by 3,871.3% in the first quarter. Barings LLC now owns 682,193 shares of the companys stock worth $39,704,000 after purchasing an additional 665,015 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of iShares Europe ETF by 247.6% in the 1st quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 406,035 shares of the companys stock worth $23,631,000 after acquiring an additional 289,228 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of iShares Europe ETF in the second quarter valued at approximately $12,411,000. TABR Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares Europe ETF during the second quarter valued at approximately $11,155,000. Finally, Black Swift Group LLC bought a new stake in iShares Europe ETF during the second quarter worth approximately $11,131,000.

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iShares Europe ETF Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA IEV opened at $66.76 on Friday. iShares Europe ETF has a 1 year low of $51.30 and a 1 year high of $67.94. The firm has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.48 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $65.82 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.02.

About iShares Europe ETF

iShares Europe ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P Europe 350 Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P Europe 350 (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the stocks of companies in the countries, which includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

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Lenovo Group Ltd. (OTCMKTS:LNVGY  Get Free Report) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $26.90 and traded as high as $27.50. Lenovo Group shares last traded at $26.98, with a volume of 51,621 shares changing hands.

Lenovo Group Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $16.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.79, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.95. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $29.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.93.

Lenovo Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Lenovo Group Limited, an investment holding company, develops, manufactures, and markets technology products and services. It operates through Intelligent Devices Group, Infrastructure Solutions Group, and Solutions and Services Group segments. The company offers commercial and consumer personal computers, as well as servers and workstations; and a family of mobile Internet devices, including tablets and smartphones.

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MTM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF (NYSEARCA:IBDS  Free Report) by 120.9% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 47,600 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 26,055 shares during the period. MTM Investment Management LLCs holdings in iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF were worth $1,155,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust increased its holdings in iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF by 73.3% during the first quarter. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust now owns 3,051 shares of the companys stock worth $74,000 after buying an additional 1,290 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. boosted its stake in shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF by 48.7% during the second quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 3,175 shares of the companys stock valued at $77,000 after purchasing an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors raised its stake in shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF by 748.1% during the second quarter. Sarver Vrooman Wealth Advisors now owns 9,728 shares of the companys stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 8,581 shares during the last quarter. Trust Co of Kansas increased its stake in shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF by 68.0% in the second quarter. Trust Co of Kansas now owns 15,671 shares of the companys stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 6,341 shares during the period. Finally, Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its holdings in iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF by 90.1% during the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 32,048 shares of the companys stock worth $775,000 after purchasing an additional 15,193 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF Stock Performance

Shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF stock opened at $24.27 on Friday. iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF has a one year low of $23.86 and a one year high of $24.52. The stocks 50-day moving average is $24.31 and its 200 day moving average is $24.23.

iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF Company Profile

The iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term Corporate ETF (IBDS) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund tracks a Bloomberg global index of USD-denominated, investment-grade corporate bonds maturing between December 31, 2026 and December 16, 2027. IBDS was launched on Sep 12, 2017 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY  Free Report) had its price objective increased by Susquehanna from $54.00 to $55.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a positive rating on the oil and gas producers stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on OXY. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Occidental Petroleum from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Occidental Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $60.00 to $64.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Occidental Petroleum from $40.00 to $38.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $51.24.

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Occidental Petroleum Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of Occidental Petroleum stock opened at $42.75 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $42.12 billion, a PE ratio of 25.29 and a beta of 0.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $43.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $43.72. Occidental Petroleum has a 1 year low of $34.78 and a 1 year high of $53.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.83.

Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 10th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $6.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.66 billion. Occidental Petroleum had a net margin of 8.79% and a return on equity of 13.78%. The firms revenue was down 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Occidental Petroleum will post 3.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Occidental Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, December 10th will be given a dividend of $0.24 per share. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 10th. Occidental Petroleums dividend payout ratio is 70.59%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Occidental Petroleum

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 0.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 89,201,540 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $4,214,773,000 after acquiring an additional 697,521 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Occidental Petroleum by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 39,044,478 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $1,649,147,000 after purchasing an additional 615,566 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Occidental Petroleum by 22.0% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 18,089,878 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $756,796,000 after purchasing an additional 3,267,269 shares during the last quarter. H&H International Investment LLC boosted its stake in Occidental Petroleum by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. H&H International Investment LLC now owns 13,826,100 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $682,456,000 after purchasing an additional 249,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Occidental Petroleum by 11.5% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,718,939 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $412,045,000 after buying an additional 900,677 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.70% of the companys stock.

About Occidental Petroleum

(Get Free Report)

Occidental Petroleum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of oil and gas properties in the United States, the Middle East, and North Africa. It operates through three segments: Oil and Gas, Chemical, and Midstream and Marketing. The company's Oil and Gas segment explores for, develops, and produces oil and condensate, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and natural gas.

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Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its holdings in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Free Report) by 295.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 67,717 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 50,610 shares during the quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc.s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $12,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Philip Morris International by 74.6% in the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 79,215 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,427,000 after buying an additional 33,840 shares during the period. Keyvantage Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Philip Morris International by 33.7% in the 2nd quarter. Keyvantage Wealth LLC now owns 2,039 shares of the companys stock worth $371,000 after acquiring an additional 514 shares during the last quarter. Sculati Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Philip Morris International during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $219,000. MJP Associates Inc. ADV increased its holdings in Philip Morris International by 8.8% in the 2nd quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 5,131 shares of the companys stock valued at $935,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Union Savings Bank raised its position in Philip Morris International by 14.2% in the second quarter. Union Savings Bank now owns 1,271 shares of the companys stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.63% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on PM shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on Philip Morris International from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 30th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Philip Morris International from $177.00 to $166.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Weiss Ratings reissued a buy (b) rating on shares of Philip Morris International in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Philip Morris International from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Sunday, November 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of Philip Morris International in a research note on Wednesday, July 23rd. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $194.00.

Philip Morris International Trading Up 0.1%

Philip Morris International stock opened at $155.35 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $157.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $167.88. The stock has a market cap of $241.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.43. Philip Morris International Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.12 and a 12-month high of $186.69.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 28th. The company reported $1.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $8.12 billion during the quarter. Philip Morris International had a negative return on equity of 122.14% and a net margin of 9.33%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 7.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Philip Morris International Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 3rd were issued a dividend of $1.47 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, October 3rd. This is an increase from Philip Morris Internationals previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $5.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.8%. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio is 106.52%.

Philip Morris International Company Profile

(Free Report)

Philip Morris International Inc operates as a tobacco company working to delivers a smoke-free future and evolving portfolio for the long-term to include products outside of the tobacco and nicotine sector. The company's product portfolio primarily consists of cigarettes and smoke-free products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products primarily under the IQOS and ZYN brands; and consumer accessories, such as lighters and matches.

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Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX  Get Free Report) had its target price raised by analysts at Piper Sandler from $159.00 to $170.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas companys stock. Piper Sandlers price target suggests a potential upside of 19.49% from the stocks current price.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Phillips 66 from $133.00 to $137.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Phillips 66 from $128.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Phillips 66 in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research downgraded Phillips 66 from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Phillips 66 from $154.00 to $162.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $144.25.

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Phillips 66 Trading Up 2.0%

Phillips 66 stock opened at $142.27 on Friday. Phillips 66 has a 52 week low of $91.01 and a 52 week high of $143.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $57.33 billion, a PE ratio of 38.87, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.08. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $133.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $126.04.

Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The oil and gas company reported $2.52 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.14 by $0.38. Phillips 66 had a net margin of 1.12% and a return on equity of 5.51%. The firm had revenue of $33.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $32.29 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.04 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Phillips 66 will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Phillips 66

In other Phillips 66 news, CFO Kevin J. Mitchell sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.00, for a total value of $4,140,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 89,771 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $12,388,398. This represents a 25.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Vanessa Allen Sutherland sold 4,393 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.00, for a total transaction of $615,020.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 34,587 shares in the company, valued at $4,842,180. This represents a 11.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 38,786 shares of company stock worth $5,348,075 over the last 90 days. 0.22% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Phillips 66

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Phillips 66 by 0.5% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,658 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $2,130,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Phillips 66 by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,636 shares of the oil and gas companys stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in Phillips 66 by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,124 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $833,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in Phillips 66 by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Portside Wealth Group LLC now owns 2,033 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY boosted its stake in shares of Phillips 66 by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY now owns 16,926 shares of the oil and gas companys stock worth $2,302,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. 76.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Phillips 66 Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Phillips 66 operates as an energy manufacturing and logistics company in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Midstream, Chemicals, Refining, and Marketing and Specialties (M&S). The Midstream segment transports crude oil and other feedstocks; delivers refined petroleum products to market; provides terminaling and storage services for crude oil and refined petroleum products; transports, stores, fractionates, exports, and markets natural gas liquids; provides other fee-based processing services; and gathers, processes, transports, and markets natural gas.

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Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its stake in shares of M&T Bank Corporation (NYSE:MTB  Free Report) by 1.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,586 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 451 shares during the period. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jerseys holdings in M&T Bank were worth $4,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MTB. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in M&T Bank by 33.1% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,894,065 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,768,564,000 after purchasing an additional 2,460,315 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of M&T Bank by 15.2% in the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,552,666 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $635,039,000 after buying an additional 468,758 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of M&T Bank by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,721,410 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $307,702,000 after buying an additional 38,081 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of M&T Bank by 0.8% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,611,137 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $287,932,000 after acquiring an additional 12,580 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in M&T Bank in the 1st quarter worth about $243,451,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 84.68% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at M&T Bank

In other M&T Bank news, Director John P. Barnes sold 15,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.79, for a total value of $2,996,850.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,866 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,569,448.14. The trade was a 45.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MTB has been the topic of several recent research reports. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of M&T Bank in a report on Monday, October 6th. They set an overweight rating and a $225.00 price objective on the stock. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of M&T Bank from $235.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Cowen reiterated a buy rating on shares of M&T Bank in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on shares of M&T Bank in a report on Wednesday, September 10th. They set an overweight rating and a $228.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on M&T Bank from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $217.76.

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M&T Bank Trading Up 0.3%

M&T Bank stock opened at $186.98 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 0.97. M&T Bank Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $150.75 and a fifty-two week high of $225.70. The stock has a market cap of $28.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.51, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.66. The firms fifty day moving average price is $189.85 and its 200-day moving average price is $189.55.

M&T Bank (NYSE:MTB  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 9th. The financial services provider reported $3.54 EPS for the quarter. M&T Bank had a return on equity of 10.62% and a net margin of 20.91%.The business had revenue of $1.54 billion during the quarter. Equities research analysts forecast that M&T Bank Corporation will post 16.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

M&T Bank Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were paid a $1.50 dividend. This is an increase from M&T Banks previous quarterly dividend of $1.35. This represents a $6.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. M&T Banks payout ratio is 36.95%.

About M&T Bank

(Free Report)

M&T Bank Corp. operates as a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of retail and commercial banking, trust, wealth management, and investment services. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Bank, Retail Bank, Institutional Services and Wealth Management, and All Other.

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Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its holdings in Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A  Free Report) by 3.0% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 43,058 shares of the medical research companys stock after buying an additional 1,268 shares during the quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jerseys holdings in Agilent Technologies were worth $5,081,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Ransom Advisory Ltd purchased a new stake in Agilent Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in Agilent Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies during the first quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.41% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Padraig Mcdonnell sold 12,490 shares of Agilent Technologies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $1,873,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 33,448 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,017,200. This trade represents a 27.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.26% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on A. UBS Group upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their price objective for the company from $130.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c) rating on shares of Agilent Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on Agilent Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. They issued a buy rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Barclays lifted their target price on Agilent Technologies from $125.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Agilent Technologies from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $149.62.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on A

Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE A opened at $146.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.25. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $96.43 and a fifty-two week high of $153.84. The stock has a market cap of $41.65 billion, a PE ratio of 34.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 1.29. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $137.63 and a 200-day moving average of $123.89.

Agilent Technologies (NYSE:A  Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The medical research company reported $1.37 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $1.37. Agilent Technologies had a return on equity of 25.51% and a net margin of 17.97%.The business had revenue of $1.74 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Agilent Technologies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.560-5.590 EPS. Q4 2025 guidance at 1.570-1.600 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Agilent Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 22nd. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 30th were given a $0.248 dividend. This represents a $0.99 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 30th. Agilent Technologiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.24%.

Agilent Technologies Company Profile

(Free Report)

Agilent Technologies, Inc provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid chromatography systems and components; liquid chromatography mass spectrometry systems; gas chromatography systems and components; gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate reader; laboratory software; information management and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; and vacuum pumps, and measurement technologies.

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Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lowered its holdings in shares of Prologis, Inc. (NYSE:PLD  Free Report) by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 753,642 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 4,045 shares during the period. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. owned about 0.08% of Prologis worth $82,889,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Prologis by 4.1% during the second quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 54,855 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $5,766,000 after acquiring an additional 2,137 shares during the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. raised its position in Prologis by 5.2% during the 2nd quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 696,705 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $73,238,000 after purchasing an additional 34,329 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in Prologis by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 239,858 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $25,214,000 after buying an additional 18,141 shares during the period. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in shares of Prologis by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 528,162 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $55,520,000 after buying an additional 15,618 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Prologis by 1.6% during the second quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 16,506,899 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,735,205,000 after buying an additional 253,338 shares during the period. 93.50% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Prologis Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PLD opened at $122.71 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $113.98 billion, a PE ratio of 35.78, a PEG ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.29. Prologis, Inc. has a 52-week low of $85.35 and a 52-week high of $127.50. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firms 50-day moving average price is $119.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $111.77.

Prologis Dividend Announcement

Prologis ( NYSE:PLD Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 15th. The real estate investment trust reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.05. Prologis had a return on equity of 5.55% and a net margin of 36.71%.The company had revenue of $2.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. Prologiss revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Prologis has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.780-5.810 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Prologis, Inc. will post 5.73 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 16th were paid a $1.01 dividend. This represents a $4.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 16th. Prologiss dividend payout ratio is 117.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on PLD. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Prologis from $113.00 to $116.00 and gave the stock an in-line rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $119.00 target price on Prologis in a research note on Monday, October 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised Prologis from an underperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $119.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Prologis from $120.00 to $139.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $131.00 target price (up from $120.00) on shares of Prologis in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $125.39.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on PLD

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Lori A. Palazzolo sold 25,000 shares of Prologis stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.33, for a total transaction of $2,783,250.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 414 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,090.62. The trade was a 98.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Cristina Gabriela Bita sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.00, for a total value of $111,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 9,829 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,091,019. The trade was a 9.23% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 27,000 shares of company stock worth $3,013,665. 0.57% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Prologis

(Free Report)

Prologis, Inc is the global leader in logistics real estate with a focus on high-barrier, high-growth markets. At March 31, 2024, the company owned or had investments in, on a wholly owned basis or through co-investment ventures, properties and development projects expected to total approximately 1.2 billion square feet (115 million square meters) in 19 countries.

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JERUSALEM/GAZA, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Israel on Sunday reaffirmed its opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state, a day before the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to vote on a U.S.-backed resolution supporting the so-called 20-point Gaza peace plan. Hamas later condemned the remarks, saying they revealed Israel's "expansionist tendencies."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu restated the position at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting. "Our opposition to a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River stands firm and has not changed in the slightest," he said.

Netanyahu said the U.S. plan calls for a demilitarized Gaza and the dismantling of Hamas's military capabilities. "Hamas will be stripped of its weapons, either the easy way or the hard way," he said, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump shares this view.

Defense Minister Israel Katz repeated the message, saying Israel's policy remains clear and that there would be no Palestinian state. He said that Gaza would be "fully demilitarized, down to the last tunnel."

Katz said that in the so-called "yellow zone," a cordoned-off strip where Israeli forces remain deployed, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would carry out the disarmament. In other parts of the enclave, the task would be undertaken by an international security force, "or by the IDF itself."

In a statement, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said that Katz's comments in support of continued blockade and rejection of Palestinian statehood "confirm the expansionist tendencies of the occupation."

Qassem accused "Israel of working to perpetuate the state of conflict and instability throughout the region."

The United States is pressing the Security Council to approve a resolution that "welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace," a transitional governing body for Gaza that Trump would theoretically lead through the end of 2027.

It would also authorize a temporary "International Stabilization Force" that would work with Israel, Egypt, and newly-trained Palestinian police to secure border areas and advance demilitarization.

According to media reports, the latest draft differs from earlier versions by acknowledging the possibility of a future Palestinian state.

Palestinians seek a sovereign state that includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as the capital, a goal supported by many countries. As of September, Palestine had been recognized as a sovereign state by 157 of the 193 UN member states. It has held non-member observer state status at the General Assembly since 2012.

Israel has at times expressed support for Palestinian statehood but currently rejects it. 
Saul Centers, Inc. (NYSE:BFS  Get Free Report) COO David Todd Pearson acquired 3,348 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $29.86 per share, for a total transaction of $99,971.28. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer owned 50,567 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,509,930.62. This represents a 7.09% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Saul Centers Price Performance

Shares of BFS opened at $30.21 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.16, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.28. Saul Centers, Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.16 and a 1-year high of $41.51. The stock has a market cap of $737.36 million, a PE ratio of 22.88 and a beta of 1.16. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $30.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $32.70.

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Saul Centers (NYSE:BFS  Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.09. Saul Centers had a return on equity of 13.79% and a net margin of 15.51%.The company had revenue of $72.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $70.74 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Saul Centers, Inc. will post 3.14 EPS for the current year.

Saul Centers Dividend Announcement

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Saul Centers

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, October 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 15th were given a $0.59 dividend. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, October 15th. Saul Centerss payout ratio is 203.45%.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BFS. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 48.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,092 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the period. Beacon Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Saul Centers by 1.2% in the second quarter. Beacon Investment Advisors LLC now owns 31,234 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,065,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of Saul Centers by 105.3% during the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 848 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Saul Centers by 7.6% during the 2nd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,742 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares during the period. Finally, Denali Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Saul Centers by 3.9% in the 1st quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 13,423 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.99% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Saul Centers in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Saul Centers currently has a consensus rating of Hold.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Saul Centers

Saul Centers Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Saul Centers is a self-managed, self-administered equity REIT headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Saul Centers currently operates and manages a real estate portfolio comprised of 61 properties that includes (a) 57 community and neighborhood Shopping Centers and Mixed-Use properties with approximately 9.8 million square feet of leasable area and (b) four land and development properties.

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Summitry LLC raised its holdings in Manulife Financial Corp (NYSE:MFC  Free Report) (TSE:MFC) by 19.8% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 21,734 shares of the financial services providers stock after acquiring an additional 3,590 shares during the quarter. Summitry LLCs holdings in Manulife Financial were worth $695,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Eastern Bank increased its position in shares of Manulife Financial by 156.1% in the second quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 968 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. William B. Walkup & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in Manulife Financial during the first quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new position in Manulife Financial in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $55,000. Carderock Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $58,000. Finally, Kozak & Associates Inc. bought a new position in shares of Manulife Financial in the 2nd quarter worth $61,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 52.56% of the companys stock.

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Manulife Financial Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:MFC opened at $34.39 on Friday. Manulife Financial Corp has a 12-month low of $25.92 and a 12-month high of $35.57. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $32.12 and its 200-day moving average price is $31.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.98.

Manulife Financial Increases Dividend

Manulife Financial ( NYSE:MFC Get Free Report ) (TSE:MFC) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.10. Manulife Financial had a return on equity of 15.77% and a net margin of 10.46%.The company had revenue of $12.90 billion during the quarter. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Manulife Financial Corp will post 2.87 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.1%. This is a boost from Manulife Financials previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 26th. Manulife Financials payout ratio is currently 55.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MFC shares. Morgan Stanley set a $47.00 price objective on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a buy (a-) rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an outperform rating on shares of Manulife Financial in a report on Friday. UBS Group started coverage on Manulife Financial in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on Manulife Financial from $49.00 to $52.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and four have assigned a Buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and an average target price of $49.50.

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About Manulife Financial

(Free Report)

Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in the United States, Canada, Asia, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; and Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment offers investment advice and solutions to retirement, retail, and institutional clients through multiple distribution channels, including agents and brokers affiliated with the company, independent securities brokerage firms and financial advisors pension plan consultants, and banks.

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Summitry LLC bought a new stake in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY  Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 7,893 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock, valued at approximately $365,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 191,403,004 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $11,673,669,000 after buying an additional 1,458,488 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Bristol Myers Squibb by 0.5% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 60,606,905 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $3,696,415,000 after acquiring an additional 306,430 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Bristol Myers Squibb by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 46,176,690 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $2,132,976,000 after acquiring an additional 723,459 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its position in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 25,974,504 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,584,185,000 after acquiring an additional 1,316,144 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Bristol Myers Squibb by 297.0% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 23,728,443 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,447,198,000 after purchasing an additional 17,750,938 shares in the last quarter. 76.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP David V. Elkins sold 56,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $47.33, for a total transaction of $2,650,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 167,379 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,922,048.07. This trade represents a 25.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.09% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

BMY has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Daiwa America lowered Bristol Myers Squibb from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Morgan Stanley reissued a hold rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold (c-) rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Bristol Myers Squibb from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reissued a market perform rating on shares of Bristol Myers Squibb in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Bristol Myers Squibb presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $54.58.

View Our Latest Analysis on BMY

Bristol Myers Squibb Stock Down 4.0%

BMY opened at $46.67 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $95.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.54, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.21. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $45.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.68. Bristol Myers Squibb Company has a twelve month low of $42.52 and a twelve month high of $63.33.

Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $12.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.75 billion. Bristol Myers Squibb had a net margin of 10.58% and a return on equity of 80.04%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.80 earnings per share. Bristol Myers Squibb has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.400-6.600 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Bristol Myers Squibb Company will post 6.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Bristol Myers Squibb Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, November 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, October 3rd were given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 3rd. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.3%. Bristol Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio is 83.78%.

Bristol Myers Squibb Profile

(Free Report)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, markets, distributes, and sells biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, and neuroscience diseases. The company's products include Eliquis for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for various anti-cancer indications, including bladder, blood, CRC, head and neck, RCC, HCC, lung, melanoma, MPM, stomach and esophageal cancer; Pomalyst/Imnovid for multiple myeloma; Orencia for active rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis; and Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia.

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Westpac Banking Corp raised its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE:TSM  Free Report) by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 44,185 shares of the semiconductor companys stock after acquiring an additional 2,255 shares during the quarter. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing makes up 0.7% of Westpac Banking Corps investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th largest holding. Westpac Banking Corps holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing were worth $10,007,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 10,930 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $2,159,000 after buying an additional 1,892 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 1st quarter valued at $6,344,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 7.7% in the first quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,024 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $336,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 52.0% during the first quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 1,967 shares of the semiconductor companys stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Wealth Network Inc. boosted its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 39.3% during the first quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 1,478 shares of the semiconductor companys stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.51% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TSM has been the topic of several research reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings restated a hold (c+) rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Thursday. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $330.00 to $355.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, November 1st. Finally, Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Friday, October 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $371.67.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Stock Up 0.9%

TSM opened at $284.79 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.37, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.48 trillion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.31. The business has a 50 day moving average of $285.44 and a 200-day moving average of $242.07. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. has a 1-year low of $134.25 and a 1-year high of $311.37.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 16th. The semiconductor company reported $2.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.33. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a net margin of 43.72% and a return on equity of 36.06%. The business had revenue of $32.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $951.89 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.94 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 40.1% on a year-over-year basis. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has set its Q4 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. will post 9.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 17th will be given a $0.9678 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 17th. This represents a $3.87 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. This is an increase from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturings dividend payout ratio is 26.97%.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Profile

(Free Report)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides a range of wafer fabrication processes, including processes to manufacture complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, embedded memory, bipolar CMOS mixed-signal, and others.

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Paul R. Ried Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA  Free Report) by 11.2% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 17,328 shares of the aircraft producers stock after purchasing an additional 1,748 shares during the quarter. Boeing makes up 2.2% of Paul R. Ried Financial Group LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Paul R. Ried Financial Group LLCs holdings in Boeing were worth $3,631,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Boeing by 1.9% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 65,655,044 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $11,197,468,000 after purchasing an additional 1,212,327 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Boeing by 2.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,316,838 shares of the aircraft producers stock worth $3,402,073,000 after buying an additional 432,026 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Boeing by 0.5% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,198,059 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $715,979,000 after buying an additional 19,615 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Boeing by 3.2% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 2,933,139 shares of the aircraft producers stock valued at $500,247,000 after acquiring an additional 91,707 shares during the period. Finally, Swiss National Bank grew its position in Boeing by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,110,200 shares of the aircraft producers stock worth $359,895,000 after purchasing an additional 51,700 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.82% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on BA. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a sell (d-) rating on shares of Boeing in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays raised their target price on Boeing from $210.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. KGI Securities upgraded Boeing from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Zacks Research cut Boeing from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Vertical Research upgraded shares of Boeing from a hold rating to a buy rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $242.00 to $270.00 in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $240.30.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Uma M. Amuluru sold 1,366 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.66, for a total value of $270,003.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,656 shares in the company, valued at $2,896,904.96. The trade was a 8.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Mortimer J. Buckley bought 2,200 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 19th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $226.10 per share, with a total value of $497,420.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 2,200 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $497,420. The trade was a  increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Boeing Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE BA opened at $194.45 on Friday. The Boeing Company has a 1 year low of $128.88 and a 1 year high of $242.69. The firm has a market cap of $147.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -14.21 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $212.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $214.68.

Boeing (NYSE:BA  Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The aircraft producer reported ($7.47) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.51) by ($6.96). The firm had revenue of $23.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($10.44) earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 30.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that The Boeing Company will post -2.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Boeing Company Profile

(Free Report)

The Boeing Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, manufactures, sells, services, and supports commercial jetliners, military aircraft, satellites, missile defense, human space flight and launch systems, and services worldwide. The company operates through Commercial Airplanes; Defense, Space & Security; and Global Services segments.

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Canadian Solar, Canadian Natural Resources, Celsius, Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Bank Of Montreal, TC Energy, and Canadian National Railway are the seven Canadian stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeats stock screener tool. Canadian stocks are shares of companies that are domiciled in Canada or primarily listed on Canadian exchanges (such as the Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange). Owning them gives investors an equity stake in those companies and exposes portfolio returns to the Canadian economy, sector concentrations (commonly financials and natural resources), Canadian-dollar currency movements, and Canadian regulatory and tax regimes. These companies had the highest dollar trading volume of any Canadian stocks within the last several days.

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Canadian Solar (CSIQ)

Canadian Solar Inc., together with its subsidiaries, provides solar energy and battery energy storage products and solutions in in Asia, the Americas, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through two segments, CSI Solar and Recurrent Energy. The CSI Solar segment designs, develops, and manufactures solar ingots, wafers, cells, modules, and other solar power and battery storage products.

Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ)

Canadian Natural Resources Limited acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company offers light and medium crude oil, primary heavy crude oil, Pelican Lake heavy crude oil, bitumen (thermal oil), and synthetic crude oil (SCO).

Read Our Latest Research Report on CNQ

Celsius (CELH)

Celsius Holdings, Inc. develops, processes, markets, distributes, and sells functional energy drinks and liquid supplements in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canadian, European, Middle Eastern, Asia-Pacific, and internationally. The company offers CELSIUS, a fitness drink or supplement designed to accelerate metabolism and burn body fat; various flavors and carbonated and non-carbonated functional energy drinks under the CELSIUS Originals and Vibe name, as well as functional energy drink under the CELSIUS Essentials and CELSIUS On-the-Go Powder names; and CELSIUS ready-to drink products.

Read Our Latest Research Report on CELH

Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CP)

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates a transcontinental freight railway in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The company transports bulk commodities, including grain, coal, potash, fertilizers, and sulphur; merchandise freight, such as forest products, energy, chemicals and plastics, metals, minerals, consumer products, and automotive; and intermodal traffic comprising retail goods in overseas containers.

Read Our Latest Research Report on CP

Bank Of Montreal (BMO)

Bank of Montreal provides diversified financial services primarily in North America. It operates through Canadian P&C, U.S P&C, BMO Wealth Management, and BMO Capital Markets segments. The companys personal banking products and services include deposits, mortgages, home lending, consumer credit, small business lending, credit cards, cash management, financial and investment advice, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services comprise various of financing options and treasury and payment solutions, as well as risk management products.

Read Our Latest Research Report on BMO

TC Energy (TRP)

TC Energy Corporation operates as an energy infrastructure company in North America. It operates through five segments: Canadian Natural Gas Pipelines; U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines; Mexico Natural Gas Pipelines; Liquids Pipelines; and Power and Energy Solutions. The company builds and operates a network of 93,600 kilometers of natural gas pipelines, which transports natural gas from supply basins to local distribution companies, power generation plants, industrial facilities, interconnecting pipelines, LNG export terminals, and other businesses.

Read Our Latest Research Report on TRP

Canadian National Railway (CNI)

Canadian National Railway Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail, intermodal, trucking, and marine transportation and logistics business in Canada and the United States. The company provides rail services, which include equipment, custom brokerage services, transloading and distribution, business development and real estate, and private car storage services; and intermodal services, such as temperature controlled cargo, port partnerships, and logistics parks.

Read Our Latest Research Report on CNI

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Tortoise Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF (NYSEARCA:SPHQ  Free Report) by 18.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,001 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,300 shares during the quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLCs holdings in Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF were worth $713,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Berkshire Money Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Independence Bank of Kentucky acquired a new position in Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF during the second quarter worth $33,000. Resources Management Corp CT ADV acquired a new position in Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF during the first quarter worth $44,000. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF by 19.2% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 964 shares of the companys stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF in the second quarter valued at $77,000.

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Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF Price Performance

Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF stock opened at $73.45 on Friday. The companys 50-day moving average is $73.48 and its 200-day moving average is $71.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.97 billion, a PE ratio of 25.36 and a beta of 0.92. Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF has a fifty-two week low of $57.67 and a fifty-two week high of $75.03.

About Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF

The Invesco S&P 500 Quality ETF (SPHQ) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the S&P 500 Quality index. The fund tracks an index of US large-cap stocks selected by return on equity, changes in net operating assets and financial leverage. Stocks are weighted by these quality factors, scaled by market cap.

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Shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors, Inc. (NYSE:TCI  Get Free Report) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Friday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $42.10 and traded as high as $44.89. Transcontinental Realty Investors shares last traded at $44.9350, with a volume of 1,827 shares changing hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a hold (c) rating on shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold.

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Check Out Our Latest Analysis on TCI

Transcontinental Realty Investors Trading Down 0.4%

The firm has a market cap of $388.19 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 59.13 and a beta of 0.56. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $45.24 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.21.

Transcontinental Realty Investors (NYSE:TCI  Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Transcontinental Realty Investors had a return on equity of 0.41% and a net margin of 13.88%.The firm had revenue of $12.84 million for the quarter.

Institutional Trading of Transcontinental Realty Investors

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of TCI. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors by 1,664.3% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 13,038 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $601,000 after acquiring an additional 12,299 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Transcontinental Realty Investors by 33.1% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 35,728 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,523,000 after purchasing an additional 8,883 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Transcontinental Realty Investors in the second quarter worth $68,000. MAI Capital Management acquired a new stake in Transcontinental Realty Investors during the third quarter worth $42,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Transcontinental Realty Investors by 37.6% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,669 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 730 shares in the last quarter.

About Transcontinental Realty Investors

(Get Free Report)

Transcontinental Realty Investors, Inc, a Dallas-based real estate investment company, holds a diverse portfolio of equity real estate located across the U.S., including office buildings, apartments, shopping centers, and developed and undeveloped land. The Company invests in real estate through direct ownership, leases and partnerships and invests in mortgage loans on real estate.

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Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd. acquired a new position in Vizsla Silver Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN:VZLA  Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,200,837 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $15,290,000. Waratah Capital Advisors Ltd. owned 1.52% of Vizsla Silver as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VZLA. Sprott Inc. increased its holdings in Vizsla Silver by 3.9% during the first quarter. Sprott Inc. now owns 23,703,712 shares of the companys stock valued at $54,084,000 after buying an additional 898,246 shares during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in shares of Vizsla Silver by 83.7% during the 1st quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 7,647,130 shares of the companys stock worth $17,482,000 after acquiring an additional 3,484,743 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. grew its position in shares of Vizsla Silver by 37.7% during the 1st quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 7,468,218 shares of the companys stock valued at $17,072,000 after acquiring an additional 2,043,880 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Vizsla Silver by 11.8% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,053,156 shares of the companys stock worth $13,837,000 after purchasing an additional 638,184 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Sail Capital LP bought a new position in Vizsla Silver in the 2nd quarter worth $12,736,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 22.46% of the companys stock.

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Vizsla Silver Stock Down 1.7%

NYSEAMERICAN:VZLA opened at $4.60 on Friday. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $4.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $3.48. Vizsla Silver Corp. has a 52 week low of $1.67 and a 52 week high of $5.07. The stock has a market cap of $1.59 billion, a PE ratio of -115.00 and a beta of 0.96.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on VZLA shares. Roth Capital boosted their price target on Vizsla Silver from $6.00 to $7.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday. Zacks Research cut Vizsla Silver from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Vizsla Silver has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $5.13.

View Our Latest Report on Vizsla Silver

Vizsla Silver Company Profile

(Free Report)

Vizsla Silver Corp. engages in the exploration, and development of precious and base metal assets. The company explores for gold, silver, and copper deposits. It owns 100% interest in the Panuco Project covering an area of 7,189.5 hectares located in located in southern Sinaloa, Mexico. The company was formerly known as Vizsla Resources Corp.

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Westpac Banking Corp raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Free Report) by 113.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,842 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after purchasing an additional 14,826 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corps holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $3,787,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Western Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 1.7% during the second quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,490 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $1,835,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 57.9% during the 2nd quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 2,764 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $376,000 after acquiring an additional 1,013 shares during the period. Beta Wealth Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 33.3% during the 2nd quarter. Beta Wealth Group Inc. now owns 3,204 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $436,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 5.7% in the second quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 288,400 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $39,225,000 after purchasing an additional 15,562 shares during the period. Finally, Summitry LLC acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the second quarter valued at about $233,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ABT. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an outperform rating and set a $147.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $144.00 to $142.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Benchmark assumed coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Friday, October 10th. They issued a buy rating and a $145.00 price target on the stock. BTIG Research restated a buy rating and set a $145.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Wednesday, October 15th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $147.00.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of ABT opened at $130.59 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.30, a current ratio of 1.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market cap of $227.08 billion, a PE ratio of 16.36, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.68. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $110.86 and a 12-month high of $141.23. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $130.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $131.35.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $1.30. The firm had revenue of $11.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.40 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 17.78% and a net margin of 31.88%.The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.21 earnings per share. Abbott Laboratories has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.120-5.180 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.57%.

Abbott Laboratories Profile

(Free Report)

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The company provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Menieres disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon.

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CAIRO, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) said Sunday it has dispatched a large shipment of winter relief supplies to the rain-hit Gaza Strip, including more than 106,000 blankets, nearly 40,000 pieces of winter clothing, over 1,350 mattresses and about 4,450 tents.

The winter items were sent "in an urgent response to the suffering caused by the recent wave of rain in Gaza," the ERC said in a statement.

The winter-focused shipment was part of a new humanitarian convoy carrying about 9,300 tonnes of urgent supplies, including more than 5,500 tonnes of food baskets and flour, around 2,400 tonnes of medical and relief materials, and about 1,400 tonnes of petroleum products urgently needed in the enclave, it said.

It is the 73rd convoy sent from Egypt since the ERC launched its pro-Gaza humanitarian aid initiative in late July.

The organization added that it has delivered more than half a million tonnes of humanitarian and relief materials to Gaza since the beginning of the two-year conflict, through the efforts of about 35,000 volunteers.

Recent heavy rains have hit communities across the Gaza Strip, damaging personal belongings and heightening health and protection concerns. Many temporary shelters made from thin tarpaulins collapsed under the downpours, leaving families exposed to cold, damp conditions and muddy ground.

Flooded roads, debris, and collapsed small bridges have hindered emergency and relief efforts, making access to affected areas extremely difficult. 
Westpac Banking Corp boosted its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW  Free Report) by 8.7% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,639 shares of the industrial products companys stock after acquiring an additional 1,896 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corps holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $5,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of ITW. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. boosted its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 90.9% in the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 105 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the first quarter worth about $29,000. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new stake in Illinois Tool Works in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. 79.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Illinois Tool Works Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of ITW stock opened at $243.75 on Friday. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a twelve month low of $214.66 and a twelve month high of $279.13. The stock has a market cap of $70.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.64, a P/E/G ratio of 4.10 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $253.42 and a 200 day moving average of $253.05. The company has a current ratio of 1.53, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.39.

Illinois Tool Works Dividend Announcement

Illinois Tool Works ( NYSE:ITW Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 24th. The industrial products company reported $2.81 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.72 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $4.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.09 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.05% and a return on equity of 93.26%. The businesss revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.91 EPS. Illinois Tool Works has set its FY 2025 guidance at 10.400-10.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 10.39 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 31st will be given a $1.61 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 31st. This represents a $6.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Illinois Tool Workss dividend payout ratio is 62.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ITW. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $243.00 to $244.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. UBS Group upped their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $243.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $265.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $298.00 to $275.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $258.00 target price on Illinois Tool Works in a report on Monday, October 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Illinois Tool Works has a consensus rating of Reduce and an average price target of $262.00.

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Insider Transactions at Illinois Tool Works

In related news, Director Pamela B. Strobel sold 1,521 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $245.25, for a total value of $373,025.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 39,249 shares in the company, valued at $9,625,817.25. The trade was a 3.73% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Randall J. Scheuneman sold 6,802 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $265.08, for a total value of $1,803,074.16. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 10,314 shares in the company, valued at $2,734,035.12. This represents a 39.74% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.88% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Illinois Tool Works Company Profile

(Free Report)

Illinois Tool Works Inc manufactures and sells industrial products and equipment in the United States and internationally. It operates through seven segments: Automotive OEM; Food Equipment; Test & Measurement and Electronics; Welding; Polymers & Fluids; Construction Products; and Specialty Products.

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Westpac Banking Corp raised its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG  Free Report) by 16.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 157,727 shares of the restaurant operators stock after buying an additional 21,906 shares during the quarter. Westpac Banking Corps holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill were worth $8,856,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. 1248 Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Signature Resources Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 109.3% in the 2nd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 517 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 91.30% of the companys stock.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE CMG opened at $31.55 on Friday. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $38.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $45.40. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.75 and a twelve month high of $66.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.98.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Chipotle Mexican Grill ( NYSE:CMG Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 29th. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.29. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a return on equity of 44.32% and a net margin of 13.04%.The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.06 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on CMG shares. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $45.00 to $40.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $68.00 to $62.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 24th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $53.00 to $45.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $65.00 to $60.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $53.00 to $45.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $49.81.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

(Free Report)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. It sells food and beverages through offering burritos, burrito bowls, quesadillas, tacos, and salads. The company also provides delivery and related services its app and website. It has operations in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Further Reading

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Michael J Fox and his wife Tracy Pollan advised their son Sam Fox and his wife Molly Milstein to laugh at something daily if they want a long-and-happy marriage.

Michael J Fox and Tracy Pollan's eldest son Sam Fox got married in October

The actors said humour was the secret to their 37-year marriage, and they hope it will work for their eldest child and daughter-in-law.

Tracy - who met Michael on the NBC sitcom Family Ties in 1985 - told People: "The one thing actually that I would say that's the most important thing is find something to laugh about together every day, if you can."

Speaking about laughter being the secret to her and Michael's relationship, Tracy added: "You know what, we just take it one day at a time and it's worked.

Sam, 36, and Molly quietly tied the knot in an intimate ceremony held in New York City in October, which the smitten couple announced in an Instagram post on November 4.

Captioning a series of photos from their special day, Molly wrote: "A month before."

Sam's younger sisters, 30-year-old twins Aquinnah and Schuyler, and Esme, 24, and mom Tracy were seen in the photographs, but dad Michael was not.

Sam and Molly's big day came over a year since they announced their engagement in February 2024 by posting a cozy selfie in a snowy setting in South Woodstock, Vermont, on Instagram.

Michael and Tracy met in 1985 when they were cast as each other's love interests - Alex P. Keaton and Ellen Reed, respectively - on Family Ties, but they were friends at this point.

However, sparks flew when they were reunited on-screen in the 1988 drama-comedy movie Bright Lights, Big City, and they got engaged within months.

They tied the knot in 1988.

The Back to the Future legend said marrying Tracy was the best thing that has ever happened to him.

In 2024, Michael told People: "We just make it up as we go along. It's interesting, being married for 35 years. Yeah. I mean, the joke is you say Ive been married 35 years, and its [been] the best 35 years of my life, so think about that one for a second.

"But it's great. It's great having a partner and having someone that knows you in a [certain] way when everyone in the world thinks they know you. [Only] one person actually knows you."
Children introduce their environmental protection-themed works during an event of the World Children's Day in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Nov. 15, 2025. The World Children's Day will fall on Nov. 20 this year. Various activities were held across the country to hail the arrival of the day. (Xinhua)

Children try water quality testing during an event of the World Children's Day in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Nov. 15, 2025. The World Children's Day will fall on Nov. 20 this year. Various activities were held across the country to hail the arrival of the day. (Xinhua)

Children and their parents take part in an event of the World Children's Day in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, on Nov. 15, 2025. The World Children's Day will fall on Nov. 20 this year. Various activities were held across the country to hail the arrival of the day. (Xinhua)

Children take a group photo during an event of the World Children's Day in east China's Shanghai, on Nov. 15, 2025. The World Children's Day will fall on Nov. 20 this year. Various activities were held across the country to hail the arrival of the day. (Photo by Pan Zongyuan/Xinhua)

Children make an art installation together with the designer team during an event of the World Children's Day in east China's Shanghai on Nov. 15, 2025. The World Children's Day will fall on Nov. 20 this year. Various activities were held across the country to hail the arrival of the day. (Photo by Pan Zongyuan/Xinhua)
A large congregation of St Vincent de Paul members gathered in Holy Trinity Church Cookstown to mark the Feast Day of St Vincent de Paul with a special Mass honouring the mission, values, and tireless dedication of The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP). The celebration paid tribute to the organisations volunteers and highlighted the essential support they provide to individuals and families in local communities throughout the Northern Region.

The Mass was celebrated with reverence and reflection, with the officiating priest, Fr McNally, using his homily to speak about the enduring importance of SVPs work. He emphasised the compassion, selflessness, and commitment shown by members who, often quietly and without recognition, offer practical and emotional support to those facing hardship.

He reflected on the life and legacy of St Vincent de Paul, drawing parallels between his example and the efforts of SVP members today who uphold his mission of service, dignity and care.

The Mass was attended by Sean Gallagher, the newly elected SVP Regional President for the Northern Region. Sean said: I am grateful that so many members of SVP in the Northern Region attended the Feast Day Mass and I would commend our volunteers for their deep-rooted dedication, as I know that their involvement extends far beyond providing financial or material assistance during our core work of home visitation. SVP members listen and befriend individuals and families navigating difficult times.

It was a particular honour for me personally, that my first event as Regional President for the Northern Region was in attending this Feast Day Mass and delivering a reading from Corinthians.

In conclusion Sean thanked Fr McNally for celebrating the Mass, Sonlight for leading the congregation in song and SVP Regional Ambassador Malachi Cush for adding his own blend of music and worship, by performing the Psalm, offering an uplifting backdrop to the Mass.

SVP is an international charity and the largest voluntary charity in Ireland. SVP is committed to promoting self-sufficiency and working diligently for social justice.

Dedicated SVP volunteers tirelessly work across all communities to support individuals, regardless of their background, who are battling poverty and social exclusion.

If you require help from SVP or if you would like to become a member, please visit www.svp.ie.
A significant new initiative, the North South ESTEEM Project, has been launched with the aim of transforming education and skills mobility across Ireland.

The project is supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). It will be led by Atlantic Technological University (ATU), in partnership with Ulster University, North West Regional College, and Donegal Education and Training Board, in conjunction with the pre- eminent authority on cross-border policy and regulation, the Centre for Cross-border Cooperation (CCBC).

For decades, students and skilled workers on the island of Ireland have faced invisible bordersbarriers created not by geography, but by systems. Different qualification frameworks, contrasting accreditation processes, and diverging regulations have made it difficult for learners and professionals to move freely between North and South. Now, a landmark initiative is set to change that.

The North South ESTEEM Projectshort for Education, Skills & Training: Empowering Economic Mobilityis a bold new collaboration led by Atlantic Technological University (ATU), working alongside Ulster University, North West Regional College, and Donegal Education and Training Board, with policy expertise from the Centre for Cross-border Cooperation (CCBC). Running from April 2025 to June 2029, the project aims to create a seamless pathway for education and employment across the island.

At its heart, ESTEEM is about opportunity. It promises to give students clear, accessible information on cross-border study options and to tackle the systemic issues that have kept mobility levels low. For skilled workers, it will address accreditation gaps and propose reforms to licensing and regulation, making it easier to work across jurisdictions. Brexit and the Windsor Framework have added urgency to this work, as further divergence in rules could deepen existing challenges.

The project will deliver three interconnected strands: improving student mobility, boosting employment skills portability, and developing a research-based strategy to align education and skills systems with the needs of an all-island economy. Pilot studies will test practical solutions, while policy recommendations will aim to make mobility simpler and fairer.

Obstacles to mobility have long reduced the availability of talent, limited the return on public investment in education, and constrained economic growth. By breaking down these barriers, North South ESTEEM hopes to create a richer, more connected skills environmentone that empowers learners, strengthens industry, and drives prosperity across Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Paul Hannigan, VP for Cross Border Engagement at ATU acknowledging the funding from the SEUPB for this important initiative said, The PEACEPLUS funding for the North South ESTEEM Project reflects a confidence in the North West Tertiary Education Clusters ability to tackle the real, practical challenges that have limited mobility across our border region.

By breaking down barriers in education, skills, and workforce recognition, were not only creating new opportunities for learners and workers but laying the groundwork for greater economic prosperity and stronger cross-border collaboration.

Professor Malachy O Neill, Director of Regional Engagement, Ulster University, said: Ulster University is delighted to be a partner of the NS ESTEEM project. The significant investment from the PEACEPLUS Programme directly supports our Regional commitment in creating opportunities for all that will, in turn, help transform lives. Working alongside our Economic Policy Centre, we want to drive innovation, investment and access to opportunity on both sides of the border. We look forward to supporting the outputs of this project

Leo Murphy, Principal & Chief Executive, North West Regional College (NWRC) added, North West Regional College is delighted to welcome the success of the North South ESTEEM project, led by NWTEC and Atlantic Technological University with Ulster University, North West Regional College, Donegal ETB, and the Centre for Cross-Border Cooperation.

This partnership will equip learners with clear, current information on tertiary and skills pathways and address the systemic barriers that have limited cross-border study and skilled workforce mobility. Grounded in robust research and practical measures, ESTEEM will enhance mobility and opportunity across our regional economy

SEUPB Chief Executive Gina McIntyre said: North South ESTEEM is a project funded through the Strategic Planning and Engagement Programme Investment Area of PEACEPLUS that demonstrates the importance of collaboration in key areas that will benefit citizens across the island of Ireland. It will demonstrate how we can find impactful solutions to challenges that exist on both sides of the border.
A vote of no confidence in Stormonts health minister by GPs is a cry to Mike Nesbitt to resume negotiations on funding general practice, a representative has said.

The motion was passed by the British Medical Associations Northern Ireland Local Medical Committee Conference in Belfast on Saturday, in response to the ministers move to impose the 2025/26 GP contract on doctors, despite them rejecting its terms.

The additional 9 million offered by the minister as part of the contract fell far short of the extra 80 million GPs said was required to stabilise general practice services in Northern Ireland.

At the conference, delegates also voted no confidence in the Department of Health and agreed to examine options on how GPs could operate outside current NHS structures in the future.

The conference also agreed to consider further steps to ramp up the collective action that GPs announced in the summer in response to the contract imposition.

GPs are not performing certain functions that they had previously been providing.

Dr Frances OHagan, chairwoman of the BMA Northern Ireland GP committee, told BBC NIs Sunday Politics programme: The motion was brought up from the grassroots GPs to say that they wanted this motion to go through, a vote on a motion of no confidence, and it was very much on the back of how we were treated in May, and how negotiations were ended unilaterally and our contract was imposed.

But I see it very much as a cry to say, look, lets get back around the table and rebuild that relationship.

Because that can only be good for patients if we get that relationship back on track and get back around the negotiating table.

Dr OHagan said the vote to explore other options on how services could be provided outside NHS structures demonstrated a desire to find a workable Plan B.

Outside the NHS may mean private, may mean a hybrid model, may mean working with a different structure inside the NHS as it is now, she said.

But if you look five years ago, you would have struggled to find a private GP in Northern Ireland.

Now theyre popping up all over the place. So people are moving with their feet because they have to, because we are not in a position as GPs to provide the access patients want and need.

She added: The motion that we passed was to look at options for what we call a Plan B.

But a Plan B is something other than what we have at the minute, which is Plan A, which is not working.

We are not providing enough for patients, and that is exceedingly frustrating, not only for patients, but for us as well.

On the prospect of escalating collective action to level two, Dr OHagan said vaccination programmes could be affected.

Up to now, what weve done in collective action is stop doing other peoples work, so weve time to concentrate on our own work, she said.

If we cant get back around the table with the minister, then collective action level two will start to ramp up, and that will be where were looking at things that we are currently funded to do, but actually were more or less doing for free, because were not being funded at an adequate rate.

Well look at some of the vaccination programmes, (they) arent really paying us. I mean, some of them cost us money to run.

So theres different things that we do, for example, minor surgery and things that are extra, that are additional.

Theyre not part of our core contract, but are additional, but when you actually cost it out, were not being funded at a level where were actually making any money to do it.

Responding to the vote of no confidence, Mr Nesbitt said: The GPs are entitled to their opinion. My door is always open for discussion.
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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Brunei's Ministry of Finance and Economy (MOFE), in collaboration with Singapore's Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment and the Singapore Food Agency, will conduct a joint feasibility study on establishing a Brunei-Singapore Agri-Tech Food Zone (ATFZ).

According to a press release issued by MOFE on Saturday, the ATFZ aims to strengthen food supply resilience for both countries, attract high-value agri-food investments, create employment opportunities, and build local capabilities within the agri-food sector.

It also fosters agri-technology innovation and positions Brunei and Singapore as regional leaders in sustainable and technology-driven agri-food production.

The ministry said the initiative seeks to leverage Brunei's strategic advantages in land availability and its economic diversification goals, alongside Singapore's expertise in agri-technology and regulatory, as well as market connectivity.

The ATFZ is expected to support the development of a competitive agri-food ecosystem that will enable the production, processing, and export of high-quality food products to the regional and global market. 
Dundalk took the spotlight this week as industry leaders from across the island gathered in the town for the launch of a new advisory panel aimed at driving growth along the DublinBelfast Economic Corridor.

DBEC is the cross-border partnership that brings together eight local authorities as well as universities and other stakeholders to foster thriving and sustainable economic collaboration in the region. The corridor encompasses the 100 miles between Dublin and Belfast and is a key location for cross-border trade.

The panel, which met for the first time on Monday in Dundalk, is a key pillar of DBECs strategy to ensure effective collaboration between DBEC and private industry.

The panel will work with DBEC to ensure that the insights of private sector businesses in the region are represented, and that business needs can be met to continue economic growth, leverage strategic opportunities and encourage further investment.

Speaking at the launch of the Industry Advisory Panel was Panel Chair David Conway, Chief Executive Officer of Louth County Council, who said: DBEC is delighted to announce this new advisory panel which brings together leading private industry representatives. DBEC is committed to developing and showcasing all that this diverse region has to offer to businesses seeking to invest and grow, and the perspectives and expertise of our leading companies is key to that commitment.

DBECs role is to ensure that not only the opportunities in the region are highlighted, but any challenges that may be facing businesses  whether that is skills and labour gaps, or infrastructure needs  so that we can advocate on behalf of the corridor to ensure these challenges are addressed. We look forward to working closely with the Industry Advisory Panel to create a world class economic region.

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The panel represents the full spectrum of businesses operating across the region  from start-ups and SMEs to large multinationals  and includes sectoral representation spanning transport, energy, offshore technology, construction, professional and financial services, food manufacturing, agriculture, broadband connectivity, and life and health sciences. It will provide a forum for industry experts to engage with DBEC, helping to shape its strategic direction and inform future outcomes.

The first meeting of the Industry Advisory Panel focused on building connections between each of the members, identifying industry priorities and agreeing a programme of work for the coming months, with the next meeting scheduled to take place in Belfast in early 2026.
Almost 100k in funding has been allocated to Culture Connect CLG in Louth under the 2025 Integration Fund.

The organisation will run a project called Integration & Advancement Ladder for International Protection Seekers and is set to receive 98,000 under the scheme.

The Minister of State for Migration, Colm Brophy announced that 117 community-based projects nationally are set to receive 3,612,974 in funding under the 2025 Integration Fund. The Fund helps enable community organisations across Ireland to play a greater role in promoting the integration of migrants.

The Integration Fund combines the two funds previously known as the International Protection Integration Fund and the Communities Integration Fund. Since their inception, both funds have provided close to 10m in funding to over 1,000 projects across the country.

Speaking from a project based in Wexford, Minister of State Brophy said:

I am delighted to announce the list of successful local groups who will receive funding from the Integration fund today. The Integration Fund has been established for local community groups and civil society organisations who have been working tirelessly to promote and further integration within Irish society.

Carrying out this work in an increasingly divisive world deserves to be recognised and commended. It is only through greater understanding and working together as local groups that we can improve integration and make Ireland a better and more tolerant country to live in for everyone.

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Minister Brophy continued,

The projects which have been successful, such as the Places of Sanctuary project here in Wexford represent the best of Ireland, an Ireland that is welcoming and tolerant to others. I am pleased to see such wonderful and deserving projects right across the country receive this funding.

Minister Brophy concluded,

Ireland needs migration. This Integration Fund recognised that migration impacts communities, and we should work together as communities to make our society, stronger and more cohesive.
Photo Caption: David Conway, Chief Executive, Louth County Council; Cllr Dolores Minogue, Cathaoirleach of Ardee Municipal District; brothers Prof Tim McGloughlin and Vincent McGloughlin, grandsons of artist Alfred McGloughlin; Lorraine McCann, County Archivist with Louth County Council; Brian Crowley, Curator of Collections at Kilmainham Gaol and the Pearse Museum; and Amanda Branigan, County Librarian and Head of Cultural Services at Louth County Council at the official opening of the Intervals of Peace: The Civil War Prison Art of Alfred McGloughlin exhibition at Louth County Archives.

Louth County Councils Archives Service yesterday launched a new exhibition: Intervals of Peace: The Civil War Prison Art of Alfred McGloughlin. The exhibition, which is free to attend, was officially opened by Cllr Dolores Minogue, Cathaoirleach of Ardee Municipal District, David Conway, Chief Executive of Louth County Council, and Professor Tim McGloughlin, grandson of the artist.

Alfred McGloughlin (also known as Alf MacLochlainn) was an artist, writer, and revolutionary born in Dublin in 1888. He grew up in the Pearse household, his mother was a half-sister of Patrick and William Pearse, and shared their love of art, literature, and politics. During the Irish Civil War, Alfred supported the Anti-Treaty side and was imprisoned from 1922 to 1923. While in Wellington Barracks, Mountjoy Jail, and Harepark, he continued to sketch, capturing life among fellow prisoners.

His grandson, Prof Tim McGloughlin, rediscovered the drawings in the 1980s among family belongings. After years of careful preservation, they were exhibited at Kilmainham Gaol and the Pearse Museum at St Endas, Rathfarnham in 2022 and 2023. The exhibitions title comes from a 1932 obituary in An Phoblacht, which described Alfred as spending the intervals of peace in prison sketching in watercolours and filling a portfolio with pencil drawings of his comrades.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition Prof Tim McGloughlin said:

Its incredibly meaningful to see my grandfathers artwork now on display in Dundalk, in a space with its own deep ties to Irelands revolutionary history. These drawings, created during some of the darkest days of the Civil War, reflect not only Alfreds artistic talent but also the resilience and humanity of those imprisoned with him. After successful exhibitions in Kilmainham Gaol and the Pearse Museum, Im delighted that the people of Louth now can experience this unique glimpse into our shared past.

Cllr Dolores Minogue Cathaoirleach of Ardee Municipal District welcomed the exhibition saying:

It is with great pride that we officially open the Intervals of Peace exhibition here at the Louth County Archives. This remarkable collection is a powerful reminder of the importance of preserving our stories for future generations. I warmly encourage everyonelocals and visitors aliketo come and experience this free exhibition. It is a celebration of our heritage, our community, and the enduring value of peace.

David Conway, Chief Executive, Louth County Council said:

This exhibition offers a chance to reflect on the early days of the State and the people who helped shape itoften in very difficult circumstances and its fitting that theyre being shown in a building that was part of that history. As a Council, were proud to support projects like this and welcome this exhibition to a very appropriate place, our archives museum. A place that connects our community with its past and help us understand how our civic society has grown. I would ask our citizens and tourists alike to visit this exhibition.

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Lorraine McCann, County Archivist with Louth County Council added:

Its a real honour for Louth County Council to host this exhibition, especially after its successful runs in Kilmainham Gaol and the Pearse Museum. This exhibition will give us a unique insight into not only the artistic journey of Alfred McGloughlin but also the activities of those who were imprisoned in various camps during this period of struggle for Irish independence.

The exhibition will run at the Louth County Archives, Old Gaol, Ardee Road, Dundalk from 12th November 2025  26th February 2026. Admission is FREE and booking is required. Contact Louth County Councils Archives Service on 042-9324358 to book your visit.
Faughart Community group have announced the launch of their Light Up Your Yoke Run in aid of Faughart National School.

The fun event will see a convoy of tractors, jeeps and cars all illuminated with Christmas lights make its way around the Faughart area on Friday 5th of December with Santa leading the way. There will also be a few Santa stops where Santa will give out some selection boxes to local children.

The convoy will start at Majors Hollow roundabout at 7pm and snake its way around Mountpleasant, Annaskeagh and Upper and Lower Faughart. Santas pressie stops will be announced later.

Faughart Community Group are reaching out to all businesses in the area to ask for donations or prizes for their draw. Lines will be sold online and door to door, with all proceeds going to Faughart school. Lines are 2 each or three for 5.

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The organising committee say: "This hardworking voluntary group would really appreciate your support for this fun event that will help bring a bit of light and joy to everyone this Christmas. You can decorate and light up your vehicle as much as you like but the more effort thats put into it the more everyone will enjoy the spectacle."
Louth County Council has refused planning permission for 80 homes at Haynestown, Dundalk, due to a lack of capacity to cater for it at the Blackrock Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Groveview Builders Ltd applied to Louth County Council in November 2024 for planning permission for the development at Raynoldstown Village, Haynestown, Dundalk, on lands of circa 2.48 hectares.

The proposed 80 new houses comprise, one end of terrace, three-bed, two storey dwelling; 23 terrace, three-bed, two storey dwellings; 45 three-bed, two storey semi-detached dwellings; nine four-bed, two storey semi-detached dwellings; and two four-bed, two storey detached dwellings.

The planning application also provided for all associated ancillary site development works, boundary treatments and landscaping, with access via the existing approved vehicular and pedestrian access from the Western Relief Road to the west and the Dublin Road via the Boulevard to the east at Raynoldstown Village, Haynestown.

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Groveview Builders Ltd had previously been granted planning permission for development at this location in 2005, as part of a larger development that comprised 1,450 dwellings in a mix of houses and apartments.

A decision on the application had initially been due in January of this year but Louth County Council sought further information on the planned development that month, which was provided by the developer on 21 October.

Louth County Council made the decision to refuse planning permission for the development on 10 November. In its decision, Louth County Council said that the proposed development was dependent on a connection to the Blackrock Wastewater Treatment Plant, but Uisce Eireann confirmed that the plant does not have the capacity to cater for the development, with the necessary upgrading of the plant not scheduled to be completed until the final quarter of 2031.

It said that "the Planning Authority is not satisfied that the applicant has demonstrated a sufficiently developed commitment and specific timeframe that shows that the proposed development would have access to an effective wastewater treatment system within the lifetime of the permission, if granted.

"In light of the foregoing it is considered that the proposed development would be premature by reference to the existing deficiency in the capacity of existing sewerage facilities, which would set an undesirable precedent for other similar developments in the surrounding area and would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area."
Belfast-born European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Rosemary Coogan was in Louth last Sunday 9 November to take part in a family-friendly event, sharing her story of becoming an astronaut, her day-to-day work at the ESA Astronaut Centre and her participation in future space missions.

The event was part of Science Week 2025 which marked its 30th anniversary this year. Dr Coogan shared her story of becoming an astronaut, and her work, to a captivated audience.

Dr Coogan was one of 17 candidates chosen from over 22,000 applicants to join the ESAs Astronaut Class of 2022. Having completed her training, it is anticipated that she will be sent on a space mission by 2030.

This year, the ESA is marking its 50th anniversary, and the upcoming ESA Ministerial Meeting at the end of November will set out Europes future space funding and programmes for the coming years.

Read also: Go ahead given for redevelopment of famous Louth pub

Dr Coogan also took part in Science Week event Baking in Space, an interactive, fun event which explored how astronauts prepare food and protect their health in deep space and brings audiences on an adventure where baking collides with space exploration.

Below: Town Scientist Dr Niamh Shaw and astronaut Rosemary Coogan, with TD Erin McGreehan, Louth County Librarian Mary McHugh, Louth ABC Programme Coordinators Gavin McGee and Sandra Farrell , David Bushman (Town Scientist team) and Naomi ODonoghue of Dundalk Credit Union with a host of local families who have participated in Town Scientist events. Image: Richie Naylor

Baking in Space was co-hosted by Town Scientist and space explorer Dr Niamh Shaw, aerospace engineer and Great British Bake Off finalist Andrew Smyth, with special guests ESA Astronaut Dr. Rosemary Coogan, Prof Lorraine Hanlon, Director of UCDs Centre for Space, ESERO Manager Aine Flood and Dr Lisa McNamee, space medicine specialist.

Organisers of the event say they wish to give special thanks to Dundalk Credit Union and Science Week Ireland for their support.
by Pau Ramirez

BELEM, Brazil, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's Amazonian city of Belem has been buzzing with activity since thousands of delegates from around the world arrived for the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) on Nov. 10-21.

At the capital of the northern Para state, the atmosphere is filled with expectation and enthusiasm. Streets, hotels and sights of interest are teeming with an unprecedented influx of visitors.

"Over the weekend, you couldn't walk because there were so many people," said Marina Duarte, who works at a cafe in one of the city's top attractions, the Estacao das Docas cultural complex.

From its pier, visitors enjoy views of Guajara Bay while tasting Amazonian fruit-based treats and chocolate made from Para's famous cocoa.

"We served so many foreigners. Some tried to speak Portuguese, others ordered in English. It's nice to see Belem so lively," Duarte told Xinhua.

"It is a historic moment -- finally, the world is looking to the Amazon not only for its beauty, but for its importance to the future of the planet," Duarte said.

At Porto Futuro, a new gathering spot facing the river, business has also picked up. Food-kiosk manager Rafael Pinheiro said the arrival of COP30 participants has generated "a huge" boom.

"We sold about 40 percent more than during a normal weekend," he said. "Everyone wants to try something typical, from 'tacaca' (a tangy soup) to 'acai' (a palm tree berry)."

Recreational venues and museums are seeing similar benefits, with the Museum of the Amazon, opened just a month ago, having welcomed 50,000 visitors.

"It is impressive to see so many people from other parts, not just from Brazil, but also from Europe and Asia," said Carla Nascimento, the museum's head of communication.

In one gallery, French visitor Michel Orivel admired "Amazonia," an exhibit of photographs by Brazilian photographer Sebastiao Salgado.

"COP30 inspired me to get to know the region. I wanted to see up close what everyone was talking about at the conferences," said Orivel.

Throughout Belem -- from its historic center and lively markets to residential neighborhoods -- delegates, volunteers, and curious locals mingle as the city plays host to the international event.

"It is a unique opportunity to showcase the cultural and natural wealth of the Amazon," said tour guide Ana Claudia Silva.

According to the Brazilian Hotel Industry Association of Para, hotel occupancy exceeds 95 percent on average.

"Some hotels have been fully booked since the beginning of the year," said the association's president, Tomas Santiago.

At the newly inaugurated Vila COP, built especially to accommodate official delegations, the atmosphere reflects a unique blend of diplomacy and international exchange.

"We are staying with colleagues from different regions of the country. It is an excellent structure," said Debra Dias, secretary of environment, sustainability and climate action for Brazil's eastern state of Sergipe.

Beyond the economic boost, many residents are taking pride in being the center of the global climate debate.

Belem is set to remain bustling for another week as COP30 draws more than 50,000 participants -- from scientists to entrepreneurs -- turning this Amazonian enclave into a global hotspot in the fight against climate change. 
Louth Fianna Fail TD, Erin McGreehan, has welcomed confirmation that two key water infrastructure projects for Louth are now included in Irelands largest-ever water investment programme, but she cautioned however, that serious water infrastructure gaps remain in the county.

Commenting on the projects announced under the National Development Plan Review 2025  the Sectoral Plan for Water Services and Water Quality, Deputy McGreehan said: The 12.2 billion commitment provides funding certainty and clear timelines for projects that will secure water resilience and support housing growth. But unless the remaining gaps are addressed, local development and housing delivery will remain constrained.

The plan confirms the Drogheda Wastewater Treatment Plant Odour Upgrade. The Drogheda Wastewater Treatment Plant is listed as a nationally prioritised project and is scheduled for completion in 2026. This upgrade will address odour issues at the facility, improving environmental performance and quality of life for residents in Drogheda and surrounding areas.

The other project Deputy McGreehan said will benefit Louth is the Water Supply Project for the Eastern and Midlands Region. This strategic project will deliver treated water from the Parteen Basin in County Tipperary to Dublin, with capacity for regional offtakes.

Read also: Plans underway for construction of new six-storey hotel in Louth

It is set to enhance water supply resilience in Louth by enabling existing Dublin supplies to be redirected locally when needed, ensuring long-term security for homes, businesses, and future development.

Deputy McGreehan said: Announcements are welcome, but the real focus must be on getting projects delivered. This national plan is a major commitment, but delivery on the ground is what matters most.

"Works like the 750,000 upgrade now underway in Dunbin, Dundalk, show what timely investment can achieve - replacing 1.2km of mains, securing water services for residents, and enabling future housing and economic growth.

I will continue to push for more infrastructure investment and far faster delivery because thats what will strengthen water resilience, support housing, and drive sustainable development for decades to come.
Cork County Council has announced the launch of a new Cost Rental scheme, with nearly 10 new homes available.

The scheme, aimed at delivering affordable rented accommodation to people on middle incomes, who do not own a home, and are above the threshold for social housing, provides secure tenancy at a rent which is below the market rent in the local area and is also a long-term secure rental option.

The Local Authority has said that applications for the new two- and four-bed houses at Baile Adaim in Carrigtwohill will open at 12pm on November 27.

The development of eight newly built, A-rated, family homes consists of a mix of six two-bed mid-terraced houses and two four-bed semi-detached houses.

The rent for the development is set at approximately 26% below private market rents in the area.

The Mayor of the County of Cork, councillor Mary Linehan Foley said the development in Baile Adaim is conveniently located in this popular residential area just a short distance from Carrigtwohills town centre and all its amenities.

This new scheme demonstrates the work that Cork County Council is doing in achieving the housing targets set by the government, said Ms Linehan Foley.

Houses under the scheme will be allocated on a lottery basis to applicants who have submitted all the required documents, and who are deemed eligible for the scheme.

Successful applicants will then enter into a tenancy arrangement with Cork County Council.

Applications for the scheme will be accepted for a two-week period until 12pm on December 11 via the online application portal on Cork County Councils website.

For further information on this scheme and other upcoming schemes, including the eligibility criteria, the guide to making an application, and documentation required, visit: www.corkcoco.ie.
Cork-born musician and writer, Joe Philpott has announced the launch of his new book, All Roads Lead To Where You Are.

The memoir, now available for purchase across book stores in Cork and Dublin, traces Mr Philpotts journey from suburban bedrooms and backroom rehearsals in Bishopstown to recording sessions with George Harrison and the long highways of America.

As a founding member of the Irish band Rubyhorse, whose song Punchdrunk was recorded with George Harrison, Mr Philpotts life and career have spanned Ireland and the US, from Corks pubs to American stages and back again.

Alongside his memoir, the 52-year-old continues to make music as a member of The White Horse Guitar Club, the much-loved Ballincollig-based collective known for its rich harmonies and soulful reinterpretations of folk, Americana, and Irish song.

The bands new album Sos Beag is out now, and their nationwide tour is currently underway, a reminder that Mr Philpotts story, both on the page and on stage, is still unfolding.

Joe Philpott's new book.

Mr Philpott said that All Roads Lead To Where You Are is not just a book about music.

Its about risk and reinvention, about what happens when you step into the unknown and trust that youll find yourself there, said Mr Philpott.

The book has been described by publishers as a lyrical exploration of music, migration, and memory; a story of chasing songs, chasing dreams, and finding your way home again.

The piece discusses risk and reinvention, and what it takes to step beyond the familiar and into the vastness of Americas musical landscape.

Throughout his career, Mr Philpott has toured internationally, performed on The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan OBrien, and shared stages with artists including R.E.M., Sheryl Crow, and Def Leppard.

Alongside his career in music, he co-founded Music in Community (MIC), developing innovative approaches to bringing music into healthcare, education, and community settings.

At its heart, the book is about the faith it takes to keep going when things fall apart, and the courage to return to what truly matters.

All Roads Lead To Where You Are is available at Waterstones in Cork and Hodges Figgis in Dublin.
A man in his 50s has been arrested by Gardai after a man in his 30s died following a stabbing in Hollyhill in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Gardai and emergency services rushed to the Hollyville estate at approximately 4.30am following reports of a disturbance involving two individuals.

A 38-year-old man was treated at the scene before being taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH), where he was later pronounced dead. He has been named locally as Mark OConnell, originally from Farranree.

A second man, aged in his mid-50s, was arrested at the scene, and is being detained at a garda station in Cork under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

The office of the State pathologist was notified, and a postmortem was due to take place. The scene of the incident was preserved for technical examination, and gardai yesterday began making door-to-door inquiries in the area.

Guards have cordoned off the area outside the property in Hollyville, Hollyhill. Picture Chani Anderson

Speaking to The Echo, Fianna Fail councillor for the Cork City North West ward, Tony Fitzgerald, said the northside community was shocked and saddened by the incident.

The Hollyville estate is a very quiet area, said Mr Fitzgerald. People have woken up very shocked and saddened to hear of the tragedy that happened overnight.

Its really a very, very sad morning in Hollyhill on the northside of the city.

Fine Gael councillor for the Cork City North West ward, Damian Boylan, said the sadness was compounded by the proximity to the festive season.

For this to happen just weeks before Christmas, it is the epitome of a tragedy, said Mr Boylan. The northside is such a small place, we all know each other, so very quickly this will have gotten around, and it will hurt a lot of people.

My heart goes out to them, and the extended family and friends of everyone involved too  its just so tragic.

Investigation

A senior investigating officer has been appointed to lead the investigation from the incident room at Gurranabraher Garda Station, and a family liaison officer has also been assigned to support the family of the deceased.

Gardai are appealing for witnesses to this incident to come forward.

Anyone who may have camera footage, including dashcam recordings, who were in the vicinity of Hollyville between 3.30am and 4.30am, asked to make this footage available to investigating gardai.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Gurranabraher Garda Station on (021) 4946200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
Darragh Mc Donagh

The Irish taxpayer has picked up a 10 million tab for air traffic control services provided to US military aircraft passing through airspace managed by Ireland, it has been revealed.

Aircraft that transit through Irish-controlled airspace are charged for en-route services provided by AirNav Ireland (ANI), the commercial semi-state body funded by these fees.

However, the Irish Government has opted to exempt foreign military flights from these charges, which have amounted to 10.1 million for the United States since the beginning of 2018.

The provision of security services provided by the Irish Defence Forces for US military aircraft at Shannon Airport cost an additional 965,471 during the four-year period from 2018 to 2022.

The figures were published by the Departments of Defence and Transport earlier this week in response to parliamentary questions from Sinn Fein TD Mairead Farrell.

Transport Minister Darragh OBrien said ANI charges for en-route services in Irish-controlled airspace through EUROCONTROL, the intergovernmental organisation that coordinates air control management across Europe.

However, Ireland is among a number of countries that have exercised their discretion to exempt foreign military aircraft from the charges.

In relation to en-route charges, the policy and general practice at international level is to exempt foreign military flights from these charges. Ireland, in common with the vast majority of EUROCONTROLs other 41 member states, subscribes to this practice, explained Mr OBrien.

Between 2018 and September 2025, the cost to the state for en-route charges and North-Atlantic Communications charges for US military aircraft amounted to 10.1 million, including VAT.

Terminal charges for US military aircraft that landed at Irish airports amounted to an additional 500,000, he added.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Simon Harris revealed that security provided by the Defence Forces for the US military at Shannon Airport is costing the taxpayer an average of 241,368 a year.

Costs in relation to recent years were unavailable, but security costs amounted to almost 1 million in the four years between 2018 and 2022, according to figures published by the department.
KABUL, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A delegation of Tajikistan composed of officials from the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other government bodies paid a visit to the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday and held meetings with officials, reported the state-run Radio and Television of Afghanistan on Sunday.

Apart from boosting bilateral relations in different fields, including politics, economy and trade, the opening of the Afghan embassy in Tajik capital Dushanbe could also come under discussion during the meeting, the state-owned media outlet reported without giving more details. 
Google is getting ready to spend $40 billion to increase its data center footprint in Texas. In an announcement posted on its website, Google said it's planning to build more infrastructure for its cloud and artificial intelligence operations in the state. The plans call for three new data centers, one in Armstrong County and two in Haskell County, according to Google.

According to a press release from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, this is Google's largest investment in any US state. The tech giant's investment in the Lone Star State dates back to 2019, when it built a data center in Midlothian, Texas. Google later expanded its presence in the state with the development of another data center in Red Oak, bringing the company's total investment into Texas to $2.7 billion. According to Google, the latest $40 billion investment will be made through 2027.

Google isn't the only major tech company developing more AI infrastructure in the US. Earlier this year, NVIDIA announced plans to build manufacturing space for AI supercomputers in Houston and Dallas. More recently, Meta said it would invest $600 billion to build AI data centers across the US without specifying which states.
The actress added, When he came over to my house with Kapil, I didnt even recognise him because he wasnt doing much then. But he did so well, and we are such good friends now.

Sunil Grover and Kapil Sharma have been working together for the last 12 years and have seen a lot of ups and downs in their professional life. Grover left the show twice- Once in 2013 and then in 2017 for over eight years. He came back when the show shifted to Netflix.

And in an interview with Lallantop Cinema, former star of the show and veteran actress Upasana Singh revealed something about the Bharat and _Gabbar Is Back_ actor. She said, When Kapils show started, Sunil Grover was not well. I asked him what happened, and he shared that he was hospitalised because of depression. He didnt have much work either.

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The actress added, When he came over to my house with Kapil, I didnt even recognise him because he wasnt doing much then. But he did so well, and we are such good friends now.

In one of the key comedic moments from Netflixs The Great Indian Kapil Show, Sunil Grover apparently took a dig at Kapil Sharmas hair transplant and said how bald people dont need shampoo.

The comedian also said, Haan, yeh kaunsa below the belt hai, yeh to above the collar hi hai."

Kapil Shamas cafe in Canada, named Kaps Cafe, has been attacked for the second under a month, as 25 shots were fired, which again sparked the concern over violation and extortion threats in the area.

A Facebook post has surfaced on social media in which Goldy Dhillon of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has allegedly claimed responsibility for the shooting in the comedians cafe and sent a warning to Kapil Sharma.

Comedians security beefed up

The sources in the Mumbai police have said Kapil Sharmas security has been increased after two attacks at his cafe in quick succession.

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There should definitely be laws against such brutal violation of privacy, he added.

The legendary and veteran Bollywood actor, Dharmendra, was discharged on Wednesday from the hospital. The 89-year-old actor was admitted there for some tests, which were not disclosed by the family and hospital authorities.

 Dharmendra ji was discharged from the hospital around 7:30 am. He will be treated at home as the family has decided to give him home treatment, Dr Pratit Samdani of Breach Candy hospital, under whom the actor was admitted, told PTI.

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In a conversation with News 24 Online, Saif Ali Khan spoke about the media frenzy around the legendary star and revealed, We experienced a situation like this when Abba was in the hospital. We were constantly fobbing off unwanted attention while dealing with the crisis at hand.

There should definitely be laws against such brutal violation of privacy, he added.

Hema Malini & Esha Deol strongly condemned the spread of false death news

Taking to X, Hema Malini slammed media channels for spreading false news and wrote, What is happening is unforgivable! How can responsible channels spread false news about a person who is responding to treatment and recovering? Please give due respect to the family and its need for privacy.

After Dharmendras discharge from the hospital, shared an update on his health through his team on social media.

Urging everyone to respect the familys privacy during this time, the note read, Mr. Dharmendra has been discharged from the hospital and will continue his recovery at home. We kindly request the media and the public to refrain from any further speculation and to respect his and the familys privacy during this time.

We appreciate everyones love, prayers, and good wishes for his continued recovery, good health, and long life. Please respect him because he loves you, read the statement further.
On November 16, 1988, Benazir Bhutto made history as Pakistans first woman Prime Minister  and the first to lead a Muslim-majority nation. The day also saw Dostoevskys death sentence and Goebbels propaganda to the 2001 release of the first Harry Potter film

A smiling Benazir Bhutto casts her ballot into a box in Pakistan's first general party elections in 11 years on November 16, 1988. File Image/Reuters

On November 16 in 1988, Benazir Bhutto shattered barriers to become Pakistans first woman Prime Minister and the first female leader of a Muslim-majority nation.

The day also carries echoes from literature and propaganda: in 1849, Fyodor Dostoevsky faced a death sentence that would profoundly shape his writing, while in 1941, Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels published one of his most infamous essays spreading hate across Europe.

Decades later, on November 16, 2001, the magic of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone would cast its first cinematic spell, launching a global cultural phenomenon.

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Benazir Bhutto becomes prime minister of Pakistan

In 1988, Pakistan stood at a crossroads.

The decade-long military rule of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq had come to a sudden end following his death in a mysterious plane crash in August.

The nation, long under the shadow of martial law, was preparing for a general election that could redefine its political future.

On November 16, 1988, that moment arrived when Benazir Bhutto, the 35-year-old leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was elected as prime minister  becoming the first woman to lead a Muslim-majority nation.

Bhuttos ascent was deeply intertwined with her familys political legacy. Her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, had been Pakistans prime minister in the 1970s before being overthrown and executed under Zias regime in 1979.

Benazirs return to politics in the mid-1980s symbolised both defiance and continuity  a bid to reclaim democratic governance from authoritarianism.

After years of imprisonment and exile, her campaign embodied the publics yearning for change.

The November 1988 general elections were held under the banner of partial democracy. Zias death had created a vacuum, and Pakistan President Ghulam Ishaq Khan called for a return to civilian rule.

The PPP campaigned on populist and progressive promises  housing, healthcare, and education for all  echoing the ideals of her fathers socialist platform.

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Her message resonated particularly with Pakistans youth, rural voters, and women, who saw her as a figure of reform and national renewal.

The elections were held on November 16, and the results signalled a clear shift. The PPP won 94 of the 207 seats in the National Assembly  a plurality but not an outright majority.

The conservative Islamic Democratic Alliance (IDA), composed of right-leaning parties, came in second. Despite the fragmented outcome, Bhutto successfully formed a coalition government and was formally sworn in as prime minister on December 2, 1988.

Her victory carried enormous symbolic weight beyond Pakistan. In a world where female political leadership was still rare  particularly in Muslim societies  Bhuttos success made global headlines.

From London to New York, newspapers hailed her as the Daughter of the East, a leader embodying a new era of modernity and female empowerment in South Asia.

In her speeches, Bhutto focused on democracy, womens participation, and Pakistans place in the international community.

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Democracy is the best revenge, she would later famously declare  a statement that became synonymous with her political journey.

Yet, her premiership was fraught with challenges. The military, still a powerful force in Pakistans political system, maintained a wary distance from the civilian government.

Pakistan President Ishaq Khan retained constitutional powers that could dissolve the parliament, effectively curbing Bhuttos authority. Moreover, her efforts to liberalise the economy, restore civil liberties, and strengthen relations with India faced institutional resistance.

Foreign policy during her first tenure balanced caution and aspiration. Bhutto sought to improve relations with neighbouring India and Afghanistan, both vital for regional stability.

She also reaffirmed Pakistans alliance with the United States, especially in the post-Soviet phase of the Afghan conflict. However, internal political disputes and allegations of corruption weakened her governments position.

By 1990, just two years after her historic rise, Bhuttos government was dismissed by the president on charges of corruption and mismanagement  accusations that would haunt her throughout her career.

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Despite her removal, her influence endured. She returned to power in 1993 for a second term and continued to champion democratic governance until her tragic assassination in 2007 during an election rally in Rawalpindi.

The first Harry Potter film premieres

On November 16, 2001, audiences across the United States and the United Kingdom were introduced to Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (released as Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone in the UK).

Directed by Chris Columbus, the film marked the cinematic debut of JK Rowlings globally successful book series.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, the movie faithfully adapted Rowlings 1997 novel, chronicling the young wizards first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

With visual effects, a John Williams score, and a cast of British legends  including Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, and Alan Rickman  the film captivated audiences and critics alike.

The release broke box-office records, grossing over $974 million worldwide and launching a decade-long cinematic saga that would shape global popular culture.

The success of Harry Potter also reinvigorated childrens literature, proving that fantasy stories could achieve massive mainstream success.

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Fyodor Dostoevskys death sentence

On November 16, 1849, Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky faced a moment that would forever alter his life and work.

Arrested for his involvement in the Petrashevsky Circle  a group of intellectuals advocating for political reform and freedom of thought under Tsar Nicholas I  Dostoevsky was sentenced to death by firing squad.

At the last moment, his sentence was commuted to four years of hard labour in a Siberian prison camp, followed by military service. The mock execution  staged as a form of psychological punishment  left an indelible mark on Dostoevskys psyche.

His near-death experience, exile, and the harsh conditions in Siberia profoundly shaped his worldview.

From this ordeal emerged his exploration of morality, suffering, and redemption  themes that permeated his masterpieces such as Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and Notes from the Underground.

Dostoevskys transformation from a political idealist to a spiritual philosopher was rooted in that fateful November day.

His survival and later literary genius would redefine Russian literature and influence existential thought worldwide.

Joseph Goebbels propaganda manifesto

On November 16, 1941, Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germanys Minister of Propaganda, published one of his most virulent essays in the weekly newspaper Das Reich, titled The Jews Are Guilty.

The piece reflected the Nazi regimes escalating genocidal rhetoric during World War II, portraying Jewish people as enemies of civilisation and scapegoats for Germanys hardships.

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Goebbels publication came amid the Holocausts intensification, as mass deportations and executions were already underway in occupied Eastern Europe.

The article served both as justification and mobilisation  seeking to desensitise the German populace to the atrocities being carried out.

In this essay, Goebbels employed pseudo-historical claims and manipulative language to construct a moral rationale for extermination, directly supporting Adolf Hitlers genocidal policy.

The November 16, 1941 essay remains a chilling example of how propaganda can weaponise hatred and enable systemic violence.

With inputs from agencies
The NDA stormed past the 200-seat mark in a 243-member Assembly, scripting a sweeping mandate that effectively wiped out the Mahagathbandhan in the Bihar elections. We discuss the reasons for this surge, the Delhi blast probe and more in our weekly wrap

Its been a big week in India. The country remains rattled after a car exploded near Delhis Red Fort, in what is now been confirmed as a terror attack. The explosion has claimed the lives of 12 people and injured many others. But it has also resulted in a wider investigation that reveals a sinister terror plot that was brewing against the country.

India also saw a massive National Democratic Alliance (NDA) tsunami in the state of Bihar with voters overwhelmingly choosing the ruling coalition to govern the state for the next five years.

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And with the winters arrival, comes the perennial woe of Delhis air pollution. The Capital continues to struggle to breathe with AQI levels hovering in the very poor to severe category.

For those who missed the big headlines from India this week, worry not as we have you covered  we break down the Bihar election results, the Delhi Red Fort explosion and other stories from the country.

1) On Friday, the results of the Bihar Assembly elections, which were held in two phases, were declared and the mandate delivered was in the favour of the ruling alliance of the NDA, of which the BJP and JD(U) are the two big parties. The NDAs performance, it has exceeded the 200-mark in a 243-member Assembly, even surpasses Amit Shahs own expectations  he had earlier said the NDA would garner 160 seats.

But how did the NDA pull off this spectacular victory? Our analysis reveals the factors that helped NDA sail through in this electoral test.

With the NDAs surge in the Bihar elections, the path has been created for Nitish Kumars tenth term as chief minister. PTI

2) Dont count Nitish Kumar out  thats one of the biggest takeaways from the Bihar Assembly election results. During the campaign much was said about Kumars apparent mental capacity with many in the opposition as well as in the media questioning his political acumen.

However, the 74-year-old has proved anyone and everyone wrong with these results. The chief minister of Bihar for the last decade has shown that he has what it takes to win an election and then some more.

Read our full report on the man known as Paltu Ram of Indian politics.

3) The win for the NDA in Bihar isnt just about state politics. It has ramifications that will be seen beyond Patna. The outcome of the Bihar elections will help shape coalition politics nationally. The poor performance of the Mahagathbandhan could also decide the future of the Indi Alliance.

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Here's why an NDA win in Bihar is a win for alliance on a national stage too.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures, as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters celebrate the Bihar state Assembly election results, at the party headquarters in New Delhi. Reuters

4) Every election teaches us something, and what did the Bihar election results prove? The results showed that the apparent diminutive Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has an appeal with the voters of Bihar. The results once again proved that the Congress is the weak link of the Grand Alliance and that the AIMIM as a force is only solidifying its presence. Heres more on that.

5) Apart from the Bihar Assembly election results, the big news from India has been the Delhi blast near the iconic Red Fort. On Monday evening, a slow-moving i20 suddenly exploded while waiting at a traffic signal, killing a total of 13 people and rattling an entire nation.

Investigations are still ongoing with officials leaving no stone unturned to get to the bottom of this terror attack. So far, authorities have been able to confirm that the man behind the wheel of the exploding car  an i20  was a Pulwama based doctor, Dr Umar Nabi.

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The probe shows that the car was in Delhi a full 11 hours before it exploded near the Red Fort. But what was it doing for so long? Where all did it travel to?

A Haryana Police vehicle leaves from the Al-Falah University amid investigation. PTI

6) The investigation into the Delhi Red Fort blast has taken officials across the country  from Jammu and Kashmir to Haryana  and it appears that the Al-Falah University in Faridabad has emerged as a key point.

Authorities have found that Room 13 within the premises is where the blast accused stayed and hatched the plan to carry out this attack. It is alleged that Dr Muzammil Shakeel, who hails from Kashmirs Pulwama met with other radicalised doctors and was plotting coordinated blasts in Delhi and nearby states. The room has now been sealed by the police, who have recovered electronic devices, pen drives during the search.

7) While authorities continue their probe into the Red Fort blast, victims of the explosion continue to recuperate at hospitals. However, some are in extreme grief as they have lost their near and dear ones.

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But who are the victims of the blast? Heres the heart-breaking tales of some of those who died in the terror attack.

8) Shortly after the Delhi blasts, condolences poured in from all over the world. World leaders and diplomats expressed grief over the incident. But its the American message that got Indians to see red, accusing Trump and the United State of America of being bias.

Whats all that about? Our explainer has it all.

9) How is it that the Delhi Red Fort blast suspects communicated with one another  is a question that many have asked in the aftermath of the terror attack. Why were their conversations not flagged by intelligence agencies?

Thats because, according to authorities, they used a Swiss communication app called Threema. Notably, this application has been banned in India.

Read about this highly encrypted app and how the suspects used it to their advantage.

10) Winter is here and that means one thing: poor air quality is back to choke the residents of Delhi. The AQI in the Capital has been swaying between very poor and severe for the past few days, with even the Supreme Court taking note of it.

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And as the air turns unbreathable in the Capital, the demand for air purifiers and filters has also been rising. Amid this situation, one Delhi resident built his own for a measly amount of Rs 2,000, claiming that his low-cost product could reduce the AQI within minutes.

And thats it from us. But we shall continue explaining the big news and here's where you will find it all.
I saw a bird today  with these five words couples are testing their love on TikTok and other social media platforms. Known as the bird theory, it is meant to determine if a relationship will stand the test of time

The bird test is TikToks latest way to decide if your partner really listens. AI generated image

How do you know if your partner still loves you? Is the look in his/her eye when they look at you? Is it the gifts that they shower on you? Is it the holidays that they plan for youll together?

No, its none of the above. The true test of a relationship can now be gauged by five words  I saw a bird today  according to the viral TikTok trend that is now known as the bird theory.

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Heres all that we know about this social media trend that has got couples talking about their encounters with birds they never saw.

Bird theory, explained

Also known as the bird test, the bird theory is meant to determine if a relationship will stand the test of time.

To perform this test, one person has to point out something insignificant, like a bird perched outside. The goal is to have your partner respond with genuine curiosity. If you partner engages, shows curiosity, or responds warmly, its taken as a sign of emotional attentiveness and connection. However, if your partner ignores it or brushes it off, it is as emotional distance or a lack of interest in the little things that matter to you.

While this trend may have just taken flight on social media, its been around since the early 1990s. In fact, it was established after researchers, led by Dr John Gottman, studied a group of couples in hopes of identifying what helps make a healthy relationship. Gottmans team asked the couples a variety of questions during initial interviews, and then brought the couples back six years later where the couples were divided into two groups: those who were still together and those who had since separated.

After reviewing the tapes from the couples interviews, he came to the conclusion that successful couples are attentive. They listen to one another, no matter the subject, and actively engage with their partner when the other person wants to speak and have a conversation.

Bird Theory takes flight over social media

Since first seen on TikTok in 2023, the bird test theory has gone viral with couples from all around the globe indulging in it.

There are thousands and thousands of TikTok posts and Instagram reels in which couples test their significant other using the bird test theory. For instance, former reality star, Michelle Young from The Bachelorette, jumped for joy when her significant other stopped to look out the window when she said she saw a cardinal.

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Not a foolproof test

However, the bird test theory isnt wholly accurate and shouldnt be the only litmus test for ones relationship.

Relationship experts have said that the bird theory test typically does not offer much meaningful information about the health of a relationship  and can obviously backfire. If they fail the test, I hope that people dont take that as a sign that the relationship is doomed, said Dr Carrie Cole, director of research at the Gottman Institute, to the New York Times. I hope they would see it as an opportunity for a deeper conversation about getting their needs met.

While the bird test theory has validity, its putting too much weight in one little micro moment. Representational image/Pixabay

Alexandra Solomon, who is a licensed clinical psychologist, an adjunct professor at Northwestern University, and the host of a podcast called Reimagining Love, also notes that although the bird test theory has validity, its putting too much weight in one little micro moment.

In India, Mehezabin Dordi, a clinical psychologist at Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital, Mumbai, shares similar views on the validity of the test. Speaking to India Today, she said that one reaction does not define the health of a relationship; everyone has bad days or moments when theyre distracted. What matters is the pattern over time.

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She added, What truly matters is if your partner usually responds with warmth and curiosity. However, if, over time, indifference does start to be a pattern, it might signal emotional disconnection that is worth addressing.

Experts also note that if a partner fails bird theory, its not a reason to dump the relationship. Instead one could always try re-testing the theory when the vibe is right or discuss how their response made you feel.

As licensed psychotherapist Marni Feuerman told USA Today, People are going to miss bids on occasion, and so its not about people getting worried or panicked that theyre missing some, because you will. We all will. Were human.

With inputs from agencies
CDS Anil Chauhan has urged Indias defence industry to match profit with responsibility, calling for honesty, nationalism and timely delivery as the country pushes toward self-reliance in military manufacturing.

Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Saturday urged Indias defence industry to pair profit with responsibility, saying the sector must show nationalism, honesty and reliability as the country pushes for self-reliance in military manufacturing.

Speaking at the Brainstorming Session 2.0 at the Manekshaw Centre, he highlighted the crucial role of both public and private players in strengthening Indias defence capabilities.

Gen Chauhan appreciated the work done by PSUs, private companies and MSMEs in defence R&D, autonomous systems, futuristic tech, ammunition and explosives. But he warned that the armed forces cannot afford delays or exaggerated claims.

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We expect a bit of nationalism and patriotism in your profit-driven endeavours," he said. Industry will have to be truthful about its capabilities. You cannot leave us in a lurch. If you sign a contract and do not deliver on time, it is not merely a delay, it is a capability that is being lost."

#WATCH | Delhi: CDS Gen Anil Chauhan says, "Our expectation from the industry. We expect a bit of nationalism and patriotism in your profit-driven endeavours...Industry will have to be truthful about its capabilities to us. You can't leave us in a lurch. If you sign a contract pic.twitter.com/s4UNlMC7Ur  ANI (@ANI) November 14, 2025

He said companies must commit realistically, assess indigenous capacity honestly and ensure on-time delivery of systems vital to national security.

India in global defence markets

Gen Chauhan stressed that cost competitiveness is essential if India wants to succeed as a defence exporter.

You have to be cost-competitive so that you can compete in the foreign market. You cannot have overpriced products. And you must deliver," he said.

Chauhan on war

He also underlined the harsh truths of warfare.

War is all about winning. There are no runners-up. There are no silver medals for valiant efforts," he said, adding that nations often rise or fall based on a single conflict. Soldiers, he said, must constantly think about future warfare, training, equipment and technology.

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Shift in military strategy

Gen Chauhan said military strategy has evolved from depending mainly on geography to being dominated by technology.

Gradually, the element of technology is taking over and overshadowing geography," he said, noting that technological and tactical superiority now decide outcomes.

He urged industry partners to innovate, act with integrity and stay committed to national interest as India accelerates its push for defence self-reliance.

Defence reforms are not a one-way street

A day earlier, Gen Chauhan delivered a blunt message at another event in Delhi, saying Indias defence industry must address recurring delays and inflated claims that hurt preparedness.

Our expectation from the industry. We expect a bit of nationalism and patriotism in your profit-driven endeavours, he said.

He revealed that the Army had found repeated lapses during scouting for the fifth and sixth Equipment Procurement cycles.

Most of the people have overpromised things and they failed to deliver in their time frame. Now this is unacceptable, he said.

He criticised companies for overstating indigenous content and hiding gaps in technology.

A lot of industries say that, okay, this is 70 per cent Indian. But actually, when you find out it is not. So you have to be truthful about this, because it is related to the matter of security, he said.

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You must be globally competitive, not overpriced

Gen Chauhan again emphasised that Make-in-India will only work if Indian products are priced right.

Youll have to be cost-competitive you cant have products which are overpriced, he said.
Initial assessments suggest TATP may have acted as the primary initiating charge in the improvised explosive device (IED) that tore through the vehicle, resulting in immense destructive force

Charred remains of vehicles amid a cordoned off area following a blast that occurred near Red Fort Metro Station on Monday, killing at least nine people and gutting several vehicles, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. PTI

Investigators probing the deadly car blast that killed 13 in the vicinity of the Red Fort in Delhi on Monday evening are now heavily focused on the presence of Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP), a highly volatile explosive infamously called the Mother of Satan.

Initial assessments suggest TATP may have acted as the primary initiating charge in the improvised explosive device (IED) that tore through the vehicle, resulting in immense destructive force.

Reports indicate the blast was felt up to 50 metres underground, and human remains were scattered over a similar radius on the surface. Police sources suggest the IED, which was observed as a large bag on the rear seat of the i20 car, contained an estimated 2-3 kg of TATP and was bulked up with ammonium nitrate and fuel oil, potentially increasing the total explosive weight to between 40 and 50 kilogrammes.

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Mother of Satan aka Triacetone Triperoxide (TATP)

TATP is an unstable explosive known for its extreme sensitivity to heat, friction, shock, or even static electricity, making it exceedingly dangerous to handle, transport, or assemble.

It has become the explosive of choice for terror groups globally due to two key factors: its ease of manufacture from commonly available household precursor chemicals like acetone and hydrogen peroxide, and its immense power.

Security officials note that TATP-based charges can generate up to 80% of the explosive power of TNT, giving the IED a military-grade equivalent impact. Its use in the Delhi blast, if confirmed by the final report from the National Security Guard (NSG) and forensic teams, would significantly sharpen the direction of the ongoing probe.

#WATCH | Delhi | CCTV footage of the car blast near the Red Fort that claimed the lives of 8 people and injured many others.



Source: Delhi Police Sources pic.twitter.com/QeX0XK411G  ANI (@ANI) November 12, 2025

Accidental detonation theory gains ground

The inherent volatility of TATP lends considerable weight to the theory that the explosion may have been accidental.

Given its sensitivity, investigators believe the device may not have required a traditional detonator; simple heat buildup within the vehicle or friction could have been enough to set it off.

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This hypothesis is further supported by the minimal recovery of shrapnel at the scene. While car bombs often use the vehicles own metal components as fragmentation, the evidence suggests a high-energy, non-shrapnel-based explosive compound was the primary cause.

This accidental blast theory is being seriously considered alongside other possibilities, especially in light of the alleged bombers known awareness of the materials instability.

The individual driving the car, identified as Dr Umar Nabi, died in the blast, and investigators are now deeply focused on his links and the possible network behind him.

The discovery of TATP, which has been linked to major global terror attacksincluding the London, Paris, and Manchester bombingshighlights the potential for a sophisticated terror module operating within the capital.

Furthermore, the wider investigation has reportedly uncovered traces of RDX and over 350 kg of ammonium nitrate elsewhere, along with a blueprint detailing a plan to load 32 vehicles with explosives for synchronised attacks.

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These developments suggest the Red Fort explosion may be one element of a much larger, active threat being aggressively pursued by multiple security agencies.
Antisubmarine warfare shallowwater craft Mahe, equipped with torpedoes, multifunctional antisubmarine rockets and advanced radars and sonars, is set to be commissioned into the Indian Navy on November 24, officials said on Sunday.

The Indian Navy will induct the anti-submarine warfare shallow-water craft Mahe on November 24, officials said on Sunday. The vessel is armed with torpedoes, multi-functional anti-submarine rockets, and sophisticated radar and sonar systems.

Mahe is the first of eight anti-submarine shallow-water craft (ASW SWC) being constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). The ship is named after the historic port town of Mahe in Puducherry, reflecting Indias longstanding maritime traditions.

With its combination of firepower, stealth and agility, the vessel is built to track submarines, carry out coastal patrols and safeguard key maritime routes, a Navy spokesperson said.

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The lead Mahe-class ASW SWC, fitted with torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets, was handed over to the Navy on October 23.

The Navy is poised to script another milestone in its indigenous shipbuilding journey with the commissioning of Mahe at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on November 24, the spokesperson said.

Mahe represents the cutting-edge of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative in naval ship design and construction. Compact yet powerful, the ship embodies agility, precision and endurance  qualities vital for dominating the littorals, the Navy said.

With more than 80 per cent indigenous content, the Mahe-class showcases Indias growing mastery in warship design, construction and integration, it said.

Named after the historic coastal town on the Malabar Coast, the ships crest features an Urumi, the flexible sword of Kalarippayattu, a martial art from Kerala, symbolising agility, precision, and lethal grace, the Navy said.

The commissioning of Mahe will mark the arrival of a new generation of indigenous shallow-water combatants  sleek, swift, and resolutely Indian, it said.

With inputs from agencies
RAMALLAH, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A Palestinian teenager was killed and another man wounded on Sunday during an Israeli raid in the northern West Bank, according to Palestinian sources.

Israeli forces stormed the Askar refugee camp, east of Nablus, in the morning, opening fire and wounding two people, a 16-year-old boy in the abdomen and another man in the back, the Palestinian Red Crescent said in a press statement.

The boy then succumbed to his wound after being transported to a nearby hospital, it said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on the incident.

The West Bank has witnessed a sharp escalation of violence since Oct. 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of around 1,000 Palestinians, hundreds of injuries, and the demolition of dozens of homes, according to Palestinian statistics. 
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday met Qatars top leadership here and discussed major aspects of the bilateral relationship including energy and trade, as well as regional and global issues.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday met Qatars top leadership and discussed major aspects of the bilateral relationship including energy and trade, as well as regional and global issues.

He held a meeting with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and also called on Qatars Amir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Pleased to meet Qatars Prime Minister & Foreign Minister @MBA_AlThani_ in Doha, Jaishankar said in an X post.

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Reviewed key aspects of our Strategic Partnership including energy, trade, investment and people to people connect. Appreciate the exchange of views on Middle East/West Asia, regional and global developments, he said.

Pleased to meet Qatars Prime Minister & Foreign Minister @MBA_AlThani_ in Doha.



Reviewed key aspects of our Strategic Partnership including energy, trade, investment and people to people connect.



Appreciate the exchange of views on Middle East/West Asia, regional and global pic.twitter.com/j4nOBEUGaE  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 16, 2025

According to the state-run Qatar News Agency, the two counterparts also discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Jaishankar also called on Qatars Amir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and reiterated our commitment to stronger India-Qatar relations, the minister said in a separate post on X.

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Value his guidance on expanding collaboration and exploring new opportunities, he said.

Indias bilateral trade with Qatar in 2023-24 was USD 14.08 billion, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

With inputs from agencies
According to questioning of co-accused individuals, Nabi, who is believed to have died in the explosives-laden car at the Red Fort, was a hardcore radical who insisted that their operations required a suicide bomber

Jammu and Kashmir police recently unearthed a sophisticated that had been actively seeking a suicide bomber since 2024, officials said.

The Special Operations Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir Police, along with the CRPF, conducted raids across several areas in Pulwama linked to militant groups and Jamaat-e-Islami (an Islamist organisation with political and social influence in South Asia, often accused by authorities of having links to militant activities in the region), following the explosion near Delhis Red Fort on November 10.

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Investigators found out that the hunt for a suicide attacker was driven by Dr Umar Nabi, considered the mastermind of the module. According to questioning of co-accused individuals, Nabi, who is believed to have died in the explosives-laden car at the Red Fort, was a hardcore radical who insisted that their operations required a suicide bomber.

More from India Delhi Red Fort blast: Two doctors among three detained; FIRs lodged against Al Falah University

CCTV footage shows terror-accused Umar Nabi driving an explosives-laden i20 car through Delhis Connaught Place, an iconic circular commercial hub located in the city centre. Image-X

Acting on these inputs, Srinagar Police detained Jasir, alias Danish, a political science graduate from Qazigund. His name had surfaced during the interrogation of other arrested doctors, including Dr Adeel Rather and Dr Muzzaffar Ganaie. Jasir told investigators he first met the doctor module in October of the previous year at a mosque in Kulgam and was later taken to a rented accommodation linked to Al Falah University in Faridabad, Haryana.

Also read | NIA arrests key aide of suicide bomber Umar Nabi who helped procure i20 for Red Fort blast

Jasir explained that while some members wanted him to work as an over-ground worker for the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Umar spent months trying to convince him to become a suicide bomber. The plan fell apart in April when Jasir refused due to financial difficulties and religious beliefs forbidding suicide.

Investigators say this modules search for a suicide attacker adds a dangerous dimension to the ongoing probe into the JeM-linked interstate terror network.

Nabi, the 28-year-old doctor from Pulwama, was reportedly preparing a vehicle-borne IED attack around the Babri Masjid demolition anniversary in December. His radicalisation began after a 2021 trip to Turkey with co-accused Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie, where they reportedly met JeM over-ground workers.

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Following their return, Nabi and Ganaie, associated with Al Falah University, procured large quantities of chemicals, including 360 kg of ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and sulfur, much of which was stored near the university campus. Their December plot was foiled when Ganaie was arrested and explosives seized, a development believed to have triggered the premature Red Fort blast that killed 13 people.

The larger network was eventually exposed after JeM posters appeared in Bunpora, Nowgam, in October. Police traced the activity via CCTV footage, arresting three locals, whose interrogation led to Maulvi Irfan Ahmad, a former paramedic-turned-imam from Shopian, who played a key role in radicalising the doctors and supplying the posters.
Democracies survive because institutions can push the pack, when those institutions are hollowed out and become executive-dependent, the only check left is the market for international censure

A man elevated to field marshal after failing miserably in the May conflict with India now sits institutionally above the very polity he was supposed to protect. (Photo: AFP/Pakistan's Press Information Department (PID))

If you expect a coup to arrive with tanks and curfews on national television, youre still living in the 20th century. What Pakistan suffered this week was a 21st-century coup. Wannabe elegant, paper coated and, unfortunately for Pakistan, thoroughly legalised. Pakistans parliament has just rewritten their rules so the man in uniform now sits above the state.

Field Marshal Asim Munir has been elevated into a constitutionally protected super post with sweeping powers and near total immunity, with barely an opposing whimper from his new friends in the West. Basically, in Pakistan now, khaki has been put on life support for the civilian polity after Pakistans National Assembly on Thursday amended the army law, paving the way for the appointment of Munir as the coup-prone nations first-ever Chief of Defence Forces.

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So how has Munir, already the most visible figure in Pakistans military apparatus after heading both Military Intelligence and ISI, managed to make this unwholesome political power grab look like governance?

Firstly, he didnt need to overplay with force; he already had political patronage willing to do the legislative heavy lifting. Also, a distracted and fractured opposition and a ridiculously weak and pliant parliament that was ready to rubber-stamp changes in a hurry. The result is a new amendment that creates a new top-of-the-military position, centralises control over services and curtails judicial power. All of this is neatly framed as reform and national security.

This isnt the same kind of coup that plunged Pakistan into direct military rule in the past. Its worse. Its more subtle and nuanced, difficult to reverse and socially corrosive. If you compare it to previous interventions, Ayub Khan and Zia-ul-Haq have both used overt martial law, generals on the radio and long nights of custody; Munirs new position is a much more lethal constitutional coup. He has changed the law and changed the balance. Its simple: make the writ of the army permanent, and you dont need curfews; you have judges who will be forced to look the other way, and you replace tanks with tenure.

Constitutionally, Pakistan has traded fragility for ossification. The new amendment strips meaningful checks from the judiciary and places lifetime legal shields around the top military office. It is like a poison chalice for future civilian rule. For a country that officially calls itself a democracy, whatever last fragments of republic and self-government it had, it has now officially blown into the wind.

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Democracies survive because institutions can push the pack, when those institutions are hollowed out and become executive-dependent, the only check left is the market for international censure. Of course none of these are reliable. On paper, Pakistan laughably remains a parliamentary republic. In practice, it has introduced a legal firewall that protects military prerogatives from any kind of accountability whatsoever.

Socially and morally the damage is caustic. Pakistani civil society, from lawyers and journalists to students, has long paid the price for a military that constantly renegotiates the boundaries of politics. The message now is unmistakable. Contest the army at your own peril. This will obviously imprint an even worse culture of fear, stifle dissent and normalise impunity than the one that already exists. When the states so-called guardians claim moral exceptionalism while being answerable to none, you dont find stability, just a fragile and brittle status quo that breaks under stress.

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Pakistani cheerleaders of this new development who are celebrating a strong hand now after their external crises, will in time find that those same hands will also strangle civilian politics and accountability. We have seen history repeat itself time and again when it comes to Pakistan and their leadership.

For India, of course, this isnt great news. A Pakistan that chooses to institutionalise military dominance is not any more predictable than before. Since it is more regimented, they will likely respond to crises with even more exaggerated mono-institutional logic rather than any sort of plural deliberation. Decision-making will be faster and narrower. India loses an interlocutor who can be reliably engaged through civilian channels, the kind of engagement that makes crisis management messy but survivable.

Economically and diplomatically also, Pakistan will pay. Investors and creditors have a disdain for concentrated power that cannot be held to account. The veneer of legality will not paper over the underlying risk. Aid and trade partners will have to decide whether to bankroll a polity that has written immunity into its constitution. International pushback will be diplomatic at first, with the usual statements, sanctions and conditionalities, which will of course hit ordinary Pakistani citizens. When economic pain intensifies, the social contract frays, which makes military custodianship look to some like an attractive temporary fix. This only completes the vicious circle.

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There is also an irony in Munirs personal arc. A man elevated to field marshal after failing miserably in the May conflict with India now sits institutionally above the very polity he was supposed to protect.

New Delhi, of course, will maintain their cool, clear strategy. Increase strategic deterrence where and when necessary, keep military-to-military channels open to prevent miscalculations, and double down on diplomatic coalitions that keep pressure for democracy and its norms alive.

Lets not confuse pessimism with fatalism. Pakistans political culture has always been odd and surprising. Courts have reasserted themselves before, and popular movements can be combustible. Unfortunately a constitution that immortalises military dominance makes that resistance so much harder. For India, a stable neighbourhood would require, of course, Pakistan to reclaim civilian primacy instead of policy being carved out in a parliamentary backroom and stamped at lightning speed.

Munir might have won the institutional battle for now. But history and the long-suffering people of Pakistan will judge whether this was truly for the nation or merely for a man in uniform who bullied lawyers and politicians to turn back the clock on constitutionalism, democracy, and the will of the people. For India, it is yet another headache gifted to us by our neighbours thats going to keep hurting for a while.

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(The author is a freelance journalist and features writer based out of Delhi. Her main areas of focus are politics, social issues, climate change and lifestyle-related topics. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)
Turkish President Recep Erdogan sees himself as exceptional and on a divine mission, he wants to be judge and jury but refuses to subordinate himself to the same standards

On November 7, 2025, a Turkish state court issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and 36 other senior Israeli leaders on charges of genocide. The charges are nonsense, the latest populist stunt by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his quest to become leader of the worlds 200 crore Muslims, 11 per cent of whom live in India.

The Indian government should not ignore the outrage, for what Erdogan targets Israel with today, he will apply to India tomorrow. Erdogan is like a belligerent drunk whose friends coddle and protect him, even as he causes mayhem at home and abroad. When a drunk faces no consequences, his behaviour only becomes more outrageous. Erdogan may not be an alcoholic like modern Turkeys founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was, but his behaviour nevertheless demands a response.

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If Erdogan succeeds in forcing any Israeli to court, it is only a matter of time until he and his Pakistani, Qatari, and Malaysian allies try to do the same with democratically elected Indian leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Indian diplomats and military officers as part of a similar lawfare campaign to pursue their Kashmir and Khalistan ambitions.

Many Indiansboth old-school members of the diplomatic establishment and leftistsmay be sympathetic to the Palestinian case and credulous about the genocide rhetoric, but the facts do not support the polemics. If Israel conducted genocide in Gaza, then it is the first genocide in world history in which the subject people increased in population during the so-called genocide.

While Israel destroyed many structures, it did so only after facilitating the movement of the Palestinian population. The ratio of terrorists killed to civilian collateral damage was lower than any urban combat in history, one-tenth the civilian-to-combatant ratio of the Russia-Chechen war and less than half the civilian-to-combatant ratio of the Battle of Mosul. Erdogan is largely silent about the civil war in Sudan, the worlds deadliest current conflict, and he seeks to profit from the second most lethal conflictthe Russia-Ukraine Waras he sells weaponry to Ukraine while helping Russia evade sanctions and sell oil.

The source of the claims that Israel committed genocide in Gaza rests in the uncritical use of Gaza Health Ministry numbers. The Gaza Health Ministry is a Hamas entity, and its numbers are largely made up. Here, there is a parallel to the calumny a quarter century ago that five lakh children died due to Iraqi sanctions. The source of that claim was a Unicef report that relied solely upon data provided by Saddam Husseins health ministry. The Food and Agricultural Office had done its own surveying in Iraq at the time and found the leading causes of death under sanctions were diabetes and heart disease, hardly the diseases of the starving.

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The irony of Erdogans genocide claims today is twofold. First, the founders of modern Turkey were culpable in the genocide of 15 lakh Armenians just over 110 years ago, an event the Turkish government officially denies despite proof of deliberate extermination recorded in the documents of the Ottoman and Turkish states.

Nor were the Armenians alone. Over recent decades, Turkey has targeted Kurds, banning cultural expression and even letters of the alphabet used in Kurdish but not Turkish, arresting Kurdish intellectuals and political leaders, killing tens of thousands of Kurdish civilians, and turning Kurdish neighbourhoods in Diyarbakir, Mardin, and Cizre to rubble.

In Cyprus, too, Erdogan is guilty of cultural genocide against the relatively liberal Muslim Cypriots, whom he forces to conform to mainland Turkeys more conservative norms. In recent months, this has led to increasingly vocal protests by Cypriot Muslims struggling under the occupation of the Turkish Army and Turkeys flood of settlers into the occupied zone. In essence, Erdogan has done to northern Cyprus what Pakistans military leaders have done to Gilgit.

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Second, as with all other elements of foreign policy and diplomacy, Erdogan views genocide through an exclusively religious lens. After the International Criminal Court indicted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide in Darfur, Erdogan welcomed Bashir on a visit to Turkey; he explained that the indictment was unjust since a Muslim could not commit genocide. Put another way, when Muslims slaughter non-Muslims, it is resistance or justified, but if a Jew or Hindu defends themselves, it is genocide.

Erdogan sees himself as exceptional and on a divine mission; he wants to be judge and jury but refuses to subordinate himself to the same standards. As a state that suffers terrorism by groups that Turkey supports or applauds, ranging from Kashmir terror groups based in Pakistan to Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, India has a unique standing to defend Turkeys victims. If Indian courts charge Erdogan with genocide, they will not only be doing what is morally right and establishing India as a state that puts human rights at the center of its policy, but they will also be putting Turkey on notice that it will be judged by the standards by which Erdogan seeks to judge others.

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(Michael Rubin is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and director of policy analysis at the Middle East Forum in Washington, DC. The views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)
A plot stretching from Srinagar to Delhi reveals how terror has evolved; professionalised, networked, and aimed as much at social trust as at physical targets

Indias success in reducing terrorist numbers does not automatically dismantle the ecosystem that sustains extremism; networks survive even when terrorism recedes. Image: AP

The chain of events that began with a few Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) posters pasted quietly at Srinagars Jama Masjid has moved through unexpected and deeply unsettling phases. What initially appeared to be localised provocation has revealed itself to be the early trace of a much larger design  one that stretched across networks, professions and geographies until it collided with an accidental detonation outside Delhis Red Fort Metro Station.

That detonation, tragic as it was, may well have been the moment that prevented something far more catastrophic. It was the unintended rupture through which the country glimpsed the architecture of a long-brewing conspiracy.

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The First Clue: A Poster in Srinagar

The posters at Jama Masjid were far too polished and deliberate to be mistaken for casual graffiti. Officers in the Valley, seasoned by decades of militancy, sensed immediately that something larger was afoot  and they were right. That single clue led investigators through encrypted money trails, coordinated digital chatter and discreet travel patterns, eventually exposing a DelhiFaridabad module unlike any in recent years. Its members were medical professionals and educated operatives who had crossed from ideological sympathy into active preparation. The scale of their intent is now coming into view.

An Accident That Prevented a Catastrophe

The explosion outside Delhis Red Fort Metro Station, though tragic, may have averted something far worse. Early forensic assessments point to an accidental detonation of ammonium nitrate mishandled by untrained hands  perhaps a self-taught YouTube IED doctor. In J&K, genuine IED doctors have long been specialists who turn ordinary objects into sophisticated bombs. The Red Fort blast shows no such expertise; instead, it reflects the inexperience of medical professionals drawn into operational roles. Their error likely disrupted a far more ambitious plan to deploy multiple devices across the National Capital Region.

Unconfirmed intelligence indicates that up to thirty-two IEDs were being fabricated  a number whose synchronised detonation could have caused mayhem surpassing even Mumbai 26/11 in psychological impact.

The subsequent Srinagar explosion must also be understood correctly. The seized ammonium nitrate had been transported there for routine FIR procedures and appears to have been mishandled, leading to an unintended blast. This accident should not distract from the main conspiracy.

Together, these events reveal the sheer scale of the network India was confronting  far larger and more dangerous than early assessments suggested.

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The White-Collar OGW Turns Operator

Perhaps the most striking element of the Faridabad module is the presence of medical professionals. Kashmir has always had a wide Over Ground Worker (OGW) ecosystem  teachers, journalists, academics, minor functionaries  who provided ideological or logistical support. But they rarely crossed the line into active operations. The terrorist foot soldier was almost always from a poorer, less-educated demographic. That line has now blurred. The choice of professionals is strategic because:

 They attract less suspicion.

 They move effortlessly across urban India.

 They are adept at navigating digital anonymity.

 They lend psychological legitimacy to extremist narratives.

Reports that some among them travelled abroad raise the possibility that they were cultivating transnational contacts or escape channels. Certain Middle East locations  outside tightly regulated hubs  continue to provide anonymity and logistical depth to extremist networks. There is the possibility that several contacts exist in some urban centres in other parts of India.

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This transition from OGW to operator is one of the most significant evolutions in Indias threat landscape. Terrorists thus far were mostly from lower strata of society, less educated and intellectually less capable. The transformation of doctors and academics into radical operatives did not occur in a vacuum. It is the direct result of a digital ecosystem that has grown sophisticated in both reach and design and was an act of deliberation by the anti-India proxy masters.

Today, South Asian extremist networks deploy similar methods, such as:

 Encrypted chat groups

 Curated study circles

 Selective theological commentary

 Grievance-driven online narratives

Such environments attract those searching for meaning, validation, or agency  individuals far removed from the stereotypical portrait of a terrorist.

Digital Radicalisation: The New Battlefield of Minds

Radicalisation of professionals is the result of a digital propaganda ecosystem perfected over the last decade. Isis demonstrated this starkly. Its magazines, Dabiq and Rumiyah, were sophisticated psychological products, designed to appeal to engineers, doctors, and educated youth searching for identity and purpose. They provided ideological justification for violence, wrapped in religious rhetoric and intellectual sheen.

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South Asian extremist networks too have adopted this model. Online echo chambers  encrypted chat groups, curated study circles, and selective theological feeds  have created a slow, quiet radicalisation pipeline. Those recruited are not the desperate; they are the disoriented and disillusioned, looking for meaning or grievance validation. This digital battlefield is where the new war for Indias internal security is being fought and will continue to be fought.

Terrors Objective: To Divide Society Before It Attacks It

While operational details matter, India must not lose sight of the psychological strategy behind such plots. Terror groups do not merely seek casualties; they seek communal fractures. Their purpose is to provoke mistrust deep enough to hollow societies from within. Nowhere is this more tragic than in J&K. Just as Kashmiris were finally crossing the long hump of suspicion and rebuilding lives around normalcy rather than fear, this cascade of events has struck.

In recent years, the Valley has witnessed genuine renewal. Business has revived, cafes and cinemas have reopened, checkpoints have thinned, and young people have reclaimed public spaces with a confidence unseen in decades. After the Pahalgam killings, Kashmiris condemned the violence unequivocally  a collective assertion that they wished to move beyond the turbulence of the past. This progress clearly unsettled our adversaries. The Faridabad network reflects exactly the kind of design they cultivate  to bruise the trust slowly and painstakingly being rebuilt between Kashmiris and the rest of India.

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Early signs of danger are visible already: some reports of landlords refusing homes to minorities, Kashmiris being asked to vacate, and ordinary citizens viewing each other through a lens of fear. This is precisely the outcome Pakistans proxies seek. Their real victory lies not in a blast but in an India divided, suspicious and internally estranged.

Citizens must remain vigilant but never prejudiced. Security cannot be secured at the cost of social cohesion. A vigilant society strengthens the nation; a fearful one weakens it. This lesson is especially urgent in Jammu and Kashmir, where social trust has taken years of effort to nurture and must not be allowed to erode again. Indias success in reducing terrorist numbers does not automatically dismantle the ecosystem that sustains extremism; networks survive even when terrorism recedes.

A New Framework for a New Threat

Indias response must now mature from episodic reaction to quiet, continuous anticipation. The impressive coordination shown between the J&K Police, Haryana Police and Delhi Police cannot remain circumstantial; it must evolve into a permanent northern intelligence compact, capable of recognising patterns long before they manifest as crises. But institutional vigilance alone is insufficient.

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The country needs a wider civic architecture  community policing that builds trust, neighbourhood networks that report without prejudice, school and university outreach that sensitises young minds, and digital platforms that enable citizens to flag concerns without fear or bias.

Just as important is the ideological domain. India must adapt elements of Singapores successful model of religious rehabilitation but craft it to its own social fabric. Such an effort cannot be bureaucratised. It must be led by credible, moderate clerics and community figures who can challenge extremist doctrine from within the tradition, not impose counter-arguments from outside it. Faith must speak to faith if radicalisation is to be defused before it hardens.

Professional spaces, too  hospitals, universities, IT hubs and research centres  need quiet safeguards that can recognise behavioural drift, emotional isolation or grievance narratives early, not to stigmatise individuals but to support them back toward balance.

India has the capacity, confidence and institutional maturity to confront this evolving threat, but it must first recognise its true character. The adversary today seeks not simply destruction, but division; not merely casualties, but distrust. The strongest shield India can raise is a unity anchored in vigilance  alert but not afraid, watchful without being suspicious, and determined to deny the enemy the psychological victory it seeks. Only then will this new phase of the proxy war meet the same fate as its predecessors: exposed, contained and ultimately defeated.

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Remember: This battle is no longer just about bombs. It is about networks, narratives, and the quiet attempt to turn Indians against one another.

(The writer is the former Commander of Indias Srinagar-based Chinar Corps. Currently he is the Chancellor of the Central University of Kashmir and a member of the National Disaster Management Authority. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstposts views.)
Four migrants died and many others remain unaccounted for after two boats carrying 95 people capsized off Al Khums, with a separate sinking leaving at least 42 missing

At least four people were killed when two boats carrying 95 irregular migrants capsized off the coastal city of Al Khums on Thursday, according to the Libyan Red Crescent on Saturday.

The first vessel was transporting 26 migrants from Bangladesh, four of whom died, the organisation reported in a statement on its verified Facebook page. A second vessel was carrying 69 migrants, including two Egyptians and dozens of Sudanese, though the Red Crescent did not detail their condition.

Khums lies around 118 km east of Tripoli.

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On Wednesday, the International Organization for Migration confirmed that at least 42 migrants were missing and presumed dead after a rubber boat sank near the Al Buri oilfield, an offshore site north-northwest of the Libyan coast.

Images show aftermath and rescue efforts

Libya has become a key transit route for migrants escaping conflict and poverty in attempts to reach Europe across the Mediterranean since the fall in 2011 of former leader Muammar Gaddafi during a NATO-backed uprising.

Photographs released by the Khums Red Crescent depict bodies in black plastic bags laid out on the floor, while volunteers provide first aid to survivors. Other images show rescued migrants wrapped in thermal blankets as they sit on the ground.

The Red Crescent stated that the Coast Guards and the Khums Port Security Agency took part in the rescue operation, adding that the bodies were transferred to the relevant authorities following instructions from the citys public prosecution.

In mid-October, 61 bodies of migrants were recovered on the coast west of Tripoli. In September, the IOM reported that at least 50 people died after a vessel carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire off Libyas coast.

Last week, several states, including Britain, Spain, Norway, and Sierra Leone, urged Libya at a U.N. meeting in Geneva to close detention centers where rights groups allege that migrants and refugees have been tortured, abused and in some cases killed.
A Florida sex offender who staged his own death in 2010 was found living quietly in Indiana after nearly 16 years on the run.

A 74-year-old Florida man who pretended to be dead to avoid arrest has been located in Indiana after nearly sixteen years in hiding. Gary Wayne Howard was taken into custody on Thursday at his home near Indianapolis by US Marshals, ending a fugitive search that began in 2010.

As he was escorted away, Howard reportedly told officers, I had hoped to be dead before you caught up with me, according to WXIN.

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Howard was required to register as a lifelong sex offender in Florida after being convicted in 2007 of twenty two counts of possessing child pornography in Pinellas County. Three years later, he violated his probation and fled the state. Officials believe he abandoned an Enterprise rental car near Mauzy Lake in Morganfield, Kentucky, to make it appear he had taken his own life, a move investigators described as a deliberate attempt to stage his own death.

An arrest warrant was issued in March 2011 when Howard failed to register as a sex offender. Records directed that the five-foot-five, 250-pound fugitive be returned safely to a court in Clearwater, Florida. Detectives later found that Howard had numerous relatives in Indiana who could help him remain hidden.

Surveillance eventually led authorities to a home in the Irvington area, where Howard was seen living. US Marshals arrested him on Thursday as he stepped onto his front porch. He was booked into Vanderburgh County Jail, located 160 miles southwest of Indianapolis. He is being held on charges from multiple agencies and is expected to be extradited to Florida, where he faces potential imprisonment for violating probation and thirty-two counts of failing to register as a sex offender. He also faces an Adam Walsh prosecution case in Indiana under federal law aimed at protecting children from exploitation and abuse.

US Marshal William Berger Sr, from the Middle District of Florida, said the arrest showed the persistence of law enforcement. This arrest exemplifies the tenacity and determination of Deputy US Marshals and our task force partners to bring every fugitive to justice. You can run, you can hide, but law enforcement never stops hunting those who defy it. Justice has a way of catching up to those who run from it.
Chileans began voting Sunday in elections dominated by rising crime and immigration, fuelling far-right calls for an iron fist and Donald Trump-style threats of mass deportations.

People queue to vote during the general election, at the Estacion Mapocho cultural centre in Santiago on November 16, 2025.- AFP

Chileans went to the polls on Sunday to choose a new president and parliament, in an election widely expected to tilt toward the hard right as candidates tap into public concerns over rising organised crime and immigration.

The vote marks the first round of what is almost certain to be a two-stage presidential contest, with surveys indicating that no contender will surpass the 50% needed to avoid a runoff set for December 14.

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Polling stations opened at 8:00 am (1100 GMT), giving voters eight hours to cast their ballots for the presidency and parliamentary seats. Results are expected roughly two hours after voting ends at 4:00 pm (1900 GMT).

Although the presidential race appears to present stark ideological contrasts from 51-year-old Jeannette Jara, a Communist Party member and former labour minister in the left-wing government, to 59-year-old Jose Antonio Kast, an ultraconservative lawyer and ex-lawmaker who opposes abortion and pledges to shrink the state, the campaign has converged around a common issue: public security.

Growing anxiety over gang-related crime, fuelled by a wave of irregular migration from crisis-hit Venezuela, has pushed both leading candidates to focus heavily on law and order.

Polling indicates that Jara, who is backed by a broad left-wing alliance, is on track to win Sundays first-round vote. However, far-right candidate Kast is widely expected to prevail in the December runoff.

A sharp increase in murders, kidnappings and extortion over the past decade has sown terror in Chile, one of Latin Americas safest nations.

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We need someone who shows an iron fist, Jacqueline Ruz, a 56-year-old Kast supporter, told AFP at his final rally this week in Santiago.

Third time lucky! said Kast, the ultraconservative candidate and father of nine who first ran for president in 2017 and was runner-up in 2021.

The vote is seen as a litmus test for South Americas left, which has been sent packing in Argentina and Bolivia and faces a stiff challenge in Colombian and Brazilian elections next year.

Guillaume Long, a senior fellow at the US Center for Economic Policy and Research, said a win for the far-right would see Chile playing a very aggressive role internationally, probably in close alliance with both Milei and Trump."

With inputs from agencies
Chileans head to the polls Sunday in an election driven by soaring crime and immigration fears, with candidates pushing iron fist policies

Chileans vote on Sunday in a presidential election marked by rising crime and surging immigration, with calls for an iron fist and comparisons to Donald Trumps approach to mass deportations shaping the campaign. Voters face a stark ideological range, with frontrunners including a long-time Communist Party figure and two ultraconservative candidates. Public discontent with the policies of leftist President Gabriel Boric has added to uncertainty over the countrys direction.

Eight candidates are on the ballot, with at least three emerging as leading contenders. They include Jose Antonio Kast, an ultraconservative promising to make Chile great again; Johannes Kaiser, a libertarian viewed as more radical than Kast; and Jeannette Jara, a longstanding Communist Party member who has sought to distance herself from the Boric administration.

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Fractured field of frontrunners

Polls place Jara, aged 51 and a former labour minister under Boric, in the lead. Although she represents Chiles left-wing coalition, her ties to the unpopular government have weighed on her campaign. She has even suggested she might suspend her Communist Party membership if elected. Jara has pledged to boost development through domestic production, strengthen workers rights, and raise the minimum wage. Acknowledging mounting security concerns, she has proposed building more prisons, increasing police numbers, and reinforcing border security with advanced technology.

Her closest challenger, Kast, has drawn comparisons with Donald Trump. His platform includes closing the borders and removing some 300,000 people who entered Chile irregularly. Kast has long opposed abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and immigration, and in a previous presidential bid, proposed digging trenches along stretches of the northern border to deter irregular crossings. In past reporting, news agency AP noted that his German-born father had been a member of Hitlers Nazi party, though Kast has denied this and described his father instead as a forced conscript in the German army.

Kast founded the Republican Party in 2019 and played a key role in bringing extreme right-wing positions into national politics.

Late in the campaign, however, another ultraconservative figure gained ground. Kaiser, a YouTuber turned politician, advanced with proposals centred on a free-market economy, austerity measures and harsher criminal penalties. He suggested in an interview with Agence France-Presse that immigrants with criminal records be sent to El Salvadors Terrorism Confinement Center, known as Cecot.

Dissatisfied with the Republican Party, Kaiser and four deputies created a new right-wing party in 2024 aligned with libertarian ideas. Speaking to CNN Chile in February 2024, Kaiser said his platform sits further to the right than Kasts, remarking, to my right is Genghis Khan.
China sent a coast guard formation through the disputed Senkaku waters on Sunday, stepping up pressure on Japan amid a growing diplomatic row sparked by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichis recent remarks on Taiwan.

A China Coast Guard ship formation sailed through the waters around the Senkaku Islands on Sunday (November 16, 2025) during a rights enforcement patrol, the agency said, as Beijing escalates tensions with Japan following remarks by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan.

The uninhabited islands in the East China Sea are claimed by both countries, and sightings of Chinese vessels have become more frequent.

Earlier on Sunday, the China Coast Guard said its formation conducted a rights enforcement patrol around the Senkaku Islands, which China calls the Diaoyu. China coast guard vessel 1307 formation conducted patrols within the territorial waters of the Diaoyu islands. This was a lawful patrol operation conducted by the China coast guard to uphold its rights and interests, the statement said.

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Spat deepens after Takaichis Taiwan remarks

The diplomatic dispute has intensified since Takaichi told parliament on November 7 that a potential Chinese attack on democratically ruled Taiwan could prompt a military response from Tokyo. Beijing reacted sharply and has signalled it expects a retraction from Takaichi.

China issues warning for students in Japan

China has also warned students planning to study in Japan about heightened risks for Chinese nationals, as tensions escalate following Takaichis comments on Taiwan. State broadcaster CCTV said Sunday that the Education Ministry urged Chinese students already in Japan, and those preparing to go, to closely track the local security situation.

In a further step, China on Sunday advised citizens to carefully reconsider studying in Japan, citing what it described as an unstable security environment. The guidance is not a ban, but a steep decline in enrolment could hurt Japanese universities, which hosted more than 123,000 Chinese students last year.

Regional ripple effects around Taiwan

China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force. Taiwan rejects Chinese rule and has vowed to defend itself if necessary. Any conflict could draw in major regional players, including Japan and the US.

Taiwans defence ministry said it detected 30 Chinese military aircraft, seven navy ships and one official vessel operating around the island over the past 24 hours, with up to three drones flying between Taiwan and Japans outlying islands, including near Yonaguni.

Tokyo faces growing pressure

Japan has come under increasing diplomatic pressure since Takaichis remarks. Chinas consul general in Osaka triggered a formal protest from Tokyo after saying the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off. Beijing then summoned Japans ambassador for the first time in over two years, and its defence ministry warned that any Japanese intervention would be doomed to fail.

China also advised its citizens Friday to avoid travelling to Japan, prompting Tokyo to urge Beijing to take appropriate measures. Several Chinese airlines later offered free refunds or flight changes.

State media ramps up criticism

Late Saturday, Chinese state media accused Takaichi of staging a political stunt that was not just dangerously provocative but fundamentally perverse, warning that any ChinaJapan conflict would likely draw in the US and could quickly spiral into a large-scale conflict with unimaginable consequences.

Taiwans stance remains firm

Taiwans government maintains that only its people can determine the islands future. While Japan has long avoided referencing Taiwan directly in security debates, China insists reunification is inevitable and labels any resistance as escalatory.
BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Education released an overseas study alert on Sunday, urging Chinese students currently in Japan or planning to study there soon to assess risks carefully, take necessary precautions, and plan their studies prudently.

The ministry said that safety risks for Chinese citizens in Japan have risen, citing Japan's recent poor public security, a surge in crimes targeting Chinese citizens, and the overall unfavorable study environment. 
The Chinese military for the first time conducted a bomber formation patrol with its fighter jets over the disputed South China Sea on Sunday as a warning to the Philippines after its navy conducted joint patrols with the US and Japan.

Chinas military carried out its first-ever bomber formation patrol with fighter jets over the disputed South China Sea on Sunday, issuing what it called a warning to the Philippines following Manilas recent joint naval patrols with the United States and Japan.

Beijing lays claim to most of the South China Sea, where it remains embroiled in long-standing territorial disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan, all of which assert competing claims in the vital waterway that serves as a major international trade corridor.

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According to the state-run Global Times, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theatre Command said it conducted the bomber patrol in response to what it described as the Philippines joint patrols with outside powers, marking the first public announcement of such an operation.

The Philippines conducted the two-day maritime exercise with the US and Japan from Friday to Saturday.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Southern Theatre Command, Senior Colonel Tian Junli, said the Philippines has frequently colluded with external forces to carry out so-called joint patrols, undermining regional peace and stability.

We solemnly warn the Philippine side to immediately stop provoking incidents and escalating tensions, he said.

The theatre command forces maintain a high level of alert at all times, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty, security, and peace and stability in the South China Sea region, Tian said.

Any attempt to infringe on the sovereignty and stir up trouble will never succeed, he added.

According to military affairs experts, the bomber formation is one of the PLAs diversified strike methods.

Song Zhongping, a military affairs expert, told the Global Times that the bombers are among the most important air strike forces, and the dispatch of a bomber formation can demonstrate stronger strike capability. These can also carry out effective saturation attacks even if the opponent has large surface ships, he said.

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The Philippines has been courting external forces to conduct so-called joint patrols in the South China Sea, posing threats to Chinas sovereignty over its islands and reefs, he said.

Against this background, the PLA bomber formations patrol could serve as a warning to the provocateurs warships, Song added.

In recent months, tensions between the Philippines and China escalated with naval and coast guard ships of both countries colliding to assert control of the areas they claim.

Chinas bomber patrols also came in the backdrop of a sudden spurt of tensions between China and Japan.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently said that any Taiwan emergency involving the use of military force by China could be recognised as a survival-threatening situation for Japan under its security legislation, which may allow it to exercise the right of collective self-defence.

Her remarks have stirred up a major diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing.

China warned that any Japanese intervention in Taiwan would be seen as an act of aggression and would be met with strong retaliation.

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A commentary by the Chinese military mouthpiece, the PLA Daily, on Sunday warned that Japan risked turning its entire country into a battlefield if it intervened militarily in the Taiwan Strait.

In the strongly worded commentary, the official newspaper of the PLA said Takaichi had revealed Tokyos wolfish ambition to interfere in other countries internal affairs through military means.

The commentary warned that Japans misguided actions would only lead the country down a path of no return.

It risks the entire country becoming a battlefield, it said.

Meanwhile, reports from Tokyo said on Sunday that following Takaichis firm stand, her public approval rate rose to 69.9 per cent, up 5.5 percentage points from the previous poll conducted shortly after she took office late last month.

The survey, held over two days from Saturday, found that 60.4 per cent favoured an increase in defence spending to bolster Japans defence capabilities, while 48.8 per cent supported the exercise of its right to collective self-defence in the event of a Taiwan contingency, according to the Japanese news agency, Kyodo.

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With inputs from agencies
Nearly 14 million Ecuadorans will be able to vote on four questions that will decide how the country tackles rampant drug violence and addresses economic reforms

People queue to vote in the referendum, in San Miguel del Comun, in the northern outskirts of Quito, Ecuador on November 16, 2025. (Photo by Rodrigo BUENDIA / AFP)

Ecuadorans began voting on Sunday on whether to allow the return of foreign military bases and the drafting of a new constitution that could give the countrys Trump-friendly president more power.

May this day reaffirm that democracy is exercised, honored, and defended by voting, said Diana Atamaint, the president of the National Electoral Council, as she declared voting open.

Nearly 14 million Ecuadorans will be able to vote on four questions that will decide how the country tackles rampant drug violence and addresses economic reforms. Polls will close at 5 pm local time.

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)
Local officials said the number of arrests was still unclear but condemned the sweep for causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty i(FIle Photo/AFP)

Federal immigration agents descended on Charlotte on Saturday, carrying out a new round of raids as President Donald Trump continued his national crackdown on illegal immigration. US Border Patrol officers were seen making multiple arrests in North Carolinas largest city during an operation aimed at what officials described as violent criminal illegal aliens in the Democratic-run area. The move drew swift criticism from local leaders.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbours, adding that the agency was increasing its law enforcement presence in Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed".

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Local officials said the number of arrests was still unclear but condemned the sweep for causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty in a community with more than 150000 immigrant residents. In a joint statement, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, Mecklenburg County Board Chair Mark Jerrell and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board member Stephanie Sneed said they stood with residents who simply want to go about their lives. They stressed their commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of all people in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and urged residents to understand their legal rights.

Fears rise as federal presence increases

Officials highlighted Charlottes diversity, appealed for any demonstrations to remain peaceful and reminded residents to contact local police, who are not involved in the raids, if they needed help. Rumours that federal agents were moving into the city prompted reports of increased Border Patrol and ICE traffic stops since Friday, leading some businesses to close temporarily out of fear.

Mecklenburg County Republican Party Chairman Kyle Kirby supported the operation, saying President Trump was given a mandate in the 2024 election to secure our borders. He criticised Democrats for abandoning their duty to uphold law and order and insisted that individuals in the country legally have nothing to fear.

The Department of Homeland Security has already carried out mass immigration raids in cities across California, Illinois, Oregon and New York, some of which have seen violence directed at federal officers. Last week, an illegal Mexican immigrant allegedly opened fire on Border Patrol agents during operations in Chicago.
Authorities said the gang targeted a Roubaix jewellery boutique, held the owners hostage for a while, then made off with the valuables

A security guard stands in front of the Pyramide du Louvre, designed by Chinese-US architect Ieoh Ming Pei, with the Louvre Museum in the background in Paris. The Louvre Museum has reopened its doors to visitors aftet the October 19 robbery by four criminals, who made off with eight jewels. AFP

Thieves in northern France have stolen jewellery valued at up to $1.2 million, police said on Saturday.

According to authorities, the robbers broke into a jewellery shop in the centre of Roubaix, near Lille, on Wednesday. They briefly held the shop owner and his wife hostage before fleeing with the high-value items.

Police estimated the stolen jewellery to be worth between 500,000 and one million euros ($580,000 to $1.2 million). An investigation has been opened on charges including kidnapping, armed extortion and involvement in organised crime.

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In a separate incident earlier the same day, a group of suspects blew open a cash-handling safe at Roubaixs main post office and ran off with a bag stored inside. It was later discovered that the bag contained nothing but other empty bags. Six people were arrested later that evening.

Straight from the Louvre heist playbook

These incidents follow another major theft last month, when a group carried out a bold daytime robbery at the Louvre museum in Paris, escaping with jewellery worth an estimated $102 million. The jewels included a tiara, necklace, and a single earring from the sapphire set once owned by Queens Marie-Amelie and Hortense.

They also stole an emerald necklace and matching earrings from Empress Marie-Louises collection.

In addition, they took a reliquary brooch, the tiara of Empress Eugenie, and a large diamond corsage-bow brooch belonging to her. Empress Eugenies emerald- and diamond-studded crown was also dropped during their escape and later recovered, though it was damaged.

Several people have been taken into custody over the Louvre jewellery heist.

Among them are two men from Aubervilliers, aged 34 and 39, who were charged with organised theft and criminal conspiracyone was arrested at Charles de Gaulle Airport while trying to fly to Algeria, and the other was detained at home after investigators found his DNA on a smashed display case. Two more suspects, a 37-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman, were also charged, with the woman accused of acting as an accomplice.

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In total, seven people were arrested during the investigation, though three were later released without charges. One of the suspects was identified after DNA at the scene matched his profile, and another woman, linked to one of the main suspects, was released under judicial supervision with travel and contact restrictions.
Thousands of Gen Z protesters took to the streets of Mexico City on Saturday to hold demonstrations against the growing crime and corruption across Mexico

A few thousand people took to the streets of Mexico City on Saturday to protest growing crime, corruption and impunity. AP

Thousands of Gen Z protesters took to the streets of Mexico City on Saturday to hold demonstrations against the growing crime and corruption across Mexico. While the protest was organised by members of Generation Z, it received strong backing from older supporters of opposition parties.

The protests in Mexico are coming at a time when, in several countries this year, members of the demographic group born between the late 90s and early 2010s have organised protests, raising concern over inequality, democratic backsliding and corruption across different nations around the world.

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For instance, the largest Gen Z protests took place in Nepal in September after a ban on social media. The protest eventually led to the resignation of the countrys prime minister and the establishment of an interim government.

Why is Gen Z protesting in Mexico?

When it comes to Mexico, young people say that they are frustrated with systemic problems like corruption and impunity for violent crimes in the country. We need more security, said Andres Massa, a 29-year-old business consultant who carried the pirate skull flag that has become a global symbol of Gen Z protests, CNN reported.

While protests are frequent in the country, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum still has high approval ratings. The protests are taking place amid a recent spate of high-profile murders that includes the assassination of a popular mayor in the western state of Michoacan.

Days ahead of the Saturday demonstrations, Sheinbaum accused right-wing parties of trying to infiltrate the Gen Z movement. She accused her political enemies of using bots on social media to increase attendance.

The Saturday marches were more than Gen Z protests and were attended by people from several age groups, with supporters of the recently killed Michoacan Mayor Carlos Manzo, attending the protest wearing the straw hats that symbolise his political movement.

The state is dying, said Rosa Maria Avila, a 65-year-old real estate agent who travelled from the town of Patzcuaro in Michoacan state. He was killed because he was a man who was sending officers into the mountains to fight delinquents. He had the guts to confront them, she told CNN while speaking about Manzo.

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Greece and Ukraine have signed a new agreement to channel US liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Kyiv through Greek terminals, a move aimed at strengthening regional energy security as Ukraine prepares for a challenging winter amid ongoing Russian attacks.

The biggest shock came with the accusation that an alleged close friend and a former business associate of Zelensky had masterminded the scheme. AFP

Greece and Ukraine signed an agreement on Sunday to facilitate the transport of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Ukraine, a move officials say will bolster regional energy security as Kyiv prepares for a difficult winter.

The deal, signed in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Energy Minister Stavros Papastavrou and US Ambassador Kimberly Gillfoyle, formalises a declaration of intent between Greeces DEPA Commerce and Ukraines Naftogaz. Under the plan, US LNG will be routed through Greece via the Vertical Corridor from December 2025 to March 2026. Supplies are expected to begin in January.

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Greek officials said the agreement will help maintain stable gas flows to Europe and offer critical support to Ukraine.

At a joint press conference, Mitsotakis said, We stand with the Ukrainian people. Greece sided from the first moment with the defender against an attack that violates every principle of sovereignty and international law. He reaffirmed that the inviolability of borders is nonnegotiable and described Greece as a steady ally of Kyiv. Mitsotakis also highlighted the creation of a new secure energy artery from south to north through the Vertical Corridor and promised Greek support for Ukraines postwar reconstruction.

Zelenskyy thanked Greece for its continuous, substantive and multifaceted support and noted the daily attacks on Ukraines critical infrastructure. He also expressed appreciation to Greece and the US for their role in the energy agreements and urged continued pressure on Moscow, saying, Russia deserves further sanctions, and we are very pleased with Greece, which supports our initiatives to return abducted children and prisoners of war.

Zelenskyy arrived in Athens earlier on Sunday for high-level meetings on energy cooperation and ongoing Greek assistance. He was welcomed by President of the Hellenic Republic Konstantinos Tasoulas before meeting Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion for the signing ceremony.
Israel has denied deliberately firing at UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, saying its troops mistook them for suspects due to poor weather conditions.

Israels military said on Sunday that its troops did not intentionally fire at United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, saying the soldiers were mistaken for suspects during poor weather conditions.

After a review, it was determined that the suspects were UN soldiers who were conducting a patrol in the area and were classified as suspects due to poor weather conditions, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. It added, No deliberate fire was directed toward UNIFIL soldiers.

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The IDF said troops in the Al-Hamames area initially spotted two suspects and fired warning shots, forcing them to withdraw. A later review confirmed the individuals were UN peacekeepers.

The IDF emphasizes that no deliberate fire was directed toward UNIFIL soldiers, and the matter is being handled through official liaison channels, the statement said, noting that operations would continue to remove any threat to Israel.

Earlier, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said Israeli troops fired from a Merkava tank near an Israeli post, with heavy machine gun rounds landing about five meters from peacekeepers on foot. The peacekeepers took cover and contacted Israeli forces through liaison channels to stop the firing. They withdrew safely around 30 minutes later after the tank pulled back. No injuries were reported.

UNIFIL called the incident a serious violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and urged the IDF to cease any aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers, stressing that UN personnel are working to stabilise the area.

UNIFIL positions have been hit multiple times since cross-border clashes began after the Gaza war in October 2023. Despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has continued limited strikes in Lebanon, citing Hezbollah threats, and has maintained positions beyond a February 18 withdrawal deadline.
Authorities plan to extend the cloud-seeding missions to East and West Azerbaijan provinces in the coming days

A trickle of water flows in the mainly dried-up Kan River, west of Tehran on November 9, 2025, as the Iran faces sever water shortages. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Facing one of its most extreme water shortages in decades, Iran has begun deploying cloud-seeding flights in a renewed bid to coax rainfall, according to reports from state media.

The first operation of the current water yearwhich started in Septembertook place over the Urmia Lake basin, the IRNA news agency announced late Saturday. Once the countrys largest lake, Urmia has dramatically receded, leaving behind a sprawling salt plain as prolonged drought and mismanagement continue to take a toll.

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Authorities plan to extend the cloud-seeding missions to East and West Azerbaijan provinces in the coming days. The technique involves dispersing substances such as silver iodide or salt from aircraft to encourage moisture in the clouds to condense and fall as rain. Iran revealed last year that it had developed domestic expertise to conduct these operations independently.

The latest intervention comes as rainfall levels plunge far below seasonal norms. IRNA cited the national meteorological service as saying precipitation across the country has dropped by roughly 89 percent compared with long-term averages. The organisation warned that this autumn is shaping up to be the driest the country has experienced in half a century.

Despite the grim picture, scattered showers were recorded on Saturday in several western provincesincluding Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, and Lorestanalong with parts of West Azerbaijan. State media also broadcast rare early-season snowfall over the Tochal mountain and ski resort in the Alborz range near Tehran.

Much of Iran, known for its arid climate, has long struggled with recurring droughts and increasingly severe heat wavesconditions scientists say are likely to intensify with global warming. Tehran, in particular, has seen its lowest rainfall in roughly 100 years, according to city officials, while nearly half of the countrys provinces have gone without any measurable precipitation for months.

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The prolonged dry spell has also pushed reservoirs to historic lows, raising alarm over water supplies for several regions. Earlier in November, President Masoud Pezeshkian cautioned that if the capital does not receive rainfall before winter sets in, authorities might have to consider evacuating parts of Tehran, though he did not provide further details.

Iran is not alone in experimenting with weather modification. Several neighbouring nations, including the United Arab Emirates, have also turned to cloud seeding in hopes of easing their own water shortages.
Iran has rejected claims of operating any secret nuclear sites, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying all facilities are under UN monitoring and that enrichment has stopped due to damage from recent Israeli strikes.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said his country will not attend the summit. Reuters

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday dismissed reports of any covert uranium enrichment facilities, insisting that all of Irans nuclear sites remain under UN monitoring.

His comments came after US media outlets, including the Washington Post and the New York Times, reported expanded construction at a secret underground site known as Pickaxe Mountain or Kuh-e Kolang near Natanz  a site Iran has never acknowledged.

Theres no undeclared nuclear enrichment facility in Iran; all of our facilities are under the safeguard and monitoring of the agency, Araghchi said at a forum in Tehran. He added that no enrichment is taking place currently because Irans sites were damaged during the recent war with Israel.

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War damage and stalled nuclear talks

The mid-June conflict began after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran, triggering a 12-day war that also saw the US carry out limited strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The fighting derailed nuclear talks that had resumed in April, with Washington and Tehran still divided over Irans right to enrich uranium  which Araghchi again described as undeniable and inalienable.

Iran says its facilities were heavily damaged and that enriched material remains buried under rubble.

Araghchis remarks come ahead of a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agencys Board of Governors.

Iran warns IAEA over possible resolution

At the same forum, Iranian officials warned the IAEA against adopting any resolution targeting Iran. Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said: In case of a resolution, Iran will consider a review of its relations with the IAEA and will conduct a fundamental review.

After the war, Iran suspended cooperation with the agency and restricted inspector access to bombed sites, accusing the IAEA of bias. A cooperation framework agreed in September later collapsed after Britain, France and Germany triggered the return of UN sanctions previously lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, which formally expired in October after years of erosion following Washingtons withdrawal during President Donald Trumps first term.
US President Donald Trump on Friday suggested that he has made up his mind on a course of action in Venezuela. Here are some of the hints hidden in his remarks

US President Donald Trump waves as he walks to board Air Force One while departing for Florida from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, US, November 7, 2025. File Image/Reuters

US President Donald Trump on Friday suggested that he has made up his mind on a course of action in Venezuela. Trumps remarks on the matter came following multiple high-level briefings this week as the US mounts its military might near the Latin American nation.

Four sources close to the matter told CNN that American officials briefed Trump on options for military operations inside Venezuela, laying out risks and benefits of launching a full-scale campaign in the country that could eventually lead to an overthrow of President Nicolas Maduro's regime.

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Trumps stance came at a time when the American military had amassed more than a dozen warships and 15,000 troops in the region as part of what the Pentagon branded Operation Southern Spear. On Friday, the president said that he was drawing closer to a path forward on his attempts to cut down on illegal flows of migrants and drugs, and the possibility of regime change.

I sort of have made up my mind  yeah. I mean, I cant tell you what it would be, but I sort of have, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked directly about those meetings and whether he had made a decision.

The hints behind Trumps remarks

According to CNN, this week, a small group, including Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, briefed the president about the situation in Venezuela. On Thursday, a larger national security team, including Secretary of State and other top officials, met with Trump in the Situation Room and reviewed target options.

As per the report, Trump has been presented with a wide range of options for Venezuela, including air strikes on military or government facilities and drug-trafficking routes, or a more direct attempt to take out Maduro. The meeting came a month after Trump said that he had authorised the CIA to operate in the country.

However, officials told lawmakers last week that the US didnt have a legal justification that would support attacks against any land targets  though it is possible they could generate one. Not only this, Trump recently told CBS that he was not considering strikes inside Venezuela, despite earlier sounding open to the idea.

The sources told CNN that the president has, in meetings, seemed wary of ordering actions that could end in failure or put US troops at risk.

So what are the potential risks and benefits of such actions?

It is pertinent to note that a regime change in Venezuela would require a serious commitment by the US and carries a high risk. However, ousting Maduro could give Trump and his team credit for something that has proved elusive to multiple American administrations, including his own.

During his first term in office, Trump officially recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the countrys legitimate leader. However, a failed coup attempt in 2019 meant Guaido never managed to take power.

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If Trump were to manage to oust Maduro, the US president could claim major wins. But experts have also warned that if Trump ordered strikes inside Venezuela aimed at ousting Maduro, the US president could face serious challenges with fractured opposition elements and a military poised for insurgency.

On Friday, Maduro warned that US military intervention could lay the groundwork for what he described as another Gaza, a new Afghanistan, or Vietnam again. He went on to offer a direct message to the US and said: Stop the insane hand of those who order bombing, killing and bringing war to South America, to the Caribbean. Stop the war. No to war.

An American military intervention in Venezuela also runs the risk of upsetting the political coalition that propelled Trump into office on promises of keeping America out of overseas wars. Both Vice President JD Vance and Hegseth have been against US involvement in foreign conflicts such as the Iraq War. Hence, it will be interesting to see how Trump would navigate the issue.

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China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, is underway on Nov. 15, 2025. The Sichuan returned to the shipyard in Shanghai at around 5 p.m. Sunday after completing its maiden sea trial. (Photo by Zhang Liang/Xinhua)

SHANGHAI, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, returned to the shipyard in Shanghai at around 5 p.m. Sunday after completing its maiden sea trial.

The three-day mission tested the indigenously developed ship's propulsion and electrical systems, as well as other equipment, achieving the expected results.

The Sichuan will undergo follow-up tests in accordance with established plans.

Being the new-generation amphibious assault ship of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, the vessel incorporates innovative electromagnetic catapult and arrestor technologies, enabling it to carry fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and amphibious equipment. 

China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, returns to the shipyard after completing its maiden sea trial on Nov. 16, 2025. The Sichuan returned to the shipyard in Shanghai at around 5 p.m. Sunday after completing its maiden sea trial.(Photo by Zhang Liang/Xinhua)

China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, is underway on Nov. 15, 2025. The Sichuan returned to the shipyard in Shanghai at around 5 p.m. Sunday after completing its maiden sea trial.(Photo by Zhang Liang/Xinhua)

China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, is underway on Nov. 15, 2025. The Sichuan returned to the shipyard in Shanghai at around 5 p.m. Sunday after completing its maiden sea trial.(Photo by Zhang Liang/Xinhua)

China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, returns to the shipyard after completing its maiden sea trial on Nov. 16, 2025. The Sichuan returned to the shipyard in Shanghai at around 5 p.m. Sunday after completing its maiden sea trial.(Photo by Zhang Liang/Xinhua)

China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, is underway on Nov. 16, 2025. The Sichuan returned to the shipyard in Shanghai at around 5 p.m. Sunday after completing its maiden sea trial.(Photo by Zhang Jiankai/Xinhua)

China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, is underway on Nov. 16, 2025. The Sichuan returned to the shipyard in Shanghai at around 5 p.m. Sunday after completing its maiden sea trial.(Photo by Huang Haitao/Xinhua)

China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, is underway on Nov. 15, 2025. The Sichuan returned to the shipyard in Shanghai at around 5 p.m. Sunday after completing its maiden sea trial.(Photo by Huang Haitao/Xinhua)

China's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, the Sichuan, is underway on Nov. 16, 2025. The Sichuan returned to the shipyard in Shanghai at around 5 p.m. Sunday after completing its maiden sea trial.(Photo by Huang Haitao/Xinhua)
A new YouGov poll shows that most Americans disapprove of ICE operations carried out under the Trump administrations mass deportation efforts.

Federal agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) walk north on North Clark Street in the River North neighborhood, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Chicago. (Photo: Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

A majority of Americans disapprove of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations linked to the Trump administrations mass deportation drive, according to a YouGov survey released on Friday. The poll found that 53 percent of citizens somewhat or strongly disapprove of ICE, while 39 percent approve of how the agency is operating.

The administration has deployed immigration enforcement teams to Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Raids have resulted in the detention of individuals suspected of being immigrants without authorization to live in the United States, and agents have begun targeting schools, churches, and workplaces.

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Most respondents, 55 percent, said ICE sometimes or often arrests United States citizens and immigrants who are authorized to live in the country. Sixty-one percent said immigration authorities detain people who have not committed any immigration or customs violations.

Public split on concerns for personal safety

More than half of those surveyed, 52 per cent, said ICEs tactics are too forceful. A further 26 percent said the agencys approach is about right, while 11 percent felt it is not forceful enough.

The poll also showed that 46 percent of Americans are somewhat or very concerned that someone they know could be mistreated by ICE, compared with 47 percent who said they are not very or not at all concerned.

YouGov conducted the online survey from Oct. 812 with 1,065 United States adult citizens. The margin of error is four percentage points.

Hundreds of undocumented migrants have been arrested in Chicago amid the Trump administrations immigration crackdown. However, District Judge Jeffrey Cummings ordered the release of detainees who were not considered security risks while they await the outcome of their immigration proceedings.

Trump ordered hundreds of National Guard troops to the Democratic-run city to tackle crime and support immigration enforcement, but federal courts have blocked the deployment. Last month, the administration asked the Supreme Court to overturn the lower court rulings preventing the Guard from being sent in.
Michelle Obama has said the US is not ready to elect a woman president, arguing the country still has a lot of growing up to do after the 2024 election.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama wait at North Portico of the White House to greet Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and his wife Agnese Landini, for a State Dinner, October 18, 2016. AP

Former US first lady Michelle Obama said America is not ready for a woman president, arguing the country still has a lot of growing up to do.

As we saw in this past election, sadly, we aint ready, she said. Thats why Im like, dont even look at me about running, because you all are lying. Youre not ready for a woman. You are not.

Her remarks came during a Nov. 5 conversation at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with actor Tracee Ellis Ross, posted Friday on her YouTube page. The two discussed Obamas new book, The Look, and the role of first lady. Ross asked whether expectations around wifedom and femininity had shaped how Americans view a woman president.

President Donald Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

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You know, we got a lot of growing up to do, and theres still, sadly, a lot of men who do not feel like they can be led by a woman, and we saw it, Obama added.

Campaigning for Harris in 2024

Obama campaigned for Harris in 2024, drawing large crowds and speaking about womens health care while urging men to support the Democratic candidate.

Despite recurring speculation about her political future, Obama has consistently rejected the idea of running for president.

Reiterates long-standing refusal to run

Former first lady Michelle Obama has repeated similar comments before. I will not run for president. No, nope, not going to do it, she said back in 2016 while still first lady.

Her conversation with Ellis Ross in Brooklyn also touched on her approach to fashion and politics during her time in the White House.

Warning against a second Trump presidency

Obama also campaigned forcefully against Trump ahead of the 2024 election.

Please, please do not hand our fates over to the likes of Trump, who knows nothing about us, who has shown deep contempt for us, she said at a Michigan rally days before the vote. Because a vote for him is a vote against us, against our health, against our worth.

At the same rally, she asked: By every measure, (Harris) has demonstrated that shes ready.  The real question is, as a country, are we ready for this moment?
Palestinian Authoritys Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday warned Palestinians living in Gaza to be wary of networks that seek to remove them from their homes amid the South African flight debacle.

Displaced Palestinians move with their belongings southwards on a road in the Nuseirat refugee camp area in the central Gaza Strip. AFP

Palestinian Authoritys Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday warned Palestinians living in Gaza to be wary of networks that seek to remove them from their homes. The warning was issued a day after 153 Palestinians who left Gaza without knowing their final destination and without proper paperwork arrived in South Africa.

They were on a flight from Kenya and were held up by South African authorities for 12 hours on Friday as they tried to figure out how they had arrived in the country. The mysterious arrival came at a time when South Africa had been advancing a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

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While the investigation into the matter continues, the South African authorities are giving 90-day visas to stranded Palestinians. In light of this, the Palestinian ministry on Saturday expressed deep appreciation for the support from the South African authorities and people. The Palestinian embassy in Pretoria noted that it is working to assist the travellers who have endured over two years of Israeli genocidal war, killing, displacement, and destruction.

However, the foreign ministry warned that the companies, unofficial entities and unregistered intermediaries inside Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory are trying to mislead Palestinians and incite them to leave their homeland. The ministry calls upon our people, especially our people in the Gaza Strip, to exercise caution and not fall prey to human trafficking, to merchants and companies of blood, and to agents of displacement, it said.

Questions over how Palestinians reach South Africa

Questions have been mounting around the shadowy organisation that orchestrated the mystery trip  Al-Majd Europe. According to an Al Jazeera report, the entity does not have an office in its stated headquarters of Sheikh Jarrah, occupied East Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, South Africas Border Management Authority stated that 130 Palestinians ended up entering the country, while 23 were transferred from South Africa to other destinations from the airport itself. The authorities noted that most of these passengers are expected to apply for asylum in the country.

A South African humanitarian aid organisation, Gift of the Givers, said it was committed to accommodating the visitors during their stay. While speaking to the countrys public broadcaster SABC, Charity founder Imtiaz Sooliman said that the first plane carrying 176 Palestinians had landed in Johannesburg on October 28, with some of the passengers departing for other countries.

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He noted that the accounts of Palestinian arrivals indicate that Israel appears to be removing people from Gaza and putting them on a plane without stamping their passports. The lack of paperwork leaves them stranded in third countries.

How is Israel treating the matter?

The Israeli Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office have not reacted to the incident, but Israel and the United States have repeatedly pushed to move as many Palestinians out of Gaza as possible. With this ambition in mind, both nations have been holding negotiations with several countries in the region to accommodate the Palestinian population.

Meanwhile, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli military organisation in charge of the Gaza border crossings, was quoted as saying by Israeli media that it received approval from a third country to receive the Palestinians as part of an Israeli government policy allowing Gaza residents to leave. However, the third country was not named in the statement.

While speaking to Al Jazeera, Antony Loewenstein, author of The Palestine Laboratory, a book about Israels arms and surveillance industry, said the transit scheme could have been operating weeks or months under the international radar.

He noted that there have been rumours about companies making such flights, which apparently requires Israeli permission as well as other countries permissions. This is the concept of people making money out of other peoples misery, he said, also pointing to the murky operations and website of the company that ran the scheme.

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I see it as a form of ethnic cleansing, Loewenstein told Al Jazeera. The issue is people providing [the transit] and the Israeli state facilitating it, a state where many ministers in the Israeli government, and frankly the Israeli public, want no Palestinians left in Gaza, and I fear this is part of that mission.

Amid the chaos, both Jordanian King Abdullah and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed zero-tolerance for any displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. The remarks from two leaders came as Sharif hosted King Abdullah in Islamabad on a two-day state visit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed developments in Asia in a rare phone call on Saturday, the Israeli Prime Ministers Office and the Kremlin confirmed in a joint statement on Saturday

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed developments in Asia in a rare phone call on Saturday, the Israeli Prime Ministers Office and the Kremlin confirmed in a joint statement on Saturday. During their telephonic communication, the two leaders focused on the situation in the Gaza Strip.

As per the statement, they had a lengthy discussion over the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, which was brokered by US President Donald Trump, along with the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. Apart from this, the two leaders also discussed the status of Irans nuclear program and issues related to the further stabilisation of Syria.

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In the statement, the Israeli PMO maintained that the phone call was held at the Russian leaders request. Meanwhile, the Kremlin called the conversation a thorough exchange of views.

Not the first time

It is pertinent to note that the two leaders discussed the developments in the same area last month. At that time, the Russian leader reaffirmed Moscows position in favour of a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue.

Their conversation last month also tackled the issues surrounding both Syria and Iran. Before this, Putin and Netanyahu spoke on the phone in August. The phone call came at a time when multiple Israeli news outlets reported that Netanyahus office had been working closely with Russia in an effort to resolve several different issues.

This included the tension between the US and Russia following Putins insistence on continuing the war in Ukraine. The phone call also came after Russia pushed its own draft of a UN resolution on Gaza on Thursday. The move was seen as a challenge to a US effort to pass its own text at the Security Council that would endorse the US-brokered Gaza deal.

In a note to the UNSC members, Russias UN mission said that its counter-proposal is inspired by the US draft, Reuters reported. The objective of our draft is to enable the Security Council to develop a balanced, acceptable, and unified approach toward achieving a sustainable cessation of hostilities, the note read.

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The Russian draft obtained by Reuters called on the UN Secretary-General to identify options for an international stabilisation force for Gaza, and does not mention the Board of Peace that the US has proposed as a transitional administration for Gaza.

With inputs from agencies.
The Russian Defence Ministry reported that its forces had captured the villages of Rivnopillia and Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhzhia region

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks, as he visits the army command centre in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in an unidentified location, in this still image taken from a video released October 26, 2025. Image/Kremlin.ru via Reuters

Russias army announced on Sunday that it had secured control of two more settlements in southern Ukraine, as its troops continue gradually pushing back Ukrainian units that are struggling with manpower and equipment shortages.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the Russian Defence Ministry reported that its forces had captured the villages of Rivnopillia and Mala Tokmachka in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Even though battles in Zaporizhzhia are less intense than in the east, Russian troops with more men and weapons are gaining ground on both fronts.

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The eastern battlefield is currently focused on the strategic transport hub of Pokrovsk. Russian fighters have reportedly entered the area in big numbers over recent weeks, placing additional strain on Ukrainian defensive positions.

Diplomacy remains stalled. Peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia have shown no progress, and a proposed meeting in Budapest between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to materialise.
Thousands gathered Sunday for the start of a three-day rally organised by a religious group in the Philippine capital to demand accountability over a flood-control corruption scandal that has implicated powerful members of Congress and top government officials.

A man cleans garbage along a flooded street due to Typhoon Fung-wong and high tide on Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, in Navotas, Philippines. AP

Thousands gathered Sunday for the start of a three-day rally organised by a religious group in the Philippine capital to demand accountability over a flood-control corruption scandal that has implicated powerful members of Congress and top government officials.

Its the latest show of outrage over accusations of widespread corruption in flood-control projects in one of the worlds most typhoon-prone countries, which has erupted in recent months following the discovery that thousands of flood defense projects across the country were made from substandard materials or simply did not exist.

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Construction companies were accused of giving dozens of influential politicians and officials huge kickbacks in order to win lucrative contracts and avoid accountability for anomalies in the projects.

Police estimated that 27,000 members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, or Church of Christ, gathered in Manilas Rizal Park before noon, many wearing white and carrying anti-corruption placards, for the afternoon demonstration. Other groups were scheduled to hold a separate anti-corruption protest later Sunday at the People Power monument in suburban Quezon city.

Iglesia is an influential group that votes as a bloc and is courted by political candidates during elections.

The police, backed by the military, went on full alert and deployed thousands of personnel to secure the weekend rally, although the government expects the weekend rallies to be peaceful, according to a confidential security assessment seen by The Associated Press.

During a Sept. 21 anti-corruption demonstration, a few hundred black-clad protesters threw rocks, bottles and firebombs at policemen near the presidential palace, injuring more than 100 officers. Criminal complaints have been filed against 97 protesters.

National police chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. ordered law enforcement to exercise maximum tolerance in Sundays rallies.

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Flood control is an especially sensitive issue in the Philippines, one of the Asian countries most prone to deadly typhoons, flooding and extreme weather. Two typhoons left at least 259 dead this month, mostly from flash floods and landslides, as millions of others were forced to evacuate.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been trying to quell public outrage and street protests sparked by the scandal, saying on Thursday that many of the powerful senators, members of Congress and wealthy businesspeople implicated the scandal would be in jail by Christmas.

Marcos said that an independent fact-finding commission he created has already filed criminal complaints for graft and corruption and plunder, against 37 suspects. Criminal complaints have also been filed against 86 construction company executives and nine government officials for allegedly evading nearly 9 billion pesos ($152 million) in taxes.

Among those accused are lawmakers opposed to and allied with Marcos, including former House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez, the presidents cousin and a key ally; and former Senate President Chiz Escudero. Both have denied any wrongdoing.

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Sen. Bong Go, a key ally of former President Rodrigo Duterte, has also been accused of involvement in corruption in flood control and other infrastructure projects. He has denied the allegations.

Duterte, a harsh Marcos critic, was detained by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands in March for alleged crimes against humanity over his brutal anti-drugs crackdowns.

His daughter, the current vice president, said Marcos should also be held accountable and jailed for approving the 2025 national budget, which appropriated billions for flood control projects.

There have been isolated calls, including by some pro-Duterte supporters, for the military to withdraw support from Marcos, but Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. has repeatedly rejected those calls.

With full conviction, I assure the public that the armed forces will not engage in any action that violates the Constitution. Not today, not tomorrow and certainly not under my watch, Brawner said Friday. The military remains steadfast in preserving peace, supporting lawful civic expression and protecting the stability and democratic institutions of the republic.

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US President Donald Trump put pressure on Thailand to recommit to the ceasefire deal with Cambodia as tensions between the two nations escalate

US President Donald Trump (right) looks on as Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet (centre) and Thailand's Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul hold up documents during a signing of a peace deal on the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 26, 2025. (Photo: Andrew Caballero/AFP)

US President Donald Trump put pressure on Thailand to recommit to the ceasefire deal with Cambodia as tensions between the two nations escalate. Trump warned that trade talks with Thailand could be halted as Washington seeks to prevent the Trump-brokered truce agreement from falling apart.

The warning came just days after Thailand said that it was suspending the ceasefire deal, accusing Cambodia of laying fresh landmines along the border. The Thai authorities went on to claim that these landmines wounded a Thai soldier on patrol, who lost a foot in the explosion. Since then, one person has been killed and several others injured as a gunfight went along the Thai-Cambodia frontier.

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On Saturday, Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told journalists that they had received a letter from the Office of the US Trade Representative announcing the suspension of trade deal talks on Friday night. He quoted the letter as saying trade negotiations dealing with 19 per cent US tariffs on Thai goods could only resume once Thailand reaffirmed its commitment to carrying out the joint ceasefire declaration.

Thailand remains hopeful

Meanwhile, another government spokesperson, Siripong Angkasakulkiat, told reporters later on Saturday that the temporary suspension occurred before a call between Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Trump late on Friday. Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues, Siripong clarified.

While speaking to the reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Florida on Friday, Trump suggested that he had used threat of tariffs in calls with the Southeast Asian leaders. I stopped a war just today through the use of tariffs, the threat of tariffs, Trump said, adding, theyre doing great. I think theyre gonna be fine.

After the call between the two leaders, Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej said Prime Minister Anutin explained the matter to Trump on their call, who expressed understanding regarding the issue. It is pertinent to note that it was Trump who oversaw the signing of a ceasefire agreement, held in Malaysia this October.

The Thailand-Cambodia conflict is one of the issues Trump has been touting to resolve in his bid to win a Nobel Peace Prize next year. The worst fighting in a decade between Thai and Cambodian troops erupted in July, with gunfire, artillery and airstrikes leaving dozens of people killed and 300,000 displaced. Both nations have had a longstanding border dispute, which dates back to disagreements over colonial-era maps drawn up by the French. Not only this, but ancient temples along the border are claimed by both sides.

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With inputs from Reuters.
Britains Labour government plans to sharply scale back refugee protections and end automatic benefits for asylum seekers as it moves to curb irregular immigration amid rising pressure from the hard right

Britain will drastically reduce protections for refugees and end automatic benefits for asylum seekers, the Labour government announced late Saturday, outlining new measures aimed at curbing irregular immigration and responding to gains made by the hard right. The changes, modelled on Denmarks strict asylum framework, come as Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces growing pressure from the rising popularity of the anti-immigrant Reform UK party.

Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood declared that she would end the UKs golden ticket for asylum seekers." However, the head of the Refugee Council warned that the plans would not dissuade people from attempting to reach Britain and called for a reassessment.

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Currently, refugees granted status receive protection for five years before being allowed to apply for indefinite leave to remain and eventually citizenship. Mahmoods Home Office said this period would be cut to 30 months. The protection will be regularly reviewed, and refugees will be required to return to their home countries once they are deemed safe. The ministry also stated that refugees would need to wait 20 years before applying to live long-term in the UK, compared with five years at present.

Asylum claims in Britain are at record levels, with some 111000 applications filed in the year to June 2025, according to official data.

Benefits revoked and Danish model adopted

The Home Office described the plans, due to be presented in parliament on Monday, as the largest overhaul of asylum policy in modern times. The reforms aim to make Britain less attractive to irregular migrants and streamline the removal of those already in the country.

A statutory requirement introduced in 2005 to provide support to asylum seekers will be revoked, ending guaranteed housing and weekly financial allowances. Support will instead become discretionary, allowing the government to refuse assistance to asylum seekers who could work or support themselves but do not, as well as to those who commit crimes.

Starmer, elected last summer, is under pressure to halt small boat crossings of the English Channel from France, a persistent issue for previous Conservative governments. More than 39000 people have arrived this year via such journeys, exceeding the total for 2024 though remaining below the 2022 record.

Labour has drawn inspiration from Denmarks coalition government, led by the centre-left Social Democrats, which enforces some of Europes strictest migration policies. Senior British officials have visited Denmark, where successful asylum claims are at a 40-year low. Denmark grants refugees a one-year renewable residency permit and encourages returns once safety concerns ease. Family reunions also face strict requirements, including minimum ages, language assessments and financial guarantees.

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Mahmood is expected to announce tougher rules on family reunions in the UK. Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, urged the government to reconsider the proposals, saying they will not deter the crossings. He added that refugees who work and contribute should be able to build stable lives.

Labours more left-wing MPs are likely to oppose the plans, fearing the party may lose voters to progressive rivals such as the Greens.

(With agency inputs)
Ukraine has arranged winter gas imports from Greece and aims to secure nearly 2 billion euros to offset losses caused by Russian strikes.

Zelenskiy's statement came ahead of his expected visit to Greece on Sunday. (AFP)

Ukraine will receive gas imports from Greece to support its winter energy needs, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday. Announcing the move on the Telegram messaging app, he confirmed that both countries had prepared an agreement that would serve as an additional supply route to secure imports during the colder months.

Zelenskiy said Ukraine had already arranged financing for its gas purchases and intended to secure nearly 2 billion euros to replace domestic production lost as a result of Russian attacks. His statement came ahead of his planned visit to Greece on Sunday, before onwards travel to France and Spain.

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Kyiv seeks broader winter energy support

Russia has increased strikes on power generation sites, electricity transmission systems and gas production facilities during the fourth year of its war on Ukraine. Zelenskiy said Kyiv had allocated funds for gas imports through European partners and banks operating under European Commission guarantees, as well as from Ukrainian banks. He also noted ongoing cooperation with United States partners to ensure full financing.

Ukraine is widening its options for winter supplies through Polish partners, he added, where it is working with Azerbaijan and aims to secure long-term contracts.

Ukraine Launches Sweeping Energy Overhaul amid Embezzlement Outcry

Zelensky on Saturday announced sweeping reforms across state-owned energy companies after a corruption scandal triggered a strong public backlash. Anti-graft investigators said around $100 million had been embezzled from the sector, prompting outrage in a country already suffering severe power outages caused by Russian attacks.

Zelensky ordered two ministers to step down in connection with the scheme and imposed sanctions on a former business partner who was identified as its mastermind. Posting on X, he confirmed that an overhaul of key state-owned enterprises would begin immediately, alongside a full audit of their financial activities and the renewal of company management.

The president called for a new supervisory board at Energoatom, the state nuclear operator at the centre of the scandal, instructing that it be established within a week to support a complete restructuring of the companys leadership. He also urged the swift appointment of a new head for hydropower generator Ukrhydroenergo and pressed for further reforms at Naftogaz and the main gas operator.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Maga supporter and longtime Republican ally, said on Saturday that she had been contacted by private security firms with warnings for my safety.

Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Maga supporter and longtime Republican ally, said on Saturday that she had been contacted by private security firms with warnings for my safety. Greenes statement came after Trump announced on Friday that he was withdrawing his support and endorsement of the Georgia representative.

A hotbed of threats against me is being fueled and egged on by the most powerful man in the world, Greene wrote in the post, without referring to Trump by name, adding it was the man I supported and helped get elected.

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Greene maintained that the aggressive rhetoric attacking me has historically led to death threats and multiple convictions of men who were radicalised by the same type of rhetoric being directed at me right now. This time by the President of the United States. However, she did not specify any particular threats she has received from the security firms.

As a woman, I take threats from men seriously. I now have a small understanding of the fear and pressure the women, who are victims of Jeffrey Epstein and his cabal, must feel," she wrote.

Greene calls out the Trump administration

In a later post on X, Greene posted a chart of rising average grocery bills, calling it the ultimate warning to all of my Republican colleagues and equating cost-of-living pressures to a vote in Congress over the release of further Epstein files next week. You vote NO on Tuesday to release the Epstein files and face severe outrage from America, she warned. Republicans dont have support from women, and this right here is a perfect example of why," she furthered.

Greene has been engaged in the war of words with Trump, primarily over the release of government-held documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein, which Greene supports. Marjorie Traitor Green is a disgrace to our GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY! Trump fumed on social media, a day after ending his support for Greene, calling her Wacky Marjorie and saying he would endorse a challenger against her in the next midterm election if the right person runs.

The dispute between the two, simmering for months, broke out after she found herself opposing Trump on a series of issues, including US military aid to Israel, the government shutdown and the so-called Epstein files.

This led to Trump accusing her of going Far Left as she offered a series of dissenting opinions against the MAGA mainstream. Trump wrote that all he had witnessed from Greene in recent months was COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN! adding: I cant take a ranting Lunatics call every day.

Greene responded to this by saying she had supported Trump with too much of my precious time, too much of my own money, and fought harder for him even when almost all other Republicans turned their back and denounced him. Greene added, I dont worship or serve Donald Trump. As the two continue to clash online, Greene has been raising fears for her security.

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KABUL, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Police in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province have seized a cache of weapons and ammunition and arrested one suspect during a recent operation, provincial police spokesman Mullah Ezatullah Haqqani said Sunday.

According to Haqqani, the confiscated items include six Kalashnikov rifles, three hand grenades, a mortar launcher, an M16 assault rifle, a shotgun, as well as hundreds of bullets, cartridges and other illegally stored military equipment.

The ammunition was discovered in Helmand's Gereshk district, where police also apprehended an individual suspected of involvement in the case. The detainee has been transferred to custody for further investigation. 
A rare earths deal between the U.S. and China will hopefully be done by Thanksgiving, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in remarks that aired on Sunday.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that a rare earths agreement with China could be finalised hopefully by Thanksgiving.

His remarks follow a framework deal announced last month under which Washington agreed not to impose full 100% tariffs on Chinese imports, while Beijing committed to delaying an export licensing regime on critical rare earth minerals and magnets.

I am confident that after our leaders met in Korea  President Trump and President Xi  China will uphold its commitments, Bessent told Fox News Sunday Morning Futures program.

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Bessent also denied a recent report in the Wall Street Journal suggesting that Chinese authorities planned to limit rare earths access for US firms with military connections.

The United States and China have reached a trade truce on rare earths, but Beijing retains a significant advantage, controlling roughly 70% of global mining and more than 90% of processing capacity, an edge that will be difficult for the Trump administration to overcome.

The US faces no simple solution to reduce its reliance on Chinese production of minerals vital to national security, semiconductor manufacturing, and the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy such as wind and solar. According to the US Geological Survey, the country imported 80% of the rare earths it consumed in 2024.

For certain critical minerals, Chinese dominance is even more pronounced. Dysprosium, used in chip production, and samarium, essential for military applications, see Chinese refinement control reach up to 99%. Dysprosium and terbium are key components in magnets for electric vehicle motors and wind turbine generators, and they are also used in cellphones, high-intensity lighting, and nuclear reactors.

With inputs from agencies
Russia now sees Britain, not the United States as its main Western adversary, accusing the UK of espionage and sabotage amid rising tensions over Ukraine and shifting global equations.

In a striking shift that reflects Moscows recalibration of its threat perceptions, driven by US unpredictability under Donald Trump and UKs assertive support for Ukraine, Britain has now replaced Washington as the Kremlins primary Western adversary. Once focused squarely on the United States, Russian rhetoric and actions increasingly single out Britain, accusing it of espionage, sabotage and direct interference in regional conflicts.

From US to UK: A deliberate turn in Russias rhetoric

Long the focus of Russian ire, the United States is increasingly taking a back seat in the Kremlins villain narrative. As Russian officials seek a more antagonistic Western adversary, Britain has stepped into that role. Russia has been accusing the UK of everything from drone attacks and intelligence operations to sabotage of infrastructure very frequently, allegations that the British government strongly denies.

The shift is partly strategic. With signs of a thaw in USRussia relations under Donald Trump who has pushed for rapprochement, Moscow appears to be redirecting its antagonism toward a traditional rival more willing to confront it militarily: Britain.

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Adding to the recalibration is a growing belief in Moscow that the United States is no longer a dependable ally. Fiona Hill, a senior figure in the UKs 2025 Strategic Defence Review and a former US National Security Council Russia adviser, warned that Russia is increasingly treating Britain as its primary adversary.

Hill argued that under Trump, the US has become unpredictable, reducing its reliability for European allies. This has left the UK caught between an increasingly aggressive Russia and a transactional, unpredictable US, according to her analysis.

Frozen Russian assets and spying claims

United Kingdom along with European allies has been very pro-active in using frozen Russian assets to quickly fund support for Kyiv to increase the pressure on Vladimir Putin. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Coalition of the Willing talks in London last month with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other leaders, discussing a range of efforts including taking Russian oil and gas off the global market and giving Kyiv more long-range missiles.

The deterioration in UKRussia ties reached a new level in March 2025, when Moscow expelled two British diplomats, accusing them of espionage. The Kremlin claimed they provided false information to enter Russia and conducted intelligence-gathering work undermining national security. London swiftly rejected the accusations as malicious and baseless.

The expulsions occurred at a time when Russia was simultaneously negotiating to restore diplomatic ties with the United States, a stark signal that Moscows focus had shifted decisively to the UK.

Historic rivalry reawakens in modern geopolitics

Analysts note that the UKRussia animosity draws on deep historical currents. From the era of the Great Game to Cold War posturing, Moscow has long viewed Britain as a resilient and strategically significant foe.

With London now providing strong military and diplomatic support for Ukraine, Putins government is intensifying its anti-British narrative. The UK is portrayed in Russian media not just as a meddler but as a formidable geopolitical force driving the Wests opposition to Moscow.

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Recently, Russia has delivered a sharp rebuke to the United Kingdom, warning it against meddling in ongoing attempts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine. Moscow directly accused London of disrupting peace efforts being pursued jointly by Russia and the United States.

The Kremlin condemned recent UK suggestions including the idea of sending Western troops following a truce, calling them irresponsible and hazardous. Russian officials described the proposals as dangerous geopolitical posturing, warning that such actions risk heightening tensions rather than helping efforts to restore calm and pursue a lasting peace.

Implications for future conflict and global alliances

The rise of Britain as Russias villain of choice represents more than propaganda, it may reshape how geopolitical contestation unfolds. As Moscow refocuses its hostility on the UK, it could seek to fracture unity within NATO and drive a wedge between its own adversaries.

Meanwhile, Britain is being pushed to redefine its security posture. Hill and other defence experts argue that this new geopolitical reality demands greater national cohesion, resilience and a lessened reliance on US military guarantees.

This transformation in Russias threat perceptions could also have ramifications for broader global alliances. If Moscow increasingly regards the UK as its primary Western adversary, there may be consequences for how NATO, Europe, and other partners align their defence and diplomatic strategies in response.

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With inputs from agencies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday renewed his plea for more air-defence systems a day after Russian strikes on Kyiv killed seven people.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint press conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 11, 2025. (Photo: Alina Smutko/Reuters)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday renewed his plea for more air-defence systems a day after Russian strikes on Kyiv killed seven people.

His latest comments came after Russian missiles struck apartment blocks across the Ukrainian capital Friday.

Russias invasion has dragged on for nearly four years, with diplomatic efforts to end the war failing, and fears are growing for the countrys energy security ahead of a fourth winter of war.

Ukraine said Russian attacks had killed four people in its southern region Saturday.

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Ukraine needs support that saves lives: more air-defence systems, more protective capabilities and greater resolve from our partners, Zelensky said on social media.

Earlier, officials had said the death toll from Fridays attack on Kyiv had risen to seven after an elderly woman died in hospital.

Zelensky said one of the victims was Nataliia Khodemnchuk, the wife of an operator at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant who died during the 1986 nuclear disaster.

Nearly four decades later, Nataliia was killed in a new tragedy caused once again by the Kremlin, he said.

Other victims of the attack included a couple in their 70s and a 62-year-old.

Ukraine also said Saturday it had attacked a Russian oil refinery near Moscow.

The Ukrainian army said on social media it had hit a refinery in the Ryazan region near Moscow. The strike, it said, was part of efforts to reduce the enemys ability to launch missile and bomb strikes.

Ukraine has regularly staged missile and drone attacks inside Russia throughout the Kremlins invasion since 2022.

Ryazan governor Pavel Malkov said Russian air defences had shot down 25 Ukrainian drones over the region during the night.

Falling debris caused a fire on the premises of one enterprise but there had been no casualties, Malkov said on Telegram.

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Ukraine is moving to revive prisoner exchanges with Russia, hoping to secure the return of 1,200 Ukrainian captives as talks show fresh progress, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a 'Coalition of the Willing' meeting of international partners on Ukraine at the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured) in London, Britain, on Friday. Reuters

Ukraine is pushing to restart prisoner exchanges with Russia that could see 1,200 Ukrainian captives return home, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday, a day after his national security chief reported progress in talks.

We are  counting on the resumption of POW exchanges, Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding that many meetings, negotiations and calls are currently taking place to ensure this.

Rustem Umerov, Secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council, said on Saturday that consultations, mediated by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, had advanced efforts to resume exchanges. He said all sides agreed to activate prisoner-exchange agreements brokered in Istanbul to release 1,200 Ukrainians. Russia has not yet commented.

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The Istanbul protocols, set up in 2022 with Turkish mediation, outline the framework for large, coordinated swaps between Kyiv and Moscow. Thousands of prisoners have been exchanged under the system, though transfers have slowed in recent months.

Umerov said technical consultations would take place soon to work out the procedural and organizational details, expressing hope that returning prisoners might celebrate the New Year and Christmas holidays at home  at the family table and next to their relatives.

Meanwhile, Russian drone strikes overnight damaged energy infrastructure in Ukraines Odesa region, including a solar power plant, according to the State Emergency Service.

Ukraine continues to battle heavy Russian aerial attacks that have caused rolling blackouts as winter approaches. The latest barrage  176 drones and one missile  was launched overnight, Ukraines air force said Sunday, adding that 139 drones were shot down or neutralized.

On the battlefield, Russias Defense Ministry said its troops had captured two settlements in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Russias larger, better-equipped forces have intensified their offensive, stretching Ukraines depleted army along a nearly 1,250-kilometre (800-mile) front.

Despite heavy Russian losses, Moscow has continued to make gradual gains.

Ukraine, however, struck back on Sunday, hitting a major oil refinery in Russias Samara region and targeting a warehouse storing drones for the elite Rubicon unit in occupied Donetsk, Ukraines general staff said. Russian authorities have not confirmed the strikes.

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Russias defense ministry said its forces shot down 57 Ukrainian drones overnight.
BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military on Sunday urged the Philippines to immediately stop provoking incidents and further escalating tensions in the South China Sea.

Tian Junli, spokesperson for the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, made the statement following the Philippines' so-called "joint patrols" with countries outside of the region, which had undermined peace and stability in the region.

The PLA Southern Theater Command on Friday organized a bomber formation to conduct a routine patrol in the South China Sea, according to the spokesperson. 
Jeffrey Epstein - Modus Operandi

Trump's policy toward Ukraine and Russia may be influenced by Putin possessing compromising information about Trump obtained through Jeffrey Epstein. Thom Hartmann cited recently released Epstein emails in which Epstein wrote that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov could "get insight" on Trump by talking to him. Hartmann pointed to Trump's secretive private meetings with Putin, particularly in Helsinki in 2018 and more recently in Alaska, where he excluded witnesses and destroyed interpreter notes. Trump also placed repeated private phone calls to Putin since returning to office, and has consistently exhibited deferential behavior toward Putin despite Russian aggression.

Hartmann described Russia's intensified attacks on Ukraine since Trump's return to office, including strikes killing civilians and children, the targeting of civilian infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and energy grids, and Trump's refusal to provide meaningful support to Ukraine. The author argues that the scale of civilian suffering and deaths could be connected to Trump's apparent inability or unwillingness to confront Putin.

Hartmann explicitly acknowledged this is speculation rather than proven fact, but argues Trump's unprecedented secrecy with Putin  behavior no previous American president exhibited with a hostile foreign leader  demands serious investigation. The piece suggested that if blackmail did occur, it would explain Trump's policies that appear to benefit Putin at the expense of American and allied interests. Hartmann characterizes this potential scenario as a form of treason that would warrant at minimum impeachment proceedings, representing a betrayal of historic proportions that places worldwide democracy at risk.

If Epstein was indeed operating a blackmail and intelligence-selling operation, and if he possessed compromising material on Trump, it would lend more weight to the speculation that Putin might have obtained such material either directly from Epstein or through Russian intelligence channels. If Epstein collected compromising material on powerful individuals as part of an intelligence operation, and if Trump was among those compromised, and if that material reached Putin through Epstein's contacts with Russian officials like Lavrov, it would provide a potential explanation for Trump's otherwise inexplicable deference to Putin and his policies that consistently benefit Russian interests at the expense of American allies, particularly Ukraine. The pattern of behavior described in the documentthe secretive meetings, the destruction of records, the consistent accommodation of Putin's interestswould be consistent with someone operating under the influence of blackmail or the threat of damaging exposure.

His fortune is strange. Epstein had: No clear business; no transparent investment track record; and large unexplained financial flows. Over the past decade, various journalists and independent investigators have suggested that: Epstein kept lots of recording equipment; He appeared to cultivate relationships with powerful men; He had young girls available during social visitsa scenario consistent with honey-trap operations; His unusually lenient 2008 plea deal (widely criticized) might indicate he had leverage over influential people. However, these arguments rely on patterns and circumstantial evidence, not verified documents.

Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Commerce Secretary, called Epstein the greatest blackmailer ever and claimed that Epstein may have traded incriminating videos of powerful associates for a lenient plea deal. He stated that during a visit to Epsteins Manhattan townhouse, he saw a massage room and heard remarks from Epstein that implied gathering compromising material. He acknowledged that this is his belief rather than documented proof.

The primary figure claiming Epstein got rich via blackmail is Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli military intelligence officer. In multiple interviews throughout 2025, Ben-Menashe has stated that Epstein ran a Mossad blackmail operation targeting American politicians and powerful figures. Ben-Menashe claims he met Epstein in the 1980s through Robert Maxwell (Ghislaine's father, also alleged to be a Mossad asset), and that Epstein was recruited by Israeli intelligence to run a "honeytrap" operation. Ben-Menashe told journalists that Epstein would photograph politicians with underage girls and use this material for blackmail, stating: "They would just blackmail people like that."

Other voices supporting the blackmail theory include Steven Hoffenberg, Epstein's former business partner in the Towers Financial Ponzi scheme, who before his 2022 death reportedly told journalists that Epstein admitted to Mossad ties and credited them for his wealth. Maria Farmer, an Epstein victim, testified the network was a blackmail ring linked to the Mega Group of pro-Israel billionaires. U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta later admitted he was told Epstein "belonged to intelligence" and to leave the case alone.

However, the DOJ and FBI released a memo in July 2025 stating they found "no credible evidence" Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals or kept a verified client list. This official denial was met with widespread skepticism from commentators across the political spectrum, rangeing from Alex Jones to John Oliver.

Over the course of many years, Jeffrey Epstein sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls at his homes in Manhattan, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida, among other locations. In particular, from at least in or about 2002, up to and including at least in or about 2005, Jeffrey Epstein, enticed and recruited, and caused to be enticed and recruited, minor girls to visit his mansion in Manhattan, New York and his estate in Palm Beach, Florida to engage in sex acts with him, after which he would give the victims hundreds of dollars in cash.

Moreover, and in order to maintain and increase his supply of victims, Epstein also paid certain of his victims to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused by Epstein. In this way, Epstein created a vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit in locations including New York and Palm Beach.

Jeffrey Epstein perpetuated the abuse in similar ways. Victims were initially recruited to provide "massages" to Epstein, which would be performed nude or partially nude, would become increasingly sexual in nature, and would typically include one or more sex acts. The victims, who were as young as 14 years of age, were told by Epstein or other individuals to partially or fully undress before beginning the "massage." During the encounter, Epstein would escalate the nature and scope of physical contact with his victim to include, among other things, sex acts such as groping and direct and indirect contact with the victim's genitals. Epstein typically would also masturbate during the sesexualized encounters, ask victims to touch him while he masturbated, and touch victims' genitals with his hands or with sex toys.

In connection with each sexual encounter, Jeffrey Epstein or one of his employees or associates, paid the victim in cash. Victims typically were paid hundreds of dollars in cash for each encounter.

Ghislaine Maxwell cams from a family dominated by her father. Robert Maxwell strove to build a publishing empire. But, throughout his career, Robert Maxwell also nurtured another, more driving, and hidden ambition, to spy for Israel's Mossad. In the end,the conflict between the tycoon's public interests and spy's secret pursuits led to his mystifying death, officially by drowning, in November 1991, offshore of the Canary Islands. Maxwell first came into Mossad's orbit in the 1970s, when the crack Israeli spy organization stole from the United States its most sophisticated piece of intelligence-gathering software, Enhanced Promis. Of it Mossad made an electronic Trojan horse, secretly amassing strictly classified information from inside the very organizations worldwide to which they were selling it. Mossad's representative for these extremely sensitive transactions costing tens of millions of dollars in China, Russia, India, and twenty other countries was Robert Maxwell. Only Maxwell was also helping himself to some of Mossad's profits -- as well as 750 million from his employees' pension fund -- in desperate attempts to maintain his empire and to meet the demands of increasingly intolerant creditors. Epstein became romantically involved with Robert Maxwells ninth child, Ghislaine. an outspoken British socialite . She connected him to powerful figures who were then beyond his reach such as the Clintons, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew. In return, Epstein bankrolled her.

Epstein relied on Maxwell and others to identify and target vulnerable young girls in numerous settings, including schools, spas, trailer parks, and the street. Epstein's "recruiters" lured these girls into his orbit with the promise of what appeared to be legitimate masseuse positions. Once manipulated into returning to one of Epstein's residences, however, the girls were groomed for abuse by Epstein and others through displays of wealth, power, and sexual imagery. At its height, Epstein's sexual abuse scheme, managed principally by Maxwell, was trans-continental. Using his private jet, Epstein trafficked dozens of minors for sexual abuse at his New York City mansion, his New Mexico ranch, his private island, Little St. James, in the US Virgin Islands, his Palm Beach, Florida, estate, and elsewhere.

The victims were as young as 14 years old at the time they were abused by Jeffrey Epstein, and were, for various reasons, often particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Epstein intentionally sought out minors and knew that many of his victims were in fact under the age of 18, including because, in some instances, minor victims expressly told him their age.

In creating and maintaining this network of minor victims in multiple states to sexually abuse and exploit, Jeffrey Epstein worked and conspired with others, including employees and associates who facilitated his conduct by, among other things, contacting victims and scheduling their sexual encounters with Epstein at the New York Residence and at the Palm Beach Residence.

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BEIJING, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory on Sunday issued a blue alert for a cold wave as freezing air is expected to sweep across vast parts of the country in the coming days.

From Nov. 16 to 18, the cold wave will bring strong winds and sharp temperature drops to central and eastern regions, with daily averages or lows falling by 6 to 10 degrees Celsius, according to the National Meteorological Center.

Notably, temperatures in parts of Shaanxi, Chongqing, Henan and Hubei could drop by 12 to 14 degrees Celsius, the center said.

It urged relevant departments to step up preparations and called for precautionary measures to protect tropical crops and aquaculture from the cold.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. 
Press release by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus on the anniversary of the illegal declaration of the pseudo-state in the occupied areas of Cyprus

Republic of Cyprus

From: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

15/11/25 09:10 | Press release | Foreign Policy, Cyprus Problem

Today marks 42 years since the illegal declaration of the secessionist entity in the areas of our country occupied by Turkiye. The violation of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, of international legality, of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations (UN), as well as of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, continues.

The Republic of Cyprus condemns the ongoing efforts by Turkiye and the occupying regime to promote the illegal entity and to advance a "two-state solution." We call on all states to remain committed to the content of UN Security Council Resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984), which unequivocally condemned this secessionist and legally void unilateral action. We will not accept the faits accomplis of the occupation, nor the legitimisation of the division of our homeland.

The international community, including the European Union (EU), has made it clear that it supports efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue only within the agreed framework, on the basis of a bizonal, bi-communal federation with political equality, as provided for in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. Within this framework, we look forward and are ready for the resumption of substantive negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus issue.

We remain firmly committed to our duty to liberate and reunify Cyprus and its people, in accordance with international law, the UN Security Council Resolutions, the EU acquis, and the principles, values, and legislation of the EU.

(AP/KA/)

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Israel breaching international law by limiting Gaza aid: UNRWA official

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Nov 15, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- A senior official at the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has stressed that Israel is breaching international law by continuing to impose restrictions on aid flows into Gaza, where the population remains critically short of food and life-saving goods as winter sets in.

In an interview during a recent visit to Brussels, Natalie Boucly, an UNRWA deputy commissioner general, said the whole world, including the EU and US, needed to increase the pressure on Israel's government to ensure the unrestricted flow of aid into Gaza.

UNRWA has enough food, tents and other essentials to fill the equivalent of up to 6,000 trucks, Boucly said.

"As winter approaches and famine continues to grip the population, it is critical that all this aid is allowed into Gaza without delay," she said. "Our supplies would be able to provide food ... for the entire population for about three months. And that is sitting outside [in Jordan and Egypt], not able to come in. And that is the case for the other UN agencies because the restrictions and the constraints are still there."

She estimated that only about half, "if that", of the 500-600 daily truckloads needed were getting into the devastated territory.

Boucly said Israel as an occupying power was "not abiding by international humanitarian law and international human rights law", referencing the fourth Geneva convention as well as a recent advisory opinion from the international court of justice that said Israel had to ensure the people of the occupied Palestinian territory had "the essential supplies of daily life".

The same ICJ ruling, issued on 22 October, concluded that Israel had an obligation to cooperate with UNRWA. The court found no evidence that Unrwa lacked neutrality or that significant numbers of it staff were members of Hamas, claims repeatedly made by Benjamin Netanyahu's government.

Israel severed diplomatic relations with UNRWA after accusing the body of having been infiltrated by Hamas and allowing "widespread and systematic" misuse of its facilities by terrorists. The ICJ opinion noted that nine Unrwa employees were dismissed over possible involvement in the 7 October 2023 attacks but said Israel's broader claims were not substantiated.

Boucly said she had received no indication that Israel was going to change its no-contact policy towards her agency.

UNRWA was created in 1948 to aid the 700,000 Palestinian refugees displaced in the war around the establishment of the state of Israel. It was meant to be temporary. Nearly eight decades later, UNRWA is a vital supplier of health, education, social welfare and other services in the occupied Palestine territories and neighbouring countries, where 5.9 million Palestine refugees are registered.

"It is not the time for UNRWA to collapse," Boucly said. "We are irreplaceable because nobody can pick up the slack."

2050

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Hamas urges Arab League and OIC to take firm stance on Gaza

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Nov 15, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- The spokesperson for the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has issued fresh condemnations of Israel's ceasefire violations in Gaza, urging the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take a firm and clear position on the ongoing Israeli crimes in the besieged territory.

Hazem Qassem was cited by Lebanon's Al Mayadeen news network on Saturday as saying that the people of Gaza continue to face Israel's genocidal war and are still being prevented from entering the region and rebuilding their destroyed homes.

Referring to dire conditions amid the crippling siege of the Strip, Qassem stressed the need for a clear stance from Arab and Islamic countries.

The statement followed a similar reaction from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, denouncing the regime for using winter as a weapon for the Gaza genocide.

Separately, the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement called for international pressure on the occupying regime to open the crossings and allow humanitarian aid into the Palestinian territory.

On the other hand, the United Nations on Friday expressed grave concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, warning that recent rains have exposed thousands of families to extremely harsh weather conditions.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN chief, criticized Israel, stating that it had rejected 23 UN requests to allow nearly 4,000 essential items, including tents, into Gaza.

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Iran warns against consequences of US military moves in the Caribbean

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Nov 15, 2025

Tehran, IRNA -- Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has warned about the dangerous consequences of US military activities in the Caribbean and Latin America for international peace and security.

Baqaei called for respecting Venezuela's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He described the threat of using force against the legitimate and elected government of Venezuela as a clear violation of law and a gross breach of the principles of the United Nations Charter, particularly the principle of the right of nations to self-determination and the principle of the prohibition of the use of force outlined in Article 2(4).

Referring to numerous reports from international bodies describing US attacks on fishing boats as arbitrary and extrajudicial killings, he urged stopping the misuse combating drug trafficking to violate Venezuela's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Baqaei reminded the United Nations and its Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of their responsibility to prevent the violation of international peace and security and the promotion of aggressive unilateralism in the world.

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Ansarullah vows to respond in kind to Security Council's renewal of sanctions on Yemen

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 7:07 PM

A senior member of the political bureau of the Ansarullah resistance movement has condemned the UN Security Council's decision to renew its sanctions against Yemen for another year.

Mohammed al-Farah, in a post published on the social media platform X on Saturday, stated that Sana'a will respond in kind to any party that harms Yemen's national interests or seeks to undermine its sovereignty.

The senior Ansarullah official highlighted that Yemenis will not hesitate to protect their rights and defend their religion and dignity by all legitimate means.

"The Security Council continues to exercise the worst form of double standards. It has turned a blind eye to the genocidal crimes in Gaza over the past two years, supported the Zionist enemy until its thirst for blood was quenched, and is now covering up the siege and aggression against Yemen without a moral or legal stance," he said.

Farah went on to say that the UN body "continues to apply double standards at a time when Gaza has been ravaged due to crippling siege and bombardment with US-made and Western-built munitions. The Yemeni people have been besieged for the past 10 years."

He argued that the Security Council has become an instrument to advance Western interests, in which human rights are defined in accordance with Western desires, and international interests are trampled to serve Washington's interests alone.

Farah continued that some international organizations in Yemen have become espionage tools for the Israeli enemy, under the cover of humanitarian work. "This exposes the extent of Zionists' exploitation of UN institutions."

The Ansarullah official lauded abstentions by Russia and China to renew Yemen sanctions, describing the position of Moscow and Beijing as an embodiment of human and moral awakening, and an awareness of the danger of US policies that use sanctions to subjugate nations.

"What the US and its Western partners are doing nowadays, in terms of open support for the Israeli enemy with weapons and money and whitewashing crimes politically, reveals that the anti-Yemen sanctions are meant to serve the Zionist entity's goals, and to punish Yemeni people for their steadfastness, independence of decision-making, and their solidarity with Gaza," Farah said.

The UN Security Council resolution, which garnered 13 votes in favor and two abstentions by Russia and China on Friday, allows targeted financial and travel sanctions against designated Yemeni individuals until November 14, 2026.

Yemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014. The crisis escalated a year later when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at pushing the Ansarullah movement from power.

The ongoing conflict in Yemen has reportedly resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands, with the United Nations warning that 14 million people face the threat of starvation.

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Hamas calls on Arab League adopt clear position on humanitarian crisis in Gaza

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 5:38 PM

The Hamas resistance movement has called upon the Arab League to take a stance on the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, which persists despite a ceasefire deal that came into effect on October 10.

"The humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Gaza Strip, which has worsened with the onset of winter, requires a clear position from the Arab League, based on its founding charter and the principles of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation," Hazem Qasem, a spokesman for the Gaza-based group, said in a statement on Saturday.

He added that the population in Gaza continues to endure genocide, facing restricted aid, obstructed reconstruction efforts, and an ongoing siege - all amidst extremely harsh living conditions.

Meanwhile, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has called for shelter materials to be allowed into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where heavy rains have flooded the tents of displaced civilians, exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation.

"Winter has come to Gaza," the UN agency wrote in a post published on the social media platform X on Saturday. "Winter rains in Gaza are making conditions even more desperate. Families are taking shelter anywhere they can, including in makeshift tents."

The UNRWA emphasized that it possesses the essential shelter supplies required in Gaza to assist residents during the winter months.

The United Nations reported on Friday that Israel has turned down 23 requests for humanitarian aid since the Gaza ceasefire started on October 10, resulting in vital relief supplies being prevented from reaching the region.

"Millions of urgently needed shelter items remain stuck in Jordan and in Egypt and Israel as well, awaiting approval to enter Gaza," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

He said that "since the ceasefire began on October 10, Israeli authorities have rejected 23 requests from nine of our partners to bring in nearly 4,000 pallets of critical supplies, including tents, sealing and framing kits, bedding, kitchen sets, and blankets."

Dujarric cautioned that the escalating conditions are increasing the danger faced by civilians, noting that "the dire living conditions are also increasing people's exposure to explosive ordnance, with children among those most at risk."

"Since the ceasefire, our colleagues working on mine action have recorded more than 10 injuries from explosive hazards," he said.

The senior UN official added that the risk is "further compounded by Gaza's extremely limited geographical size, which leaves little room to avoid areas where there may be unexploded ordnance."

Dujarric highlighted the severity of potential hazard zones, stating that "even minimal contamination can have widespread and devastating consequences."

He underlined the need "for the full and sustained opening of existing and additional crossings, clearance of further critical items and equipment for entry, and comprehensive facilitation of our work and the work of our NGO partners."

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Hezbollah has the right to reorganize after Israeli aggression: Lebanon's Parliament Speaker

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 2:18 PM

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says Hezbollah has the "legitimate" right to reorganize its internal structure in response to the recent Israeli attacks, emphasizing that the resistance movement's actions fall within its right to defend the country's sovereignty.

Berri made the remarks during a public address on Saturday, after Israeli forces carried new wave of aerial raids and bombed multiple residential neighborhoods across southern Lebanon.

"It is perfectly natural for any party, organization, or political component to rebuild itself and reorganize its internal and organizational affairs from time to time. In the face of any challenge, Hezbollah has the right to do so, especially after the Israeli aggression," he said.

Berri further dismissed as "unfounded" allegations that Hezbollah is receiving weapons shipments through illegal channels, asserting that such claims are intended to justify Israel's continued attacks on Lebanese territory.

"As for the claims of smuggling weapons by sea, land, or air, these are false allegations with no basis in reality," he said.

The speaker of the Lebanese Parliament further reaffirmed Lebanon's commitment to strengthening ties with regional partners, particularly Arab states, expressing openness to cooperation and dialogue despite political tensions and external pressure.

"Lebanon is the country of all Arabs, and our hand has always been, and continues to be, extended to all Arab brothers. My relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has never been broken at any time," he said.

Berri further urged Lebanese political factions to unite in the face of "unprecedented danger," criticizing the lack of a national consensus regarding Israeli actions.

"What is incomprehensible and unjustifiable is that the Lebanese position towards what Israel has done and is doing, and its intentions for Lebanon, is not unified," he said.

Berri sharply criticized Israel for repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement, stressing that Lebanon has upheld its commitments while the occupying regime has continued its military assaults without restraint.

"Where and when has Israel adhered to even a single clause of the ceasefire agreement? This is the aggressive nature of Israel," he said, noting that over the past 11 months, Lebanese resistance forces have not fired a single shot south of the Litani River in compliance with the agreement.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Berri confirmed that Lebanon's parliamentary elections will proceed as scheduled without delays or extensions, despite economic and political instability.

He warned that the current crisis is the most dangerous Lebanon has ever faced, emphasizing the necessity of national unity.

"The current crisis that Lebanon is facing is the most dangerous crisis that I have personally faced, and it is also the most dangerous crisis in the history of Lebanon. Saving Lebanon is not possible except through unity  unity is still the only option before us," he said.

Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement that took effect on November 27, 2024. Under the deal, Tel Aviv was required to withdraw fully from the Lebanese territorybut has kept forces stationed at five sites, in clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and the terms of last November's agreement.

Since the implementation of the ceasefire, Israel has violated the agreement multiple times through repeated assaults on the Lebanese territory.

Lebanese authorities have warned that the Israeli regime's violations of the ceasefire threaten national stability.

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Colombia signs $4.3bn deal to buy 17 Swedish fighter jets amid tensions with US

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 11:11 AM

Colombia has announced a $4.3bn deal to buy 17 Swedish-made fighter jets amid tensions with the United States.

Speaking on Friday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the purchase of warplanes is a "deterrent weapon to achieve peace," amid "messy" geopolitics, confirming the deal with Sweden's Saab aircraft manufacturer to buy the Gripen fighter jets.

Petro said the new fighter jets will be used to dissuade "aggression against Colombia, wherever it may come from."

"In a world that is geopolitically messy," Petro said, such aggression "can come from anywhere."

Several Latin American states are on edge due to a US military build-up in the region as US forces carry out a campaign of deadly attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Without providing any evidence, Washington falsely accuses Latin American states such as Venezuela, claiming they are to blame for not actively stopping drug trafficking from Colombia to the United States.

Till now, American military forces have targeted Latin American vessels in their 20 confirmed attacks that have killed about 80 people so far in international waters.

Latin American leaders, legal scholars, and rights groups have criticized the US for carrying out extrajudicial killings of people who should face the courts if suspected of breaking laws related to drug smuggling.

US President Donald Trump also claims that both Petro and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, are involved in the regional drug trade, which both leaders have strenuously rejected.

Media reports from the United States repeatedly warn that the US military forces are preparing to strike more targets in Latin American states.

However, Trump, on October 31, denied that he was considering strikes against targets inside Venezuela.

He contradicted his own earlier assertion of considering the possibility of launching strikes on the territory of this country.

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US military escalations in Caribbean threaten international peace, Iran warns

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 10:41 AM

Iran has warned that the recent escalation of US military movements in the Caribbean and Latin America poses serious risks to international peace and security, calling for respect for Venezuela's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In a statement on Saturday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei stated that the US threats to use force against Venezuela's legally elected government are a blatant violation of international law.

He also noted that such actions constitute a serious breach of the principles of the UN Charter, particularly the right of nations to self-determination and the prohibition of the use of force as stipulated in Article 2(4).

Pointing to multiple reports issued by international bodies, Baghaei slammed US attacks on Venezuelan fishing vessels as instances of unlawful and extrajudicial killings.

He underlined the need to end the misuse of counter-narcotics operations as a pretext for violating Venezuela's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The diplomat also underscored the responsibility of the United Nations and its Secretary-General to prevent actions that undermine global peace and security and to curb the spread of unilateral and aggressive policies on the international stage.

Since August, the United States has deployed a fleet of vessels and thousands of troops to the Caribbean, under the pretext of combating Latin American drug cartels.

The US says it has carried out at least 20 strikes against alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific, killing 80 people. Rights groups have slammed the attacks as extrajudicial killings.

Later in September, five F-35 fighter jets were spotted landing in Puerto Rico following US President Donald Trump's recent order to deploy 10 of these stealth fighters to bolster military presence in the Caribbean.

The US has also deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier, and five accompanying destroyers to Latin America, prompting Venezuela to mobilize its troops and deploy warships, drones, and aircraft.

While rejecting the accusations of involvement in drug trafficking, the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has been emphasizing that Washington is using narcotics allegations as a pretext to pursue Washington's plan for a "regime change" and seize control of Venezuela's oil wealth.

Washington's allies, the United Kingdom and Canada, have distanced themselves from the drive.

The UK has suspended sharing of maritime intelligence with the US over concerns that Washington was using British-provided information to carry out deadly and unlawful military strikes on so-called drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean.

Canada, another long-standing US partner in such operations, has also distanced itself from the strikes. While continuing to cooperate with the US Coast Guard under Operation Caribbean, Ottawa has formally instructed Washington not to use Canadian intelligence in any lethal operations.

Germany and Switzerland have also called for a peaceful solution to the escalating situation.

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Latin American states preparing response to possible US aggression against Venezuela

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 15 November 2025 7:29 AM

Latin American countries have been making preparations for a response to possible US aggression against Venezuela.

Brazil's UOL portal reported that diplomatic officials from several Latin American states are holding talks to review the possibilities of preparing a joint declaration condemning the US's aggressive actions against Venezuela.

Representatives of diplomatic missions from several countries are already holding consultations to prepare a response to "possible American aggression," it said.

The UOL also cited unnamed diplomatic sources as saying that a joint response to US actions is necessary, otherwise the White House will feel empowered to continue to use aggressive force to achieve its goals in the region.

Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico should be the first to condemn Washington's aggression, the outlet opined.

Washington has made false accusations against Venezuela, claiming Caracas is not proactive enough in combating drug trafficking in the region.

It is using this as a pretext, according to The New York Times, to justify the implementation of US President Donald Trump's anti-Caracas plot.

Trump has ordered the CIA to launch covert "regime change" operations in the Bolivarian Republic to replace the democratically-elected leftist government with a pro-Washington puppet regime.

US media reports have repeatedly warned that American military forces may soon begin striking targets in Venezuela.

However, Trump, on October 31, denied that he was considering strikes against targets inside Venezuela. He contradicted his own earlier assertion of considering the possibility of launching strikes on the territory of this country.



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